300 LTTE cadres may have committed mass suicide

President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Sunday returned to Sri Lanka from Jordan where he announced his military's victory over the LTTE, even as two top Tiger leaders were among 70 killed in last legs of fighting amid unconfirmed reports of about 300 rebels committing suicide.

Returning to Colombo after cutting short his visit, Rajapaksa saluted his country, which he said has been "liberated" from LTTE's terrorism, as he was welcomed by hundreds of supporters at the international airport here.

"Before stepping on Sri Lankan soil, Rajapaksa, who had gone to attend the G-11 summit in Jordan, paid tribute to his motherland by placing his forehead on the ground and worshiping the land he has liberated from terrorism," the Defence Ministry said.

On his arrival he was welcomed by his cabinet and was blessed by Buddhist, Catholic, Hindu and Muslim priests.

Meanwhile, senior LTTE leaders Swarnam and Shashi Master were reportedly killed in fierce fighting during the last legs of confrontation between troops and the LTTE on Saturday, the ministry said.

Even as LTTE chief V Prabhakaran's whereabouts remained a mystery, unconfirmed reports said that about 300 LTTE cadres committed mass suicide on Saturday night after troops zeroed in on them in the country's embattled north.

Meanwhile, 70 rebels were killed in a confrontation with troops early on Sunday morning, the military said.

Troops confronted the LTTE fighters, who tried to escape from the Nandikadal lagoon in the north east part of the country, killing 70 Tiger rebels, it said.

Six LTTE boats were also destroyed in the operation and the bodies of those killed were subsequently found, it said.

As many as 24,988 Tamil civilians have crossed over from the LTTE areas to the governments controlled ones since May 14 and are camping in welfare camps, the Army said.

"The exodus is continuing and the rescue operation by Sri Lanka Army is in full swing," it said.

Addressing the summit of G-11 nations in Jordan on Saturday, Rajapaksa had declared that the LTTE had been defeated militarily and that it would be finished by the time he gets back to the country.

"I will be going back to a country that has been totally freed from the barbaric acts of the LTTE," Rajapaksa had said.

Rajapaksa said his government is firmly committed to seeking a "homegrown solution" acceptable to all communities living in Sri Lanka and cautioned that even after its defeat in Sri lanka the LTTE could continue to sustain itself overseas.

"Our timely action must ensure that the LTTE and other like-minded terrorist groups do not continue to circumvent the law by indulging in illegal operations, through various front organisations located overseas," Rajapaksa said.