Tigers fight on as officials surrender

TWO Tamil Tiger officials surrendered to the Sri Lankan army yesterday, and refugees joined a stream of more than 80,000 people the government says have fled a war zone that appeared to shrink by the hour.

The sandy beaches north of the tiny combat zone — which now measures just 8km long — were filled with people carrying their belongings on their backs or in bundles on their heads. Mothers held infants and others carried sick relatives as they reached government territory in boats escorted by the navy.

In a sign that the rebel leadership has begun to feel the military pressure, the rebels’ former media spokesman Velayutham Dayanithi, whose nom de guerre is Daya Master, and an interpreter for the group’s political wing, known only as George, turned themselves over to government forces. The two played prominent roles in talking to the media and visiting foreign diplomats in a now defunct peace process.