SRI LANKA: SUICIDE BOMBING KILLS ABOUT 27,

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 000921

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/INS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/06/2018
TAGS: PTER PREL PHUM MOPS PGOV CE
SUBJECT: SRI LANKA: SUICIDE BOMBING KILLS ABOUT 27,
INCLUDING RETIRED WAR HERO, WOUNDS 90

Classified By: DCM JAMES R. MOORE, FOR REASONS: 1.4(b,d).


1. (C) An apparent suicide attack took the lives of at least
27 people and wounded about 90 in government-controlled
territory in northern Sri Lanka. Reports state that a
suicide bomber dressed in business attire walked into an
office of the main opposition United National Party (UNP) in
Anuradhapura during the ceremony for its opening and
detonated a device concealed under his clothing. The blast
killed its intended target, Major General Janaka Perera
(retired),his wife, as well as the UNP organizer for
Anuradhapura district, Dr. Raja Johnpulle, and at least
twenty bystanders. Embassy has been unable to confirm
reports that several of the casualties were from General
Perera's immediate family. Many of the wounded were
reportedly in critical condition. No one claimed credit for
the bombing, but most observers concurred with the assessment
of Sri Lankan military spokesmen, who blamed the incident on
the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).


2. (C) However, UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake
issued a statement saying that the Sri Lankan government must
share the blame for this death, since senior security
officials had denied personal security protection for Perera
despite repeated requests based on the threat against him.
Other UNP sources told Embassy that they were still not sure
of the authorship of the attack. While noting the "Tamil
Tigers" were the most obvious suspects, they pointed out that
the attack occurred in the middle of a government
high-security zone in a city with numerous military
installations. The UNP cited other organizations who could
have been responsible, including the paramilitary TMVP, which
broke away from the Tamil Tigers in 2004 and now works with
the government.


3. (U) General Perera was a hero of several campaigns
against the Tamil Tigers in the mid-1990s, including the
government's recapture of Jaffna. After his retirement, he
served as Sri Lanka's Ambassador to Australia and to
Indonesia. Recently, General Perera joined the opposition
UNP and campaigned as its lead candidate in the August 2008
elections for the of North Central Provincial Council, which
includes Anuradhapura, drawing more votes than any other
candidate.


4. (SBU) Johnpulle had served as Sri Lanka's Ambassador to
the former Soviet Union in the late 1970s. In August his
personal residence was burned down by a mob led by supporters
of the ruling Sri Lankan Freedom Party days before the
Provincial Council election. Johnpulle had recently filed a
$1m million fundamental rights suit against the security
forces for failure to provide adequate protection. Six of
the arson suspects in the case had surrendered to police on
October 5.


5. (U) Embassy Colombo issued a statement condemning this
terrorist attack in the strongest terms:

(Begin text)

UNITED STATES STRONGLY CONDEMNS TERRORIST ATTACK IN
ANURADHAPURA

The United States condemns in the strongest possible terms
the terrorist attack on October 6 in Anuradhapura that
claimed the lives of Major General (retired) Janaka Perera
and Dr. Raja Johnpulle and their spouses. Also killed in
this heinous suicide bombing, which occurred during the
ceremonial opening of the office of the North Central
Province opposition leader, were several members of the
provincial council and numerous other innocent bystanders.
We express our deepest sympathies to the families of the
victims and the people of Sri Lanka.


COLOMBO 00000921 002 OF 002


Major General Perera led a distinguished career in the armed
forces of Sri Lanka and subsequently as a diplomat in
Australia and Indonesia. Dr. Johnpulle, a medical
practitioner and the district manager of the United National
Party for Anuradhapura, served his country as a diplomat in
the former Soviet Union.

The United States denounces this reprehensible attack on
civilians. Its perpetrators have advanced no cause other
than to bring further suffering to the people of Sri Lanka.
Only a political solution, not further violence, can provide
a way forward to ending the country's deadly conflict. (End
text)


6. (C) COMMENT: Embassy believes that the apparent method
employed - by suicide bomber - points in the direction of the
Tamil Tigers as the most probable authors of this terrorist
attack. However, there are other possibilities we are not
able to exclude at this point. As in the case of most such
politically motivated killings in Sri Lanka, it is not likely
that an investigation will lead to any certainty about who
committed this deed.
BLAKE