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Chronology of LTTE terror- Part 74
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.
November 29, 2007:
17 killed, 37 injured in Nugegoda blast
Ranil WIJAYAPALA and Chaminda PERERA
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Scene of
the bomb blast at Nugegoda |
At least 17 civilians were confirmed killed and 37 civilians were
injured as a suspected parcel bomb exploded near a popular fashion store
at Nugegoda junction around 5.55 p.m. yesterday.
Police believe that the parcel bomb had been placed in one of the
parcel counters at the No Limit clothing store by a suspected LTTE cadre
who had left the scene.
The No Limit store and the adjoining building were damaged by the
resulting explosion and fire. The shops and the nearby bus halt was
crowded during the evening rush hour.
The busy Nugegoda junction filled with students after their tuition
classes and a large number of home bound office workers witnessed
chaotic scenes immediately after the explosion causing a huge traffic
jam on the High Level Road and Stanley Thillekeratne Mawatha towards
Kohuwala.
"The explosion was due to a suspicious parcel bomb kept in the parcel
counter of the No Limit fashion shop," Military Spokesman Brigadier
Udaya Nanayakkara told the Daily News.
According to reports, the bomb had exploded as a private security
guard at the shop attempted to search a suspicious parcel kept in the
parcel counter with the assistance of a Police Officer on duty close to
the Nugegoda junction, Brigadier Nanayakkara added.
The bodies were brought to the Kalubowila Teaching Hospital after the
incident. Four of the bodies charred beyond recognition were also lying
at the hospital.
According to the Director of the Kalubowila Teaching Hospital, Dr.
W.G. Gunawardena 33 injured persons were admitted to the hospital after
the incident and four seriously injured persons were transferred to the
Colombo National Hospital.
Fire-fighting vehicles from the Kotte Municipal Council and the
Dehiwala Mount Lavinia Municipal Council rushed to the scene to douse
the fire that broke out inside the No Limit fashion outlet.
 More than 12 motorbikes parked inside the vehicle park of the fashion
outlet and some three-wheelers parked along the road were also gutted in
the fire. People who were in the vicinity when the bomb blast occurred
explained their experiences with horror.
Ranjan Perera of Mirihana who parks his three-wheeler opposite the No
Limit Fashion store said a massive explosion followed by fire and a
cloud of smoke stunned him.
"As I got down from the three-wheeler, I heard a massive blast and I
ran towards the Fashion store. I saw bodies strewn here and there and
helped police to take the injured to hospital." Percy Godwin whose wife
has been admitted to the Kalubowila Hospital with injuries said he could
not even think of what actually happened.
"I came to No Limit with my wife to buy a pair of shoes for her. As
we came out of the shop, we heard a blast and my wife fell down."
Dayana Suraweera who has been admitted to the Kalubowila Hospital
with injuries said she was about to cross the road when the blast
occurred. I did not know what happened thereafter, she said.
"I was on the top floor of a shop with my wife and child when I heard
a big blast and there were glass pieces of all over us," resident A.
Jayasena told reporters. "As we ran away saw the entrance of the No
Limit burning, and in the midst of it, a schoolgirl on the floor trying
to get up and then falling back again."
The Hospital staff including the surgeons and consultants were busy
carrying out urgent surgeries to save lives of critically injured
persons.
Hospital minor staffers were waiting opposite the hospital premises
till the patients were brought to the hospital.
'Parcel bomb' attack at Nugegoda shopping mall
Wijitha NAKKAWITA
The LTTE terrorists who had been concentrating on attacks in rural
areas made two attacks in Colombo and one of its suburbs on November 28,
2007 and killed twenty two civilians. But once again they could not hit
the most wanted target of theirs of the Social Welfare Minister Douglas
Devananda who appeared to be man with a charmed life as the attempt to
kill him by a woman LTTE suicide bomber failed.
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A seriously
injured patient attended on. |
The first attack on civilians as usual a cowardly act, placing a
parcel with a bomb at the parcels counter of a busy shop at populous
Nugegoda Town during the evening of this weekday was to claim the lives
of nineteen people and injure another 37. According to the police the
bomb was brought into the shop by a person who appeared to be a shopper
but had placed the parcel bomb in the counter and disappeared
afterwards.
There were several people shopping and some people on the sidewalk
and when the blast took place people in the shop as well as those
outside had got either killed or injured.
The attempt on the life of Minister Devananda of course was foiled as
the woman suicide bomber with a disability in one of her legs had come
to meet him but when she handed over her national identity card and
entered the anteroom before entering the Minister's office proper the
Security Personnel asked her to get the body search done by a female
security guard but she had refused to allow the search.
When there was the argument about the routine security check the
Public Relations Officer of the Minister had told the woman that she
should allow the body search. Just then she exploded the bomb that was
tied to her body killing the PRO and two Security Personnel. Douglas one
of LTTE's arch opponents and a person who always said the terrorist
group would never agree to peace and democracy was saved again.
He was the single Tamil politician from the North who insisted that
it was fruitless trying to talk peace with the LTTE. Once he said in
Parliament that trying to get the LTTE terrorists to join the democratic
mainstream was like an attempt to give a snake in marriage to an
elephant!
Tuesday July 17, 2007:
Eastern Province Chief Secretary shot dead
Chamikara WEERASINGHE
Eastern Province Chief Secretary Herath Abeyweera was shot dead
yesterday evening at his office by unidentified gunmen suspected to be
from the LTTE.
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Victims of
another brutal LTTE attack. |
Police sources at the Trincomalee Division SSP's office said that the
incident had taken place around 6 pm. Police said the LTTE was behind
the attack. No arrests have been made yet. Abeyweera earlier served for
more than 15 years as the District Secretary, Ampara. He has held
several other positions in the Government service. He took up the
position of Eastern Chief Secretary upon retirement from the public
service.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa last night condemned the assassination,
saying it is "yet another act of savagery by the LTTE in its campaign of
terror".
In a condolence message, President Rajapaksa said Abeyweera performed
a great service for the entire East under most difficult conditions as
the LTTE always sought to disrupt civil administration.
"It is most regrettable that at a time when steps are being taken to
restore democracy in the East, the county has lost a public officer of
his calibre whose commitment to democracy was always unquestioned", the
President added.
He asserted that the assassination would further strengthen the
Government's resolve not to give in to the forces of terror, but to
proceed with the task of restoring freedom and democracy to the East and
all of Sri Lanka.
"We regard his ultimate sacrifice in the service of the people as a
great honour to the commitment of all public officers to the service of
the Nation", he said.
Thursday, September 27, 2007:
LTTE kills Catholic priest in uncleared area of Mannar
A Catholic Priest, Rev. Nicholaspillai Packiyaranjith has been killed
by LTTE terrorists in an uncleared area of Mannar late last evening.
Subsequent to the killing the LTTE launched a false propaganda campaign
alleging that the killing was perpetrated by the Army, states the Media
Centre for National Security in a press release.
The Government wishes to clarify that there are no troops operating
in the uncleared areas of Mannar. It said the incident has taken place
in an LTTE active area North of Mannar where the Security Forces have no
access.
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Tomorrow: Maheshwaran killing: Gunman arrested
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