The Ceylon News

	President Rajapakse praised the troops

Addresing the nation from the celeberations in Colombo, The President also invited expatriate Srilankans to return to the motherland as the 'war is coming to an end'.

"I announce with pride that we have raised the National Flag today over a motherland that is being united in keeping with the heart felt wishes and prayers of our people", said the president.

Thirty years of 'illegal armed struggle' against the government prevented the people from celebrating true freedom.

Defeat of 'terrorism'

President Rajapaksa reminded the nation about the 'atrocities' of the Tamil Tigers. "Due to this terrorism the Sinhala and Muslim people who lived in the north were compelled to flee from their traditional lands. This period saw the massacre of Buddhist worshipers near the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi, at Anuradhapura. At Kaththankudi, Muslims were killed while worshiping in their mosque. There were terrorist attacks on the pinnacle of Buddhist worship, the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic in Kandy. Innocent people were collectively massacred in many places of this land".

In his speech, the president accused the Tamil Tigers of ethnic cleansing. "They sought to establish a fascist state in which the Sinhala and Muslim people, as well as the Tamil people who were not prepared to bow before them, would not live. A large number of Democratic leaders of the Tamil people were killed by the terrorists"

not to cause harassment to the innocent Tamil people

The President also expressed gratitude to the troops for the sacrifices they had made. "Our troops have given us the opportunity to see the dawn of an honourable peace for the country. They have sacrificed their flesh, blood, sinews and life itself to bring this great historic opportunity to our motherland. Our troops were able to carry forward the battle against terror with great care so as not to cause harassment to the innocent Tamil people".

President comforting a Tamil child in Eastern Sri Lanka

The President called upon the Srilankans living abroad to return to build a united country. "The time has now dawned for the Sri Lankans who have their country, because of this unfortunate battle that had dragged for more than 20 years, to return to their land of birth and to the places they lived in. On this important occasion, on behalf of the entire Sri Lankan nation, I make an open invitation to all Sri Lankans – Sinhala, Tamil, Muslim, Burgher, Malay and of all other communities, who left this country because of war to return to your motherland".

Enemies within

The President also focused on the enemies within the communities in the South. "We are today a nation that has defeated a powerful enemy that stood before us. Similarly, we should have the ability to defeat all internal enemies that are found in our midst."

He said the struggle for stability and building good governance and ridding the country of corruption and waste is a priority for the future." If we cannot do so we should be ready to leave the stage", the president said.

Adding another huge setback for the LTTE terrorists in Wanni battlefront the Deputy LTTE sea tiger leader and three other sea tiger leaders were killed in a fierce confrontation took place in north of Chalai yesterday, 4 February, the latest military sources in battlefront said.

According to the available information, LTTE sea tiger deputy leader known as Vinayagam was killed as troops of 55 Division on mission to capture LTTE's last sea tiger base, Chalai, launched an effective offensive thrust against LTTE resistance. The intense fighting reported between 1.45PM to 2.00 PM, defence sources said.

By intercepting LTTE communication channels, it is revealed that terrorists were unable to locate the body of the killed deputy sea tiger leader so far as troops continued their offensive on remaining LTTE positions in the area.

Meanwhile, In-charge of LTTE land fighting group known as Kader and sea tiger Pooneryn area leader know as Pahalawan were also killed during the confrontation, military sources further confirmed.

Sea tiger special leader known as Sinna Kannan was killed in a separate confrontation reported in north of Chalai around 8.50 AM yesterday. He was later given the self-styled rank of 'Lt. Colonel', Electronic Warfare (EW) sources confirmed intercepting LTTE communication channels. Eight more sea tigers were also killed during the battle.

Troops are now heading towards Chalai, the only remaining sea tiger base, gaining more LTTE hiding areas amidst stiff resistance given by the terrorists.

The European Union, the US, Japan and Norway have urged Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers to surrender.

In doing so the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) can avoid more deaths, including the thousands of civilians trapped in the war zone, they said in a joint statement.

"There remains probably only a short period of time before the LTTE loses control of all areas in the north," they added.

"The LTTE and the government of Sri Lanka should recognise that further loss of life - of civilians and combatants - will serve no cause."

Earlier, three people were killed and ten wounded after artillery shells hit a packed hospital in the war zone for the fourth time in two days, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said.

That brings the death toll in two days of shelling at the hospital in the northern area of Puthikudiyiruppu to 12, with 30 more wounded.

The region is inside the small wedge of jungle where Sri Lanka's surging military has surrounded the LTTE separatists.

The military is fighting to finish a war that started in 1983 and is now one of Asia's longest-running.

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa last week gave the Tigers 48 hours to free thousands of civilians trapped inside the 115 sq miles of jungle still held by the rebels, which the LTTE ignored.

The government had promised safe passage for that time, but on Monday said it could not guarantee the safety of anyone still living among the rebels, unless they enter an army-demarcated no-fire zone.

"People are on the move because they are looking for a safe place. But there is no safe place," ICRC spokeswoman Carla Haddad said.

Aid agencies say around 250,000 civilians are trapped in the Tiger-held area. The government says the number is closer to 120,000.

The military and the rebels again traded blame for the shelling.

"We don't fire shells on that area. It must be LTTE which are firing shells as they are desperate," military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said of the attack on the hospital.

A pro-rebel website said the shells were fired by the military "throughout the whole day on Monday from all directions into civilian refuges. At least 100 civilians could have been killed or maimed in the indiscriminate barrage".

It is nearly impossible to verify accounts from the war zone, off-limits for journalists except on carefully guided tours.

In a statement, Foreign Secretary David Miliband called again for a truce to let civilians move out.

He said: "I very much regret the LTTE's failure to respond positively to the Sri Lankan government's offer of safe passage for civilians.

"The need for a humanitarian ceasefire that is fully respected by both sides is already urgent."

The Norwegian government said on Wednesday that it had urged the LTTE guerrillas (Tamil Tigers) to negotiate with the Sri Lankan central government for a ceasefire, according to reports reaching here from Oslo.

"In order to protect thousands of civilians caught in the war zone, Norge has asked the LTTE guerrillas (Tamil Tigers) to contact the central Sri Lanka government," Erik Solheim, Norway's Minister of International Development, was quoted as saying by the Norwegian online newspaper The Norway Post.

"This is now a precarious situation with many tens of casualties every day. We must avoid more civilian sufferings," Solheim told The Norway Post.

He said that Norway has therefore joined the EU, U.S. and Japan in a joint statement where they ask the two sides to stop the fighting and negotiate a solution based on the LTTE ending its warfare and moving on to the use of political means.

About 70,000 people have been killed in the civil war in Sri Lanka since 1972. Seven years ago, Norway brokered ceasefire negotiations between the two sides, but all talks ended in failure. 　

The Sri Lankan military has vowed to crush the rebels

The Sri Lankan government has rejected a call by international donors to the Tamil Tiger rebels to negotiate terms of surrender with the government.

Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa told the BBC that the government would only accept an "unconditional surrender" by the rebels.

The donors - the US, Japan, Norway and the European Union - have also called on the Tigers to lay down their arms.

The government has ruled out a ceasefire and vowed to crush them.

Mr Rajapaksa told the BBC: "There is no question of negotiations on surrender. The rebels should surrender unconditionally. They should lay down their arms first."

He ruled out any amnesty for top rebel leaders, but said that "lower level cadres" would be "given amnesty, retrained, given vocational training and integrated into mainstream society".

INSURGENCY TIMELINE 1976: Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam form in the north-east 1987: India deploys peace-keepers to Tamil areas but they leave in 1990 1993: President Premadasa killed by Tiger bomb 2001: Attack on airport destroys half Sri Lankan Airlines fleet 2002: Government and rebels agree ceasefire 2005: Mahinda Rajapaksa becomes president 2006: Heavy fighting resumes 2009: Army takes main rebel bases of Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu In pictures: Inside 'Tiger bunker' Sri Lanka journalists 'risk death' Voices from Sri Lanka

Mr Rajapakse also rejected a ceasefire call by the US, UK and Canada, saying that the rebels had used ceasefire time "only to regroup and attack security forces".

"When the government declared a 48-hour ceasefire period last week, the rebels used the period to launch suicide attacks near the frontlines using three trucks loaded with explosives," he said.

The government and rebels have come under pressure to declare a ceasefire.

This will allow casualties to be evacuated from the war zone in the north-east. Up to 250,000 civilians may be trapped.

The Tigers have said they will not lay down their arms until they have a "guarantee of living with freedom and dignity and sovereignty".

Meanwhile, heavy fighting between the government forces and soldiers is continuing in the north-east of the country, says the BBC's Anbarasan Ethirajan in Colombo.

A military spokesman said the army has beaten back counter attacks by the rebels in the Mullaitivu area.

On Wednesday, the United Nations said that 52 civilians had been killed in 24 hours of fighting.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa has said the rebels' defeat is imminent.

Sri Lankan government forces have denied using cluster bombs in recent attacks [EPA] The last operational hospital in northern Sri Lanka's war zone has been shut down after it was attacked for a fifth time in three days, aid groups say. The closure has left thousands of trapped civilians without access to medical care. The Sri Lanka government says it is just days away from victory over Tamil Tiger forces, and both sides are resisting international calls for a ceasefire. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said staff and patients fled the hospital in Puthukudiyiruppu after Wednesday's attack - the latest in a series that have left 12 people dead. "We are shocked that a medical facility has again sustained direct hits. We have grave concerns for the well-being and safety of those who fled," the head of the ICRC's Colombo delegation, Paul Castella, said in a statement. The hospital's staff and 300 patients were evacuated to a coastal area deeper inside the war zone where there is no reliable source of drinking water, Sarasi Wijeratne, a spokeswoman for the ICRC, said. Aid workers are trying to find them a better place to stay or get the military and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) fighters to grant them safe passage out of the conflict zone, she said. Inadequate facilities Describing the hospital's new location in the northeast, Sophie Romanens, of the ICRC in Colombo, said: "In the new place there was no adeguate medical facility to have over 300 patients. So some of them are staying with family if they have relatives in that area. "But most of them are in a community centre, which is just not a place to have so many patients. "One of our colleagues described the scene inside the community centre; they said patients are lying on the ground with IV drips hanging from a tree." Romanens said "the medical staff are doing really fantastic job trying to take care of the patients in these very difficult conditions". An all-out government offensive in recent months has forced LTTE fighters from their strongholds across the north and east of Sri Lanka, driving them into a 300sq km strip of jungle along the northeastern coast. Aid agencies say about 250,000 people are trapped in LTTE-held areas, but the government says the number is about half that. Cluster-bombs charge In related news, the UN said cluster munitions appeared to have hit near the Puthukudiyiruppu hospital in fighting on Wednesday. The previous day, up to 52 civilians were killed and dozens more injured in and around a government-designated "safe zone" - an area of LTTE territory that the government had pledged not to strike. It is not clear which side may have fired the weapons. Gordon Weiss, a UN spokesman, said 15 UN workers and 81 family members who were trapped near the hospital also fled after the area came under intense artillery fire, including what appeared to be cluster munitions. Focus: Sri Lanka Video: Rajapakse hails end of LTTE Q&A: Sri Lanka's civil war The history of the Tamil Tigers Timeline: Conflict in Sri Lanka That was the first public accusation of the use of cluster bombs in the conflict since a ceasefire broke down three years ago, although Weiss said the weapons had been used at least once before in recent weeks. Cluster munitions are controversial because of their ability to cause damage over a wide area. Many of the so-called bomblets they contain do not explode immediately and pose a danger to civilians long after fighting ends. Palitha Kohona, Sri Lanka's minister of foreign affairs, told Al Jazeera that "Sri Lankan forces have given categoric assurances that they are not using cluster bombs, nor are they procuring them". Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara, a spokesman for the military, also denied using them. "We don't have the facility to fire cluster munitions. We don't have these weapons," he said. Weiss said the UN accepted the government's assurances that it did not have the weapons. Ceasefire urged On Wednesday thousands joined protests in Geneva and Berlin against the Sri Lankan government continued offensive, demanding international intervention to stop the killing of civilians. The US, Britain and Canada have urged both sides to agree to a temporary ceasefire to allow civilians and the wounded to leave the conflict zone and asked that humanitarian agencies - most of which were barred by the government last year - be given access. Thousands protesting the war have demanded international intervention [Reuters] Speaking to Al Jazeera on Thursday, Basil Fernando, of the Asian Human Rights Commission, said: "The war is the way by which the attention of the country has been drawn away from the fundamental crises - a constitutional crisis, a legal crisis. "An enormous crisis is [about] to unfold. There is a tremendous crisis on the way in terms of governance." The LTTE has been fighting since 1983 for a separate homeland for the Tamil minority that it says the Sinhalese government has marginalised. About 70,000 people have been killed in the 26-year conflict but on Wednesday Mahinda Rajapaksa, the Sri Lankan president, told Independence Day celebrations that the government is on the verge of destroying the separatists and ending the war. "I am confident that in a few days we will decisively defeat the terrorist force that many repeatedly kept saying was invincible," he said.

Sri Lanka's rebel Tamil Tigers will be "completely defeated in a few days", the country's president has said in an address marking national day celebrations.

"Today, we have been able to nearly destroy terror," Mahinda Rajapakse said in a televised address at an independence day parade in Colombo on Wednesday.

"Our troops have given us the opportunity to see the dawn of an honourable peace for the country ... [the] shadows of terrorism have almost been wiped out," he said.

His speech follows weeks of fighting in the country's north, where Sri Lankan forces have made major advances against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

Ceasefire urged

International pressure, meanwhile, has been mounting on the government to call a ceasefire and allow trapped civilians to escape the combat zone.

Aid groups say about 250,000 people have been trapped and dozens of others killed in crossfire. The government, however, puts the number of trapped civilians at about 120,000 and says the military has taken "great care" to avoid civilian casualties.

The Sri Lankan president's comments also came amid reports that cluster munitions from an unidentified source had exploded close to "the last functioning hospital" in the northern war zone.

Gordon Weiss, a UN spokesman, told Al Jazeera: "We have 15 UN staff members and 81 members of their families in bunkers next to the hospital.

"They have been subjected to an 18-long hour artillery bombardment and we are doing our best to get them out of the area. At the moment it is very difficult.

We don't know precisely [who launched the bomb], but we do know that both sides possess the capacity," he said.

'High-minded demand'

"The hospital was not hit by the cluster munition [but] it was in the vicinity."

Palitha Kohona, Sri Lanka's minister of foreign affairs, told Al Jazeera: "The Sri Lankan forces have given categoric assurances that they are not using cluster bombs, nor are they procuring them.

"I think it is high-handed to demand an investigation into the government at this time."

"Last week, the president announced a 48 hour no fire period, but LTTE did not allow this to happen," he said.

"I don't know what would be achieved by having a ceasefire, other than allowing the LTTE breathing space to regroup with renewed strength."

Intense offensive

A day earlier, Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state and her British counterpart, David Miliband, issued a call for a "temporary no-fire period".

"Both sides need to allow civilians and the wounded to leave the conflict area and to grant access for humanitarian agencies," they said.

The army's advances come as the country marks its independence day [AFP]

An intense government offensive over the past year has dismantled the Tigers' mini-state in northern Sri Lanka, with the LTTE losing an estimated 98 per cent of the territory once under their control.

The LTTE, which is seeking a separate homeland in the north and east of the country, has been pushed into a 300 sq km slice of coastal area in the north.

The group has been battling government forces since 1983, alleging the marginalisation of ethnic Tamils by Sri Lanka's Sinhalese majority.

More than 70,000 people have been killed in the civil war.