Weapons found from former LTTE hospital

One more shrewd LTTE ploy to mislead and distract attention while making the world believe that the LTTE was caring for the sick, came to light when Army de-mining engineers uncovered a large cache of unusable T-56 weapons and spares from an abandoned toilet pit at Valipunam Mixed School, Mullaitivu.

It was earlier used by terrorists as one of their hospitals in the ‘No Fire Zone’ (NFZ), states an Army Headquarters release.

It adds: the Valipunam Mixed School, alleged to have been converted to a ‘hospital’ by the LTTE to treat civilians, was declared an NFZ by the government on January 24, 2009, in response to a request made by the ICRC to this effect.

On the same day, the government declared Puthukkudiyiruppu Hospital, Udayarakadu Hospital, ICRC office area at Udayarakadu and the Valipunam Mixed School, the so-called makeshift LTTE ‘hospital’ as NFZs and troops were directed to observe a radius of 1 km around those premises, despite confirmation received to the effect that terrorists were busy locating their heavy weapons around those hospitals at that stage of the humanitarian operations.

Troops, adhering to rules of engagement desisted from firing towards those areas, despite a string of enemy provocations in those crucial stages of Wanni humanitarian operations.

During the weekend (July 8), Army de-mining teams, fully committed to rid public places of landmines and explosives, prioritized de-mining surveillance work in and around the school premises since the school has just started functioning with about 200 children, almost all of them from newly resettled families.

To the astonishment of de-mining Engineer troops, 115 T-56 weapons and a large stock of weapon spares, appeared hurriedly dumped in the former ‘hospital’ toilet pit by LTTE terrorists, were uncovered by those de-mining Engineers in the Army.

It is believed that terrorists, pretending that the venue was being used with the Red Cross logo atop the main building (see photos), had fled the area as troops were rolling on towards their strongholds during the first quarter of 2009.

The LTTE resorting to all unethical and unchallengeable measures inside NFZs, kept on restricting distribution of government-provided food, medicine and other essentials among civilians in those zones and most of them were forced to construct defensive LTTE positions inside them.

During the final stage of the humanitarian operations, the government giving priority attention on humanitarian aspects of the influx, deserting LTTE held areas, declared five ‘No Fire Zones’ in the Visuamadhu and Puthumattalan areas.