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Curfew in Sri Lanka district for rebel hunt

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka slapped a curfew on a district bordering the capital Colombo on Saturday as security forces hunted for Tamil Tiger rebels, the second surprise operation this month after a suicide bomber attack.

The state-run Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation announced the curfew and told people to stay home, saying the search was necessary for security.The curfew in the western Gampha district will be in force until 2 p.m.

Earlier this month authorities sealed off the capital and some suburbs during a 12-hour curfew for a surprise house-to- house search for suspected Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels who might have infiltrated the capital to target senior politicians.

The search operations began after a suspected LTTE woman suicide bomber killed herself in front of the prime minister's office in central Colombo on January 5, killing some 13 people.

That was the third suicide blast in less than a month after another LTTE woman suicide bomber attempted to assassinate President Chandrika Kumaratunga during an election rally in Colombo. The same day there was another suicide explosion at a rally of the main opposition United National Party.

Kumaratunga, who won a second term in December's presidential elections, was wounded in the assassination attempt. At least 36 people were killed and some 170 hurt in the two attacks.

Intelligence agencies have said that more suicide bombers have arrived in the capital.

The LTTE, which is fighting for a separate homeland for minority Tamils in Sri Lanka's north and east, have been accused of using suicide bombers in many attacks on the country's political elite and other targets. -Reuters