Government of Sri Lanka and the AI condemn Friday LTTE attack in Buttala

The Government of Sri Lanka and the Amnesty International express their condolence to the families of the bus attack victims who lost their lives in the terrorist attack at Buttala.
Issuing a statement Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayake said it is barbaric attack targeting civilians.
The Amnesty International condemned the targeting of civilians in the ongoing conflict in Sri Lanka and urged the concerned parties to abide by the international laws. In a news release, it listed a number of incidents, which has led to the deaths of innocent civilians in the recent past.
“These indiscriminate attacks are brutal. The victims are overwhelmingly people who are trying to go about their everyday lives; living in fear of attacks at any time, with the added untold suffering this brings to their relatives. The total disregard for the safety of civilians is completely indefensible,” it said.
The death toll in Friday's bus attack at Buttala increased to four.

The Defence Ministry blamed the LTTE for being behind the attack on the passanger bus on the Buttala-Kataragama in which 26 others were also injured. The attack took place around 10.15am Friday.

Among the dead are two women and a twelve year old child, Police said.

The CTB bus had been plying from Buttala to Kataragama when it came under gunfire near the 49th mile post.

The LTTE has carried out a series of attacks in the area since the beginning of this year. The biggest attack was on January 16 when 27 passengers were killed in a claymore mine attack in Buttala.