Tigers honour dead amid renewed fears of war

The Tigers offered flowers and lit coconut oil lamps in front of photographs of the dead guerrillas during Heroes' Week celebrations, which were due to conclude Sunday with a key speech by rebel leader Velupillai Prabhakaran.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said they were holding religious services in rebel-held territory as part of the memorial ceremonies.

The annual commemorations are held on the anniversary of the 1982 death of the first Tiger militant killed by Sri Lankan troops -- a rebel known as Shankar.

Prabhakaran, who turned 51 on Saturday, was to deliver a policy speech that will be closely watched by the Sri Lankan government and diplomats seeking direction in the island's troubled Norwegian-backed peace process.

Diplomats close to the peace drive said they expected Prabhakaran to respond to new President Mahinda Rajapakse's call for the launch of a fresh peace process and "revision" of the tenuous truce in place since 2002.

"Prabhakaran's speech will be more important than anything else at this time," said former air force chief Harry Gunatillake. "We can expect a hardening of his stance and I fear he may signal a drift towards hostilities."

In signs of a hardening tone, the pro-Tamil website quoted LTTE intelligence chief Pottu Amman as praising the rebels' "military feats" during Heroes' Week events and saying the sacrifices of the dead must lead to "sovereignty".

"The Tamil nation gained unprecedented strength through our military feats in the series of battles in (the rebel-held northern region of) Vanni against Sri Lankan armed forces who were intent on annihilating us," he said.

"The sacrifices of the 17,000 martyrs will be worth it only when we are victorious in achieving unfettered sovereignty," he added.

Rajapakse, in his first policy speech to parliament since his election win earlier this month, said he would not tolerate "terrorism" and the recruitment of child soldiers.

The remarks were seen by analysts as a direct reference to the Tigers' record of violence and recruiting underage combatants.