Bomb defused at telephone exchange

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
A bomb discovered at the Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT) sub- exchange at Kaluwanchikudy, 18 km south of Batticaloa, this morning, was defused by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA), said sources in Batticaloa.

This is the third occasion in the past few months when an explosive device has been placed at the sub-exchange.

One of the bombs placed earlier exploded, while the other was deactivated by the SLA, said sources.

The telecommunications system in Sri Lanka has increasingly come under attack. On Sunday morning a telecommunication tower owned by the company Mobitel, at Nittambuwe, 30 km south of the capital Colombo on the Colombo - Kandy road, was destroyed when two bombs exploded.