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Eight killed in fresh Lankan fighting

COLOMBO: At least eight Tamil Tiger guerrillas were killed in fresh fighting with government forces in northern Sri Lanka, the Defence Ministry here said on Tuesday.

Government forces killed eight members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in three separate clashes in the northern peninsula of Jaffna on Monday, the ministry said in a statement.

It said one soldier was wounded during the clashes with the LTTE.

The LTTE is leading a drawn out campaign for independence in the island's northern and eastern regions. More than 55,000 people have been killed in fighting in the past two decades.

Moreover, Lankan military on Tuesday announced another amnesty for thousands of deserters to report for duty without facing disciplinary action.

The week-long amnesty will go into effect from Monday, the government said in a statement. The amnesty comes in the wake of a major campaign by the military to recruit another 15,000 soldiers.

The army has declared more than a dozen amnesty periods in recent years to tackle the growing problem of desertions in the 120,000-strong military, which is embroiled in battling Tamil Tiger rebels in the island's northeast.

The number of deserters has been placed at several thousand. AFP