Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels on Monday demanded police identify two suspected rebel cadres arrested in connection with the assassination of Sri Lanka's foreign minister, again denying any involvement. Police have arrested two Tamil youths they suspect are members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on suspicion of helping plan the assassination of Lakshman Kadirgamar on August 12. The sniper -- or snipers -- responsible for the killing are still at large, and the assassination has raised the specter of a return to the Tigers' two-decade war for self-rule.
"As a nation we have already denied it," Tigers spokesman Daya Master said by telephone from the northern rebel stronghold of Kilinochchi. "We want to know their identity. Normally they (the government) say Tigers have been arrested, that's the usual wording. We have to find out." The Tigers have rejected government accusations that they killed Kadirgamar, but few in Colombo believe them. Dozens of their opponents have been gunned down since a 2002 ceasefire and analysts say their denial is a stock disclaimer. However, the rebels have wound down their fiery rhetoric in the wake of the killing, and have vowed not to initiate a return to a conflict that has already killed over 64,000 people. |