Attempted assassination of Chandrika Kumaratunga
| Attempted assassination of Chandrika Kumaratunga | |
|---|---|
| Location | Colombo, Sri Lanka |
| Date | December 18, 1999 |
Attack type | Suicide bombing |
| Deaths | 34 |
| Injured | 105+ |
| Perpetrators | Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam |
| Convicted | Velayutham Varatharajah Chandra Ragupathy |
| Verdict | 30 years in prison (served 22 years; pardoned by President Ranil Wickremesinghe) |
| Charges | 110 charges including aiding and abetting in murder of president, conspiracy, and terrorist attack |
| Judge | High Court Judge Padmini Ranawaka Gunathilake |
On December 18, 1999, the 5th President of Sri Lanka, Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, was wounded in a coordinated bomb blast that was attempting to take her life. Kumaratunga had been president for one-term, and was campaigning for her second term in office in the 1999 presidential election. Upon leaving her final election rally at Town Hall in the country's capital of Colombo, she was caught in an explosive attack planned by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
Kumaratunga survived, but was injured, permanently losing vision in her right eye due to optic nerve damage. 34 others were killed in the blast, with an additional 105+ who were injured. In the days following the attack, Kumaratunga won the election, defeating Ranil Wickremesinghe. Just a few short days after the attack, on December 22, 1999, she was sworn in for her second term in office.