COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - Shortly before Sri Lanka's president installed her new Cabinet, a suicide bomber blew himself up Thursday, killing two other people and wounding 21 - including three American women.
The military said the bomber was a Tamil Tiger rebel who hoped to attack members of President Chandrika Kumaratunga's Cabinet. The president campaigned for the Oct. 10 parliamentary elections on a promise to crush the Tamil rebellion.
''From now on you may see more and more rebel attacks in Colombo,'' Harry Goonetilleke, a former air force chief, said after the bombing.
The bomber triggered explosives wrapped to his body after a police patrol challenged him. He died immediately, while a policeman and a civilian died later, said Dr. Hector Weerasinghe, director of the National Hospital.
The wounded Americans were identified in hospital records as Pat Monteleone, Nansie Jubitz and Barbara Barker; Weerasinghe said they were out of danger. He said Barker suffered a chest wound, while the others suffered minor injuries.
Two of the women were volunteers for an American technical aid program, and the third was the wife of an official involved in the program. Hospital records did not show the women's hometowns, and the U.S. Embassy declined to give any details.
''We saw a soldier with a rifle pointing to the park ... and then two seconds later there was a massive explosion and we were all hurt,'' Jubitz told local television.
The bombing occurred near Colombo's main recreation park in an area with popular tourist shops and office complexes. It is about two miles from where the Cabinet was sworn in.
''The target of the bomber was Cabinet members, but our alert security officials foiled his plan,'' said military spokesman Brig. Sanath Karunaratne.
Kumaratunga, whose People's Alliance won the parliamentary elections, went ahead with the installation of her 43-member Cabinet despite the bombing.
Kumaratunga kept the important finance and defense portfolios to herself and appointed a former Tamil militant to her Cabinet for the first time.
Douglas Devananda, leader of the Eelam People's Democratic Party, was named rehabilitation minister for the north, where most of Sri Lanka's 3.2 million Tamils live. His party opposes the secession demanded by the rebels. More than 63,000 people have died in the 17 years of fighting.
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On the Net:
Rebel site: http://www.eelamweb.com
Government site: http://www.priu.gov.lk
