Chronology Of Ltte Terror - Part 51
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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Tuesday, Dec. 04, 1990:
STF ambushed at Panama
Seven commandos, 30 Tigers killed in
encounter
Seven STF commandos were killed in an LTTE ambush at Panama, on the
Panama-Potuvil road yesterday morning. However, police swiftly
retaliated, killing at least 30 fleeing terrorists in a ‘pursue and
destroy’ operation.
STF men from Sagamankanda, Urani, Komari, Arugam Bay and Panama, who
went into action according to a well co-ordinated plan executed with
minimal delay, are now scouring the Panama jungle for the remaining
terrorists of the ambush party.
A killer gang of Tigers about 100 strong had ambushed the STF jeep on
its way from Arugam Bay on a routine patrol. STF constable, R.A. Upali,
who travelled in the following jeep said the badly outnumbered commandos
put up a heroic fight until their last moment. “As we went to the
defence of our ambushed colleagues, we despatched radio messages to our
camps, asking for reinforcements,” he said.
“After ambushing the band with grenades and mortars, the terrorists
were preparing to make off with the bodies of our colleagues, but they
couldn’t withstand our fire.
They retreated, carrying their own dead and injured.” The terrorists
had also tried to stall the arrival of reinforcements from the STF camps
by engaging them on their way to the battle scene.
The ambush, security sources said, had been planned and executed by
terrorist leader Raju, who has replaced the better known terrorist
leader Castro.
The latter apparently has incurred the displeasure of the LTTE
hierarchy over the series of debacles his men have suffered at the hands
of the police commandos. “Raju has brought in cadres from other areas to
launch this attack, obviously for prestige reasons,” STF chief, Lionel
Karunasena, commented yesterday.
The seven commandos killed in the ambush were Sub-Inspector Duminda
Wickramakanta, Sgt. Ariyasena, PCs Jayasena, Samarakkody, Weerasuriya,
Ratnayake and Ekanayake. Inspector Jayasuriya was injured.
Civilian killings by LTTE decline but pressure on Muslims continues
Wijitha Nakkawita
When the month of November 1990 dawned the terrorist killings of
civilians was found to be decreasing but the army was hounding out the
LTTE terrorists in their hideouts and bases. Deputy Defence Minister
Ranjan Wijeratne whose codename within the LTTE was ‘white bear’ was
reported saying that the LTTE was vanquished from Mannar and the 50,000
Muslims who had been chased out by the LTTE would be resettled in their
original homes.
 But
of course his promise was not kept and the Muslim who had become
refugees languished in IDP camps and temporary shelters for years to
come as Mannar did not become safe for them so soon.
On November the remote village Helambagaswewa, Welioya in the
Trincomalee District was attacked for the third time since June 1990 and
11 civilians including women and children were killed by the terrorists.
The village at the time was almost deserted and some of the people at
that time used to creep into the jungle when night fell to spend the
night for fear of terrorist attacks.
On November 7 the LTTE threatened the Muslims of Batticaloa and
Kilinochchi and they started fleeing to areas outside their hometowns
for fear of another massacre like the one at Kattankudy.
Some of the Muslims fled to distant areas like Kurunegala or Kegalle
for fear of being killed by the LTTE as the threat could not be taken
lightly. It was very clear from the beginning of the LTTE that it was
always ready to kill the most unsuspecting and clueless civilians of
remote areas and at this time when their cadres were also getting killed
by the armed forces it had demanded at least one child from a Tamil
family and threatened to kill the parents who refused to give them a
child.
On November 15 a jeep was hit by a land-mine on a road at Welikanda
and three civilians employees of the Mahaveli Authority were killed.
But as December started an attempt by the LTTE to ambush and kill a
police Special Task Force detachment at Panama in the east ended in 30
LTTE cadres being killed while the STF men the elite commandos also lost
7 men. As usual the injured LTTE cadres fled to the jungles.
Friday, Nov. 16, 1990:
Jeep hits landmine, 3 killed
From Joseph Cabraal Polonnaruwa special
correspondent
Three travellers from Sinhapura were killed when their jeep ran over
a landmine near Welikanda, in the Mahaweli B zone, at about 4 p.m. on
Wednesday.
The explosion killed A.V. Jayawickrema, block manager of Sevanapitiya
in Sinhapura, his driver Mahinda Weerasinghe and Seiyadu Akmeer.
Police said the jeep had also been fired upon at the time it
exploded.
Friday November 02, 1990:
Tigers storm Sinhala village, kill 11 civilians and 5 soldiers
About hundred armed Tigers stormed the Sinhala settlement of
Helambagaswewa, Weli-oya in the Trincomalee district shortly after 1.30
a.m. yesterday morning and killed 11 civilians and five soldiers on duty
at a guardpost, military sources said.
They said another six soldiers were wounded when Tigers clad in army
fatigues launched the attack from all directions. Army personnel too had
fired back and military sources were unable to confirm the number dead
or wounded enemy. An officer at the Weli-oya army camp yesterday
identified the dead soldiers as Lance Corporals Somaratne, Upali,
Jayasinghe, Wijesinghe and Private Podibanda.
He said there were men, women and children among those killed by the
Tigers.
Military sources said that this was the third time Tigers attacked
Sinhala settlements in the Weli-oya area in the Trincomalee district
after the current war broke out in June.
An army officer at Weli-oya said that the guardpost providing
security to the village was a small one and only twenty soldiers were
attached there.
Meanwhile, our Polonnaruwa correspondent reports that Tigers killed
three civilians in a village at Aluthoya in Horowpothana on Tuesday.
Among those killed were two women and a man.
The attackers had also set fire to the tractor belonging to the
victims and had taken away a gun provided for their personal security.
Wednesday, November 7, 1990:
EPRLF man shot dead by Tigersat Kalawanchikudi
Tigers shot dead an EPRLF supporter identified as Kanapathipillai
Kamalanathan at Kalawanchikudi on Monday night, military sources said.
At Alaidivambu in Ampara security forces arrested Tiger suspects on
Monday afternoon who are being interrogated, the sources said.
Tigers attacked a security forces patrol at Puttur in Batticaloa the
same day. Troops returned fire killing one. The T-56 rifle was recovered
from the dead man. A civilian driver was killed and three soldiers
injured when Tigers opened fire at a lorry transporting food near the
Kallady bridge, also in Batticaloa on the same day. Troops returned fire
killing two Tigers and recovered a T-81 rifle and some hand bombs from
the enemies.
Tigers opened fire at the guard post at Palaly on Monday night.
One soldier was killed and another wounded. The army returned fire
and the LTTE casualties are not known.
Tigers continued their attacks on the Elephant Pass army detachment
camp on Monday night. However, no troop casualties were reported.
President’s speedy action averts
major incident:
Muslim refugees resettled at Kuppiyawatte community centre
Muslim refugees who had encamped in classrooms of Zahira College,
Colombo, have now been re-settled at the Kuppiyawatte Community Centre
on the quick instructions of President R. Premadasa.
The President’s intervention diffused likely tension building up on
the college premises, with the disruption of classes, had these refugees
remained there.
A statement signed by Zahira Principal M. Sameem throws light on how
these refugees came to Zahira in the first instance. It reads: “On
31-10-1990 at about 9.30 p.m., I was informed by the Chairman of the
Board of Governors that refugees had come to the College and had
forcibly entered the premises and occupied the corridors of the Gafoor
building.
I rushed to the scene and found that it was true.
“The security told me that Abu Bakr (SLMC) MP for Wanni (had) brought
these refugees and had left the place.
As I found there were a large number of women and children among the
refugees, I immediately gave them accommodation in five classrooms.
“Food for the refugees was provided by some teachers. The morning
breakfast was provided by the board of prefects. Maradana OIC Bernard
Silva was with me throughout the night, helping me in these
arrangements.
We were able to carry on the activities of the school next day
without any disruption as students of a few classes had gone on an
educational tour.
“Abu Bakr MP visited the school the next day and informed me in the
presence of the Chairman of the Board of Governors and a senior police
officer that more refugees (were) on the way to the school.”
Sameem’s statement alleges that Abu Bakr had asked that the school,
being a Muslim institution, and its hostel be closed for six months to
accommodate the refugees and that the MP had asked the refugees not to
leave the premises under any circumstances.
Sameem has said he felt there was a certain amount of tension among
the outsiders who were coming to see the refugees.
“However, thanks to the efforts of the President who had been in
constant touch with various organisations and departments ever since he
learnt about the arrival of the refugees, who crowded Zahira College and
were shifted to the community centre at Kuppiyawatte,” Sameem said.
He adds: “The school is now able to function without any hindrance
and a major incident has been averted.
The police informed me that according to their intelligence reports,
there would have been disturbances of the peace after Jummah prayers at
Maradana Mosque on Friday, which is in the same premises as the school,
by some mischief makers.”
The refugees were moved out by special police and air force buses.
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Tomorrow - Massacre in Ampara
Saturday - Muslims flee homes after Tiger threats
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