A Claymore blast which followed President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s Independence Day statement to “liberate” the North claimed 6 civilian lives in Colombo1. In his Independence Day speech, President Rajapaksa asserted that terrorism from the East had been cleared and that poverty and terrorism were the two main challenges confronting the state2. The prospects of elections in the East suffered another setback when the main opposition party - the United National Party decided not to contest due to the conflict prone environment3. Heavy casualties were also being reported with the Defence Ministry claiming that 39 cadres of the LTTE had been killed4.

In other developments, Mahinda Samarasinghe, Minister of Disaster Management and Human Rights issued a statement stating that Human Rights Council in Geneva had not reported any incidents of human rights violations in the country and that Sri Lanka now stood clear of any rights violations charged against it5.

• 1. “12 civilians die, 17 injured in Sri Lanka bus blast,” The Hindu, February 5, 2008, at: http://www.hindu.com/2008/02/05/stories/2008020559601500.htm
• 2. “Sri Lanka President says eradicating terrorism and poverty the main challenge,” Colombo Page, February 4, 2008, at http://www.colombopage.com/archive_08/February410124CH.html
• 3. .

  The Sri Lankan Air Force continued to bomb key targets of the LTTE in the North“LTTE targets ‘destroyed,”” The Hindu, February 6, 2008, at http://www.hindu.com/2008/02/06/stories/2008020652771700.htm

• 4. “Claims of heavy casualties in Sri Lanka,” The Hindu, February 9, 2008, at http://www.hindu.com/2008/02/09/stories/2008020959931800.htm
• 5. “Sri Lanka cleared of all bogus HR violations- Human Rights Minister,” Colombo Page, February 7, 2008, at http://www.colombopage.com/archive_08/February7130019JR.html