SL: 6 policemen, one civilian killed in mine blast

Colombo, Jan 31: At least six police personnel and a civilian were killed and few more policemen wounded when the bus carrying them was hit by a powerful claymore mine by suspected Tamil Tiger rebels in the restive eastern Batticaloa town.

''The bus carrying policemen on leave from Batticaloa to Polonnaruwa was hit by a power claymore mine by the LTTE, killing six policemen opposite the Eastern University in Batticaloa shortly before noon today,'' Military Spokesman Brig Prasad Samarasinghe said.

He said some more policemen in the bus also sustained injuries due to the blast and were rushed to the nearby Batticaloa base hospital.

''The area is now cordoned and a search operation is underway,'' Brig Samarasinghe said, adding that the security arrangements have been further stepped up around the area following the blast.

The attack on the police bus has come exactly a couple of days after the Eastern University was reopened after a month-long closure, following the alleged abduction of its former Vice Chancellor, Prof S Raveendranath by unknown men in the capital city of Colombo in mid-December last year.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) made the decision to reopen the university after appointing Prof M Pathmanathan as acting Vice Chancellor and appealed to all the parties concerned to extend their co-operation for the smooth functioning of the university activities.

Prof Raveendranath is still missing despite repeated appeal made by his family members, academicians and well-wishers for his release on humanitarian grounds.

Meanwhile, Brig Samarasinghe said the LTTE, after being chased away from their former strongholds of Vakarai in the east, has now stepped up its attacks in the Jaffna and Wanni regions.

UNI