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In Sri Lanka, Tamil rebels threaten war, say thenavy attacked village
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published May 15, 2006
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - Tamil rebels on Saturday threatened to resume war if they are denied access to the sea and claimed naval forces killed eight Tamil civilians in an attack in northern Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse vowed to protect Sri Lanka's sovereignty at any cost. "If they insist on continuing their attacks, I will have to defend my country," he said in an interview. The prospect of renewed warfare by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam was the latest in escalating tensions that threaten to destroy a 2002 cease-fire agreement with the government. "We will not hesitate to wage war with anyone who attempts to prevent us from exercising our freedom," Col. Soosai, who heads the Sea Tigers, the rebels' naval wing, was quoted as saying on the pro-rebel TamilNet Web site. Like many rebels, he uses only one name. Later Saturday, TamilNet claimed the Sri Lankan navy surrounded the village of Allaipiddy and bombarded residents with grenades and opened fire. Navy spokesman D.K.P. Dassnayake said sailors in the area heard a blast, but he denied that the navy was involved. The Tigers began fighting in 1983 for a separate state for ethnic minority Tamils.
[Last modified May 15, 2006, 08:16:03]
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