Lanka to go ahead with elections
Time to wipe out terrorism: Chandrika

COLOMBO, Dec 19 (PTI, UNI) — Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kum-aratunga tonight asked the island Tamils to decide whether they should continue to extend “secret, silent and partial support” to the “terrorism” being perpetrated by the LTTE.

“The Tamils firstly, clearly and without any hesitation have to decide whether they are going to strengthen the hand of terror and murder by their secret, silent and partial support for the LTTE”, she said in a broadcast to the nation a day after escaping an abortive assassination bid by a LTTE suicide bomber.

Convalescing at a private hospital, she said: “For the Sinhalese people too the time has come to take historic decision of the century to decide whether they continue to permit a handful of terrorists to decimate all that is good in the country. Should the Sinhalese allow their leaders as well as innocent Tamils and their leaders decimated?”

The LTTE, she said, has now proved beyond doubt that they only know to enjoy the politics of terror. “They will never understand the language of heart and mind”.

Appealing for nationwide peace, the President exhorted: “Let us all remain united as a nation in this grievous hour. Let not the terrorists of the LTTE destroy the chance we have in transforming this country of ours into one of decency, ethnic harmony and modernism.

“The moment has come for Tamils, Muslims and all other people in Sri Lanka to leave aside their differences and join hands in massive effort to take forward the process of wiping out terrorism and re-establish peace and democracy”, she said.

Presidential election in Sri Lanka will go ahead as scheduled on Tuesday despite an attempt on the life of President Chandrika Kumaratunga by an LTTE woman suicide bomber and an explosion at an Opposition rally last night claiming 33 lives.

Ms Kumaratunga, who is recovering from shrapnel injury on her face and right eye at a hospital here and whose condition is stated to be stable, has ordered a top-level inquiry to investigate the security lapses at the two meetings leading to the attacks.

The police has detained some people for questioning but no formal arrests have been made so far, official sources said.

Indian President K.R. Narayanan and Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee in separate letters to Ms Kumaratunga condemned the “acts of wanton terrorism”, and offered to rush medical assistance to her.

Ms Kumaratunga, who underwent a surgery to her right eye and needed bed rest for a few days, has begun working from her hospital bed, Media Minister Mangala Samaraweera told reporters adding her condition was stable.

The President sustained shrapnel injuries on her face and over her right eye which is bandaged and there was no threat to her vision, he said.

Mr Samaraweera said the government was determined to go ahead with the December 21 presidential poll as

scheduled. “Elections will be held in time and there is no going back on that,” he said.

Admitting the serious breach of security, Mr Samaraweera said the President had constituted two committees headed by Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Lucky Kduthuwakku to probe the reasons for the failure of security at her meeting as well as the Opposition rally where 12 persons were killed in a grenade blast at Jaya-ela, north of Colombo.

The IGP has been asked to submit a comprehensive report within four days, he said.

Asked about the suicide bomber, he said the woman, who was yet to be identified, might have infiltrated the high security zone by joining as a labourer to prepare for the meeting.

He said Ms Kumaratunga survived because she was on the other side of the car when the explosion took place.

Mr Samaraweera said 21 persons, including a Deputy-Inspector General of Police, three policemen and four personnel from the presidential security, were killed in the suicide bomb attack in which two Ministers G.L. Peiris Alavi Moulana were among the 110 persons injured.

The ministers were out of danger. Peiris continued to be in the ICU for treatment while Mr Moulana has been kept in the hospital for cardiac observation as he is very old, he said.

Mr Samaraweera assured minority Tamils living in the capital and other Sinhalese dominated areas that Ms Kumaratunga was determined to prevent any communal riot in the country.

The Election Commission went ahead with poll preparations as the 22 foreign observers were sent to the areas assigned to them.

Six Indian poll monitors, including former Election Commissioner GVG Krishnamurthy and Press Council Chairman Justice P.B. Sawant left for their respective destinations, while a Nepalese official left for northern Jaffna in the midst of heavy fighting between the troops and the LTTE for the control of the strategic Elephant Pass.

Meanwhile, the condition of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister Prof G.L. Peiris, who was also injured along with Ms Chandrika in the blast, was kept in the intensive care unit though doctors said there was no danger to his life. He suffered extensive injuries on his body.

Local newspapers said soon after the blast he fell down crying, “I am dying, I am dying”. The other two ministers, Alavi Mouslana and Gunaraine were discharged last night after obtaining treatment for minor injuries.

Also the scene at the site of the blast wore a devastating look this morning as some of the bodies continued to remain.

The head of the suicide bomber was found few metres away in the midst of chairs in front of the podium. Also the police said that they have arrested a male accomplice of the bomber who was found loitering around the site of the blast. The youth hailing from eastern Batticaloa was arrested with cyanide capsule on his neck.

The Opposition United National Party (UNP) presidential candidate Ranil Wickramasinghe, who has put up a spirited campaign against her in the run up to the presidential polls, blamed the ruling Peoples’ Alliance for instigating bomb attack at the UNP rally and demanded that Scotland Yard police be invited to investigate the blasts.

The LTTE’s abortive suicide bomb attack on Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga and urgency displayed by it to defeat the government’s military strategy by stepping up offensive to capture northern Jaffna peninsula before the December 21 presidential poll has boosted her prospect at the hustings.

Politicians from the ruling as well as opposition parties believe her electoral chances increased as the assassination bid could whip up a sympathy wave, specially among the majority Sinhalese, who constitute 75 per cent of the 11.8 million-strong electorate.

Black Tigers did the job

COLOMBO, Dec 19 (AFP) — Assassination bid on President Chandrika Kumaratunga has once again underlined the ability of Sri Lanka’s Tamil Tiger separatists to breach the tightest security and strike at the heart of government.

According to the police, the woman who carried out last night’s bomb attack at Ms Kumaratunga’s last campaign rally before Tuesday’s presidential election was almost certainly a member of the separatists’ suicide unit — the Black Tigers.

India, USA condemn attacks

COLOMBO, Dec 19 (PTI) —India today joined the USA, France, Britain, Japan and other countries in condemning the assassination bid on Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga and a grenade attack at an Opposition election rally “as acts of wanton terrorism’’.

President K R Narayanan and Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee in separate letters to Ms Kumaratunga expressed concern over the blasts and offered all medical assistance to her.

A release by the Indian High Commission here said the President and the Prime Minister have sent messages of concern and sympathy to Ms Kumaratunga wishing her a speedy recovery. “The (Indian) Government strongly condemns the blasts as acts of wanton terrorism. The government hopes that all those injured will have an early and full recovery and extends condolences to the bereaved families,’’ the release said.

External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh today spoke to Indian High Commissioner to Colombo Shivshankar Menon over phone and asked him to personally convey to Ms Kumaratunga India’s serious concern and readiness to offer any medical assistance “if she required”.

The US President, in a personal message, said he had been shocked and saddened to learn of the “cowardly attempt’’ on Ms Kumaratunga’s life. “It is particularly distressing to me at these heinous acts have occurred during a democratic election campaign,’’ he said.