Colombo: As the Sri Lankan offensive on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) reaches its final stages, the Tamil Tigers have announced unilateral ceasefire. However, the Lankan government has been quick in rejecting the ceasefire call.
The LTTE has said that it announced the ceasefire in the face of an "unprecedented humanitarian crisis" and in response to the calls made by the UN, EU, US, India and other countries.
"In the face of an unprecedented humanitarian crisis and in response to the calls made by the UN, EU, the governments of India and others, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has announced a unilateral ceasefire," LTTE said in a statement.
However, the Sri Lankan government, rejecting the call, has told NDTV that they are close to defeating the Tamil Tigers and that they must surrender. The government has told NDTV that the anti-LTTE operations will continue.
"Declaring the ceasefire is a joke. The LTTE has no capability to mount offensive," said Lanka Foreign Secretary, speaking to NDTV.
"That is a joke. They were not fighting with us, they were running from us. There is no need of a ceasefire. They must surrender. That is it," Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa told NDTV in a telephone interview.
"We don't think Prabhakaran will escape. The LTTE offer can't be taken seriously. It is a LTTE strategy to deceive," he added.
Meanwhile, speaking to NDTV, Lanka Army spokesperson has said that there priority at this moment is to rescue civilians, adding that they would capture Prabhakaran soon.