New Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse said on Friday he would amend a ceasefire with rebels to halt "terrorist acts", saying he did not believe minority Tamils should have their own separate homeland. A 2002 ceasefire with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has come under mounting strain in recent months, with grenades frequently thrown at army posts. Overnight, the military said one soldier had died and nine civilians wounded in two attacks blamed on the militants, Reuters reported. "We are ready to start direct talks with the LTTE," Rajapakse said as he reopened parliament. "This ... will be an open and transparent process. It will include the prevention of terrorist acts and child recruitment. We will review the present ceasefire agreement to include these aspects." After Rajapakse's speech, parliament debated and passed a proclamation extending by a month a state of emergency first declared after the foreign minister was assassinated in August.
