About 6,000 students from the University of Jaffna have boycotted classes since Dec. 19 fearing for their safety.

The northern Jaffna peninsula is located 300 kilometers (185 miles) north of capital, Colombo.

The rebels want to carve out a homeland for Sri Lanka - 's 3.2 million ethnic Tamil minority.

Japan is one of the four co-chairs of the Sri Lankan peace process and is also the single largest donor to Sri Lanka - .

Suda said Sri Lanka - is also one of the largest recipients of per capita assistance from Japan in the world. Since the 1970s, Japan has been extending financial and technical assistance toward socio-economic development of this tropical island which has witnessed much devastation due to the civil war started in 1983.

Suda said the Japanese government was ready to continue its development assistance to Sri Lanka - and even to accelerate rehabilitation and reconstruction in the war-torn northeast.

``I am confident that we can do that in a short time if the cease-fire prevails and if all parties approach in a more practical way rather than tirelessly arguing formula or conditions,'' he said.

Around 65,000 people were killed due to the civil before it was halted by a Norway-brokered cease-fire in 2002, but tension has grown after recent violence mostly blamed on the rebels left at least 150 people dead, including 81 government security officers.

Discuss this story Published: Thu Mar 2 08:31:40 EST 2006

Four suspected rebels snatched A. Dineshswaram, 23, from his home in Muttur last week, said military spokesman Brig. Sudhir Samarasinghe, adding that his disappearance was only reported by his father Wednesday. Muttur is about 230 kilometers (140 miles) northeast of the capital, Colombo.

Samarasinghe said the motive behind the reported abduction was not immediately known, but investigators were probing whether Dineshswaram has any links with Tamil groups that are opposed to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

No comment was immediately available from the rebels.

There have been several reported abductions blamed on the rebels and groups opposed to them since violence flared up in December in Sri Lanka's northeast. The rebels accuse the military of backing a breakaway faction of the rebels, a charge the military denies.

Sri Lanka's civil war was halted by a 2002 cease-fire, but tension has grown after recent violence _ mostly blamed on the rebels _ that has left at least 150 people dead, including 81 government security officers.

Government ministers and rebel leaders met in Geneva last week in a bid to save the faltering cease-fire. They agreed to meet again in Geneva on April 19-21.

The meeting was the first high-level contact between the two sides since peace talks broke down in 2003 after six rounds of talks.

Discuss this story Published: Thu Mar 2 08:32:29 EST 2006

In a letter to Sirisena, Ms. Kumaratunga claimed that although she had made repeated requests to him to convene a meeting for her to meet with all SLFP local Government Candidates, a request he had failed to heed to. "But no sooner President Rajapakse made this request to you, a meeting was immediately convened at the Presidential Secretariat, and neither was I invited nor informed about the proceedings of this meting," she said in her letter.

"What authenticity do you have to convene such a meeting even going to the extent of bypassing me, who is the leader of the party," she queried.

She also expressed her displeasure over a decision taken sans her knowledge to convene another conference comprising all SLFP members and other local Government candidates at the Sugathadasa Indoor stadium today once again without even considering her or consulting her on the matter.

"At the last minute I was sent an invitation to attend this meeting, which is highly unethical as I am the President of this party," She pointed out. She added that both President Rajapakse and Maithripal Sirisena has violated the SLFP rules, by bypassing the leader of the party and taking decisions according to their fancies.

Discuss this story Published: Wed Mar 1 12:56:55 EST 2006