REFUGEE

OLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Dec. 7 -- Tamil militants say they'll start a new insurgency in Sri Lanka unless demands for a separate Tamil homeland are met.

Militants who regrouped four months ago under the name People's Liberation Army, PLA, are being led by a man who calls himself Commander Kones, The Times of London reported Monday. Kones met with a Times reporter at a hideout last week in eastern Sri Lanka.

"There has been no solution for Tamils since the destruction of the (Tamil Tigers) in May," Kones said. "So we have built and organized the PLA and are ready to act soon."

The PLA has 300 active members and expects to recruit as many as 5,000 more from the 280,000 Tamil civilians freed recently from detention camps, Kones said. The PLA claims links to Cuba, Indian Maoist groups and the Palestinian Liberation Organization, Sri Lankan News.net reported Monday.

"We are getting stronger by the day, much stronger than any other group," Kones said.