Suspected Tamil Tiger guerrillas torched a passenger ferry in north-eastern Sri Lanka as local residents staged a protest against the rebels, the defence ministry said on Tuesday.
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) attacked the ferry at Muttur late on Monday night, ministry spokesman Sanath Karunaratne said.
He said there had been several anti-LTTE protests in the region and the torching appeared to be a retaliatory attack by the Tigers.
The LTTE is leading a drawn out campaign for independence in the island's northern and eastern regions. More than 60,000 people have been killed in fighting in the past three decades.

Bureau Report