CHRONOLOGY OF LTTE TERROR - Part 78
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.
Saturday May 17, 2008:
10 killed in Fort explosion
Suicide terrorist rams motorcycle into police bus;
over 95 injured:
Rasika Somaratna and Rafik Jalaldeen
Ten people including seven police personnel and over 95 others were
injured as a suicide bomber on a motorcycle laden with explosives rammed
into a bus carrying Police officers around 12.05 p.m. in front Sambodhi
Viharaya at Colombo Fort yesterday.
Military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said around 50 police
personnel in three buses deployed on Riot Duty were targeted by a
suicide bomber at the junction between Hilton Hotel and Sambodhi
Viharaya.
Police spokesman Senior DIG N.K. Illangakoon said following
information on a demonstration organized by the United National Party (UNP),
a police team was deployed to prevent the entry of demonstrators to the
High Security Zone and ensure normality in the area.
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Act of wanton savagery - President
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| “Your
continued patience and restraint in the face of such undisguised
savagery is the best way to assist the Security Forces to
succeed in their operations to defeat terrorism” |
COLOMBO:
President Mahinda Rajapaksa vehemently condemning the bomb
attack carried out by the LTTE in Colombo yesterday states:
“I hasten to unreservedly condemn the latest act of cowardice
and brutality by the LTTE, in exploding a bomb that has killed
and injured many civilians and police personnel in Colombo
today.”
“I wish to first extend my sincere condolences to the bereaved
families of those killed, and call upon blessings for a speedy
recovery to all those injured in this act of wanton savagery.”
With this bomb attack on a busy street, the LTTE has once again
demonstrated to the world its total commitment to violence and
terror to achieve its separatist goals in Sri Lanka, and its
absolute contempt for democracy and human rights.”
Repeated savagery of this order underlines and reiterates the
need for concerted action by all those who cherish democracy,
human rights and the values of civilized society, to eradicate
the menace of terrorism of which the LTTE remains the bloodiest
example today.”
“While understanding the deep shock and revulsion felt by all at
this loss of life and limb caused by the LTTE, I call upon the
people to remain calm and not be provoked by this further
display of its unmitigated terror.
Your continued patience and restraint in the face of such
undisguised savagery is the best way to assist the Security
Forces to succeed in their operations to defeat terrorism in our
country. |
The Director of the Colombo National hospital Hector Weerasinghe told
the Daily News that 95 injured persons had been admitted to the hospital
following the blast. According to Dr. Weerasinghe among the dead were
three female police officers, in addition 30 other Police personnel had
been admitted with severe injuries.
He further added that around 15 from the total admitted was in a
critical condition including three soldiers manning the checkpoint
there.
In addition to the ill-fated bus which was carrying Police personnel
belonging to the riot squad, 10 other vehicles too were badly damaged
during the incident including another police vehicle, a few trishaws and
a truck.
The driver of Sports and Recreation Minister Gamini Lokuge was among
the dead. “Minister Lokuge’s driver who was returning after dropping the
Minister at the Galadari Hotel was killed in the blast,” sources said.
Soon after the incident, nearby roads were closed and police cordoned
off the area.
“Police jointly with the army beefed up security in the area and
roads were closed for security reasons,” DIG Illangakoon said.
A few eye witnesses who were standing 30 metres from the scene of the
blast told the Daily News that following the explosion they felt the
strong shock waves which threw them back a few yards.
“Then there was a cloud of smoke, we were just numb with the shock
and then debris started falling all over including leaves and birds from
the nearby trees,” they said.
Also according to them there were many people on the road and heavy
traffic was seen at the time of the blast.
Monday May 26, 2008
Train blast in Dehiwala
At least six passengers killed:
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Scene of the bomb blast |
At least six passengers, including four women, were killed when a
parcel bomb exploded in a crowded office train near Dehiwala last
afternoon.
More than 60 persons were injured in the explosion which occurred in
the fifth compartment of the 1625 Panadura-bound office train from
Maradana, the Police spokesman said.
He blamed the LTTE for the attack.
“The explosion occurred just as the non-express train was leaving the
Dehiwala station towards Panadura,” eyewitnesses said. The injured were
rushed to the nearby Kalubowila (Colombo South) Teaching Hospital.
Several critically injured persons were subjected to emergency surgery.
The affected compartment and nearby compartments were completely
wrecked. The parcel bomb is believed to have been placed on an overhead
luggage rack.
Services on the Southern rail line came to a standstill as rescue and
clearing work got underway. A similar explosion in July 1996 also in
Dehiwala killed a number of people.
Army and Police teams undertook a special search operation
immediately after the blast and bolstered security in the area.
Tuesday March 11, 2008
Sea Tiger Deputy, four others killed
Ranil Wijayapala
 Speculations
were ripe about another internal rift inside the LTTE with the
announcement by the LTTE about the killing of the second in command of
the LTTE Sea Tiger Wing Mangalesh and four others in the Vanni on
Sunday.
According to military intelligence sources Mangalesh and four others
in the self styled ranks of Captain and Lieutenants have been killed in
Vanni.
The LTTE has not notified reason for their deaths. Intelligence
sources believe it was due to a long standing dispute between Cheliyan
who is now commanding the Sea Tigers following Sea Tiger leader Soosai
sustaining injuries in a explosion in Nandikadal in Puthukudiruppu last
year.
Cheliyan is commanding the Sea Tiger Wing after sidelining Mangalesh
who was a close confidante of Soosai. Mangalesh has been entrusted with
administrative duties due to his physical disability.
Intelligence sources believe that the death of Mangalesh has been
caused due to his internal rift inside the Sea Tiger hierarchy.
Suspicion has also arisen as the LTTE has not accorded any funeral to
this Tiger leader at senior level rank.
LTTE killings more in desperation
Wijitha Nakkawita
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The ill-fated bus |
During the year 2008 the number of terrorist attacks on civilians in
several regions of the country became more often desperate acts of the
LTTE on the run after being defeated by the Sri Lanka Armed Forces in
the East and chased out of all their strategic positions like the
Thoppigala camp complex in the jungles. Still they either attempted or
succeeded in killing civilians with regularity though they were fighting
for mere survival in the latter half of the year in the North.
On March 1, a Police party on information raided a lodging house on
Alutmawata, Modera where a suspect suicide cadre was living. When the
Police came to arrest the suicide cadre he blew himself up and a part of
the frail building collapsed in the explosion killing the suicide cadre
and injuring nine others.
On March 10 the terrorists left a parcel bomb in a bag on a
pedestrian island on Galle Road, at Wellawatta and it exploded early in
the morning killing one pedestrian and injuring six others including two
schoolchildren.
For the next two months or so the LTTE could not carry out their
bloody attacks on civilians probably as they were on the run with the
army in hot pursuit and the Navy and Air Force pounding their sea bases
and camps. Though they did not know it the terrorist group would not
last more than the next one year but their overconfidence and arrogance
had not diminished by even one degree.
On May 16 a few Police buses had stopped at Colombo Fort near the
Sambodhi Viharaya to pick up Policemen who had gone out on special
duties when a suicide bomber on an explosive laden motor cycle rammed
into one of the buses killing 9 Policemen and injuring nearly 100
including civilians. The suicide cadre the single most effective weapon
of the LTTE terrorists was usually a misguided and brainwashed man or
woman mostly in their youth but their attacks were often deadly.
The methods were the same, tactics unchanged - one of their cadres
who would infiltrate into the South would find a safe house, gather
information from the network of sympathizers or terrorist cadres who
ostensibly were engaged in lawful occupations and would hit a target in
the city or the suburbs to kill as many civilians as possible.
Once again on May 26, 2008 they struck. It was an office train
leaving Colombo for Panadura in the evening, a slow office train and the
terrorists placed a bomb in one of the crowded carriages. A minute or so
after the train left the Dehiwala railway station the bomb went off
killing six passengers including two women and injuring sixty others.
This was the second time a bomb exploded on a train at Dehiwala.
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Tomorrow - Suicide bombers attack Colombo
Yesterday -
Twin blasts at Buttala
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