Violence Mars Peace Prospects

In one of the most serious violations of the February 2002 ceasefire agreement (CFA), a senior police officer was hacked to death in Sri Lanka's volatile Jaffna peninsula on 5 August. This latest incidence of violence was sparked off when a soldier's gun accidentally discharged killing a Tamil the previous day. Residents, allegedly inspired by Tamil Tiger operatives, went on a rampage, burning tyres and setting fire to military vehicles. Assaults by Tiger rebels on security forces, retaliatory attacks by the military and factional fighting within the Tamil Tigers and other groups like the Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP) and People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE) LTTE have all recently contributed to a 'low-intensity war', particularly in the eastern districts of Batticaloa and Trincomalee. The Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister arrived in Sri Lanka on 4 August to kick-start peace talks between the rebels and the government, which have stalled since 2003.

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