General

Two top Tamil Tigers surrender

Breaking from tradition, soldiers choose capture over suicide

Two senior Tamil Tigers surrendered today, the Sri Lankan military claimed, as it pushed deeper into the Tigers’ last remaining enclave in the northeast of the country where tens of thousands of civilians are trapped. Velayutham Dayanidhi, better known as Daya Master, a Tiger spokesman, was captured along with an interpreter known as George, who worked for senior Tiger rebels. Both men were taken “in the company of fleeing civilians” who have been streaming out of the Tiger enclave by the thousands over the last few days. Tiger foot soldiers are typically instructed to swallow cyanide rather than surrender or risk capture—apparently these functionaries decided this directive didn’t apply to them.

The Hindu

BBC

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