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4 civilians die in bus ambush by LTTE

COLOMBO: At least four civilians were killed and 25 injured on Friday when suspected LTTE cadre fired at a passenger bus plying between Monaragala and Kataragama in southern Sri Lanka.

A Defence Ministry statement said 19 of the injured were admitted to the General hospital in Hambantota, and the condition of some of them is critical. “A group of LTTE terrorists hiding along the Buttala-Kataragama Road near Galge raked the passing civilian bus with gunfire,” said military spokesperson Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara. “The bus driver sped through the ambush and stopped after reaching safety.”

Security forces are engaged in search operations in the area. In recent months, there have been several incidents where buses and trains have been targeted.

Separately, the LTTE’s website claimed the number of people displaced in Wanni continues to rise as homes have come under artillery fire. “More than 1,00,000 people within the Wanni area have been displaced since the clashes restarted in mid-2006. Many of the displaced are forced to live in the open space. Shortage of fuel affects the transport of drinking water to the IDPs,” it said.

The LTTE said the shortages were “imposed” by the government and could easily be rectified.

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