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Bomb blast hits bus near Colombo

  • Story Highlights
  • Police said they suspected Tamil Tiger rebels in the attack
  • Sri Lanka in turmoil, despite a Norwegian-brokered truce reached in 2002
  • In first six weeks of 2008, conflict has claimed more than 180 civilian lives
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COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (CNN) -- A bomb exploded inside a bus near Colombo, injuring at least two people Saturday, according to Sri Lankan police.

Police said they suspected Tamil Tiger rebels in the attack, which happened in Mount Lavinia, a suburb of the Sri Lankan capital.

Sri Lanka has been in turmoil for the past several years, despite a Norwegian-brokered truce reached in 2002. On January 16, the government formally withdrew from the cease-fire with the separatist group.

In the first six weeks of 2008, the conflict has claimed more than 180 civilian lives -- an average of 30 a week, International Committee of the Red Cross said in a report last week. Another 270 people were injured.

The casualties have come from a wave of attacks on buses, train stations and other public places that the government has blamed the Tamil Tiger rebels of carrying out.

The fighting in Sri Lanka pits government forces in a country dominated by the Sinhalese ethnic group against rebels from the Tamil minority. The rebels are fighting for the creation of an independent nation, citing discrimination by the Sinhalese. E-mail to a friend E-mail to a friend

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