Sri Lanka's military will halt its offensive against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) for two days to allow tens of thousands of trapped civilians to escape a no-fire zone, the media minister said on Sunday.

"Cabinet decided there will be a halt to fighting for the Sinhala and Tamil New Years on Monday and Tuesday," Media Minister Anura Priyadharshana Yapa, also the cabinet spokesman, told Reuters.

The LTTE has been fighting since 1983 for an independent state in the north and east of the island for the Tamil minority. They say the Tamils suffered decades of marginalisation at the hands of governments dominated by the Sinhalese majority.

More than 70,000 people have been killed in the fighting.


Agencies

Güncelleme Tarihi: 12 Nisan 2009, 16:27