From Mavilaru to a new era

by Dhaneshi YATAWARA

Maj.Gen. Mendaka Samarasinghe

Maj.Gen. Daya Ratnayake

Maj.Gen. Prasanna de Silva

The July 21, 2006 started as usual, except for the smell of anxiety was felt in the air due to the frail situation the Cease Fire Agreement between the Sri Lankan Government and the LTTE has approached. In this tensed backdrop the then General Officer Commanding Sri Lanka Army's 22 Division at Plantain Point, Trincomalee Major General Mendaka Samarasinghe (then Brigadier) received a call from Kallar Brigade Commander, Brigadier Sarath Wijesinghe (then Lt.Col) conveying disturbing news, "the farmers in the Mavilaru area (areas that were under the Government control) have complained that the water level of the irrigation canals had dropped and what was left out were totally inadequate for cultivation, " said Maj. Gen. Mendaka Samarasinghe, now the Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army, explaining the origin of the Ealam war IV.

According to the demarcations set by the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA), the Mavilaru sluice gates were located in an area that was neither supervised by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) nor by the LTTE, except for random patrolling by the troops.

In a new children’s play ground in Vakarai

Fishing in full scale in the Eastern coast

A renovated school in Kathiraveli,  Batticaloa

Setting up electricity power supply system near Vakarai hospital

A housing project in Vakarai

Demining in the liberated areas

As it was not the dry season the drop in the water level was unusual for the farmers.

With information from the village farmers, Maj. Gen. Samarasinghe ordered the 22-2 Brigade Commander to ask the Irrigation Officer of the area to visit the Mavilaru sluice gates, situated approximately two kilometres from the Kallar town and report whether there were any problems. Unexpectedly, the Irrigation officer was sent back by the LTTE who were blocking the road just one kilometre before the sluice gates. It was obvious by then that the LTTE have closed the water supply to the paddy lands.

It was in 2006, Vellupillai Prabhakaran said in his annual address that the LTTE would 'renew their struggle' if the Government failed to make serious moves towards peace. The Government was always pressured to accept the LTTE's so-called proposals in setting up their mono-ethnic, hypothetical state, leaving no room for the aspirations of the ordinary Tamil man!

At the time of the closure of Mavilaru anicut, the LTTE had plentiful chances for peace talks as the co-chairs of the Tokyo Donor Conference called on both parties to return to the negotiating table. Talks continued amidst LTTE violence for some time and recommenced in February, 2006 with the intervention of Norwegian Special Envoy Eric Solheim.

Separatist ideologies

Having no other means of reaching their separatist ideologies the LTTE took the lives of innocent farmers of the East hostage. "The farmers were pleading for early action to release the water. I immediately informed the Army Headquarters and as it was the time of the Cease Fire Agreement we informed the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) to negotiate with the LTTE and open the sluice gates quickly," Maj. Gen. Samarasinghe added.

Nearly 26,000 people of Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim families living in Kallar, Seru Nuwara, Seruvila, Dehiwatta and Neelapola were severely affected by the loss of water supply and the threat to paddy cultivation, extending over 45,000 acres of land. As the situation showed no progress, the 22 Division GOC also moved into Kallar area. The clock was ticking and the damage to the paddy cultivation of the poor farmers was getting from bad to worse and much of the crop was damaged. "These innocent people had no other means of income and many of them cultivated under adverse financial situations. They were helpless," Maj.Gen. Samarasinghe added. LTTE had timed it very well to make the lives miserable for the farmers.

The Army received orders to launch a limited operation to open the sluice gates few but there was heavy resistance from the LTTE.

Observing the situation in the country including the massacres and mayhems of the marauding Tamil Tigers, President Mahinda Rajapaksa as the Commander-in-Chief stressed that 'enough was enough'! The Army received orders to launch an operation to liberate Mavil Aru from the iron clutches of the LTTE. Hence the operation to liberate Mavil Aru was launched on July 26, 2006 purely on humanitarian grounds as the responsibility of bringing relief to the cultivation fell on the shoulders of the Government.

While the Mavil Aru operation was on, the LTTE attacked the Muttur Naval jetty (located south of Trincomalee) and subsequently the Army camp at Kattaparichchan forcing the SLA to defend two battle fronts. The Muttur attack by the LTTE literally displaced over 42,000 Muslim civilians.

The SLA Commando Brigade under Maj. Gen. Chagie Gallage (then Colnel) as the Brigade Commander operated under the command of 22 Division during the initial stages of Mavil Aru liberation and in liberating Muttur.

In Muttur, the LTTE cadres were mingling freely with the civilians while the troops with utmost care liberated Muttur. The Army could not use their maximum firepower. Next, the Special Forces Brigade was deployed to liberate Mavil Aru commanded by Maj.Gen. Prasanna de Silva (then Colnel).

Welfare camps were set up in Kantale to shelter the displaced Muslim civilians and the Operation was concluded enabling all displaced people to return home after LTTE terrorists were totally wiped out.

Following the complete re-capture of Muttur and Kattaparichchan, troops successfully re-captured the Mavil Aru anicut on August 08, 2006 and water started flowing back to the already dried and hardened paddy fields.

"Especially during the Muttur liberation we had to limit ourselves to small arms and keep a sharp eye on the paths the civilians took to escape," Maj. Gen. Samarasinghe added.

Soldiers were instructed not to direct attacks on civilian escape routes and at several instances the LTTE tried using these paths to launch attacks on Army defence lines.

Crucial factor, civilians

While the 22 Division was rescuing the areas in Trincomalee the SLA 23 Division was given the task to liberate un-cleared areas in Batticaloa district especially Vakarai under the Command of GOC Maj.Gen. Daya Ratnayake (then Brigadier).

LTTE terrorists who fled from Sampur in South of Trincomalee to Vakarai area used nearly 40,000 civilians, from all walks of life, as a human shield. It was during this time LTTE fired artillery targeting children at the Somadevi school in Somapura.

To liberate innocent civilians from the LTTE the Army had to capture Verugal, Kathiraveli, Panichchankerni, Komathalamadu and Vakarai. "The crucial factor we faced was eliminating terrorists maintaining zero casualties on civilians," Maj. Gen. Rathnayake said recalling the Ealam war IV.

Vakarai, Verugal areas became the centres of gravity as the LTTE has set up their Eastern Headquarters in this area surrounded by the civilian settlements.

"For the Army this was the seventh time Vakarai was captured during the past 30 years and each time it did not take more than three days. Yet at this stage we spent three months demarcating civilian settlements from the enemy's as our main aim was to rescue the people unharmed " he added.

"Soldiers very professionally handled the civilian factor as they were specifically instructed on the humanitarian aspect of the operation. It was purely a rescue mission," Maj.Gen. Ratnayake added.

"In fact we had to use special tactics to make the terrorists come out of their hiding places, separate them from civilians and their deal with them. Soldiers made great sacrifices to make this a success," Maj. Gen. Ratnayake added elaborating on that extra steps our valiant soldiers took to rescue the innocent civilians.

Plenty of water for cultivation

For the soldiers, they knew the people were suffering and their main aim was to save them first. In order to house the escaping civilians, the Army under the directions of Maj.Gen. Ratnayake set up five reception centres.

"We knew the key factor for success was winning the hearts and minds of people," he stressed. As soon as the escapees reached the Government controlled areas the Army personnel served them with tea or cool drinks.

Mission successful

"Villagers also came to help us to cook meals for the Displaced civilians and we treated them as best as we could," he said. "During this period Senior Presidential Advisor and Parliamentarian Basil Rajapaksa also visited our division and when we informed him about the immediate requirements to accommodate the people he promptly directed all assistance be provided. The support of the Government at this point was very important," Maj.Gen. Ratnayake added.

The Army provided not just food, water and medical care but music and films as well. "It was very important to keep the peoples' happy as they were passing through the most horrible time of their lives," he said.

As a result of all these efforts, 39 escapees volunteered to return to areas under LTTE stronghold and direct others in to the Government controlled areas. The mission was a success.

"Safety of the civilians was the crucial factor," said Maj. Gen. Prasanna de Silva (then Brigadier) who was the Brigade Commander of the Special Forces Brigade.

During Vakarai operation, without invading the enemy line the Special Forces along with several other infantry battalions, encircled the enemy terrain, while providing safety passage for the civilians to vacate and finally went for the assault, Maj.Gen. de Silva explained.

Out of all the operations carried during the Eastern humanitarian mission saving civilians was the most crucial. It required extra commitment from the Army as their target was not just causing maximum attrition to the enemy.

Meanwhile there was a major setback to the LTTE in the Eastern wing. The then Eastern Commander 'Colonel' Karuna (Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan) and several other LTTE Leaders Prabhakaran's most trusted leaders pulled nearly 5000 cadres out of the LTTE. Later they renounced terrorism and joined the country's democratic mainstream.

While the Eastern theatre was getting hot the LTTE continued killing political leaders, representatives of the Tamil people, and moved ahead in recruiting children and threatening Government administration.

The Government faced the next challenge after freedom dawned on the East on July 19, 2007. The Government was entrusted with the task of rebuilding the East. Resettling the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) was most crucial. It was President Mahinda Rajapaksa who took the responsibility of reawakening the Eastern Polity. De-mining and removal of booby traps followed.

The Government launched its resettlement programmes in June 2007 and conducted them according to the accepted international standards.

The resettlement process was done in phases along with the de-mining process as the area was heavily mined by the LTTE.

The Government took the burden in providing all logistical services and essential items and the UN agencies and other I/NGOs made it a point to provide other relief items. Food and nutrition, water supply, housing, livelihood support and road and transport, health and education, public service and religious activities were given priority.

Surveys had clearly identified fisheries, agriculture and various types of small industries such as carpentry, tailoring, dressmaking should be encouraged as livelihood means for the people.

Finally the Government is committed to ensure that the development of the East should have the active participation of the people.

Now the Sun that rises in the East heralds a new era to its long suffered people.