3,000 Tamil refugees flee battle zone

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, April 19 (UPI) -- Another 3,000 or so civilians have fled from an area held by Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam rebels, Sri Lankan military officials said.

Saturday's biggest-ever one-day outflow of civilians from the small area held by the remnants of the Tamil Tigers shows the rebels are holding people there against their will, an unnamed Defense Ministry official told the Press Trust of India.

The movement of civilians Saturday stood in contrast to only 815 refugees who crossed out of the northern Sri Lanka battle zone during a two-day truce observed by Sri Lankan troops during the Sinhala holiday and Tamil New Year, PTI said.

"The rebels try to score a point by not allowing any (refugees) if any truce offer is made. How do you explain a movement of around 3,000 Tamil civilians just days after the futile truce period?" the unnamed Sri Lankan official asked.

Colombo, he told PTI, is resisting international calls for a permanent humanitarian cease-fire because it would only serve the aims of the rebels.

"It should be realized that any international demand for cease-fire would act against the interest of the besieged Tamil civilians," he said.