The conflict with the LTTE makes holding elections impossible in the mainly Tamil north ``in the near future'' and an interim council should be appointed by the president that reflects the ethnic character of the area, the All Party Representative Committee recommended.

The proposals are to meet the aspirations of the people and aren't ``aimed at meeting the demands of the LTTE,'' Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama said yesterday, according to a statement on the government's Web site.

The Tamil Tigers, who are fighting for a separate homeland, now hold bases only in the north after they were driven from the eastern region in July. The all-party committee said security has improved so elections can be held in the Eastern Province, where the government is seeking $1.8 billion in international aid to develop the region. More... Discuss this story Published: Thu Jan 24 21:46:13 EST 2008

A local resident told The Associated Press by telephone at least 17 bodies were seen by a villager who went into the jungle searching for his cattle. He spoke on condition of anonymity citing fear of retribution.

Military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara said a forensics team left for Kabithigollewa village, 275 kilometers (170 miles) north of the capital Colombo, to investigate.

Nanayakkara would not say how many bodies were discovered, adding official comment would not be made until Friday.

Unexplained killings have increased in Sri Lanka since hostilities heightened between the government and Tamil Tiger rebels over the past two years. Bodies have been discovered burned beyond recognition, headless, blindfolded, and naked.

Human rights groups have accused Sri Lankan troops of summarily executing people suspected of having links to the insurgents, but the government has denied the allegations.

The Tamil rebels have also received widespread condemnation for allegedly abducting and killing civilians.

Seventeen aid workers from Action Against Hunger were found shot dead execution-style in August 2006.

Both the government and the rebels blamed each other for the killings. Investigators have been unable to identify any suspects.

The Tigers have fought Sri Lankan forces since 1983 to create an independent homeland for ethnic minority Tamils after decades of discrimination by governments controlled by majority Sinhalese.

More than 70,000 people have been killed in the conflict. .Discuss this story Published: Thu Jan 24 11:39:35 EST 2008

Witnesses said some of the victims had their hands tied together and had bullet holes in their heads.

The decomposed bodies were found by local residents in the district of Anuradhapura in the government-controlled part of the island.

"Investigations have now begun to establish the identity of the victims and the circumstances in which they were killed," police said.

Local residents alerted a magistrate to at least one body that was found in the area. When police visited the site they discovered another 15 bodies in two adjoining

More... Discuss this story Published: Thu Jan 24 16:08:39 EST 2008