Sri Lankan president vows no cease-fire

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, June 28 (UPI) -- Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse expressed no interest Saturday in easing off his military's offensive against Tamil Tiger rebels.

"There are calls for a cease-fire when the terrorists face defeat. I will not allow anyone to curtail the forward march of the troops," Rajapakse said at a gathering of teachers.

Rajapakse, who became president in 2005, also is commander-in-chief of the island nation's security forces. The government says its troops have secured the country's Eastern province and claims Tamil fighters are now limited to two districts in the Northern province.

The president's comments came as the military said it had captured a rebel stronghold in the Mannar district Saturday. Forty-seven rebels and four government troops were killed in two days of fierce fighting, military officials told the Press Trust of India.

"The LTTE (rebels) suffered heavy defeats with soaring casualties as the outfit lost almost all the bases within the Mannar 'Rice bowl' area with the fall of Andankulam in Mannar to security forces yesterday," the Defense Ministry announced, citing military sources.