New army commander says morale high

The man chosen to be the new overall army commander in Sri Lanka, Lieutenant General Lionel Balagalle, has formally taken office.

At a ceremony attended by hundreds of soldiers, General Balagalle praised the army, saying morale was high despite its heavy losses against rebel Tamil fighters during the past year.

However, he said the army needed about twenty-thousand more troops if it was to be effective against the Tamil Tiger rebels.

Correspondents say approximately that number have deserted rather than continue fighting against the highly-motivated, highly trained Tamil Tigers.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service