TRINCOMALEE, Sri Lanka, Dec 1 (AFP) - Authorities eased a curfew in this northeastern Sri Lanka port Wednesday but security forces kept up patrols to avert new clashes between government supporters and rebels, police said.
Shops and offices reopened after two days of tension from separate attacks on a bus and a van that left two people dead and three wounded, police said.

A spokesman said there were fears of trouble during the funeral later Wednesday of a bus passenger killed on Monday.

The defence ministry blamed the violence on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. There was no immediate reaction from the guerrillas.

The Tigers held ceremonies Saturday to honour nearly 17,800 supporters who have died in Sri Lanka's civil war. The commemorations angered pro-government forces and led to clashes with rebel sympathisers.

The main opposition United National Party warned that the unrest in Trincomalee could undermine the Norwegian-brokered truce that has been in place since February 2002.

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Copyright (c) 2004 Agence France-Presse
Received by NewsEdge Insight: 12/01/2004 05:03:19