The Hindu : Front Page : 26 killed in Sri Lanka bus blast

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Thursday, Jan 17, 2008
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26 killed in Sri Lanka bus blast

B. Muralidhar Reddy

Wave of violence as the ceasefire comes to an end

Acts of savagery, says Rajapaksa
Same group involved in all incidents: government

COLOMBO: At least 31 civilians were killed and 60 injured on Wednesday in a wave of violence by suspected Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) cadres in the Uva province as the curtains came down on the nearly six-year-old Ceasefire Agreement between the government and the Tigers.

Twenty-six of those killed were passengers of a bus, in which a bomb exploded at 7.40 a.m. as it was going on the Buttala-Monaragala road. Fifty other passengers were admitted to hospitals.

In the second incident, police recovered the bullet-ridden bodies of five farmers at Okkampitiya in the same province.

Shortly after the bus blast, a military vehicle came under a Claymore mine attack. Four soldiers were injured in the incident.

The government said the same group was involved in all the incidents.

The incidents heightened the already surcharged atmosphere in the island nation, in general, and the national capital, in particular. Not taking any chances, the government stepped up vigil.

Military and police personnel could be seen on all major streets here.

Within hours of the incidents, President Mahinda Rajapaksa, in a statement, appealed to the people not to be provoked by such acts of “savagery of the LTTE.”

Mr. Rajapaksa said:

“The terrorists of the LTTE may be attempting by these acts of savagery to show Sri Lankans and the world that it is the decision of the government to abrogate the Ceasefire Agreement that is the immediate cause for this carnage caused by it.

“These acts of savagery by the LTTE once again expose its total commitment to violence and terror, despite the many attempts made to show that it stood for peace.

“It appears that this attack has been carried out to coincide with the abrogation of the Ceasefire Agreement, which comes into effect today. On this occasion, we recall how the LTTE carried out a similar act of savagery at Kebethigollawa on 11th July 2006, killing 67 persons and injuring a similar number.”

The pro-LTTE TamilNet said: “The blast comes amid reports that the Sri Lankan military leadership is trying to convince the government to shut down schools in the south for extended periods ahead of major offensives, including bombardments likely to cause heavy civilian casualties, into the Vanni.”

Amid these developments, the military claimed to have killed several LTTE cadres in continuing battles along the Forward Defence Lines in the north. The Air Force claimed to have bombed targets of the LTTE in the battle zone.

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