Politic-Economic-Society-Tech

Civil unrest mounts in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is skidding into further unrest as a drawn-out ethnic war takes a back seat to deepening political uncertainty. 

Sri Lankan air force jets bombed a flotilla of boats belonging to Tamil Tiger guerrillas on Wednesday. 

The raid came just ahead of the United States warning its citizens not to travel to the island ahead of planned street protests on Thursday. 

More than 15 parties from across the political spectrum say they will take part in the protests in the capital Colombo. 

Sri Lankans are still seething over President Chandrika Kumaratunga's decision last week to suspend parliament. 

She suspended the legislature to thwart a no-confidence vote in her minority government, after a key Muslim ally defected and plunged the country into uncertainty. 

Underscoring the political volatility of the country, on Wednesday a series of explosions destroyed an office of the Muslim party. 

Kumaratunga has called for a national referendum on August 21 to get backing for constitutional changes to help end the country's ethnic war and to change the electoral system. 

But opposition members of parliament have been defiant and vowed to impeach her. 

Civil unrest
While Sri Lanka has been beset by civil war for nearly 18 years, with more than 63,000 people dying in the drawn-out battle with Tamil rebels, the deepening political crisis has added fuel to the fire. 

The situation has got so bad that the United States has warned its citizens to stay away as opposition parties mount a campaign of peaceful civil unrest beginning mid-July. 

"It appears Sri Lanka may be entering a period of increased civil unrest and mass political demonstrations," the U.S. announcement said in its advisory. 

On Wednesday, three devices exploded before dawn at the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress office in the eastern town of Kalmunai, destroying the building but causing no casualties. 

The largely Muslim town of Kalmunai, east of the capital, has been tense since seven Congress members of parliament crossed the floor of the legislature last month depriving the government of its majority. 

Four other Congress members stayed with the government and the two factions have faced off in a series of increasingly violent protests and strikes, particularly in the aftermath of parliament's suspension. 

The pro-opposition faction has accused police of heavy-handed tactics to quell their protests, and has written to the country's police chief demanding an investigation into the shooting deaths of two school boys during a demonstration last week. 

Black market arms
Kalmunai, the stronghold of the Muslim Congress, is part of Sri Lanka's North East Province where Tamil Tiger rebels have been fighting for separate state since 1983. 

Adding to the country's woes, air strikes were ordered on the Tigers after a naval patrol stumbled on a rebel supply convoy of eight boats, they said. 

The rebels buy their arms and ammunition on the international black market and usually use small boats to smuggle the supplies on to the island. 

A Norwegian-brokered initiative to end the conflict has been stalled for months over conditions for peace talks. 

source: Reuters, 18 July 2001