Senior Rebel Killed In Sri Lanka

BBC News

May 21, 2006

A senior figure in the Tamil Tiger rebel movement has been shot dead in eastern Sri Lanka, reports say.

Rebel sources said the man, named Ramanan, was a commander in the district of Batticaloa.

The latest killing comes amid escalating violence in the north and east of the South Asian island.

In further unrest, two soldiers died in mine attacks and a 12-year-old boy was also killed, while a foreign aid worker was injured by a grenade.

Rival claims

It is unclear who was responsible for the rebel commander killing.

One report quoted a spokesman for a breakaway rebel faction as saying they had killed the man, but a pro-rebel website accused army snipers.

A truce between the government and rebels was signed four years ago, but there have been increasing ceasefire violations in recent months.

Sri Lanka has been rocked by conflict since the Tigers launched their campaign for a separate state in 1983. Some 60,000 people have died.