Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08COLOMBO197
2008-02-26 05:24:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Colombo
Cable title:
SRI LANKA: BOMB BLASTS IN COLOMBO SUBURB AND
how-toVZCZCXRO6941 OO RUEHBI RUEHLMC DE RUEHLM #0197 0570524 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O 260524Z FEB 08 FM AMEMBASSY COLOMBO TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7734 INFO RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA PRIORITY 0748 RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD PRIORITY 7736 RUEHKT/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU PRIORITY 5922 RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 4264 RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI PRIORITY 1858 RUEHNY/AMEMBASSY OSLO PRIORITY 4268 RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY 3364 RUEHCG/AMCONSUL CHENNAI PRIORITY 8347 RUEHBI/AMCONSUL MUMBAI PRIORITY 5830 RUEHON/AMCONSUL TORONTO PRIORITY 0542 RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 2629 RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI PRIORITY RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS PRIORITY RUEHLMC/MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORPORATION PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L COLOMBO 000197
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/INS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/29/2017
TAGS: PTER PGOV PHUM MOPS CE
SUBJECT: SRI LANKA: BOMB BLASTS IN COLOMBO SUBURB AND
BATTICALOA
Classified By: CLASSIFIED BY AMBASSADOR ROBERT O. BLAKE, JR. REASONS:
1.4(b,d).
C O N F I D E N T I A L COLOMBO 000197
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/INS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/29/2017
TAGS: PTER PGOV PHUM MOPS CE
SUBJECT: SRI LANKA: BOMB BLASTS IN COLOMBO SUBURB AND
BATTICALOA
Classified By: CLASSIFIED BY AMBASSADOR ROBERT O. BLAKE, JR. REASONS:
1.4(b,d).
1. (SBU) On February 23, a bomb blast injured 18 people at
a bus stop in Mount Lavinia, a southern suburb of Colombo.
According to press reports, a passenger who spotted an
unattended parcel in the back of the bus alerted the
driver, who evacuated the bus just before the explosion.
Eight Tamils and 3 Sinhalese have been detained in
connection with the blast. According to some passengers,
the parcel had been in the hands of a boy of about 10 years
who was accompanied by a woman. The woman and boy
reportedly got off the bus before the parcel was
discovered. The Free Media Movement reported that a Senior
Inspector of the Mount Lavinia police abused and assaulted
a journalist who was on the scene of the bomb blast.
2. (SBU) No one has claimed responsibility for the Mt.
Lavinia bus bomb. If it was the work of the LTTE, it could
have been in retaliation for the Sri Lankan Air Force's
aerial bombardment of a coastal area on February 22.
TamilNet reported that the LTTE vowed to retaliate for the
February 22 attack on what it claims was a fishing village.
The SLAF says it targeted and hit a hiding place for LTTE
suicide and logistics boats.
3. (U) On February 24 in Batticaloa, 2 TMVP ("Pillaiyan
group") activists were killed and one civilian wounded in a
blast; authorities have not yet determined whether the
blast was a suicide bomb or a claymore mine. The blast
occurred hours before a TMVP rally in Kaluwanchikudi, which
was to be attended by senior TMVP candidates in the
upcoming local elections.
4. (C) COMMENT: The method reportedly used in the bus
bombing in Mt. Lavinia appears consistent with suspected
LTTE attacks. However, in the murky atmosphere surrounding
terrorist incidents in Sri Lanka, where perpetrators are
rarely brought to justice, the fortunate identification of
the bus bomb in Mt. Lavinia and just-in-time evacuation of
the bus has raised suspicion among some that authorities
may have arranged the incident. There is also some
speculation that the Sinhalese nationalist JVP may have
been involved. The Batticaloa blast is a possible
indication of continued LTTE activity in the area. If the
Batticaloa incident was in fact a suicide attack, it would
be the first in the East since the government re-captured
the province from the LTTE in July 2007. It remains
unclear whether the TMVP activists killed were the intended
target, or whether the bomber was prevented from proceeding
to a higher-value objective, the TMVP political rally.
BLAKE
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/INS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/29/2017
TAGS: PTER PGOV PHUM MOPS CE
SUBJECT: SRI LANKA: BOMB BLASTS IN COLOMBO SUBURB AND
BATTICALOA
Classified By: CLASSIFIED BY AMBASSADOR ROBERT O. BLAKE, JR. REASONS:
1.4(b,d).
1. (SBU) On February 23, a bomb blast injured 18 people at
a bus stop in Mount Lavinia, a southern suburb of Colombo.
According to press reports, a passenger who spotted an
unattended parcel in the back of the bus alerted the
driver, who evacuated the bus just before the explosion.
Eight Tamils and 3 Sinhalese have been detained in
connection with the blast. According to some passengers,
the parcel had been in the hands of a boy of about 10 years
who was accompanied by a woman. The woman and boy
reportedly got off the bus before the parcel was
discovered. The Free Media Movement reported that a Senior
Inspector of the Mount Lavinia police abused and assaulted
a journalist who was on the scene of the bomb blast.
2. (SBU) No one has claimed responsibility for the Mt.
Lavinia bus bomb. If it was the work of the LTTE, it could
have been in retaliation for the Sri Lankan Air Force's
aerial bombardment of a coastal area on February 22.
TamilNet reported that the LTTE vowed to retaliate for the
February 22 attack on what it claims was a fishing village.
The SLAF says it targeted and hit a hiding place for LTTE
suicide and logistics boats.
3. (U) On February 24 in Batticaloa, 2 TMVP ("Pillaiyan
group") activists were killed and one civilian wounded in a
blast; authorities have not yet determined whether the
blast was a suicide bomb or a claymore mine. The blast
occurred hours before a TMVP rally in Kaluwanchikudi, which
was to be attended by senior TMVP candidates in the
upcoming local elections.
4. (C) COMMENT: The method reportedly used in the bus
bombing in Mt. Lavinia appears consistent with suspected
LTTE attacks. However, in the murky atmosphere surrounding
terrorist incidents in Sri Lanka, where perpetrators are
rarely brought to justice, the fortunate identification of
the bus bomb in Mt. Lavinia and just-in-time evacuation of
the bus has raised suspicion among some that authorities
may have arranged the incident. There is also some
speculation that the Sinhalese nationalist JVP may have
been involved. The Batticaloa blast is a possible
indication of continued LTTE activity in the area. If the
Batticaloa incident was in fact a suicide attack, it would
be the first in the East since the government re-captured
the province from the LTTE in July 2007. It remains
unclear whether the TMVP activists killed were the intended
target, or whether the bomber was prevented from proceeding
to a higher-value objective, the TMVP political rally.
BLAKE