Second killing hits Sri Lanka

Confrontations at sea have continued despite the ceasefire

A second Tamil politician has been killed in Sri Lanka in two days - with suspicion again falling on Tamil Tiger rebels.

Local police said Ponniah Ramachandran - a former rebel who renounced violence and joined the political mainstream - was shot dead by two gunmen in the street.

There has been no official comment on the death of Mr Ramachandran, 42, who was a member of the Eelam People's Democratic Party in eastern Batticaloa.

His death came a day after Subathran, a senior Tamil politician opposed to the LTTE, was shot dead.

He was targeted by a lone sniper while doing his morning exercises on the balcony of his office in Jaffna.

Subathran, 44, was the main organiser for the anti-Tamil Tiger faction of the Eelam People's Liberation Front and had been outspoken in his criticism of the rebels.

Trading accusations

Saturday also saw the sinking of a boat belonging to the Tamil Tigers after a confrontation at sea with the Sri Lankan navy.

Details of what caused the sinking and whether it happened inside Sri Lankan territorial waters are disputed.

Military officials accuse the rebels of setting off an explosion on board to avoid being caught smuggling arms, while the rebels claim they were fired on by the navy outside Sri Lankan territorial waters.

Correspondents say the string of incidents cloud prospects for a resumption of peace talks.

The talks stalled in April after the rebels withdrew, accusing the government of failing to do enough to rebuild areas affected by the long-running conflict and to help resettle displaced Tamils.