Sivadasan's vehicle enveloped in ball of fire

By a Staff Reporter

The vehicle in which the former EPDP Member of Parliament S. Sivadasan and the present Chairman of the Palmyrah Development Board travelled on Tuesday was enveloped in a ball of fire following an explosion at Dickman's Road around 2.45 p.m. It was a ghastly sight to witness plumes of smoke rising towards the sky.

Miraculously Chairman Sivadasan survived the attack although two persons including a child walking on the road and his security officer, and a Police Constable were not so fortunate. Both died following the explosion while nine persons including five pedestrians who sustained injuries were admitted to the Colombo National Hospital. Police said the attack bore the hallmarks of the LTTE considering the long feud between the LTTE and the EPDP members. However, Police with the assistance of people who gathered at the spot rescued Sivadasan, the two policemen and the driver and rushed them to the Colombo National Hospital.

This is not the first occasion where the LTTE cadres had ambushed EPDP members. Last month a senior member of the EPDP Sarvanamuthu Maha Kanapathipillai was gunned down near the Pullayar Kovil at IBC Lane Wellawatte presumably by two LTTE cadres who fled the scene on a moped.

Director, Colombo Crime Division, SSP Sarath Lugoda said following the assassination a massive cordon and search operation was conducted in the Wellawatte area with the assistance of the armed forces. Several suspicious persons were taken in for questioning, he said. As far as the bomb explosion at Dickman Road was concerned, police suspect that the magnetic bomb was placed under the petrol tank of the vehicle by some one at the Palmyrah Development Board.

According to police Sivadasan had left the Palmyrah Development Board office that day with his two security officers and a driver in his van and was proceeding to the office of Minister Douglas Devananda at Havelock Road to attend a meeting when the mishap took place.

Earlier the LTTE had made several attempts to assassinate Minister Douglas Devananda at his residence and whilst visiting the Kalutara prisons. A few years ago a female LTTE suicide cadre entered the office of Minister Douglas Devananda at Kollupitiya to blow herself up.

But the alert security officers at his ministry felt suspicious of her and did not allow her to enter the office. Subsequently a policeman arrested her and took her to the Kollupitiya police station where she blew herself up killing an Inspector of police, a Police Constable and injuring several others.