At least 12 civilians were killed and 100 injured as a suspected woman cadre of the LTTE blew herself up in the crowded Fort Railway Station here on Sunday afternoon. The blast, coming on the eve of the 60th Independence Day, is the fourth in a series targeting civilians since the 2002 Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) between the government and the Tigers ended on January 16. The security forces have stepped up deployment and vigil in the national capital in the wake of the explosion and a sense of anxiety and fear has gripped the citizens. The government has blamed the Tigers for the blast and said these were acts of desperation to divert attention from the setbacks they received on the battlefield in recent days. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has not responded to the allegation.
The police said the explosion was carried out by a female suicide-bomber who got down from a train in the station minutes before 2 p.m. The impact of the blast was so powerful that the main platform of the station was strewn with limbs of those killed. According to the authorities in the Colombo National Hospital, where most of the injured are being treated, 10 persons are in critical condition.
Quoting ‘defence observers’, the Sri Lankan Defence Ministry said the recent attacks by the LTTE in the south bore “clear indications of the outfit’s desperation over the ignominious defeats” that it was encountering on the northern battlefronts. It also highlighted the need for national solidarity to bring an end to “this brutal terrorism,” a statement said.
In a report on the blast, the pro-LTTE TamilNet said: “The blast comes a day before Sri Lanka’s 60th Independence Day celebrations amid speculation of Colombo embarking on a full-fledged war on Vanni, stepping up aerial bombardment and artillery barrage.”
Earlier in the day, at least seven civilians were injured in a low intensity grenade explosion inside the Dehiwala Zoo on the outskirts of Colombo. Seven persons, including two children, received minor injuries and were rushed to the general hospital at Kalubowila when a hand-grenade exploded inside the zoo at 10.35 a.m.
In the north, the security forces claimed to have killed scores of Tiger cadres.