Tamil Tigers announce plan to surrender

Sri Lankan troops were today mopping up the remnants of the defeated Tamil Tigers as thousands of civilians trapped for months between the warring sides made their way to safety.

Some of the rebel fighters were reported to be blowing themselves up as troops approached, and a large explosion in a bunker prompted speculation that the Tigers' leadership had killed themselves. The army claimed that intercepted radio communications had revealed a mass suicide plan.

Selvarasa Pathmanathan, the Tigers' chief of international relations, said the rebels had abandoned the fight and were laying down their arms. In a statement on the pro-Tamil website TamilNet, he admitted that the three-decade war was over. "This battle has reached its bitter end," he said.

Link