Monitors halt work in Trincomalee

Scandinavian ceasefire monitors in Sri Lanka have suspended work in the eastern district of Trincomalee after the latest in a series of attacks.

The move came after 12 sailors were hurt in a suspected rebel attack on a navy bus in Trincomalee. Two civilians died in ensuing gunfire, the army said.

More than 100 people have died in recent violence, including dozens of security personnel and civilians.

The UN joined peace calls on Tuesday as fears grow of a return to war.

In other violence on Tuesday, two soldiers were killed and another wounded in a claymore mine attack in the northern district of Jaffna.

Deadly attacks

The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) stressed it would continue working in the rest of the country.

A statement said it would resume operations in Trincomalee district, about 250km (155 miles) north-east of Colombo, as soon as the situation calmed down.

Army spokesman Athula Jayawardane said the navy bus had hit a claymore mine, and blamed Tamil Tiger rebels.

MAJOR DEADLY ATTACKS 4 December: Seven troops die in Jaffna mine blast 6 December: Second Jaffna mine kills seven troops 23 December: Mine attack kills 13 sailors in Mannar district 27 December: Jaffna mine kills 11 soldiers 2 January: Five Tamil youths killed in Trincomalee 7 January: 13 sailors killed at sea off Trincomalee 12 January: 9 sailors killed in Vavuniya mine attack

"After the explosion, they also fired at us with small arms," Brig Jayawardane told the Associated Press news agency.

Since December, there have been six major deadly attacks on military personnel. About 80 soldiers and sailors have been killed in those and other incidents.

The rebels have denied involvement, although few in Sri Lanka believe them, the BBC's Dumeetha Luthra in Colombo says.

Analysts say Sri Lanka is now enduring a low intensity guerrilla war and there are increasing reports of harassment, abductions and killings of Tamil civilians.

Tamil Tiger supporters say more than 40 Tamils have been killed by the security forces in attacks since December. Others blame some of those deaths on the rebels or other armed groups.

Return to conflict

President Mahinda Rajapakse has said he remains committed to the ceasefire, but has accused the rebels of the escalating violence.

Norwegian Ambassador Hans Brattskar met Tamil Tiger leaders on Tuesday and said he had no reason to believe that the rebels would go to war.

Earlier in the day UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said a return to conflict would not settle the differences between the two sides.

International mediation efforts have so far failed to persuade the government and the rebels to resume peace talks, which stalled in 2003.

More than 60,000 people have died during two decades of conflict with Sri Lanka's security forces.