Colombo, Sept 19: Sri Lanka's Prime Minister denied that camps set up by Tamil Tiger rebels near a major naval base in eastern Sri Lanka were a security threat. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said the president's allegation of the camps' danger was an attempt to gain political mileage. On Monday, Kumaratunga accused the Prime Minister of compromising the island's security by allowing the rebels to set up 13 camps near the government naval base in the eastern town of Trincomalee.
In a five-page reply, Wickremesinghe said he had discussed the situation with the military and said measures will be taken ``to ensure that we are in a position to meet any hostile threat.'' he accused Kumaratunga of trying to ``play party politics with security issues.''
The rebels signed a cease-fire agreement with the government in February 2002, but peace talks led by Wickremesinghe have been stalled since April.

The international community has been pushing for a resumption of the Norwegian-brokered peace process. Bureau Report