They don’t use cyanide capsules anymore

NEW DELHI | COLOMBO: Two top Tamil Tiger leaders on Wednesday surrendered before the rapidly advancing Lankan forces, signalling an imminent collapse of LTTE. As troops closed in on Vellamullivakkal, the possible hiding place of rebel chief Vellupillai Prabhakaran, around a lakh refugees fled the no-fire zone.

Velayutham Dayanidhi, better known as Daya Master, a former media co-ordinator of the rebels and George, a close aide of slain LTTE political wing head S P Thamilchelvan gave themselves up to the army at Putumathalan in the no-fire zone where the battles are raging, defence spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella said.

This is the first time that LTTE cadres have surrendered as Tigers are more known for gulping cyanide pills than giving themselves up when pushed to a corner.

The two leaders are likely to be flown to Colombo to be produced before a court, the defence spokesman said.
The government strongly believes that Prabhakaran and his other top aides were still in the area and had not escaped, Rambukwella said, claiming LTTE ���had lost all its military capabilities.���

���They are fighting on their last legs and it is a losing battle. The only way for them to stop this military operation is to lay down arms,��� he said, as troops pushed deeper into the no-fire zone, capturing six of the 18 sq km area where the Tigers are making their last stand.

The Lankan military has taken the surrender as evidence that the Tamil Tigers ���had lost all its military capabilities���. International concern was focused on the humanitarian crisis.

New Delhi has asked Colombo to co-ordinate with international aid agencies to help with the civilians��� evacuation. External affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee who reiterated the government���s stand on LTTE reiterated that India had made an appeal to the Sri Lanka government to extend the period of the cessation of hostilities. ���We did not use the term ceasefire; what we said was that there should be a pause to enable civilians to go to safer zones.���

He further said that there was no clarity on the number of civilians still trapped in the war zone. ���There are conflicting signals about the exact number of civilians who were still trapped in the conflict zone. The Sri Lankan authorities were saying that the number was between 10,000 and 15,000. However, UN observers have put the figure at between 30,000 and 40,000,��� he added. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh held a review meeting on the crisis on Wednesday.

���The LTTE has only an eight kilometre strip or about 12 to 14 square kilometres of land area left under its control... The government strongly believes that (the LTTE chief) Vellupillai Prabhakaran is still inside the no fire zone,��� Lankan government spokesman Rambukwella said.

Sri Lanka plans to send President Mahinda Rajapaksa���s brother Basil as a special envoy to brief India about the situation in the strife-hit island. ���There is a plan for him to come to India,��� Sri Lanka���s ambassador to India C R Jayasinghe told a news agency.