Recapture of Madhu Church from LTTE a big victory for Forces

The Wanni liberation operation took a new turn in the first few months of the year 2008. Troops stepped up their operations from three fronts from Mannar, Vavuniya and Weli Oya with the latest offencive Division, the 59 Division under the command of Brigadier Nandana Udawatta opening up a new battle front from Weli Oya in January 2008 to advance into thick jungle patches in Mullaitivu.

Although, 57 Division and the 58 Division which were operating in Vavuniya West and Mannar fronts took their initial breaks with the capture of Thampanai and Uyilankulam LTTE defences at the end of December 2007, the obstacles they had to overcome in their advance further towards the Northern direction were huge.

The heavy rains that lashed the Wanni theatre made their task more difficult. The entire terrain was inundated making extremely impossible for the troops to operate either in Mannar, Vavuniya or in Weli Oya fronts with their supplies to the front lines bogged down as the newly cleared paths to the front lines were filled with mud making them impassable.

Apart from this, many soldiers in the front lines were infected with fever and various other water borne diseases.

It was the 58 Division troops who were operating in the Mannar “Rice Bowl” that had to face the biggest difficulty due to heavy rains. They had to operate in an open terrain in a knee high water level and above all had to cross mine fields and booby traps covered under water.

Even the bunkers and trenches they had built went under water compelling the infantrymen to operate from tree tops and other elevated defences. The Tigers had constructed a series of trenches in front of the LTTE forward defence lines blocking the water ways keeping the area flooded for weeks.

However, troops were determined to march forward despite all the obstacles as they heard encouraging words from their field commanders.

The main objective of the 58 Division which was under the command of Brigadier Shavendra Silva was to liberate entire Mannar ‘Rice Bowl’. The bad weather conditions delayed reaching their target within a stipulated time frame.

As the 58 Division was inching forward to achieve their target struggling with the bad weather conditions, the 57 Division which was operating under the command of Brigadier Jagath Dias, made their way ahead to encircle the sacred Madhu Shrine area after the capture of Thampanai village the major obstacle they had overcome by the end of December, 2007.

The prime task ahead of the 57 Division by the first quarter of the year 2008 was to capture Palampiddi, Madhu and Mundimurippu. The 572 Brigade under the command of Lt. Colonel Senerath Bandara was entrusted with the task of liberating Madhu.

The 571 Brigade under the Command of Colonel G.V. Ravipriya had taken a different direction towards Palampiddi from the North of Madhu Shrine area. Following the capture of Thampanai, the 572 Brigade under the supervision of Brigadier Jagath Dias planned its strategy to liberate Madhu.

The task ahead of them was enormous as they were going to take control of a highly venerated place which was with huge religious and political sensitivity. The top brass of the defence hierarchy had given strict instructions not to fire a single bullet into the Madhu Shrine area as a small damage to the shrine would end up with devastating consequences as the LTTE was awaiting such opportunity to tarnish the image not only of the Security Forces but also of the Government, both locally and internationally.

Considering the sensitivity of the place, the Government declared a four square kilometre ‘No Fire Zone’ around the Madhu shrine. The LTTE took maximum advantage out of this declaration and turned that ‘No Fire Zone’ into one of their havens to fight back the ground troops who were advancing towards Madhu.

Not only they took advantage of this highly venerated place to take cover from the troops fire, the LTTE also forced the priest and nuns at the Church premises to abandon the place along with the statue of ‘Our Lady Madhu’. The statue was taken to Thevanpitti in Vellankulam on the directives of the LTTE.

With the abandoning of the Church by mid of April, 2008 and the LTTE taking full control of the Church premises, the 57 Division determined to capture of the Church premises. It was after the Sinhala-Tamil New Year that the 572 Brigade took a strong initiative to go ahead with their operational plan. Lt. Colonel Senerath Bandara had given his Commanding Officer 7 SLLI under the command of Lt. Colonel Ranjith Abeyratne, 10 SLLI under the command of Lt. Colonel Jagath Kodithuwakku and 7 SR under the Command of Lt.

Colonel Kithsiri Liyanage to keep vigil on the Church premises.

On April 20 small teams from the 7 SLLI were deployed around the Church premises with clear instructions not to fire a single bullet at the LTTE cadres if they were operating inside the church premises.

As small teams were kept on vigil, troops attached to the 571 Brigade, in a subtle move cut off the vital supply routes to the Church from the northern direction isolating the remaining Tiger cadres in the Church premises.

The attention of the LTTE also directed towards the Jaffna battlefront on April 22, as they took maximum effort to stop the troop advance to the South from the Muhamalai, Nagarkovil and Kilali fronts.

Amids this situation the LTTE cadres operating in Madhu felt that they had been completely isolated according to the incidents which took place on the Palampiddi-Parappakandattan Road.

On April 23 the small teams deployed around the Church observed that only 10 to 15 Tiger cadres were operating within the Church premises by Tuesday afternoon. All the other Tiger cadres had left by that time. For the first time it appeared that the LTTE had no proper leadership in Madhu area.

On April 23 night the small teams observed that the remaining Tiger cadres too were leaving the Church along with their belongings. But troops strictly followed the instructions given to them.

Then they confirmed to the 7 SLLI Commanding Officer Lt. Colonel Ranjith Abeyratna and the Brigade Commander Lt. Colonel Senerath Bandara that the Church was no longer dominated by the LTTE.

Lt. Colonel Ranjith Abeyratne was instructed to send his small teams into the Church premises. It was around 1 p.m. on April 24 that the Delta Company under Officer Commanding (OC) Major Wasantha Bandara and Charlie Company under Officer Commanding Captain Dhammika Ratnayake entered the Church premises.

They observed that the Tigers had abandoned the Church with troops of the 7 Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment under the command of Lt. Colonel Kithsiri Liyanage cutting off supplies to the church from the south along the main Madhu Road while 10 Sri Lanka Light Infantry Regiment cut-off the supplies from the Palampiddi side (North) while Special Forces troops confronted the fleeing Tiger cadres in the area.

Small paths were cleared removing booby traps and mines enabling the troops to reach the Church safely. It was 24 hours after troops arrived in the church the Army Headquarters officially declared the victory of Madhu. That was how the Security Forces, following an arduous task fully liberated the Madhu church area from the clutches of the LTTE without firing a single bullet within the church precincts. That was the first biggest achievement of the 57 Division and was also the most anticipated victory of the Security Forces in the first quarter of the year 2008. Following the capture of Madhu, the 57 Division continued its thrust on the LTTE in Palampiddi and Periyamadu. The 571 brigade under the command of Colonel G.V. Ravipriya captured strategic Palampiddi stronghold of the LTTE adopting a strategy similar to Madhu and also Periyamadhu by June 2007.

As 57 Division was heading towards the East to West direction, the 58 Division also started to cross a ditch cum earth bund created by the LTTE covering the entire Mannar Rice Bowl.

Out of the three Brigades under Brigadier Shavendra Silva one brigade advanced from west of Giant’s Tank, the second from Uyilankulam and the third along the A32 Mannar-Pooneryn Road.

It was on June 27, 2008 that the troops attached to the 58 Division took a decisive move taking full control over 13 square kilometres in the Andankulam area. On June 28, the Division made another major breakthrough capturing the LTTE’s stronghold in Parappakkadanthan located 4 km. north of Giant’s Tank.

After capturing Parappakandattan, troops advanced further and inflicted decisive blows on the LTTE in the general area of Pappamoddai killing 21 Tigers. On that day fierce fighting erupted at Pappamoddai and in the Neduvarampu general areas.

Pappamoddai is located 12 km south of Vidathalitivu which was - one of the major Sea Tiger bases located 8 km north of Mannar - on the Mannar-Pooneryn road. On June 26, 2008 58 Division troops captured the area between Chalampan and Marattikannadi, a supply route leading to the Mannar-Pooneryn road from the West to East. With the capture of this supply route the 58 Division took full control of the Mannar “Rice Bowl” on June 29, 2008 after eight months battle since September 27, 2007.The areas Manthai, Mathottam, Adampan, Pallakkuli, Kurukkandankulam, Velankulam, Vaddakkandal, Alankulam, Andankulam, Maratikandal, Alkaddiveli, Parappakandal, Parappukadanthan, Tenvediyan, Minukkulam, Vilayankulam, Parappamoddai and Odduppallam came under the troops control with this move. Following the completion of operation “Rice Bowl”, the 57 Division operating West of Madhu linked up with the 58 Division troops South East of Periyamadhu creating the widest front, for the first time in the Wanni liberation operation on June 30, 2008.

It created a 75 km long massive military front from the West of A-9 road in the Western flank of Wanni front pushing the LTTE into a more difficult situation in defending its territory in the Wanni. By this time, 57 and 58 Divisions had liberated 1,084 square kilometres in Vavuniya, Mannar and Mullaittiuvu districts and it laid a solid foundation for the 58 Division to march along the Mannar-Poonery A-32 Road and for the 57 Division to focus its attention towards Thunukkai and Mallavi.