By Amantha Perera
COLOMBO, Jun 7 2006 (IPS)

A mine attack close to the capital Colombo has dampened hopes and raised fears of renewed violence just 24 hours before Sri Lankan government delegates were to hold talks with Tamil Tigers.

Two mines attached to one detonator exploded Tuesday morning close to a naval base at Welisara, 12 km north of Colombo. They were triggered when a civilian bus passed by, injuring the driver and conductor. No passengers were aboard.

The attack was the latest in a continuing wave of violence mainly cantered in the country&#39s north-east.

Four people, including two policemen, were also killed in separate attacks in the north-east Tuesday. And a shooting took place in front of the office of truce monitors, the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), in Vavuniya injuring a police guard.

Delegates from the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) as the Tigers are officially known, are scheduled to meet in the Norwegian capital Oslo on Jun. 8-9 to discuss the functions of the monitors. The talks come at a crucial time following a recent ban imposed on the Tigers by the European Union and the rebels have indicated that the outcome would determine the future progress of any negotiations.

Despite violence that has increased since last December, a Norwegian brokered ceasefire between the two sides has held since February 2002.

The Tigers have waged a violent campaign against successive Sri Lankan governments since the mid-1970s demanding a separate state for the country&#39s Tamil minority in the north-east. So far more than 6,500 lives have been lost in the fighting. Close to 300 have been killed since December.

Following Tuesday&#39s mine attack, the government said that the Tigers had not changed their tactics and were only interested in violence. "It is apparent that the LTTE&#39s so called political leaders have brought their terrorism with them to Colombo on their &#39diplomatic mission to Norway," the Ministry of Defence said on its website.

"Whilst the government provides VIP treatments and security to the LTTE delegation, their leadership shamelessly continue to attack security forces and civilians in the country," it added. The Tiger delegation flew from Colombo International Airport, about 15 km from the attack site, two days before.

The Tigers have not claimed responsibility for the attack but indicated again in Oslo that the talks would be crucial for progress at future negotiations. In a meeting Tuesday with Norwegian Minister Erik Solheim, an integral player in the process, and new special peace envoy Jon Hanssen-Bauer, the rebels said that they wanted to discuss the monitors, violence and the activities of a breakaway faction that has been active in the east.

The breakaway group, led by former Tiger military chief Vinayagamoorthi Muralitharan, alias Karuna, launched an attack in Tiger-controlled areas in the east on Wednesday. The Tigers confirmed the attack, adding that five civilians were killed and 14 injured when the tractor they were riding was caught in a pressure mine explosion.

But T Thuyavan, the spokesperson for the breakaway group, said it had attacked a group of Tigers and killed four while wounding six. Karuna broke ranks from the Tigers in April 2004 and defected to government-held areas after launching an internal rebellion.

His group wants to participate in all negotiations. "We have as much right as the Tigers to be a part," Thuyavan said. Karuna has nevertheless warned that the group would continue attacks on the Tigers. There have also been indications by European diplomats in Colombo that the ban might be extended to the breakaway group that the Tigers charge works with government support.

For the time being the monitors have suspended work on the sea after naval crafts carrying monitors and the SLMM flag were attacked by Tigers last month. The Oslo meeting was called to discuss the security of the monitors, who have already forwarded their recommendations to both sides.

Tiger spokesperson Daya Master said that so far the group has had no problems with the monitors and are not preventing them from working in areas under their control.

But sources in the north-east said the rebels indicated that they would even ask the SLMM to replace the monitors from Finland, Denmark and Iceland.

Before Tuesday&#39s mine attack, there was anticipation that the renewed dialogue would allow the ice between the two sides to thaw. The last round of peace talks was held in January after a hiatus of almost three years and the next round is indefinitely postponed following a Tiger pull-out.

"The attack has totally dampened any sentiment and we can not predict which way the future will go," said Ravi Jayasuriya, sales manager at NDBS Stockbrokers.

Though his concerns focussed mainly on Tiger tactics and continuing violence, there were indications in Colombo that there was opposition to any sort of dialogue with the rebels.

The National Patriotic Movement said in the capital that the government should not have attended the Oslo meeting as it had not obstructed the monitors in any way. Its leaders, some of whom are close supporters of President Mahinda Rajapakse&#39s administration, said that the government should not be swayed by false impressions spread by the Tigers.

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