Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels April 14 dismissed the government's announcement of a two-day cease-fire as insincere and called for a permanent, internationally arranged truce.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa ordered the military to halt its offensives against the cornered rebels for the Sri Lankan new year. The cease-fire expired April 14.

The military asked tens of thousands of trapped civilians to take advantage of the lull in fighting and flee the rebel-controlled war zone. However, only about 44 people crossed into government territory.

A Tamil rebel statement called the government cease-fire an "act of hoodwinking," and said a "cease-fire under the auspices of the international community alone will be effective and productive."

The United Nations says that more than 100,000 people are trapped along with the cornered guerrillas in a government-declared "no-fire" zone measuring 20 sq. km.