Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa ordered troops to halt their operations against the beleaguered LTTE in the country's north for two days in view of the Tamil and Sinhala New Year.

The Government said the move would enable thousands of civilians to celebrate Tamil New Year day on April 13 and 14. "The President is deeply conscious of the need to give the civilian population entrapped as hostages by the ruthless actions of the LTTE, the opportunity to celebrate New Year festivities in a suitable atmosphere and to have uninhibited freedom of movement from the No Fire Zone to the cleared areas," a statement from the President's Secretariat said.

"With this objective in view, the President has directed the Armed Forces of the State to restrict their operations during the New Year to those of a defensive nature," the statement said. "The Sinhala & Tamil New Year is symbolic of the amity prevailing amongst all communities in Sri Lanka," it said.