19 killed in two days
This is the death toll of a weekend of violence; peace observers say a "low intensity" war is under way.
Colombo (AsiaNews/Agencies) - Officials in Sri Lanka say at least 19 people have been killed in fresh violence. They say the Tamil Tigers have vowed a "war" to maintain their navy. After a violent sea battle on 11 May, peace observers in the country have described rebel sea operations as a "gross violation" of the 2002 cease-fire.
The military says 13 civilians were gunned down in separate incidents in the northern islet of Kayts. Two more people were also killed in the northeastern district of Trincomalee. Police also say another two people were gunned down at Atchchuvely in the northern Jaffna peninsula. The military says a soldier was also killed when suspected Tigers lobbed grenades at troops. It says it retaliated and killed one of the attackers.
Authorities are investigating if the killings were linked to the escalation of violence in the north and east in recent weeks; the Tigers want autonomy in these two regions.
Nordic truce monitors say Colombo and the rebels have already resumed a "low intensity" war. The separatists deny all responsibility for the latest attacks against the military but few believe them. The government says it is merely limiting itself to reprisal tactics and to respecting the terms of the cease-fire signed in 2002.
Diplomats say a lack of compromises on both sides led to the island's peace process stalling. For the moment, the Tigers have quit the talks "indefinitely". Sri Lanka, with more than 200 people killed this month alone, seems to be on the brink of civil war.
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