Two key Tamil Tigers given bail

By Anbarasan Ethirajan
BBC News

Daya Master deserted from the rebels, the army says

A court in Sri Lanka has granted bail to two former Tamil Tiger civilian officials who have been in government custody for more than four months.

The former rebel spokesman, Daya Master, and an interpreter for the group's political wing, George Master, surrendered to troops in April.

The Sri Lankan military declared victory over the rebels in May.

Nearly 10,000 suspected Tamil Tigers are held in various government-run camps in the north of the country.

The pair were released by a court in Colombo on a bail of $22,000 (£13,200) each and were told to report to the police every month.

"The court has said that they cannot leave the country until the investigations are over," Sri Lankan military spokesperson Brig Udaya Nanayakkara told the BBC.

The two have not been formally charged, but have been held under the Prevention of Terrorism Act.

Both men played prominent roles presenting rebel views to the international media and visiting foreign diplomats during the failed peace process.

Daya Master was one of those who identified the body of Tamil Tiger leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, who the military says was killed in the final stages of the conflict in the north.