Security in Colombo after blasts

Sri Lankan forces threw a security blanket over the capital Colombo on Thursday and appealed for extra public vigilance a day after twin bomb attacks, says the police.

Sri Lankan forces threw a security blanket over the capital Colombo on Thursday and appealed for extra public vigilance a day after twin bomb attacks left 19 people dead and 45 injured, police said.

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"There is a general security alert across Colombo," police spokesperson Jayantha Wickremaratna said.

"In the midst of repeated defeats and setbacks in the battlefield, LTTE attacks against civilians could intensify in the coming weeks," Wickremaratna said. "The LTTE has targeted innocent civilians who have no involvement in the ongoing military operations," he added.

England's cricket test series in Sri Lanka will go ahead despite the attacks, team spokesperson Andrew Walpole said. "There has been no change in the travel advice we have received from them (the British High Commission in Colombo) at this stage, and it has no effect on the tour arrangements," Walpole said.

The High Commission reminds Britons "there is a high threat from terrorism".

Thirty-three people remain in hospital after a powerful parcel bomb exploded at Nugegoda just south of Colombo, killing at least 17 and injuring 43 during Wednesday's evening rush hour, police said. Schools in and around Colombo were closed on Thursday for two days as a "safety measure".