Tamil Tiger war has ended, says Sri Lanka

Sally Sara, Colombo

Last Updated: Tue, 19 May 2009 14:24:00 +1000

Thousands of people celebrated on the streets of Sri Lanka's capital, Colombo after the government declared the war against the Tamil Tigers over and the military said it had killed the rebels' leader.

Sri Lanka's army chief, General Sarath Fonseca, says all combat operations against the Tamil Tigers have now ended.

The military says Tigers leader Velupillai Prabhakaran and several of his senior commanders have been shot dead.

Prabhakaran was reportedly killed by special forces troops as he tried to flee the war zone in an ambulance.

Bodies found

The army says the bodies of another four prominent rebels were found during the army's mopping-up operations.

The Sri Lankan Government says Prabhakaran's death signals the end of the 26-year civil war.

Crowds gathered outside the presidential palace and residents danced and let off fire-crackers as the news broke in Colombo.

"Everyone is very happy, all the civilians are very happy for this moment," one resident said.

"We were looking for 30 years for this moment. We were looking for freedom."

Flags waved

Some of the revellers crammed onto the back of trucks while some rode in auto rickshaws, waving the Sri Lankan national flag.

"I'm feeling so happy. We destroyed this LTTE (Tamil Tigers). We thank our army and President," resident Akash Dail said.

"We love Sri Lanka and we also love our army and President."

President Mahinda Rajapakse will address the nation later today to lay out his plans for lasting peace.

But aid groups still hold fears for up to a quarter of a million displaced civilians in the north of the country.

UN rights mission

The secretary-general of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, is on his way to Sri Lanka to express concerns about the humanitarian cost of the government's military offensive.

The United Nations says 220,000 people are now in government-run camps for those displaced by the civil war.

UN humanitarian chief John Holmes says up to 60,000 more people have most recently fled the fighting in the country's north, and are now on their way to these camps.

Mr Holmes says the agency is now focused on making sure those people can get the assistance they require.

"I fear the people coming out now are indeed in a desperate state," he said.

Limited medicines

"They've had very little food in the last few weeks - despite some food getting in with the International Red Cross - (and) very limited medical access; there may be many injured amongst them.

"So there are huge problems we need to face in the next few days and weeks, and we'll do our best working with the government to cope with them."

Sarasi Wijeraante, information officer for the International Committee of the Red Cross, says it is difficult to find out what is happening in the worst-affected areas.

"The ICRC has lost contact with its team on the ground. However, the ICRC has made an offer to the authorities to deploy an ICRC team to help evacuate the sick and the wounded," he said.

The government is promising to restore infrastructure, confidence and stability for the Tamil minority caught in the fighting.

But it is unclear whether the end of the war will mean an end to terrorism in Sri Lanka.

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