Al Jazeera reports today that “the Sri Lankan government has given them [Tamil Tigers] till noon on Tuesday to surrender or face further military action. . . . It’s not known how many civilians are trapped inside the Tamil Tigers’ last stronghold. The government here in Colombo put it at around 60,000. The United Nations estimate 100,000” (David Chater, “Time Running Out for Sri Lanka’s Tamil Tigers,” 21 April 2009).
For an analysis of the Sri Lankan war, listen to Tamil trade union leader Bala Tampoe (General Secretary, the Ceylon Mercantile Union).