COLOMBO (AFP) — Sri Lanka on Thursday appealed to minority ethnic Tamil civilians living in the line of fire in rebel-held towns to move to areas under government control, saying it would guarantee them safe passage.
Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse said the military had cleared a route for people fleeing the island's embattled north, where troops are advancing on the rebel capital of Kilinochchi, 330 kilometres (205 miles) north of Colombo.
"We plan to give passage to people from Kilinochchi to come to (government-held) Vavuniya. We're dropping leaflets from the air, encouraging people to leave, giving details of routes to take to safety," Rajapakse said.
UN aid agencies say nearly 135,000 people have been driven from their homes due to fierce fighting between government forces and Tamil Tiger separatist rebels in the past two months.
"It's better for civilians to come to government-cleared areas so we can start to resettle them faster," said Rajapakse, the younger brother of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse.
His comments came as the defence ministry said at least 37 rebels from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and five government soldiers were killed in the latest clashes in the north on Wednesday.
The latest fighting brought the number of rebels killed by troops since January to 6,167, according to government figures. The government says 581 of its troops have died over the same period.
Casualty figures cannot be verified as the military blocks media access to frontlines.
Sri Lankan troops have been advancing deeper into rebel-held territory as they push to dismantle the LTTE's northern stronghold after ejecting the guerrillas from the east of the island in July 2007.
Sri Lanka has poured a record 1.5 billion dollars into the war effort this year in a bid to secure a military victory over the rebels.
Rajapakse said the military campaign against the rebels was "on track" but refused to give a time frame for capturing Kilinochchi.
"The ground terrain in the north is quite different... it's foolish to give a time frame as to when the operations will end. It depends on the LTTE's breaking point," Rajapakse said.
His ministry said earlier this month that troops were just 12 kilometres from the rebel capital.
Defence analysts said government forces would face a tougher challenge as they near Kilinochchi, as they would no longer be able to use heavy artillery and air attacks.
"They will have to rely more on infantry," said retired brigadier general Vipul Boteju. "We are getting to the stage of close-quarter fighting and that is when we can expect more casualties."
Rajapakse dismissed the LTTE's use of light aircraft to carry out air strikes, like one Tuesday on the main naval base in the northeastern town of Trincomalee, in which 10 sailors were wounded.
"The air raid had a psychological effect. It will not change the military balance. Nothing drastic happened. It is not a problem," he said.
Tens of thousands have died on both sides since the LTTE launched a separatist campaign in 1972 for a homeland for minority Tamils in the island's north and east.
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