Tigers' lives turn topsy-turvy

Jane's reveal the stark truth

Is it possible for the LTTE to withstand the military thrust in Wanni? This is the question asked by the majority of the citizens of the country seeking a proper and certain answer from the relevant authorities, preferably from the Defence authorities.

For the time being, there is no certain answer to this question. The answer should be based on analyzing the situation properly. The internationally reputed Jane's Intelligence Review had its own assessment on the position of the LTTE this week, saying that the LTTE was in its lowest ebb since its existence from early 1980's.

"With its maritime supply routes likely to become limited by its loss of land in the northwest, unless a new political or military variable enters the equation, the decline of the LTTE is inevitable," Jane's said in its latest issue.

It was with their own assessment of the Tiger capabilities and the capacity of the Security Forces, the Security Forces Chiefs made a declaration at the dawn of this year that 2008 would be the year to see an end to the LTTE terrorism. But many people took this statement apprehensively and disbelieve the fact that LTTE capabilities are deteriorating.

Not only they were reluctant to believe the Security Forces but also had different opinions on the anti-terror operations in Colombo by the Security Forces and the Police. Their thinking was always in favour of the LTTE and believed the anti-terror operations in the South as a means of harassing the Tamil civilians.

It was after the arrest of Ilankoowan a Singapore passport holder many accepted the fact that the arrests being made by the Police in Colombo are justified.

Muththusami Ilankoowan was arrested by Modera Police on Monday. Many media reported it as another famously known 'white van abduction' to give a wrong impression to the international community about the anti-terror operations conducted by the Security Forces and the Police. Though Ilankoowan claims that he is a Singapore passport holder, there is suspicion whether he was really a Singapore national or not as he has failed to produce his Singapore passport to the Police claiming that he had lost it.

According to investigations, Illango had arrived in Sri Lanka last year or some years back. He claims that he arrived in Sri Lanka with the intention of filing a lawsuit against the government to claim compensation for the destruction of one of his ships. It has been divulged that he was claiming the ownership of the Irish Mona which was hijacked by the LTTE in the sea off Mullaitivu and later destroyed by the SLAF in a air raid.

Though he claimed that he is the owner of the Irish Mona he was only a broker of the shipping line that owned the ship and it was believed that the LTTE had hijacked it from the operator as the ship was owned by the LTTE itself.

Ilankoowan claims that he had kept contacts with the LTTE related to the matters connected with the destroyed ship and visited Kilinochchi on several occasions.

However, there is a major question as to how Ilankoowan who had commenced his career as a seaman had suddenly become a owner of two Singaporean shipping lines with the ownership of several ships.

It has transpired that Illango, a Sri Lankan Tamil domiciled in Singapore had worked under Captain David, a Sri Lankan Tamil with the ownership of a shipping line. It was he who handled the LTTE shipping activities in Singapore under the instruction of Kumaran Pathnaba alias KP the Chief of the LTTE international procurement wing.

KP had handed over the LTTE businesses in Singapore to Captain David as the RAW was after him after the assassination of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991. After KP disappeared from Singapore the RAW began trailing Captain David, compelling him to disappear after handing over the businesses to Illango.

It was with this background Illango had become the owner of two shipping companies in Singapore. Since then he had supported the LTTE activities based in Singapore to smuggle arms and ammunition to the LTTE.

The claims that two of his ships had been destroyed in Sri Lankan territorial waters close to Tangalle and Trincomalee gives the impression that it could have been the ships owned by him that were used by the LTTE to smuggle arms and later were destroyed at the hand of the Sri Lanka Navy.

But he too could not live in Singapore due to the intense anti-terror operations carried out in Singapore. It is believed that Illango had left Singapore a few years back fearing that he would be arrested by Singapore security officials due to his connections with the LTTE.

There is ample evidence that he had kept close contacts with the LTTE leadership including Tiger leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, S.P. Thamilselvan and Mani Annan, the Chief of the International Fund Collection. It was with this link he had met LTTE leader Prabhakaran and S.P. Thamilselvan in Kilinochchi.

It is believed that he had funded the LTTE through various illegal means by way of ransoms and through abductions during his stay in Colombo. He had lived in Wellawatta Matrix Apartments and was reported missing from there some days back.

The Police believe that he may have to be deported to Singapore if he is needed by the Singaporean defence authorities in support of their anti-terror investigations.

Apart from this incident the suicide bomb blast inside a lodge in Modera also gave a clear picture on how the LTTE is operating in Colombo to create mayhem in the face of their humiliating defeats in the North and in the Wanni at the hands of the Security Forces.

The suicide blast was reported as a Police team from Modera Police station cordoned off a lodge in Ibbanwala Watta, Aluth Mawatha, Modera on Friday around 6 a.m.

The Police teams tried to search this house on a tip-off by another suspect arrested by the Modera Police on Thursday evening. The arrest has been done on a tip-off by a prostitute living in the area about a suspicious client.

After the arrest of this suspect, Police were able to recover a suicide jacket, six claymore mines, four hand grenades and one suicide belt which had been brought to Colombo to be used in a major terror operation. It was after this recovery the Police team went in search of the other suspect who was living in Ibbanwala Watta, Modera around 6 a.m. on Friday.

Nadaraja Sherma Vijayadaran, who was living in the room cordoned off by the Police, he killed himself probably exploding a claymore mine inside his room since there was no escape for him from the Police.

Parts of his body were strewn inside the room and his head was found elsewhere, after the huge explosion. Seven people including four Police officers and four civilians sustained injures in the blast.

Police investigations revealed that the Tamil youth who blew himself up inside the room was a resident of Punkuduthivu in Jaffna and was living with his sister and brother-in-law.

Police investigations are now on to ascertain what the real motive of this Tiger cadre was as they found two revolvers, one fitted with silencer equipment inside his room after the blast. This is clear indication that without intensified search operations Colombo and suburbs will not be safe places. Therefore, vigilance of the Security Forces and civilians has become a vital factor at this decisive moment as the LTTE is trying their best to use their terror plans to stop the troops' advance to the North. Apart from these incidents it was increasingly evident that the LTTE is now using Chilaw and Kalpitiya areas for their terror operations. The detection of claymore mines from the Kalpitiya and Chilaw area indicates that they are bypassing the land routes to Colombo due to the intensified searches carried out by the Security Forces and the Police.

The Police was able to arrest the LTTE suspect who was responsible for a spate of criminal activities and transformer explosions in Mundalama, Kalpitiya and surrounding areas in the recent past at Narakkuliya, Kalpitiya on Friday (29) morning while he was taking eight kgs of C-4 explosives, one wire roll and pen torch batteries used for detonations.

The suspect, is believed to have been involved or has masterminded the power transformer blast at Mundalama, Kalpitiya on February 19, disrupting the power supply to the entire area, including the rural hospital and other vital institutions.

The Police has also been able to expose major Tiger operations targeting VVIPs in Colombo after the arrest of LTTE cadre Ramesh in Colombo a few weeks back. After his confession many of the Tiger cadres who were waiting to accomplish their terror operations were arrested in Colombo.

As these anti terror operations are being carried out in Colombo, the troops operating in Northern and Wanni battle fronts too recorded impressive victories against the LTTE in Jaffna, Vavuniya, Mannar and Weli Oya fronts.

Those who could not believe the number of Tiger cadres killed due to Security Forces operations in these battle fronts could witness the way they were handing over the bodies of the LTTE cadres to the LTTE leaders through the ICRC.

Within this week the Security Forces handed over 26 bodies to the LTTE which were recovered from the Vavuniya, Mannar and Weli Oya battle fronts.

As we highlighted in this column earlier, the LTTE has shown much interest in securing their defences in the North Western coastal area reinforcing their cadres along the Mannar front forcing a major thrust on the Task Force - I troops operating in the Mannar front.under the command of Brigadier Shavindra Silva. But the troops could thwart all the attempts by the LTTE to stop their advance towards the North from the original defences of the Security Forces.

The 8 GW troops under the Command of Lt. Colonel Jayasundera recorded a big victory on Thursday afternoon after capturing the North of Giant tank after a fierce battle with the LTTE capturing the commanding bunker on the Giant Tank bund located in Sinnaodaippu area. This also includes the sluice gates of the Giant Tank which is the biggest tank in the Mannar region.

They launched a counter attack on LTTE reinforcements led by Bhanu and Lakshman who made a desperate attempt to recapture the bunker line but miserably failed in their endeavour as the troops killed more than 20 Tiger cadres during this confrontation.

The troops in the Mannar front are advancing towards the North from three fronts in Manthai, Uyilankulam and Parappakandal and Giant tank fronts.

With the capture of the bunker line of the Giant tank troops are now in full control of the Parappakandal area. The adjustments in their defences clearly show that they want to keep the North Western coast under their control as the loss of this terrain will definitely deprive them of their remaining supply routes through Vidathalthivu.

In the Vavuniya front troops attached to the II CLI had advanced further ahead of Mullikulam in their march towards Palampiddi cutting off Tiger supplies to the Madhu area.

It is clear that the LTTE is now caught in their own traps set to stop the advance of the troops to Kilinochchi direction.

On Wednesday afternoon six Tiger cadres were killed by the explosion of their own anti-personnel mines inside a bunker in Mullikulam area as they took cover an abandoned bunker to escape an ambush laid by the troops. With troops moving from two fronts, North of Madhu and South of Madhu the LTTE definitely face a major setback in the Vavuniya front with the loss of one of their prestigious grounds in the Vavuniya front.

So it is vital for the Security Forces and the Police to intensify their operations not only in Wanni but also in Colombo too as possibilities are very high for the LTTE to come out with a series of desperate acts in the South to prevent their setbacks in the Wanni battle front. Then only the people can have a clear view whether the LTTE would be able to withstand to the military thrust without resorting to any desperate terror acts in the South.