The New Nation - Internet Edition

AFP, Colombo

A disabled Tamil Tiger suicide bomber with explosives hidden in her bra blew herself up outside the office of a Tamil minister Wednesday, killing his secretary, the Sri Lankan military said.

Two men from the minister's security staff were also wounded in the blast, one seriously, Colombo national hospital spokeswoman Pushpa Soysa told AFP.

Officials said they believed that the attack was the work of the Tamil Tigers and aimed at Social Welfare Minister Douglas Devananda, who has survived at least four previous attempts on his life.

"At 8:05 am today (an) LTTE handicapped female suicide cadre exploded herself at the office of minister Douglas Devananda," in the heart of the Sri Lanka capital, the defence ministry said in a statement.

Devananda, a vocal opponent of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), once fought alongside the guerrillas before turning to politics in the 1980s.

The minister, leader of the Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP) -- a key ally in President Mahinda RajapaksaÂ's ruling coalition -- escaped unhurt, a party spokesman said.