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Sri Lankan troops suffer heavy casualties in battles with rebels

Sri Lankan government troops have suffered heavy casualties in battles with Tamil Tiger rebels.

South Asia correspondent Jonathan Harley reports, more than 200 soldiers have been killed in the heaviest fighting for a year:

The Sri Lankan army launched its failed four day offensive in the northern Jaffna Peninsula on Wednesday, just hours after the separatist Tamil Tigers ended a four month unilateral ceasefire. As the extent of the army's dramatic losses became clearer, the government renewed its calls for the Tamil Tigers to begin peace talks. The rebels have not responded to the latest proposal, but say they've inflicted unprecedented casualties on the military. The Tamil Tigers have been waging their war for self determination since 1983.

30/04/01 21:01:28 | ABC Radio Australia News

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