By DPA,
Colombo : At least 16 people including two civilians and a paramilitary guard were killed in sporadic clashes in the north and eastern parts of the country where fighting has escalated, military officials said Wednesday.
A rebel riding on a bicycle Wednesday shot dead a paramilitary guard in Eravur as he was escorting a police vehicle, a military official said.
The victim was identified as Mohamed Faum, 31.
Police in Vavuniya found the bullet-riddled bodies of two minority Tamil civilians on Wednesday morning, the official said.
In the same area a claymore mine weighing five kg set up on the roadside was found by the police, a military officer based in the north said.
At least 10 rebels were killed Tuesday in Mannar in a clash close to the military forward-defence lines in the area.
In a separate incident three rebels were killed in a clash at Welioya Tuesday evening.
The renewed fighting came as the country was marking a holiday and conducting religious ceremonies for the Wesak festival to commemorate the birth, enlightenment and death of Lord Buddha. Over 70 percent of the country’s 20 million population is Buddhist.