It said the troops foiled an infiltration bid by the LTTE terrorists in Mullathivu. “Heavy fighting has erupted as troops of 1 Sinha Regiment [1SR], and 9 Field Engineers intercepted a group of terrorists trying to infiltrate army forward boundary east of the Nanthikadal lagoon this morning,” said the Defence Ministry.

Meanwhile, the government said if the LTTE was ready to heed the call of the European Union (EU) to lay down arms, the need for “immediate ceasefire” to protect the interests of stranded civilians does not arise.

Welcoming the EU call on Monday to the LTTE to lay down arms and renounce terrorism, the government claimed that it suspended hostilities for a 48-hour period and designated no-fire zones to allow safe passage of the civilian population fleeing the conflict areas on January 29. More...Discuss this story Published: Tue Feb 24 19:46:15 EST 2009

Defence officials said government troops swept into the town of Puthukudiyiruppu on Tuesday following fierce overnight clashes northeast of Colombo, the capital. More... Published: Tue Feb 24 08:21:06 EST 2009

“We want to see an end to the hostilities,” State Department spokesman Robert Wood said in Washington yesterday. The UN calls “on all sides to pursue serious efforts toward political discussion” to end the conflict, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in New York.

The LTTE said yesterday it is ready for a cease-fire that leads to peace talks. Sri Lanka’s government rejected any truce talks and called for the group’s unconditional surrender.

Sri Lanka’s army says it has brought the Tamil Tigers to the brink of defeat since capturing their main bases in January and driving them into an 87-square kilometer (34-square mile) pocket of land in the northeast. As many as 250,000 civilians are caught in conflict zones, facing shortages of food and medicines, according to the UN and international aid groups. More...Discuss this story Published: Mon Feb 23 20:18:06 EST 2009