New Year ‘gift’ for Kilinochchi
Pramod DE SILVA
|
President Rajapaksa handing over Avurudhu sweetmeats to an
officer. |
It will not be wrong to say that Kilinochchi has received two New
Year gifts in just four months. On January 2, 2009, Security Forces
regained Kilinochchi, heralding a new era for this major Northern city
that was dominated by the LTTE for around two decades.
|
President Rajapaksa inspecting a tank captured from the LTTE. |
Kilinochchi was their administrative hub after the fall of Jaffna. It
is where they had the so-called LTTE Peace Secretariat, the Voice of
Tigers Radio and several other military and administrative buildings. It
is where the Tiger leaders met visiting foreign dignitaries during the
flawed ceasefire period. Yet, this was a facade. The people of
Kilinochchi suffered under the tyranny of the LTTE, which ironically
claimed to ‘liberate’ all Tamils.
Now, Kilinochchi is free. The Tigers are no more in Kilinochchi or
for that matter, in the entire North except for a very small land area.
|
President Mahinda Rajapaksa scrutinising an arms’ cache
seized from the LTTE. Pictures by Sudath Silva |
Normality is slowly but steadily returning to this war-ravaged city.
And yesterday, Kilinochchi received another precious New Year gift.
The ‘gift’ was a surprise visit to the city by President Mahinda
Rajapaksa, the architect of the campaign to restore unity to the
Motherland.
In fact, this was the first visit to Kilinochchi by a Head of State. |
