Lanka placed on alert as LTTE marks Black July
Sri Lanka yesterday stepped up its already tight security arrangements in the capital as Tamil Tiger rebels marked "Black July," or the 23rd anniversary of anti-Tamil riots here, police said.
Police and troops set up more road blocks and tightened security at key installations amid fears that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) could carry out attacks, a police official here said.
A Tiger landmine attack that killed 13 soldiers sparked anti-Tamil riots in this majority Sinhalese country in July 1983. An estimated 400 to 600 Tamils were killed by Sinhalese mobs as the then government tacitly backed rioters.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. The 1983 riots were a watershed in the island's drawn-out Tamil separatist conflict and saw the escalation of guerrilla activity.
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