Kadir, as he was known to the media and his friends, was a top adviser to Kumaratunga in a protracted effort to bring about a permanent peace with the Tigers, whose two-decade war for a separate state is in limbo thanks to the ceasefire. "It's a well known fact ... that you single-handedly brought the Tigers to their knees by campaigning internationally against them," popular Sinhala nationalist writer, Malinga H. Gunaratne, said in tribute to his close friend at a recent book launch at which Kadirgamar was the chief guest. Police said they suspected the Tigers, but gave no evidence. The Tigers denied any involvement in Kadirgamar's killing. The peace process has been deadlocked since 2003, when talks aimed at forging a permanent end to the war broke down, and Kadirgamar's killing comes amid escalating tensions between the government and the rebels. "Kadirgamar was a good man. We lost someone very important to the country. Wherever he went he spoke about the need for peace. We also want peace. We don't like war," said housewife Malanee Seneviratne. Kadirgamar's killing came after the Tigers warned that the government's refusal to hunt down and disarm renegades fighting a silent war with their cadres in the east of the island could rekindle a war that has already killed more than 64,000 people. Hardliners from his own Tamil community called him a traitor. "His acts were considered to be treacherous towards the Tamils from the very beginning," said M.K. Sivajilingam, a member of parliament for the Tiger-backed Tamil National Alliance. Previous killings of Sri Lankan politicians, including ministers and a president, have been blamed on the Tigers. --SPA 1530 Local Time 1230 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/282849