Chronology Of Ltte Terror - Part 72

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.

Tuesday October 17, 2006:

Nearly 100 sailors killed in LTTE suicide attack

Ranil Wijayapala

Nearly one hundred sailors were killed and 116 including civilians were injured in a barbaric suicide attack by the LTTE by driving an explosives laden truck targeting hundreds of unarmed Naval personnel of Digampathana on the Trincomalee-Habarana Road.

“It was a transit point for changing over sailors going on leave and those reporting to camps after leave. The sailors were resting before boarding the buses when the suicide cadres drove in,” a Navy official describing the brutal attack said.

According to Navy sources they used Digampathana as a transit point to give clearance for the Naval personnel coming from Colombo and Trincomalee before boarding into the Navy convoys coming from both directions.

“An explosives-laden Canter truck from the direction of Dambulla exploded targeting those unarmed sailors going on leave and reporting for duty around 1.30 p.m.,” a senior Navy officer told the Daily News.

Around 70 sailors who received injuries in the explosion were rushed to Matale and Dambulla hospitals and those who were in critical condition were airlifted to Colombo National Hospital by SLAF helicopters.

There were around 15 buses in the convoy. The blast occurred around 1.30 p.m. when the suicide cadres in the Mitsubishi Canter blew up their deadly cargo. Navy sources said the transit point is changed frequently as a security measures and Digampathana was chosen as yesterday’s meeting point of the convoys heading to and from Trincomalee.

Police and Army units which rushed to the spot immediately afterwards began a cordon and search operation.

“There is no doubt that the LTTE is behind this savage attack. They have now resorted to a truck bomb as effective surveillance led to the discovery of many claymore mines and other ambush devices,” the Navy official said.

The Navy recently conducted several successful defensive operations against the LTTE, including the sinking of a trawler believed to have been carrying weapons off the Mannar coast on Sunday. This is a clear manifestation that the LTTE is not interested in resorting to the civilised way of solving the problems,” Government Defence Affairs spokesman Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said.

“This is a very clear manifestation that the LTTE is not willing to distance itself from their barbaric acts,” the Minister added.

One more attack on unarmed people, 100 killed

Wijitha Nakkawita

The attack was neither the first nor the last of such cowardly attacks on unarmed people as the LTTE heavily relied on killing the unarmed or the most helpless people and this attack that killed over 100 unarmed sailors was once again an attack by a brainwashed suicide terrorist who like an automaton or a robot was merely carrying out the orders of the terrorist hierarchy

After killing two or three year old children almost babes at Kebithigollewa the LTTE cowards again set upon a convoy of unarmed sailors coming home in buses on leave from duty on October 17, 2006.

For cowards it was always an easy task to attack unarmed people. The LTTE never had the honour though some Western friends of the ruthless group of bloodthirsty separatist terrorist group like the Amnesty International, Redd Barna or Norway attempted to whitewash the bloodstains of the LTTE and hypocritically witnessed and encouraged the terrorists to carry on their bloodletting regardless of the immense anguish and deprivation of human beings who carried no arms and could not hurt a fly even if they wished.

The sailors were unarmed and in civvies when they were coming to the South from the East and usually at Diganpatana near Habarana they changed vehicles after taking a rest for some time as the journey was long and tedious.

On this day as usual the sailors off duty - unarmed human beings who were not on the offensive had come to the place where they got off the buses and were taking a short break before they boarded their buses to reach home when an explosive laden truck driven by a suicide terrorist cadre drove in and rammed into the stationary buses setting off a large stock of explosives killing over 100 sailors.

The attack was neither the first nor the last of such cowardly attacks on unarmed people as the LTTE heavily relied on killing the unarmed or the most helpless people and this attack that killed over 100 unarmed sailors was once again an attack by a brainwashed suicide terrorist who like an automaton or a robot was merely carrying out the orders of the terrorist hierarchy.

It was also done on the day the Supreme Court ruled that the merger of the Northern and Eastern provinces were illegal as the two provinces - of course created by the British for their convenience but merged by the UNP leader J. R. Jayewardene under emergency regulations was invalid.

In other words this was a day on which the terrorists suffered a Constitutional setback as their dream of the merged Northern and Eastern provinces the so-called region of historical habitation of the Tamil or Tamil speaking people fell apart from becoming a legal reality.

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Muslim political leaders condemn massacre

Rajmi Manatunga

Muslim political leaders yesterday vehemently condemned the LTTE’s massacre of a group of 10 Muslim civilians in Pottuvil, Ampara.

Petroleum and Petroleum Resources Minister A. H. M. Fowzie denounced the massacre which was uncovered yesterday as a most inhuman act.

“The people who have been killed in the attack are innocent Muslim civilians of the East. They were not militants fighting against any party, but common people who wanted to live peacefully. We deplore these cold blooded murders whoever committed them,” he said. General Secretary of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) Hassan Ali also unequivocally condemned the killings and called upon the Government to strengthen the security provided for Muslims in the East.

“The SLMC is very much disturbed by the incident and concerned about the security of the people in the area. This is similar to the unfortunate situation which civilians in Muttur had to face a few months back. The only difference is that this happened in the other end - the Eastern province,” he said.

Ali said the 10 victims were unarmed civilians from Akkaraipattu, 12 kilometres away from Pottuvil and were working at a construction site.

He also said that SLMC leader Rauf Hakeem discussed the issue with President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday requesting him to give additional protection to Muslims in threatened areas in the East.

Saturday, January 06, 2007

Bus blast kills six, injures 50

LTTE behind explosion

Rafik Jalaldeen

A bomb exploded aboard a private bus plying between Nittambuwa and Giriulla via the Kandy-Colombo route killing six and injuring over 50 passengers yesterday. Ten were critical, sources said. A child was among the killed.

The blast took place at Nittambuwa around 6.45 p.m. According to Police, at the time of the blast there had been about 80 passengers aboard the bus.

A spokesman for the Media Centre for National Security said the injured were rushed to the Wathupitiwela, Gampaha and Colombo hospitals for treatment.

“It was an act of terror targeting innocent civilians by the LTTE,” Military spokesman Brigadier Prasad Samarasinghe said.

According to the Military spokesman, preliminary investigations revealed that the bomb weighing two kilos had been fixed under a seat of the bus and had been triggered close to the Damro factory at Nittambuwa junction.

Government Defence Spokesman Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said the LTTE which is losing its battle in the North and East was now acting in a manner to distract the Government’s attention it was giving to the North and East and has targeted unarmed civilians in the South. “Historical evidence points the finger towards the Tigers for the blast,” he said.

“These are signs of desperation in view of the defeats the LTTE had suffered. “Public support in the past had helped the Security Forces to minimize the incidents in the country.

“We count on public support to continue our fight against terrorism. We assure that all measures have been taken to ensure security in the country despite this sort of provocation by the LTTE,” the Minister said. According to Police, heavy damage had been caused to the bus.

“Steps had been taken to douse the fire and bring the situation under control,” Brigadier Samarasinghe told the Daily News.

Police and Army launched joint search operations in the area.

Sources said following the blast, the Colombo-Kandy route was temporarily closed.

Thursday, February 8, 2007

LTTE murders Poosari who garlanded President

Ranil Wijayapala

Selliah Kurukkal Parameshwaran, the Chief Poosari of the Santhiveli Pulleyar Kovil, Batticaloa who garlanded President Mahinda Rajapaksa during his recent visit to Vakarai was shot dead by three LTTE gunmen just outside his residence last night, military sources told the Daily News.

According to sources, three LTTE gunmen entered the Santhiveli Pulleyar Kovil and had taken him to the backyard of his residence saying that they need to question him and shot him using a T56 weapon. He was 63 years old and was a father of three. According to initial reports, the LTTE gunmen had taken him out of his residence at 8.45 p.m. while he was having his dinner.

According to family members the gunmen had mentioned that they were from the LTTE and they needed to question the Poosari in connection with the garlanding of President Mahinda Rajapaksa on his arrival at Vakarai on February 3.

Eravur Police are conducting investigations.

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

LTTE massacres 10 Muslim civilians

Rafik Jalaldeen

Ten Muslim youths who were returning home after constructing a sluice gate have been hacked to death by the LTTE early morning yesterday near Irathal Kulam, Paanama.

“There is one survivor. He had told that the killers were speaking in Tamil and wearing shorts and T-shirts,” STF DIG Nimal Lewke said.

The victims, all residents of Paanama, had been repairing the sluice gates, so that the local community comprising mainly Muslims and Tamils could receive an uninterrupted supply of water. They had been hired by a local contractor on the daily wage basis.

The LTTE had warned the workers involved in reconstructing the Irathal Kulam sluice gate. LTTE cadres were roaming in the area and two STF personnel were killed last week, he added. The Police launched an immediate investigation into the massacre on the directive of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who telephoned the relevant defence officials immediately after hearing the news.

“The survivor Meera Mohideen will tell the truth to the world,” IGP Chandra Fernando said. A special CID investigations team is being sent to Pottuvil, he added.

Sri Lanka Muslim Congress Leader Rauff Hakeem called for an impartial probe inclusive of a forensic investigation on the lines of the Muttur incident. He said the innocent villagers had been killed ruthlessly and the culprits should be brought to book. Justice should be served to the villagers. Western Province Governor Alavi Mowlana and Minister Hussain Bhaila condemned this inhuman act of terror. “Whoever did it, the murderers should be brought to justice,” they said.

The local workers were reconstructing the Irathal Kulam sluice gate on Sunday. Six of the workers had returned by motorcycle. Eleven workers were returning by a tractor from sluice gate around 5 p.m. on Sunday.

When they did not turn up, families of the 11 workers searched for their loved ones. The villagers went to search for them and when they approached the sluice gate they found only the tractor but not the youth.

The bodies were found by a villager who went to the sluice gate early Monday morning.

He said the victims throats have been slit and they had multiple injuries on their bodies.

The critically injured survivor was taken to the Kalmunai hospital and later transferred to the Ampara hospital.

The bodies were kept at the Pottuvil Jumma mosque. The deceased have been identified as Farook Shiyam (23), Majeed Farook (20), Abdul Rahman (18), N. Anardeen (18), M. Nawas (15), M. Ajmir (20), R. Anees (18), A. Rishad (22) and K. Jaufar (26).

Minister Mervin Silva and Felix Perera also had visited the scene yesterday.

The initial investigation was conducted by the Pottuvil OIC M. Karunaratne.

The incident caused outrage among the local population with a hartal declared in the Muslim dominated areas of Pottuvil and Kalmunai where all shops and businesses were closed and transport paralysed.

The anicut provided water to thousands of civilians. They were to be supplied with water by repairing the anicut.

The Government will grant Rs. 30,000 to each family of the deceased.

Tomorrow - Four killed, 35 injured in LTTE claymore blast

Friday - 64 civilians killed in LTTE claymore attack