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Lanka rejects Tigers' offer, vows to fight on

P Mohan Das in Colombo

The Sri Lankan government on Saturday said troops fighting the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in Jaffna will not surrender nor were there any contingency plans to withdraw them from the war-torn peninsula.

Reacting to the appeal made by the LTTE, which had asked the government soldiers to surrender and lay down arms, a spokesman said, ''There is no question of surrender or withdrawal of troops''.

''Our troops will fight till the last to push the LTTE from Jaffna,'' he said.

The government's reaction came a day after the LTTE made a fervent appeal to the soldiers.

Earlier, on May 8, the LTTE had offered a ceasefire to facilitate withdrawal of troops from Jaffna. The government had outright rejected the LTTE'S offer and decided to intensify its attacks.

Tamil Tiger rebels yesterday appealed to the government soldiers defending Jaffna to surrender in order to avoid a bloodbath.

The call over their clandestine Voice of Tigers Radio came 12 days after the government rejected the ceasefire offer to facilitate the withdrawal of nearly 40,000 soldiers fighting the battle for Jaffna, the former capital of the LTTE. The army had taken control of Jaffna from the LTTE in December 1995 after a 50-day battle.

The LTTE had pledged that those soldiers who lay down arms will be treated with dignity and honour and handed over to protection of the International Committee of the Red Cross within 24 hours.

Earlier also, President Chandrika Kumaratunga and deputy defence minister Anuruddha Ratwatte had reiterated that the troops will fight and push the LTTE back.

UNI

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