LTTE's true nature revealed - President, PM

President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday unequivocally condemned Wednesday's twin LTTE bombings in Narahenpita and Nugegoda.

"The suicide killer attack targeting the Minister of Social Services and Social Welfare Douglas Devananda and the attack at the Nugegoda junction clearly targeting innocent civilians, calls for the greater attention of the international community to these attacks that demonstrate the true nature and unchanging ways of terrorists and terrorism," President Rajapaksa said in a statement.

The President conveyed his deepest sympathies to the families of the persons who were killed in the two bomb attacks carried out in Colombo by LTTE terrorists targeting innocent civilians and wished a speedy recovery to those injured.

Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake also vehemently condemned the two attacks. "It is quite clear that the LTTE terrorists who have been defeated by Security Forces in the North and East are trying to create chaos to disrupt activities in the South. It appears that the strength of Prabhakaran has declined further with the death of Thamilchelvam.

The heartless and barbaric LTTE terrorists are blood thirsty," the Prime Minister said. He said: "They attempt to kill the Tamil leaders like Douglas Devananda as he does not advocate terrorism.

It is with the intention of disrupting the activities in the South they set bombs to kill people whether they are Sinhala, Muslim or Tamil.

At a critical time like this we must be very thoughtful. I request the people of my country not to be disturbed by incidents of this nature and to be peaceful.

I further appeal you to assist the Security Forces and get together to defeat the objective of Prabhakaran.

Our Government is trying its best to eradicate terrorism and the war heroes in the battle field are fighting relentlessly and successfully sacrificing their lives to save the country. This should be kept in mind by all of us. It is the sole duty of ours to promote their morale to achieve this end.

We may have political differences. I believe that the obligation and responsibility of all the responsible parties is to forget all these differences and get together to save the country when it is undergoing a critical moment.

I wish to appeal all the responsible politicians to forget the differences whatever they are and unite for the sake of the country when there is a conspiracy against the country from foreign as well as local elements. There should be a country to do politics.

The necessity of the day is not to fight for power betraying the people to Prabhakaran. We must keep in mind as to whether we would become a state subject to the influence of the world communities or take the leadership to protect the independence of the Motherland."