Lanka: 19 die in fresh violence

A fresh wave of killings gripped Sri Lanka's [ Images ] embattled northeast with 19 people shot dead in separate incidents, police and military officials said on Monday.

The violence came as Tamil Tiger rebels vowed a 'war' to deploy their navy even though truce monitors said the move will be a violation of ceasefire.

Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse [ Images ] warned the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam not to take his patience for weakness and said his policy of air strikes was aimed at preventing a full-scale war.

• 67 killed as LTTE attacks ship

Unidentified gunmen attacked the home of a local resident in Kayts in the Jaffna peninsula and shot dead nine people, including four children and wounded two more, the military said.

Three more civilians were gunned down in a separate incident in Kayts.

In a third incident in the Kayts islet, another man was shot dead, police said, adding two men were shot dead at Atchchuveli while a soldier was killed in a Tiger grenade attack at Kopay.

Troops retaliated killing one of the attackers and raised to 17 the number of people killed in Jaffna peninsula in a 24-hour period.

A breakaway faction of Tamil Tigers shot two more people dead in the restive northeastern port district of Trincomalee, police said.