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With the LTTE cornered in a fast shrinking small landmass in the north easter coast of the country, the rebels appeal for a truce came in a letter to the United Nations and other foreign powers.
LTTE Political chief B Nadesan, in a letter to the United Nations, said that international calls for rebels to lay down their arms could not resolved the armed conflict as "weapons were the only protective shield of the Tamil people."
"Arms are also our tool for political liberation," Nadesan told the United Nations in the letter copies of which were also sent to the United States, European Union, UK and Japan and one time peace-broker on the island Norway.
"We are ready to discuss cooperate and work together in all their efforts to bring an immediate ceasefire and work towards a political settlement," he said.
But the Sri Lankan government immediately rejected the ceasefire offer by the Tigers.
An official spokesman, Keheliya Rambukwella, told reporters it would accept nothing short of a unconditional ceasefire.
"Sri Lankan government has no intention to enter into the ceasefire with LTTE without their laying down arms," he said.
The Tigers who are fighting for separate Tamil homeland are now boxed in a small strip of coastal jungles near Mullaitivu.
In six months of heavy fighting, the Tigers have nearly lost all of the north of Sri Lanka they held including one time political capital of Kilinochichi and the main military base at Mullaitivu.
The fighting has raised international concerns about the safety of hundreds of thousands Tamil civilians trapped in the war zone.
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Hasan Abidi looks to me a supporter of Al-Qaida and does not understand the difference of Terrorism and Freedom Fighters. LTTE is highly recognized and supported by South Africans as the South Africans understand their fight against Apartheid regime. Similarly, the young Tamils are fighting for their freedom, democracy and independence from Apartheid Sri Lankan regime. Please go to Amnesty International, UN, Human Rights Watch, Asian Centre for Human Rights in New Delhi and read on Sri Lankan freedom struggle by Tamils and State Sterrorism by the Sinhala regime. Right sensibly and truthfully. There are lot of Tamils who do not believe in a violence struggle, do not support the LTTE. The freedom, democracy and Independence for the Tamils that ar edenied by the Sinhala regime.
LTTE is a terror organization and Sri Lankan Armed Forces should smash them ferociusly and get rid from LTTE cadre. The nations which in the past and at present are supporting the LTTE should be categorised as Terror Sponsors.
Mr Hasan Abidi, we Sri Lankans can smash the LTTE and destroy them completely within a week. But we cannot do it cos of the civilians involvement. Innocent civilians should NOT be killed, we have to protect them and thats what SL forces do - but yet the forces get a bad name. All I can say is LTTE is coward, if they want to gain anything, let them fight the SL forces in a one off battle and finish this matter off.
Where are you from, Hasan? I am wondering whether you had the same enthu when Kashmir issue hooted up, when Khalistan issue hotted up and when North East became a cauldron.
Hasanbhai, it is very easy to say smash LTTE, but, tell me, how do moslems feel when law abiding moslems are persecuted and harmed in the name of anti-terrorist measures in India? In the same manner, many innocent Tamiians feel extremely worried about their future when such talk is made, right?