Rajapaksa says LTTE defeated; no word on Prabhakaran

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Saturday announced that his country has "militarily" defeated the LTTE, which had terrorised the island for nearly three decades, and promised the minority Tamil community with a "homegrown" political solution in the country's north.

However, there was no word on the whereabouts of the LTTE supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran amid a government claim that the cornered rebels may be preparing to commit "mass suicide".

"My government with the total commitment of our Armed Forces, has in an unprecedented humanitarian operation, finally defeated the LTTE militarily," Rajapaksa said while addressing the summit of G-11 nations in Jordon.

"I will be going back to a country that has been totally freed from the barbaric acts of the LTTE," the President said as he cut short his visit to Jordon. The Tigers are "preparing for a mass suicide after forces cut off their sea as well as land escape routes and cornered them in a mere 3.5 sq km area", a military statement said.

Rajapaksa also promised to follow the military victory with a "political solution" that will pave the way for democracy to root itself in the country's embattled north.