Sri Lankan recruits are trained by an Indian soldier

It is increasingly clear that India intends to do something to help resolve the situation in the Jaffna peninsula. That almost certainly excludes military intervention, as both the prime minister and the defence minister have emphasised.

But the possibility of some sort of relief operation involving a ceasefire and perhaps the evacuation of civilians, is one option under discussion.

So far India is insisting that it is willing to provide humanitarian aid only to Sri Lankan forces, without specifying what form that might take.

Active role

There is much speculation here that the United States is keen for India to play a more active role, with perhaps Israel being asked to shore up Sri Lankan forces in Jaffna.

India is in contact with both these countries to discuss developments.

Mr Vajpayee stopped short of promising military intervention

If the Indians do nothing and Jaffna falls, there are fears here that a separate Tamil state established by force of arms in northern Sri Lanka could destabilise southern India.

Sending in Indian forces is, however, simply not a viable option, with Indian Tamil political parties involved in government in Delhi.

Memories are still strong of the fiasco in the late 1980s, when more than 1,000 Indian soldiers were killed in fighting with the Tamil Tigers in what was supposed to be a peacekeeping operation.

It is a diplomatic bind for India and pressure is growing on the country to do something more than sit on the sidelines.