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U.S., Italian ambassadors 'slightly injured' in mortar attack in Sri Lanka
Associated Press,
Tue February 27, 2007 03:51 EST .
DILIP GANGULY - Associated Press Writer - COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - (AP) The U.S. and Italian ambassadors to Sri Lanka - were slightly injured when their helicopters were targeted by mortars fired by Tamil rebels Tuesday, officials said. The helicopter used by U.S. Ambassador Robert Blake and his Italian counterpart, Pio Mariani, had just landed in Batticaloa district when several mortars landed close to the aircraft, said Sri Lankan government minister Mahinda Samarasinghe, who accompanied them. ``Both the ambassadors are fine and they have suffered slight injuries,'' Samarasinghe said. A small piece of shrapnel was removed from Mariani's head and he was later discharged, said Dr. K. Muruganandan of Batticaloa's government hospital. The Tamil Tigers admitted firing the mortars, but blamed the Sri Lankan military. ``I express our regret at this unfortunate incident,'' Rasiah Ilanthirayan, the spokesman for the Tamil Tiger rebels, said from the insurgent headquarters in Kilinochchi. He said the Sri Lankan army has used the same landing area to launch attacks on Tamil targets, and rebel fighters attacked the helicopters fearing further military assaults. ``Even this morning they had used the place to launch artillery fire at us,'' he said. ``Our people were not informed of the diplomatic movement ... This is a criminal negligence on the part of the Sri Lankan military.'' The two ambassadors, accompanied by their staff and Sri Lankan officials, had traveled Tuesday morning to Batticaloa aboard the helicopters to attend a meeting about the development of the area, a hotbed of separatist violence. Samarasinghe's press officer, Lal Sarath Kumara, who was in the first helicopter to land, said the attack started shortly after his aircraft touched down in a deserted playground and its occupants disembarked. ``We escaped narrowly,'' Kumara said, adding everyone initially hit the ground after the attack began before taking cover. ``Everyone ran in various directions. There was huge chaos there and all the people were in fear. People were screaming and running.'' Kumara said he believed at least six shells hit the area. The U.S. Embassy in a statement said Ambassador Blake was ``all right,'' without providing further details. Japanese Ambassador Kiyoshi Araki, who was with the ambassadors in the second helicopter, was unhurt, a Japanese Foreign Ministry statement from Tokyo said. Seven Sri Lankan security personnel on the ground were wounded, said Lt. Col. Upali Rajapakse, a senior officer the Defense Ministry's information section. Associated Press Writer Bharatha Mallawarachi and Krishan Francis contributed to the report.
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