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Lankan candidates warned of LTTE suicide bombers

The police said that there were reports about 47 LTTE suicide bombers having entered Colombo looking for targets during the election campaign.

The bombers plan to disrupt the election campaign, which has entered its last phase. Police said they arrested five tiger suspects planning an attack on Galle harbour.

On Monday evening, Sri Lanka Muslim Congress-backed PA candidate M L Baitullah was killed when an LTTE suicide bomber exploded himself at an election rally in Muttur in eastern Trincomalee, about 340 kms from Colombo.

Twenty-three others, including a police officer, were killed and 48 were injured in the blast, which occurred at about 1830 hours.

The slain PA candidate had been a former police officer.

Only a few hours earlier, deputy minister M Hizbullah, a SLMC candidate for Batticaloa district escaped unhurt but five of his security men were injured and one civilian was killed when the LTTE activated a Claymore mine fitted onto a cycle at Kalawanchikudi in Batticaloa.

Hizbullah had escaped the first attack on Saturday when the LTTE opened fire at his vehicle.

Meanwhile, the PA has charged that the LTTE was providing security to opposition United National Party leader Ranil Wickremesinghe and that Prabhakaran has given special instructions to tiger leaders to make all arrangements for the UNP campaign in the eastern province.

The media co-ordinating unit of the PA said during the last presidential election too, the UNP leader got the opportunity to tour the eastern province without any hindrance by the LTTE.

Ranil Wickremesinghe is due to participate in election meetings in several areas of eastern province from Wednesday.

Quoting intelligence sources, the PA said that an LTTE leader, Ramesh, had held a secret meeting with local LTTE leaders recently and instructed them to provide security to Ranil on his tour.

"It is no surprise that the LTTE, which is fighting the government forces and has killed Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim people, has come forward to organise and provide security to Ranil Wickremesinghe."

The PA has challenged Ranil to name the LTTE as a terrorist organisation and to make a public statement that the UNP has no connection whatsoever with the LTTE.

UNI

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