COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – The president of this island country has declared Sri Lanka to be at last, "Liberated from sparatist terror". This comes today (Tuesday) as the state owned TV is broadcasting pictures of the leader of the Hindu Tamils body - taken from the battlefield.
Even in his victory speech to parliament, the president was obviously reaching out to the Tamils, who rebels had said - they were working to make a homeland for themselves. He also referred to promises of working out a deal to share in restructuriing a power agreement with the Tamils.
"It is our intention to save the Tamil peoples from cruel grip of them (the rebels). We must all live like equals in our free country," (translated from Tamil).
At the same time the TV station was broadcasting video a dead body appearing like the rebel leader, still wearing the camouflage uniform and laying in the grass on a stretcher. The eyes of the corpse were seen staring upwards and there was a cloth over part of the head, likely to cover wound.
"Several hours ago," Chief General Sarath Fonseka of the army was saying...