Special report: Ceasefire over in Sri Lanka

    COLOMBO, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- The Sri Lankan government said Thursday the Tamil Tiger rebels was pushing the island towards war by attacking a Muslim-dominated town in the east, and their action was weakening the international truce monitors.

    Keheliya Rambukwella, minister of Policy Planning and the government's defense spokesman, told reporters Thursday that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) had infiltrated the Muslim-dominated town of Muttur and engaged the security forces by mingling with the civilians.

    The LTTE pounded Muttur with artillery and mortar fire since 2 a.m. local time on Wednesday and later claimed that they had taken control of Muttur.

    Rambukwella dismissed such claims as "absolutely false". He said 7 security forces personnel and a civilian died in the battle and 10 others were injured, and the troops are in control of the town.

    He said the fighting was still going on in Muttur by mid-morning Thursday as Tigers were attacking the government troops from various pockets in the town.

    At least 10 civilians were killed Thursday morning when a shell landed on the Arabic College where a large number of internally displaced people had been housed. Over 20 more were injured, the National Security Information Center here said. The government blamed the LTTE for the shell fire.

    On the water dispute between the government and the rebels, the government's defense spokesman said that the troops had advanced into the western sluice gate of the Verugal.

    "The journey to the eastern gate is tough which is a open field. There is a danger of mortar fire (from rebels)", Rambukwella said.

    The Sri Lankan minister said the government was still open for negotiations with the Tigers on the water spat. "We are ready if the LTTE are ready", Rambukwella stressed.

    He said the whole military offensive would be ceased within 10 minutes if rebels opened the sluice gates allowing the people who have been deprived water since 20 July, to have water.

    The rebel attacks on the surrounding areas of Trincomalee and Muttur came after the government troops made their advance towards the Verugal sluice gate.

    Rambukwella said that the Tigers have effectively closed a lineof communication with the government by demanding the European Union member states, Sweden, Denmark and Finland be excluded from the international truce monitoring group, Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM).

    "By crippling SLMM, they are weakening the peace process and push the country towards war", Rambukwella said.

    SLMM was deployed in the island's north and east as part of the Norwegian-backed peace process aimed at ending the bloody armed conflict that had claimed over 64,000 lives since mid-1980s. Enditem