COLOMBO, Aug 6: Fresh fighting in the eastern Trincomalee district erupted on Sunday between the Tamil Tigers and government troops as the ‘water war’ to free a key eastern reservoir from the LTTE continued after the government totally rejected conditions by the guerrillas to open the sluice gates of the dam.

The head of the Nordic truce monitoring team, Ulf Henriccson narrowly escaped being hit by military artillery when he accompanied LTTE cadres to the location of the reservoir in Mavillaru today afternoon, truce monitors said.

“Troops had targeted the location of the dam to free the area of terrorists in order to open the sluice gates. We were not aware that the truce monitors were visiting the location,” government defence spokesperson Kelehiye Rambukwella said today stating categorically that the government will not bow down to conditions laid by the LTTE.

The LTTE said they had informed a Norwegian special envoy who visited the rebel headquarters today that they were ready to open the sluice gates if the government gives in to several demands laid by them.

Jon Hanssen Bauer, the special Norwegian envoy, had been also informed by the rebels that any fresh attacks by government troops would indicate a war.

“We will consider any future air-strikes or attacks by the government as their withdrawal from the cease-fire,” Thamilselvan had told the envoy.

Meanwhile, the government information department said the rebels had struck a naval ship transporting essential items to displaced Muslims in the eastern town of Muttur. No casualties were immediately known.

At least twenty thousand Muslims have fled the Muslim town of Muttur and aid workers say they are acutely in need of food and essentials.

EXECUTED: Fifteen local aid staff working on post-tsunami rebuilding have been found executed in northeast Sri Lanka after heavy fighting, the main umbrella body for aid agencies in the country said on Sunday.