Peace conference, killings continue

Press, 16 July 1986, Page 10

Peace conference, killings continue

NZPA-Reuter Colombo A political conference resumed its quest for a peaceful solution to the conflict between Sri Lanka’s majority Sinhalese and minority Tamils yesterday, and the death toll in ethnic violence this week rose to 48.

The National Security Ministry said 11 guerrillas were killed and one soldier was wounded in a battle on Monday at Valvettiturai, in the north. In another incident, an explosion believed by security forces to have been triggered by guerrillas, damaged a soft-drinks bottling plant in Trincomalee yesterday. The conference, chaired by the President, Mr Junius Jayewardene, suffered a setback when

the chief mainstream opposition group, the Freedom Party, boycotted the meeting after rejecting a peace plan. The plan, aimed at devolving power to elected councils to be set up in the nine provinces, was unveiled by Mr Jayewardene when the conference started on June 25.

The conference, attended by leaders of eight political parties, is discussing details of the plan, which Mr Jayewardene expects to present to Parliament next month.

The main Tamil party, the Tamil United Liberation Front is also keeping away from the conference, but, has been holding direct talks with Mr Jayewardene this week. The T.U.L.F. leaders,

who arrived from the Indian city of Madras last Saturday, held a second round of talks with the President yesterday and agreed to meet him again today in what diplomats described as “a hopeful sign”.

The National Security Ministry said the 11 guerrillas were killed on Monday when security forces attacked a rebel hideout in the Jaffna Peninsula.

Tamil guerrillas shot dead 11 civilians in Vavuniya district in the north, on Sunday night, the Ministry said. Earlier on Sunday, 18 guerrillas and six soldiers were killed in a clash in the north-west of the country, while two guerrillas were shot dead by troops in the north.