The passenger bus caught in a bomb blast 16 year ago, today
June 15, 2022Sixteen years ago today (June 15, 2006), 64 innocent Sri Lankan civilians were killed while more than 70 civilians were injured in a bomb blast. Two concealed claymore mines targeting a state-run bus killed these innocent civilians that included 15 children. This incident is etched in the country’s annals as a dark Thursday (June 15) for all Sri Lankans saw the brutality of the attack. The entire nation recalls this dastardly act of violence yearly owing to the magnitude of the attack on innocent civilians including men, women and children.
The brutal LTTE bomb mounted on the wayside exploded at the Thalgaswewa area targeting a state-run passenger bus that was plying to Kebithigollewa carrying over 160 passengers that day. Shock waves were spread around the country seeing the lifeless faces of the infants after the incident.
It was a cold hearted attack executed by the ruthless LTTE against an innocent rural community since the signing of 2002 Ceasefire Agreement between the government and the LTTE.
The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission also claimed that the LTTE or their supporters had carried out the cruel attack.
An LTTE suspect associated with the bomb attack was nabbed by a special police team on Feb 02, 2010 and according to the suspect’s statement eight LTTE cadres were involved in the bomb attack.
On Oct 24, 2013, the former LTTE member, the suspect of the attack was sentenced to five years in prison by the Anuradhapura High Court after he entered a guilty plea.
