COLOMBO: While continuing a costly war in the country’s north-east, the Sri Lankan government has come up with another expensive alternative to neutralise the LTTE.

Ending nearly two weeks debate as to who was behind posters offering large amounts of money and incentives to would be suicide bombers, the government’s Defence Spokesman, Keheliya Rambukwella admitted that the initiative was taken by the government’s Defence Ministry.

The assertion by Rambukwella comes days after confusion among the military and defence authorities who initially dismissed the posters as a hoax.

“Yes, we are offering ten million Sri Lankan rupees to suicide bombers who are misled by the LTTE leader Vellupillai Prabhakaran,” Rambukwella said when contacted.

Appealing to the bombers to indulge in a soul searching regarding the value of their lives and the meaninglessness of their suicide missions, the posters which cropped up in Tamil areas in Colombo show a severed head and tells bombers that the country needs their ‘life and youth’.

The posters further ask suicide cadres to contemplate whether LTTE leader Vellupillai Prabhakaran would send his son or daughter to carry out suicide attacks.

According to military spokesmen Brig Udaya Nannayakkara, the posters would likely increase the number of Tiger cadres who are surrendering to the military, in the wake of heavy fighting in the north.

“Many cadres, especially those in their teens have been fleeing the LTTE in the recent months. We think the step by the Defence Ministry to ask bombers to abandon their deadly missions would be a good opportunity for many more to surrender,” Nannayakkara said.

Although the government previously carried out campaigns to lure LTTE cadres away from the terror group, the target has generally been aimed at teenaged cadres and child soldiers who often surrender to the army of their own volition.

Meanwhile, in the north-east, the military pressed ahead with its offensive into LTTE dominated areas with the air force pounding a rebel base in Mullativu, military sources said on Wednesday.

The base was of a sophisticated nature and was attacked based on accurate ground information, sources said.

Air Force fighter jets also shelled an LTTE gathering point frequently used by senior guerilla leaders around 9.00 am on Wednesday, according to military officials who cited heavy damages to the base. No further details of the bombing were available.

In north-western Mannar, a stretch of land about 800 metres was captured by troops following heavy fighting early on Wednesday morning, the official army website said. Defence sources state that at least 13 LTTE cadres and one government soldier were killed in the fighting which wounded over 40 rebels and around 12 soldiers.