Sri Lanka War Updates -- October 11, 2008

Sri Lankan soldiers march past the coffin of retired army general and North Central province opposition leader Janaka Perera during a funeral procession at a public cemetery in Colombo October 11, 2008. A suicide blast blamed on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) killed Perera, a popular retired Major-General, his wife, and 26 others in the ancient tourist town of Anuradhapura on Monday. REUTERS/Buddhika Weerasinghe (SRI LANKA)

President: Sri Lanka Needs Political Solution To Conflict
-- China View

COLOMBO, Oct. 11 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse said on Saturday that his country needed a political solution to end the nation's drawn out separatist conflict between government troops and Tamil Tiger rebels.

Addressing the All Party Conference (APC) sessions, Rajapakse said "We need a political solution. There can never be a military solution for political problems."

Although the political process posed difficulties it needs to be pursued, the president said.

"Military solution is only until we defeat terrorism," referring to his government's relentless military pursuit of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels, Rajapakse said.

The LTTE has been fighting for a separate homeland for the island's 18 percent Tamil minority in the northern and eastern provinces.

Rajapakse's military campaign has resulted in rebels being evicted from the Eastern Province since the middle of 2006.

The military said it would only be a matter of time before the LTTE was crushed from the north as well.

Read more ....

More News On Sri Lanka

Time for LTTE to lay down arms and enter democracy - President tells APC -- Sri Lanka Ministry Of Defense
Sri Lanka says 25 killed in northern fighting -- International Herald Tribune
Sri Lankan troops kill 20 rebels -- AFP
41 LTTE cadres, 5 soldiers killed in clashes in Lanka: army -- Press Trust Of India
Sri Lanka Air Force targets LTTE construction site -- Colombo Page
Sri Lanka president urges LTTE to lay down weapons, surrender -- Thaindian News
Rajapaksa asks LTTE cadre to surrender -- the Hindu
LTTE like cats on hot bricks -- Sunday Observer
How will the LTTE end? -- Sunday Observer