Home>News Center>World | ||
Sri Lanka assassination endangers peace
Subsequent peace talks broke down, however, over rebel demands for greater autonomy in the areas under their control in eastern and northern Sri Lanka. The rebels' political chief denied any role in the killing and criticized officials for "hastily blaming" the group. "We also know that there are factions within the Sri Lankan armed forces operating with a hidden agenda to sabotage the cease-fire agreement," said S.P. Tamilselvan. He urged the government to thoroughly investigate the killing. Sri Lankan officials were skeptical. "We find it extremely difficult to accept the denial," government spokesman Nimal Siripala de Silva told reporters. "It's very, very difficult to accept." Still, he said the government would take no action to violate the truce. Police Inspector General Chandra Fernando said one or two snipers fired six shots at Kadirgamar, striking him three times. The assassins fired through a hole they had made in a building opposite Kadirgamar's house, in Colombo's diplomatic district. Police said they found cheese and chocolates that the snipers ate while waiting for their target, along with a grenade launcher, apparently intended as a backup weapon. Several people were detained for questioning, but Fernando refused to say how many. The state of emergency declared by President Chandrika Kumaratunga empowered authorities to detain without charge anyone suspected of taking part in terrorist activities and to search and demolish buildings. She appealed to Sri Lankans "for calm and restraint in the face of this grave and cowardly attack." Neighboring India called the assassination a "terrorist crime." Secretary of
State Condoleezza Rice denounced it as "a vicious act of terror."
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||