|
Chronology of LTTE terror: - Part 17
From the Daily News Archives
*********
When the euphoria of victory dies down, and
together with it the media hype ceases, when the guns do not rattle and
boom anymore, and the sky, the land and the sea become calm and serene,
when tranquillity reigns through it is natural to live in the present
moment and forget the past. But one cannot live in the present without a
past. Nor can one envision the future discarding the experience of the
preceding events. Hence the Daily News is serialising the Chronicle of
LTTE Terror taken from our own archives which would remind our readers
how it all began. An awareness of the chronology of terror would help us
prevent the recurrence of such terror and frustrate any attempts by
misguided elements to repeat history to suit their evil designs. It was
not simple terror. Nor was terror sporadic. It was all pre-planned,
pre-determined, well-calculated terror. The victims were innocent
people. Though it is too many innumerate we would like to recall the
major episodes in the Chronology of Terror.
********
Terrorist killing spree continues despite talks
Wijitha NAKKAWITA
The month of June in the year 1986 perhaps marked the peace overtures
from the naive politicians of the times who in several fronts were
trying to speak to the the Tamil United Liberation Front, the Tamil
terrorist groups EPRPLF, TELO or LTTE who had refuge in India with the
protective umbrella over their heads held by New Delhi and the South
Indian film idol turned politician M.G.Ramachandran.
While the J. R. Jayewardene government was discussing their own
proposals for peace with the local political parties it also was in
touch with New Delhi and a set of proposals made by the government of
India came to be given to the TULF who at the time were the political
arm of the terrorists the stage manager of the bloody drama that the
terrorists were unfolding before a shocked nation.
Among those that had the temerity to go to South India to meet the
terrorist groups was the local silver screen idol also turned politician
the late Vijaya Kumaratunga his wife Chandrika Kumaratunga and Ossie
Abeygunsekera who were the leaders of the Sri Lanka Mahajana Pakshaya a
splinter political group with left leanings. The SLMP trio not only met
the terrorist groups but also MGR and it was reported their meeting with
them went well. But of course none of these political figures knew that
all the separatist groups including the TULF and the terrorist outfits
were experts at doublespeak and subterfuge. The news report published on
the meeting said Vijaya Kumaratunga had proposed a ceasefire to the
terrorist groups and went as far as to say if needed his political
party, SLMP, the Lanka Sama Samaja Party and the Communist Party would
act as monitors of the proposed ceasefire!
While the amateur politicians Vijaya and Chandrika were talking peace
with the separatists in India the comrades in arms of the same
terrorists set off a bomb at the Sunday Fair in Kantale killing 2
civilians and injuring 19 others among them two critically. On the same
day June 22 separatist terrorists raided a Muslim village in the east
and threatened the homeguards and seized 18 shot guns and 65 cartridges.
The peace overtures of mediocre politicians were shattered again a
few days later June 25 when the terrorists killed 16 civilians including
7 women on Ella-Kantale road, burned down a house in the same area
killing a woman in it. While the political parties were discussing
devolution proposals for peace in Colombo with President Jayewardene and
the news reports said the government had agreed to Provincial Councils
within a unitary state the terrorist groups mainly the LTTE were killing
civilians in the villages. The Kantale Sunday fair where Sinhalese and
Muslim civilians were present always was only one of the many terrorist
attacks killing unarmed people.
There was hope that the terrorist groups could agree to a political
settlement and New Delhi and MGR were trying to convince them about the
need for a cessation of hostilities though the secretive and blood
thirsty killer groups were to scorn such proposals as evidenced by the
continuing killings of civilians they never stopped till they were
militarily defeated recently, proving that they had never agreed to any
political solution other than continuing their killing spree.
More attacks by LTTE repulsed
The LTTE lost an estimated nine fighters in weekend encounters with
security forces in the Northern Province. A military spokesman in
Colombo said there were no losses to the troops, although they had been
under mortar and small arms fire on more than two occasions.
The heaviest attack was reported from Paranthan, where the LTTE set
up a 'checkpoint' on the Mullaitivu road. The security forces despatched
to clear the blockade faced an attack by a small army of terrorists,
estimated at nearly 50 strong.
"Seven of the terrorists were killed, and we had one soldier injured"
the Colombo spokesman said.
"The terrorists were attempting to block the road at a spot where
they had blasted a culvert over the Gairukulam channel, from
Kilinochchi. They retreated towards Mullaitivu, leaving seven dead, and
blasted another culvert further north as they went," the spokesman said.
At Navatkuly, terrorists attacked a forces' patrol with mortar fire
and when they were repulsed, massed around the military camp there.
Latest reports said that they had left two dead.
Our Trincomalee correspondent reported that three soldiers died in a
landmine explosion at Kitul Uttu, on the Alut-Oya road, on Saturday
afternoon. The dead were Corporal K. N. Jayasinghe, Lance Corporal R.F.A.
Silva and a civilian driver named K.A.C. Samaranayake.
The vehicle, which was mined, was one of a convoy of three. The
terrorists opened fire after the explosion, but retreated when troops in
the convoy fired back.
Vilgama army camp, in the Trincomalee district, also came under
attack from a group of nearly 50 terrorists. The attackers retreated
after an exchange of fire lasting nearly an hour. There were no
casualties to troops.
Terrorist Peace, 'starter':
3 attacks, sixteen killed
At least 20 were killed and 58 were injured in three terrorist
attacks on civilians in the Trincomalee, Vavuniya and Pulmuddai
districts yesterday morning - a scant eight hours before the conference
in political parties was scheduled open in Colombo.
On the previous evening, four children were killed in Jaffna, and two
civilians were believed dead at Tampalakamam. Information available at
the time this edition went to press put the largest number of dead at
Sittaru, on the Allai - Kantalai Road, where terrorist exploded a
landmine at 8.30, killing sixteen men and women and injuring seven.
A security force's spokesman says the terrorist fired on the victims
after the explosion blew up the vehicle (belong to the Assistant
Government Agent of Serunuwara)in which they were travelling to Kantalai
for provisions.
The second explosion occurred on the Ullukulam-Poonawa road, in
Vavuniya north, where 42 passengers were seriously hurt when a landmine
hit their bus.
At Pulmoddai, terrorists blew up the jeep in which police were
providing an escort for a CTB bus. Seven policemen were injured, two of
them seriously, in the explosion and terrorist shooting that followed.
Security forces said LTTE was responsible for all three explosions.
Military helicopters flew doctors and drugs to the Anuradhapura
hospital, where all the injured were rushed for treatment.
Six terrorist suspects arrested in Nugegoda
Srimal ABEYEWARDENE
Six youths, four Tamils from Jaffna and Mullaitivu and two Sinhalese
from Etul Kotte and Pagoda who are suspected of terrorists connections
were arrested at Nugegoda by Police yesterday.
The six of them were arrested when they were in a lorry which had 42
empty barrels. They also had with them a kerosene permit from a
mudalalai in Haputale.
"We seized the lorry along with the suspects a few hours ago. There
were patches of some oil on the Nawala Road, which probably would have
dropped from the barrels.
This helped us to trace the vehicle and the suspects", Mr. Mervyn
Serpanchy, SP, Nugegoda said.
Investigations revealed the mudalali from Haputale had sold the
lorry. The kerosene permit also belongs to the mudalali according to
investigations.
"If anyone has a kerosene permit, he could obtain kerosene from the
nearest petrol station. It is probable that the six suspects would have
hijacked the lorry and forcibly taken the kerosene permit which belonged
to the Haputale mudalali. These matters are now under investigations",
he said.
Meanwhile, some terrorists have been arrested in Anuradhapura,
according to reports reaching Colombo.
According to information elicited from these terrorists following
investigations, there was a terrorist group in Colombo in a similar type
of lorry.
*******
Monday: LTTE kills more civilians in Eastern province
|
