Woman suicide bomber blows herself up outside Lankan Ministers office, one dead, two injured

A female suicide bomber has killed one person and injured two others in an attack in Colombo.

Colombo, Nov.28 : A female suicide bomber has killed one person and injured two others in an attack in Colombo.

The woman, who died in the blast, was stopped from entering the offices of Welfare Minister Douglas Devananda, and blew herself up outside.

Devananda was unhurt, but his personal secretary was grievously injured and died in hospital later. Of the two injured, one is said to be in critical condition.

Officials said that the Tamil Tigers is responsible for the attack.

Devananda is the leader of the Eelam People's Democratic Party, which is seen as a rival to the LTTE.

"It was a suicide mission by the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam)," said an elite police officer.

Officials said the bomber was disabled, and mingled with crowds outside the government building before detonating her device.

Wednesday's attack was apparently in retaliation to a Sri Lankan Army attack in the north of the country, in which the LTTE claimed that at least 11, including schoolchildren were killed. The army, however, has denied responsibility.

Nine others died when the Tigers' radio station was bombed by the Sri Lankan Air Force, the rebels said.

In a broadcast speech on Heroes Day, LTTE chief V.Prabhakaran said it was naivety to believe peace was possible with any of the parties in the Sinhalese-dominated south of the country.

He described the government as "genocidal" and said the international community should stop propping it up with economic and military aid.

"Those who plan to destroy the Tamil nation will in the end be forced to face their own destruction," he said.

Since his last address the Tigers have been driven from the east of the country and are under pressure in areas of the north that they still control.

A Norwegian-brokered ceasefire in 2002 broke down two years ago, resulting in renewed fighting that has killed more than 5,000 people.

At least 70,000 people have died since the war began in 1983.

ANI