Jeyarajah Fernandopulle killed in bomb blast

Jeyaraj Fernandopulle killed in bomb blast

[TamilNet, Sunday, 06 April 2008, 03:14 GMT]

Sri Lanka's Minister of Highways & Road Development, Jeyaraj Fernandopulle, was killed in a bomb blast at the public playground in Weliweraya, located in the Gampaha district of Western Province, around 8:00 a.m. Sunday. 12 persons were killed and more than 50 wounded in the attack that took place while the minister was waving a flag to start off a marathon race in connection with the Tamil and Sinhala New Year celebrations.
Jeyaraj FernandopulleAn athletic coach attached to the sports ministry, Luxman de Alvis, former Sri Lankan cyclist champion Karunaratne, and a police officer were also killed in the blast, according to initial reports.
The 55-year-old minister, who is also the chief government whip of the Sri Lankan parliament, has been elected to Sri Lankan parliament for five consecutive terms.
3 days ago, Mr. Fernandopulle led the ruling UPFA delegation in Trincomalee to field candidates for the upcoming Eastern Provincial Elections in which he had curtailed the number of nominees of paramilitary-cum-political party TMVP, from five to two, for the Trincomalee district.
Jeyaraj Fernandopulle [R] with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa [L]He was a close associate of the Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa and played a key role in strengthening Sri Lanka's relationship with Iran since 2006, when he was the the minister of trade, commerce, consumer affairs and marketing development.
He was affluent in Sinhala, English and Tamil languages and functioned as a propaganda spokesman for the UPFA government.
Police claimed that the blast was caused by a suicide attacker, charging that the LTTE was behind the attack.

Update:

National Athletic coach and ace marathon runner also killed in the LTTE suicide attack on Sri Lanka Highway Minister Sunday, April 6, 2008, 6:17 GMT, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka Highway Minister and chief government whip Jeyaraj Fernandopulle and eleven others were killed in a suicide attack this morning at a
sporting event in Weliweriya, about 25 km north of capital Colombo.
National Athletic coach Lakshman De Alwis and Olympic marathon runner and national record holder K.A. Karunaratna were also among the killed. The Minister
was about to kick off a marathon when a suspected LTTE suicide bomber in the guise of a marathon runner blew himself up killing the Minister and at least eleven
other people. Over 90 people have been injured in the blast, the Defense Ministry said.
Minister Fernandopulle (55), a lawyer by profession entered into politics in 1970 as an election agent for a Sri Lanka Freedom Party candidate. He was elected to
the Parliament in 1984. He has held several ministerial portfolios during his tenure and served as the Minister of Highways and Road Development and also as the
chief government whip in the present administration. He is an outspoken critic of the LTTE terrorist organization.