Word: colombo
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...their weapons and used them to deadly effect. Within six weeks of the pact's signing, Prabakaran's forces had murdered more than 150 members of rival Tamil groups. Last month, using his arms as a bargaining chip, Prabakaran won a major concession from the Sri Lankan government in Colombo: the Tigers were given control of a majority of seats on the interim council. But after promising "full" support of the agreement, Prabakaran suddenly insisted on naming the head of the governing unit...
...agreement forged by New Delhi and Colombo in July to end Sri Lanka's four- year civil war was badly mauled last week as the separatist guerrillas known as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam went on a rampage. The Tigers butchered at least 170 civilians and 27 Sri Lankan soldiers and policemen after 13 of their members in Colombo's hands committed suicide with cyanide pills. The deceased rebels were among 17 guerrillas captured by the Sri Lankan navy last week for allegedly smuggling arms and ammunition into the country by trawler from India...
...meeting with Gandhi, the Tiger leader refused to go along, arguing that his fighters would not be safe without their weapons once Indian forces departed. Watched by paramilitary guards, Prabakaran remained confined to his room at the government-owned Ashok Hotel while the treaty was being initialed in Colombo. The Tiger leadership and several smaller rebel groups declared that they would not even consider laying down their arms until Prabakaran returned safely to Jaffna...
...violence in Colombo's streets indicated, Jayewardene still faces serious obstacles in persuading the Sinhalese majority to accept the pact. On the day of the signing, the government declared a curfew in the capital and deployed soldiers to keep demonstrators from approaching the presidential residence. Senior police and military officers also had their hands full trying to keep their own unhappy forces in line. Said an enlisted man: "I have been wearing this uniform for four days. But what use is it? I am unable to support my own people." Obviously, though, dissent was not far from the surface...
...fighting stops and the rebels are disarmed, Jayewardene could regain some support. But as India's 3,000 troops arrived in the Jaffna area last week, J.N. Dixit, the Indian High Commissioner in Colombo, heightened Sinhalese fears that India might be aiming at more than a temporary stay. When the troop deployment was announced, Colombo promised that the units would be under Sri Lankan command. Sounding a bit like a proconsul, Dixit told a Colombo news conference that the troops would answer to him. The next day Dixit retreated, saying the Indian troops were ultimately under Jayewardene's authority...