The 'voice' of LTTE surrenders

 
On Wednesday, it was the Sri Lankan government's biggest triumph in its current offensive - Daya Master, the Tigers' media spokesperson and George, an interpreter for top leader Thamilselvan have surrendered with their families.

To the world, they were the voice of the LTTE. The government says 3,000 other LTTE militants have also laid down their arms, instead of committing suicide by biting into the cyanide capsule, as the tigers are known to do.

But the LTTE chief, Prabhakaran continues to elude the army. Reports suggest he is still hiding among thousands of civilians in a 12-14 square km pocket where the tigers are cornered.

The army claims over 81,000 civilians have escaped the LTTE zone.

The US claims over a lakh people are still in the war zone and has released satellite pictures of camps consisting of 25,000 tents in a government-designated safe zone. These pictures show the camps before and after people moved in.

The LTTE claims over 1000 civilians have been killed in the last two days, though the government says 30 have died. No foreign media is allowed in the area, but the UN has estimated over 4,500 people have been killed in this offensive. With the army going for the kill, the humanitarian crisis can only worsen.

The Sri Lankan army has carried out a large hostage rescue mission, but will only end if it  captures Prabhakaran, dead or alive.