Sri Lanka deploys several troops for regional summit

Colombo: Sri Lanka sealed off roads and deployed 19,000 soldiers and police in the capital on Sunday to prepare for a summit of South Asian leaders amid a raging civil war.

The Tamil Tiger rebels offered a unilateral cease-fire that began on Saturday as a goodwill gesture during the summit of the South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc).

The rebels said they would defend themselves if the government continues its offensive against their de facto state in the north. Government officials said the rebels were simply trying to buy time to regroup after a series of battlefield losses.

Despite the cease-fire, there were scattered battles on Saturday along the northern front lines, where army troops killed 12 rebels, said military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara.

Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama said the summit, which is to address a food and energy crisis and other issues, would play an important role for regional cooperation.

"This is the largest ever Saarc summit to be held," he told reporters on Saturday, adding that "security must be the ultimate."

The summit began with low-level meetings on Sunday and foreign ministers are to arrive later in the week. The heads of state hold their two-day meetings starting next Saturday.

The regional body, set up in 1985 to promote economic cooperation, consists of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Afghanistan and the Maldives.

Around 12,000 police and 7,000 troops have been deployed in Colombo to provide summit security, Nanayakkara said, adding that forces were not removed from regions where fighting continues.

During the meetings, several main roads in Colombo will be sealed, while trains will not be allowed to run through the heart of the capital. Opposition lawmakers said the government demolished houses to protect the venue.