Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has declared the country 'liberated' from Tamil Tiger rebels after a 26-year long war. He made the announcement in an address to the nation from the House of Parliament, a day after the army confirmed that the rebel leader Velupillai Prabhakaran had been killed.

Speaking in both Sinhala and Tamil the President said, ''Tamils, Muslims, Burghers, Malays and others are no longer minorities."

He sought the support of all political parties to work out a home-grown solution acceptable to all communities and to rebuild the nation.

Sri Lankans welcomed the end of war and celebrated freedom from fear.