SRI LANKA: LTTE DETONATE MINE DURING RUSH HOUR ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 000768 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/INS MCC FOR D. NASSIRY AND E. BURKE E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/29/2017 TAGS: PREL PTER PGOV PHUM MOPS CE SUBJECT: SRI LANKA: LTTE DETONATE MINE DURING RUSH HOUR ON COLOMBO'S BUSIEST STREET REF: COLOMBO 753 Classified By: Ambassador Robert O. Blake Jr. for reasons 1.4(b, d) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: On May 28, 2007, at approximately 5:40 p.m. local time, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) detonated a claymore mine on Galle Road near Ratmalana military base. The attack was clearly an attempt to kill Special Task Force (STF) soldiers traveling on a bus after completing training exercises at the base. Seven civilians and one police officer were killed, with almost 40 more wounded, including seven STF personnel. Although the LTTE has publicly denied involvement in the attack, a confidential source told the Regional Security Office that the Tigers indicated similar attacks could be expected in the future. END SUMMARY. CLAYMORE MISSES ITS INTENDED TARGETS? -------------- ¶2. (C) On May 28, the LTTE set off a claymore mine during rush hour in Colombo's southern suburbs, on one of the busiest highways in the country. The attack was clearly an attempt to kill Special Task Force soldiers leaving the Ratmalana military complex after training exercises. According to STF sources, the claymore was likely attached to the roof of an abandoned office building. Witnesses reported seeing people making "repairs" to the building a few days earlier. This explosion comes on the heels of the May 24 claymore attack on an Army bus in northern Colombo in which eight soldiers and civilians were injured (reftel). The Ratmalana attack was more devastating, killing seven civilians and one police officer and injuring approximately 40 people, four critically. Among those injured were seven STF soldiers, but all appear likely to recover from their injuries. Sri Lanka Military Spokesman Prasad Samarasinghe told embassy personnel that in this incident the Tigers remotely detonated approximately 10-15 kilograms of C4 plastic explosive. Many observers were surprised that the death toll was not higher, given the attack's timing and location. ¶3. (C) Although the Tigers have publicly denied any involvement in the Ratmalana claymore attack, a confidential RSO informant with ties to LTTE sources said that similar attacks could be expected in the future. He described the bus attack on the 24th and this attack in Ratmalana as "test runs." The source stated that the Tigers were pleased with the success of these attacks and described a complex network involving Tamil, Muslim and Sinhalese contacts working together to set up future attacks. This type of remotely detonated claymore attack is useful, the source continued, because they do not cost any LTTE lives; they are easy to coordinate; and they are very difficult to detect. According to the RSO's source, the abandoned business used to stage the Ratmalana claymore explosion was recently acquired by people with ties to organized crime in Sri Lanka. ¶4. (C) COMMENT: Although ostensibly aimed at military targets, the LTTE's recent claymore attacks do not -- unlike some in the past -- appear to have been designed to minimize civilian casualties. In addition to spreading terror and snarling traffic, these latest attacks ripple through the economy, as heightened security measures designed to stop future attacks render normal daily tasks ever more complicated and time-consuming. One theory about this incident is that by targeting the STF directly, the LTTE is hoping that the police special units will rise to the bait and retaliate randomly against Tamil civilians, rather than allowing paramilitary groups like the Karuna faction to try to locate the perpetrators using unorthodox tactics. The COLOMBO 00000768 002 OF 002 increased tension and polarization this would produce in Sri Lanka's capital could only work to the Tigers' advantage. BLAKE