Australian Senate condemns Anuradhapura suicide bomb attack

The Upper House of the Australian Parliament, the Senate has passed a Resolution condemning the LTTE suicide bomb attack in Anuradhapura on October 6 in which 28 people were killed, including the former Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Australia, retired Major General Janaka Perera and his wife, states a Foreign Ministry release.

The President of the Senate, Senator John Hogg has in a letter dated October 20 transmitted the text of the Resolution to the Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Australia, Senaka Walgampaya PC, which inter alia states as follows:

(a) Condemns the terrorist attack in the North of Sri Lanka on 6 October 2008, which killed 28 people and injured more than 80 people;

(b) Notes and expresses its sadness at the assassination in this attack of the former Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Australia, retired Major General Janaka Perera and his wife;

(c) Notes the significant contribution that Major General Perera made as Sri Lanka's High Commissioner to Australia;

(d) Expresses its condolences to retired Major General Perera's four children, three of whom live in Australia;

(e) Condemns all acts of terrorism and the use of child soldiers in the conflict.

Steve Hutchins, Senator for New South Wales and Chair of the Australia-Sri Lanka Parliamentary Friendship Group presented the notice of motion on October 13 which was agreed to by the Senate on October 16. The Senate Resolution clearly reflects the deep aversion of the Australian legislature to the brutal acts of terrorism committed by the LTTE in Sri Lanka.