COLOMBO, Jan. 8 (Xinhuanet) -- Sri Lanka's Tamil minority legislators have pointed out to President Mahinda Rajapakse that early resumption of talks was needed to diffuse the current volatile security situation in the country.

    Rajavayothi Sampanthan, the leader of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentary group said Sunday that a TNA delegation had met Rajapakse on Saturday in view of the violence that has endangered the ongoing Norwegian backed truce.

    "We told the president that talks (between the government and the Tamil rebels) must be held early to stabilize the security situation," Sampanthan told reporters.

    Sampanthan added that the TNA had apprised the president on security vulnerability faced by the Tamils throughout the island.

    He said the issue of "arbitrary arrests" of Tamils in Colombo and elsewhere were brought to the attention of the president.

    Sampanthan said that last Monday's killing of five Tamil students at the eastern port town of Trincomalee allegedly by the security forces was brought to Rajapakse's attention who promised that remedial action would be taken to prevent a recurrence.

    The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have stepped up their attacks against the government troops since early December.

    Some 40 soldiers were killed in claymore mine explosions in addition to the Tiger attack to destroy a Sri Lankan Navy fast attack craft in the early hours of Saturday, killing at least 13 sailors.

    Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) which has been monitoring the country's peace process warned that the resumption of war was not far away unless the killings came to an end.

    Sampanthan said that the TNA delegation urged the president to revive the stalled peace negotiations so that normalcy could be restored. Enditem