Sri Lankan ex-rebel families praise gov't over treatment

The wives of two senior members of Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels have commended the government treatment of them and their families since the end of the war two years ago. The wives of S.P. Thamilselvan and Soosai, both killed in the military offensive by government troops, said that they were being treated well with their children. A video was aired here Monday at the presentation by Defense Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, seen as a response to the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's advisory panel report which accused Sri Lanka of war crimes. Rajapaksa said all rebel cadres who had surrendered were treated well. He dismissed as mere pro-rebel propaganda that surrendering Tamil Tiger cadres carrying white flags had been killed. "Why should the government which directly looked after the family of Tamil Tiger leaders kill those who surrendered to the military." He said reports that 40,000 Tamil civilians were killed by the government troops were false, "this is a vague accusation based on even vaguer arithmetic." He said although the rebels had been militarily defeated the pro-rebel diaspora in the West was active and are engaged in a vicious and malicious propaganda campaign against the government.