COLOMBO, 4 February 2008 (IRIN) - Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse today pledged to persist with his military campaign to defeat the rebel Tamil Tiger, even as the latter stepped up bombings, killing dozens of civilians in recent days.

Speaking at a ceremony to mark the island's 60th anniversary of independence from Britain, President Rajapakse said his government, which is under fire from the international community for rights abuses in the wake of anti-rebel operations, was committed to protecting human rights.

Government forces were "achieving victories against terrorism unprecedented in history. Terrorism is receiving an unprecedented defeat," he said, referring to the onslaught against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the north and the east of the island in the last two years.

Hours after the function, the rebels exploded two powerful bombs. One targeted a passenger bus in Welioya, northeastern Sri Lanka, killing 12 and injuring 17. The other attack was in Buttala, southern Sri Lanka, against an army vehicle in which one soldier died and three others were wounded.

"Terrorism"

In his speech the Sri Lankan president linked his government's fight against the Tamil Tigers with the fight against global "terrorism": "The defeat of the most ruthless terrorists of the world in Sri Lanka is also a victory of the developed world, which, too, is a victim of terrorism… We are also fully committed to carry on this battle while safeguarding human rights."

Since 2 January, when the government announced it was pulling out of a 2002 truce agreement with the LTTE, some 139 civilians have died in bomb explosions on buses and in public places. According to the Defence Ministry, in the past month, 908 Tamil Tigers have been killed in air raids and ground battles while 36 government soldiers have lost their lives in fighting in the rebel-held Wanni region in the north.

The 60th anniversary is being marked as government troops engage in fierce combat with the LTTE, which controls large areas of the north, and as the Tamil Tigers mount attacks on civilian targets in the capital and in southern parts of the island.

Military parade, bombings

The government paraded its military power at the Galle Face seafront promenade, one of the capital's most scenic and historic areas, rolling out armoured tanks, multi-barrel rocket launchers and fighter aircraft used in almost daily attacks in the north.

On 3 February the Tigers struck in the heart of Colombo with a female suicide bomber killing 11 passengers and wounding over 100 at the main railway station in downtown Fort, despite heavy security checks ahead of the Independence Day celebrations. Hours earlier, six people were wounded in a hand grenade attack at a zoo in the city suburb of Dehiwala.

The previous day a parcel bomb on a crowded bus in the north-central town of Dambulla killed 20 people and wounded 68. The attacks were condemned by the USA which said they appeared to be aimed at fostering "an atmosphere of fear prior to Sri Lanka's Independence Day celebrations".

Impact on civilians

Humanitarian agencies have already warned that the government's withdrawal from the ceasefire would not only impact civilians but also impede aid delivery and jeopardise the safety of humanitarian workers.

According to an Interagency Standing Committee (IASC) situation report for the week ending 31 January, some 230,000 people are still displaced by the hostilities in the northern districts. They would be at risk if a surge in fighting restricted movement and cut off supply lines, aid agencies have said.

International relations, aid

President Rajapakse also used the 4 February celebrations to highlight a growing divide between his government and the international community. He said his government did not have "shallow and cosmetic associations with Western countries".

Arguing that the international community still had confidence in the government, he said they had established "new relations with neighbouring states, Arab states, and Buddhist states. Our neighbouring states trust us. Our problems and issues are also problems and issues of our neighbouring states."

Several foreign governments condemned Rajapakse's withdrawal from the Norwegian-brokered truce and have urged a resumption of political negotiations with the LTTE. Sri Lanka has, however, ruled out talks with the rebels till the northern territories controlled by the LTTE have been won back.

Both the UK and the USA have already announced they are cutting back on aid while Japan, Sri Lanka's largest foreign aid donor, sounded a warning last week that it could review its assistance policy to the island unless there was a reduction in violence.

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