Douglas Devananda defeats dirty dozen

Social Services and Welfare Minister and EPDP Leader Douglas Devananda was lucky for the twelfth time after a female suicide bomber yesterday failed in an attempt to assassinate the Minister but killed his Public Relations (PR) Officer while injuring two more.

The attack was carried out by a handicapped female suicide bomber at the Isipathana Mawatha office of the Minister in Colombo 5 and came just a day after LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, in his annual heroes’ day speech, vowed to continue with the struggle for a separate state.

The Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) is meanwhile investigating links the suicide bomber may have had with two other LTTE suspects arrested at Waidya Road, Dehiwala on Monday. They had confessed to spying and also planning an attempt on Minister Devananda’s life.

According to the police the bomber had made her way to the Ministry last morning, identified herself at the gate as Vegawanam Sujandam from Vavuniya and sought a meeting with the Minister who was in the building at that time. She was reportedly unchecked and allowed to gain entrance.

The Minister’s Public Relations Officer Stephen Pieris who had been on duty at the office had requested the suspect to produce a mandatory letter from the EPDP office in Vavuniya to arrange the meeting with the Minister, at which point she triggered the bomb concealed in her bra.

The PR officer was killed in the blast while the Minister’s personal security officer, identified as Sridharan,was injured and admitted to the Colombo National Hospital.

Sub-Inspector Asoka of the Ministerial Security Division (MSD) was also injured and is receiving treatment, National Hospital Director Dr. Hector Weerasinghe said.

DIG Colombo Division Nimal Mediwaka said that five police teams have been deployed to investigate the incident and added that they managed to uncover some vital information within hours of the explosion.

Statements were also recorded from witnesses while a cordon and search operation was also conducted in the area with the use of sniffer dogs.

Recalling the assassination attempt from his hospital bed, Sub-inspector Asoka said “The time was around 8.15. Yesterday being the public day of Minister Devananda we were somewhat extra vigilant as there were a fair number of people who were waiting to meet the minister even by that time. We were expecting the arrival of the Minister.

Then I can remember Mr. Peiris talking to a woman who was clad in a red checked sari. The MSD refers visitors for body checks only after they are satisfied with the visitor’s bona fides to meet the minister. Probably unsatisfied with her answers, Mr. Peiris continued to further question the woman.

Then this woman exploded herself and I was thrown a few feet away. When I was lifted up by someone I saw I was bleeding profusely”.

Labour Relations Minister Mervyn Silva visited the scene of the explosion but media personnel who gathered at the Ministry were barred from the scene after keeping them for hours promising them that they would be taken in.

The Defence Ministry said that according to initial investigations the LTTE had set the explosives around the woman's breast, deviating from its usual tactic of placing explosives in the lower abdominal areas of suicide bombers.The Ministry recalled that Minister Devananda has been in the LTTE assassination list ever since he came into mainstream politics.

Those identified among the killed in Nugegoda
 
The following is the list of those identified among those killed in the Nugegoda blast:-

1) M B P S Kumara (Kohuwela Army Camp)
2) Nuwan (Mirihana Police)
3) Hettige Priyantha (Meegoda)
4) Vidanage Sanjaya Pushpakumara (Imaduwa)
5) Mohamed Rasindu (Wathupitiwala)
6) Mohamed Mohideen (Hemmathagama)
7) Dombagahawage Nadeeka (Dompe)
8) A T M Hewage (Beddagana)
9) Denipitiya Vidanage Keshini (Gampaha)
10) Vichithra Sirimalee
11) Kshanika Oshadhi (Kottawa)
12) Anjana Anushka (Navagamuwa)

Five more bodies are beyond recognition.