Tamils say barred from commemorating war dead, Sri Lanka denies

COLOMBO (Reuters) - Minority ethnic Tamils said on Sunday they had been banned from commemorating the deaths of their relatives five years ago in the final battle of a 26-year war with Sri Lanka's military, a charge denied by the army.

While President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who is under international pressure to investigate war crimes in the battle, watched a victory parade in the south of the island, Tamils said they had been barred from attending Hindu temples in the north.