Sri Lanka donors call Tigers to end assassinations

The co-chairs of Sri Lanka's international donors have called on the Tamil Tigers to immediately end political assassinations and to end recruitment of child soldiers.

A statement issued by the Royal Norwegian embassy Tuesday said that the donors representing the European Union, Norway, US and Japan who had met in New York on Monday had asked the LTTE "to take immediate steps to demonstrate their commitment to the peace process and their willingness to change."

The donors have condemned the assassination of the Sri Lankan foreign minister Lakshman Kadirgamar in spite of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) denying responsibility to the Aug. 12 murder.

The statement said the February 2002 ceasefire has faced its most serious challenge and "the Ceasefire Agreement remains the essential anchor of the peace process and is put at grave risk by the continuing violence."

The donors have also addressed a concern of the Tigers by saying that co-chairs had deplored activities of paramilitary groups.

They have said that it was their responsibility of the Sri Lankan government to disarm the paramilitary groups.

"The co-chairs look to all parties to refrain from violence and from statements and acts that could undermine progress toward the peaceful resolution of the conflict after the elections (the presidential election to be held on November 17)."

Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan defense officials said that violence in the volatile eastern province had continued on Monday.

In two separate attacks in the Trinciomalee district, two soldiers were injured when the Tigers threw grenades at military bunkers at around 8:00 p.m. local time (1400 GMT).

In the neighboring Batticaloa district, the house of an ex-Sri Lankan Airforce man was attacked but no injuries reported, the police said.

Source: Xinhua