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Dissanayake cremated

Lankan govt boycotts funeral
C OLOMBO. Oct 29: The Sri Lankan government today boy cot ted the heavily guarded na Uonal funeral here for assassi nated opposition leader Gamini Dissanayake report agen-
Angry mourners booed and jeered as no one turned up from the government to deliver a scheduled funeral tri bute on behalf of the administration of Prime Minister Chandrika Kumaratunga. Dis-sanavake s woodescoffin. dra ped in ihe national lion flag, was cremated inside a threetiered sandalfood pyre at the independence square publir promenade shortly after sun-
pver 3.000 police and army commandos ringed the inde pendente square as tens of thousands of men and women poured into catch a glimpse of
boycotted by state television
Witnesses said the funeral
pyre was lit by two of Dissanayake s nephews in the presence of members of his family
Dissanayake was killed with 53 others by a sifspected Tamil rebel suicide bomber at an election rally on October 23.
Former speaker Hantffa Mohamed urged the govern ment to appoint a commission to Investigate the assassination.
This killing by (Tamil) ter rorlsts is a barbaric act and a senseless action that has plunged , the country into de spair and grief." he said in an oration at 'he state funeral
Police estimated a crowd at about 100.000 people—far more than the number at Presl dent Ranasinghe Premadasa s funeral In May 1993 — was present No incidents had been reported so far police sax!
Tens of thousands of mour nets followed an open black hearse carrying the body of
Dissanayake. rhe latest victim in Srl I ankas long history of political assassinations
A helicopter showered the procession with flowers as it moved through streets lined with people, many of whom had tears streaming down their cheeks.
Soldiers . and policemen took up positions throughout the city, stopping and examining ears and drivers.
Dissanayake opposed , the government's peace overtiires toward the Tamil rebels, who have fought since 1983 for a Tamil homeland In the north and east of Sri Lanka. About 34.000 people have been kt lied In the fighting.
National mourning was marred by bitter accusations hurled by the two main polltl cal parties at each other
Dissdnayake’s widow Srima. chosen to replace him In the presidential race (or the
United National Party, said she feared violence may br^k out during the funeral an# appealed to the nation for halm.
Though she was vague about who might try to dlsnlpt the funeral, the implicatloi was that "mischievous elements" of the ruling People’s Allance would create trouble. I
A day earlier. Primej Minister Chandrika Kuma^tunga denied allegations tl it her party conspired to kilLDissa-nayake. She accused t le United National Party had a tradition of killing p ilitical opponents and that h t own life was threatened. ,
Dissanayakes supporters plastered the city with his pictures and put up flag! along the two-kilometer (one-mile) route to the cremation site from the museum wqere his ■ body has been on display.
Earlier, mourners firmed a four-kilometer winding line
outside the Mahaweli Center to file past Dissanayake's body.
Police suspect a woman ■rebel detonated explosives trapped to her body at Dissanayake's campaign rally. At least 35 Tamils have been detained for questioning.
Police have sent samples of the suspected assassin's skin and hair for DNA testing to a laboratory in London.