Colombo, July 29: Unidentified attackers threw a grenade into an office of the Tamil Tiger rebels in a government-held northern town, wounding one person, a news report and police said today. The incident occurred in Vavuniya, 210 km north of Colombo, just before midnight yesterday, said the Tamilnet web site, which reports on Tamil affairs. The wounded person was a police officer, it said.
Police in Vavuniya confirmed the attack, but did not give any details.
Vavuniya, a Tamil-majority area, is under government control but rebels control nearby areas.
Under the Norwegian-brokered cease-fire signed in February 2002, the rebels are allowed to open political offices in government-held areas.
Attacks on rebel offices are rare.
Relations between the government and rebels have deteriorated recently. The rebels withdrew from peace talks in April, accusing the government of being too slow to help thousands of Tamils displaced during the war.
Since then, the two sides have failed to agree on how Tamil-majority areas in the northeast will be governed.
The Tamils want broad-ranging autonomy while the government has proposed limiting their authority to more administrative and financial matters.
Bureau Report