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Suicide bomber almost gets Kumaratunga

It was providence that rescued Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga from certain death Saturday night. The President's bullet-proof car stood between her and the bomb blast and hence bore the maximum brunt. But for the vehicle, she would not have survived.

She escaped with minor shrapnel injuries but her chauffeur for the last 38 years was not fortunate enough as a woman suicide bomber struck at 2120 hours at an election rally in the heart of Colombo.

Kumaratunga was hurriedly moving towards the car from the podium after addressing the rally. As she was speaking to journalists, the woman suicide bomber tried to surge towards her. The assailant was just five metres away near the barricade as the President's car reversed. In a split second, the entire venue was littered with shrapnel and blood. As the president fell on the ground, four security personnel gave her full cover.

Seventeen people, including Colombo police deputy inspector general T N de Silva, were killed in the blast. Kumaratunga who received shrapnel injuries on her hand, forehead and right eye, was immediately rushed to the nearby Navlok Hospital. A minor operation was done to remove some of the shrapnel. With her right eye bandaged, she is now recuperating in the hospital.

''The President is recovering very speedily. She is receiving specialist medical attention and making satisfactory progress,'' Posts and Telecommunication Minister Mangala Samaraweera told journalists Sunday morning. ''She is firmly in control of the situation. Her secretary and the deputy defence minister are with her and she is conducting the administration,'' he added.

Three of her senior cabinet ministers -- G L Peiris, Alavi Mowlana and Kingsley T Wickremeratna -- also received injuries and were admitted to hospital. They are also stated to be out of danger. Police said apart from the 21 people killed, 84 were injured in the blast at the Town Hall grounds. A Buddhist monk was among those killed. Almost at the same time, another blast occurred at an opposition propaganda rally at Jeala, about 15 km from this ground, in which retired Major General Lucky Algama, who was a security commander in Wanni, was killed. Police sources did not confirm whether the blast at the UNP rally was also by a suicide bomber. The sources said 12 people were killed and 45 injured in the second incident.

Meanwhile, the government has instituted two special committees to inquire into the twin blasts. The committees would examine whether there was security lapses at both the meeting venues and if so, to fix responsibility. The committees have been asked to submit their report by December 23.

Security in and around areas in Colombo where a large number of Tamils are residing has been strengthened as per the orders of President Chandrika Kumaratunga.

The President ordered the deployment of additional security forces in Wellawattha, a Tamil populated area in Colombo city. She also appealed to the people not to create any communal tension in the wake of the attempt on her life.

Several world leaders, including United States President Bill Clinton and Indian Prime Minister A B Vajpayee, have expressed shock and concern at the assassination attempt on President Chandrika Kumaratunga, and have wished her a speedy recovery.

Indian President K R Narayanan and Prime Minister Vajpayee sent messages of sympathy to her. French President Jacques Chirac and Pakistan's Chief Executive General Pervez Mushraff are among other leaders who sent messages of sympathy to Kumaratunga.

Several Sri Lankan Tamil political leaders and parties also condemned the dastardly act and wished her a speedy recovery.

UNI

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