New Delhi: Curfew has been relaxed in the violence-hit Sri Lankan port city of Galle on Thursday but security remains tight amid fears of communal clashes.
Meanwhile, US envoy Richard Boucher is in Colombo to give peace talks between the government and the LTTE – due to be held on October 28 a push.
There has been increased International diplomatic activity in Colombo in the wake of the increasing violence in the country this week.
On Wednesday, Japanese peace envoy Yasushi Akashi met the Sri lankan President Mahindra Rajapakse but his plans to meet the Tamil rebels were reportedly thwarted due to the LTTE suicide attack on the Sri Lankan naval base on the same day. The LTTE bombing in Galle was the second such suicide attack on the Sri Lankan navy this week.
A US embassy advisory asked its nationals to defer travel to Galle. "Americans should also be aware of the increased possibility of communal violence both in Galle and in other parts of the country," it said.
"Americans should avoid military installations, military convoys traveling on the roads, and where possible, government buildings, as they have in the past been targets for LTTE violence."
Violence has spiralled in Sri Lanka since late July, shattering a truce brokered in 2002 and killing hundreds of people. The government and the rebels are due to meet in Geneva on October 28 and 29 for their first peace talks since February but the meeting has been written off even before it begins because of the rising violence and deep mistrust between the two sides.
More than 65,000 people have been killed in the nearly quarter-century civil war.
With Agency inputs
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