Special Forces poised to capture Thoppigala jungle

The government on Wednesday took a crucial decision to relax the long imposed fishing restrictions in the Eastern seas. Accordingly, fishing restrictions imposed on the coastal belt between Kirinda and Puttalam was relaxed while relaxing the fishing restrictions on Cod Bay in Trincomalee with immediate effect.

According to these relaxed fishing restrictions the time given for fishing has been extended up to 4 a.m to 6 p.m and the number of days has also been increased to five days a week. Earlier fishing was allowed in the restricted zone only between 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. for four days a week Fishing in the Cod bay in Trincomalee had been completely banned since 1986 due to intense security threat on the Trincomalee harbour and the Naval base from the LTTE. Therefore, the decision taken by the Government would definitely go into history as a landmark decision in the three decade long history in the North East conflict.

Landmark decision

The improved security situation in the East has prompted the Government to relax fishing restriction in the Eastern seas as the Security forces are now engaged in the final battle to wrest control of the entire Eastern province under them.

It was exactly one year back the LTTE precipitated their fall in the Eastern province after closing down the Mavil Aru anicut depriving more than 30,000 Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim population who lived in harmony in the settlements in the Trincomalee south.

The LTTE is now facing the repercussions of their inhumane act by depriving water to 30,000 people. The natural justice has prevailed and the Tiger outfit had not been given a single chance to change the situation for the better.

On the contrary the Security Forces has reacted to the situation humanely and they are now reaping the harvest of humanity they cultivated for one year in the Eastern province.

The LTTE could not turn their defeats commenceing from Mavil Aru battle and flowed through Muttur, Sampur, Eethalampattu, Kathirveli, Vakarai, Kokkadicholai, Vavunathivu, Karadiyanaru and finally losing the Chenkaladi Maha Oya road.

The Tiger outfit is now facing their final battle in the Eastern province in the Thoppigala jungles making a desperate attempt to secure their strongholds in the East.

As this column pointed out during past few weeks the Tiger leadership has given instructions to the leadership in Thoppigala to keep these lands at any cost under Tiger territory as they lose all strategic bases in the East with the loss of Thoppigala to the Security Forces.

There, are many reasons for the Tiger leadership to pressurize the Eastern leaders to keep this territory under them.

One major reason is that the Tiger outfit will lose their second income generating source after they lose their biggest income generating source with the closure of the A-9 road, if they lose this territory to the Security Forces.

Prior to the breakaway of Karuna from the LTTE, the areas in the West and South of Batticaloa provided major income to the Tiger outfit and also the biggest recruitment base. Tiger outfit had taken the vast paddy lands belonging to Tamils and Muslims after chasing them from their villages and cultivating these lands by using the forcibly recruited cadres.

Even today the areas adjacent to Thoppigala jungles gives a clear idea how the LTTE had exploited this fertile land for their needs. The bunkers made out of sacks filled with paddy gives a clear idea how these Tiger cadres have misused this fertile land to achieve their goals.

The Cannabis cultivations in the Thoppigala jungles also provided the LTTE a major source of income. The Tiger outfit had deployed their men for the sole purpose of cultivating cannabis in these jungle patches.

As the Tiger outfit was aware of these facts, they made many attempts to prevent the Security Forces moving into this territory.

They deployed many of their cadres to strengthen the FDLs they were maintaining at Black Bridge and Pillumalai on the Chenkaladi - Maha Oya road and Vavunathivu FDL.

The Security Forces have also been alerted about Tiger plans to blast Unnichchiya tank bund if they observe troop movement towards the West and South of Batticaloa to create a major flood situation in Batticaloa town.

Having given serious thoughts to the Tiger plans Security Forces, made a tactical move to the area by inducting Commando troops from Kohombagasthalawa on the Ampara Maha Oya road on February 25 marking the commencement of the operation.

Along with the Commando troops 7 SLII battalion, and 6,7 and 8 Gemunu watch battalions were also moved to the Tiger territory to hold the areas captured by the commando troops assaulting the Tiger from behind.

Then they moved towards Unnichchiya tank and captured Southern sluice gates of the tank and later created line linking to Vavunathivu via Pavakkudichanai. This tactical move helped the Security Forces to separate the Tiger strength in the West and South of Batticaloa into two and move into clear Tiger stronghold in Kokkadicholai, Vellaveli, Mandur, Kovilporathivu and Thikkodai.

Tactical moves

Then the second stage of the operation began with troops in Vavunathivu moving to Karadiyanaru creating another defence line further separating the Tiger cadres trapped in the West of Batticaloa while another battalion in Unnichchiya tank moving towards Rugam on the Chenkaladi Maha Oya road. The 8 GW battalion in Vavunathivu too moved to Kalkudah.

With the completion of this stage the troops in the South and West of Batticaloa could take full control of the Chenkaladi - Maha Oya A-5 road on April 11 at 2.10 pm securing the areas in Poduwakattu, Iluppadichena, Karadiyanaru, Rugam and Pullimalai on the A-5 road.

The troops from 2 Commando Regiment, 7 Sri Lanka Light Infantry and 6,7 and 8 Gemunu Watch participated in the battle to capture A-5 road.

After the capture of the A-5 road the 7 SLII battalion was replaced by 1 Sinha Regiment.

The Tiger leadership in Wanni was shaken with the troops capturing the A-5 road and nearly 80 cadres under the leadership of Ramesh were sent from Wanni via thick jungle patches in Trincomalee and Batticaloa districts to strengthen their strongholds in Thoppigala. However, Security forces detected this movement and engaged them when they were crossing Angodawilluwa in the South West of Trincomalee on April 12.

Ramesh had a narrow escape but 'Lt. Colonel' Ashok, Ramesh's buddy and the doctor accompanied the team killed in the attack. The troops captured the food stock they had taken with them. However, troops attached to 2 Commando supported by 6,7 and 8 Gemunu Watch commenced the next step of the operation to clear the Tiger camps in the Thoppigala jungle bordering to Pollonnaruwa Batticaloa road from the North, Aralaganwila, Maduru Oya from the West, Maha Oya - Padiyathalawa road from the South and Maha Oya - Chenkaladi road from the East.

Though, there was no major Tiger presence in the Barrons Cap area troops found that Tigers had well planned supply route to their bases in Narakamulla area where they were having their major training and military bases.

All those roads are connected to Chenkaladi Maha Oya road and troops found many cause ways, bridges which were not found in the road maps of the Survey Department when advancing towards Tiger bases in Narakamulla and Pankudaveli.

The road leading from Illuppadichenai on the A-5 road to Vadamunai via Narakamulla a well constructed road using Government funds during Ceasefire has been frequently used by the Tiger outfit as their main supply route to Narakamulla.

As troops attached to 2 Commando and 6,7 and 8 GW battalions advancing towards the Tiger territory and government taking steps to resettle the displaced people from West and South of Batticaloa the Tiger leadership sent another team, this time well trained cadres equipped with sophisticated weapons, led by Charles Anthony Brigade Commander 'Colonel' Nagulan to de-stabilize the situation in Batticaloa in the mid of May.

This attempt too was thwarted by the Security Forces, as civilians in Eravur informed the Security Forces about the movement. After a massive search operation conducted in Eravur troops were able to kill ten Tiger cadres including their high ranking leader Nagulan.

Nagulan and his team had arrived in Eravur area mingling with fishermen for a major operation in the Batticaloa. The weapons and equipment recovered from the team gave a clear idea that the Tiger leadership was desperately in need of de-stabilising the situation in Batticaloa.

Apart from this the Tiger outfit has sent many suicide cadres to de-stabilise the situation in Batticaloa so that they can stop Security Forces capturing their territory in the Thoppigala jungles.

That information has also leaked to the Security forces and so far Security Forces and Police Special Task Force have arrested six out of seven suicide kits.

They got information that many suicide cadres had given up their task after arriving in Government held areas.

But Security Forces tactically moved to the area capturing more Tiger territories.

The situation has led to create many differences within the remaining Tiger cadres in the Thoppigala jungles. Jeyam who is giving leadership to the Tiger cadres there has been given strict instructions from the Tiger leadership to keep the territory at any cost.

But he is facing acute shortage of man power as many Tiger cadres, majority of them from Batticaloa area fleeing Tiger camps in face of advancing Security Forces.

They have many complaints against the Wanni leadership as they have not been properly treated by Wanni leaders.

One major complaint from the Tiger cadres those who are manning the Forward Defence Line are about not receiving enough food in their Tiger camps.

This has resulted in creating many differences within the Tiger hierarchy and led the Tiger cadres to defy the orders given by the leaders.

For the first time the Tiger cadres had openly blamed their leadership for risking their lives at a time their defeat is obvious at the hands of the Security Forces. A group of more than 75 cadres had crossed Polonnaruwa - Batticaloa MSR on June 15 night in Vakaneri area and moved into thick jungle in the West of Vakarai and later to Jungles in Thrikonamadu in the South West of Trincomalee.

The Tiger leadership made an announcement last week allowing the newly recruited cadres and married cadres to leave the organization as they have no strength to forcibly keep them within the organization.

Amidst this situation many cadres have surrendered to the Security Forces crossing the Santhiveli lagoon and to the troops in the battle front.

Apart from these Tiger cadres many have been reunited with their families in the Batticaloa district fleeing the Tiger outfit risking their lives.

The Security Forces in Batticaloa have observed that more than 600 cadres have reunited with their families after Security Forces commenced the operations in West and South of Batticaloa.

The successful resettlement programme completed by the Government last week in Porathivu Pattu, Pattipali Pattu, Vavunathivu Pattu, Chenkaladi Pattu and Kiran Pattu Divisional Secretariat Divisions has encouraged many Tiger cadres to leave the organization as for the first time they felt freedom.

125,000 resettled in Batticaloa

Nearly 125,000 civilians displaced from the Batticaloa West and South area have been resettled in these areas at different stages. Only 750 people have been displaced from the Thoppigala area and they will be resettled soon after the area is taken under Security forces control.

Security Forces too are now encouraging the Tiger cadres to surrender to the Security Forces without sacrificing their lives in vain for a battle where defeat would be their fate.

With the successful hits taken by the Security Forces in Narakamulla South on June 16, troops are now heading towards major Tiger bases in Narakamulla and Tharavikulam. According to Security Forces who maintained minimum casualty rate on the part of the Security Forces do take time to clear the jungle patches heavily mined by the Tiger cadres.

On Tuesday troops made major breakthrough moving ahead in Kotiyagala facing the Barons Cap and capturing a bunker line in the general area in Akkaraththavial and Kattuvelikulam East of Narakamulla killing more than 30 tiger cadres.

Therefore, the Security Forces with the support of the Police Special Task Force are now poised to capture whole Thoppigala jungle flushing out all Tiger cadres in the East making their efforts commencing from the Mavil Aru battle more meaningful by the date they celebrate the first anniversary of the Mavil Aru battle next month.