COLOMBO, Jan 19: The Tamil Tiger rebels have begun growing cannabis as a last resort to making big money, the Sri Lankan government charged at a media briefing, showing journalists video clippings of a cannabis farm.

The farm was discovered when the military captured an LTTE base in the east of the country earlier this week, military spokesman Brigadier Prasad Samarasinghe said.

Sri Lanka’s Defence spokesman Keheliye Rambukwella claimed that the rebels, who had been prevented from extorting travellers to the northern region following the closure of the A9 highway linking the area with the rest of the country, had begun mass scale cultivation of cannabis.

The LTTE has denied the government allegation.

Military personnel also stated that LTTE ‘torture chambers’ have been discovered in Vakarai in the rebel controlled eastern Batticaloa district which was captured by the army last week. Video clipping of enclosures with space just enough for victims to crawl into were displayed to the media.

These cells are assumed to have been used to keep captured LTTE renegades, military sources said.

Meanwhile, the government said it had called on all child combatants of the tiger separatists to surrender, promising them safety and a ‘new’ life.

The announcement comes as the rebels reportedly suffered heavy losses following fierce fighting last week.

The Special Task Force of the military captured an LTTE women’s wing camp – Nalini Base – in Kanchikudichchiaru.