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Journalism of Courage
DEC 20: Tamil Tiger rebels blew up a government telecommunications facility, as clashes between the rebels and government troops left 10 dead and six wounded, a government spokesman said today.
The renewed violence yesterday coincided with major donor nations telling the Sri Lankan government to end the Tamil separatist war that is draining the island nation’s economic resources, participants at an aid meeting said in a statement today.
Government spokesman U R H Gajaman said yestersday’s explosion in the town of Batticaloa has affected telephone services in the area, 220 kilometers east of Colombo. He declined to say how many phone lines have been affected, but said rebels used an explosive device that caused the blast.
In clashes in the North and the east, government troops lost five soldiers and killed five rebels. Six more soldiers were wounded in the fighting, Gajaman said.
In Paris, where the Sri Lankan Development Forum met, delegates appealed for reforms and development.
"All delegates to the forum pointed out the deep linkages between poverty and conflict," said a forum statement.
President Chandrika Kumaratunga told representatives from the 24 donor countries and institutions that her government’s first priority was to end the 17-year civil conflict. Militant Tamils are fighting for a homeland, saying they face discrimination by the majority Sinhalese.
