Jayatilake said his department had extensive talks with authorities including the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii and the Sri Lankan navy before taking the decision.

Minutes after Monday's earthquake, which was an aftershock to the 9.0-magnitude temblor that caused the December disaster, authorities in Sri Lanka - warned of ``an impending national disaster'' and instructed residents along the coast to move at least two kilometers (1.24 miles) inland. President Chandrika Kumaratunga on state television also urged people to move to higher ground.

The alerts caused frantic scenes as people fled inland.

At least two Tamil civilians were killed in eastern Sri Lanka - during the evacuation, said the pro-rebel TamilNet Web site that reports on Tamil affairs. No other details were immediately available.

Along the east coast the worst hit on the island by the Dec. 26 tsunami sirens blared telling residents to evacuate immediately to higher ground, police chief Neville Wijesinghe said. Police later used the same loudspeakers to inform people it was safe to return.

Some people sought refuge in temples and churches while others simply stood on streets several kilometers (miles) away from the ocean terrified that another tsunami will strike.

``It was like reliving the same horror of three months ago,'' said Fatheena Faleel, who fled her home in the capital, Colombo, with her three children after viewing the warning on television.

Buddhist temples along the coastline had switched on their loudspeakers to broadcast hymns seeking blessings and protection. Police men were stationed to prevent people from going too close to the sea.

Officials on motorcycles patrolled the coastline to monitor sea levels.

All night trains traveling along the coast were suspended, said Priyal de Silva, general manager of the state-run railways. Some 2,000 people were killed when a commuter train was washed away on Dec. 26.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake late Monday measured 8.7 and occurred at a depth of nearly 30 kilometers (19 miles).

Published: Mon Mar 28 22:47:08 EST 2005

This advisor who attended a conference on terrorism in Madrid recently, as a representative of the Government of Sri Lanka is known to have said at the conference that the world must talk to suicide bombers and terrorists, without alerting the conference on the threat of the air power acquired by the LTTE in recent times.

A top Defence analyst told The Island that this advisors position with regards to the peace process to the President shows that there is a clear conflict of interest. He pointed out that government's recent response to the ISGA clearly shows the connection between this advisor and his close relative who is one of the authors of LTTEs ISGA and his close relative who is a strong LTTE activist. " Is the public, the cabinet and the president aware of these connections, Will such a person get security clearance to work in a such a sensitive post in any other country?" the analyst questioned. Published: Mon Mar 28 21:01:11 EST 2005

But officials said there were no reports of any tsunami from the quake that struck off the coast of Indonesia's Sumatra island. Still, authorities instructed residents along the coast to move at least two kilometers (1.24 miles) inland, fearing another tsunami like the one that claimed more than 174,000 lives across southern Asian coastlines on Dec. 26.

``It's still not clear if a tsunami will hit but we are taking all precautionary measures,'' President Chandrika Kumaratunga said on state television.

She added that Sri Lankan officials were in constant contact with the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii.

Saman Perera of the Geological Survey of Sri Lanka said his agency had issued a ``national warning of an impending natural disaster that is going to happen,'' as a precaution.

``We have not heard of any damage yet, but this does not mean that we are all safe,'' Perera said. ``We don't know the situation.''

The geological agency later said if a tsunami were to occur, it would take four to five hours to reach Sri Lanka.

Meanwhile, the military has been put on full alert and several naval ships were monitoring the coast, said military spokesman Brig. Daya Ratnayake.

Along the east coast - the worst hit by the Dec. 26 tsunami - sirens blared telling residents to evacuate immediately to higher ground, police chief Neville Wijesinghe told The Associated Press. ``We have, however, not heard of any unusual activity in along the coast,'' he added.

Near capital Colombo, Buddhist temples along the coastline switched on their loudspeakers to broadcast hymns seeking blessings and protection. Police men were stationed to prevent people from going too close to the sea.

``One of our neighbors knocked at our door and told us a tsunami was coming, so we ran,'' said M. Chandralatha, 64, clutching her 6-year-old grandson.

Government troops on motorcycles patrolled the coastline to monitor sea levels, which were so far normal.

Meanwhile, a top Tamil Tiger rebel delegation currently traveling in Europe has also advised its officials to evacuate residents along the guerrilla-controlled northeastern coast, rebel sources said.

The president called an emergency meeting at her home with Cabinet members to discuss what steps were to be taken, said Eric Fernando, a presidential spokesman.

More than 31,000 people were killed in Sri Lanka and nearly 1 million were left homeless after the Dec. 26 disaster.

The Hong Kong Observatory said the quake was centered about 410 kilometers (250 miles) southwest of the city of Banda Aceh on Indonesia's Sumatra island in the Indian Ocean.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake late Monday measured 8.7 and occurred at a depth of nearly 30 kilometers (19 miles). Japan's Meteorological Agency measured the quake at magnitude 8.5. Published: Mon Mar 28 15:26:14 EST 2005