- Title: SRI LANKA: Grenade attack injures 17 in north
- Date: 18th May 2008
- Summary: FAMILY MEMBER CRYING INJURED YOUNG WOMAN
- Embargoed: 2nd June 2008 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Sri Lanka
- Country: Sri Lanka
- Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement
- Reuters ID: LVA5UGD6N5K736E39630CNYVI5S
- Story Text: This is the latest in a series of tamil tiger rebel attacks on civilian targets. The grenade was thrown when the streets were filled with people shopping. Vavuniya is the last town controlled by the government in the northern mainland and is the frontline of the territory under rebel control.
"With this bomb attack on a busy street, the LTTE has once again demonstrated to the world its total commitment to violence and terror to achieve its separatist goals in Sri Lanka, and its absolute contempt for democracy and human rights," he said in a statement.
Fighting between government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has intensified since the government formally pulled out of a six-year-old ceasefire pact in January, though a renewed civil war has been raging since 2006.
The military blamed the attack on Tamil Tiger rebels, who want an independent state in the north and east of the island. The Tigers, who routinely deny involvement in such attacks, were not immediately available for comment. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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