S.Lankan Tamil Rebels Accuse Govt of Purchasing Chemical WeaponsSri Lanka's separatist Tamil Tiger rebels Thursday accused the government of purchasing Russian- made chemical weapons and warned of disastrous consequences if they were inducted."We are perturbed over reports that the Sri Lankan government has purchased new infantry weapon system with chemical warheads," the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels said in a statement. "The acquisition of this banned weapon by Sri Lanka marks a new and dangerous escalation of the armed conflict in the island," it added. The LTTE rebels called upon the international community to condemn the Sri Lankan government for the acquisition of weapons with chemical warheads and to impress upon the government the detrimental effects of their use in the Tamil homeland. There is no response of the government to the LTTE rebel accusation. The LTTE rebels have been fighting against government forces since 1983 in the north and east of the country attempting to set up an independent Tamil homeland there. More than 64,000 people have died in the brutal ethnic war. |
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