A group of Buddhist monks here Monday began a sit-in-protest to urge the government to withdraw from the Norwegian backed truce agreement with the Tamil Tiger rebels.

Venerable Attangane Rathanapala, who led the protest on behalf of the National Bhikku Front or the Front of Buddhist Monks, said the February 2002 cease-fire agreement had conferred international recognition on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels who seek to set up a separate homeland for the minority Tamils in the northern and eastern provinces.

"We will continue this protest until President Mahinda Rajapakse decided to withdraw from the cease-fire agreement," Ven Rathanapala said.

Rajapakse's predecessor Ranil Wickremesinghe signed the February 2002 cease-fire with the rebels. The truce led to six rounds of direct negotiations before the sacking of the Wickremesinghe administration by then President Chandrika Kumaratunga in April 2004.

"The President himself has said that cease-fire with the LTTE was a mistake," Ven Rathanapala said, adding that they are confident that Rajapakse would take action to withdraw from it before its fifth anniversary that falls on next week.

Source: Xinhua