Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa (L) shakes hands with Army Commander Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka after arriving in the northern town of Kilinochchi April 16, 2009 during a one-day visit to the defence force based in the war-torn north of the country. Sri Lanka's two-day humanitarian truce ended on Wednesday and the military announced it was now free to begin a final assault to end the 25-year war against the rebel Tamil Tigers. The Sri Lankan military says only 1,000 Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels remain, and accuse the fighters of holding around 100,000 civilians as human shields. Reuters Pictures logo Reuters Pictures 16 months ago

Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa (L) shakes hands with Army Commander Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka after arriving in the northern town of Kilinochchi April 16, 2009 during a one-day visit to the defence force based in the war-torn north of the country. Sri Lanka's two-day humanitarian truce ended on Wednesday and the military announced it was now free to begin a final assault to end the 25-year war against the rebel Tamil Tigers. The Sri Lankan military says only 1,000 Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels remain, and accuse the fighters of holding around 100,000 civilians as human shields.

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  1. A supporter of the ruling party United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) prepares a banner with a picture of Sri Lankan Pesident Mahinda Rajapaksa, ahead of the UPFA's 50 year anniversary on Thursday, in Colombo September 1, 2010. Sri Lanka's cabinet on Monday backed constitutional amendments including one that would allow President Mahinda Rajapaksa to contest a third term, if approved by a parliament in which he has the necessary votes.
  2. Former army chief Sarath Fonseka (R), who was stripped of his military ranks at a court marshal last week, leaves after a news conference as he walks past a picture of President Mahinda Rajapaksa (L, middle row) among pictures of ex members of parliament, in Colombo August 19, 2010. Fonseka said at the news conference that he would be put in jail as a result of a second court martial hearing against him.
  3. Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Sri Lanka's Secretary of Defense, speaks during the Commission on Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation in Colombo August 17, 2010. Rajapaksa, the island nation's powerful defence secretary and President Mahinda Rajapaksa's brother, testified before the state-appointed Commission on Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation, focusing on the final phase of the 25-year war, leading to the surrender of the Tamil Tigers in May 2009.
  4. Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa (L) presents a memento to cricketer Muttiah Muralitharan (R) during the fifth day of the first Test match between Sri Lanka and India at The Galle International Cricket Stadium in Galle on July 22, 2010. Hosts Sri Lanka were well-placed to win the first Test against India after spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan wreaked havoc in his final match. The world's leading wicket-taker grabbed 5-63 in the first innings as India were forced to follow on after being shot out for 276 on the fourth day in reply to Sri Lanka's 520-8 declared. Sling-arm fast bowler Lasith Malinga then claimed three wickets to leave the tourists' second innings tottering at 181-5 at stumps, still 63 runs away from avoiding an innings defeat.
  5. Former Attorney General C.R. de Silva (C, at the table), head of the Commission on Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation, listens as V. Nallaiyanaygam (bottom), a Tamil expatriate professional, speaks during the commission's first session in Colombo August 11, 2010. The members of the commission, appointed by President Mahinda Rajapaksa to look into root causes for terrorism and possible rights violations during the 25-year war which ended May last year, are inquiring a witness on Wednesday. The first public sitting started on Wednesday in capital Colombo amid heavy international pressure for an independent investigation over thousands of deaths blamed on Tamil Tiger rebels and the government forces at the final phase of the quarter century war.
  6. Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa is escorted off an airfield by the military to a cabinet meeting in Kilinochchi, about 334km (208 miles) north-east of Colombo, July 14, 2010. The government will hold cabinet meetings in all districts of Sri Lanka starting with Kilinochchi. The place was where final fighting took place at the end its 25-year war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
  7. Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse arrives at a military base in northern Kilinochchi district on July 14, 2010 to begin his weekly cabinet meeting. The military base adjoins the Iranamadu water reservoir that was once used by the now defeated Tamil Tiger rebels when they ruled one-third of the island. The rebels were defeated last May in a military onslaught which wiped off the Tigers top leadership and ended the guerrillas 37-year struggle for a separate homeland for minority Tamils from the majority Sinhalese community.
  8. Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa (C) looks on before lifting Sri Lankan Housing Minister Wimal Weerawansa after ending his hunger strike outside the United Nations office in Colombo on Juy 10, 2010. Weerawansa on July 10 signalled the end of his three-day protest fast against the UN Secretary General. UN chief Ban Ki-moon July 9 called on Sri Lanka to 'normalize conditions' around the UN office in Colombo after days of angry demonstrations over a UN war crimes panel.
  9. Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa (L) gives coconut water to Construction Minister Wimal Weerawansa ending his hunger strike protest against the United Nations war crimes panel at the entrance of the U.N. headquarters in Colombo July 10, 2010. Nine nations and the European Union on Friday warned Sri Lanka its handling of a protest led by Weerawansa against a U.N. war crimes panel could threaten its international standing.
  10. Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa offers a glass of water to his Housing Minister Wimal Weerawansa to end his hunger strike, outside the U.N. office in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Saturday, July 10, 2010. Weerawansa on Saturday accepted king coconut water offered to him by Rajapaksa to end a three-day fast opposite the U.N. office and was taken away by an ambulance to a hospital after the U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon asked Sri Lanka to normalize conditions around the office of the world body.
  11. Sri Lankan leader of the main opposition United National Party (UNP) Ranil Wickremesinghe walks in front of a mural showing President Mahinda Rajapakse during a public rally to protest against rising living costs in Colombo on January 7, 2009. Sri Lanka's inflation rate eased to 22.6 percent in 2008, due to lower food prices in December. Analysts say the government's 1.7 billion war budget to defeat Tamil Tiger rebels this year, has fuelled inflation.
  12. Sri Lankan Tamils gather to watch Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa speak during a public meeting after his first cabinet meeting in Kilinochchi, about 334 km (208 miles) northeast of Colombo, July 14, 2010. The government will hold cabinet meetings in all districts of Sri Lanka starting with Kilinochchi because this was where the final fighting took place at the end of its 25-year war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
  13. Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa (2nd R), commander of the air force and Chief of Defence Staff Air Vice Marshal Roshan Gunathilake (L) and commander of the army Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya (2nd L) stand at attention for the national anthem at war victory celebrations in Colombo June 18, 2010. Rajapaksa on Friday criticized foreign pressure for a probe into war crimes allegations as "sympathy towards terrorism", and said soldiers. had committed no rights violations.
  14. Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa unfurls the national flag during a victory day parade in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Friday, June 18, 2010. Sri Lanka showed off its military hardware during a victory parade Friday to celebrate the first anniversary of the defeat of Tamil Tiger rebels, amid growing criticism over alleged rights abuses in the last phase of the quarter-century civil war.
  15. An honour guard is seen through Ukraine's national flag during the official welcoming ceremony of Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa in Kiev June 30, 2009.
  16. Parliament member Namal Rajapaksa (L), son of Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa, shakes hands with former army chief and parliamentarian General Sarath Fonseka (R) after a presentation at parliament of the current budget in Colombo June 29, 2010. Sri Lanka's Deputy Finance Minister Sarath Amunugama told parliament in his budget presentation on Tuesday the government planned to boost efficiency and revenue from state enterprises, to help keep public investment at 6-7 percent of GDP. Sri Lanka estimated the total expenditure to be 1.28 trillion rupees ($11.27 billion) in the 2010 budget, the first since the end of a quarter-century war with the Tamil Tiger separatists last year.

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