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CHRONOLOGY OF LTTE TERROR - Part 63
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
Van bomb in Maradana kills, 32 injures 115
Mayoress of Jaffna killed:
Wijitha NAKKAWITA
The year 1998 was one in which the LTTE was not as free as before to
attack civilians as in the previous year but they were certainly not
done with killing civilians especially in the south. After the attack on
the Sri Dalada Maligawa it took some time for them to plan an attack on
civilians.
The day was March 1998 and an explosive laden van driven by a suicide
LTTE cadre was exploded in the heart of Colombo almost opposite the
Maradana Railway station.
 It was at 12.30 p m that the bomb laden van exploded and immediately
31 civilians were killed while nearly 250 were injured. All that
remained of the explosive van was a twisted chassis, the body shredded
to pieces. Police investigating the case believed that the van had been
fitted with a time device so that the explosion would take place at the
busy lunch break hour.
Once again the LTTE had declared a ceasefire and was now on a low key
in its attacks and activities but it clearly showed that the tiger's
stripes had not changed when it got back at the widow of TULF
parliamentarian they had killed with the TULF leader and godfather of
the separatist terrorist groups. Some semblance of normality had come to
Jaffna and a Mayor of the town Sarojini Yogeswaran appointed Mayoress.
She was the widow of parliamentarian V. Yogewaran who was killed with
Amirthalingam in Colombo by the LTTE after the terrorists 'passed death
sentences' on their godfather the TULF leader and his colleagues.
The trail of blood that the LTTE started did not stop at anyone, an
elected representative of the Tamils or any other group of people but in
the case of V. Yogeswaran it was again the hatred of those who had
helped the LTTE at the beginning that came to the fore.
On assuming duty as the Mayoress Sarojini now turned 60 told the
press that she would like to bring the good days back to Jaffna.
On May 17, she was making preparations to shift from her house to
another one when a man on a bicycle came to her place. The man got off
the bicycle went straight for the Mayoress and shot her at point blank
and fled on the same bicycle.
That was all there was to the Mayoress trying to bring some good for
her people and she also had to suffer the same fate as her husband. For
she was not the only first citizen of Jaffna that would be murdered by
the LTTE terrorists and many more Tamil leaders who chose the path of
democratic governance and peaceful methods of settling problems would
also be killed by the LTTE again and again in the years to come..
Friday March 06, 1998:
Bomb blast at Maradana junction
by Sarath Malalasekera Paneetha Ameresekere and
Bharatha Mallawaarachchi
Thirty one persons were killed and another 235 were wounded, when a
powerful bomb in a private bus was detonated near the Maradana Junction
on the Maradana Road, opposite the Maradana Road Railway-Station, around
12.40 pm yesterday, Police said.
The overhead bridge at Maradana, connecting T.B. Jayah Mawatha (Darley
Road), with Panchikawatte, was also damaged in the explosion. Sixty one
shops in and around the area and 36 vehicles were also damaged in the
blast.
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Maradana
blast: Another horrendous hit by LTTE |
The explosives laden bus, a white Rosa, was occupied by only its
driver, SI A.R. Perera, attached to the Maligawatte Traffic Branch, who
had given chase to the vehicle from Maligawatte.
He said that the bus, a short while before the blast, had hit a
private jeep belonging to a company called Siri Motors at Panchikawatte
Road. "The accident had occurred about 1,000 metres from the scene of
the blast," Perera said.
The driver of the bus had then stopped his vehicle and had tried to
reach a settlement with the owner of the jeep, by offering him Rs. 1000.
"The bus-driver had found it difficult to communicate in Sinhala,"
detectives added.
But Siri Mudalali had declined this sum, and had quoted a higher
figure. The bus-driver without conducting any further negotiations had
then sped off in his bus towards Maradana.
Siri Mudalali in his jeep and SI Perera on his bike had then given
chase after it. The bus-driver had refused to stop his vehicle despite
repeated calls to do so by SI Perera, who had even ridden parallel to
the bus. The bus had then taken the turn towards Maradana. In the
meanwhile, Maradana Police who had been alerted about this bus, had
despatched two unarmed traffic policemen towards Maradana Junction.
The jeep in the meantime had overtaken the bus, and had blocked its
path, by cutting across it. This was near the Maradana Railway Station.
The bus driver had then activated the explosives, which instantly
killed him, the two traffic policemen, Siri Mudalali and another person
who was in the jeep.
SI Perera however escaped unscathed. He said that the driver had been
wearing a white shirt. Police have found the number of the vehicle, but
suspect it to be false.
Buildings and vehicles on either side of the bomber bus was riddled
with pockmarks, caused by several hundred pieces of shrapnel piercing
through them.
This indicates that the explosives had been hidden on either side of
the bus, experts said, possibly in slab form between the two side
panelling of the vehicle.
The blast effects had occurred on either side of the bus. No crater
had been caused, unlike in previous blasts, such as the Central Bank
blast and the Fort bomb blast, they said.
The original target may not have been a structure made out of brick
and mortar, these experts said, adding that the bus-driver was forced to
detonate his explosives when his path was blocked by the jeep." His
original target could possibly have been someone travelling in a convoy,
they added.
Meanwhile, a press release from the Ministry of Defence states.
On March 5 1998 at 12.20 p.m. in Colombo, a powerful vehicle bomb
went off near the Maradana Railway Station killing 28 civilians and two
Police personnel. Approximately 250 civilians were injured and about 25
vehicles in the vicinity too were damaged due to the explosion.
The injured were promptly evacuated to National Hospital, Colombo for
treatment.
According to information available a suicide killer of the LTTE had
driven a mini bus with explosives without passengers and exploded it at
Maradana. At the time of the explosion this bus had been proceeding in
the direction of Borella from Maradana.
A police report released to the press yesterday evening said.
Today around 11.30 hrs a Nissan mini bus bearing number of 62-4864
driven by a person identified as a Tamil had knocked into a vehicle
belonging to City Motors at Sangharaja Mawatha. The public who had
noticed this, signalled to Sub Inspector N.A.R. Perera OIC Traffic
Maligawatte who was close by and he signalled the driver to stop the
vehicle and get down.
At this time the driver had tried to pay Rs. 1000 to the driver of
the jeep with which the bus had collided.
The parties involved were not agreeable and SI Perera found that the
driver of the mini-bus was moving away without obeying his orders to
alight from the vehicle. He immediately followed the vehicle signalling
the driver to take the vehicle to the side of the road and stop. The
driver without heeding the directives of the SI, who was in uniform,
came along Panchikawatte Road towards the junction bridge at Maradana
and turned left towards Punchi Borella.
At this time Sub Inspector Perera started hitting on the side of the
bus to stop the bus. The SI had directed the bus to be turned into the
Maradana Police Station. Instead the driver turned the bus into the
center lane and his path was blocked by a lorry belonging to the Health
Department. SI Perera had asked two traffic police constables who were
on duty at the junction to board the bus and take the driver and the bus
to the Maradana Police Station and he had gone ahead on his motorcycle
to take the bus into the police station.
Almost instantaneously there was a loud explosion which damaged 34
vehicles on both sides of the carriageway and caused extensive damages
to the shops on both sides of the road. The explosion destroyed the
parapet wall in front of the railway station and caused the death of 29
civilians who were in the vehicles and by the road side.
Two Police officers who had valiantly tried to take the bus into the
police station, namely Reserve PC 32579 Silva and Reserve PC 31529 Ajith
of the Maradana Police Station Traffic Branch died in the brave
performance of duty. 238 persons received injuries and have been treated
at the National Hospital Colombo.
The registered owner of the vehicle has been traced as Mrs. Rahumania
of 234 R.C. Road, Eravur.
The Government Analyst who has visited the scene is of the view that
this type of explosive is prepared only by the LTTE and is designed to
target a motorcade.
Saturday March 07, 1998:
Headway in Maradana blast inquiry
Sarath Malalasekera, Paneetha Ameresekera and Kamani
Alwis
Police have made an early break-through on Thursday's bus bomb attack
that killed 37, including policemen and children opposite the Maradana
railway station, with the arrest of the bus conductor Kanthan, Suvendra
Devi wife of the owner of the Nissan mini bus W. Kulendran (35) alias
Pulendran alias Rajakulendran, and Arjun Balendran (19).
The three suspects have been detained in the Batticaloa area and will
be brought to Colombo for further investigations. Balendran had been
arrested on inquires conducted after the suicide-bus driver gave a
Jampettah address to the traffic police, when the bus met with an
accident at Panchikawatte shortly before the explosion.
According to investigations, the registered owner of the bus had sold
it to a person called Mohamed of Eravur who had in turn sold it to
Pulendran. Pulendran is absconding.
Mohamed had told the police that he had sold this bus to Pulendran
two months ago. Mohamed who is also in custody had further told
investigators that Pulendran owed him Rs. 400,000 in respect of the bus
purchase.
Police suspect that the bus had been bought by money given by the
LTTE. "Police records showed that it very rarely did the Batticaloa-Colombo
run," they added. Pulendran's house was traced to Eravur in Chenkalady
and the conductor's, to another house close by.
Balendran was arrested in Batticaloa. All these arrests were made on
Thursday. Police records further revealed that this bus which used to do
the Colombo-Batticaloa run, had last left Batticaloa on March 3 evening
with Pulendran in the driving seat.
Detectives further suspect that Pulendran had been in possession of
three national identity cards, which gave his names as Kulendran,
Pulendran and Raja Kulendran.
The last name on record at police check-points in Batticaloa had been
the name V. Kulendran. This was the name given by Kulendran when he
passed those check-points in Batticaloa on March 3 evening. Meanwhile
police who had earlier traced the registration number of the vehicle
(48-4864) was able to trace its chassis number (FGW 40-001412) yesterday
(Friday). They also recovered a cyanide capsule from the scene of the
blast on Thursday. But Police suspect that the chassis number could be
false, as the metal bearing that number appeared to have been assembled
in Panchikawatte, according to investigations.
Investigations believe that the bomb had been assembled by the same
suspect who assembled the bomb that exploded at the Sri Dalada Maligawa
in Kandy. This suspect is believed to be from Porativu. It is also
believed that the bus came to Colombo from Eravur. Investigations
revealed that the explosives including, anti personnel bullets, had been
tacked on either side of the bus with the aim of targeting as many
people as possible.
The motive for the explosion would have been to create communal
clashes by targeting as many people as possible investigators said.
Pettah police have also taken 15 suspects into custody from the
Pettah Central bus stand. Police believe that the suspects were trying
to get away from Colombo, since they had no valid reason for their
presence when interrogated.
Maligakanda Magistrate yesterday morning visited the scene of the
incident. The Government Analyst's officials too inspected the cordoned
area and made his observations.
The area has now been cleared for traffic. The Magistrate ordered
police to release the bodies to the next of kin after the post mortem
examination. Meanwhile IGP W.B. Rajaguru has posthumously promoted the
two unarmed reserve traffic policemen who died while trying to stop the
explosives laden bus at Maradana on Thursday, to the rank of sergeants.
The two policemen are RPCs Ajith Seneviratne and Pradeep de Silva.
"Their dependents will receive pensions payable to a sergeant," a police
spokesman said.
In addition the families of these two officers will receive cash
rewards of Rs. 500,000 each from the IGP at a special ceremony to be
held at the Police Headquarters on Monday. Meanwhile OIC Traffic
Maligawatte, SI N.R. Perera, who had originally given chase to the
'bomber bus has been promoted to the rank of inspector.
He will receive a cash reward of Rs. 300,000 from the IGP.
Monday May 18, 1998:
Jaffna Mayor shot dead
Ranga KALANSOORIYA
Jaffna Mayor Sarojini Yogeswaran was shot dead yesterday by an
unidentified gunman at her residence in Nallur, Jaffna.
Mrs. Yogeswaran, 60, widow of slain TULF Parliamentarian V.
Yogeswaran, as the first elected woman Mayor to serve Jaffna.
"At about 10.30 a.m. she was making arrangements to shift to a new
house in Kandy Road, Jaffna, when she was shot by a gunman who entered
her house on a bicycle," a senior military office in Jaffna said.
Paramasivam, a senior TULF member who was also severely injured in
this attack was admitted to the Jaffna hospital. Mrs. Yogeswaran refused
military protection even during the local government election campaign,
early this year.
"She was without body guards and arms, all the time," TULF spokesman
V. Anandasangari told the Daily News.
She was the second Jaffna Mayor to have been assassinated. Alfred
Duraiappa was killed by the LTTE in 1975.
"People of this land are fed up with gun-culture. We are dedicated to
build a new way of life for the people of Jaffna. We'll never be with
arms of armed security personnel, since we believe that the people would
protect us," she told this reporter in Jaffna when asked about her
security, on the election day on January 29 this year. She was in and
old Morris Minor car with three other TULF supporters.
She led her party to secure nine seats at the Jaffna MC becoming the
only single party to win a majority.
The DPLF members extended their support to her.
"I am even without a chair. We have to start from zero. But we are
determined to turn this situation around. Support from the public is my
strength," she told the Daily News on that day.
Mrs. Yogeswaran flew to Jaffna to attend the first meeting of the
newly elected Municipal Council on April 20, after a brief illness.
At that meeting on April 22, she pledged "to bring the good days back
to Jaffna soon."
The funeral will take place in Jaffna. The date is yet to be
confirmed.
Her husband, V. Yogeswaran was killed in Colombo in 1989 by the LTTE
along with the then TULF leader A. Amirthalingam.
Tomorrow: Dr Neelan Tiruchelvam assassinated
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