Nation celebrates grand victory

Investigations intensified about traitors within Security Forces:

The citizens of this country witnessed the grand show of all three Forces, Police and the Civil Security Forces as they marched in the Victory Parade to mark their glorious victory of eliminating LTTE terrorism from Sri Lankan soil. It might be the one and only Victory Parade of such type in the contemporary world as it was only this small nation that could succeed in the war against terror.

It was not only the display of military might of the Sri Lankan Security Forces that spell bound the citizens to this National Victory Parade but also the address to the nation by the Head of State and Commander-in-Chief President Mahinda Rajapaksa that attracted all patriotic people of the country at the National Victory Parade.

Tears dropped unnoticed from many of the people as they listened to the words flowing from their most affectionate leader in the contemporary history who could touch both the hearts and minds of the people. Throughout his address, he could equate and share his genuine feelings towards his Motherland and to his citizens and above all to the war heroes who made his dream of uniting this country under one flag a reality, with the genuine feelings of an ordinary citizen.

Even the emotions of an ordinary soldier would have been disturbed by his words ‘Terrorists are no more invincible. It is only the valiant troops and our Motherland that are invincible’.

Their emotions were further disturbed when the President said: “The last breath of our heroic troops must be blowing in the wind where the national flag I hoisted today, flies proudly. Therefore, with every breath we take we must remember these heroic sons and daughters of our land”.

It was also heartening to note when he said that: “Our children continued their advance while artillery shells were falling, land mines were exploding at their feet, anti-air craft ammunition were aimed at their hearts and their comrades were dying around them.

Poison gas could also not stop them. Even in the face of age old strategy they did not retreat. How many of our children sacrificed their lives on huge earth bunds and on the banks of huge tanks. They faced torrential rain and suffered under massive floods and kept moving forward with sore feet.

Heroic soldiers

Through these brief words he explained all the challenges those heroic soldiers faced in their march to eliminate LTTE terrorism. He reached closer to the heart of each and every soldier who fought in the battlefront fearlessly as they got to know that their leader is also aware of all the difficulties they have faced to achieve this final goal.

Finally it was his words that went deeper into the hearts of the people when he said that he was the proudest father as he has not left a terrorist problem to be faced by the young generation. The nation was fortunate enough to have a leader who had the courage to end this war and with the courage to bring a brighter future for the country in the same manner the nation eliminated terrorism from the country.

So the Government will embark on massive and speedy development projects very soon to bring prosperity to the entire nation whilst the Security Forces continue to their efforts to further strengthen the security in the country.

Whilst the entire nation is celebrating the mammoth victory it achieved the sleuths from the State Intelligence Service, have now intensified their investigations to nab high ranking officers who had links with the top level Tiger leaders and assisted them to carry out their terror plans in Colombo and suburbs targeting President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and Army Commander General Sarath Fonseka.

The real traitors who had freely operated within the highest circle of Security authorities are now being exposed by the investigations carried out by the State Intelligence Service following the arrest of Lt. Colonel Ranjith Perera attached to Ratmalana Transit Camp after conducting investigations into the incident in Wellawatta on May 14, 2009 where a suicide cadre was killed after he leapt from a high rise building.

Suicide cadre

Investigations have revealed that Lt. Colonel Ranjith Perera, hailing from Bandarawela had attempted to provide transport to the suicide cadre that wanted to take the life of President Mahinda Rajapaksa twice and taken suicide cadres into the Deyata Kirula exhibition this year.

Latest investigations have also revealed that Lt. Colonel Ranjith had taken this suicide cadre even to Diyatalawa, to be taken to the Passing Out parade held at Diyatalawa Military Academy in the last week of December last year.

The Defence hierarchy has been shocked when they heard about the way the suicide cadres have been taken closer to the high profile targets in the guise of an soldier acting as a personnel aid to Lt. Colonel Perera. He had provided two types of uniforms to the suicide cadre to be used in different occasions.

The links of the LTTE with high ranking officials have been exposed with the arrest of a suicide cadre in Negombo area on information given by another LTTE member in Vavuniya who had been arrested earlier.

Intelligence Service

It was following information received from the arrested suicide cadres, the State Intelligence Service personnel raided the high rise building in Wellawatta on May 14, 2009 to arrest the cadre who was keeping suicide jackets for the suicide cadres operating in Colombo.

Once the building was surrounded by the Police the Tiger cadre residing in that apartment jumped off from the seventh floor of the building and committed suicide. It was later revealed that he was a student of the Engineering Faculty of the Moratuwa University and that he had produced suicide jackets here in Colombo for the use of the suicide missions targeting VVIPs.

The telephone numbers in the suicide cadre’s mobile phone had further revealed that it was Lt. Colonel Ranjith Perera attached to the Sri Lanka Army Transit camp in Ratmalana, who had supported these suicide cadres to transport suicide kits and suicide cadres to various locations in Colombo.

Now it has been revealed that it was through a person called Prabha, an owner of an electrical outlet in the Bambalapitiya Majestic City shopping complex, this Army officer had maintained links with the LTTE. Prabhakaran, had been clandestinely operating in Colombo dealing with all the diplomats and high ranking Security Forces personnel to facilitate the terror operations in Colombo.

He had the habit of meeting diplomats at the Colombo Swimming Club (CSC) to spread the distorted version of the Sri Lankan situation. According to latest investigations, it was at the request of Lt. Colonel Ranjith Perera, Prabha had introduced him to the LTTE. Lt. Colonel Perera was not happy in his career in the Army as he was not given promotions by the Army Commander as he had withdrawn his battalion stationed there in Thanankilappu, when the area was under LTTE attack in 2007, without orders from his superiors.

Lt. Colonel Perera also invited the suspicion of the Sri Lanka Army due to a suspicious call he had given to a person in Wellwatta before the LTTE launched a barrage of artillery towards the ceremony in Jaffna to launch the Sri Lanka Army Mechanised Infantry Regiment on February 14, 2007.

Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and Army Commander General Sarath Fonseka who had gone by air from Katunayake to participate at this ceremony returned without landing in Palaly after they received the information when they were above to land in the Palaly airport.

Lt. Col. Ranjith Perera was the Colonel General Staff of the 52 Division, in Jaffna at that time. Director Military Intelligence who conducted the investigation into the suspicious call from Ranjith Perera concluded his investigation after it was revealed that the call had been given to a firewood seller in Wellawatta. Ranjith Perera had given a statement that he was father of a student of her wife as his wife was conducting English classes in Wellawatta.

But latest investigation had revealed that the firewood seller was also a Tiger operative and had gone abroad. Prabha who is now under arrest had divulged that Lt. Colonel Ranjith Perera has also twice visited Malaysia along with him and met several key Tiger leaders there and promised to assist them to assassinate the President, Defence Secretary and Army Commander immediately once they urge him to take the lives of any of these three person.

The LTTE had spent millions to get the assistance of Lt. Colonel Ranjith Perera to accomplish their terror operations and the SIS is conducting investigations about his bank accounts and private assets.

But it was not only him, many other high ranking officers from the three Armed Forces and the Police have maintained good relationships with Prabha and dispatched very sensitive security information to the LTTE through him.

Security information

Investigations are now on a high ranking Army Official, who is now abroad for having contacts with Prabha and passing sensitive security information to the LTTE. It has been revealed that this senior Army Officer with the rank of Major General who once handed Colombo Security had met Prabha at Majestic City after each and every Joint Operation Headquarters meetings and briefed him about latest developments.

Defence Authorities baffled by these revelations now suspect it was due to the passing of sensitive information about the highly secret operations of the Security Forces to the LTTE, many of the operations conducted through the Joint Operation Headquarters could not achieve the targeted results.

Therefore, the Defence authorities are now intensifying the investigations about these senior officers from all three Forces and the Police. Investigations have also been called on an officer attached to the Navy Commander Admiral Karannagoda’s personnel staff, who had gone missing for several weeks.

These startling revelations by the intelligence agencies very clearly indicate the real threat on the life of the President, Defence Secretary and the Army Commander as so many traitors were around them to assist the LTTE to take their lives just for personnel gain. Army Commander General Sarath Fonseka had promised to take sternest possible action against those traitors within the Army once they were proved guilty.

As Intelligence Agencies are conducting further investigations, the Sri Lanka Army is now in the process of redeploying its Divisions and Task Forces in the Mullaitivu and Kilinochchi districts.

Accordingly, two Security Forces Headquarters in Mullaitivu and Kilinochchi have been established to oversee the security in Kilnochchi and Mullaitivu districts. Major General Channa Goonetilleke, presently the General Officer Commanding of the 56 Division in Omanthai has been appointed as the Security Forces Commander Kilinochchi whilst appointing Major General Nandana Udawatta, presently the Overall Operations Commander, Anuradhapura as the Security Forces Commander, Mullaitivu.

Both these appointments will be temporary ones. Major General Channa Goonetilleke, an old boy of St. Benedict’s College, Kotahena joined the Sri Lanka Army in 1981. Prior to this appointment he was the General Officer Commanding of the 56 Division. Earlier he was Commander, Area Headquarters, Mannar.

Major General Nandana Udawatta, an old boy of Royal College Colombo joined the Sri Lanka Army in August 1982. An Armoured Corps Office, prior to his appointment as the Overall Operation Commander Anuradhapura, Major General Udawatta commanded the 59 offensive Division which captured the strategic 1-4 Base complex of the LTTE in the Mullaitivu jungles and the LTTE stronghold Mullaitivu.

He also acted as the Deputy GOC of the 57 Division before commanding the 59 Division.

Task Forces

With the establishment of these new Security Forces Headquarters in Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu all the offensive Divisions and the Task Forces except for the 53 and 58 Divisions will be deployed in the respective areas they are now operating for defensive operations.

The 53 Division under the command of Major General Kamal Gunaratne and 58 Division under the command of Brigadier Shavendra Silva will be kept as two reserve Divisions under the direct command of the Commander of the Sri Lanka Army. These two Divisions will be located in Mankulam and Paranthan respectively.

The 57 Division, Task Forces 3, 5 and 6 and 8 will be attached to the Security Forces Headquarters Kilinochchi. The Task Force 8 under the command of Colonel G.V. Ravipriya will be deployed in Puthumathalan and Puthukudiyiruppu areas.

The 59 Division, Task Forces 2 and 4 will come under the Security Forces Headquarters in Mullaitivu. The 56, 61 and 21 Divisions and the Area Headquarters Mannar will remain under Vanni Security Forces Headquarters.

The 55 offensive Division will once again be redeployed under the Jaffna Security Forces Headquarters.

Amid these changes in the Sri Lanka Army many changes are expected to take place in the Defence hierarchy as Government is proposing new powers to the Chief of Defence Staff to handle all three Forces.