Colombo (AsiaNews/Agencies) – A Buddhist monk has denied news that Tiger rebels attacked his temple, as claimed by the government of Sri Lanka. Yesterday the monk said that on 19 June, shots were fired at a sentry post near Somawathi temple, a historical building north-east of Colombo, without hitting it.

The monk said it was not clear who had fired the shots. The government, however, issued an official statement shortly after the incident, accusing the Tamil Tigers. The rebels denied responsibility for the attack and reiterated their commitment to peace and respect for the ceasefire signed in 2002, despite the recent escalation of violence in the country.  

The rebels, who are fighting for independence in the Tamil dominated north-east, clarified their positions in a written statement sent to the Norwegian peace mediators, as requested by Oslo after the failure of talks in Norway in early June.

The monk, Mahamune Sri Sumangala, said it was difficult to identify the reason behind the attack near the temple, which did not result in any deaths or injuries. "All through the conflict, we never had any trouble from the Tigers," he said. "Since 2002, the area had been relatively peaceful. But there are so many groups around in the area including hunters. It is difficult to say who is responsible." Colombo claimed the rebels attacked the temple to "arouse ethnic hatred between Sinhalese Buddhists and Tamils."