Japanese envoy pushes for Lankan peace

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse talks (R) with the Japanese special envoy Yasushi Akashi (L) in Colombo yesterday. Japanese envoy Yasushi Akashi, who arrived in the island nation at the weekend, met Rajapakse after talks with Palitha Kohona, head of the government's peace secretariat on Sunday. PHOTO: AFP

A breakaway faction of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) launched a pre-dawn attack against a base of the main guerrilla group in the northeastern district of Trincomalee, the sources said.

There was no word from the Tigers or the faction led by V. Muralitharan, better known as Colonel Karuna. But the sources who gave the casualty figure said the attack appeared to be retaliation for an LTTE attack on Karuna's forces last month.

The pro-LTTE Nitharsanam.c-om website said the mainstream guerrillas were able to repel the attack by the Karuna faction, which they alleged was supported by government forces. The military denies any involvement.

"An attempt by paramilitaries backed by the Sri Lanka army failed," Nitharsanam said, adding that Tiger rebels captured several guns from the attack force. It did not give casualty figures for either side.

The defence ministry said it had no details because the fighting was in rebel-held territory.

The reports of violence emerged as Japanese envoy Yasushi Akashi met President Mahinda Rajapakse. "They discussed the present state of the peace process for about an hour," a spokesman for Rajapakse's office said, without giving details.

Colombo is seeking international help to revive talks with the Tigers, who are fighting for a homeland for minority Tamils.

Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera was visiting neighbouring India to brief officials about efforts to salvage a Norwegian-brokered truce signed four years ago.

India's Junior Foreign Minister Anand Sharma "expressed the hope that the parties would resume talks at the earliest," the Indian foreign ministry said after Samaraweera's briefing.