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Sri Lankan security forces detain 903 people while tracking rebel infiltrators in Colombo
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - Police backed by soldiers carrying automatic weapons cordoned off five districts in the Sri Lankan capital and detained 903 people in door-to-door searches Saturday to track down Tamil Tiger rebels, police said.
Most were taken for questioning after they failed to produce national identity cards, or did not have a valid reason for staying in the capital, Deputy Inspector General of Police P. Jayasundara said.
Suspects who need further investigation will be kept under detention and the rest will be released, he said.
The operation was carried out to ensure that there are no infiltrators in our capital, Jayasundara said.
The crackdown in the five predominantly Tamil districts came amid an increase in violence that has threatened to plunge the country back into civil war. The rebels began fighting for a homeland for the countrys 3.2 million ethnic Tamil minority in 1983.
The Tigers were blamed for several suicide attacks in Colombo before a cease-fire halted the conflict in 2002. Police are worried about the possibility of new attacks amid rising tensions.
I saw soldiers waiting outside my home and then a group of policemen came and asked for my identity, said Maheswari Nadesan, an ethnic Tamil homemaker.
She said the police left after checking her and her husbands identity cards and ensuring that no one else was living in her home.
The recent increase in violence _ including attacks this month that killed 45 government soldiers and seven guerrillas _ has raised fears of a return to war.
The violence worsened after last months election of a new president, Mahinda Rajapakse, who pledged during the campaign to take a tough line toward the rebels. Rebel leader Velupillai Prabhakaran warned that the Tigers would intensify their struggle if Tamil grievances are not addressed.
The Norwegian official who brokered the 2002 cease-fire, Erik Solheim, has urged the government and rebels to resume peace talks immediately. Six rounds of peace talks were held until 2004 but broke down over rebel demands for wide autonomy in the countrys northeast.
Christian clergy urge Tamil Tiger rebels to return to talks with government
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - Sri Lankas Christian clergy has called on the Tamil Tiger rebels to return to peace talks with the government amid increasing violence in the northeast that is threatening to return the country to civil war, a priest said.
The 10 bishops and pastors from the Roman Catholic, Anglican and Methodist churches met S.P Thamilselvan, the Tigers political chief, in the rebel-held town of Kilinochchi on Friday.
The bishops raised the issue of increasing violence here and the plight of the people and asked the parties to implement the cease-fire, said Rev. Roshan Sebastianpillai, who took part in the meeting.
Thamilselvan said the rebels were prepared for talks, but only if the military stops attacking civilians, according to the pro-rebel Panuthjamin Web site.
He said civilians were taking matters into their own hands and attacking the military in revenge for alleged abuses, according to the report.
The Christian clergy has been a vocal proponent of peace in Sri Lanka, where a fragile cease-fire has come under increasing pressure since rebel leader Velupillai Prabhakaran threatened to step up attacks if the government did not address their grievances.
The rebels have demanded greater autonomy for minority ethnic Tamils in the northeast.
Attacks blamed on the Tamil Tigers have killed 45 government soldiers this month. The government has said it killed seven guerrillas in the same period.
Earlier, a top Norwegian envoy who brokered the 2002 cease-fire said he was concerned about the escalating violence, and that he was planning a visit in late January to try and move the shaky truce forward.
Erik Solheim plans to meet with both sides of the conflict during his Jan. 23-26 visit, the Norwegian Embassy said.
In the latest violence, five police officers were injured in two separate gun attacks in eastern Sri Lanka on Friday, the military said.
Unidentified gunmen opened fire at six officers on patrol in Kalkudah, in eastern Batticaloa, injuring four, military spokesman Brig. Prasad Samarasinghe said. Another policeman was shot and injured in Urani, also in Batticaloa, 220 kilometers (135 miles) east of Colombo, he said.
The rebels began fighting the government in 1983 to create a separate state for ethnic minority Tamils, alleging discrimination by majority Sinhalese. They say Tamils can prosper only away from Sinhalese domination.
http://www.lankapage.com/
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - Police backed by soldiers carrying automatic weapons cordoned off five districts in the Sri Lankan capital and detained 903 people in door-to-door searches Saturday to track down Tamil Tiger rebels, police said.
Most were taken for questioning after they failed to produce national identity cards, or did not have a valid reason for staying in the capital, Deputy Inspector General of Police P. Jayasundara said.
Suspects who need further investigation will be kept under detention and the rest will be released, he said.
The operation was carried out to ensure that there are no infiltrators in our capital, Jayasundara said.
The crackdown in the five predominantly Tamil districts came amid an increase in violence that has threatened to plunge the country back into civil war. The rebels began fighting for a homeland for the countrys 3.2 million ethnic Tamil minority in 1983.
The Tigers were blamed for several suicide attacks in Colombo before a cease-fire halted the conflict in 2002. Police are worried about the possibility of new attacks amid rising tensions.
I saw soldiers waiting outside my home and then a group of policemen came and asked for my identity, said Maheswari Nadesan, an ethnic Tamil homemaker.
She said the police left after checking her and her husbands identity cards and ensuring that no one else was living in her home.
The recent increase in violence _ including attacks this month that killed 45 government soldiers and seven guerrillas _ has raised fears of a return to war.
The violence worsened after last months election of a new president, Mahinda Rajapakse, who pledged during the campaign to take a tough line toward the rebels. Rebel leader Velupillai Prabhakaran warned that the Tigers would intensify their struggle if Tamil grievances are not addressed.
The Norwegian official who brokered the 2002 cease-fire, Erik Solheim, has urged the government and rebels to resume peace talks immediately. Six rounds of peace talks were held until 2004 but broke down over rebel demands for wide autonomy in the countrys northeast.
Christian clergy urge Tamil Tiger rebels to return to talks with government
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - Sri Lankas Christian clergy has called on the Tamil Tiger rebels to return to peace talks with the government amid increasing violence in the northeast that is threatening to return the country to civil war, a priest said.
The 10 bishops and pastors from the Roman Catholic, Anglican and Methodist churches met S.P Thamilselvan, the Tigers political chief, in the rebel-held town of Kilinochchi on Friday.
The bishops raised the issue of increasing violence here and the plight of the people and asked the parties to implement the cease-fire, said Rev. Roshan Sebastianpillai, who took part in the meeting.
Thamilselvan said the rebels were prepared for talks, but only if the military stops attacking civilians, according to the pro-rebel Panuthjamin Web site.
He said civilians were taking matters into their own hands and attacking the military in revenge for alleged abuses, according to the report.
The Christian clergy has been a vocal proponent of peace in Sri Lanka, where a fragile cease-fire has come under increasing pressure since rebel leader Velupillai Prabhakaran threatened to step up attacks if the government did not address their grievances.
The rebels have demanded greater autonomy for minority ethnic Tamils in the northeast.
Attacks blamed on the Tamil Tigers have killed 45 government soldiers this month. The government has said it killed seven guerrillas in the same period.
Earlier, a top Norwegian envoy who brokered the 2002 cease-fire said he was concerned about the escalating violence, and that he was planning a visit in late January to try and move the shaky truce forward.
Erik Solheim plans to meet with both sides of the conflict during his Jan. 23-26 visit, the Norwegian Embassy said.
In the latest violence, five police officers were injured in two separate gun attacks in eastern Sri Lanka on Friday, the military said.
Unidentified gunmen opened fire at six officers on patrol in Kalkudah, in eastern Batticaloa, injuring four, military spokesman Brig. Prasad Samarasinghe said. Another policeman was shot and injured in Urani, also in Batticaloa, 220 kilometers (135 miles) east of Colombo, he said.
The rebels began fighting the government in 1983 to create a separate state for ethnic minority Tamils, alleging discrimination by majority Sinhalese. They say Tamils can prosper only away from Sinhalese domination.
http://www.lankapage.com/
