Sri Lankan government declares at least 48-hour ceasefire with Tamil rebels

A symbolic gesture in Sri Lanka.

President Mahinda Rajapakse has declared a ceasefire of at least 48 hours with the rebellion on the occasion of the Tamil New Year celebrations which begin tomorrow. In 2002, a similar truce was quickly shattered.

This announcement comes as the government army has been trying for several months to overcome a last square of Tamil rebels in the northeast of the island. The Tamil Tigers are accused of using the civilians who took refuge in this area as human shields and the government army of relentlessly bombarding this area.

The UN has repeatedly declared itself very worried about the fate of these 100,000 people caught between the two belligerents. A concern relayed since the beginning of the week by numerous demonstrations in several countries to demand a truce. 100,000 people marched yesterday in London but also in Paris, Oslo, Copenhagen and Canada, where a large Tamil community lives. Former British colony, Sri Lanka has been facing this war of independence for the north and east of the former Ceylon for 37 years. A conflict which has already claimed tens of thousands of deaths, including nearly 3,000 since the start of the year.

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