SRI LANKA: TWO BUS BOMBS KILL 21 IN SINHALESE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 000028 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/INS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/08/2016 TAGS: PTER PGOV MOPS PREL PHUM CE SUBJECT: SRI LANKA: TWO BUS BOMBS KILL 21 IN SINHALESE SOUTH; EVIDENCE POINTS TO TIGERS REF: A) COLOMBO 2126 AND PREVIOUS B) COLOMBO 1719 Classified By: A/DCM Michael R. DeTar, for reasons 1.4(b,d). ¶1. (C) Summary: A January 5 bomb blast on a passenger bus in the Western Province town of Nittambuwa killed five and injured 50. On January 6, a second bus bomb near the southern coastal town of Hikkaduwa killed at least 15 people, and injured 42. Both buses originated in Colombo. The independent Sinhala Divaina newspaper reported that the bombs, weighing approximately two kilograms each, were placed in parcels under seats or on overhead luggage racks and time-detonated. The Government of Sri Lanka (GSL) blamed the Tamil Tigers (LTTE) for the bus bombs, a charge the Tigers denied. On January 8, a suspected LTTE bomb destroyed and damaged several power transformers in Wattala, six miles north of Colombo. With these attacks, the LTTE appears to be targeting civilian and economic interests in predominantly Sinhalese areas. End summary. ¶2. (C) A January 5 bomb blast on a passenger bus in the Western Province town of Nittambuwa killed five and injured ¶50. The bus was headed for the suburbs of Colombo. On January 6, a second bus bomb near the southern coastal town of Hikkaduwa killed at least 15 people, and injured 42. The second bus originated in Colombo and was headed toward Galle and Matara. A police source confirmed to RSO January 8 a Sinhala Divaina newspaper report that the bombs, weighing approximately two kilograms each, were placed in parcels under a seat and on an overhead luggage rack respectively. The bombs were time detonated 10-15 minutes after the bombers were believed to have exited the bus. The police source indicated that the police expect more incidents to follow and are developing heightened security measures which will likely delay public transportation. ¶3. (U) Police imposed curfews following the bus bombings and questioned 34 individuals. Military spokesman Brigadier Prasad Samarasinghe stated publicly on January 7: "The Tigers are after civilian blood." LTTE Military spokesman Rasaiah Illanthariyan responded via the pro-LTTE Tamilnet website: "The GSL is trying to blame the LTTE for the two bomb blasts in the south. This is a baseless allegation and an attempt to discredit the LTTE." On January 7, the Nordic-led Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) issued a statement reminding the parties to the conflict that the Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) signed in February 2002, in which both the GSL and LTTE agreed to "abstain from hostile acts against the civilian population in accordance with international law," is still in effect. ¶4. (U) A separate claymore bomb explosion on January 7 targeted a Security Task Force (STF) camp located in a border village between Batticaloa and Ampara in the east; six civilians were injured, according to the Media Center for National Security. In a separate statement on January 6, the SLMM expressed concern over the increase in claymore attacks in recent weeks. ¶5. (U) At two a.m. on January 8, a suspected LTTE bomb destroyed and damaged several power transformers in Wattala, six miles north of Colombo. Military spokesman Brigadier Prasad Samarasinghe told Pol FSN that LTTE cadres cut through wire fencing to gain access to the power substation, and that the explosion severely damaged three houses in the vicinity ¶6. (C) Comment: The LTTE's denials notwithstanding, observers are virtually unanimous in their assessement that the Tigers carried out the attacks in a tit-for-tat retaliation for recent Sri Lankan Air force raids, particularly the strike against a presumed "Sea Tiger" base north of Mannar which killed 15 Tamil civilians. The LTTE now appears to have adopted a new tactic of targeting civilian and economic interests in predominantly Sinhalese areas. Like the LTTE COLOMBO 00000028 002 OF 002 "Sea Tiger" attack on a naval base in the southern port of Galle on October 18, these alleged LTTE bombings of civilian targets deep within the Sinhalese south intend to send a message that the LTTE can strike anywhere, and that the GSL cannot limit the conflict to the north and east. These attacks mark the first time that the LTTE has intentionally targeted transportation and energy infrastructure since the 2002 Ceasefire Agreement came into force. BLAKE