Opinion:

Tigers carried out indiscriminate bomb attacks

By K.M.H.C.B. Kulatunga

Yesterday marked the 25th anniversary of one of the deadliest LTTE attacks during its three decades of terror.

The Central Bank building after it was bombed by Tiger terrorists. (File photo)

Some of the Western countries which attempt to level war crimes charges against Sri Lanka and discredit the Security Forces of our country act as if they had not heard of LTTE atrocities.

US Ambassador Michele J. Sisson who has shown an extraordinary interest on an isolated attack at a centre operated by a foreign group belong to a Christian religious faith (which does not belong to the Catholic church) must have a closer look at how the LTTE destroyed the most sacred place of Buddhists.

Those Western countries who now pontificate on human rights and transparency had been in deep slumber when the LTTE bombed Sri Dalada Maligawa. Hardly anybody in the West was concerned about the indiscriminate bomb attack. Hence they they must at least now take a closer look at the damage they Tiger terrorists had done some 25 years ago.

Massive explosions

On January 25, 1998, the LTTE exploded a massive truck bomb inside Sri Dalada Maligawa in Kandy when the hill capital was preparing to host Independence Day celebrations. The attack left the original moonstone shattered into 43 pieces. But remains of the original carvings are reconstructed in a museum inside the temple.

Three suicide LTTE Black Tigers drove an explosive laden truck along Kandy's Raja Veediya, firing at soldiers manning road blocks around the place and crashed through the entrance and detonated the bomb around 6.10 a.m.

There had been two massive explosions. The truck contained 300 to 400 kg of high explosives. The explosion killed 16 people, including the three LTTE suicide cadres. A two-year-old infant too was among the unfortunate victims.

Over 25 people, including four women, a monk and a police officer were among the injured. a professor of geology P. W. Withanage also died due to shock after hearing of the incident. The powerful bomb attack left most of the buildings within a radius of 5 km damaged, and glass panes broken.

On the following day, the Government officially banned the LTTE as a terrorist organisation. The Government had not banned the LTTE until then as it had made every effort to bring the LTTE to the democratic path and have peaceful negotiations. The 1998 Independence Day celebrations were shifted to Colombo following the attack but the foreign dignitaries including Prince Charles arrived in Colombo.

Sentenced to death

Security forces personnel in an APC in operations against the Tigers. (File photo)

In October 2003, three LTTE cadres involved in the attack were convicted by the Kandy high court and sentenced to death. Two others were sentenced to 680 years of rigorous imprisonment and third to 490 years. According to the Mackenzie Institute part of the LTTE's incentive for the attack was to spark widespread mob violence against the country's Tamil minority, by the Sinhalese majority, as happened in 1983. But it did not happen after this incident.

This is one of the many indiscriminate bomb attacks carried out by the LTTE. But some Western countries are still showing an extraordinary sympathy towards the LTTE as if they have come from the seventh heaven.

What puzzles us the most is the double standards of the certain Western politicians who are more concerned about the human rights of the LTTE terrorists killed in action are totally blind to these numerous atrocities by the Tigers.

Moreover, certain Colombo-based diplomats are overstepping their limits to meddle in internal affairs of a sovereign nation.

Meeting in Chundikulli

What business did US Ambassador Sisson have when she met Northern Provincial Councillor Ananthi Sasitharan in Jaffna at a time the Defence Ministry was exploring the possibility of rehabilitating her in view of her alleged LTTE links.

The controversial meeting had taken place at Hotel Margosa, Chundikulli, Jaffna on Wednesday evening. Among those present were Northern Province Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran and Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP M.A. Sumanthiran.

Sasitharan, a mother of three, contested the first-ever Northern Provincial Council elections held last September on the TNA ticketand was elected to the NPC.

Reports said that the TNA delegation had dinner with Ambassador Sisson at Hotel Margosa. However, a US embassy spokesperson has said that they don't have any details to share with media on any discussions.

What the Colombo-based Western diplomats should bear in mind is that Sasitharan is not only an elected representative of the people. She was married to Trincomalee district LTTE political wing leader Elilan and still shares separatist ideology.

Foreign intervention

By meeting a person of such calibre, US Ambassador Sisson has clearly overstepped her boundaries and meddled in the internal affairs of a country. Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa addressing religious dignitaries and civil society representatives in the Eastern Province at Hotel East Lagoon in Batticaloa on Thursday, lashed out at those who had been pushing for foreign intervention in Sri Lanka even after the eradication of terrorism in May 2009.

As the Defence Secretary has quite rightly pointed out, foreigners would only make matters worse. Therefore, all communities should resolve to settle their problems themselves. An irate Defence Secretary alleged that the US Ambassador had overstepped her mandate.

Emphasising the pivotal importance of thwarting foreign interference in domestic issues, the Defence Secretary said that the country could proceed without advice from diplomats. Those living in the Northern and Eastern regions know the measures taken by the Government to restore normalcy since the eradication of the LTTE.

Masquerade

The government speedily handled resettlement, de-mining, rehabilitation, as well as disarming of armed groups subsequent to the conclusion of the conflict.

A section of the LTTE couldn't be accepted as a political wing. During the Norwegian arranged Ceasefire Agreement, terrorists had masqueraded as political activists to operate in government held areas. LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran attempted to differentiate the LTTE fighting cadres by a non-existent political wing which was never involved in democratic politics. The LTTE only belied in bullet and not the ballot.

Those who had been accusing the Government over accountability issues weren't bothered about the TNA calling the LTTE the sole representatives of Tamils in late 2001. Sri Lanka has the ability of solving its own issues, especially post-terrorism issues as Rajapaksas had been in politics for 75 years. President Mahinda Rajapaksa has been in politics for over four decades and is one of the most senior and respected leaders in world politics.

Harmony

Hence, he does not need expert advice from foreigners to handle local matters. As the President had once stated, no foreigner could have a greater pain on issues of local people than our own leaders.

The masses will never forget the immense sacrifices and dedication made by the Security Forces to establish peace and harmony in the country by eradicating terrorism. Their efforts have enabled all communities to live in harmony, thereby saving the lives of 21 million people who had been subjected to immense hardships due to LTTE terror.

All Sri Lankans, irrespective of their political and religious affiliations, are always with the soldiers who liberated the country from terrorism. The true sons of our soil must be assisted to fulfill at least some of their needs and requirements. Moreover, the society should be with them to strengthen their mentality.

It is sad that certain Western politicians who thrive on the Tamil Diaspora vote and funding by the LTTE rump try to disgrace these brave men who had sacrificed their life and the limb to give us a better future. If not for their heroic efforts, we would still have been subjected to indiscriminate bombings of the LTTE.

Next target

We would never allow the Western politicians to take our brave sons before international war crimes tribunals. The West should see the peaceful environment that has been established after the eradication of the terrorism. Are they blind to see these magnificent development and peace of mind enjoyed by all communities?

The next target of the LTTE rump is to use some of the Western politicians to bring resolution after resolution to take Sri Lanka to task at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC). But the Government is ready to face any challenge it may encounter at the upcoming UNHRC session in Geneva.

As Plantations Industries Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe has said, the Government has done everything to protect human rights and address issues arising in the aftermath of the conflict.

All these efforts have been done in a very transparent manner and the world has not been kept in the dark about what is happening in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka had achieved social, economic and political stability while ending nearly 30 years of terrorism with much sacrifice. We will not allow anyone to destabilise these gains we have made with so much sacrifice and hard work.

We will give a better meaning to the sacrifices made by the brave sons of our soil. Despite whatever the conspiracies hatched in the West, we will not any force to rob Sri Lanka's hard-earned peace.