June 15, 2003	Sunday	Rabi-us-Sani 14, 1424

COLOMBO, June 14: A top Tamil politician was assassinated by an unidentified gunman in Sri Lanka’s northern town of Jaffna on Saturday, military officials said.

The leader of the Eelam People’s Revolutionary Liberation Front — Varatharajah Wing (EPRLF), Subathran, 44, was killed at his office in Jaffna, officials said.

Subathran is the most senior politician to have been killed during the truce.

CLASH: A Tamil Tiger ship carrying 12 rebels sank on Saturday after a clash with the Sri Lankan navy in the latest blow to efforts to put the island’s stalled peace process back on track.

The military said the navy suspected the ship, belonging to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), was carrying weapons and after intercepting it fired warning shots.

Rebels have blown up their boats in past to avoid capture.—Agencies