Exclusive: Tamil Tiger interview
Updated on 17 May 2009
Speaking exclusively to Channel 4 News, a key Tamil Tiger leader says his fighters will lay down their arms and begin peace talks - but will not surrender.
In an exclusive interview, Selvarajah Pathmanathan said that the LTTE Tamil Tigers' leader Velupillai Prabhakaran is in the besieged zone with 2,000 Tamil fighters.
He also said -
- he had spoken by phone to Prabakharan for four hours, and the orders to lay down arms came from him
- this is not a surrender - the Tigers are laying down arms to protect 25,000 injured Tamils in the area
- 3,000 civilians have been killed in the area in the last 24 hours
- the doctors who were speaking to the outside world have escaped, but one is injured and another has been arrested and is in a Sri Lankan military camp
- the Tamil Tigers did not fire on civilians or take human shields
