4TH LEAD (PHOTOS ADDED)

Claymore attack in Colombo targets SLA bus, 5 killed, 24 wounded

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 January 2008, 04:11 GMT]
Two SLA soldiers and three civilians were killed, 10 SLA soldiers and 14 civilians were wounded Wednesday around 9:30 a.m. in Colombo's High Security nerve center at Slave Island, 200 meters from Sri Lanka Army headquarters and the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) headquarters, where a Claymore mine was triggered targeting a bus carrying SLA soldiers, Police said. The attack comes a day after a leading Tamil parliamentarian of the opposition UNP, Thiyagarajah Maheswaran, was assassinated inside Ponnampala Va'neasvarar temple while attending New Year's prayers.



Two of the killed civilians were students of two leading boys schools. Three civilian vicitms were identified as Pathum Dissanayke, 14, of Ananda Vidiyalalya in Maradana, Manith Lasindu, 16, of Asoka Vidiyalaya in Maradana and Renuka Krisantha, 42, of Maradana.

One of the two SLA soldiers killed in the attack was identified as Jayantha Kumara from Passara, Badulla.

24 wounded, including 10 SLA soldiers, have been admitted at Colombo national hospital.

The Claymore attack has taken place in a high security area surrounded with military headquarters and police, near Colombo Fort. There are at least 7 checkposts in the location with business establishments and hotels with civilian traffic.