Sri Lanka Rebels Observe Ceasefire Amid Summit, Colombo Not Biting

Colombo, Sri Lanka (AHN) - Sri Lanka's separatist rebels started a 10-day unilateral ceasefire on Tuesday as a goodwill gesture to South Asian leaders attending a regional summit on the island.

Meanwhile, the cautious government is not reciprocating the truce, which the political wing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said will last for the duration of the eight-country South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) meeting from July 26 to Aug. 4.

SAARC is composed of Afghanistan, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

The LTTE, however, said it will defend positions against attacks by government troops, who are on the offensive against the rebels.

The LTTE is fighting for an independent nation in northern Sri Lanka for the Tamil minority, citing discrimination by the majority ethnic group Sinhalese.