Sri Lanka considers amnesty deal for surrendering rebels

SRI LANKA’S government said yesterday it is considering an amnesty for Tamil Tiger rebels who surrender – although not for leaders of the insurgency, which is facing defeat after 25 years of civil war.

The rebels, meanwhile, asked Britain and France to keep pushing for a ceasefire to allow civilians to evacuate the war zone.

An estimated 50,000 noncombatants are trapped in a tiny coastal strip along with the cornered rebels in the island’s north-east. A recent United Nations report said about 6,500 civilians were killed in the area during the past three months.