S Lanka declares 48-hour truce in civil war

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COLOMBO, April 12 (AFP): Sri Lanka's president ordered Sunday government troops to halt their offensive against cornered Tamil rebels over the two-day Sinhala and Tamil New Year that starts Monday.
Mahinda Rajapakse's office said in a statement that the move was aimed at allowing thousands of Tamil civilians trapped by the fighting to celebrate the New Year.
"With this objective in view, His Excellency has directed the armed forces of the state to restrict their operations during the New Year to those of a defensive nature," the statement said.
Meanwhile, the United Nations and many countries around the world have called for non-combatants to be protected as government troops move to crush the Tamil Tiger guerrillas, who have been pushed to the brink of defeat.