Buoyed by string of recent military success against the LTTE as the Army has pushed them from nearly all their strongholds,Sri Lanka has once again asked the beleaguered rebels to surrender to facilitate the safe exit of Tamil civilians. Sri Lanka has appreciated the stand of world community including the UN for asking the LTTE to lay down arms. Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama has said laying down of arms by the Tiger rebels will enable the Government to open highways to bring in the distraught Tamil civilians into the Government held areas. "They (LTTE) must lay down arms so that there is no need for us (to launch attacks on them). You can then have an open highway in terms of getting the civilians out of the clutches of the LTTE," Bogollagama told reporters. "This is what we have been telling the international community and the international community's call has now come on the LTTE to lay down arms. "We want to see to ask LTTE to lay down arms and free the citizens. It is against the humanitarian laws," he said The UN Under Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs Sir John Holmes during his recent visit to Sri Lanka had echoed similar views,Bogollagama said,"what LTTE is doing is a total violation of International Humanitarian law."
