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Two die in first attack after Geneva talks
In the first serious act of violence after the Geneva talks, two LTTE cadres were shot dead early yesterday at a Vavunathuivu sentry-point in the Batticaloa district, officials said.

Ten LTTE cadres were at the sentry-point when they were attacked by an armed group in an encounter that lasted about ten minutes.
SLMM Chief Hagrup Haukland said they had received information of the attack
which occurred around 3 a.m. Their officials found one man dead and another injured. The injured man later died of his injuries.

“We have taken up this matter with the Sri Lankan government. It is a very serious incident because the attackers had come from the cleared areas in vehicles,” he said.

The LTTE in a statement issued yesterday condemned the attack as a "gross violation of the Ceasefire Agreement” and charged it was carried out by paramilitary groups working with the army. Army Spokesman Prasad Samarasinghe denied any military involvement in the attack.

Meanwhile, tension also increased between the parties last week over the construction of two new bunkers by the LTTE at the forward defense line of northern Omanthai.

The army in a complaint to the SLM pointed out that the new constructions violated the ceasefire agreement. Subsequently, the army had also begun building a similar structure, Mr. Haukland said, adding that he had urged both the government and the LTTE to dismantle the structures immediately.

He said the army had agreed to pull down the construction on condition that the LTTE did the same. The issue was a "test case," to assess the parties’ respect for SLMM rulings, which they both jointly pledged to abide by, Mr. Haukland said.

"The LTTE has promised to remove the bunkers but I can't confirm as yet if it has done so," he said. The SLMM is expected to present a 'report card,' on how the parties have faired on implementing their joint commitments at the next month's Geneva talks.

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