Lanka violence on the rise ahead of peace talks

Colombo, Apr 8 (UNI) The Sri Lankan Army and the Tamil Tiger rebels today exchanged fire in the restive eastern port city of Trincomalee, leaving one soldier dead and injuring a few more, according to official sources.

Military spokesperson Brigadier Prasad Samarasinghe said the LTTE attacked a military observation point at Selvanagar in the Eastern Trincomalee district this afternoon using Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPGs).

''One solider was killed and one more wounded in the incident.

We returned fire and the encounter lasted for half an hour. There are reports that the LTTE too have suffered heavy damages. This is blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement as well as the Geneva pledge by the LTTE,'' Brig Samarasinghe told UNI.

Refuting an LTTE charge that the Army fired artillery shells towards a village in LTTE-held areas in Trincomalee this morning, the military spokesman said the LTTE detonated a powerful claymore at Siruppiddi in the Jaffna peninsula targeting a military truck carrying 12 soldiers this evening.

''A soldier and a civilian were injured in the claymore explosion. Clearly the LTTE's intention was to provoke the Army before the next round of Geneva talks. But the Army will strictly adhere to the truce and are fully supportive of the government peace bid,'' Brigadier Samarasinghe said.

Commenting on the series of incidents, Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), spokeswoman, Helen Olafsdottir, described the escalation of truce related violence within the past 48 hours as ''a very serious situation''.

''The current escalation of violence would not only undermine the CFA, but also effect the willingness of both the parties to attend the proposed direct talks in Geneva, commencing on April 19,'' Ms Olafsdottir said, adding that the situation in Trincomalee and Jaffna ''remained quiet later in the evening''.

Confirming that the parties have lodged complaints and counter complaints with the SLMM regarding the series of incidents today, Ms Olafsdottir said that the LTTE has confirmed that one of its cadres have been killed in the Army fire in Trincomalee.

Meanwhile, the government in a statement today has strongly condemned the attacks carried out against the security forces and urged the LTTE to ''desist from such attacks at a time when preparations are underway for the second round of talks in Geneva''.

Violent incidents have been on the rise a couple of days after Norway's International Development Minister Erik Solheim and his deputy Jon Hanssen-Bauer left the island after holding separate talks with President Mahindra Rajapakse and the LTTE leaders on salvaging the four-year long shaky truce.

UNI XC SS RAI2307