Sri Lanka's main Tamil political party on Wednesday staged a walk out in the national assembly to protest against "escalating" attacks against the Tamil minority.
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA), which is seen as a proxy of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), staged the walk out after making a statement condemning security forces for attacks against Tamils and rebel supporters.
TNA leader Suresh Premachandran also warned that a spate of kidnappings involving Tamil aid workers could cast a shadow over proposed truce talks in Geneva later this month.
Five Tamil aid workers were kidnapped from Batticaloa on Sunday, a pro-rebel charity said.
The TNA, which has 22 members in the 225-member assembly, held a series of protests during the last assembly session that disrupted proceedings.