Chronology Of Ltte Terror - Part 59

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.

[Thursday February 01, 1996]

Bomb rocks Fort

A. S. Fernando and Hemasiri Kuruppu

* Terrorist suicide squad rams building in explosive filled truck

* Bombs ripped Central Bank, cause spreading fires to Ceylinco and other buildings

Two powerful bombs that exploded in quick succession at the Central Bank building about 10.50 a.m. yesterday saw the Bank building, Ceylinco House opposite it and a row of adjoining smaller buildings engulfed in thick smoke and flames within minutes.

The explosions widely believed to be the work of the LTTE were described by security sources as the most powerful ones set off in terrorist attacks in the city so far.

According to eye witness accounts, an LTTE suicide squad had driven an explosives-packed truck into the Central Bank building firing at the security guards as they moved in. The devastating explosions had occurred seconds later causing an inferno.

At least fifty people were feared killed directly by the two blasts while the fate of several thousands trapped inside the two burning high rise offices was unknown.

The vibration triggered by the explosions damaged many buildings in the city’s commercial centre. Hundreds of their occupants were injured by the flying glass splinters and falling debris.

The impact of the blast was heard as far as Borella. Several residences were shaken and the city’s power supply and telecommunications were disrupted.

By 12 noon the raging fire at the Central Bank building had reached the topmost storey and tongues of flames were seen issuing forth from the windows. Meanwhile, the other high rise, the Ceylinco House was enveloped in thick smoke and several trapped employees were seen on the topmost ‘Akasa Kade’ frantically calling for rescue.

The city fire brigade reached the scene within 10 minutes of the explosions. But fire fighting and rescue operations were stalled for several precious minutes by some initial problems, eye witnesses said.

“We had difficulty in finding hydrants. Besides water pressure was very low,”Fire Chief Jayantha Kannangara told one of our reporters.

Fire fighters backed by hundreds of security personnel were still making a valiant effort to douse the flames as we went to Press. Several helicopters defied billowing black fumes and searing heat to drop aquafoam on the inferno.

Later reports said that practically all trapped in the burning buildings were rescued by cranes.

Among those rescued from the Ceylinco building was its Chairman Lalith Kotelawala, unconfirmed reports said.

Dozens of buses and vans which happened to be closed to the scene of tragedy had risen to the occasion by ferrying the wounded to the hospital.

Meanwhile, the Defence Ministry made an appeal to the public to remain calm and keep from entering the cordoned off area.

[Friday February 02, 1996]

Wednesday’s bomb explosion in Fort

Suicide bomber and two accomplices identified:

Richard de Silva, Pramod de Silva and Paneetha Amerasekere

Three LTTE cadres named Raju, Kutti and Raghu had carried out Wednesday’s bomb attack near the Central Bank building in Fort Colombo. Of them Raju had been at the wheel of the explosive laden lorry which rammed into the Central Bank building police investigations have revealed.

Raju was killed in the explosion while Raghu and Kutti were arrested in the Pettah with the assistance of the public as they were trying to make their getaway.

Police said according to preliminary investigations the Isuzu lorry (42-6452) involved in the explosion had come to Colombo with a load of rice from Vavuniya. It is not clear whether the explosives were filtered into the vehicle at Kilinochchi or Colombo. Police request the public who have any information regarding this lorry to contact them on Telephone numbers 693173, 691500, 685153, 447319, 432333, 422176 or 324998.

Police said investigations further revealed that one Rajasingham had obtained a permit in Vavuniya for the lorry to proceed to Colombo with the consignment of rice. It was driven from Vavuniya by one Navaratnam who tendered his identity card at the Vavuniya checkpoint.

The lorry had arrived in Colombo around 6 a.m. on January 30 when Navaratnam handed it over to Raju.

Around 7 p.m. on January 30 Raju had driven the lorry to the playground near the Wolfendhal flats.

The task of triggering off the explosion had been entrusted to Raghu and Kutti who are now in Police custody. They are aged 24 and 26 years respectively. Raghu’s address is Vellanthani Kovil, Maduvil (East) Jaffna and Kutti hailed from Nichchman Onakanthai, Jaffna.

As the lorry approached Janadhipati Mawatha, Raghu and Kutti were seated in the lorry alongside Raju who was driving it.

As the lorry reached the Central Bank building Raghu and Kutti had jumped off and started shooting all round.

Amidst the pandemonium one of them had hung an explosive device on the iron railings in front of the Central Bank blasting them instantly. The other had sat on a three wheel taxi parked nearby and activated its engine.

As the lorry rammed into the building the one who fixed the explosive device to the iron railings too had entered the taxi and the two had made a quick exit.

Eye-witness speaks Disaster relief was quick:

T. Sabaratnam

I was struck hard on the chest by the vibration released by yesterday’s killer blast. It was not a direct hit but a hit by a deflected and weakened force.

I got down from a bus opposite the parliamentary complex, crossed the road and walked along the pavement to the Finance Ministry where I had an interview. I heard an explosion, followed by firing. People started running away and then the blast took place. I was about 10 meters from the Finance Ministry entrance.

Something struck me on the chest and my entire body trembled. Heart beat rocketed and I felt that I may collapse. There was pandemonium.

I summoned up my strength and reached the gate. It had been closed and soldiers were unlocking their guns. I stood by the stone pillar. A soldier came running and said: “Uncle, It’s dangerous to be here. Walk along with those people”. He was at the ready to fire at anyone entering the Finance Ministry.

I pulled myself along with the crowd. They were those who were pouring out of Galadari and its office complex.

Men and women were agitated. We saw some things falling from the Bank of Ceylon Tower.

Smoke belched up and the people knew that it had happened at the Central Bank building.

Energetic youths took out their vehicles and went forward to transport the injured to the hospital.

Police acted swiftly. They blocked the roads and cleared it of people and vehicles. Ambulances appeared from nowhere and the operation to transport the injured commenced.

I was still trembling. I dragged myself to Lake House. Someone held me by my hand and led me along the steps. It took me two hours to regain my composure.

Terrorists attack Colombo economic centre

Over 90 killed, 1,400 injured:

Wijitha Nakkawita

During the year 1996 the government in power had made several attempts to appease the LTTE terrorists by inviting them for peace talks and urging the people of the south to agree to make amends with them by offering to rebuild the Jaffna public library. The media was permeated with various solutions to achieve national amity yet the stars seemed to ordain otherwise.

The month of January 1996 was ending when the LTTE terrorists true to form made one of their biggest attacks on civilians in the south attacking the Central Bank in the heart of Colombo Fort. First a group of terrorists who were fully armed arrived and surrounded the three tower nine-storey modern building an imposing architectural edifice. Yet more than the aesthetic and utility value of the

building it was the heart of the country’s economy containing gold reserves, foreign and local currency reserves that were in fact the wealth of the whole nation.

The LTTE not only wished to terrorize the people of Colombo but more so wished to ruin the economy or at least incur irredeemable losses to the national economy.

The facade of the Central Bank building remained more or less unguarded and a truck laden with high powered explosives manned by suicide cadres drove fast into the frontage of the building creating a huge explosion and rocking the

building as well as other buildings around it. Several sections of the building collapsed while large parts of it were ripped apart. The usual number of persons working in the building on a working day was over 1,500 and at least 90 people were immediately killed while splinters from the explosion also damaged the Ceylinco building opposite while the Chairman of the Ceylinco Group Lalith Kotelawala too was injured among the others. The total number of persons injured in the explosions that rocked the entire Fort area was around 1,400 people, some very seriously.

Though the Chandrika Kumaratunga led People’s Alliance had believed that the LTTE terrorists could be persuaded to enter into negotiations for a peaceful political solution and had told the public in the south that they should agree to a reconciliatory course of action to convince the terrorists either

Ms Kumaratunga had underestimated terrorism or had overestimated the efficacy of peace initiatives offered by her government. However the Colombo Fort area was virtually a heap of rubble and debris after the high powered explosions hit the Central Bank building,damaging several other buildings injuring and killing a very large number of people mostly civilians.

The immense suffering of over 1,500 families whose members had died or were injured was not to be taken by those who had governed the country at that time. Though the attack was condemned by the local and foreign authorities there still remained peace makers who perhaps were naïve enough to believe that the LTTE would at some point of time become reasonable human beings!

The LTTE terrorists by this act demonstrated that they would in no way agree to any talks or to settle for any political solution but would totally depend on terrorist methods and mass murder through in this attack their main objective was to ruin the national economy. History would show later – though even at that time it was obvious to a practical minded and sensible persons - they were only

terrorists with one creed of creating mass bloodshed and sabotage who should only be vanquished by the force of arms.

[Thursday February 01, 1996]

Rescuing the trapped was first priority

Anura Maitipe and E. Weerapperuma

The rescuing of those trapped in the enveloping fires of the Central Bank top storeys was the major priority of the security and rescue teams. Rescue officials said they were making all efforts to rescue persons trapped inside the buildings affected by the powerful blast caused by a suspected LTTE bomb laden truck at 10.50 a.m.

Hospital authorities and voluntary organisations such as the Red Cross Society of Sri Lanka deployed a full fleet of ambulances to expedite the rescue effort.

Eyewitnesses said that suspected terrorists armed with automatic rifles had driven a lorry into the Central Bank lobby after firing at the security personnel. At least five terrorists had been seen inside the truck.

The blast had occurred shortly afterwards, causing massive damage to the Bank and surrounding buildings including Ceylinco House (especially Akasa Kade) and George Steuarts. Broken glass, bricks, wood and other forms of debris were scattered on the road in front of the Central Bank. Explosives experts were assessing the damage caused by the bomb to gauge its strength but the type of explosive used for the attack was not immediately known.

Two suspected LTTE cadres have been taken into custody according to information available.

Police appealed to the public to keep away from the Colombo Fort area and to remain calm.

[Thursday February 01, 1996]

Blast was preceded by gunshots

Paneetha Ameresekere and Ranjith Premadasa

Commander D. W. A. S. Dissanayake attached to Navy Headquarters said the explosion was preceded by a small explosion possibly caused by a grenade to clear the way for the fleeing Tigers.

Sumith Perera, a senior marketing executive attached to Ceylinco Insurance said that he was in the second floor of the building when he heard the sound of gunshots, which preceded the destructive blast by about 10-15 seconds.

“I saw two armed men, one clad in a white shirt and sarong and the other wearing a black shirt and sarong running towards the Hotel Intercontinental,” Perera said.

We escaped by using the fire escape, he said.

The blast caused massive destruction to the Central Bank and the Ceylinco building, and other adjoining buildings.

Shattered glass from the nearby Bank of Ceylon (BOC) Building and World Trade Centre (WTC) were strewn along avenue.

Security Officials of the BOC and WTC buildings around 12 noon said the damage appeared to be restricted to the shattering of the glass panels and windows.

“As a precaution we have evacuated our staff from the BOC building,” they said.

The fire at the Ceylinco building was put out around 12.30 p.m., however the fire at the Central Bank was still smouldering.

Tomorrow - Tigers ravage village

Yesterday - Tiger hitmen go for oil facility