LTTE blows up bus, three killed

By Nirupama Subramanian

COLOMBO, DEC. 6. Three persons were killed and 23 wounded when a bus they were travelling in was blasted by a claymore-mine on the Batticaloa- Colombo highway in eastern Sri Lanka today. A Defence Ministry statement said it was the handiwork of the LTTE.

The incident took place six km north of Batticaloa town. Two of the deceased were Tamil civilians, while the third was a police constable. Among the wounded were doctors posted at the Batticaloa General Hospital going back home on leave.

In northern Sri Lanka, the number of soldiers killed in an operation launched west of Chavakachcheri on Tuesday rose to 12, the Ministry said. The number of soldiers wounded was 36, which includes three officers.

Government troops were said to be consolidating in the territory that they claimed to have captured in an operation on Tuesday.

The area, approximately six sq km, was heavily mined and clearing operations were proceeding slowly, the Government said.

The operation, the first after the new People's Alliance Government was formed, came within days of the re- appointment of Mr. Anuruddha Ratwatte as the Deputy Minister for Defence.

The President, Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunga, who is away on a visit to the U.K., holds the main Defence portfolio. In her absence, the Prime Minister, Mr. Ratnasiri Wickramanayke, who declared that there will be no ceasefire with the Tigers, is the acting Defence Minister.

Sri Lankan newspapers are crowded with speculative stories about peace talks, some of them hinting that Ms. Kumaratunga's long stay abroad may be connected with the Norwegian initiative. Others suggest that talks may be held soon in a European capital. There was also speculation that a reshuffle in Sri Lanka's Foreign Ministry was connected to the peace moves.

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Section  : International
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