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The Stanley Road bombing was a suicide bombing carried out by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) during the separatist civil war in Sri Lanka between the government and the Tamil Tigers.

Nimal Siripala de Silva, Minister of Housing, Construction and Public Utilities, who was the Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Northern Rehabilitation arrived in Jaffna at 9 AM on 4 July 1996 on visit to supervise on-going reconstruction projects. Following a discussion related to the reconstruction of Jaffna and a book distribution ceremony at the Holy Family Convent, Jaffna; the Minister the proceed to attend the opening ceremony for the new Building Materials Corporation (BMC) outlet on Stanley Road.

After the opening ceremony the minister walked to the SLAMC Mitsubishi Pajero vehicle he was using during the visit to head to his next meeting with officers in charge of rehabilitation work at the Jaffna Kachcheri. The Pajero was driving by Brigadier Ananda Hamangoda, Brigade Commander, 512 "Jaffna" Brigade, while the minister sat on front passenger seat. Ranjit Godamuduna, chairman of Lanka Cement Ltd, and a body guard were to sit in the back.

Just as the minister got into the vehicle around 12:45pm, a seemingly pregnant woman dressed in a white blouse with two bags in her hand moved forward from the crown and approached the entourage. A Quick Reaction Team (QRT) motorbike driven by Lance Corporal W. I. M. Seneviratne with Private Pushpakumara was 20m away. Suspecting a suicide bomber, Seneviratne immediately maneuvered his bike to block her path. With nowhere to go, the woman detonated the explosives strapped onto her body, killing herself and Seneviratne instantly.

The blast killed 23 people including Brigadier Ananda Hamangoda, de Silva's security office Police Constable Banda and the chairman of Lanka Cement Ranjit Godamuduna, all of whom were inside the same vehicle as the Minister. 11 civilians were killed including Carlyle Dias, a retired Senior Superintendent of Police who came out of retirement to serve as the Civil Affairs Officer (CAO) in Jaffna, and BMC official A. A. Dissanayake were also among 11 civilians killed in the blast. 59 were wounded including Minister de Silva who suffered injuries to his forehead, and was taken to the Palaly military hospital for emergency treatment.

Describing the suicide attack, Sunday Times columnist Iqbal Athas wrote

The message was quite clear. The LTTE would use the techniques it acquired to become one of the world's deadliest guerrilla outfits against its own people, the people whom it vowed to protect in the so-called state of Eelam it pledged to create.

For sacrificing his life to save Minister de Silva, Lance Corporal Seneviratne was awarded the highest award for gallantry presented by the Sri Lanka Army Parama Weera Vibhushanaya.

References

1. ^ "Nimal Siripala de Silva injured when suicide cyclist attacks convoy". Daily News. 7 August 2009. Retrieved 11 June 2010.
2. ^ "Situation Report: How 2 brave soldiers saved minister". Sunday Times. 7 July 1996. Retrieved 11 June 2010.
3. "In defence of a Minister". Sunday Times. 5 November 2000. Retrieved 11 June 2010.

v t e Sri Lankan civil war (1983–2009)
Origins	Sri Lankan Tamil nationalism Sinhalese Buddhist nationalism Sinhala Only Act 1956 1958 Vaddukoddai Resolution 1977 1981 Burning of Jaffna Library Black July
Combatants	Sri Lanka Army (LRRP) Navy Air Force Police Special Task Force Home Guards Attacks on civilians Assassinations LTTE Divisions Air Tigers Sea Tigers Black Tigers Attacks in the 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s Assassinations Suicide bombings Other militants (list) ENDLF ENLF EPRLF EROS PLOTE TELO  India Indian Peace Keeping Force Paramilitary groups EPDP TMVP
Phases	Eelam War I Indian intervention Eelam War II III IV Eastern / Northern theatres
Major battles	Kokkilai Vadamarachchi Poomalai Pawan Jaffna University Helidrop Balavegaya 1st Elephant Pass Pooneryn Riviresa 1st Mullaitivu Weli Oya Sath Jaya Vavunathivu Jayasikurui Thandikulam–Omanthai 1st Kilinochchi Oddusuddan A-9 highway 2nd Elephant Pass Bandaranaike Airport attack Point Pedro Jaffna Thoppigala Vidattaltivu 2nd Kilinochchi 2nd Mullaitivu Puthukkudiyirippu
Major events	Air Lanka Flight 512 Indo-Sri Lanka Accord Expulsions from Northern province Assassination of Lalith Athulathmudali Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi Assassination of Ranasinghe Premadasa Temple of the Tooth attack Lionair Flight 602 Bandaranaike Airport attack Expulsions from Colombo 2009 suicide air raid on Colombo
Leaders	Sri Lanka Military Army Tissa Weeratunga Nalin Seneviratne Hamilton Wanasinghe Cecil Waidyaratne G. H. De Silva Rohan Daluwatte Srilal Weerasooriya L. P. Balagalle Shantha Kottegoda Sarath Fonseka Navy Asoka de Silva H. A. Silva Clancy Fernando D. A. M. R. Samarasekara H. C. A. C. Thisera Daya Sandagiri Wasantha Karannagoda Air Force Dick Perera Andibuduge Fernando Makalandage Gunawardena Oliver Ranasinghe Jayalath Weerakkody Donald Perera Roshan Goonetileke Civilian J. R. Jayewardene Ranasinghe Premadasa Dingiri Banda Wijetunga Chandrika Kumaratunga Mahinda Rajapaksa LTTE Militant Velupillai Prabhakaran Pottu Amman Soosai Karuna Amman Political Selvarasa Pathmanathan Anton Balasingham S. P. Thamilselvan India Military Harkirat Singh Ashok K. Mehta Kulwant Singh Depinder Singh Dalvir Singh Krishnaswamy Sundarji Civilian R. Venkataraman Rajiv Gandhi V. P. Singh Jyotindra Nath Dixit J. Jayalalithaa M. Karunanidhi Vaiko
Aftermath	Genocide Films NPC resolution LLRC Reactions (Protests) Remembrance Day UN Panel on Accountability War crimes Chemical weapons
Related topics	Casualties Assassinations Massacres Child soldiers Disappearances Office on Missing Persons Human rights Popular culture Terrorism Non-state State PTA Sexual violence Sixth Amendment Thirteenth Amendment 1988 Maldives coup attempt 1987–1989 JVP insurrection
Sri Lankan civil war at Wiktionary    Source texts at Wikisource    Textbooks at Wikibooks   Images and media at the Commons    Quotations at Wikiquote    News stories at Wikinews

• 1996 murders in Sri Lanka
• Suicide bombings in 1996
• Attacks on civilians attributed to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
• 1990s massacres of the Sri Lankan civil war
• Failed assassination attempts in Sri Lanka
• July 1996 crimes
• July 1996 events in Asia
• Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam attacks in Eelam War III
• Mass murder in 1996
• Suicide bombings in Sri Lanka
• Terrorist incidents in Sri Lanka in 1996