11 DEAD IN A CLAYMORE MINE ATTACK IN FRONT OF EASTERN UNIVERSITY IN SRI LANKA

By Walter Jayawardhana

Suspected Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam rebels exploded a claymore mine killing eleven people in front of Sri Lanka’s Eastern University January 31 Wednesday at Vandaramulai, near Batticaloa in the troubled Eastern Province in Sri Lanka.

Defense Ministry said they detonated the mine targeting a bus carrying service personnel going home on leave. But civilians were also killed in the explosion.

The explosion happened at 11.35 in the morning . Although the LTTE has been militarily defeated at many places in the Eastern Province. pockets of rebels still exist in the thick jungles.
Among the dead were three army soldiers, six policemen, and two unidentified bodies thought to be civilians.

Thirteen other people who were injured were rushed to the Batticaloa Teaching Hospital.
Brigadier Prasad Samarasinghe , the Army spokesman said , "A Claymore (fragmentation mine) attack in front of the Eastern University in Batticaloa has blasted a bus carrying police personnel going on leave,"

The defense sources said terrorists of the LTTE had sprayed gun fire after the incident before fleeing. The Eastern University was reopened only on January 29 after being closed following the kidnapping of the Vice Chancellor Professor Ravindranath about one month ago