Sri Lankan military here Tuesday accused the Tamil Tiger rebels of continuing gun fire attacks against them.

In a statement issued the military said that the Sri Lankan Navy had come under attack by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) at Sampur in the eastern port district of Trincomalee around 11:45 a.m. local time (0545 GMT).

The statement said that the Navy was compelled to fire at the direction of the LTTE rebels when the rebels fired at the Navy as they were nearing two suspicious boats in the restricted area near the Trincomalee harbor.

This was the third incident of the rebels firing towards the Navy since Saturday, the statement stressed.

The government and the rebels are to meet in Geneva in April for the next round of talks aimed at strengthening the ongoing fragile ceasefire.

After last month's first round of talks held in Geneva, the rebels have brought pressure on the government to disarm what they alleged paramilitary groups harbored by the military.

The government has denied any links to such groups.

Source: Xinhua