11.   The rebels say the Tamil minority suffers discrimination by the majority Sinhalese, who control the government and military.

12.   The rebels have been pushing for an independent state, claiming that minority Tamils suffer discrimination at the hands of majority Sinhalese.

13.   They argued that Moslem minorities have also suffered persecution in the hands of Christian majorities, such as in Bosnia and in the Philippines.

14.   Other minorities also suffered, Amnesty said, citing a bomb blast in a church in June and the rapes of three tribal women by the military.