S. Lankan blast not to hurt peace process
S. Lankan blast not to hurt peace process
By Rahul Sharma
COLOMBO (Reuters): A suspected Tamil Tiger bomb blast brought Sri Lanka's protracted ethnic war to the capital on Wednesday, but diplomats and analysts said it was unlikely to hurt long-term efforts to find a political solution.
The blast, tearing walls and windows from the twin-tower World Trade Center and damaging three top hotels and several other buildings, killed 15 people and wounded 110, including 34 foreigners.
President Chandrika Kumaratunga denounced the attack as the work of "inhuman terrorists" and the defense ministry blamed the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), who denied responsibility.
Kumaratunga, whose office was also damaged in the blast, said calm had returned to Colombo and "such acts will not undermine our commitment to peace".
The government is in the midst of introducing a draft constitution that would devolve more powers to regional councils in an attempt to meet partially LTTE demands for a separate homeland for minority Tamils.
Analysts said the attack was possibly a strong message from the LTTE that they cannot be left out of the government's efforts to end the war. The two sides are not speaking.
"The LTTE are not there presently in the larger picture. Peace is a bigger issue than this blast," said one diplomat.
"I hope this makes people realize that the LTTE should also be involved in the talks (peace process)," said political analyst Rohan Edrisinghe.
The rebels have been fighting since 1983 in a war which has killed more than 50,000 people, according to government estimates. The rebels put the death toll higher.
The diplomat said the attack seemed to be a signal from the rebels they were not averse to hitting civilian and economic targets.
"It seemed that the attack was aimed at the World Trade Center, which has been trumpeted as a sign of an economic rebound," the diplomat said.
Ketheswaran Loganathan, author of several books on Sri Lanka's ethnic conflict, said the attack could have been targeted to disabuse people of the government line that the war is limited to remote north and east of the country.
"The LTTE want their role to be recognized," he said. "It could also be an act of defiance after the U.S. action," he said referring to last week's decision by Washington to include the LTTE on its list of 30 "foreign terrorist organizations".
"It makes little difference to the peace process. Ultimately there are going to be talks," Loganathan said.
The LTTE had been giving constant messages to the government and the international community that they have the capacity to destabilize the country.
Previous suspected Tiger attacks in the capital include a bomb in front of the Central Bank in January last year which killed 100 people.
"It's just a way of the LTTE to remind (people) that they are in business. It won't derail the possibility of talks," he said. Another diplomat said the government was likely to become more determined to push through its political package, now stuck in a parliamentary select committee for want of consensus among major political parties, including the main opposition United National Party.
Bradman Weerakoon, adviser to two former Sri Lankan presidents, said the blast would bring pressure on the government to act.
"You have got to bite the bullet. It is a question of whether you cut at this point and talk to them or you carry on the military campaign against them," Weerakoon said.
The Minister for Ports and Rehabilitation, Mohammed Ashraff, said blasts in Colombo had become a routine event and would have little effect on the peace process.
"This time all citizens should get together, irrespective of religion or political parties, towards solving the ethnic conflict."
Kumaratunga said the attack had come "at a time when we have reached the final stage of finding a long-term solution to the country's ethnic crisis and end the war.
"I will like to declare with confidence that such acts will not undermine our commitment to peace."