COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, May 17 (UPI) -- The Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam seem to be heading for war in the absence of any political common ground.
"It looks as if we are heading for war," said Thaya Master, LTTE media spokesman. "A low-intensity war is already going on; there are a lot of civilians being killed in the military-controlled areas in the whole northeast. If the war is thrust upon us, then we are ready to retaliate."
Tensions in the Tamil-held areas of Sri Lanka have been mounting, with increases in the killings of civilians and frequent clashes between the Tamil Tigers and government forces that have led to the deaths of soldiers and civilians.
A local news report said the recent killing of a Tamil family in Jaffna has triggered much anger among the minority Tamil population. The Hindustan Times newspaper said Wednesday that several Tamil youths had been killed by mysterious groups; the rebels accused the army of being behind the deaths.
The majority Sinhala community has been angered by the LTTE's attempted assassination of army chief Sarath Fonseka and regular attacks on the army and navy.
Meanwhile, Scandinavian negotiators attempting to broker a peace between the two factions find themselves subject to accusations of bias from both sides. The situation is made more complicated by the apparent LTTE infiltration of government forces.
"We have strong evidence that the Karuna faction of the Tamil rebels is operating from the government-controlled areas and sometimes supported by the security forces," said Major Gen. Ulf Henriccson, head of the monitoring mission.
