Thousands come to Visuamadu

LTTE kills fleeing civilians including children:

RANIL WIJAYAPALA in Visuamadu

Thousands of civilians continue to flow into the Security Forces controlled areas in Visuamadu braving all forms of harassment of the LTTE for the second consecutive day yesterday foiling all attempts of the LTTE to stop them.

According to Military Spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara, over 4,600 civilians had arrived to the cleared areas yesterday.

The civilians in their thousands crossed Theravil Aru with their life long belongings to reach Government controlled areas and narrate the harrowing experience undergone in the LTTE controlled areas.

Kathirvel Sivanesan and his wife Sivaneshvaran Udayarani have been punished by the LTTE for their decision to cross into Government controlled areas. The LTTE shot dead their seven year old son as they crossed into Security Forces controlled areas from Suganthanpuram in the cover of thick darkness. Sivanesan and his wife were left with only one child as they were reaching the Security Forces controlled areas.

Sivanesan was holding his dead child in his arms and his wife was weeping with her six month old baby.

They brutally killed my child. I could not save my child’s life Sivanesan says as he was holding his dead child wrapped in a polythene sheet as they were heading towards Kilinochchi to reach Vavuniya with their dead child.

Two other civilians have also been killed by the LTTE on Sunday night as they were crossing into the Government controlled areas.

The LTTE has no sympathy towards civilians as they want to keep the civilians to stop troops reaching towards their remaining territory.

Though, the LTTE is from the same Tamil community they have no sympathy on us. They only want to get cover from us, said Anthonies Mary while feeding her three day old infant in her arms.

Despite her labour pains she walked all the way from Suganthanpuram to Visuamadu along with her husband Jude Nishantha and three children.

We shifted from one place to another as they tried to convince us that they would give us relief. But we decided to flee as we learnt that the LTTE cannot survive further. They are in total disarray now, Jude Nishantha says.

As of yesterday more than 15,000 civilians have arrived in Security Forces controlled areas. The highest number of civilians were reported on Friday night with more than 5,500 civilians arriving in Government controlled areas.

The Security Forces continued to receive these civilians in Visuamadu for the third consecutive day today providing them with basic facilities and meals till they are taken to Kilinochchi and Omanthai, General Officer Commanding of the 58 Division Brigadier Shavendra Silva told the Daily News yesterday.

The 58 Division is providing these civilians with fresh meals with troops making use of their provisions to provide civilians with fresh meals, whilst looking after the sick civilians.

According to civilians more than 100,000 civilians are still trapped in LTTE controlled areas and were confident that they would arrive in the Security Forces controlled areas within the next few days.