COLOMBO, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Two civilians were
killed and more than 20 other injured in a bus explosion blamed on Tamil Tiger
rebels near Sri Lanka's central town of Kandy Friday afternoon, defense
officials said.
Officials from the Ministry of Defense said a bomb
exploded around 3:50 p.m. local time (1020 GMT) inside a passenger bus in
Kandy's Pollgolla area, about 120 km northeast of the capital Colombo.
A Tamil suspect believed to have connection with the
explosion has been arrested when he was trying to escape the scene, police
sources said.
A wire code and a poison bottle were also found in
his possession and a search operation is underway in the area.
Earlier on Friday, a passenger bus was caught in a
Claymore mine in the southern suburb of Colombo, killing 21 civilians and
injuring more than 60 others.
The government has attributed both explosions to the
rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
The Department of Government Information said in a
statement that the explosions are "typical of a terrorist organization that is
on its last legs."
"The LTTE has suffered a series of setbacks over the
past two years, both politically and militarily and its much talked of
'conventional' army has been retreating deeper and deeper into the Wanni on
account of determined onslaughts from the security forces," said the statement.
The government appeals to the public to remain calm
and to support the efforts of the security forces by maintaining utmost
vigilance at all times.
The two incidents came as Sri Lanka's security forces
intensify its military offensive against LTTE rebels in the north with the aim
of crushing them before the end of 2008.
The LTTE has been fighting the troops since the
mid-1980s to carve out a separate homeland for the Tamil minority in the north
and east, resulting in the death of more than 70,000 people.
A soldier stands guard at the blast scene in Moratuwa, 10 kilometers south of Colombo, capital of Sri Lanka, June 6, 2008. A roadside bomb exploded near a crowded passenger bus in Moratuwa on Friday, killing 21 people and wounding 50 others, the military said.(Xinhua Photo) Photo Gallery>>>
COLOMBO,
June 6 (Xinhua) -- At least 21 civilians were killed and more than 60 injured in
a bus explosion carried out by suspected Tamil Tigers near the Sri Lankan
capital of Colombo Friday morning, officials said.
Officials from the Ministry of Defense said the bomb
was targeted a crowded passenger bus in Moratuwa, about 10 km south of the
capital Colombo around 7:30 a.m. (0200 GMT). Full story
