VZCZCXYZ0000
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHLM #0958 1581140
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 071140Z JUN 06
FM AMEMBASSY COLOMBO
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3607

UNCLAS COLOMBO 000958 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ASEC CASC CEPTER
SUBJECT: EAC MEETING 7 JUNE 2006 
 
 
¶1. (SBU)  Colombo EAC met June 7 to discuss the June 6 early 
morning claymore mine attack along the main road from Colombo 
to the airport north of town.  The latest information 
indicates the explosion occurred near the entrance to a Navy 
base (which processes new recruits) about five hundred meters 
off of the main road.  Sources indicate the intended target 
was a bus scheduled to leave the base carrying Naval 
personnel.  Instead, a civilian bus was blown up, with 
injuries to the driver and conductor (the only two on board). 
 It appears that the perpetrators of this remote-controlled 
attack made a mistake.  The civilian bus apparently was 
running late and thus appeared around the time the Navy bus 
was expected.  Moreover, the buses were of similar color and 
apparently easy to confuse in the dark. 
 
¶2. (SBU)  EAC members agreed that this attack bore 
similarities to the (date) LTTE bomb attack on Army Commander 
Fonseka in that both were targeted at specific military 
targets but with disregard for any collateral civilian 
casualties that might occur in the attack.  The EAC agreed 
that this attack,  just off the main road to the airport 
which Mission personnel travel on at all hours, reinforces 
the view that the LTTE continues to be willing to attack 
specific targets in the Colombo area.  While Americans are 
not being targeted, the possibility of a "wrong place, wrong 
time" scenario increases with each such attack. 
 
¶3. (SBU)  The EAC agreed that the consul will circulate a 
draft revision within the Mission to our consular information 
sheet which underlines that the LTTE continues to carry out 
attacks on specific targets in the Colombo area, thus 
creating a small but real possibility that Americans could be 
affected.  That draft, after internal consideration, will be 
forwarded to the Department.  The EAC considered whether 
transportation arrangements to the airport for USG personnel 
should be changed but decided that changes are not necessary 
at this time. 
 
¶4. (SBU)  The EAC also discussed the recent landmine incident 
in Wilpattu National Park in which six Sri Lankan tourists 
were killed.  The EAC decided that no actions were necessary 
since Americans are already advised not to travel to Wilpattu 
which lies in the area of Sri Lanka to which USG personnel 
require chief of mission authority to travel. The consular 
information sheet is being revised to include information 
about the Wilpattu incident, however. 
LUNSTEAD