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Tamil Tigers have lost their last sea base to Sri Lankan troops

The Australian - February 7, 2009

Amanda Hodge, South Asia Correspondent – Sri Lankan troops have captured the Tamil Tigers' last sea base and several supply depots, squeezing the remnants of the rebel force into just 200sq km of land.

The capture of the Chalai Sea Tiger base, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam's largest naval base, has pushed the resistance movement to the brink of defeat by effectively cutting off its last shipping supply point.

Chalai was the Tigers' main receiving point for smuggled arms and fuel. With its fall on Thursday night, the Tigers have access to only a 20km strip of coast in the northeastern district of Mullaittivu.

The Defence Ministry said the Tigers had attempted to use suicide bombers to prevent the army taking Chalai. Eight rebels were killed in the battle.

Military officials said yesterday that troops had seized a large cache of arms and vehicles, including automatic assault rifles, detonators, hand grenades and water tankers, in the Mullaittivu district.

More than 2000 civilians had crossed the front lines into government-controlled areas in the past two days, signalling the start of a mass exodus from the war zone, military spokesman Udaya Nanayakkara said.

The Sinhalese-dominated Government has accused the Tigers of moving civilians into the front lines of their remaining territory as they prepare for a final stand against rapidly advancing government troops. The UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross estimate that up to 250,000 civilians are caught behind Tamil lines and in the crossfire of the warring sides. The Government claims those figures are vastly exaggerated.

A mob last night stoned the main office of the Red Cross in Sri Lanka's capital, Colombo, smashing windows. The crowd of protesters, estimated to number about 200, shouted slogans including "ICRC go home", before being dispersed by police.

The office is next to the tightly guarded residence of a government minister.

The Government's defence spokesman, Keheliya Rambukwella, had accused the ICRC of inciting panic by placing a huge order for body bags to be used in the island's northeast where Tigers rebels have been cornered by the military.

"By placing such an order, the ICRC is trying to create international fear," Mr Rambukwella said.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon yesterday appealed to Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse to protect civilians caught in the crossfire.

A statement issued by the Sri Lankan Government gave assurances that civilians would "not be harassed". But aid agencies within the conflict zone say hundreds of civilians have been killed in recent weeks.

Both sides have been accused of flouting international laws by targeting hospitals in the conflict area and a government-declared safe zone. The UN reported that at least 52 non-combatants were killed this week in the shelling of a makeshift hospital. At least 15 people sheltering in the Puthukkudiyiruppu (PTK) hospital in the Mullaittivu district were killed over several days of artillery bombardment.

The pro-rebel tamilnet.com website claimed yesterday that seven civilians were killed and 27 wounded in another alleged government attack on a hospital in the conflict zone.

In the past year, the Tigers have lost almost 99 per cent of the territory once under their control.

The Government has offered an amnesty to rebels who surrender, while ruling out any amnesty for top rebel leaders. But it has rejected international appeals for a ceasefire to allow civilians to evacuate the conflict area, as it moves towards a victory after a 25-year struggle by the Tigers for a Tamil homeland in Sri Lanka's north and east.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her British counterpart, Foreign Secretary David Miliband, issued a joint statement this week urging both sides to allow civilian evacuations and to negotiate a settlement. (Additional reporting: agencies)

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