THE Sri Lankan Army has given the elusive leader of the Tamil Tigers, Velupillai Prabhakaran, 24 hours to surrender as tens of thousands of civilians fled heavy fighting in the small strip of land still controlled by the rebels.
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Between 5000 and 15,000 people crossed over from the area held by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to Government-held territory yesterday after the Sri Lankan army broke through a rebel fortification near a Government-declared "no fire zone".
"With this capture troops opened a safe route for the hostages to come out of the LTTE grip which was occupied by tens of thousands of civilians seeking refuge," an army statement said.
There were reports of heavy fighting in the combat zone yesterday where about 1000 hardcore Tamil Tiger fighters were surrounded by more than 50,000 Sri Lankan troops.
The military said 17 civilians were killed by three Tamil Tiger suicide bombers in an attack aimed at preventing them escaping. Women and children were among the victims, according to a statement.
However, Tamilnet, a pro-Tamil Tiger website, said hundreds of civilians were feared killed and injured in the "total chaos" caused by the army's advance yesterday.
Both sides in this bitter conflict accuse the other of killing innocent civilians and the army alleges the rebels are using civilians as human shields. However, most independent observers and foreign reporters are not allowed into the combat zone, making it impossible to independently verify the claims.
The Tamil Tigers have fought for 26 years for an independent homeland for ethnic Tamils in Sri Lanka but the rebels have been driven back to an area of about 20 square kilometres in the far north-east of the island.
The UN says more than 100,000 civilians are still inside the rebel-held area.
