Colombo  - Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Thursday visited the former administrative town of the Tamil separatist rebels, which is now under the control of security forces, the president's office said.

Rajapaksa was flown to Kilinochchi, 370 kilometres north of Colombo, where he met with soldiers and toured the area to see the destruction caused in the fall of the rebels' de-facto capital in January, a statement from the office said.

New York/Colombo - More than 100,000 people are in mortal danger in Sri Lanka if security forces continue their offensive against dug-in rebels, the United Nations warned Wednesday.

John Holmes, the UN emergency relief coordinator, appealed to the Sri Lankan military to extend its holiday pause of operations against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

"The situation is simply catastrophic," said Holmes, who warned of a bloodbath if the army mounts what is expected to be one last tightening of the shrinking perimeter around the rebels.

Colombo - Security forces in Sri Lanka have resumed military operations in the north-eastern part of the country, ending a 48-hour suspension of military operations to mark traditional New Year celebrations, a military spokesman said. The spokesman said the military will go ahead with operations aimed at rescuing some 50,000 civilians who remain trapped in Mullativu district, 395 kilometres north-east of the capital.

Colombo, Apr. 15 : Sri Lankan troops have resumed their offensive against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam (LTTE) in the northeast, ending a 48-hour ceasefire early Wednesday.

News agency reports quoted a military spokesman as saying that both sides have begun exchanging rocket and gunfire after midnight.

The Tamil Tiger rebels have claimed that the ceasefire called by the Sri Lankan Government was nothing but an attempt to deceive the international community.

Canberra, Apr 14 : More than 100 Tamil protesters have converged on Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s Canberra residence, demanding that Australia play a greater role in ending the violence in Sri Lanka.

The protesters want Australia to use diplomatic channels to push for a permanent ceasefire in the conflict between Sri Lankan government forces and the Tamil rebels.

There are about 150 protesters just metres from the walls surrounding the Lodge, including three men who began a hunger strike on Friday, with up to 100 more expected to arrive soon.

Colombo, Apr. 14 : Sri Lanka''s Tamil Tiger rebels have said that they are ready to negotiate a permanent ceasefire with government forces.

In a statement reported by the BBC, the rebels said they were prepared to open political talks to halt decades of bloodshed.

The government announced a unilateral two-day halt to the fighting beginning Monday, to allow the civilians trapped in the conflict zone to leave.

The Tigers said the two-day truce was an attempt by the authorities to deceive the international community.