Tamil Tiger guerrillas today launched their first major attacks since a new prime minister was elected last week on a promise to open peace talks with the rebels.
The twin attacks on a police station and an army position in eastern Sri Lanka left 16 dead and 23 wounded.
They were the first serious attacks since Mr Ranil Wickremesinghe was elected on a pledge to negotiate with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a rebel group fighting for a separate state in Sri Lanka's north and east.
"It was very intense fighting involving heavy mortars," military spokesman Brigadier Sanath Karunaratne said.
The Tigers had been relatively silent during the six-week campaign pitting Mr Wickremesinghe's United National Party against President Chandrika Kumaratunga's People's Alliance which took a hardline stance on the conflict.
Brigadier Karunaratne said the attack on the police station in Valachchenai in the eastern Batticaloa district killed six policemen and wounded 11. One civilian was also killed.
The rebels also attacked an army position in Pahalathotam near Trincomalee on the east coast, killing three soldiers and wounding 12.
Brigadier Karunaratne said at least six Tiger rebels died in the clashes.
UNP leaders said they were keen to get a peace process going as soon as possible to end a nearly two-decade long war that has cost an estimated 64,000 lives.
This could mean lifting a ban on the LTTE, the rebel group's main precondition for talks.