Just half an hour!

Rohan Mathes

Following the huge influx of civilians into the Army controlled areas from the No Fire Zone through out yesterday, President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday called upon the international community to exert pressure on Prabhakaran to let him grant freedom of movement for just half an hour.

He made this call while he was addressing the Sri Lanka Nidhas Upadhidari Sangamaya at Temple Trees yesterday after observing through UAV visuals that tens of thousands of people were arriving in the Government controlled areas braving brutal attacks by the LTTE.

Thereafter, President Rajapaksa said the remaining terrorists could either surrender to the armed forces or eat the cyanide capsule which they wear on their necks.

He said around 35,000 civilians entrapped in the ‘No Fire Zone’ as ‘Human Hostages’ by Velupillai Prabhakaran, are earnestly seeking to cross over to Government held territory.

President Rajapaksa added it was clearly evident by this exodus that these innocent civilians who are even wading through the water, are trying their very best to exit from Prabhakaran’s domain, and enter our territory. “Our Armed forces have executed an arduous but exemplary task of evacuating these civilians from the cruel grip of the terrorists.”