Lankan Navy says attacked by rebel Sea Tigers

Sri Lanka’s Navy said it came under attack from the Tamil Tigers’ sea wing on Monday and elsewhere at least seven persons were killed in violence blamed on the rebels amid rising fears of a return to civil war.

The Navy said five armed Sea Tiger boats, including two suicide craft, approached one of its vessels in waters off Trincomalee on the northeastern coast. When the navy tried to investigate, it was attacked. ‘‘They have opened fire and attacked our Dvora,’’ said Navy spokesman DKP Dassanayake, referring to the Israeli-built Dvora fast-attack craft. ‘‘We retaliated in self-defence.’’ Five sailors were wounded in the exchange, Dassanayake said, adding that he did not know about Tiger casualties.

There was no immediate comment from the LTTE headquarters. But the pro-rebel Tamilnet Website said the previous night a Sea Tiger transport in the same area had to defend itself against artillery fire from shore. No casualties were reported.

Near Trincomalee town, a volatile mix of ethnic majority Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims, one sailor and four civilians were killed in a suspected rebel claymore fragmentation mine attack on a naval foot patrol, the Army said in a statement.