Thursday, November 30, 2006
Norwegian peace envoy arrives, scheduled to meet government, Tamil leaders
Associated Press, Thu November 30, 2006 00:30 EST . COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) _ A Norwegian peace envoy arrived in Sri Lanka on Thursday for talks with government and rebel officials that would include the island's moribund peace process, a spokesman for the Norwegian embassy said.
Jon Hanssen-Bauer ``is here on a routine visit,'' embassy spokesman, Erik Nurnberg, said. ``Naturally, he will be discussing all the issues.''
Hanssen-Bauer's visit comes amid escalating violence between the government and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam that has imperiled a 2002 cease-fire and threatened to return the country to all-out war.
The Tiger's top leader earlier this week called the Oslo-brokered cease-fire ``defunct,'' but the rebels later clarified they would abide by the truce.
Hanssen-Bauer would travel to the rebels' northern stronghold early next week, Nurnberg said.
Tiger spokesman, Rasiah Ilanthirayan, said Hanssen-Bauer was scheduled to meet with the rebel leadership on Dec. 4 and that political wing chief, Suppiah Thamilselvan, would explain the rebels' aims.
Separately, the Sri Lankan military said Thursday they seized two explosive-laden jackets from an abandoned house in northern Jaffna peninsula.
Spokesman Brig. Prasad Samarasinghe said besides the jackets, the military also found two rocket propelled grenades and two T-56 automatic weapons and ammunition during the search late Wednesday.
``We got a tip-off and found the explosives which were to be used against us,'' Samarasinghe said, blaming Tamil Tiger rebels for hiding the explosives.
Suicide attacks are the hallmark of the rebels, who are fighting the Sri Lankan government to create a separate homeland for the country's 3.1 million ethnic Tamil minority.
Sri Lanka's open civil war stopped after the 2002 truce, but since a spike in violence this year the agreement now only exists on paper, with more than 3,500 fighters and civilians killed in assassinations, mine blasts, suicide attacks, artillery exchanges, sea battles and air strikes, according to government figures.
The government says it is willing to give autonomy to areas where Tamils are in the majority, but rebels insist on sweeping changes that the government says will infringe on the country's sovereignty.
Jon Hanssen-Bauer ``is here on a routine visit,'' embassy spokesman, Erik Nurnberg, said. ``Naturally, he will be discussing all the issues.''
Hanssen-Bauer's visit comes amid escalating violence between the government and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam that has imperiled a 2002 cease-fire and threatened to return the country to all-out war.
The Tiger's top leader earlier this week called the Oslo-brokered cease-fire ``defunct,'' but the rebels later clarified they would abide by the truce.
Hanssen-Bauer would travel to the rebels' northern stronghold early next week, Nurnberg said.
Tiger spokesman, Rasiah Ilanthirayan, said Hanssen-Bauer was scheduled to meet with the rebel leadership on Dec. 4 and that political wing chief, Suppiah Thamilselvan, would explain the rebels' aims.
Separately, the Sri Lankan military said Thursday they seized two explosive-laden jackets from an abandoned house in northern Jaffna peninsula.
Spokesman Brig. Prasad Samarasinghe said besides the jackets, the military also found two rocket propelled grenades and two T-56 automatic weapons and ammunition during the search late Wednesday.
``We got a tip-off and found the explosives which were to be used against us,'' Samarasinghe said, blaming Tamil Tiger rebels for hiding the explosives.
Suicide attacks are the hallmark of the rebels, who are fighting the Sri Lankan government to create a separate homeland for the country's 3.1 million ethnic Tamil minority.
Sri Lanka's open civil war stopped after the 2002 truce, but since a spike in violence this year the agreement now only exists on paper, with more than 3,500 fighters and civilians killed in assassinations, mine blasts, suicide attacks, artillery exchanges, sea battles and air strikes, according to government figures.
The government says it is willing to give autonomy to areas where Tamils are in the majority, but rebels insist on sweeping changes that the government says will infringe on the country's sovereignty.
Norwegian peace envoy begins talks with Sri Lankan officials on moribund peace process
Associated Press, Thu November 30, 2006 07:56 EST . COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) _ A Norwegian peace envoy on Thursday began talks with Sri Lankan government representatives on ways to save the island's moribund peace process with Tamil Tiger guerrillas, an official said.
Jon Hanssen-Bauer, who arrived earlier Thursday, met with the government's chief peace negotiator Nimal Siripala de Silva, a close aide of the Sri Lankan official said.
He said de Silva discussed ways to restart the stalled peace talks with the rebels.
A round of talks held in Switzerland late last month failed when the rebels insisted that a key highway linking the Tamil-majority Jaffna peninsula with the rest of the country be reopened, a request the government flatly rejected.
Jaffna residents face acute shortages of food and medicine because of the road's closure since August because of heavy fighting.
The rebels want the road reopened immediately to send essentials, while the government says it can send the goods by sea or through an alternate land route. The government maintains the rebels could use the highway to transport fighters and weapons and extort money from motorists.
Some 500,000 people are trapped in the Jaffna peninsula while another 36,000 people are isolated in Vaharai village in eastern Batticaloa district, because access roads are closed.
Hanssen-Bauer's visit comes amid escalating violence between the government and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam that has imperiled a 2002 cease-fire and threatened to return the country to all-out war.
The Tiger's top leader earlier this week called the Oslo-brokered cease-fire ``defunct,'' but the rebels later clarified they would abide by the truce.
Tamil Tiger spokesman, Rasiah Ilanthirayan, said Hanssen-Bauer was scheduled to meet with the rebel leadership on Dec. 4 and that political wing chief, Suppiah Thamilselvan, would explain the rebels' aims.
Ilanthirayan, meanwhile, accused Sri Lanka's navy of attacking a unit from the rebels' sea wing off the northwest coast, wounding one fighter. ``We retaliated to the navy attack causing damages to their boats,'' he said.
The navy, however, denied the attack occurred, and claimed the Tigers shot dead a local fishermen at sea and wounded another.
``They fled the scene when navy boats approached and no gunbattle took place,'' said a navy official on condition of anonymity, as he wasn't authorized to speak to the media.
Also on Thursday, army seized two explosives-laden jackets from an abandoned house in northern Jaffna peninsula.
Spokesman Brig. Prasad Samarasinghe said besides the jackets, the military also found two rocket propelled grenades and two T-56 automatic weapons and ammunition during the search late Wednesday.
``We got a tip-off and found the explosives which were to be used against us,'' Samarasinghe said.
Suicide attacks are the hallmark of the rebels, who are fighting the Sri Lankan government to create a separate homeland for the country's 3.1 million ethnic Tamil minority.
Sri Lanka's open civil war stopped after the 2002 truce, but since a spike in violence this year the agreement now only exists on paper, with more than 3,500 fighters and civilians killed in assassinations, mine blasts, suicide attacks, artillery exchanges, sea battles and airstrikes, according to government figures. The government says it is willing to give autonomy to areas where Tamils are in the majority, but rebels insist on sweeping changes that the government says will infringe on the country's sovereignty.
Jon Hanssen-Bauer, who arrived earlier Thursday, met with the government's chief peace negotiator Nimal Siripala de Silva, a close aide of the Sri Lankan official said.
He said de Silva discussed ways to restart the stalled peace talks with the rebels.
A round of talks held in Switzerland late last month failed when the rebels insisted that a key highway linking the Tamil-majority Jaffna peninsula with the rest of the country be reopened, a request the government flatly rejected.
Jaffna residents face acute shortages of food and medicine because of the road's closure since August because of heavy fighting.
The rebels want the road reopened immediately to send essentials, while the government says it can send the goods by sea or through an alternate land route. The government maintains the rebels could use the highway to transport fighters and weapons and extort money from motorists.
Some 500,000 people are trapped in the Jaffna peninsula while another 36,000 people are isolated in Vaharai village in eastern Batticaloa district, because access roads are closed.
Hanssen-Bauer's visit comes amid escalating violence between the government and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam that has imperiled a 2002 cease-fire and threatened to return the country to all-out war.
The Tiger's top leader earlier this week called the Oslo-brokered cease-fire ``defunct,'' but the rebels later clarified they would abide by the truce.
Tamil Tiger spokesman, Rasiah Ilanthirayan, said Hanssen-Bauer was scheduled to meet with the rebel leadership on Dec. 4 and that political wing chief, Suppiah Thamilselvan, would explain the rebels' aims.
Ilanthirayan, meanwhile, accused Sri Lanka's navy of attacking a unit from the rebels' sea wing off the northwest coast, wounding one fighter. ``We retaliated to the navy attack causing damages to their boats,'' he said.
The navy, however, denied the attack occurred, and claimed the Tigers shot dead a local fishermen at sea and wounded another.
``They fled the scene when navy boats approached and no gunbattle took place,'' said a navy official on condition of anonymity, as he wasn't authorized to speak to the media.
Also on Thursday, army seized two explosives-laden jackets from an abandoned house in northern Jaffna peninsula.
Spokesman Brig. Prasad Samarasinghe said besides the jackets, the military also found two rocket propelled grenades and two T-56 automatic weapons and ammunition during the search late Wednesday.
``We got a tip-off and found the explosives which were to be used against us,'' Samarasinghe said.
Suicide attacks are the hallmark of the rebels, who are fighting the Sri Lankan government to create a separate homeland for the country's 3.1 million ethnic Tamil minority.
Sri Lanka's open civil war stopped after the 2002 truce, but since a spike in violence this year the agreement now only exists on paper, with more than 3,500 fighters and civilians killed in assassinations, mine blasts, suicide attacks, artillery exchanges, sea battles and airstrikes, according to government figures. The government says it is willing to give autonomy to areas where Tamils are in the majority, but rebels insist on sweeping changes that the government says will infringe on the country's sovereignty.
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Norway denies giving television to Sri Lankan rebel leader
Associated Press, Wed November 29, 2006 05:52 EST . COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) _ Peace-broker Norway on Wednesday denied a report that it gave a six-foot (1.8 meter) television to Sri Lanka's reclusive rebel leader, who is said to like watching Hollywood movies and copy methods for attacks and assassinations.
A statement from Norway's Foreign Ministry called the allegations carried by state-run Daily News ``misconceptions and lies.''
The paper on Monday carried an interview of a breakaway Tamil Tiger leader named Karuna, who alleged that Norway's Aid Minister Erik Solheim had given the television to rebel leader Velupillai Prabhakaran.
Karuna, a one-time confidante of the top guerrilla leader, said Prabhakaran liked watching movies. Karuna told the interviewer that Solheim had given ``a six-foot (1.8 meter) TV screen to Prabhakaran to watch films.''
The Norwegian Foreign Ministry emphatically denied the claim.
``The ministry would again like underline that it is surprised to see that such blatant lies are being printed by the Daily News. Mr. Solheim has certainly not bought a television for Mr. Prabhakaran,'' the statement said.
The Norwegian Foreign Ministry also denied Karuna's claim that Solheim gave the rebel group money.
Solheim was instrumental in arranging a cease-fire between the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam rebels in 2002 aimed at ending a two-decade civil war that had killed 65,000 people.
The guerrillas split in 2004 when Karuna broke away with some 6,000 fighters.
A statement from Norway's Foreign Ministry called the allegations carried by state-run Daily News ``misconceptions and lies.''
The paper on Monday carried an interview of a breakaway Tamil Tiger leader named Karuna, who alleged that Norway's Aid Minister Erik Solheim had given the television to rebel leader Velupillai Prabhakaran.
Karuna, a one-time confidante of the top guerrilla leader, said Prabhakaran liked watching movies. Karuna told the interviewer that Solheim had given ``a six-foot (1.8 meter) TV screen to Prabhakaran to watch films.''
The Norwegian Foreign Ministry emphatically denied the claim.
``The ministry would again like underline that it is surprised to see that such blatant lies are being printed by the Daily News. Mr. Solheim has certainly not bought a television for Mr. Prabhakaran,'' the statement said.
The Norwegian Foreign Ministry also denied Karuna's claim that Solheim gave the rebel group money.
Solheim was instrumental in arranging a cease-fire between the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam rebels in 2002 aimed at ending a two-decade civil war that had killed 65,000 people.
The guerrillas split in 2004 when Karuna broke away with some 6,000 fighters.
Tamil Tigers not withdrawing from cease-fire; Sri Lanka calls for peace talks
Associated Press, Wed November 29, 2006 00:57 COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) _ Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels have not quit a truce despite calling it ``defunct,'' European cease-fire monitors said Wednesday, as the government called for renewed peace talks.
Thorfinnur Omarsson, a spokesman for the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, said the Tigers assured truce officials they would not withdraw from the 2002 Norwegian-brokered cease-fire during a meeting in the rebel stronghold in Kilinochchi on Tuesday.
The truce ended two decades of civil war, but now only exists on paper, with more than 3,500 fighters and civilians killed in unsolved killings, mine blasts, suicide attacks, artillery exchanges, sea battles and air strikes this year, according to government figures.
Monitoring officials were told top rebel leader Vellupillai Prabhakaran called the cease-fire defunct ``mainly due to violations of the truce by the government, especially the closure of the A-9 highway,'' said Omarsson.
The A-9 highway _ closed by the military in August _ connects the northern Jaffna peninsula with the mainland. The rebels have refused to continue negotiations until the government reopens it.
Prabhakaran also said Monday that the rebels were recommencing their freedom struggle.
A Sri Lankan official said Wednesday the government is ready for peace talks.
``We hope they (rebels) return to the negotiating table as we believe this can be resolved through dialogue and negotiations,'' said Palitha Kohona, the chief of the Sri Lanka's Peace Secretariat, which is directly involved in the peace process.
Norwegian peace envoy Jon Hanssen-Bauer, an envoy of peace broker Erik Solheim, was scheduled to arrive in the Sri Lankan capital late Wednesday, said Kohona.
He will meet with government officials and is likely to visit the rebel leadership in the north.
Meanwhile on Wednesday, 85 vehicles carrying food and medicine reached rebel-held Vaharai village in eastern Batticaloa district to help nearly 36,000 ethnic Tamils trapped by fighting, military spokesman Brig. Prasad Samarasinghe said.
But he accused the rebels of using the time of the transport _ when government forces held their fire _ to building bunkers. ``The Tigers, taking advantage of the situation, resorted to construct and improve the defenses,'' Samarasinghe said.
On Tuesday, a convoy of 115 aid vehicles was turned back amid heavy shelling, which government and insurgents blamed each other for.
The rebels are fighting to create a separate homeland for Sri Lanka's 3.1 million minority ethnic Tamils, saying they can prosper only away from the domination of the Sinhalese majority. Previous peace talks that started after the truce have failed to resolve the issue.
The government says it is willing to give autonomy to areas where Tamils are in the majority, but rebels insist on sweeping changes that the government says will infringe on the country's sovereignty.
Thorfinnur Omarsson, a spokesman for the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, said the Tigers assured truce officials they would not withdraw from the 2002 Norwegian-brokered cease-fire during a meeting in the rebel stronghold in Kilinochchi on Tuesday.
The truce ended two decades of civil war, but now only exists on paper, with more than 3,500 fighters and civilians killed in unsolved killings, mine blasts, suicide attacks, artillery exchanges, sea battles and air strikes this year, according to government figures.
Monitoring officials were told top rebel leader Vellupillai Prabhakaran called the cease-fire defunct ``mainly due to violations of the truce by the government, especially the closure of the A-9 highway,'' said Omarsson.
The A-9 highway _ closed by the military in August _ connects the northern Jaffna peninsula with the mainland. The rebels have refused to continue negotiations until the government reopens it.
Prabhakaran also said Monday that the rebels were recommencing their freedom struggle.
A Sri Lankan official said Wednesday the government is ready for peace talks.
``We hope they (rebels) return to the negotiating table as we believe this can be resolved through dialogue and negotiations,'' said Palitha Kohona, the chief of the Sri Lanka's Peace Secretariat, which is directly involved in the peace process.
Norwegian peace envoy Jon Hanssen-Bauer, an envoy of peace broker Erik Solheim, was scheduled to arrive in the Sri Lankan capital late Wednesday, said Kohona.
He will meet with government officials and is likely to visit the rebel leadership in the north.
Meanwhile on Wednesday, 85 vehicles carrying food and medicine reached rebel-held Vaharai village in eastern Batticaloa district to help nearly 36,000 ethnic Tamils trapped by fighting, military spokesman Brig. Prasad Samarasinghe said.
But he accused the rebels of using the time of the transport _ when government forces held their fire _ to building bunkers. ``The Tigers, taking advantage of the situation, resorted to construct and improve the defenses,'' Samarasinghe said.
On Tuesday, a convoy of 115 aid vehicles was turned back amid heavy shelling, which government and insurgents blamed each other for.
The rebels are fighting to create a separate homeland for Sri Lanka's 3.1 million minority ethnic Tamils, saying they can prosper only away from the domination of the Sinhalese majority. Previous peace talks that started after the truce have failed to resolve the issue.
The government says it is willing to give autonomy to areas where Tamils are in the majority, but rebels insist on sweeping changes that the government says will infringe on the country's sovereignty.
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Sri Lanka navy destroys suspected rebel boat; 6 believed killed
Associated Press, Mon November 27, 2006 03:07 COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - (AP) Sri Lanka - 's navy on Monday destroyed a boat suspected of ferrying arms for Tamil Tiger rebels off the island's west coast, killing six, the military said, as the rebels marked their annual ``Martyrs' Day.'' Sri Lanka - is separated from India home to some 56 million Tamils by the narrow Palk Straits.
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam rebels, as the rebels are formally known, have fought the government since 1983 demanding a self-ruled homeland for ethnic minority Tamils, citing decades of discrimination by the Sinhalese majority.
The guerrillas mark their ``Martyrs' Day'' on Nov. 27 every year to remember thousands of fighters killed battling government troops. In the past they have mounted major attacks on military, economic and civilian targets to commemorate their dead fighters.
More than 65,000 people were killed until a 2002 cease-fire. But the truce nearly collapsed in the past year with assassinations, aerial bombardments and exchange of heavy arms fire killing another 3,500 people.
Both side say they have not officially withdrawn from the truce despite the violence
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam rebels, as the rebels are formally known, have fought the government since 1983 demanding a self-ruled homeland for ethnic minority Tamils, citing decades of discrimination by the Sinhalese majority.
The guerrillas mark their ``Martyrs' Day'' on Nov. 27 every year to remember thousands of fighters killed battling government troops. In the past they have mounted major attacks on military, economic and civilian targets to commemorate their dead fighters.
More than 65,000 people were killed until a 2002 cease-fire. But the truce nearly collapsed in the past year with assassinations, aerial bombardments and exchange of heavy arms fire killing another 3,500 people.
Both side say they have not officially withdrawn from the truce despite the violence
Sri Lanka military, rebels’ battle in east after Tiger leader hints at renewed war
Associated Press Writer - COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - (AP) Tamil Tiger rebels and Sri Lankan troops traded fire Tuesday, the military said, a day after the top rebel leader declared a 2002 cease-fire ``defunct,'' suggesting the insurgents would renew their violent struggle for an independent Tamil homeland. Rebel spokesman Daya Master confirmed that officials from the Sri Lanka - Monitoring Mission were meeting with rebel leadership in the insurgents' stronghold of Kilinochchi. But he had no immediate details. Rambukwella warned of military retaliation if the Tigers officially renewed their more than two decade armed struggle for independence. ``Our armed forces will act to safeguard national security,'' he said at a news conference. Reclusive rebel chief Velupillai Prabhakaran, in an annual speech on Monday, said he no longer believed the government wanted to resolve the conflict through peaceful means. He accused the government of President Mahinda Rajapakse of wanting to decide the fate of the island's ethnic Tamil minority using military power. ``It wants to occupy the Tamil land and then force an unacceptable solution on the Tamils,'' Prabhakaran said. But on Tuesday, Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayake, visiting Vietnam, said it was up to the rebels to end the bloodshed that left more than 65,000 people dead before the cease-fire. ``There is terrorism and there is negotiations. Terrorism must be stopped by them, not us. We are not terrorists,'' he said. Government spokesman Rambukwella also said the government was still committed to a peaceful settlement of the Tamil issue which revolves around rebel demands for an independent homeland for Sri Lanka - 's 3.1 million Tamils in the northeast. ``We are still keeping the window open,'' he said of the possibility of peace talks. But violence between the two sides continued. The military said the rebels fired heavy artillery at army positions in eastern Batticaloa district early Tuesday. At least one soldier was killed and two wounded, military spokesman, Maj. Upali Rajapakse, said.
Meanwhile, the New York-based Human Rights Watch asked the government to stop its troops' alleged involvement in child recruitment for an armed group fighting the Tamil Tigers. ``We have clear and compelling evidence that government forces are helping Karuna forces abduct boys and young men,'' the statement quoted Jo Becker, children's rights advocate at HRW, as saying. The Karuna group is named after a former top Tamil Tiger commander who broke from the mainstream rebels in 2004, with about 6,000 fighters. The rebels have since accused the government of launching a proxy war against them using the splinter group. The mainstream Tigers are known to have used thousands of child soldiers. In his speech, Prabhakaran called the tattered truce ``defunct'' and urged the international community to recognize the Tamil cause as a ``freedom struggle.'' The government Tuesday dismissed Prabhakaran as a leader out of touch with his people. This year has seen a sharp rise in open conflict, with more than 3,500 fighters and civilians dying in aerial bombings, assassinations, bomb attacks and daily skirmishes, according to government figures. Associated Press Writer Krishan Francis contributed to this report.
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Meanwhile, the New York-based Human Rights Watch asked the government to stop its troops' alleged involvement in child recruitment for an armed group fighting the Tamil Tigers. ``We have clear and compelling evidence that government forces are helping Karuna forces abduct boys and young men,'' the statement quoted Jo Becker, children's rights advocate at HRW, as saying. The Karuna group is named after a former top Tamil Tiger commander who broke from the mainstream rebels in 2004, with about 6,000 fighters. The rebels have since accused the government of launching a proxy war against them using the splinter group. The mainstream Tigers are known to have used thousands of child soldiers. In his speech, Prabhakaran called the tattered truce ``defunct'' and urged the international community to recognize the Tamil cause as a ``freedom struggle.'' The government Tuesday dismissed Prabhakaran as a leader out of touch with his people. This year has seen a sharp rise in open conflict, with more than 3,500 fighters and civilians dying in aerial bombings, assassinations, bomb attacks and daily skirmishes, according to government figures. Associated Press Writer Krishan Francis contributed to this report.
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Sri Lanka wants to know if Tamil Tigers have withdrawn from 4-year-old cease-fire
Associated Press, Tue November 28, 2006 02:56 EST . COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) _ Sri Lanka's government said on Tuesday it has asked peace broker Norway and European cease-fire monitors to find out if Tamil Tiger rebels have officially withdrawn from a four-year-old cease-fire, after their top leader called the pact ``defunct.''
``We have asked Norway and the SLMM (Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission) to inquire whether the LTTE is out of the cease-fire agreement,'' government spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella said, referring to the rebels by an acronym for their formal name, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
Rambukwella said that the government's future course of action will depend upon the rebels' response.
Top guerrilla leader Velupillai Prabhakaran in his annual ``Martyrs' Day'' speech on Monday called a 2002 Norway-brokered cease-fire with the government ``defunct'' and said a separate independent country for Sri Lanka's Tamil minority was the only option.
However, Prabhakaran stopped short of declaring an official withdrawal from the cease-fire agreement, which requires any side wanting to walk away to give a 14-day notice.
Tamil Tiger rebels have fought the government since 1983 for a separate homeland for minority Tamils.
``We have asked Norway and the SLMM (Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission) to inquire whether the LTTE is out of the cease-fire agreement,'' government spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella said, referring to the rebels by an acronym for their formal name, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
Rambukwella said that the government's future course of action will depend upon the rebels' response.
Top guerrilla leader Velupillai Prabhakaran in his annual ``Martyrs' Day'' speech on Monday called a 2002 Norway-brokered cease-fire with the government ``defunct'' and said a separate independent country for Sri Lanka's Tamil minority was the only option.
However, Prabhakaran stopped short of declaring an official withdrawal from the cease-fire agreement, which requires any side wanting to walk away to give a 14-day notice.
Tamil Tiger rebels have fought the government since 1983 for a separate homeland for minority Tamils.
Monday, November 27, 2006
S.Lanka rebel leader vows independence, more war seen
COLOMBO (Reuters) - The Tamil Tigers declared on Monday they now saw no other option than to push for an independent state in what analysts said was notice to Sri Lanka's government that renewed civil war will deepen.
Shadowy Tiger leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, who had earlier been pushing for a separate homeland for minority Tamils -- short of outright independence -- said Tamils had been cheated by successive majority Sinhalese governments and would be fooled no more. "The uncompromising stance of Sinhala chauvinism has left us with no other option but an independent state for the people of Tamil Eelam," Prabhakaran said in his annual address, emailed by the rebels to Reuters.
"It is now crystal clear that the Sinhala leaders will never put forward a just resolution to the Tamil national question. Therefore, we are not prepared to place our trust in the impossible and walk along the same old futile path," he added.
The Tigers spent much of their two-decade insurgency battling for independence, but scaled down their demand to a separate homeland within Sri Lanka after a 2002 ceasefire, now lying in ruins but which both sides argue still holds on paper.
"We, therefore, ask the international community and the countries of the world that respect justice to recognize our freedom struggle," Prabhakaran added.
President Mahinda Rajapakse has ruled out a separate homeland, but says he is willing to consider widespread devolution of power within a united Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka's two-decade civil has killed more than 67,000 civilians, troops and rebel fighters since 1983, around 3,000 of those so far this year alone.
Iqbal Athas, an analyst with Janes' Defense Weekly, said Prabhakaran's words meant the island should brace for more war.
"He is putting the government on notice of war," Athas said. "By saying that they want an independent state, it is clearly getting away from the peace process."
From financial markets to shopkeepers, diplomats to weary refugees displaced by air raids and battles, all eyes were on the shadowy leader's speech.
Last year, Prabhakaran -- who is revered within the rebel group as "National Leader" -- gave the government a year to find a political solution to the war or face renewed struggle.
In Colombo, troops tightened security and checked cars and shops on Monday amid fears of renewed attacks on the capital during Prabhakaran's Heroes' Day speech to commemorate more than 18,700 slain rebel fighters.
Witnesses in Tiger territory said roads had been decked out with red Tiger flags emblazoned with roaring golden tigers and crossed rifles and pictures of Prabhakaran in characteristic Tiger-striped fatigues and cap, sidearm at the ready.
A new round of peace talks broke down a month ago, and many fear that a war that has killed more than 67,000 people since 1983 will escalate and punish the $23 billion economy. In the northern army-held Jaffna peninsula where 500,000 residents, almost all of them Tamils, are cut off from the rest of the island by rebel lines and survive on rations brought in by sea, many residents fear they will be displaced yet again.
"We have gone back to the pre-2002 (ceasefire) era," said 42-year-old Pragash Shunmuganathan, who had to close his video and television repair shop in Jaffna for lack of customers as economic hardships in the besieged peninsula bite.
"Today we are starving. There is no food, no employment," he added. "War seems to be the only remedy."
(Additional reporting by Ranga Sirilal)
Shadowy Tiger leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, who had earlier been pushing for a separate homeland for minority Tamils -- short of outright independence -- said Tamils had been cheated by successive majority Sinhalese governments and would be fooled no more. "The uncompromising stance of Sinhala chauvinism has left us with no other option but an independent state for the people of Tamil Eelam," Prabhakaran said in his annual address, emailed by the rebels to Reuters.
"It is now crystal clear that the Sinhala leaders will never put forward a just resolution to the Tamil national question. Therefore, we are not prepared to place our trust in the impossible and walk along the same old futile path," he added.
The Tigers spent much of their two-decade insurgency battling for independence, but scaled down their demand to a separate homeland within Sri Lanka after a 2002 ceasefire, now lying in ruins but which both sides argue still holds on paper.
"We, therefore, ask the international community and the countries of the world that respect justice to recognize our freedom struggle," Prabhakaran added.
President Mahinda Rajapakse has ruled out a separate homeland, but says he is willing to consider widespread devolution of power within a united Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka's two-decade civil has killed more than 67,000 civilians, troops and rebel fighters since 1983, around 3,000 of those so far this year alone.
Iqbal Athas, an analyst with Janes' Defense Weekly, said Prabhakaran's words meant the island should brace for more war.
"He is putting the government on notice of war," Athas said. "By saying that they want an independent state, it is clearly getting away from the peace process."
From financial markets to shopkeepers, diplomats to weary refugees displaced by air raids and battles, all eyes were on the shadowy leader's speech.
Last year, Prabhakaran -- who is revered within the rebel group as "National Leader" -- gave the government a year to find a political solution to the war or face renewed struggle.
In Colombo, troops tightened security and checked cars and shops on Monday amid fears of renewed attacks on the capital during Prabhakaran's Heroes' Day speech to commemorate more than 18,700 slain rebel fighters.
Witnesses in Tiger territory said roads had been decked out with red Tiger flags emblazoned with roaring golden tigers and crossed rifles and pictures of Prabhakaran in characteristic Tiger-striped fatigues and cap, sidearm at the ready.
A new round of peace talks broke down a month ago, and many fear that a war that has killed more than 67,000 people since 1983 will escalate and punish the $23 billion economy. In the northern army-held Jaffna peninsula where 500,000 residents, almost all of them Tamils, are cut off from the rest of the island by rebel lines and survive on rations brought in by sea, many residents fear they will be displaced yet again.
"We have gone back to the pre-2002 (ceasefire) era," said 42-year-old Pragash Shunmuganathan, who had to close his video and television repair shop in Jaffna for lack of customers as economic hardships in the besieged peninsula bite.
"Today we are starving. There is no food, no employment," he added. "War seems to be the only remedy."
(Additional reporting by Ranga Sirilal)
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Thousands of people protest Sri Lankan president's visit to India
Associated Press, Sun November 26, 2006 08:18 EST . They also accused Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse of depriving Tamils of food and other necessities in the rebel-controlled territories in Sri Lanka - 's north and east, the Press Trust of India news agency said. On Sunday, Rajapakse repeated his demand asking India to conduct joint patrols with Sri Lanka - of the narrow Palk Straits which divides the two countries to prevent cross-border terrorism.
``We want joint patrolling with India in the sea because not only arms are being smuggled into our country but drugs are also coming,'' PTI quoted Rajapakse as saying after laying the foundation stone of an Indo-Sri Lankan Human Rights Center in Dehradun, nearly 250 kilometers (150 miles) northeast of New Delhi.
``If Tigers get stronger, that will be a threat not only to Sri Lanka - but also to the world,'' Rajapakse said.
An escalation in fighting between Sri Lankan forces and the Liberation of Tamil Tigers Eelam since August has left more than 3,000 people dead in some of the bloodiest clashes since the two sides signed a 2002 cease-fire.
The political groups which participated in Sunday's protest meetings in Madras, the capital of Tamil Nadu state, and various district headquarters included the Pattali Makkal Katchi, the Dalit Panthers of India, the Tamil Nationalist Movement and the Tamil Nadu Nationalist Congress party, PTI said.
India's Tamil Nadu state is home to nearly 56 million Tamils, many with close family ties to ethnic Tamils in Sri Lanka - .
India has been reluctant to become too involved in Sri Lanka - after a disastrous military intervention in the 1980s resulted in former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's assassination by a Tamil Tiger suicide bomber.
The Tigers have been battling the government for over 20 years for a separate state for the island nation's 3.2 million ethnic Tamils who suffered decades of discrimination by the majority Sinhalese.
``We want joint patrolling with India in the sea because not only arms are being smuggled into our country but drugs are also coming,'' PTI quoted Rajapakse as saying after laying the foundation stone of an Indo-Sri Lankan Human Rights Center in Dehradun, nearly 250 kilometers (150 miles) northeast of New Delhi.
``If Tigers get stronger, that will be a threat not only to Sri Lanka - but also to the world,'' Rajapakse said.
An escalation in fighting between Sri Lankan forces and the Liberation of Tamil Tigers Eelam since August has left more than 3,000 people dead in some of the bloodiest clashes since the two sides signed a 2002 cease-fire.
The political groups which participated in Sunday's protest meetings in Madras, the capital of Tamil Nadu state, and various district headquarters included the Pattali Makkal Katchi, the Dalit Panthers of India, the Tamil Nationalist Movement and the Tamil Nadu Nationalist Congress party, PTI said.
India's Tamil Nadu state is home to nearly 56 million Tamils, many with close family ties to ethnic Tamils in Sri Lanka - .
India has been reluctant to become too involved in Sri Lanka - after a disastrous military intervention in the 1980s resulted in former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's assassination by a Tamil Tiger suicide bomber.
The Tigers have been battling the government for over 20 years for a separate state for the island nation's 3.2 million ethnic Tamils who suffered decades of discrimination by the majority Sinhalese.
Sri Lankan military says it killed 21 rebels in separate attacks
Associated Press, Sun November 26, 2006 04:52 COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - (AP) Sri Lankan troops killed 21 Tamil rebels in separate clashes in the east, the military said Sunday, as government forces and the guerrillas exchanged mortar and artillery fire. The government controls the main towns of the Jaffna peninsula, considered the heartland of Sri Lanka - 's minority ethnic Tamils, while the Tigers operate from the area's villages and jungles.
Fighting along the same line since August has left hundreds of combatants dead in some of the bloodiest clashes since the government and rebels signed a 2002 cease-fire that temporarily halted two decades of civil war.
On Saturday, the military said its warplanes attacked a camp housing Tamil Tiger rebel suicide bombers in the country's north. The rebels dismissed the claim.
The camp was located at Iranamadu, near the rebel stronghold of Kilinochchi, Rajapakse said. The camp suffered ``heavy damage.''
Rebels denied that any camp was attacked, but said that two air force planes bombed a jungle area in Iranamadu, and that no casualties were reported.
Rebel spokesman Daya Master said the government's airstrikes were meant to spread fear among the Tamil people and disrupt ``Martyrs' Day'' celebrations on Monday.
Many fear that near-daily attacks and killings will drive Sri Lanka - back to full-scale war, although the government and Tigers say they are committed to the 2002 truce.
The truce had reduced the violence for some time, but since last December more than 3,200 fighters and civilians have been killed in escalating airstrikes, mine attacks, assassinations and heavy arms fire.
The rebels began fighting in 1983 for a separate homeland for minority ethnic Tamils in Sri Lanka - 's north and east, citing discrimination by the Sinhalese majority.
Sri Lankan troops, rebels exchange artillery, mortar fire
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) _ Sri Lankan troops and Tamil Tiger separatists exchanged mortar and artillery fire Sunday, the military said, a day after air force planes bombed rebel territory.
The Tigers fired artillery and mortars at troops along the line separating government and rebel forces in the Jaffna peninsula at dawn Sunday, a Defense Ministry official said on condition of anonymity, saying he was not authorized to speak to the media. He said army troops had repulsed the insurgents' attack. No casualties were reported.
The government controls the main towns of the Jaffna peninsula, considered the heartland of Sri Lanka's minority ethnic Tamils, while the Tigers operate from the area's villages and jungles.
Fighting along the same line since August has left hundreds of combatants dead in some of the bloodiest clashes since the government and rebels signed a 2002 cease-fire that temporarily halted two decades of civil war.
On Saturday, the military said its warplanes attacked a camp housing Tamil Tiger rebel suicide bombers in the country's north. The rebels dismissed the claim.
The camp was located at Iranamadu, near the rebel stronghold of Kilinochchi, said military spokesman Maj. Upali Rajapakse. The camp suffered ``heavy damage,'' but exact details were not available, Rajapakse said.
Rebels denied that any camp was attacked, but said that two air force planes bombed a jungle area in Iranamadu, and that no casualties were reported.
Rebel spokesman Daya Master said the government's airstrikes were meant to spread fear among the Tamil people as the guerrillas prepare to celebrate ``Martyrs' Day'' on Monday, when reclusive leader Velupillai Prabhakaran delivers his annual speech.
Many fear that near-daily attacks and killings will drive Sri Lanka back to full-scale war, although the government and Tigers say they are committed to the 2002 truce.
The truce had reduced the violence for some time, but since last December more than 3,200 fighters and civilians have been killed in escalating airstrikes, mine attacks, assassinations and heavy arms fire.
The rebels began fighting in 1983 for a separate homeland for minority ethnic Tamils in Sri Lanka's north and east, citing discrimination by the Sinhalese majority
Top Tamil guerilla leader honors fallen rebels, opponents stone his image
Associated Press, Sun November 26, 2006 08:56 EST . COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) _ The Tamil Tigers' reclusive leader led commemorative events for fallen guerrillas in Sri Lanka's rebel-held north, as his opponents on Sunday threw stones and tomatoes at his portrait in the Sinhalese-majority south.
The pro-rebel TamilNet Web site reported that Velupillai Prabhakaran took part in the memorial events at an undisclosed location in rebel territory on Saturday, as bereaved relatives and supporters garlanded portraits and offered flowers along roadsides. The Web site said 18,742 rebel fighters have died in their separatist campaign against the Sri Lankan government. This includes 818 deaths during the past year in an undeclared civil war.
Every year, rebels celebrate ``Martyrs' Day'' on Nov. 27 remembering the death of ``Lt. Shankar,'' the first Tamil guerrilla to be killed by government troops. Prabhakaran makes a highly anticipated annual policy speech on this day.
In capital Colombo, a group of Sinhalese calling itself the ``campaign to stone the devil'' hurled stones and tomatoes at a life-size portrait of Prabhakaran, who celebrated his 52nd birthday on Sunday.
``He is a terrorist leader who killed thousands of innocent and unarmed people,'' said Nishantha Warnasinghe, one of the organizers.
``This day should be condemned by all, we don't have arms and we are expressing our protest in a peaceful manner against this murderous group,'' he added.
Prabhakaran formed his guerrilla outfit in 1972 and named it the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in 1976, to fight for a separate homeland for the country's Tamil minority citing decades of discrimination by the majority Sinhalese.
The campaign flared up into a full-scale civil war in 1983 and killed 65,000 people until the rebels and government signed a 2002 cease-fire.
Prabhakaran built up his outfit as a conventional army over the years with modern weaponry and perfected suicide bombing before any other group employed the tactic.
Escalating violence has killed some 3,200 people in the past year.
Many fear that near-daily attacks and killings will drive Sri Lanka back to full-scale war, although the government and Tigers say they are committed to the cease-fire.
Fighting along the same line since August has left hundreds of combatants dead in some of the bloodiest clashes since the government and rebels signed a 2002 cease-fire that temporarily halted two decades of civil war.
On Saturday, the military said its warplanes attacked a camp housing Tamil Tiger rebel suicide bombers in the country's north. The rebels dismissed the claim.
The camp was located at Iranamadu, near the rebel stronghold of Kilinochchi, Rajapakse said. The camp suffered ``heavy damage.''
Rebels denied that any camp was attacked, but said that two air force planes bombed a jungle area in Iranamadu, and that no casualties were reported.
Rebel spokesman Daya Master said the government's airstrikes were meant to spread fear among the Tamil people and disrupt ``Martyrs' Day'' celebrations on Monday.
Many fear that near-daily attacks and killings will drive Sri Lanka - back to full-scale war, although the government and Tigers say they are committed to the 2002 truce.
The truce had reduced the violence for some time, but since last December more than 3,200 fighters and civilians have been killed in escalating airstrikes, mine attacks, assassinations and heavy arms fire.
The rebels began fighting in 1983 for a separate homeland for minority ethnic Tamils in Sri Lanka - 's north and east, citing discrimination by the Sinhalese majority.
Sri Lankan troops, rebels exchange artillery, mortar fire
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) _ Sri Lankan troops and Tamil Tiger separatists exchanged mortar and artillery fire Sunday, the military said, a day after air force planes bombed rebel territory.
The Tigers fired artillery and mortars at troops along the line separating government and rebel forces in the Jaffna peninsula at dawn Sunday, a Defense Ministry official said on condition of anonymity, saying he was not authorized to speak to the media. He said army troops had repulsed the insurgents' attack. No casualties were reported.
The government controls the main towns of the Jaffna peninsula, considered the heartland of Sri Lanka's minority ethnic Tamils, while the Tigers operate from the area's villages and jungles.
Fighting along the same line since August has left hundreds of combatants dead in some of the bloodiest clashes since the government and rebels signed a 2002 cease-fire that temporarily halted two decades of civil war.
On Saturday, the military said its warplanes attacked a camp housing Tamil Tiger rebel suicide bombers in the country's north. The rebels dismissed the claim.
The camp was located at Iranamadu, near the rebel stronghold of Kilinochchi, said military spokesman Maj. Upali Rajapakse. The camp suffered ``heavy damage,'' but exact details were not available, Rajapakse said.
Rebels denied that any camp was attacked, but said that two air force planes bombed a jungle area in Iranamadu, and that no casualties were reported.
Rebel spokesman Daya Master said the government's airstrikes were meant to spread fear among the Tamil people as the guerrillas prepare to celebrate ``Martyrs' Day'' on Monday, when reclusive leader Velupillai Prabhakaran delivers his annual speech.
Many fear that near-daily attacks and killings will drive Sri Lanka back to full-scale war, although the government and Tigers say they are committed to the 2002 truce.
The truce had reduced the violence for some time, but since last December more than 3,200 fighters and civilians have been killed in escalating airstrikes, mine attacks, assassinations and heavy arms fire.
The rebels began fighting in 1983 for a separate homeland for minority ethnic Tamils in Sri Lanka's north and east, citing discrimination by the Sinhalese majority
Top Tamil guerilla leader honors fallen rebels, opponents stone his image
Associated Press, Sun November 26, 2006 08:56 EST . COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) _ The Tamil Tigers' reclusive leader led commemorative events for fallen guerrillas in Sri Lanka's rebel-held north, as his opponents on Sunday threw stones and tomatoes at his portrait in the Sinhalese-majority south.
The pro-rebel TamilNet Web site reported that Velupillai Prabhakaran took part in the memorial events at an undisclosed location in rebel territory on Saturday, as bereaved relatives and supporters garlanded portraits and offered flowers along roadsides. The Web site said 18,742 rebel fighters have died in their separatist campaign against the Sri Lankan government. This includes 818 deaths during the past year in an undeclared civil war.
Every year, rebels celebrate ``Martyrs' Day'' on Nov. 27 remembering the death of ``Lt. Shankar,'' the first Tamil guerrilla to be killed by government troops. Prabhakaran makes a highly anticipated annual policy speech on this day.
In capital Colombo, a group of Sinhalese calling itself the ``campaign to stone the devil'' hurled stones and tomatoes at a life-size portrait of Prabhakaran, who celebrated his 52nd birthday on Sunday.
``He is a terrorist leader who killed thousands of innocent and unarmed people,'' said Nishantha Warnasinghe, one of the organizers.
``This day should be condemned by all, we don't have arms and we are expressing our protest in a peaceful manner against this murderous group,'' he added.
Prabhakaran formed his guerrilla outfit in 1972 and named it the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in 1976, to fight for a separate homeland for the country's Tamil minority citing decades of discrimination by the majority Sinhalese.
The campaign flared up into a full-scale civil war in 1983 and killed 65,000 people until the rebels and government signed a 2002 cease-fire.
Prabhakaran built up his outfit as a conventional army over the years with modern weaponry and perfected suicide bombing before any other group employed the tactic.
Escalating violence has killed some 3,200 people in the past year.
Many fear that near-daily attacks and killings will drive Sri Lanka back to full-scale war, although the government and Tigers say they are committed to the cease-fire.
Friday, November 24, 2006
Sri Lanka violence leaves 30 dead: Army
Colombo, Nov 24: Renewed fighting in Sri Lanka's embattled northern and eastern regions has left at least 30 people dead, according to defence ministry figures.
Security forces killed 19 Tamil Tiger rebels in two clashes on Thursday in the eastern district of Batticaloa where four policemen also died, the ministry said.
It said the guerrillas had also shot dead two civilians in the east on the same day and five Tiger guerrillas were shot dead in a confrontation in the northern Vavuniya district.
The rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said they lost only one combatant in the island's east on Thursday and accused the military of killing a student and wounding five others.
No independent verification of casualty claims was possible amid ongoing clashes between the two sides.
The LTTE and the Sri Lankan government have escalated fighting in the past year in tit-for-tat battles that have claimed over 3,400 lives despite a 2002 ceasefire agreement.
The bitter ethnic conflict has claimed at least 60,000 lives since it began in 1972.
Security forces killed 19 Tamil Tiger rebels in two clashes on Thursday in the eastern district of Batticaloa where four policemen also died, the ministry said.
It said the guerrillas had also shot dead two civilians in the east on the same day and five Tiger guerrillas were shot dead in a confrontation in the northern Vavuniya district.
The rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said they lost only one combatant in the island's east on Thursday and accused the military of killing a student and wounding five others.
No independent verification of casualty claims was possible amid ongoing clashes between the two sides.
The LTTE and the Sri Lankan government have escalated fighting in the past year in tit-for-tat battles that have claimed over 3,400 lives despite a 2002 ceasefire agreement.
The bitter ethnic conflict has claimed at least 60,000 lives since it began in 1972.
Mosquito-borne fever hits Sri Lanka ; fear closes a school
Associated Press, Fri November 24, 2006 08:40 COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) _ Sri Lanka's health officials on Friday confirmed an outbreak of chikungunya, a mosquito-borne fever.
Blood samples sent to Thai and Indian research institutes and three local laboratories tested positive for chikungunya, the Health Ministry's epidemiologist Nihal Abeysinghe said, adding that at least 50 people have been found to be carrying the illness.
Chikungunya _ like dengue _ is spread by female aedes mosquitoes, and symptoms include high fever, severe joint pains, headache and vomiting. There is no known cure for either disease.
Eighty-one people were reported dead after contracting chikungunya in South India in the past month, but health experts say the disease only weakens the immune system, allowing people to succumb to other ailments.
While the government has asked people not to panic, the independent Daily Mirror newspaper reported on Friday that a school in northwestern Kalpitiya was closed after many students and teachers were found with high fever.
Sri Lanka's Health Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva, meanwhile, asked public to prevent the spread of both the diseases by cleaning up areas where mosquitoes breed.
Mosquito-borne diseases usually spread with annual monsoons as the rains leave puddles of stagnant water for the insects to breed in.
``With the ongoing rains, such diseases could reach an epidemic proportion by next month unless drastic measures are taken to clean the environment,'' said Pradeep Kariyawasam, who heads the capital Colombo's health department
Blood samples sent to Thai and Indian research institutes and three local laboratories tested positive for chikungunya, the Health Ministry's epidemiologist Nihal Abeysinghe said, adding that at least 50 people have been found to be carrying the illness.
Chikungunya _ like dengue _ is spread by female aedes mosquitoes, and symptoms include high fever, severe joint pains, headache and vomiting. There is no known cure for either disease.
Eighty-one people were reported dead after contracting chikungunya in South India in the past month, but health experts say the disease only weakens the immune system, allowing people to succumb to other ailments.
While the government has asked people not to panic, the independent Daily Mirror newspaper reported on Friday that a school in northwestern Kalpitiya was closed after many students and teachers were found with high fever.
Sri Lanka's Health Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva, meanwhile, asked public to prevent the spread of both the diseases by cleaning up areas where mosquitoes breed.
Mosquito-borne diseases usually spread with annual monsoons as the rains leave puddles of stagnant water for the insects to breed in.
``With the ongoing rains, such diseases could reach an epidemic proportion by next month unless drastic measures are taken to clean the environment,'' said Pradeep Kariyawasam, who heads the capital Colombo's health department
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Air force jets bomb Tamil rebels in eastern Sri Lanka , other violence kills 3
Associated Press, Thu November 23, 2006 01:35 EST . COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - (AP) Air force jets bombed Tamil Tiger positions in eastern Sri Lanka - Thursday to help repel an attack on army troops, while the rebels killed three government security guards in a raid in the north, the military said.
An official at the Media Center for National Security said the Tamil Tigers had moved closer to government-held areas in eastern Batticaloa district late Wednesday and started attacking government troops positions early Thursday with artillery.
Military troops retaliated with artillery and later called in air support, said the official, who cannot be named due to army regulations.
The rebels, however, accused the military of launching the offensive to try and take back insurgent-held territory.
``The military has started a big operation to capture territory, they have moved closer to our forward defense lines,'' the rebels' military spokesman Rasiah Ilanthirayan said from the rebels' de facto capital of Kilinochchi.
No other details were immediately available.
Batticaloa has been home to a breakaway faction of the mainstream rebels since a powerful eastern commander split in 2004 with 6,000 fighters. The uprising was suppressed by the northern-based rebels, though the renegades enjoy influence in the area a hotbed of recent violence.
Separately, rebels raided a north central security camp at Kabithigollewa at 2:30 a.m. Thursday, killing three government ``home guards'' pro-government civilian residents who have weapons training and help security forces, an official at the national security media center said. Five soldiers were wounded in separate attacks further north in Jaffna peninsula.
The presence of home guards all of whom are ethnic Sinhalese was stepped up in the area, about 285 kilometers (185 miles) north of the capital, Colombo, after a bus bombing in June blamed on the Tigers that killed 64 people, mostly Sinhalese civilians.
The Tigers have been fighting for over two decades for a separate homeland for the country's minority ethnic Tamils, citing discrimination by the Sinhalese majority. A 2002 cease-fire stopped the civil war.
But since last December, airstrikes, mine attacks, assassinations and regular exchanges of heavy arms fire have killed more than 3,200 fighters and civilians. Both sides insist they have not withdrawn from the truce.
With peace talks stalled, the government and the rebels refuse to budge from their positions. The rebels want a separate homeland, while the government says regional autonomy is the maximum it will give.
Associated Press Writer, Krishan Francis, contributed to the report
An official at the Media Center for National Security said the Tamil Tigers had moved closer to government-held areas in eastern Batticaloa district late Wednesday and started attacking government troops positions early Thursday with artillery.
Military troops retaliated with artillery and later called in air support, said the official, who cannot be named due to army regulations.
The rebels, however, accused the military of launching the offensive to try and take back insurgent-held territory.
``The military has started a big operation to capture territory, they have moved closer to our forward defense lines,'' the rebels' military spokesman Rasiah Ilanthirayan said from the rebels' de facto capital of Kilinochchi.
No other details were immediately available.
Batticaloa has been home to a breakaway faction of the mainstream rebels since a powerful eastern commander split in 2004 with 6,000 fighters. The uprising was suppressed by the northern-based rebels, though the renegades enjoy influence in the area a hotbed of recent violence.
Separately, rebels raided a north central security camp at Kabithigollewa at 2:30 a.m. Thursday, killing three government ``home guards'' pro-government civilian residents who have weapons training and help security forces, an official at the national security media center said. Five soldiers were wounded in separate attacks further north in Jaffna peninsula.
The presence of home guards all of whom are ethnic Sinhalese was stepped up in the area, about 285 kilometers (185 miles) north of the capital, Colombo, after a bus bombing in June blamed on the Tigers that killed 64 people, mostly Sinhalese civilians.
The Tigers have been fighting for over two decades for a separate homeland for the country's minority ethnic Tamils, citing discrimination by the Sinhalese majority. A 2002 cease-fire stopped the civil war.
But since last December, airstrikes, mine attacks, assassinations and regular exchanges of heavy arms fire have killed more than 3,200 fighters and civilians. Both sides insist they have not withdrawn from the truce.
With peace talks stalled, the government and the rebels refuse to budge from their positions. The rebels want a separate homeland, while the government says regional autonomy is the maximum it will give.
Associated Press Writer, Krishan Francis, contributed to the report
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