Tigers Want Peace Talks Postponed

BBC News

April 13, 2006

Tamil Tiger rebels in Sri Lanka have asked for fresh dates for peace talks scheduled to be held in Switzerland next week.

The rebels say they want to attend the talks but cannot attend them next week because they will be meeting their commanders from the east at the time.

The rebel request comes amid a wave of violence in northern and eastern Sri Lanka over the past few days.

International monitors have warned that the violence could derail the talks.

The government has so far not responded to the rebel announcement.

Warning

More than 30 people have been killed since Monday - many in attacks blamed on Tamil rebels who deny involvement.

In the latest violence, unidentified gunmen shot dead at least two Tamil businessmen in the northern city of Jaffna.

There is a real danger that the violence that erupted today could spread throughout the country
Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission

It is not clear who is behind the killings, which come a day after 16 people died in bombings and rioting in the north-eastern city of Trincomalee.

"There is a real danger that the violence that erupted today could spread throughout the country... if the two parties do not act quickly to bring the situation under control," the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission said in a statement on Wednesday.

A surge in attacks at the turn of the year abated after the government and Tamil Tiger rebels agreed to hold talks in February, but violence has risen again in recent weeks.

The Tamil Tigers want autonomy for minority Tamils in the north and east of Sri Lanka. More than 60,000 people have died during two decades of conflict.

Market blast

A curfew imposed on Trincomalee following Wednesday's violence has been relaxed to allow residents to buy provisions.

However, security is still tight, with both Sinhalas and Tamils celebrating New Year on Friday.

The larger of Wednesday's two blasts in Trincomalee was caused by a bomb, which ripped through a crowded vegetable market leaving bodies scattered on the road.

In an earlier attack, a mine exploded as a police vehicle passed outside Trincomalee, police said.

The army blamed the rebels for both attacks. There was no immediate response from the Tamil Tigers.

Police said that 50 people were injured in the rioting in Trincomalee, which is home to large Tamil and Muslim communities as well as Sri Lanka's majority Sinhalese.