The World - News from July 12, 1985

Police in Sri Lanka found a van laden with explosives and charged that Tamil separatists planned to blow up the presidential offices in hopes of killing President Junius R. Jayewardene. Two young Tamils were arrested. The 260 pounds of explosives in the van could have brought down the building, officials said. However, Jayewardene, who has been ill, was not in his office, and there was speculation that the intent was not to assassinate him, but to kill other high officials in the government, which is dominated by majority Sinhalese.