Bombing during marathon kills minister and 11 others

A suspected Tamil Tiger suicide attacker bombed the opening ceremony of a marathon outside Sri Lanka's capital yesterday, killing a powerful government minister, a former Olympian and 10 others, the military said. Scores were wounded.

The bombing, the second this year to kill a senior government official, showed that while the rebels might be on the defensive against a military onslaught on their heartland in the north, they retained the ability to launch devastating attacks deep in government territory.

The rebels have fought since 1983 for an independent homeland for ethnic minority Tamils after decades of marginalization by governments run by the Sinhalese majority. More than 70,000 people have been killed.