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Chronology Of Ltte Terror - Part 79
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.
LTTE claymore kills
Rush-hour bus targeted in Katubedda; Over 70 injured:
Rasika Somarathna and Rafik Jalaldeen
At least 21 civilians including eight women were killed and over 70
others injured when the LTTE triggered off another claymore mine
targeting a packed passenger bus at Katubedda, Moratuwa during the
morning rush hour yesterday.
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Forces
personnel investigating the ill-fated bus in Katubedda |
The private bus plying from Kottawa to Mt. Lavinia caught a claymore
mine which was placed in a thicket patch along the roadside in Katubedda
yesterday around 7.45 a.m. police media spokesman SSP Ranjith Gunasekera
said.
“The roadside bomb was placed at a thicket between Shailabimbaramaya
Buddhist temple and the University of Moratuwa targeting a bus bearing
number 29-1885 that was travelling from Kottawa to Mount Lavinia on
route number 255,” he added. The security forces and police beefed up
security in the area including the Moratuwa University campus and
arrested 15 suspects.
“In a subsequent search operation police arrested 15 suspects for
questioning from the area and the search operation is still proceeding,”
SSP Gunasekera told the Daily News. Eight special police teams were
deployed to conduct further investigations, he added.
At the time of the blast the ill-fated bus was travelling at capacity
level with more than 100 passengers on board sources said.
“We believe that the claymore mine was detonated by a remote control
service. The casualties were high in number due to metal balls of the
claymore mine which hit the passengers travelling on the foot board of
the ill fated bus,” Military Spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara told
the Daily News.
The injured had been rushed to Kalubowila, Lunawa and Colombo General
Hospitals. Director of the Kalubowila Hospital Dr. Wilfred Kumarasiri
told the Daily News that over 70 injured people had been admitted to the
hospital and had taken steps to transfer five of them who had sustained
serious injuries to Colombo. According to Dr. Kumarasiri 12 of the
injured had been subjected to surgery and were in a critical condition
and by yesterday evening 47 patients were receiving treatment at the
hospital.
The Director of the General Hospital Hector Weerasinghe said that
they had received five critically injured patients transferred by the
Kalubowila hospital.
According to Dr. Weerasinghe all five had received serious head
injuries and were undergoing treatment at the emergency unit.
The head of the Lunawa hospital Dr. A.P. Rathnasingham said that 16
injured people had been brought to the hospital immediately after the
blast, and subsequently had taken steps to transfer eight of them who
had sustained serious injuries to the Kalubowila hospital. The others
who had received minor injuries were treated and had already left, he
said while adding that only one patient was still receiving treatment.
He was not in a serious condition.
Meanwhile Authorities immediately took steps to impose a Police
curfew in the Moratuwa area as both the Police and Army took steps to
launch a combined search operation.
SSP Gunasekera urged the public to be extra vigilant. “We request
public to be vigilant and be alert on their surrounding, as well as on
suspicious parcels and suspects,” he said.
Police in a search operation recovered a claymore mine weighing 5 kg
which was placed at a privately owned land in Wijesekera road, Dehiwala.
The police team also recovered a micro pistol, a remote control device,
two detonators, wire code and a timer along with the claymore mine.
Two terrorist attacks kill 25 civilians
The second half of the year 2008 was going to prove decisive and
crucial for the people of the country as the LTTE terrorists who were
completely defeated and forced out of the Eastern Province were going to
face more and more defeats in battles with the army. One would expect
them to concentrate on overcoming the attacks of the army, navy and air
force but it appeared that they had some well informed people had said
overestimated their military power.
Therefore the terrorist group would not deviate from their acts of
genocide against the Sinhalese and the Muslims in regions outside the
north and east with suicide and other trained cadres continually
carrying out attacks on unarmed civilians of the south with ruthless
accuracy most of the time.
It was the same method and same weapon that took toll of the lives of
civilians most often hitting a loaded passenger bus at some lonely
stretch of road preferably at dawn or when the day was yet to break.
On June 7 early in the morning a bus plying from Kottawa to Katubedda
with office and factory workers in it was hit on a side road near its
destination – passing a roadside thicket with no houses or buildings in
the immediate vicinity. The weapon was a claymore mine operated by a
remote control gadget and the mine was exploded as the bus passing the
thicket in front of a small hill. The blast killed 21 people and over 70
all passengers of the bus were injured.
It was possible that the LTTE cadres or cadre who had brought the
bomb some time in the night had set it off and in the panic and confused
situation that ensued had fled the area.
Just one week later another bus plying to Kataragama from Moneragala
 was also hit by a claymore mine at Buttala killing 4 people and
injuring twenty five others. Most of the people who had come in the bus
were bound for Kataragama as the festival of the holy shrine was on at
this time.
In that claymore mine attack four passengers including three children
and the mother were killed. In addition 25 other passengers were injured
bringing the total of civilians killed in June to a total of 25
including women and children.
The LTTE was not aware that this year was going to be their waterloo
year and their operations were to end in the next few months.
President condemns LTTE bomb attacks
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Some of the
persons killed the bus attack |
The explosions at Katubedda and Polgolla once again show the LTTE’s
brutality and lack of respect for human life, President Mahinda
Rajapaksa said yesterday. In a message condemning the twin explosions,
he said: “I extend my sympathies to the families of those killed, and
offer the blessings of the Noble Triple Gem and all deities for the
speedy recovery of all injured.
While unreservedly condemning this repeated act of outrageous
brutality by the LTTE, in its cowardly strategy of targeting innocent
civilians, I note that this is further proof of the LTTE’s frenzy at its
major military setbacks in the North, and the loss its hold in the
Eastern Province.
In the past weeks alert members of the public have shown commendable
courage and responsibility in spotting bombs in vehicles and public
places, helping to seize hidden explosives, and arrest persons believed
to be associated with the LTTE’s programme of terror.
The continued targeting of innocent civilians by the LTTE must earn
the outrage and opprobrium of all civilized societies who can now see
the reality of the LTTE’s unvarying commitment to violence and terror to
achieve its narrow objectives. This once again brings into focus the
continuing battle Sri Lanka faces with the forces of terror in our
efforts to safeguard democracy and civilized life.
This brutality also shows the efforts of the LTTE to provoke a
backlash against the Tamil people, from which it hopes to gain, although
the Tamil people themselves are held in thrall by the terror of its
so-called liberator.
Call on the people to remain calm and not give into deliberate
provocations aimed at fanning communal hatred and violence, remain
vigilant against the forces of terror, and continue to assist the Police
and Security Forces in the task of eradicating terrorism from our
country.”
[Saturday, July 2008]
Tigers fire at bus killing four
LTTE targets Kataragama festival pilgrims:
Ranil Wijayapala and Daneshi Yatawara
Kataragama: Four people including a mother and a son and two other
females were killed and 25 others sustained injuries yesterday as LTTE
cadres hiding in the Yala National Park opened fire at a Sri Lanka
Transport Board bus plying from Moneragala to Kataragama.
The incident took place between 50 and 51 kilometre posts on the
Buttala-Kataragama road yesterday around 10.30 a.m.
Nine-year-old Mahesh and his mother Karunawathie travelling to
Kataragama along with his two brothers and father were killed in this
shooting. The five member family from Puwakgoda area was travelling to
Kataragama to attend the Kataragama festival.
According to Kataragama Police, Tiger cadres have opened fire at the
bus from the front and later from various directions when it slowed down
due to fire as it had passed the 49th Kilometre post on the
Buttala-Kataragama road after nearly half a kilometre past the fourth
Police Post close to Galge camp.
The incident had taken place just 10 kilometres away from Kataragama
town.
Several Police posts have been established along the
Buttala-Kataragama road following the recent incidents in and around
Yala National Park. The Army is patrolling the jungle area.
According to Kataragama Police the driver had accelerated the bus
despite the minor injuries caused to him from the shooting and arrived
at Kataragama once he felt that the bus was under fire and passengers
have been injured.
“The injured people were admitted to the Kataragama hospital soon
after the bus arrived in Kataragama. Out of 25 injured four people have
been discharged after being treated at the hospital,” Military Spokesman
Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara told the Daily News.
The CTB bus from the Moneragala depot which was plying between
Colombo and Moneragala has been extended upto Kataragama to facilitate
pilgrims attending the Kataragama festival held from July 3 to 17. “This
is a cowardly attack by the LTTE to disturb the ongoing Kataragama
festival which has witnessed the participation of a large number of
people,” the Brigadier added.
A combined cordon and search operation was launched in the area soon
after the incident by the Army and Police.
Bus bomb at Polgolla kills two
Ranil Wijayapala and Asela Kuruluwansha
At least two people were killed and 20 people injured when a bomb
exploded inside a private bus plying from Matale to Kandy via Wattegama
near the Polgolla Open University just 500 metres away from the Polgolla
dam across the Mahaweli river, Police and Military sources said.
According to Kandy hospital sources 12 people were admitted to Kandy
General Hospital following this explosion which occurred in the rear
seat of the ill fated bus bearing number HE-7503 around 3.45 p.m.
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The front
view of the bus attacked in Buttala |
The blast had occurred near the Polgolla National Youth Services
Council Vocational Training Centre and Open University as the bus was
nearing the Polgolla dam.
The bus was plying on the 636 route from Matale on Kandy via
Wattegama.
Kandy hospital sources said that six people were in critical
condition at the time they were admitted to the Kandy General Hospital.
Eight people sustained minor injuries.
According to sources the rear of the was seriously damaged since the
explosion took place in the rear seat.
The bus had 21 passengers at the time of the explosion.
One suspect has been nabbed by the public as he was fleeing the scene
soon after the explosion, Central Province DIG Kingsley Ekanayaka said.
According to Police a wire and a vial containing poison was found in
possession of the suspect.
The Judicial Medical Officer visited the scene and identified a body
which was torn apart from the waist. The body had not been identified by
last evening.
Police also suspect whether the bomber had missed the target as the
bomb had exploded just 500 metres away from the Polgolla dam.
A massive search operation was launched in the Katugastota and
Polgolla areas soon after the incident.
Tomorrow - More attacks by terrorists
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