The navy's fast attack craft with 19 sailors onboard approached the suspected rebel fishing trawler believed to be gun-running off Sri Lanka's northwestern coast when the fishing boat suddenly exploded, said Brig. Prasad Samarasinghe.

"There is no doubt it was a LTTE boat carrying explosives," he said, of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

There were six onboard the guerrilla boat when it exploded and sank, navy sources said. The sailors were also thrown off-board their gun-boat for the impact of the explosion.

Both vessels sank, Samarasinghe said.

Eleven navy personnel who had managed to swim to the nearby Bathalangundu island have been rescued, he said. Eight others remain missing.

This was the first major incident since the government the rebels resumed peace talks last month in Geneva, Switzerland after a lapse of three years.

In Geneva, both parties pledged to put an end to violence and uphold an increasingly fragile four-year-old cease-fire.

Discuss this story Published: Sat Mar 25 07:17:47 EST 2006

Associated Press Writer

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) _ Suspected Tamil Tigers blew up their fishing boat to avoid capture by a navy patrol off the west coast of Sri Lanka on Saturday, leaving six rebels dead and eight sailors missing, the military said.

The incident is the most serious since government and rebel negotiators met in Geneva last month to try to salvage a four-year-old cease-fire.

Tamil Tiger rebels, however, said they had nothing to do with the blast.

``We have no involvement at all,'' Seevaratnam Puleedevan, a top rebel leader, told The Associated Press by phone from the Tiger stronghold of Kilinochchi.

``There are a lot of smuggling and illegal activities going on in that area, including illegal immigration. It could be one of those boats involved,'' Puleedevan said.

``We have checked with the Sea Tigers' western command. They have confirmed that they are not involved,'' Puleedevan said.

A navy boat spotted the fishing vessel near Kalpitiya and, suspecting it was being used to smuggle explosives, began to chase it, military spokesman Brig. Sudhir Samarasinghe said.

The suspected rebels then blew up their vessel, damaging the approaching navy boat, Samarasinghe said. The fishing boat was destroyed in the blast killing all six aboard, he said.

Eleven sailors on the navy boat were rescued but eight are still missing, he said.

Kalpitiya is a fishing locality 140 kilometers (86 miles) north of the capital, Colombo.

Tamil Tiger rebels have been battling the government since 1983 to create a separate state for ethnic minority Tamils, alleging discrimination by the majority Sinhalese.

More than 65,000 people died in the conflict before a Norway-brokered cease-fire was signed in 2002.

The truce has recently come under increasing pressure, however, with more than 160 people, including 81 government security personnel, killed since December.

In Geneva, both sides agreed to scale down violence and meet again on April 19-20.

In a similar incident on Feb. 11, suspected guerrillas blew up their boat off Sri Lanka's northwestern coast, killing all four rebels on board and injuring a sailor, whose naval boat had approached.

4th Ld-Writethru Published: Sat Mar 25 12:05:21 EST 2006

In the town of Valaichchenai swarms of children in immaculate white uniforms are on their way to school.

They make a startling contrast with the Sri Lankan soldiers in army-issue green moving along the same streets in the morning heat. More...

Discuss this story Published: Sat Mar 25 08:53:50 EST 2006