On December 18, 1999, the 5th President of Sri Lanka, Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, was wounded in a coordinated bomb blast that was attempting to take her life.

Upon leaving her final election rally at Town Hall in the country's capital of Colombo, she was caught in an explosive attack planned by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

[5] Kumaratunga survived, but was injured, permanently losing vision in her right eye due to optic nerve damage.

Prior to both of their terms, Kumaratunga's father, S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike, had also served as prime minister, until his assassination in 1959 at the hands of a rogue Buddhist monk.

While campaigning for her first-term in office, her opponent, Gamini Dissanayake, was assassinated by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

[9] Kumaratunga's presidency was defined by large economic reforms and privatization of many government corporations, increasing the recognition and acceptance of Sri Lanka on the international stage with her appointed Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar, and conciliatory moves toward the separatist Tamil Tigers (LTTE) in an attempt to end the ongoing civil war.

[6] Kumaratunga survived, but permanently lost vision in her right eye due to the shrapnel which damaged her optic nerve.

[5] The suicide bomber for that incident was later identified as Skandaraja Ashoka, working for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

[19] Hundreds of troops were deployed on the streets of Colombo, and the Sri Lankan Defence Ministry announced an indefinite curfew in the capital and surrounding districts such as Gampaha following the attacks.

She urged her secretary to let the public know that she is fine, and to tell them the following, "I know that when people are excited and wanting violence, when they go to a place of worship, they do become calm.

Kumaratunga's opponent in the election, Ranil Wickremesinghe, was due to address the UNP's last rally in Colombo the day after, but showed up only briefly to thank the crowd and left.

[5] While the unidentified female suicide bomber perished in the bomb blast, others were arrested for aiding and abetting in the act.