The authorities are also bracing for resettlement of thousands of people in welfare centers that is to commence from North Western Mannar from this month end.

Meanwhile, in a function on Monday Rajapaksa said the LTTE would not have been contended with only North and the East. "Their conceptual Eelam map extended even to Negombo, Badulla and Yala," he said.

Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, the Defence Secretary and brother of the Sri Lanka President recently observed that Prabhakaran had aspired to carve out a big Tamil Elam state extending from near Colombo to the southern part of Sri Lanka.

"The large built up of its naval, air force and ground fighters including the suicide cadres was suggestive of the LTTE ambitions," he said.

"When we look at the LTTE military equipments and the training ground of the army it is clear they were looking to establish a large Elam state," Gotabhaya Rajapaksa said.

"Maps retrieved from those places confirm this fact as they had hoped to create Elam from Negombo to Yala including certain parts of the (Buddhist city of ) Anuradhapura, he said.

While Negombo is 40 km north of Colombo and 7 km from Colombo International Airport, Yala is located in Southern Sri Lanka.