Bus Bombing Mars Anniversary of Sri Lanka
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Sri Lanka celebrated its 60th independence anniversary yesterday with a display of military might, but suspected rebels marred the holiday with their own show of power, killing 13 passengers in a bus bombing.
Tanks, jets, attack boats, and thousands of troops paraded through the capital, Colombo, to mark the holiday as the quarter-century-old civil war raged on in this Indian Ocean island nation. In a defiant speech, President Mahinda Rajapaksa railed against the Tamil Tigers and reiterated his vow to force the rebel group out of its northern stronghold and destroy it.
“Our defense forces have achieved victories that were never before seen. Terrorism is facing a defeat that it has never before faced,” he said.
