Sri Lanka, in First Such Move, to Free 10 Rebels

The Sri Lankan government said Wednesday that it will free 10 Tamil Tiger rebels in a first-time move seen as an effort to push forward a Norwegian-brokered peace process to end nearly two decades of ethnic war.

The decision was announced just before the Sinhalese and Tamil New Year this weekend. In addition to giving the names of the rebels to be freed, a government statement said the military would observe a limited truce to mark the holiday.

An official said the detainees to be released were ages 12 to 17, but no other details were given.

Two of the names on the list were Muslim, and two were from the majority Sinhalese community.

A military official said it was the first time the government had released Tamil Tiger prisoners.

“It is a positive gesture,” said one Western diplomat.

The government has in the past limited its military attacks on important religious and cultural holidays.

The move comes after the Tamil Tigers--fighting for a separate Tamil state in the north and east of the island--demanded that the government lift a ban on the group and stop its attacks on the rebels before any peace talks take place.

The two sides have been moving toward the negotiating table since October, when a Norwegian envoy met the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam’s reclusive leader, Velupillai Prabakaran.