TULF asks govt to get third party to accept LTTE surrender

An anti-LTTE Tamil party today asked the Sri Lankan Government to name a third party to which the Tamil Tigers could surrender so that the trapped civilians could be set free.  

The Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF), a pro-government party, also said over 1.5 lakh civilians were still trapped in the rebel-held areas.  

"I suggest that an International Agency, acceptable to the Government, be selected to visit Wanni and persuade the LTTE to allow the innocent people to go out freely, with an offer of a general amnesty to those who surrender with arms," TULF president V Anandasangaree said in a letter to Rajapaksa.  

A period of two weeks may be give to the agency to make the necessary arrangements, he said.  

"If such an arrangement is not made to bring out the civilians safely, the whole thing will end up in a national disaster detrimental to the good name of the country," Anandasangaree said in the letter. 

 "I have very reliable information that the number still stranded in Wanni is over 1,50,000  but I am positively sure that the number exceeds one hundred thousand," he said.