dissenting factions within the LTTE.

The civil war moved closer to resuming the civil war when LTTE gunmen killed eight people in a house outside the capital. Seven of the dead were LTTE dissidents, who supported more political power for Tamils in Eastern Sri Lanka. Tamils from northern Sri Lanka, who have long dominated the LTTE, accuse the army of backing the eastern faction, in order to weaken the LTTE. The eighth man killed in the house was a soldier, as the location was apparently a "safe house" where the army was keeping LTTE members of the eastern faction. The leader of the eastern faction, Karuna, has apparently been under army protection for the last three months. Karuna had some 5,000 followers in eastern Sri Lanka, and most have quite the LTTE. But the northerners still see the Karuna followers as a threat. The LTTE sees the army involvement with Karuna as a breach of the ceasefire and talk openly of resuming