Associated Press,  Tue Jan 31 01:43:17 EST 2006
A breakaway Tamil Tiger faction has offered a cease-fire to the mainstream rebels ahead of the insurgents' talks with the government, a move it hopes will help secure a permanent peace for Sri Lanka, media reports said Tuesday.

The government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam agreed last week to meet for the first time in about four years to try to save a cease-fire that has come under intense pressure following the killing of over 150 people since December.

The talks will be held in Switzerland in February, although a date has not been confirmed.

``This unilateral cease-fire is declared to create a conducive environment for the Sri Lankan president (Mahinda Rajapakse) to continue with his negotiations to bring about a permanent'' end to the civil war, Colombo's Daily Mirror quoted a statement from the renegades as saying.

The breakaway faction, led by Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan, also known as Karuna, left the mainstream group in March 2004 with about 6,000 fighters. The uprising was suppressed by the main rebel group a month later, but the breakaway leader is still believed to have many followers among Tamils in the east.

The LTTE - which has its main power base in the north - has accused the Sri Lankan military of backing Karuna's faction, an accusation the military denies.

There was no immediate reaction available from the LTTE on the renegades' offer.

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- The Academic

gosl says cool off
alleged  rebels declared unilateral cease fire
if gosl says get loss , what will karuna amman will do?
can anyone says any worthwile thing amman did to srilankan?
if you trade karuna amman to pottu amman ,gosl can get more benifit than karuna alive
it is a good bargaining tool for gosl in the swiss negotiation
good luck to gosl

This is just an eye wash.  They have abducted 5 TRO officials after announcing that.  Where is Mr. Ganguly or other favourites of Lanka Academic.  You don't get these news.  In my opinion the Media is the main cause of the ethnic problem in Sri Lanka.  Giving the head lines to their needs, selective reporting and sometimes bogus news like bomb explosion in Mannar and S.P. thamilselvan was killed.  Lanka Academic also reported this incident.  This applies to all media including Tamilnet.


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Be patriotic .. think of the motherland

So the truth at last, TRO is LTTE! Interesting!

I am sure they have been abducted by the "Peoples Militia". So neither the LTTE nor GOSL not Karuna would have any kind of control over that.

Truth wrote:

So the truth at last, TRO is LTTE! Interesting!

 
The United States today expressed concern about the reported kidnapping of five members of the Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO) at Welikanda in Polonnaruwa District of Sri Lanka.
''The Embassy urges the relevant authorities to rapidly investigate these allegations. The Embassy again calls on all parties to exercise restraint and calm, especially in the run-up to the cease-fire talks in Geneva,'' a statement from the US Embassy here said this evening.

The TRO is a registered non-government organisation (NGO) in Sri Lanka and said to involve in post-tsunami and post-war humanitarian relief and development work especially in the North-East.

Good news
Representatives of three major international lending agencies will travel to Kilinochchi on Friday for talks with LTTE leaders regarding rehabilitation and development in the north and east.


World Bank Country Representative Peter Harrold, ADB Country Director Alessandro Pio, UNDP representative Jeff Taft-dick and IMF Senior Resident Representative Luis M. Valdivieso will hold talks with LTTE Political Wing Leader S.P. Thamilselvam and several other rebel leaders.

Once KAruna declared unilateral ceasefire LTTE faced a big problem. Their only attempt to get rid of Karuna's influence throught the CFA will be useless.

NOw, LTTE is hiding TRO members and accuse PARAMILITARIES. So, now again Karuna is in the equation.