Ominous signs

Suicide jackets and devastating explosions:

The ominous signs were quite visible last week with the discovery of two suicide jackets packed with deadly C4 type explosives discovered at Wattala and at Arduruppuweediya Colombo. The timely discovery of the suicide jackets averted a major calamity in Colombo, police said.

The first suicide jacket was found in a toilet pit at Panahewatte at Arduruppuweediya Colombo by a joint army -police patrol. Some persons transporting the suicide jacket elsewhere may have dumped it in a toilet pit on seeing a joint army-police patrol, police said.

A few days later a person carrying a suicide jacket laden with C4 powerful explosives was arrested on a tip off by a joint army-police patrol at Mabola Wattala. Police who grilled the suspect recovered the second suicide jacket, five bombs, five detonators, remote control devices and appliances used for triggering explosions. The explosives were hidden in a shrub jungle.

Then came the large haul of C4 explosives detected at the Tekkawatte checkpoint on February 2. Nearly six kilograms of explosives concealed in a pair of slippers, and in a hydraulic jack and in a wooden log were discovered by the police.

The lorry belonging to the Health Department was bound to Colombo just two days prior to the Independence day celebrations. Subsequent investigations revealed that the consignment of explosives were to be handed over to a person in Colombo.

Following the discovery, the lorry driver, a cleaner and a Public Health Inspector travelling in the lorry were taken into custody. According to police sources the explosives were being transported to Colombo to stage attacks in Colombo.

The discovery of the suicide jackets and the six kilos of C4 explosives during the week cast an ominous pall on events that were to be followed later. It was as if a violent storm was about to unleash in the country after a lull in terrorist attacks. Only sporadic attacks were reported from the South till then.

Then like a thunder ball from the blue a devastating explosion took place at the Dambulla bus stand killing 18 persons and injuring more than 84 persons. According to Senior DIG N. Illangakoon two persons who boarded the private bus at Matale were suspected of planting the powerful bomb.

However before the bomb exploded the two men stealthily got off the bus at Naulla and walked away. Nobody in the bus had thought they were carrying explosives. Sixteen women on their way to attend a Buddhist religious ceremony at the Sri Maha Bodiya Anuradhapura died in the explosion along with two males.

The carnage did not stop at that and the attacks continued unabated. A day before the 60th Independence was celebrated in Colombo, a woman LTTE suicide cadre blew herself up inside the Fort Railway station killing 14 persons and causing severe injuries to 92 persons. The most horrifying thing was when seven young students of the D.S. Senanayake Vidyalaya became victims of the blast.

They were students following GCE Ordinary and Advance Level classes. All of them were baseball players returning to Colombo after participating in several matches in Kandy. Their baseball coach who accompanied them too was killed. Another student who was critically injured was being treated at the hospital.

The dead students of the D.S. Senanayake Vidyalaya were Supun Halalla, Eranga Chathuranga, Rajaratnam Radeeswaran, Thivanka Tissera, Denuth Priyashanka, Kolitha Wasamudalige, Vimukthi Sajan, and Malinda Arumadura (Coach). Others who died in the explosion were a police sergeant and an employee of the railway department.

Meanwhile police have found the national identity card of the suspected woman suicide cadre at the Fort Railway station. They are conducting further investigations to ascertain whether she was a resident of Vavuniya.

Just as the dust began to settle after two major explosions at Dambulla and at the Fort Railway station, another claymore mine ripped through a passenger bus plying from Parakramapura to Janakapura Killing 17 and injuring more than 17 passengers on Independence Day.

The explosion occurred around 3.40. p.m. at Welioya -Athawetunuweva at the Kobbekaduwa junction. Most of the injured were admitted to the Anuradhapura hospital. Of the persons killed in the explosion were three children, two females, ten males and five soldiers.

The claymore mine hidden in a lonely stretch of the road had exploded just as the bus reached the spot. Police said the terrorists had used a remote control devise to explode the claymore bomb. Soon after the explosion the injured were admitted to the Padaviya hospital and were later transferred to the Anuradhapura hospital.

The Police Media Spokesman Senior DIG N. Illagakoon addressing a Media Conference recently said the LTTE terrorists were trying to jeopardise military operations in the north by staging attacks in the south so that the troops would be withdrawn from the North.

He appealed to people to be cautious about terrorists and to keep away from a place when a suspected parcel or a bomb was found. It was their duty to inform the police or the army as quickly as possible when a suspected object was found, he said.