[Guardian]

Sri Lanka snubbed the international community’s call for a ceasefire today, saying troops would not suspend their offensive against Tamil Tiger rebels despite reports of a growing civilian death toll. The government said it would offer a limited amnesty to rebel forces that were ready to lay down their arms as they were on the brink of defeat in their 25-year-old struggle for a Tamil homeland. But ministers refused to hold peace talks, saying they would accept nothing less than total surrender.

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[ AP ]

The Sri Lankan government officially outlawed the Tamil Tiger rebel group Wednesday, ruling out the possibility of restarting peace talks any time soon to end a quarter-century of civil war. The Tamil Tigers had long been outlawed in Sri Lanka, but the government lifted the ban in 2002 when the sides agreed a ceasefire. The deal collapsed amid new fighting three years ago. The rebels have been fighting since 1983 to create an independent homeland for ethnic minority Tamils, who have suffered decades of marginalization by governments controlled by the Sinhalese majority. The conflict has killed more than 70,000 people.

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