SRI LANKA: SUICIDE BOMBER KILLS 8 OUTSIDE OF CIVIL

UNCLAS COLOMBO 001161 SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/INS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PTER ASEC CE SUBJECT: SRI LANKA: SUICIDE BOMBER KILLS 8 OUTSIDE OF CIVIL DEFENSE FORCE CAMP ¶1. (U) At about 8:45 a.m. on December 28, a presumed LTTE suicide bomber killed himself, seven Civil Defense Force (CDF) personnel and one civilian in an attack on a CDF office in Wattala, a northern Colombo suburb. (Note: the Civil Defense Force, formerly the Home Guards, are roughly analagous to the National Guard in the U.S. End Note) At least 17 others were injured in the bombing, some seriously. According to Sri Lankan press reports, the attacker entered the compound after visiting a weekly fair held at a nearby church. CDF guards stopped him at a checkpoint, preventing him from entering the office. The bomber then exploded his suicide vest. Nadesan Gives Intervew; Previews More Attacks to Come -------------- ¶2. (SBU) The attack comes a week after LTTE Political Wing Chief Nadesan conductd interviews with the BBC and Reuters. Observers interpreted his statements to mean that the LTTE would begin to switch from conventional to guerilla tactics, attacking more "soft" targets in the South - such as military checkpoints. Nadesan specifically mentioned economic targets that would place pressure on the government as it struggles under a growing level of debt. ¶3. (SBU) COMMENT: As the LTTE continues to lose territory in the North we can expect to see a corresponding increase in the number of attacks in the South. These attacks, as Nadesan previewed, are intended to increase the economic and other costs to the government of continuing its offensive in the North. Blake