Assassination of Gamini Dissanayake

Assassination of Gamini Dissanayake
Location	Colombo, Sri Lanka
Date	24 October 1994 12:10 AM (SLST)
Target	Gamini Dissanayake
Attack type	Suicide bombing
Weapon	Explosives strapped to perpetrator's body
Deaths	52 including Dissanayake
Injured	200+ (75 critically)
Victims	Gamini Dissanayake Dr. Gamini Wijesekera[a] MP G. M. Premachandra[b] MP Weerasinghe Mallimarachchi MP Ossie Abeygunasekera Christie Perera[c]
Perpetrator	Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (suspected)

On 24 October 1994, Sri Lankan parliamentarian Gamini Dissanayake was assassinated by a suicide bomber sent by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. Dissanayake was Leader of the Opposition in parliament, and the United National Party's nominee for that year's presidential election. The explosion, set off at a late-night campaign rally in northern Colombo, killed a total of 52 and injured more than 200, with 75 sustaining serious injuries.^[1] Among the dead were several other key members of Dissanayake's party.

The assassination came just two and a half weeks before the election,^[2] in which Dissanayake was one of two top contenders. Dissanayake's sudden assassination threw both the party and election into turmoil. The party ultimately decided to nominate Dissanyake's wife, Srima Dissanayake, who garnered only 35.91% of the votes and was defeated in a landslide victory for opponent Chandrika Kumaratunga.

The Sri Lankan government was in the middle of negotiating a ceasefire with the LTTE. Peace talks had previously occurred on 12-14 October 1994. Further peace talks planned for later that day in rebel-stronghold Jaffna were called off by President D. B. Wijetunga following the attack on Dissanayake.^[2]

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