Sri Lanka recovers second stock of explosives from former war zone

Sri Lankan police on Wednesday recovered a stock of explosives in the north of the country hours after a suicide jacket had been discovered at another location.

Police Spokesperson Ruwan Gunesekara said that several explosives including small bombs and a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) launcher had been discovered from an abandoned well in Mannar in the north after police had conducted a search operation in the area.

Gunesekara said that the explosives are believed to have been hidden by the Tamil Tiger rebels during the war period and after obtaining a court order, the army had destroyed it.

Police had earlier on Wednesday recovered a suicide jacket and explosives from a house in Chavakachcheri, also in the north, sparking concerns from opposition parliamentarians that the Tamil Tiger rebels may try to regroup.

Sri Lankan armed forces militarily defeated the rebels in May 2009, ending 30 years of a civil conflict.

The suicide jacket and explosives were recovered from a house based on information received by police.

The police said that three parcels found in the house contained 12kg of TNT explosives. They also recovered 100 bullets and batteries used to trigger explosives.

Soon after the recovery, Defence Secretary Karunasena Hettiarachchi dismissed concerns, stating that there was no threat to the country's national security as these were weapons hidden by the rebels during the war. Endit