Sri Lanka mourns

By Nirupama Subramaniam

COLOMBO, JUNE 9. As Sri Lanka mourned the killings of the Industrial Development Minister, Mr. C.V. Gooneratne, his wife and 20 others by a Tamil Tiger suicide bomber, investigators claimed a breakthrough in the case after scores of arrests from around the site of the attack.

Of those who were picked up for questioning in connection with the attack, five persons were handed over to the Terrorist Investigation Department for further enquiries. A few Tamil students were being held at a police station near the site of the attack, while the rest have been released.

The funeral ceremonies of Mr. Gooneratne and his wife are to be held tomorrow. The Minister is to be accorded a state funeral.

The situation in the areas around Ratmalana, the site of the attack, that was tense in the hours following the attack, is reported to have returned to normal.

Meanwhile, the state-owned radio, Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation, said security forces in Trincomalee seized a huge cache of explosives from near a refugee camp. The explosives included a time bomb.

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Section  : International
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