07-25-2004, 08:49 PM
<img src='http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/40419000/jpg/_40419303_police203bap.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image'>
Tiger rebel's 'aides' shot dead
Tamil Tiger rebels in Sri Lanka say eight top aides of a breakaway rebel leader have been shot dead in Colombo.
The Tamil Tigers said the dead men were close associates of the rebel defector Colonel Karuna, whom they accuse of working with the army.
They alleged that a military intelligence officer was among the dead, but the army has denied this.
Hours later, Norwegian negotiators arrived for talks aimed at restarting the stalled peace process.
Before leaving Oslo, the Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister, Vidar Helgesen, who is leading the team, said he was very disturbed by the violence and instability in Sri Lanka.
He warned that the current situation could plunge the country back into war.
Rivalry
Police said the killings took place overnight as the men slept at a house in Kottawa, an outer suburb of the capital.
The Tigers accuse Colonel Karuna of siding with the army
Residents said they heard bangs a few hours before dawn on Sunday but thought it was fireworks set to stop monkeys from raiding orchards.
The BBC's Frances Harrison in Colombo says if the names given by the Tigers are correct, then the killings will be a major blow to Colonel Karuna. Several of his top men are thought to be dead.
Our correspondent says a recent surge of violence has raised concerns that a low-level guerrilla war is developing between the Tigers and Colonel Karuna.
The Tigers accuse Colonel Karuna, who led a split in the Tigers in March, of siding with the army and waging what they call a proxy war against them.
The government and the army have strenuously denied any involvement with the rebel defector.
bbc.com
Tiger rebel's 'aides' shot dead
Tamil Tiger rebels in Sri Lanka say eight top aides of a breakaway rebel leader have been shot dead in Colombo.
The Tamil Tigers said the dead men were close associates of the rebel defector Colonel Karuna, whom they accuse of working with the army.
They alleged that a military intelligence officer was among the dead, but the army has denied this.
Hours later, Norwegian negotiators arrived for talks aimed at restarting the stalled peace process.
Before leaving Oslo, the Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister, Vidar Helgesen, who is leading the team, said he was very disturbed by the violence and instability in Sri Lanka.
He warned that the current situation could plunge the country back into war.
Rivalry
Police said the killings took place overnight as the men slept at a house in Kottawa, an outer suburb of the capital.
The Tigers accuse Colonel Karuna of siding with the army
Residents said they heard bangs a few hours before dawn on Sunday but thought it was fireworks set to stop monkeys from raiding orchards.
The BBC's Frances Harrison in Colombo says if the names given by the Tigers are correct, then the killings will be a major blow to Colonel Karuna. Several of his top men are thought to be dead.
Our correspondent says a recent surge of violence has raised concerns that a low-level guerrilla war is developing between the Tigers and Colonel Karuna.
The Tigers accuse Colonel Karuna, who led a split in the Tigers in March, of siding with the army and waging what they call a proxy war against them.
The government and the army have strenuously denied any involvement with the rebel defector.
bbc.com
<img src='http://kuruvikal.yarl.net/archives/PETBIRD1.gif' border='0' alt='user posted image'>