Sri Lankan Rebels Kill 12, Destroy Ships
The government vowed Wednesday to keep trying to end Sri Lanka’s war with Tamil rebels, despite a guerrilla attack that killed 12 sailors and the cancellation of peace talks.
President Chandrika Kumaratunga reimposed an economic embargo on Tamil areas in the north but did not order retaliation for the attacks on two navy ships.
Four rebel suicide bombers were also killed when explosions ripped apart the two ships in the northeastern port of Trincomalee, shattering a truce that has held since January. Two other gunboats were damaged and at least 22 other sailors were injured.
The peace talks, called off by the rebels, had been the most serious effort in years to negotiate an end to the war by the Tamil minority for an independent homeland. About 34,000 people have been killed since the war began in 1983.
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