STATE OWNED INDEPENDENT TELEVISION NETWORK SAYS LTTE IS BEHIND THE LAHORE ATTACK OF SRI LANKA CRICKETERS

By  Walter Jayawardhana

Suspected gunmen firing in Lahore

The state owned Independent Television Network of Sri Lanka, the country’s premier television channel said in its night time news bulletin that the country’s separatist terrorists, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) who are currently engaged with the island nation’s security forces could be behind the attack on the Sri Lankan cricketers in Lahore.

Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, the cabinet spokesman said , “Since the LTTE is connected with all other terrorist groups in the world this could be their work with the assistance of another terrorist group.”

The attack has shocked the sports world since this is the first time sportsmen have been directly attacked since the Munich Olympic massacre of Israeli athletes by the Palestenian terrorists.

Yapa further said he wholeheartedly condemned the attack on the cricketers as a cowardly act by the terrorists.

During the morning hours of March 3 , CCTV cameras near the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore show that at least 12 gunmen who came in two vehicles attacked the coach carrying the Sri Lanka national team of cricketers who were arriving for a test match with AK-47 rifles, rocket launchers and grenades. Altogether 35 people were injured including six cricketers with a coach and killed five Pakistani policemen.

The country’s President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who was on a three day state visit to Nepal , despatched his foreign minister Rohitha Bogollagama to Pakistan to arrange for the immediate and safe return of the injured cricketers to Sri Lanka and cut short his visit to Nepal to return to Sri Lanka .

Minister Yapa said that the incident has certainly not harmed the close friendship with Pakistan . He thanked Pakistan for care it has shown for the cricketers.

In a separate statement issued from Kathmandu President Mahinda Rajapaksa condemned the act of terrorism on the Sri Lankan cricketers.

After arriving in Pakistan Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama said it is indeed a sad day for cricket. India ’s External affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee also issued a statement condemning the act.

The coach containing the Sri Lankan cricket team was ambushed when  the terrorists who came in two white coloured vans when the coach and the the other vehicles coming to the Gaddafi Stadium were slowing down at a round about. Eye witnesses said a rocket was fired at the coach  but it missed. A grenade thrown underneath the vehicle apparently exploded seconds after the coach went over the grenade. But the coach showed heavy damage by bullet marks of the AK-47 rifles which were constantly fired at it.

The Police was also able to discover a large haul of arms and ammunition from the vehicles in which the terrorists came.

Sri Lankan authorities said, none of the injuries received by the cricketers were life threatening.

Batsmen Tharanga Paranavitana and Thilan Samaraweera suffered gunshot wounds, according to the Sri Lankan Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Four more players — team captain Kumar Sangakkara, Ajantha Mendis, Suranga Lakmal, Thilina Thushara — and assistant coach Paul Fabrece were reportedly hurt by glass shrapnel.

The terrorists who came to attack the Sri Lankan team also had prepared other methods of attacking the Sri Lankan team. Pakistani security men defused one car bomb set to explode near the Liberty Square where the ambush took place and another at Firdus carpark close to the place. The two car bombs have been defused by the Police bomb disposal unit.  Grenades, three kilograms of explosives, a pistol and a one-metre detonating cable had been also recovered by the police from the same place.

The driver of the coach had driven the vehicle to safety in a rain of AK 47 bullets to save the cricketers.