Tags:
Journalism of Courage
Suspected Tamil Tiger rebels killed seven Sri Lankan soldiers in a second claymore mine attack in the northern city of Jaffna in three days, the military said on Tuesday.
One officer and six regular soldiers were killed in the blast. It followed a claymore mine blast on Sunday that killed seven soldiers. A claymore is a fragmentation mine that sprays hundreds of small steel balls up to 250 metres in a wide arc.
The LTTE denied any hand in the blast. ‘‘We are not involved. We are not going to break the ceasefire agreement,’’ rebel media co-ordinator Daya Master said by telephone from the Tigers’ northern stronghold of Kilinochchi. The government had no immediate response.
New President Mahinda Rajapakse’s naming on Tuesday of a battle-hardened army commander, Lieutenant-General Sarath Fonseka, was intended as a message to the Tigers, who analysts say are using the truce to regroup and rearm.
The government has blamed Sunday’s attack on the LTTE. The army has boosted troop numbers on the streets of Jaffna, where residents say the atmosphere is extremely tense.
Amnesty International said on Monday that both government and Tigers were using human rights as a weapon by failing to probe the rash of killings. It called for an independent investigation body. ‘‘It is a grave situation, volatile, ready to implode,’’ Amnesty secretary general Irene Khan told reporters during a visit to Sri Lanka. —Reuters
