Renewed clashes between Tigers and military

Tamil Tiger forces and the Sri Lankan military have been involved in artillery clashes in the eastern region of the island following yesterday's speech by Velupillai Pirapaharan, the leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

Major Upali Rajapakse, a spokesman with the media centre for national security, told Reuters that the Tigers were using 152 mm shells on the military's forward defence line at Batticaloa for the first time.

"They are using heavy, heavy guns," he said. "The army is retaliating with artillery."

The 2002 truce between the two warring sides is now dead in all but name as talks in Geneva offered no sign of an agreement.

The Sri Lankan government has now requested that the Norwegian peace observers attempt to clarify whether the Tigers still stand by the four-year-old agreement.

In his annual 'Heroes Day' speech which was published on TamilNet, Mr Pirapaharan noted: "A long time has elapsed since we embarked on this journey for peace with Norway's facilitation. We have tried our best to take forward this peace effort. We have practised patience.

"The uncompromising stance of Sinhala chauvinism has left us with no other option but an independent state for the people of Tamil Eelam.

"We therefore ask the international community and the countries of the world that respect justice to recognize our freedom struggle."

The Foreign Office advises against travel to the north or the east of Sri Lanka and stated that anyone in these areas "should leave".

Since the civil war began in 1983 more than 67,000 civilians have been killed.