Cablegate: Sri Lanka: Suicide Bomber Kills 8 Outside of Civil

VZCZCXRO5951
PP RUEHBI
DE RUEHLM #1161 3641239
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 291239Z DEC 08
FM AMEMBASSY COLOMBO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9090
INFO RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA 1200
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 8199
RUEHKT/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU 6415
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 4619
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 2478
RUEHNY/AMEMBASSY OSLO 4574
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 3680
RUEHCG/AMCONSUL CHENNAI 8842
RUEHBI/AMCONSUL MUMBAI 6227
RUEHON/AMCONSUL TORONTO 0801
RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 3070
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS

UNCLAS COLOMBO 001161

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/INS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PTER ASEC CE
SUBJECT: SRI LANKA: SUICIDE BOMBER KILLS 8 OUTSIDE OF CIVIL
DEFENSE FORCE CAMP

1. (U) At about 8:45 a.m. on December 28, a presumed LTTE
suicide bomber killed himself, seven Civil Defense Force
(CDF) personnel and one civilian in an attack on a CDF office
in Wattala, a northern Colombo suburb. (Note: the Civil
Defense Force, formerly the Home Guards, are roughly
analagous to the National Guard in the U.S. End Note) At
least 17 others were injured in the bombing, some seriously.
According to Sri Lankan press reports, the attacker entered
the compound after visiting a weekly fair held at a nearby
church. CDF guards stopped him at a checkpoint, preventing
him from entering the office. The bomber then exploded his
suicide vest.

Nadesan Gives Intervew;
Previews More Attacks to Come
----------------------------

2. (SBU) The attack comes a week after LTTE Political Wing
Chief Nadesan conductd interviews with the BBC and Reuters.
Observers interpreted his statements to mean that the LTTE
would begin to switch from conventional to guerilla tactics,
attacking more "soft" targets in the South - such as military
checkpoints. Nadesan specifically mentioned economic targets
that would place pressure on the government as it struggles
under a growing level of debt.

3. (SBU) COMMENT: As the LTTE continues to lose territory in
the North we can expect to see a corresponding increase in
the number of attacks in the South. These attacks, as
Nadesan previewed, are intended to increase the economic and
other costs to the government of continuing its offensive in
the North.
Blake

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