Suicide bomber sets off explosion while Cabinet being installed

One policeman and the suicide bomber died on the spot and 15 people were wounded, police said. The bomber triggered explosives wrapped on his body after a police patrol challenged him near the Town Hall area, about a mile (1.6 kilometers) from President Chandrika Kumaratunga's residence Temple Trees, where the installation ceremony was being held.

A witness said the man was walking along the road when a police jeep stopped and wanted to check him. Kumaratunga's People's Alliance won the most seats in Oct. 10 parliamentary elections and formed a new government. Parliament convened Wednesday and the new Cabinet was being installed Thursday.

The government is engaged in a war against rebels of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, who have fought since 1983 to carve out a homeland for the Tamil minority in the north and east. The rebels are accused of frequent bombing attacks in the capital, including a suicide bombing last December that blinded Kumaratunga in her right eye.

The Tamil Tigers usually do not claim responsibility for suicide bombings, but acknowledge having a suicide bombing unit.

(klei/AP)