Lakshman Kadirgamar was shot in the head and died at the hospital. Two suspects have been arrested. Anonymous Sri Lankan officials have been quoted blaming Tamil seperatists. Sri Lankan President Lakshman Kadirgamar has imposed a state of emergency. Condi has expressed her dismay.
Another stunning success for Dubya's WOT, eh?
More after the flip....
From
Science Daily:
Kadirgamar foreign minister assassinated
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Aug. 12 (UPI) -- Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga has imposed a state of emergency following the assassination Friday of Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar.
A senior police officer blamed the separatist Tamil Tigers for the assassination in the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo, the BBC reported.
The Tamil Tigers have been observing a ceasefire since 2002.
A spokesman for Kumaratunga said the state of emergency was intended to facilitate "the free deployment of emergency troops."
From a "breaking" Reuters story:
Kadirgamar assassination: Lankan police arrest two
Saturday August 13 2005 07:00 IST
Reuters
COLOMBO: Sri Lankan police have arrested two people in connection with the assassination of the island's foreign minister, police sources said on Saturday.
Lakshman Kadirgamar died in the early hours of Saturday after being shot near his Colombo home, in an attack the police said they suspected was the work of Tamil Tiger rebels.
From Pakistan's Daily Times:
Tigers renew war fears in Sri Lanka
COLOMBO: Tamil Tiger rebels have warned that the Sri Lankan government risks a return to war because of its backing of factional paramilitaries in rebel-controlled areas, a pro-rebel website said on Friday.
The rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) chief peace negotiator Anton Balasingham told the Tamilnet.com website that the government was covertly supporting a "dirty war of attrition" against them. "It is deeply disappointing to note that President (Chandrika) Kumaratunga’s government... has allowed its armed forces to support and sustain a shadow war of the Tamil paramilitaries in grave violation of the truce agreement that could rekindle the civil war," Balasingham said.
The article goes on to say that 2 LTTE members had been killed two days ago by "breakaway rebels." Over 60,000 people died between 1972 and 2002 when a ceasefire was arranged.
From a Reuters.UK article:
...A cease-fire deal was struck in 2002, and monitors, peace envoys and analysts say it should hold because neither side wants to resume a full-blown conflict. But high-profile killings raise the risk of an escalation in tensions and violence.
Police sources said they suspected a sniper shot Kadirgamar, an ethnic Tamil high on the rebels' hit list, from an open window in a house opposite his residence on Friday. Two people had been arrested over the killing, said the sources.
Police blamed the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) group, which fought for two decades for a separate homeland for ethnic Tamils in the island's north and east.
"It's the Tigers," Inspector General of Police Chandra Fernando told Reuters on Saturday. "We suspect it's them."
Government officials declined to say who was behind the shooting. The Tigers, who waged their guerrilla war because of what they said was discrimination by the majority Sinhalese, were not immediately available for comment.
And from the WaPo:
Rice Condemns Sri Lankan Minister's Death
The Associated Press
Friday, August 12, 2005; 7:40 PM
WASHINGTON -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice condemned the assassination of Sri Lanka's foreign minister as a "senseless murder and vicious act of terror" and urged Sri Lankans not to let it lead to resumed civil war.
From the same article, Preznit Dumbass' mouthpiece had this to say:
In Crawford, Texas, where President Bush is vacationing, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said, "We condemn this outrageous and barbaric act" and offered condolences to the Sri Lanka government and Kadirgamar's family.
Rice, who said she last saw Kadirgamar in June, said she was shocked and saddened by his death. "This senseless murder was a vicious act of terror, which the United States strongly condemns," she said in a statement. "Those responsible must be brought to justice."
She said her Sri Lankan colleague "was a man of dignity, honor and integrity, who devoted his life to bringing peace to Sri Lanka. Together, we must honor his memory by rededicating ourselves to peace and ensuring that the cease-fire remains in force."
I now return you to your regularly scheduled program.