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7 April 2008
AUSTRALIA CONDEMNS KILLING OF SRI LANKAN CABINET MINISTER
Australia condemns the suicide bombing near Colombo on 6 April which killed senior Sri Lankan Cabinet Minister, Mr Jeyaraj Fernandopulle, the Minister for Highways and Road Development and Chief Government Whip in the Parliament.
This senseless attack also killed at least fifteen others and injured more than 90 Sri Lankans who had gathered for the start of a marathon race to celebrate the coming Sinhala and Tamil New Year.
The Australian Government sends its most sincere condolences to Mr Fernandopulle’s family and to the families of all those killed and injured in this terrible attack.
Australia remains concerned about the escalation of violence in Sri Lanka and condemns terrorism in all its forms. The use of terrorist methods by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) is completely unacceptable.
Sri Lanka’s conflict cannot be resolved militarily. It is Australia’s firm view that a political settlement, developed in dialogue with all affected communities, is urgently needed to bring lasting peace to the country. Australia encourages the Sri Lankan Government and all parties involved to redouble their efforts to develop realistic proposals to support a political solution to the conflict.