posted July 05, 2000 08:38 AM            

This suicide bomb in January killed 10

At least 20 people have been injured in Sri Lanka, three of them seriously, by a bomb explosion at a court just outside the capital, Colombo.
The magistrate's court was in session in Gangodawila when the bomb went off at around 1000 local time (0400 GMT).

Several prisoners who had been brought to the court to hear their cases escaped in the confusion, police said.

Sri Lanka is on high alert as Tamil Tiger rebels mark so-called Black Tigers Day, the 13th anniversary of their first suicide bombing mission, carried out on 5 July 1987.

President Kumaratunga narrowly escaped death last year

Police have blamed the attack on gang rivalry in the criminal underworld.

The BBC's Alastair Lawson in Colombo says the incident has worried security officials, who say it demonstrates the threat posed by the underworld.

Up until now, only the Tamil Tigers were thought to be capable of such attacks.

Black Tigers day

The rebels' Black Tigers Day marks the occasion 13 years ago when a truck laden with explosives was driven into a Sri Lankan army camp, killing the driver and 39 soldiers.

Since then, a long list of senior Sri Lankan politicians and servicemen have been killed by suicide bombers.

Tamil Tigers have devastated the Sri Lankan political establishment.

President Chandrika Kumaratunga narrowly escaped death when a suicide bomber attacked an election rally she was addressing last year.

Only last month the Sri Lanka Industry Minister, CV Gooneratne, was killed in a suicide attack in Colombo.

Fighting

Meanwhile, Sri Lankan troops were said to be sweeping the area around Nagarkovil, in the northern Jaffna peninsula, after 23 rebels were killed during an offensive on Tuesday.

One officer and one soldier died in the clash while three officers and 34 soldiers were wounded, the government said.

It was the first major attack in more than a month, after a lull in fighting.

In April, the Tamil Tigers overran the strategic Elephant Pass military base - which lies at the entrance of the Jaffna peninsula - as part of an offensive to reclaim their former stronghold.

After initial setbacks, government forces appeared to have checked their advance.

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Click below for the background to Sri Lanka's long war

Key stories:
An unwinnable war?
Army on the ropes
Jaffna: Key to the North
Arming the Tigers
India's Sri Lankan scars
Sri Lanka's ethnic divide
Timeline of conflict

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See also:

04 Jul 00 | South Asia
US-Sri Lanka treaty awaits approval
05 Jun 00 | South Asia
Sea battle in Sri Lanka
07 Jun 00 | South Asia
Bomb kills Sri Lankan minister
01 Jun 00 | South Asia
New weapons boost Sri Lankan army
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