Peace dividend: Rebels allow access to prisoners

Relatives of prisoners held by Tamil Tiger rebels in Sri Lanka will be allowed to visit their loved ones this week as part of a truce ahead ...

Relatives of prisoners held by Tamil Tiger rebels in Sri Lanka will be allowed to visit their loved ones this week as part of a truce ahead of peace talks expected next month, a Red Cross official said on Monday.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said 16 relatives of six Army officers and a navy officer held prisoner by the separatist guerrillas for more than eight years had left for northern Wanni under escort by the ICRC.

‘‘They will spend Tuesday and the day after with the detainees,’’ said ICRC spokesman Arjuna Ranawana.

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The LTTE rebels and the government signed a Norwegian-brokered ceasefire agreement in February and agreed to allow their prisoners family visits.

The rebels, who have been fighting for a separate state in the North and East of the country since 1983, control a large area in the North.

The guerrillas released 10 prisoners in January as a sign of goodwill, seven of whom were civilian crew members of ships who had been held for up to eight years.

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