Sri Lanka's Bishops Urge Relief, Reconciliation and Rehabilitation for War Victims

(18 May 09 - RV)The Sri Lankan military says the leader of the Tamil Tiger rebels, Velupillai Prabhakaran, is dead. The announcement on state television came shortly after the military said it had surrounded Prabhakaran in a tiny patch of jungle in the north-east and just one day after the rebel group surrendered to the army ending almost 30 years of civil war.
The news sparked mass celebrations around the country, and people poured into the streets of Colombo dancing and singing.
Meanwhile European Union nations have called for an independent war crimes probe into the killing of thousands of civilians and access to aid for the thousands more left with nothing after more than 25 years of war.