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Final days in Vanni:
LTTE killed 600 Tamils like stray dogs - Ex TNA MP
K T Rajasingham
Former TNA member of Parliament S
Kanagaratnam who was held as a human shield by the LTTE during the
hostility campaign said not a single civilian was killed by the Sri
Lankan Armed Forces.
His revelation exposes the revengeful
mentality, vindictive nature of the UN Secretary General and the flawed
and distorted version of the so-called Experts’ Panel Report with vested
western interests.
Second part of this article was
published last Friday (April 22)
Given below excerpts of the interview Asian Tribune had with the
former TNA Member of Parliament:
Asian Tribune: This was on the 17th. Where did you go?
S. Kanagaratnam: To Mullaitivu.
Asian Tribune: From Mullaitivu when did you leave for the government
camps?
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S. Kanagaratnam |
S. Kanagaratnam: We went to Mullaitivu on the 17th morning. When I
said that I am a Member of Parliament, Army men detained me for a day
for inquiry.
Asian Tribune: How did you go to Mullaitivu?
S. Kanagaratnam: We went up to the Vadduvahal Bridge and from the
bridge we went into the army controlled area on the 17th morning. Then I
was allowed to proceed to the government-controlled welfare centre only
on May 18.
Asian Tribune: When did you know that the LTTE leader Prabhakaran and
his family members were dead?
S. Kanagaratnam: That, sad incident we came to know only after we
came to the welfare centre at Cheddikulam and not before that.
Government only allocated some areas as no fly zone, but those areas
were under the control of the LTTE. The big guns of the LTTE started
firing towards those no fly zone areas to threaten civilians from trying
to leave for those marked areas and prevent them from crossing into the
government-controlled areas.
They shelled rampantly and indiscriminately. Civilians were affected
very badly. Many died. But it was blamed that they were victims to the
artillery fire of the government forces. But as far as I am aware,
whenever shells fell in no-fly zone, it was alleged that government
forces were shelling the civilians. But I am one who lived there and had
the privy to mingle with the LTTE cadres; I have personally seen the
‘big guns’ located in the midst of the civilian population of the LTTE
firing towards the no-fly zone.
It is very difficult to understand the elusive mind of Prabhakaran
and his men. When they fired at the no-fly zone, normally Sri Lankan
forces retaliated to silence the LTTE guns.
It is very difficult to understand the propaganda ploy of the LTTE.
They always succeeded in blaming the government for their entire
anti-people activities, duplicity of the Tigers incomprehensible.
Killings of civilians
Asian Tribune: There was an allegation that innocent civilians, -
non-combatants were shot and killed. Who was behind those killings?
S. Kanagaratnam: It was the LTTE which shot at the civilians. They
shot the innocent civilians to frighten them not to leave for the
government-controlled areas.
Asian Tribune: Did they kill many civilians?
S.Kanagaratnam: In fact countless. I lost count of it. LTTE cadres
were deployed all over and civilians were shot at to frightened and to
prevent them from leaving the area.
Asian Tribune: So you think that may be fifty to hundred people would
have been shot and killed by the LTTE?
S. Kanagaratnam: It will be many times more than that.
Asian Tribune: Do you mean more people were killed by the LTTE?
S. Kanagaratnam: Those days I was maintaining a record of those who
were killed and injured. But as I had to flee, I was unable to take with
me all those documents. When I fled, I only had a shirt on my back. I
can still remember an incident. The Education Officer of the Mullaitivu
District, I think it is one Thiagarajah and his children were shot and
killed - a total of five members in that family are no more. I think his
wife has survived and many others were mercilessly shot and killed by
the LTTE.
When the Sri Lankan Army was accepting the displaced persons arriving
into their controlled areas, LTTE was shooting at the fleeing civilians
to prevent them from leaving. I have seen many dead bodies littered all
over the places, who were victims to the brutal killing of the LTTE.
Asian Tribune: But there is a general allegation that innocent
civilians were killed by the government security forces. So you mean to
say that mostly civilians were killed by the LTTE? You were the only
person who was with the people till the last moment in Vanni.
Furthermore, you were an elected representative of the people also.
S. Kanagaratnam: Ok. I have seen with my own eyes, the tragic and
horrendous scenarios unfolding those days and seen people being
ruthlessly killed by the LTTE - Rule of the gun prevailed.
Asian Tribune: Ok. Have you seen any Sri Lankan Army personnel
entering the civilian area and shooting and killing them? Have you seen
any civilians fled to the government-controlled area was shot and killed
by the Sri Lankan Army personnel? Have you seen any women being raped by
the Sri Lankan Army men?
S. Kanagaratnam: No, not at all. I haven’t seen any civilians being
killed by the Sri Lankan Army. I haven’t heard any women being raped by
the Army men. But I have seen the Army personnel collecting all those
injured persons while receiving the fleeing civilians and took them and
treated them and actually saved the lives of a few hundred civilians.
To be continued |
