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Colombo for sanctions on LTTE

V.S. Sambandan

The call was against the backdrop of the standoff over the LTTE's demand for transportation of its eastern leaders to Kilinochchi

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka on Sunday called upon the international community, particularly Norway and the European Union, to exert more pressure including "sanctions" on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

"We expect the E.U. to go ahead with its threatened sanction, which is the listing of the LTTE as a terrorist organisation if the LTTE continues to behave in this appalling manner and continues with its wave of violence and terrorism and continues to offer flimsy excuses for not coming to Geneva for the talks," Palitha Kohona, Secretary General of the Secretariat for Co-ordinating the Peace Process, told a press conference on Sunday.

The Government's call was against the backdrop of the continued standoff over the LTTE's demand for transportation of its eastern leaders to Kilinochchi.

The rebel-held east and north is separated by Government territory and the LTTE would require permission to travel between the two regions.

Continued violence

At least eight persons were killed and nine injured in separate incidents in the north-east since Saturday. The dead include five soldiers and three LTTE cadres, the army spokesman said.

Chief of Defence Staff Daya Sandagiri in a statement said "brutal LTTE violence and terrorism" since December 5 last year had claimed the lives of 121 security forces personnel. These include 64 army personnel, 36 sailors of the navy, four airmen from the air force, 10 policemen and seven home guards. In addition, 244 armed service and police personnel were wounded in the LTTE violence, he said.

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