Suspected LTTE rebels kill Lankan farmer

U Zaiudeen was shot as he was preparing to harvest his rice crop in the eastern coastal district of Amparai, police sources said.

A suspected Tamil Tiger rebel fatally shot a farmer in eastern Sri Lanka on Friday, the area's police chief said, in the latest attack in the volatile region.

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U Zaiudeen was shot as he was preparing to harvest his rice crop in the eastern coastal district of Amparai, said Deputy Inspector General of Police Nihal Karunaratne.

It wasn't clear what prompted the attack on Zaiudeen, a Muslim.

Muslims -- Sri Lanka's second largest minority after ethnic Tamils -- generally oppose the Tamil Tigers, who have accused them of supporting the government.

The rebels also oppose Muslims cultivating land in the area, which they say is part of their territory.