Thursday, December 22 2005 17:19 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Sri Lanka: Amidst an upsurge in violence that threatens Sri Lanka's fragile ceasefire, Tamil Tigers today (Dec 22, 2005) attacked a Navy patrol off the island's northwestern coast, triggering a sea battle which led to capture of seven rebels while three sailors were feared killed after being taken away by the guerrillas.

The Sri Lankan government condemned the attack as a violation of the Norway-brokered ceasefire, which is in place since 2002.

Urging the international community to mount pressure on Tiger rebels to stop the latest cycle of violence, government spokesman and Health Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva said they lodged a complaint with the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) that today's attack was a violation of the ceasefire arranged by Norway.

"We are also asking the international community to mount pressure on the Tigers and decide what action should be taken against them," de Silva said.

He said the guerrillas of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) appeared to ignore a statement by Sri Lanka's key financial backers, the US, European Union, Japan and Norway to stop violence.

The Tigers attacked two naval craft off Mannar sparking the fierce exchange of fire, navy spokesman Jayantha Perera had said earlier.

"They have taken away three sailors. We think they have been killed already," he said adding that the navy had apprehended seven of the Tiger attackers.

One Sri Lankan sailor aboard a patrol craft escaped with injuries, he said. There was no immediate reaction from the Tigers. The latest confrontation at sea is not the deadliest between the two sides, but comes in the wake of increased attacks on the ground.

Thirty-nine people have been killed this month alone in violence linked to the ethnic conflict, heightening fears about the future of an already faltering ceasefire.

Six policemen were also wounded today in northern Jaffna peninsula in a grenade attack on a checkpoint at Nallur, police said. Four more policemen were hurt in a similar attack last night, they added.

"We found and defused six Claymore (surface mounted) mines in Jaffna area today", a police official in the area said. "These were obviously meant for the police or the security forces.