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| Holiday truce begins in Sri Lanka | Holiday truce begins in Sri Lanka |
| (about 7 hours later) | |
| A temporary 48-hour ceasefire seems to be holding in north-east Sri Lanka. | |
| The army says its troops have halted offensive operations and have not come under fire from the Tamil Tiger rebels. | |
| The truce which came into effect at midnight (1830 GMT Sunday) is meant to allow civilians to leave the conflict zone in the north-east safely. | The truce which came into effect at midnight (1830 GMT Sunday) is meant to allow civilians to leave the conflict zone in the north-east safely. |
| Troops fighting the Tamil Tigers, whose response to the truce is not known, were told only to fire if attacked. | Troops fighting the Tamil Tigers, whose response to the truce is not known, were told only to fire if attacked. |
| The UN welcomed the pause as a chance to help civilians and deliver aid. | The UN welcomed the pause as a chance to help civilians and deliver aid. |
| See map of the region | See map of the region |
| Sri Lanka's authorities have been under growing international pressure to allow time for tens of thousands of trapped civilians to leave the war zone safely, the BBC's Anbarasan Ethirajan reports from the capital, Colombo. | Sri Lanka's authorities have been under growing international pressure to allow time for tens of thousands of trapped civilians to leave the war zone safely, the BBC's Anbarasan Ethirajan reports from the capital, Colombo. |
| The military says it has captured the entire Tamil Tiger-held territory in the north and pushed the rebels into a government-designated safe zone for civilians. | The military says it has captured the entire Tamil Tiger-held territory in the north and pushed the rebels into a government-designated safe zone for civilians. |
| Thousands of people, mostly Tamils, have been protesting in Western capitals to demand a ceasefire. | Thousands of people, mostly Tamils, have been protesting in Western capitals to demand a ceasefire. |
| Demonstrators occupied the Sri Lankan embassy in Oslo for about five minutes on Sunday, Norwegian police said. | Demonstrators occupied the Sri Lankan embassy in Oslo for about five minutes on Sunday, Norwegian police said. |
| The government later apologised for failing to stop the crowd, put at about 100. | The government later apologised for failing to stop the crowd, put at about 100. |
| 'A good first step' | 'A good first step' |
| President Mahinda Rajapakse called the truce after a cabinet meeting. | President Mahinda Rajapakse called the truce after a cabinet meeting. |
| 'Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama speaks to the BBC' | 'Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama speaks to the BBC' |
| Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama told the BBC that government forces would not engage in any offensive operations during the two-day Sinhala and Tamil New Year period. | Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama told the BBC that government forces would not engage in any offensive operations during the two-day Sinhala and Tamil New Year period. |
| He said the decision was taken to allow time for civilians to leave the war zone safely. | He said the decision was taken to allow time for civilians to leave the war zone safely. |
| The defence ministry says security forces have surrounded the no-fire zone on all three sides and troops are now poised to enter the area to rescue the civilians. | The defence ministry says security forces have surrounded the no-fire zone on all three sides and troops are now poised to enter the area to rescue the civilians. |
| UN humanitarian envoy John Holmes told the BBC he hoped the truce would mean more aid being allowed into the conflict zone. | UN humanitarian envoy John Holmes told the BBC he hoped the truce would mean more aid being allowed into the conflict zone. |
| He hoped the Tigers would allow "people a free choice about whether they leave the area or not, which is crucial because the civilians are suffering so much in that zone". | He hoped the Tigers would allow "people a free choice about whether they leave the area or not, which is crucial because the civilians are suffering so much in that zone". |
| "We would have liked a longer pause than this, a genuine humanitarian pause of a longer period than two days but this is a good first step," he added. | "We would have liked a longer pause than this, a genuine humanitarian pause of a longer period than two days but this is a good first step," he added. |
| MAP OF THE REGION Click here to return | MAP OF THE REGION Click here to return |