15 June 2006

United States Condemns Terrorist Attack on Sri Lankan Bus

Bombing kills 60 people, including 15 schoolchildren

By David Shelby
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington – The United States condemned a June 15 terrorist attack on a passenger bus in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, that killed 60 people, including 15 schoolchildren.

“This vicious attack bears all the hallmarks of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam,” said State Department spokesman Sean McCormack in a written statement.  “It is a clear violation of the Ceasefire Agreement that the Tamil Tigers claim to uphold.”

The attack comes one week after the collapse of peace talks in Norway, where Tamil Tiger representatives refused to meet face-to-face with Sri Lankan government officials.  It is the deadliest attack since a four-year-old ceasefire agreement between the government and the Tamil Tigers began to unravel in December 2005.

In his statement, McCormack called for “an end to the violence that is causing so much suffering for the people of Sri Lanka and resumption of negotiations to bring peace to the country.”  He said, “The Tamil Tigers must renounce terror and enter into direct negotiations with the Sri Lankan government.”

The full text of the statement is available on the State Department Web site.

For additional information on U.S. policy in the region, see South and Central Asia.

(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)