Rebels kill farmers as attacks grow: Sri Lanka

Colombo, Apr 5: Tamil Tiger rebels shot dead three Sri Lankan farmers in the island's northeast today, police said, the third time since last weekend that civilians have been caught in the crossfire of renewed civil war.

The attack in the north-central district of Polonnaruwa, near a swathe of jungle where troops are fighting Tiger insurgents, was the latest in a spree of extrajudicial killings and attacks as the island's two-decade civil war has escalated.

''The LTTE ambushed and killed three farmers who went to collect paddy,'' said police spokesman Jayantha Wickramaratne.

''The police and army are doing a cordon-and-search operation in the area.'' The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, who are seeking to carve out an independent state in the north and east for minority Tamils, were not immediately available for comment.

The attack comes after suspected Tiger rebels bombed a civilian bus on Monday, killing 16 people, mostly women and children, and after six civilians working on a post-tsunami construction project in the east were shot dead on Sunday.

More than 4,000 troops, civilians and rebels have been killed in the past 15 months alone, and human rights groups are calling for an international human rights monitoring mission to curb abuses blamed on both sides.

REUTERS

Related Stories