Colombo (AsiaNews) "We implore the President and all leaders of political parties and the leader of the Tamil Tigers to take immediate steps to stop this spiral of violence which has struck the country." With these words, 22 Christian leaders 13 Catholic bishops and nine Protestant pastors ended their open letter made public on 9 January.
"The people of this country must take serious note that the culture of violence is spreading dangerously and indiscriminately. No one seems to be able to stop the spiral of killing for killing. No one even takes responsibility for wanting to stop this trend," reads the document.
"Different but equally tragic incidents are reported almost daily from various parts of the country. The recent deaths of young students in Trincomalee and of sailors off the eastern coast have filled the hearts of people with deep sorrow and even indignation The LTTE simply cannot disclaim responsibility for blatant violation of the Cease Fire Agreement.
"We reiterate once again our total condemnation for all acts of violence against civilians, army personnel, LTTE cadres or cadres of other groups, because each killing is our failure, a failure of non-violent coexistence among different peoples."
For more than 20 years, the north-east of the country has been torn apart by war between separatist rebels, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), and government forces. Peace talks between the government and the Tigers launched in April 2003 with Norwegian mediation have been stalled for some time. The presidency says the peace accord is being held hostage by the People's Liberation Front, a Marxist party allied with the government, which has threatened to quit the coalition.
International observers say the escalation of violence in Sri Lanka is linked to the election of the new president Mahinda Rajapakse in November and it is a serious threat to the cease-fire fixed in 2002.
