Jaffna, Brigadier Ananda Hamangoda. De Silva was to sit in the passenger seat alongside Brigadier Hamangoda, while Ranjit Godamuduna, chairman of Lanka Cement Ltd, and a body guard were to sit in the back. As de Silva was boarding 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. Lance Corporal W.I.M Seneviratne was astride his bike around 20 meters behind de Silva’s vehicle, along with another QRT soldier, Private Pushpakumara. Suspecting the woman was 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. Aftermath 23 people were killed in the blast, and 59 were wounded. Among the dead were 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. An experienced planter and a director of a Colombo brokering firm, Godamuduna was spearheading a program to re-commission the Kankesanthurai cement factory, and was in Jaffna setting the stage for the arrival of a group of foreign engineers. 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 Mr. A.A. Dissanayake were also among 11 civilians killed in the blast. Minister de Silva suffered injuries to his forehead, and was taken to the Palaly military hospital for emergency treatment. He recovered from his injuries, and is currently Minister of Irrigation and Water Management in the government of Sri Lanka. Describing the suicide attack, Sunday Times columnist Iqbal Athas wrote For sacrificing his life to save Minister de Silva, Lance Corporal Seneviratne was recommended for the Parama Weera Vibhushanaya by his commanding officer, Lt. Col. K.A.D.A. Karunasekera. The Parama Weera Vibhushanaya is the highest award for gallantry presented by the Sri Lanka Army. On October 10, 1998, the medal was presented to Seneviratne’s mother by Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga. See also Terrorism List of attacks attributed to the LTTE Eelam War IV Chaminda Ruwan Yakandawala References External links Sri Lanka Army He helped build a bridge of understanding 1960s births 1996 deaths Sri Lanka Light Infantry soldiers Recipients of the Parama Weera Vibhushanaya Sri Lankan military