Sri Lanka Frees Most Tamils Held in Crackdown

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Police on Saturday released more than 1,200 people they arrested a day earlier for suspected links with Sri Lanka’s Tamil Tiger rebels, officials said.

The 50 Tamils who remained in custody were being interrogated for possible links with Tamil separatists, said Jagat Jayawardene, deputy inspector general of police in Colombo. Police said some of those detained could be suicide bombers.

On Friday, police arrested two Tamil rebels for allegedly planning an attack, and anti-terrorist commandos raided suspected guerrilla hide-outs, detaining more than 1,500 Tamils. More than 300 were released later Friday after police questioned them, photographed them and took their fingerprints, officials said.

Tamil rebels have been fighting for a separate homeland on this island off India’s southern coast since 1983, accusing the majority Sinhalese of widespread discrimination in education and jobs. The Sinhalese, most of whom are Buddhist, control the government and military and constitute about three-fourths of Sri Lanka’s 19 million people. Most Tamils are Hindus and make up 18% of Sri Lanka’s population.