By NNN-PTI
Colombo : Security forces shot dead three suspected Tiger rebels in northern Sri Lanka ahead of a visit by a top UN official to discuss the island’s Tamil separatist conflict and the plight of civilians caught in the crossfire.
Troops killed the three men, believed to be from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), in Vavuniya last evening, the ministry said.
The incident came ahead of the four-day visit by John Holmes, the Under Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, from tomorrow.
Holmes is due to travel to the Jaffna peninsula as well as the Batticaloa district.
Officials said he was visiting the island for talks with Sri Lankan leaders on island’s separatist conflict and humanitarian access to the affected areas, but no plans had been made to travel to rebel-held areas.