- News>
- Asia
Tamil politician opposed to LTTE assassinated
Colombo, June 15: Suspected Tamil Tiger rebels killed a Tamil politician opposed to them today, police said, a day after the murder of another politician and a clash at sea between the government and rebels raised tensions between the two sides.
Colombo, June 15: Suspected Tamil Tiger rebels killed a Tamil politician opposed to them today, police said, a day after the murder of another politician and a clash at sea between the government and rebels raised tensions between the two sides.
Two gunmen believed to belong to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam fatally shot Ponniah Ramachandran, a member of the Eelam Peoples' Democratic Party in eastern Batticaloa, local police said.
Ramachandran, 42, was a former rebel who gave up violence and joined the Sri Lankan political mainstream. His group rejects the rebels' radical stand on Tamil autonomy.
A grenade exploded at a market in the Muslim-majority eastern Valachenai area, wounding four people.
The motive behind the attack was not immediately known. Tamils and Muslims clashed in the area in June last year, said Tamilnet, a web site that reports on Tamil affairs.
Yesterday, a top Tamil politician, who also opposed the Tamil Tigers, was gunned down in the city of Jaffna. On the same day, a rebel ship suspected of carrying arms exploded and sank during a confrontation with the Navy.
The incidents clouded prospects for a resumption of peace talks. The government and rebels signed a cease-fire in February 2002 and have held six rounds of peace talks, but the rebels withdrew from the negotiations in April, accusing the government of not doing enough to reconstruct war-ravaged areas and help resettle tens of thousand of displaced Tamils.
Bureau Report
Ramachandran, 42, was a former rebel who gave up violence and joined the Sri Lankan political mainstream. His group rejects the rebels' radical stand on Tamil autonomy.
A grenade exploded at a market in the Muslim-majority eastern Valachenai area, wounding four people.
The motive behind the attack was not immediately known. Tamils and Muslims clashed in the area in June last year, said Tamilnet, a web site that reports on Tamil affairs.
Yesterday, a top Tamil politician, who also opposed the Tamil Tigers, was gunned down in the city of Jaffna. On the same day, a rebel ship suspected of carrying arms exploded and sank during a confrontation with the Navy.
The incidents clouded prospects for a resumption of peace talks. The government and rebels signed a cease-fire in February 2002 and have held six rounds of peace talks, but the rebels withdrew from the negotiations in April, accusing the government of not doing enough to reconstruct war-ravaged areas and help resettle tens of thousand of displaced Tamils.
Bureau Report