Seven die in Sri Lanka train bombing

A bomb blamed on Tamil Tiger separatists ripped through a packed passenger train today killing seven people and wounding 70 others near the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo.

It was the second attack in four days targeting civilians. A bomb last Friday in the rebel stronghold of Kilinochchi killed 16 people.

The bomb exploded near the railroad station in Dehiwala, about six miles south of Colombo, said a military spokesman.

The blast blew off a part of the train compartment’s roof and shattered its windows.

The rebels have been blamed for scores of suicide bombings and other attacks on civilians.

Authorities have asked the public to remain vigilant in the wake of several bombings blamed on the rebels, including an attack at a Colombo bus station that killed 26 people last month.

On Saturday police defused two time bombs hidden on passenger buses during rush hour near Colombo.

The military spokesman said the rebels “are trying their level best to create problems in Colombo and suburbs” because of defeats they suffer at the hands of government troops.

“They (rebels) are desperate in the northern fronts and now attack civilians elsewhere,” he said.

Analysts say civilians outside the battlefield continue to be targeted with impunity.

“It’s a pattern that continues for a long time ... targeted killing of civilians outside the battle field. This is one of those instances,” said Jehan Perera of National Peace Council, an independent think tank.

Tamil Tigers blamed last week’s bomb blast on government forces – a charge the government denies.

The Tamil Tigers have fought since 1983 to create an independent homeland for ethnic minority Tamils, who have been marginalised by successive governments controlled by the majority Sinhalese. More than 70,000 people have been killed.

Fighting has escalated along the northern front lines since the government withdrew from a long-ignored cease-fire in January.

The government has pledged to capture the rebels’ de facto state in the north and crush them by the end of the year. But diplomats and other observers say the army is facing more resistance than expected.