PANIPITIYA: One of Sri Lanka’s top generals was killed on Monday by a suspected Tamil Tiger suicide bomber who rammed his motorcycle into an army convoy near the capital killing three other people, officials said. Army Deputy Chief of Staff Major-General Parami Kulatunga was traveling to army headquarters when the attacker approached his vehicle and an escorting army pickup truck in rush-hour traffic. The blast left the car a twisted wreck. “The general is dead. Two others (soldiers) are also dead,” Police Chief Inspector Chaminda Bamunuarachchi told Reuters at the scene. A civilian was also killed. Kulatunga’s car was left lying perpendicular across the narrow street, burnt-out and still smouldering. A Reuters witness saw the severed head of the suspected suicide bomber lying in the gutter around 50 metres down the street. Nine people were wounded in the attack in the town of Panipitiya, around 6 miles (10 km) from a big army base. There was no report of military action against the Tigers. There have been no air strikes on the rebels since earlier in the month and the Tigers have warned of military retaliation if they resume. “No decision has been made yet on retaliation,” head of the government peace secretariat, Palitha Kohona told Reuters. “This is sheer terrorism. I think the Tigers have lost the plot. They don’t seem to realise that terrorism is not an acceptable way to achieve political ends,” he added.
The Tigers said they had no immediate comment. Few analysts believe their denials for recent attacks. Rebel political wing leader SP Thamilselvan told Reuters this month that the LTTE would use all strategies — including suicide bombers — if war resumed in earnest. “I guess they are trying to put pressure on the government by bringing the war to Colombo,” said Jehan Perera, director of think-tank the National Peace Council. The Colombo stock market initially fell on news of the attack but regained much of its earlier losses.