Many wouldn’t know that de Silva still carries a piece of metal inside his head as it couldn’t be removed without risking his life. The Minister recently recalled the Stanley Road blast, which he said was the first of three assassination bids made by the LTTE. Having visited the BMC stores, the Minister got into the front seat of Brig. Hamangoda’s Pajero. The Jaffna Commander took the driver’s seat. The Minister said: "We were about to leave for lunch when the suicide cadre blew herself up. Hamangoda was killed on the spot. Army motorcycle outriders, who blocked her path as she crossed the road, were charred beyond recognition. I was dragged out of the vehicle, and taken to the basement of the BMC building. Somebody used a sarong to bandage my bleeding head before the army rushed me to the Palaly Military Hospital, where medical staff removed one metal piece from my head, though the second piece, embedded in the head, couldn’t be removed. However, a third metal piece had pierced through flesh in the chest. It had existed without causing any serious injury."