http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=516&ncid=731&e=10&u=/ap/20050208/ap_on_re_as/sri_lanka_rebel_killed
Rebels: Killing May Harm Sri Lanka Talks
Tue Feb 8, 3:45 PM ET
World - AP Asia
By KRISHAN FRANCIS, Associated Press Writer
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - The Tamil Tiger rebels said Tuesday the killings
of one of its top political leaders and five others may disrupt
tsunami relief work and the resumption of peace talks with the
government, which denied it was behind the attack.
Tamil Tiger leader E. Kausalyan was killed Monday as he traveled to
the eastern town of Batticaloa, about 135 miles east of Colombo,
military spokesman Brig. Daya Ratnayake said.
Four of his associates died immediately and a fifth � former Tamil
lawmaker A. Chandranehru � succumbed to his injuries Tuesday, said Dr.
Hector Weerasinghe of the National Hospital in Colombo.
"We fear that these killings would have a serious impact on the
humanitarian relief work undertaken now and for the recommencement of
peace talks," the rebels said in a statement on their Web site.
The rebels described Kausalyan � their political chief in the
Batticaloa and Ampara districts � as the most senior guerrilla leader
killed since the Tigers signed a cease-fire with the government in 2002.
He and his colleagues were returning to Batticaloa after discussing
reconstruction efforts following the Dec. 26 tsunami, the Web site said.
No one immediately took responsibility for the ambush, but the
guerrillas blamed paramilitary forces backed by the Sri Lankan
military, claiming on its Web site that the attack was carried out
near two checkpoints by assailants wearing Sri Lankan military uniforms.
"This is not true, and in no way we are involved," military spokesman
Brig. Daya Ratnayake said in response.
The government on Tuesday condemned the killings, saying the attack
was aimed at disrupting "the positive post-tsunami atmosphere of
increasing cooperation between the government of Sri Lanka and
Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam on humanitarian issues."
The government said in the statement that it "calls on all concerned
to prevent further violations of the cease-fire."
Despite initial bickering over who should control tsunami aid in
rebel-held areas, both sides are discussing � with Norwegian mediation
� a way to facilitate fair distribution of aid.
Scores of people have been killed in factional fighting among the
Tigers since a top eastern commander and 6,000 fighters broke away
from the main group in March 2004.
Mainstream rebels crushed the renegades a month later, but many
breakaway fighters went underground and have allegedly mounted attacks
on their rivals. The main rebel body often accuses the renegades of
collaborating with government troops.
Security personnel were put on alert in the Tamil-majority north and
east after the Tigers called on shops, offices and schools to close
for two days from Wednesday to protest the killings, regional police
chief Neville Wijesinghe said.
The Tamil Tigers began fighting government forces in 1983 to create a
separate state for ethnic minority Tamils, accusing the majority
Sinhalese of discrimination.
More than 65,000 people were killed in the conflict before the 2002
cease-fire. Peace talks broke down a year later when the rebels
withdrew, demanding more autonomy for the Tamil-majority northeast.
___
On the Web:
Tamil Tiger Web site: www.lttps.org
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