State of emergency declared in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka

President Chandrika Kumaratunga has declared a nationwide state of emergency after the slaying of Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar. The military has taken up positions at major itersections in Colombo and is checking all vehicles entering and leaving the capital city.

According to the Sri Lankan Military, the rebel/terrorist organization Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) is the primary suspect in the assasination. I checked the LTTE's section in the U.S. Department of State's 2001 report "Patterns of Global Terrorism" and this assassination has all the trademarks of an LTTE operation: "The Tigers have integregarted a battefeild insurgent strategy with a terrorist program that targets not only key personnell in the countryside but also senior Sri Lankan political and military leaders in Colombo and other urban areas...political assassinations and bombings are commonplace."

This murder will almost certainly end the ceasefire between the LTTE and the government, and I think the LTTE wanted it that way. To me, this whole situation just goes to show that terrorists are never really satisfied with peace.

"This senseless murder was a vicious act of terror, which the United States strongly condemns. Those responsible must be brought to justice."
- U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice