Sri Lanka's military says suicide blast in capital kills 6 policemen, wounds 50 people

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By BHARATHA MALLAWARACHI

Associated Press Writer

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) -- A bomb blast blamed on Tamil Tiger rebels killed six policemen and wounded 50 people, including civilians, in Sri Lanka's capital Colombo Friday, the military said.

Military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara said a suicide bomber on a motorbike triggered the bomb as he rode by a bus carrying policemen on a busy street in Colombo.

The bomber rammed into the bus, he said, blaming separatist Tamil rebels.

He said the blast killed six policemen and wounded 50 people, including civilians on the either side of the street.

Rebel spokesman Rasiah Ilanthirayan did not answer calls from The Associated Press for comment, but the Tamil Tigers routinely deny responsibility for such attacks. The group, blamed for more than 240 suicide attacks, is listed as a terror organization by the United States and European Union.

The Tamil Tigers have fought since 1983 to create an independent homeland for minority Tamils who have been marginalized by successive governments controlled by majority Sinhalese. More than 70,000 people have been killed.