61.   The government is fighting Tamil guerrillas who want to establish a homeland for Tamils in the north and east.

62.   The government will not raise income tax to battle its budget deficit, but a truce with Tamil guerrillas will yield big savings, President Chandrika Kumaratunga said Friday.

63.   The new offensive appeared to be aimed at ending the influence of Tamil guerrillas in the north.

64.   The military could not immediately say how many soldiers and Tamil guerrillas had died in the operation.

65.   The plane was carrying troops to the Palali base, the biggest military camp on the front line, for a planned offensive against Tamil guerrillas, officials said.

66.   The paper says the American consent indicates the United States is interested in helping the Sri Lankan government in its war against the Tamil separatist guerrillas.

67.   The plane was carrying troops for a planned offensive against Tamil guerrillas, officials said.

68.   The Sri Lankan government has advised the military to stop mass arrests of ethnic Tamils during frequent searches for Tamil guerrillas, the justice minister has said.

69.   The suicide divers also died in that attack, as Tamil guerrillas often have in previous assaults and assassinations.

70.   The Tamil guerrillas say that a homeland is the only way to end discrimination by the Sinhalese majority.