Tens of thousands of civilians on Monday escaped from the area still held by Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers, signaling that the rebels' “complete defeat” was imminent, President Mahinda Rajapakse said. “The process of the complete defeat of the LTTE has just begun,” the President said. “It is now all over for the Tigers.” “Without the civilians, the LTTE can't survive,” air force Chief Roshan Goonetileke said. President Rajapakse, meanwhile, said time had finally run out for LTTE supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran, who has not been seen at the guerrillas' public functions for nearly 18 months. “The only thing Prabhakaran can now do is to surrender,” the president said. “I don't want him to take cyanide and commit suicide. He has to face charges for his actions.” Suicide bomb kills 17 as thousands flee A Tamil Tiger suicide bomber who was among thousands of civilians fleeing Sri Lanka's war zone into army-controlled areas set off a blast that killed at least 17 people, the Defense Ministry said on Monday. Military official says rebels will face military action if they do not surrender in 24 hours. Defense spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella says that rebel leader Velupillai Prabhakaran has been given until noon on Tuesday to make a decision or face a “military course of action.” Monks demand closure of Norway embassy Meanwhile, the demonstrators led by Buddhist monks demanded on Monday the closure of the Norwegian embassy in Colombo, in the wake of an attack on the Sri Lankan mission in Oslo by Tamil protestors. “Throw out the Viking terrorists,” the crowd chanted outside the heavily-guarded embassy in Colombo's up market Cinnamon Gardens.
