A court in Sri Lanka has sentenced the leader of the Tamil Tiger rebels to 200 years in jail in a case relating to a bomb attack in 1996.

The announcement came as a second round of peace talks between the government and rebels started in Thailand.

The rebel leader hardly ever appears in public

The sentence on Velupillai Prabhakaran, passed in his absence, is for alleged involvement in an attack on the Sri Lankan central bank in Colombo, in which nearly 80 people died.

Three of his closest associates have also been sentenced with him, and an open warrant has been issued for his arrest.

The Tiger leader spends most of his time in hiding, deep in rebel-held territory, and has been wanted for more than two decades.

The sentence is unlikely to make much difference to him personally, correspondents say.

And the head of the government delegation at the peace talks, GL Peiris, said he did not think it would affect the negotiations.

The Thailand talks are the first concerted attempt to bring to an end a conflict that has claimed the lives of some 64,000 people.

Positive signs

Heavy security is in place at the riverside resort of Nakhon Pathom, outside the Thai capital, where the talks are taking place.

No one is thinking of war

Rebel negotiator Anton Balasingham

This second round of talks is expected to focus on rehabilitation and security in Sri Lanka's war-devastated north and east.

No details were given of what was achieved in the first sitting, but the two sides discussed ways of consolidating the ceasefire and said they made progres in addressing the fears of the Muslim minority.

Both sides will also prepare the ground for a joint appeal to donors next month for millions of dollars in reconstruction funds.

The teams include one of the Tigers' most feared military commanders, Karuna, and the army commander whom he fought in battle five years ago.

Another member of the rebel team is SP Thamilselvan, a war veteran and leader of the Tigers' political wing.

Speaking ahead of the talks, Mr Balasingham said the Tigers would press on despite concerns about the political instability of the Sri Lankan Government.

Goodwill

The two sides travelled aboard the same plane to Bangkok.

It is the first time that Tamil Tiger and political leaders - who live in the isolated jungles of the north - have travelled abroad to talk peace with the government.

The BBC's Frances Harrison says that even a few months ago the idea of Sri Lankan Government ministers and rebel leaders travelling on the same plane would have been unthinkable.

Last year, the Tamil Tigers launched a devastating suicide attack on Colombo airport, that knocked out half the fleet of the national carrier and inflicted damage costing $1bn.

Violence casts shadow

But even as the talks got under way, a curfew was re-imposed in parts of the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo, following clashes on Wednesday between Sinhalese and Muslim mobs.

Some were injured in the riots

One person was killed and at least 23 injured in the violence.

The army and police have been deployed in the area, and an investigation has been ordered.

The leader of the country's main Muslim party, Rauf Hakeem, appealed for calm before leaving for Thailand to attend the peace talks.

Fears have been growing recently among the Muslim minority in the east that they may end up marginalised under any peace deal.