Sri Lanka blast hits bus, kills eight

A roadside bomb hit a civilian bus in northern Sri Lanka yesterday, killing eight people and injuring 25, the military said, blaming Tamil Tiger rebels.

The government later issued a warning that the Tigers could attempt to disrupt the Sinhala and Tamil New Year festivities next week and urged people to be vigilant.

Yesterday's blast struck the bus at around 7.30 a.m. in the northern district of Vavuniya. The military said it was caused by a claymore mine, a type of bomb designed to spray steel balls toward its target.

Seven civilians and one soldier on leave died.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, or LTTE, denied involvement in the second bus bombing in a week.

"It is part of series of incidents continuously happening over the past few weeks in the northeast," Tamil Tiger military spokesman Rasiah Ilanthiraiyan said.

"This is a programme of military intelligence people to tarnish the Tigers in the international forum."

On Monday, 16 people were killed in a bus bombing. The military blamed the rebels but the Tigers denied any involvement. Almost daily, land and sea clashes are taking place between the Tigers and the government in a two-decade civil war that has intensified over the past year.

In the wake of the bus attack, the government warned people to be cautious during the Sinhala and Tamil New Year celebrations next Thursday and Friday.

"The LTTE, in the face of imminent defeat in the north and east, has stepped up cowardly attacks against civilians," it said on its national security Website (www.nationalsecurity.lk).

"The government is requesting the general public to be cautious of suspicious persons or activities especially at crowded places, inside buses and trains during the upcoming festive season."

The Tigers want to create an independent state in the north and east for minority Tamil ethnic group.

More than 4,000 troops, civilians and rebels have been killed in the past 15 months alone. Human rights groups are calling for an international human rights monitoring mission to curb abuses blamed on both sides.