Colombo:
A senior Tamil minister and vocal critic of the LTTE was among at least 11 people killed on Sunday when a powerful blast triggered by suspected Tamil Tigers ripped through a ceremony marking the traditional New Year outside the Sri Lankan capital Colombo.
More that 50 others were also injured in the blast which occurred in the western district of Gampaha, about 25 km from Colombo, where Highways Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle had gone to attend the function, media reports here said.
The Defence Ministry blamed the LTTE for the attack. Fifty-five-year-old Fernandopulle, who was a member of Sri Lanka's failed peace talks with the Tamil Tigers, has become the second minister to have been assassinated this year.
D M Dassanayake, Minister for Nation Building, was killed in a bomb blast days after the government pulled out of a ceasefire with the Tamil Tigers.