29 people killed in suicide attack in Sri Lanka

T V Sriram
Colombo, Oct 6 (PTI) A former top army general, his wife and a number of provincial politicians were among 29 people killed Monday when a suspected Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (L.T.T.E.) suicide bomber blew himself up close to a new building of the opposition U.N.P. in Anuradhapura in restive northern Sri Lanka.

Eighty-nine others were injured when the suicide
bomber targeted the United National Partys' new building which
was being inaugurated in Anuradhapura, 212 km from here.

Major General (Retd.) Janaka Perera, Opposition leader
of North-Central provincial council and former Chief of Staff
of Sri Lankan Army, was among the dead, army spokesman Udaya
Nanayakkara said.

The attack came at a time when the Tamil Tigers are
battling hard to save their administrative headquarters at
Killinochchi from being over run by the army troops.

Perera, military sources said, was the apparent target
of the L.T.T.E. as he had led many successful campaigns
against them and was the strategist thought to be responsible
for halting rebel advance in the Jaffna peninsula in 2001.

The suicide attack came just hours after a road side
bomb killed two civilians and wounded another in a village on
the outskirts of the Buddhist town.

"The bomb blast occurred around 8.45 am during a
function held to declare open the new U.N.P. office in
Anuradhapura," sources said.

Among other victims were U.N.P. manager in
Anuradhapura Dr John Pulle and his wife.

Perera also served as the country's High Commissioner
to Australia and Ambassador to Indonesia after retiring from
the army.

Perera, who is considered as one of the most
distinguished generals in Sri Lanka, also served as the
country's High Commissioner to Australia and Ambassador to
Indonesia after retiring from the army.

Undertaking the 'Operation Kinihira' after being
appointed Commander Security Forces, Jaffna, Perera is
credited with launching an effective counter attack that
halted the L.T.T.E. advance.

He eventually succeeded in establishing the current
defence line in the Jaffna peninsula.

As a Colonel in the yesteryears, Perera took a major
role suppressing the J.V.P. insurrection of 1987-89.

He was the Provincial Commander of the North-Western
Province as well as in-charge of the special operations of the
'Operation Combine' in Colombo which led to the capture of
J.V.P. leader Rohana Wijeweera. PTI TVS