COLOMBO, April 21: The Tamil Tigers on Thursday declared they would indefinitely withdraw from talks with the Sri Lankan government. The formal announcement came soon after the Tigers (LTTE) leaders met Norwegian peace envoy Jon Hanssen-Baurer at the rebel headquarters in Killinochchi.
The announcement came amid the worst upsurge of violence since a ceasefire agreement took effect in Feb 2002.
The LTTE were scheduled to meet the government for talks in Geneva next week.
The rebels have cited escalating violence against Tamil civilians as a reason for not turning up for the April 24-25 talks.
Over 50 people, mostly government security personnel, have been killed and scores of civilians wounded in the past week in the northeast of the country.
PANIC AFTER CLASHES: Hundreds of Tamil and Sinhala civilians have started fleeing the eastern port town of Trincomalee after two claymore mine attacks on the police on Friday triggered clashes between the two communities.
A guard was killed and a policeman injured in a claymore mine attack in a Sinhalese village off Trincomalee. The mine, fitted to the fence of a coconut field, targeted a police patrol in the village.
