KILLINOCHCHI (Sri Lanka), Jan 30: In what was seen as a tactful move to placate the Sinhala Buddhists, the LTTE on Thursday welcomed a delegation of Buddhist monks at their headquarters in Killinochchi.

The Tamils assured the monks of measures to protect the few remaining Buddhist sites in the region.

In a rare gesture that could only be analysed as a move to appease the fast rising Sinhala nationalist sentiment, the LTTE said it would give equal importance to the protection of Buddhist places of worship in Jaffna and other areas in northeastern Sri Lanka, where the Tigers hold sway.

A minister, Jayalath Jayawardena who is known for close links with the LTTE, facilitated the meeting. He said the pledge by the LTTE was proof that they were keen to solve the problems of the other communities, especially the Sinhala majority.

EXILED LEADER: Somawanse Amarasinghe, a self-exiled leader of the Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna who left Sri Lanka at the height of the insurgency launched by the party 10 years ago, returned to the country earlier this week.

Speaking at a gathering, Mr Amarasinghe on Wednesday called upon members of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress to address the plight of Muslims still living in camps for the displaced in LTTE-controlled territory. Mr Amarasinghe said he was concerned over charges of harassment of Muslims in the north and the east by the Tigers.