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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Sri Lanka army 'to stop shelling' | Sri Lanka army 'to stop shelling' |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| Sri Lankan troops will no longer use heavy weapons or air strikes in fighting against Tamil Tiger rebels in the north-east, the government says. | Sri Lankan troops will no longer use heavy weapons or air strikes in fighting against Tamil Tiger rebels in the north-east, the government says. |
| The statement said the army would focus on trying to rescue civilians. Concern has been rising over civilian deaths. | The statement said the army would focus on trying to rescue civilians. Concern has been rising over civilian deaths. |
| The rebels are boxed in to a shrinking patch of land which they share with thousands of civilians. | The rebels are boxed in to a shrinking patch of land which they share with thousands of civilians. |
| On Sunday the government dismissed a Tamil Tiger ceasefire offer as a "joke" and said the rebels were near defeat. | On Sunday the government dismissed a Tamil Tiger ceasefire offer as a "joke" and said the rebels were near defeat. |
| 'Rescuing civilians' | 'Rescuing civilians' |
| The statement from the office of the president said combat operations in the civil war between the military and Tamil Tiger rebels were now at an end. | |
| "The government of Sri Lanka has decided that combat operations have reached their conclusion. Our security forces have been instructed to end the use of heavy calibre guns, combat aircraft and aerial weapons which could cause civilian casualties," the statement said. | "The government of Sri Lanka has decided that combat operations have reached their conclusion. Our security forces have been instructed to end the use of heavy calibre guns, combat aircraft and aerial weapons which could cause civilian casualties," the statement said. |
| "Our security forces will confine their attempts to rescuing civilians who are held hostage and give foremost priority to saving civilians." | "Our security forces will confine their attempts to rescuing civilians who are held hostage and give foremost priority to saving civilians." |
| The BBC's Charles Haviland in Colombo says the army has been saying it has not been using heavy weapons so perhaps this is an acknowledgment that there has been a danger of civilian casualties due to the operations and that these will end. | The BBC's Charles Haviland in Colombo says the army has been saying it has not been using heavy weapons so perhaps this is an acknowledgment that there has been a danger of civilian casualties due to the operations and that these will end. |
| Whether this means the government forces will stop moving forwards is a different thing, our correspondent says. | Whether this means the government forces will stop moving forwards is a different thing, our correspondent says. |
| The UN says some 50,000 civilians remain trapped in a government-designated no-fire zone, but the army puts the number at 15,000. | The UN says some 50,000 civilians remain trapped in a government-designated no-fire zone, but the army puts the number at 15,000. |
| The rebels have been beaten back to a 12 sq km (5 sq m) area. | The rebels have been beaten back to a 12 sq km (5 sq m) area. |
| The Tamil Tigers have fought for an independent homeland for Sri Lanka's Tamil minority since 1983. | The Tamil Tigers have fought for an independent homeland for Sri Lanka's Tamil minority since 1983. |
| More than 70,000 people have been killed in the war, but that figure could now be far higher because of intensified fighting in recent weeks. | More than 70,000 people have been killed in the war, but that figure could now be far higher because of intensified fighting in recent weeks. |