No time for ceasefire: time yet for surrender - President

We have at no time gone for a ceasefire. We will not do so now. There is no time for that now. In the five or six days remaining we have given the opportunity for the LTTE to lay down their arms and surrender to the Armed Forces and, even in the name of God, free the civilians held by them. If they have no regard for their own lives they should even consider the lives of others.

So said President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the 50th Anniversary of the commissioning of the Chandrikawewa at Embilipitiya, today (30).

All television channels of the world are now directed towards Sri Lanka. With satellite technology the whole world can now see how the LTTE uses tanks to fire at the Tamil people fleeing from them. Of what need special observers to know of this? Why do we need special representatives to study this? This is known the world over, the President said.

However it is a great surprise that some members of the international community do not see this. I must warn the world that this lack of vision could leads to a international tragedy, he added.

You would have seen how our troops rescue mothers, carrying their little children at Puthumathalan. How they carry the aged, yet even seeing this, some international forces point accusing fingers at us.Daya Master says that he was carried to safety like a child carrying one's father. Some parents go on their knees to respect our troops for saving them from terror.

The world must see and know all this. That is why we call this a humanitarian operation. This is not how wars are fought in other countries. We have seen how Iraq was bombed. We have seen how Afghanistan is bombed. Those who come to preach to us seen how Afghanistan is bombed. It must be made clear that before accusing others, you must have the strength to know what you do yourself.

Courtesy : Presidential Media Unit