Colombo, Apr. 21: Though there are no comments on the pro-rebel Web site that the movement uses to issue its statements, official communiqués and news reports, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on Tuesday said that it would not surrender to the Sri Lanka armed forces, and added that their leader V. Prabhakaran was still alive and directing the counter-offensive in Puthumattalam despite an army noon deadline for surrender.

“We will never surrender and will fight till we can. The international community must intervene in the issue,” a statement reportedly issued by the rebel outfit said.

Colombo : Civilians fled Tamil rebel-held areas in north-eastern Sri Lanka for a second-consecutive day Tuesday, military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said.

He said the exact number of civilians who arrived from the rebel-held areas in Puthumathalan, 390 kilometres north-east of Colombo were not known but people were continuing to arrive in military-controlled areas.

On Monday, a record 39,081 civilians fled the rebel-held area using land and sea routes, he said.

The military facilitated their escape by breaking through earthworks put up by the separatist rebels to prevent security forces from entering.

Washington  - The International Monetary Fund said late Monday in Washington that it would pursue rapid authorization for a requested 10.4-billion-dollar credit line being sought by Colombia.

After receiving a formal request from Colombian officials for a precautionary, flexible one-year arrangement, IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn issued a statement of his intent "to move ahead rapidly in seeking approval by the (IMF)'s executive board of Colombia's request."

Colombo, Apr 20: Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Monday warned the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) chief Velupillai Prabhakaran to surrender within 24 hours.

Concerned over the insurgency in the island nation, Rajapaksa said that if Prabhakaran fails to do so by Tuesday afternoon, the Lankan troops will go all out for a final military assault.

Rajapaksa told the reporters here that government forces opened up routes for more than 35,000 people to escape from the LTTE-held territory.

Colombo  - Government troops stormed a coastal village in north-eastern Sri Lanka Monday and rescued about 5,000 civilians who were prevented by Tamil rebels from leaving into military-controlled areas, military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said.

He said troops broke through an earthen barrier in Puthumathalan village, 390 kilometres north-east of the capital, in the early hours of Monday and rescued the civilians, including a large number of women and children.

Colombo  - Troops were trying Sunday to establish main road access to a rebel-held area in northeastern Sri Lanka and rescue tens of thousands of trapped civilians, military officials said.

They said the manoeuvre was aimed at opening up main road access to an area described as a no-fire zone in the Mullaitivu district.

The military said an estimated 70,000 civilians were trapped, but UN agencies said the figure could be high as 140,000.

Troops by Saturday night were some 800 metres from a bridge on the main road they were trying to secure, the military said.