LTTE attacks target civilians

by Ranil WIJAYAPALA

The series of LTTE attacks targeting civilians in the South have reached alarming proportions within the past few weeks with four bomb explosions taking place within ten days in the outskirts of Colombo city and elsewhere in Polgolla in Kandy.

Each and every citizen of this country was shocked to observe the way the LTTE terror was unleashed in the South directly targeting the innocent civilians using public transport, the buses and trains during the past few weeks.

But many of the Tiger attempts to explode dozens of bombs were thwarted due to the extreme vigilance on the part of the general public. Apart from that the Tiger cadres or their supporters responsible for these heinous crimes had also been apprehended by the law enforcement authorities with the support of the general public.

The Tiger cadre who had set the bomb targeting Colombo-bound train at Wellawatta was arrested at the Irattaperiyakulam road block as he was trying to escape into uncleared areas in Wanni. The alert civilians have been able to identify and apprehend the suspects in connection with the bomb explosion that took place in Katubedda and also in Polgolla on Friday morning and evening.

The pattern of these bomb explosions which took place during the past few weeks gives a clear message about a major plan by the LTTE to turn the tide against them. It is obvious that they are engaged in this terror campaign due to better desperation.

But above all, they are heading towards another key point to give a strong message to the international community as the Sri Lankan nation is about to remember the 25th anniversary of this event next month.

It is clear that the LTTE will not simply remain silent at a time when the highest ever military pressure is imposed on them in the 25-years-long North-East conflict, since 1983. The LTTE is also aware that they cannot justify their terror campaign totally depending on an incident which had occurred 25 long years ago.

Further, they cannot justify their allegation that the Tamil community is being harassed by the majority Sinhala community, since the majority Tamils are living in harmony with the Sinhala community in the South despite the huge military thrust launched against the LTTE terrorist being confined to the Wanni only.

Moreover, the Tiger leadership can no longer justify its North-East Tamil homeland concept as an another Tamil group who shared the same view with the LTTE, had given up their stance and united with the democratic process taking place in the South-distancing themselves from the path of violence.

The Tiger leader Prabhakaran is now desperately in need of a fresh blood bath in the South against the Tamil community. That is why he is using the innocent Tamil civilians living in harmony with the majority community to detonate bombs targeting the civilians in the South expecting a backlash.

It is apparent that the ordinary Tamil civilians engaged in their jobs and studies in the South, are being used as cat’s paw to give affect to their sinister terror campaign. They can easily achieve the objective once they use these Tamil civilians instead of their hardcore Tiger cadres. By using this tactic, the LTTE can easily keep their terror network operating in the South intact without exposing it to the law enforcement authorities.

On the other hand they are selecting more sensitive places like Dehiwala, Wellawatta and Moratuwa where Tamils are living peacefully mingling with the Sinhalese, to execute their terror plans. Then it is easy for them to arouse the communal feelings of the Sinhala community against the Tamils.

The Tiger leader Prabhakaran now attempts to break that bond between the Sinhala and Tamil communities and take the latter under his fold at a time he is struggling to survive his humiliating defeat at the hands of the Security Forces in the North.

He is desperately in need of the support of the Tamils in the South as the Eastern Tamils have already united with the mainstream politics along with the TMVP leader who is now the Chief Minister in the East.

So the Sri Lankan nation has reached a critical juncture in its two and a half decade-long conflict, where they have to act with a more responsible manner than ever without allowing their emotions to react against the heinous acts being perpetrated of the LTTE in the South.

Practically though it is difficult to control the emotions, the people ought to be restrained in face of these provocative acts. Otherwise they will put the entire efforts made by the Security Forces to defeat LTTE terrorism in peril.

On Friday people themselves witnessed how 21 commuters perished in the deadly claymore attack targeting a crowded bus plying from Kottawa to Mount Lavinia on the 255 route. In the same afternoon another bomb exploded inside a bus plying from Matale to Kandy via Wattegama killing two people and injuring 20.

If people of this country could have stretched their level of patience to the maximum when the sacred Sri Maha Bodhi and Sri Dalada Maligawa came under the brutal attacks of the LTTE and the entire Base Ball team of D. S. Senanayaka College became victims to a merciless suicide bomber, the people should resolve to exercise a higher degree of patience at this decisive moment without falling into the traps set by the LTTE.

The people should expect more bomb explosions as the desperation of the LTTE is mounting with the military onslaughts. So they should be more vigilant than ever to prevent those terror attempts by the LTTE and support the Security Forces to eliminate LTTE terrorism from the Sri Lankan soil and put the country back on a peaceful track.

The people of this country are well aware how the Security Forces achieved victory in the East starting from the Mavil Aru battle. The military strategies adopted by the Security Forces could certainly ensure victory.

It was only after a deep study of the possible LTTE strategies, the Security Forces Commanders proceeded with the military thrust against the LTTE.

Despite desperate attempts by the LTTE to be-little the victories of the Security Forces and create mistrust among the public about the Government decision to defeat LTTE terrorism militarily, the Security Forces could win the hearts and minds of the people keeping them trust in them intact.

By this time the Security Forces have been able to confine the LTTE to the Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu districts alone.

The latest decision by Army Commander Lt. General Sarath Fonseka to form the Task Force-II, a new Army Division to form another battle front towards Wanni, the LTTE is expected to face the maximum military pressure on them for the first time in the two half decade long conflict.

This new Army Division under the command of Brigadier Ralph Nugera is expected to operate from Mundimurippu in the North of Vavuniya from the Eastern flank of the 57 Division which is now heading towards Mullaitivu district parallel to Ponneryn Sangupiddi road from the interior and from the West of A-9 road as well.

With this latest addition to the Wanni battle front four offensive Divisions are now advancing into Tiger territory in Mullaitivu and Kilinochchi districts.

The 57 Division, the first offensive Division began operations in Wanni and how operating under the command of Major General Jagath Dias, the 58 Division or the Task Force -I came into operation with the Silawatura operation in the South of Mannar and now engaged in liberating Mannar ‘Rice Bowl’ under the command of Brigadier Shavendra de Silva and the 59 Division which came into operation from the Eastern flank from Kokkuthuduvai to Weli Oya under the command of Brigadier Nandana Udawatta have scored maximum results in their respective battle fronts.

As indicated in this column, the troops attached to 57 Division are now heading towards Periyamadhu, one of the strategic locations held by the LTTE to control both Vavuniya and Mannar battle fronts after locating their long range artillery guns to thwart military advances into their territory.

Troops are now operating at the edge of Periyamadhu, just one kilometer away from the centre of Periyamadhu town.

The fall of Periyamadhu is imminent this week as troops attached to 571 Brigade are taking on Tiger positions on daily basis killing at least five to ten Tiger cadres.

The fall of Periyamadhu will clear the path for the troops to advance further into the Mullaitivu district from the West of A-9 road.

As the 57 division troops are making inroads to Tiger strongholds, the 58 Division too reached a decisive position in the Mannar battle front capturing one kilometer stretch of the main LTTE defence line constructed covering the Mannar ‘Rice Bowl’, an open area stretching more than 50 square kilometres in the North of Medawachchiya Mannar Main Supply Route.

The troops captured one kilometer stretch of this main defence line in the North of Adampan on Wednesday evening after three day battle with the LTTE.

The conquest of this main LTTE defence line means the troops are in the process of completing the liberation of Mannar ‘Rice Bowl’.

However, fierce battles are expected to erupt along this 11 kilo metre long LTTE defence line in the coming days as the LTTE will deploy it maximum strength available on the Mannar front to maintain this defence line stretching from Pappamoddai in the North of Manthai from the sea side to Parappakadattan in the North of Giant Tank.

The fall of this defence line will be a bigger blow to the LTTE in their efforts to defend their strongholds in Wanni.

The Weli Oya front under the command of Brigadier Nandana Udawatta too is advancing into one of the deadliest military strongholds of the LTTE in the Mullaitivu district as they are stepping into an open area created by the LTTE to thwart any military advance into their bases in Mullaitivu jungles.

With those developments and the decision by the Army Commander to deploy another Army Division from the Wanni battle front will fix the LTTE in Wanni as they too are getting maximum pressure from the two offensive Divisions, the 53 and 55 Divisions now operating in the North and South of A-9 road in Muhamalai and Kilali fronts.

Therefore, with the restricted number of Tiger cadres available with them, the LTTE will face a difficult task in maintaining their defences as the chances of shifting cadres from front to another point in case of an emergency, will become a difficult task as the troops are exerting maximum pressure on them from six fronts in addition to the pressure put on them by the Sri Lanka Air Force.

In such a situation, the LTTE may definitely make a desperate attempt within the next few days to come out and launch an assault on the Security Forces defences.

Therefore, any ordinary citizen of this country or the international community can understand the way the LTTE is acting so desperately by taking civilian and economic targets in the South in order to stop the military thrust aimed at scoring to the maximum results within the shortest possible time-frame.

So it is incumbent on the citizen of this country to act with more responsibly at this decisive moment without putting all these attempts in peril.