Chronology Of Ltte Terror - Part 24

From the Daily News Archives:

LTTE-EPRLF mutual killing spree

Wijitha Nakkawita

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.

The month of December 1986 witnessed concerted effort by both New Delhi and Colombo's leaders trying to bring in a political settlement to the armed conflict in the North and East while some of the terrorist leaders like Uma Maheswaran or Prabhakaran were still enjoying the hospitality of their Indian friends but the killings continued now to take a different colour.

The news reports from Delhi or South India turned a hopeful note on with President Jayewardene visiting Delhi, holding talks with Rajiv Gandhi and even the terrorists friend Sri Lankan born M.G.Ramachandran also flying to New Delhi to join in the talks with the two national leaders.

In the first week of the month LTTE terrorists entered a Tamil village near Mullaitivu, assaulted the villagers including the children and abducted two men. The villagers more than a hundred men, women and children fled to the army position and complained about the abductions and sought protection.

When the army fired mortars in the direction taken by the LTTE cadres the terrorist band comprising about ten armed cadres left their quarry alone and fled. Later the two villagers also came to the army and asked for protection.

On December 20 LTTE terrorists entered the Eastern provincial township Kattankudy and first confronted the home guards who also fought back but they were overpowered by the fully armed and battle trained LTTE and in the shoot out 20 people, all Muslims of Kattankudy were killed but one terrorist identified as Arunan was also killed.

Later the terrorists took the few weapons of the home guards and disappeared from the area. It was reported the LTTE was leaving the East and the EPRLFR was staying behind but the two terrorist bands by now were enemies fighting both in India and here for dominance.

It was also reported that Velupillai Prabhakaran had returned to Sri Lanka from his base in Tamil Nadu but no one knew that his return would once again take heavy toll of lives at home.

The LTTE cadres had fought the EPRLF even in India and had made many attempts to kill some leading members of the other terrorists group but the real trouble began when the LTTE who had deceived the other group that they were prepared to make peace were really gunning for them.

It was during the second month of December and the LTTE suddenly in a surprise attack started attacking the EPRLF group and the first reports said at least 45 EPRLF cadres were killed by the LTTE. R.K.Narayanswamy and other writers on the LTTE and other terrorists had put the figure much above 42 and, it was later known that tractor trailer loads of corpses of killed EPRLF cadres were taken into a jungle area where they were buried in mass graves.

When the year 1986 was ending the political solution was promised and the godfather of the terrorists in the North Appapillai Amirthalingam was reported in the press as saying he will get the terrorist groups to accept a political settlement and renounce arms and terrorism.

It was wishful thinking of course and Amir did not know what fate awaited him and his colleagues.

Tuesday, December 9, 1986:

Prabakaran's about-face ... and consequences:

MGR twists the Tiger's tail?

T. M. Deen in New York

The Hong Kong-based regional magazine "Asiaweek" says that LTTE leader Valupillai Prabhakaran reneged on an agreement, infuriating Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. G. Ramachandran and "leading to punishments designed to remind the Tigers at whose pleasure they roam freely in Madras."

In an editorial titled "Now for a word from our sponsors", the magazine says that the head man in Madras himself lost his cool recently.

At the recent South Asian summit in Bangalore, Asiaweek points out, offstage bargaining among the belligerents came within a hair's breadth of producing a grand compromise based on Sri Lankan President Jayewardene's formula for developing larger autonomy to the provinces.

"From what we understand," says the editorial. "Prabhakaran agreed to the settlement in return for his getting the chief ministership of the Tamil dominated northern province, the Tiger cubs supposedly to be absorbed into the constabulary.

"Significantly, among Indian Tamils there was little hue and cry about the clampdown, supporting the suspicion that impatience is general. Calling Radio Tiger: your roar is fast becoming a meow," Asiaweek adds.

Tuesday, December 9, 1986:

Prabhakaran's order led to killings

The curfew in Batticaloa was lifted at 5 a.m. yesterday, with the situation returning to normal after Saturday's violence, in which 20 persons were killed in clashes between terrorists and Muslims at Kattankudy.

Intelligence reports said the LTTE leader had ordered his men in Batticaloa to disarm homeguards and collect their arms and ammunition; and Saturday's offensive by the terrorists was in accordance with the LTTE leaders' command. The homeguards however, when confronted by the terrorists, had attempted to drive them off and were shot dead in reply.

Intelligence reports said the killing of 11 Tamils by the Muslims was a retaliatory act. The Tamils were in a CTB bus which was leaving immediately after the homeguards were shot. The Tamil men who were killed have been identified as employees of the Akkaraipattu CTB depot. The bus was on its way to Akkaraipattu from Batticaloa.

Intelligence reports also sate that Prabhakaran is said to have ordered his men to disown responsibility for the killing of the homeguards since the loss of Tamil lives in the incident might damage the image of the LTTE.

One of those killed during the terrorist-Muslim clash at Kattankudi has green identified as Arunan, a foreign trained terrorist leader.

At Stittnady, in the Batticaloa district, forces killed a terrorist and recovered a number of 752 AK ammunition in a counter-attack on Sunday. The terrorists had earlier attacked the forces with hand grenades and small arms. There was no injury to the troops.

At Periyaneelavanai, also in the same district, seven of the 39 terrorist suspects detained for questioning were released. The rest are still under interrogation.

In the Trincomalee district at Aluthoya, three terrorist suspects were taken into custody and the vehicle in which they were travelling was siezed.

Monday, December 15, 1986:

LTTE, EPRLF shoot it out

A battle is now raging in the North and East between the Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), reports from the troubled Northern and Eastern districts reveal.

"We are aware that there is an internecine battle now going on.

Although the LTTE is widely regarded as the dominant terrorist group, they are not as strong as they are supposed to be, particularly outside the Jaffna peninsula," one well placed source said yesterday.

The conflict between the two groups is evident in India, where leaders of both the LTTE and the EPRLF are based, but the physical fighting is here in Sri Lanka, where the LTTE has taken some blows and dealt others to its rival.

A Colombo-datelined Reuter report quoted residents of Jaffna as saying the the EPRLF ha surrendered en masse to the LTTE. This report also quoted military officials as saying that three EPRLF fighters had been killed in Mannar by the LTTE.

Some of the incidents logged in the last few days include these:

At Paranthan, two LTTE jeeps taking supplies to Kilinochchi were destroyed by the EPRLF.

At Mullaitivu, the EPRLF attacked an LTTE group, inflicting at least eight fatalities.

At Velvettiruai, the LTTE killed two EPRLF fighters and at Chavakachcheri, some weapons belonging to the EPRLF were captured. At Mannar, a battle between the two groups is now going on.

At a village called Udayarakattu Puttukuduirippu in the Mullaitivu district, the EPRLF attacked an LTTE base.

The LTTE cadres fled the area, leaving weapons and ammunition.

In Batticaloa, the LTTE seized some EPRLF communication equipment, but the tide has since changed and the Tigers have been seeking reinforcements from Velvettiturai.

According to these reports, the EPRLF is under heavy pressure in the Jaffna peninsula where the LTTE is strong.

Some months ago, the LTTE took on TELO and brutally annihilated the rival group, finally succeeding in killing the TELO leader, Sri Sabarathnam. TELO was able to give the LTTE a better fight in the eastern province than in the Jaffna district.

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Tomorrow - Terrorist war claims heavy toll

Yesterday - LTTE forcing PLOTE to quit?

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