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Tamil lawmakers protest slaying of top rebel; strike shuts down Tamil areas
Associated Press,
Wed February 9, 2005 04:04 EST .
SHIMALI SENANAYAKE - Associated Press Writer - COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - (AP) Sri Lanka - 's Parliament was suspended Wednesday after opposition Tamil lawmakers raucously protested the slaying of a Tamil Tiger guerrilla leader. They had been overseeing reconstruction efforts in a rebel stronghold in eastern Sri Lanka - , one of the regions hardest hit by the Dec. 26 Indian Ocean tsunami. The guerrillas blamed paramilitary forces backed by the government for the ambush, saying the attackers wore Sri Lankan military uniforms. The government has denied involvement and condemned the killings. A general strike gripped the island's Tamil-majority areas Wednesday to mourn the deaths of Kausalyan and his five associates, residents said. Most businesses were shut and black flags were hung from buildings. Children were not sent to school and transport drew to a standstill, residents said by telephone. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan condemned the ``callous killings,'' and urged the government and rebels ``to exercise calm and restraint so as to avoid actions that could disrupt the cease-fire agreement ... or the long-term interest of peace in Sri Lanka - ,'' a statement from his spokesman said Wednesday. Yasushi Akashi, a Japanese peace envoy, was expected in Sri Lanka - late Wednesday for meetings with President Chandrika Kumaratunga and Tamil Tiger leaders. Akashi's five-day visit was to discuss the ``current situation of the peace process,'' the Japanese Embassy said in a statement. The Tamil Tigers began fighting in 1983 for a separate homeland for ethnic Tamils in the north and east of the country, claiming discrimination by the majority Sinhalese. The conflict killed nearly 65,000 people before the cease-fire, which has largely held despite sporadic violations and the breakdown in peace talks in 2003.
Published: Wed Feb 9 08:05:33 EST 2005
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