SRI LANKA: Violence continues in northern Sri Lanka as government re-opens door to peace talks

Sporadic violence continued in northern Sri Lanka on Wednesday (September 13) despite the Sri Lankan government and Tamil Tiger rebels agreeing to hold peace talks. Thirteen civilians including three women were wounded when a grenade was thrown at a poultry shop in the northern city of Vavuniya. The grenade exploded while the shop was crowded with people. The injured were rushed to the main hospital in Vavuniya where hospital staff have treated hundreds of people injured in recent fighting. "I was doing my business when I heard a sound. I did not know what happened. I was bleeding from both legs. I quickly got into a taxi and came to hospital," said Ramaiah Uma-Maheswaran, the 48-year-old owner of the shop. Most of the injured were suffering from wounds to the legs and chest. "We were doing our work when a bomb exploded. When I heard the sound I looked back and everybody near me were injured," said Sundaram Handasamy, a labourer working at the shop. The Sri Lankan government said on Wednesday it was committed to holding peace talks with Tamil Tiger rebels, provided the rebels agreed to "a comprehensive and verifiable cessation of hostilities". Earlier, the government had denied agreeing to unconditional talks with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), flatly contradicting a statement issued by international mediators in Brussels on Tuesday (September 12). Colombo later re-opened the door to dialogue with the rebels, provided they renounced "terrorism and violence".

ITN Source | September 15, 2006

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