Chronology of LTTE terror- Part 43

From the Daily News Archives

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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.

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Monday, May 2, 1988

Repeat performance, grimmer tally, on Allai - Kantalai road

Tigers ambush busload at Sittaru: 26 killed:

Twenty-six more civilians were killed in a second landmine explosion this time at Sittaru, on the Allai-Kantalai road, yesterday morning.

Earlier, on saturday morning, six civilians and six soldiers of the Sri Lanka army were killed when terrorists identified as the LTTE ambushed their bus at Arantalawa, five miles from Vavuniya.

An eye-witness account by a survivor of Sunday's attack said that a very large number of terrorists took part in the attack on the bus, at a spot just three miles from a Lankan army camp. The attack - by men armed with automatics - same soon after an explosion hit the CTB vehicle.

The terrorists poured out of the jungle and boarded the bus, shooting its 71 passengers at point-blank range. Fifteen of thirty-five passengers who were injured were reported yesterday to be in a critical condition at the Anuradhapura hospital. Ten passengers escaped unhurt.

Sri Lanka Army and IPKF troops were yesterday engaged in intensive cordon-and-search operations in both areas.

The Arantalawa attack was on a bus in which five men of the 3rd Gajaba Regiment were riding on escort duty. Three of them were killed instantly. The other soldiers, who were mowed down by heavy automatic fire, were moving out of the area on leave.

The six civilians who died were residents of Avarantalawa, which is five miles from Vavuniya.

The dead soldiers have been identified as Privates Sarath Karunaratne of Morawewa, M.T.S. Pathirana of Dompe and Jagath Wimalasena of Ridigama, all of the 3rd Gajaba Regiment, and Pvt. E.A.M.M.G. Abeyratne of Matale of the 5th CLI, Pvt. Susantha Ratnayake of the 5th CLI, and Pvt. R.M. Seneviratne of the NAF.

The civilians killed were still being identified yesterday. Meanwhile, Lankapuvath quoted official sources as saying that in the Saturday attack the terrorists seized two T56 rifles, one 303 rifle, nine T56 magazines, 270 rounds of 7.62 ammunition and 04 M14 grenades.

Terrorist deny the right to life even of their own people

Wijitha NAKKAWITA

The scourge of terrorism never had any compunction, ethics or reasoning but the ruthless passion for killing other human beings even for the flimsiest excuses of not contributing to their bloody sprees. The month of May 88 that came after a series of attempts by leaders, some their own, to lure or convince the separatist terrorist groups the LTTE, PLOT, EPRLF or EROS to discuss a settlement to the problem without shedding more blood but were arrogantly rejected by the main terrorist group the LTTE who did not give up arms or stop using them against innocent people.

The beginning of the month saw a land-mine set off to hit a CTB bus carrying 71 passengers - all civilians - on a journey along the Allai-Kantale Road in the east. As the bus hit the mine killing several people and injuring several others terrorists who were waiting in the jungle lining this remote road came out like a nest of hornets with their automatic weapons, climbed the bus and started pouring bullets on the shocked and injured passengers at point blank range killing 26 immediately and severely injuring the rest though a few escaped unscathed hiding among the debris of the bus.

Earlier in the same week another land mine claimed the lives of six civilians and six soldiers and the killing spree of the month did not stop at these two incidents. It was a wife of a doctor Rajamani Vedanayagam who was hacked to death a few days later and the principal of Arapathu Vidyalayam in Tricomalee District Masilamani Kanagratnam who was shot dead by the separatist terrorists.

In Ampara district two members of the PLOT young men Manikkam and Yogan were also gunned down by the LTTE who were increasingly violent even against the Tamil people they claimed to represent or were said to be fighting for the liberation of the Sri Lankan Tamil people.

Though some of the Western apologists for human rights were harping on going for a negotiated settlement of what they called the ethnic problem of Sri Lanka such people mainly the hypocrites in political positions did not even express any indignation or shock when dozens or scores of innocent civilians were slaughtered by the LTTE or other terrorists in this country.

They were apologists for a group that denied the people the right to very life making their human rights issues - always invented in their backyards - a mockery and an insult to intelligence.

For month after month, day after day, year after year from the early 1970s these so-called liberators had killed more Tamil people before they started their mass murder of the Sinhalese people of the south.

The month of May 1988 was to be remembered in the calendar as another month bloodied by the terrorist groups who were killing one another, unarmed innocent civilians babies, pregnant women and aged and feeble old men or women.

Those who were harping on human rights remained imprisoned in their ivory towers while the right to life was being denied to hundreds of voiceless innnocents.

Monday May 30, 1988:

Crushing blow to Tigers at Alampil base

Pre-emptive strike by IPKF before pull-out?:

Colombo, Sunday (Reuter) - The Indian army's success in destroying a major Tamil rebel base in north-east Sri Lanka last week is a big blow to the guerillas and weakens their bargaining position in talks for arms surrender, according to military analysts.

Sri Lankan military analysis told Reuters the operation appeared to be part of a drive to clear up the southern jungles of Tamil rebels before India pulls out some of its estimated 70,000 troops in a phased withdrawal expected from June or July.

"It's not easy to annihilate the LTTE, but with this operation the IPKF (Indian Peace-Keeping Force) has blunted their cutting edge. It's big blow for the terrorists," a military official said.

"It's a good operation. The IPKF has been able to hit at the heart of the militants," said another senior official based in the northern province. The Indian high commission said at least 30 Tigers and 10 Indian soldiers were killed in the battle that began on May 23, in the jungles of Alampil bordering Vavuniya and Mullaitivu districts in the north.

The Tigers retreated on the fifth day, after a fierce counter-offensive.

It said 39 guerillas and 11 Indian soldiers were wounded. The Tigers claimed they have killed 25 soldiers, mostly while troops were being dropped from helicopter gunships.

The Indians have given the little information on the battle, but Sri Lankan military officials said about 6,000 soldiers were deployed for the operation.

The Tiger political commander of Vavuniya, Dinesh, told reporters 3,000 more troops have been involved in search and cordon operations in nearby villages.

The state-run television showed footage of India's chief of staff, General Viswanath Sharma, visiting the scene of battle on Wednesday. He was shown inspecting part of a concrete bunkers and tunnels in the rebel base, as well as an array of ammunition and some arms captured there.

Diplomats and military officials said Alampil is a landing point for smuggled arms.

"The jungles in Mullaitivu are their main base. From there, the militants can supply Jaffna, Batticaloa and Trincomalee. Mullaitivu seems to be their alternative headquarters", one senior military-official said.

"I think the LTTE shifted to Alampil and built it up into a heavily fortified base after Jaffna", he added.

The rebels had Jaffna peninsula, north of Mulaitivu, us their strong hold, before it fell to the Indian army in October.

About 3,500 guerrillas re-grouped in the jungles south of Jaffna and the eastern districts of Batticaloa and Trincomalee, after they lost there northern stronghold.

After Alampil, officials said smaller bases in Odduchuddan in Mullaitivu as well as Pessalai and Madhu in Mannar, in the north, could easily fail.

Rebel operations in Batticaloa and Trincomalee have already been considerably weakened in previous small-scale operations and arrests.

Despite the success in Alampil, military officials said the Tigers could still be capable of hit-and-run operations.

India is now holding low-level talks with the Tigers on arms surrender and a return to the political mainstream. The number and schedule of arms to be given up have been a hurdle.

"The LTTE still claims they are in a position to dictate terms to India. After this, I don't think it can make that boast", an official in Colombo said.

Wednesday, June 29, 1988

Retaliation for IPKF 'Checkmate':

Tigers turn on civilians

The LTTE killed at least three more civilians in the north and east during the past 48 hours, apparently retaliating against informants as Indian peace-keeping forces pressed on with their search operation, codenamed Checkmate'. The Indian strike is aimed principally at Tamil Liberation Tigers who have yet to lay down their arms.

One of the civilians killed was a young Tamil student who was pulled out of a Colombo-bound bus at Uduvil, early yesterday morning.

The terrorists took him away and ordered the bus to move off on its journey. The boy's body was found in paddy field a few hours later, with gunshot injuries. In the Batticaloa district, two men kidnapped by LTTE terror gangs were found dead shortly after they had been abducted. One was a labourer at Batticaloa hospital. The other man was named Kanapathipillai. In Kalmunai, a member of the TELO separatist group was gunned down too.

Indian troops who have intensified their search for what they believe are the stragglers of the LTTE's fighting arm in Batticaloa, yesterday challenged and shot down a man carrying a T 56 assault rifle. He was later identified as Sumana, once bodyguard to an LTTE 'tax collector'.

In Trincomalee, a civilian was killed in an exchange of fire between the LTTE and IPKF, at a village named Pattiyamattu.

LTTE casualties in this incident have not yet been ascertained, a report to Colombo said.

Lankapuvath reported yesterday that the LTTE was conscripting schoolboys into its ranks according to complaints made to the IPKF by parents.

The Indian Defence Ministry has gone on record saying that the Tigers were extorting money from people in the areas they were active and three arrests had been made in this connection in the Jaffna peninsula. In Mannar, eight suspects rounded up had Rs. 40,000 in their possession;

The ministry said that the IPKF had helped return some conscripts to their families.

Instances of the LTTE indulging in the killing of civilians in Vadamarachchi area to terrorise locals as the civilians were not forthcoming to give money had been reported and LTTE intercepts have also acknowledged that 15 persons were killed.

The press release said that the current operations were highly successful and the IPKF had located a large group of militants in Alampil jungles in Vavuniya sector. In an operation to apprehend them more than 20 militants were killed and the IPKF suffered two casualties, including one officer.

Monday May 16, 1988:

Doctor's wife hacked to death by Mutur Tigers

Mrs Rajeswari Vedanayagam, wife of Dr. S.P.R. Vedanayagam, was hacked to death by LTTE terrorists in Mutur in the Trincomalee district, on Saturday morning. A 19-year-old youth who was there at the time, is reported missing, Lankapuvath said.

A report from Ampara said LTTE terrorists killed two PLOT members, named Manikkam and Yogan, on Saturday. Police also found the body of a young man at Sammanturai, on Saturday, identified as Nagamani Karunanidhi of Kokuvil, who was reported to have been abducted from his home on May 12.

At Araipattu, on Saturday, armed terrorists shot dead Masilamani Kanagaratnam, Principal of the Araipattu Vidyalaya.

Three IPKF men injured in ambush

Three IPKF soldiers were injured when they ran into an LTTE ambush in the Jaffna sector yesterday, an Indian High Commission spokeswoman said.

She said a PLOTE member named Anton was captured at Vavuniya on Saturday, while an LTTE member was apprehended by the IPKF. Six more LTTE members were apprehended at Batticaloa.

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Tomorrow: IPKF pull-out welcomed

Yesterday: Tigers kill 15 in swoop on two villages

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