A Sri Lankan court today jailed two persons for the attempted assassination of former President Chandrika Kumaratunga in 1999.
Kumaratunga suffered severe eye injuries when an LTTE suicide female bomber exploded herself at Colombo Town Hall when the former president was leaving the final public rally of the 1999 presidential election.
Riding a wave of sympathy after the blast, Kumaratunga won the election over her rival, current Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.
High Court Judge Padmini Ranawaka sentenced the accused Valayudan Vardarajah to 290 years in prison while Chandra Iyar alias Ragupathi Sharma was jailed for 300 years.
Kumaratunga was president from 1994 until 2005 before being replaced by Mahinda Rajapaksa.
In the current government of national unity, Kumaratunga heads the office of national unity and reconciliation.
