Friday, May 19 2006 13:53 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Colombo: At least seven persons, including five Tamil Tiger rebels, were killed today (May 19, 2006) in fresh fighting in Sri Lanka's troubled regions, military sources said

Five members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) were killed in a confrontation with the breakaway faction led by Colonel Karuna at the Sampur area of Trincomalee, the sources said.

There were no immediate reports of casualties on the Karuna faction, but the residents in nearby areas said they heard heavy mortar bomb attacks in the area.

In the northern Vavuniya region, two army soldiers were shot dead by suspected Tiger rebels, the sources said.

The latest fighting came amid reports that a resolution in the European parliament yesterday criticised the LTTE and urged a ban on the group to cut off its international funding within the 25-member European Union.

There was no formal ban on the Tigers, Western diplomats here said adding, however, that a proscription was under consideration.