Colombo - The Sri Lankan government gave Tamil Tiger fighters and their leader 24 hours to surrender on Monday, after tens of thousands of trapped civilians managed to flee rebel-held territory.
The ultimatum to Tigers supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran and his cadres would run out at midday on Tuesday, said the government's defence spokesperson Keheliya Rambukwella.
"We warn Prabhakaran and his cadres to surrender within the next 24 hours," Rambukwella told reporters, without specifying what action would be taken against the cornered rebels.
The warning came as aerial video footage provided by a Sri Lankan spy plane showed more than 35,000 civilians pouring out of the sliver of jungle territory where the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) are making a final stand.
The presence of the civilians has been cited by the Sri Lankan military as one of the main reasons preventing a final, all-out assault on the Tigers' position. - AFP