Assassinations of two candidates running in Sri Lanka's upcoming parliamentary elections have terrified politicians across this country ravaged by a violent Tamil separatist movement. A Muslim candidate affiliated to the ruling People's Alliance party, Mohammed Baithullah, and 22 others around him were killed on Monday by a suicide bomber on a bicycle who rode into a rally in the island's northeast.
Police said that Baithullah had been warned he was a target of the Liberation Tigers Of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), who are fighting for independence in the northeast and regard their black tiger suicide cadres as their protective armour. Police say that the LTTE are getting desperate as their latest counter attacks in the northern peninsula of Jaffna were repulsed by government forces, and may have dispatched another 20 suicide bombers across the country ahead of October 10, elections.
“We could expect more attacks on this nature,” A police officer told AFP earlier this week. In the capital Colombo, the deputy police chief said he believed there were now a dozen of the black tigers in the city.

Last month on September 10, another politician, Cheliyan Perrimpanayakam of the People's Alliance (PA), and a key supporter were gunned down by suspected Tamil tiger rebels in the eastern district of Batticaloa.

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To counter the assassination threat, the government has imported some 20 bullet-proof cars for top politicians and banned rallies along major highways to curtail the threat of drive-by bombings and shootings.

Junior Defence Minister Anuruddha Ratwatte also tried to assure that everything possible would be done to step up security, but admitted the LTTE would try to target politicians who inevitably mingle with supporters and crowds. Several candidates have now pulled out of the elections after receiving death threats, while others have had harrowing escapes.
Muslim Congress leader MLA, M Hizbullah escaped assassination twice in two days, first when on Saturday suspected LTTE gunmen sprayed his bullet-proof car in Batticaloa, and then again two days later when attackers bombed a car in his convoy in the same region.
Hizbullah, who is also the deputy posts and telecommunications minister, was unhurt in both incidents, but two of his bodyguards were wounded, while a bystander was killed.
President Chandrika Kumaratunga herself was injured on December 18 last year when a female suicide bomber attacked one of her presidential campaign rallies. Bureau Report