Michael Roberts
Colombo in the 1990s was a rather different world from the city today because its heartland centred around the Fort with its venerable shops (Cargills, Millers) leading mercantile offices, three premier hotels and the huge Central Bank building looming on the horizon. The expansion and transformation of the Port of Colombo and many other developments have transformed the city since then and the ‘weight of the Fort’ has diminished considerably since then.
The LTTE’s use of a bomb-laden truck to smash into the Front of the Central Bank Building on 31st January 1996 displayed its acumen as much as its heartlessness and single-minded devotion to its goal of Eelam. The truck-bomb was driven by a maaveerar-to-be, who was also supported by two or three gun-toting assailants using a three-wheeler.
This event was immediately deemed an act of terrorism in the world e headlines. Its import is immediately evoked by the recent headlines surrounding the recent attach on the Crocus Concert Hall in the heart of Moscow by assailants deemed – initially – to be Islamic jihadists from some part of central Asia such as Tajikistan (a reading now under question).**
The impact and ramifications of the truc-bomb assault were catastrophic and cannot be easily depicted in words. So, pictures mut come to our aid as evocative ‘readings’ of the situation before dwelling upon accounts by witnesses and survivors.
THAT, then, is the purpose of this essay: to remind Sri Lankans (and others) of the catastrophic impact and ramifications of this wartime atrocity.
The Wikipedia account says that “the blast killed at least 91 people and injured 1400 others.”** But also adds that “at least 100 people lost their eyesight.” Needless to say, the swirling reverberations of this event within Sri Lankan society were widespread and deep.
My task here is to provide graphic pictures of the scenario moment after the blast and killings. These ‘shots’ should evoke the lines from a haunting ballad from Simon and Garfunkle: “When will we ever learn, Longtime passing ……”
END NOTES
The blast killed at least 91 people and injured 1,400 others.[2][3] At least 100 people lost their eyesight
*** In the Moscow assault, 143 people are said to have died, while 360 were injured.
SOME REFERENCES
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colombo_Central_Bank_bombing
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crocus_City_Hall_attack
The Crocus Terrorist Attack: Steven Seagal, the Australian Embassy, the Perpetrators and Victim
