10 years after death of LTTE, peace shattered in Sri Lanka again

Colombo, Apr 21: Peace was shattered in Sri Lanka after a number of explosions ripped through Colombo, killing several people.

This is the first major incident in the country, which had enjoyed peace for a long time after it had witnessed a bloody civil war.

The last major incident in the country was reported in 2006. The attack was carried out by the LTTE and the incident was known as the Digampathana bombing. The LTTE had used a bomb laden truck and rammed it against a convoy of 15 military buses. The incident claimed the lives of 120 sailors.

After a brief period of negotiations, the LTTE pulled out of the peace talks. There was sporadic violence in the country until April 25 2006. The LTTE tried to assassinate the then Sri Lankan Army Commander, following which it was proscribed as a terrorist organisation.

The Sri Lankan army then went on an offensive and even asked the outfit to surrender. As of 8 January 2009, the LTTE abandoned its positions on the Jaffna peninsula to make a last stand in the jungles of Mullaitivu, their last main base. On 25 January 2009, SLA troops "completely captured" Mullaitivu town, the last major LTTE stronghold.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa declared military victory over the Tamil Tigers on 16 May 2009, after 26 years of conflict. The rebels offered to lay down their weapons in return for a guarantee of safety.

On 17 May 2009, LTTE's head of the Department of International Relations, Selvarasa Pathmanathan conceded defeat, saying in an email statement, "this battle has reached its bitter end".