Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger fighters have announced that they are ready to comply with international calls for a ceasefire, but they would not lay down their arms, according to the AFP news agency.

But the offer has been rejected by the government, according to the Sri Lankan military.

The developments come amid calls for the protection of civilians trapped in the country's war zone as the government presses on with a military offensive to defeat the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).