Sri Lanka Army confirms surrender of two top LTTE leaders

Last Updated on Wednesday, 22 April 2009 21:05 Wednesday, 22 April 2009 21:04

Written by <a href='/Community/ANI/profile.html'>ANI</a>

Two top leaders of the rebel Liberation Tigers of the Tamil Ealam (LTTE) have surrendered before the Sri Lanka Army in Puthumathalam.

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Two top leaders of the rebel Liberation Tigers of the Tamil Ealam (LTTE) have surrendered before the Sri Lanka Army in Puthumathalam.

According to a Times Now report, Daya Master and George surrendered before officers of the 58th Division of the Sri Lankan Army.

Daya Master and George were part of the LTTE supreme V. Prabhakaran’s inner circle, and were key spokesmen of the rebel outfit.

Army spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said that both of these leaders were part of the over 9,000 Tamil civilians who were received at the safe zone on Wednesday morning. He said they revealed their identities and it was not a negotiated surrender. The Sri Lanka army’s intelligence operatives had also identified them, he added.

Brigadier Nanayakkara said that Prabhakaran was confined to a 12-kilometre stretch of land.

The surrender of the two came as a number of civilians continue to be evacuated or transferred to the government controlled ''''safe zone'''' in Sri Lanka. So far, close to 80,000 people have been evacuated and accommodated in the safe zone.

Meanwhile, according to reports, Senior Presidential Advisor and Parliamentarian, Basil Rajapaksa would visit India shortly as a special envoy of President Mahinda Rajapaksa for talks with the Indian authorities.

The final assault against Prabhakaran began in Puthumattalam on Tuesday afternoon after the Lankan Army''''s deadline for surrender of LTTE Chief Velupillai Prabhakaran ended on Monday.

Puthumattalam is the last LTTE sand bund waiting to be captured by the Sri Lanka Army.

On Tuesday, the LTTE said that its leaders and cadre would not surrender to the Sri Lanka armed forces, and added that their leader V. Prabhakaran was still alive and directing the counter-offensive in Puthumattalam. (ANI)

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