Tamil Tigers pledge to hold ceasefire

The army doubts the Tigers' motives for the ceasefire

Tamil Tiger separatists in Sri Lanka say they will continue to observe a one-month unilateral ceasefire even though it has been rejected by the government.

The Tigers say they will not carry out any operations until 24 January, but reserve the right to defend themselves.

The group appealed to the government to reconsider its position on the ceasefire, and called on the international community to persuade Sri Lanka to change its approach.

Military spokesmen said the battle front in the Jaffna peninsula had been quiet on Monday apart from a few small incidents.

In another development, police investigating the disappearance of a group of civilians on the northern Jaffna peninsula have found eight bodies.

They are thought to be the seven adults and one child reported missing on Tuesday after returning to their home village in Mirusuvil area.

An army officer and eight soldiers have been arrested in connection with the disappearances.

Goodwill gesture

The rebels made their offer of a truce - to begin at midnight on Christmas Eve - as a goodwill gesture to ease the way to peace talks.

It is our brothers and sisters who continue to be destroyed by this horrendous war

President Chandrika Kumaratunga

Both sides have said they are in principle in favour of negotiations, which are currently being promoted by Norwegian government mediators.

The rebel ceasefire was formally rejected on Sunday in a statement from the prime minister and foreign minister, which called on the Tigers to "engage honestly in this opportunity for peace".

It said a ceasefire could be negotiated once talks began.

Christmas message

A Christmas Day message from President Chandrika Kumaratunga called the country's long-running ethnic conflict "a vicious and beastly war".

Rebel positions have been bombarded

She said it was pushing Sri Lanka to the brink of ruin by eroding its wealth and moral values, and that her government was deeply committed to achieving "the noble ideals of Christ".

Sri Lanka is mainly a Buddhist nation with a small Christian minority, but Christmas is a national holiday.

"It is our brothers and sisters who continue to be destroyed by this horrendous war," she said.

The BBC's Colombo correspondent, Frances Harrison, says the government's rejection of the Tiger ceasefire reflects a feeling of deep mistrust.

Many in Colombo believe the Tigers would exploit any lull in the fighting to regroup.

But the Tigers have said they think it is impossible to talk peace while still waging war.

Propaganda

There has been growing international pressure on both sides to come to the negotiating table.

But senior Sri Lankan ministers who oppose peace talks have said they do not mind losing the international propaganda war so long as they are victorious on the battlefield.

The army has been trying to recapture the main road to the town of Jaffna and it says it has succeeded, but for a 2km stretch still in Tiger hands.

More than 60,000 people are estimated to have been killed in the 17-year-old conflict since the rebels began their fight for an independent homeland in the north and east of Sri Lanka.