Full text of Anandasangaree’s statement: "I strongly condemn the explosion in a CTB bus at Piliyandala, which claimed the lives of 25 innocent civilians and left over 60 others seriously injured. This is undoubtedly another savage act by the blood thirsty LTTE. Is it with these barbarians that the International Community wants the Government to start talks with? In all seriousness, I wish to pose a question to the International Community as to what it intends to do with the people who had fled their traditional places of residence for fear of the LTTE and are living with the Sinhalese and the Muslims peacefully in the South. Also I wish to know is the fate of the those in the Eastern Province and those who fled the country fearing the LTTE but want to return when peace is restored. Above all, no one has bothered so far to find out the views of those who are living in the areas under the control of the LTTE.

The LTTE is fighting a war with the Government. They take pride in sending the bodies of a few Sinhalese Soldiers through the ICRC to the South everyday and receive with pleasure bodies of their dead cadre from the ICRC daily. The soldiers are fighting in defence of the country and the LTTE cadres, thoroughly brain washed, are fighting in defence of their leader’s pride. But why should innocent civilians die for no fault of theirs? Isn’t the LTTE trying to provoke a backlash to further its interests? The Sinhalese are now much wiser and they don’t fall for such tactics. Certain highly educated persons should learn their lessons from the ordinary civilians in this regard. The government also deserves credit for keeping the country free from trouble despite LTTEprovocations.

I want peace in this country and protection for everybody. Unfortunately, now the people need protection only from the LTTE. Let those who are reluctant to condemn killings of this nature that keep the people in constant fear and tension, put themselves in the shoes of the victims and realise the pain they and their kith and kin undergo.

I am glad that the police had been able to detect a claymore mine in Colombo, acting on a tip off, about two and a half hours before the Piliyandala tragedy. Every one of us has a duty to pass on any information we get about terror attacks, promptly to the authorities.