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.

Colombo - Tamil rebels Tuesday called for an unconditional permanent ceasefire as a precondition to peace talks with the Sri Lankan government. The call from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) came as the Sri Lankan security forces maintained a two-day halt in its military operations in the north of the country coinciding with traditional New Year celebrations observed throughout the country.

Colombo - The Sri Lankan army, backed by police commandos, mounted a search operation in the south of the country Monday after eight civilians were massacred by suspected Tamil rebels overnight, a military spokesman said. Rebels stormed the village of Mahagodayaya in the Buttala area, 340 kilometres south-east of Colombo, Sunday night and opened fire at the residents, he said.

A one-and-a-half-year-old toddler, an 11-year-old boy and three women were among those killed.

Colombo - Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Sunday ordered security forces engaged in military operations in the northern part of the country to restrict offensive operations to enable civilians in rebel held areas to mark the traditional new year. The directive came a day before the traditional new year, which is celebrated by the minority Hindu Tamils as well as the majority Sinhala Buddhist community.