Lanka jets bomb LTTE positions

There was no immediate word on casualties, but the Tigers accused the military of firing first. 8220;The pattern of firing and bombing are indicative of a large-scale military offensive being planned by the Sri Lankan military,8221; the rebels said in an e-mail.

Early on Wednesday suspected rebels detonated a mine in the northern district of Vavuniya, killing a civilian, while the navy sank a suspected rebel boat off the northwest coast on Tuesday.

Geneva talks collapsed on Sunday over the government8217;s closure in August of the main north-south A-9 highway, which runs through rebel territory and to the army-held Jaffna peninsula.

The government has so far refused to reopen the road, arguing that rebel artillery fire makes it unsafe and that the Tigers have been moving troops and munitions on it and that they raise war funds by demanding a 8220;tax8221; from vehicles passing along it.

Residents in predominantly Tamil Jaffna decry the closure and the fighting, saying food and fuel are in short supply and artillery fire is making it hard to sleep. The military is shipping essential rations in by boat and air.

The government8217;s chief peace negotiator said on Tuesday it would reopen the highway if the rebels stopped attacks. The Tigers have not responded.

In Colombo, around 1,000 people protested a growing scourge of 8220;disappearances8221; and extra-judicial killings blamed on both sides.