Four years ago in Kilinochchi

By Dhaneshi Yatawara

Vadduvakal Causeway then - May 16, 2009

It was a totally different picture in 2009 and three years before that, in the main townships of the North and the East. The air used to be filled with fear and uncertainty. Broken damaged, abandoned houses without roofs, blasted water tanks, buildings with explosives trapped, overgrown home gardens all gave a ghostly feeling to these towns and villages.

Today there has been a total transformation. Amidst the numerous allegations and obstructions this island nation walked far away from the iron fist of terrorism clearing a path to bring the country to a better position economically, socially and culturally. All the success was carried on the shoulders of the valiant soldiers and admirably they still have not put down their duties to rest.

The Sri Lankan security forces made supreme sacrifices in liberating their motherland from the LTTE jackboot. Kilinochchi, the LTTE headquarters was a ghostly town when the Sri Lanka Army troops of the 57 Division marched in January 2009 under the command of General Officer Commanding Major General Jagath Dias. When the 58 Division under General Officer Commanding Major General Shavendra Silva captured Paranthan as we approached the dawn of 2009 it was almost a no man's land.

The LTTE pushed the escaping civilians more towards the eastern coast. This silenced the artillery attack to the other side of the Jaffna lagoon from Paranthan. Lead by Major General Kamal Gunarathne the 53 Division reached the Elephant Pass gateway to the Northern Peninsula as year 2009 dawned and the 53 and 58 divisions were united.

There was no escape for the LTTE along the Eastern coast towards North as troops of the 55 Division under the command of Major General Prasanna de Silva who manned the eastern coast of the Jaffna Peninsula bridging every lagoon on the way. This unity of Army troops was too much for the LTTE to bear. With the rest of the Army troops strongly holding the rescued grounds and forcing towards the LTTE from the south and towards the east from the A9 road the LTTE was compelled to move into a smaller area on the Puthumathalan coastal line.

On May 18, 2009 the country was waiting to hear the news of their motherland regaining peace. On that day, Pudukuduyirippu became the nerve centre for military operations and for the media.

The end of a ruthless terrorist outfit took place a few kilometres away from the Pudukuduyirippu town. This, the final battle against terrorism of the Eelam war IV is what became the turning point in the history of this island nation. The situation of the enemy area came with the help of aerial footage captured by the Sri Lanka Air Force. Blasts in the enemy line were monitored as well as movements of terrorists and their vehicles. The situation was becoming tense as the last terrorist grouping on that land with their de facto leader and other top terrorists were getting trapped within an area of a few square kilometres.

Vadduvakal Causeway now Soldiers putting the finishing touches to a new pre-school built in Mullaitivu

The only civilians in the area were the media crews waiting in front of the Army operation room for situation updates. Residents in Pudukuduyirippu and adjacent areas as well as civilians who were in the no-fire zone all crossed the lines and reached safety away from the terrorist iron fist.

On May 16 and 17 all the civilians who escaped the LTTE stronghold were taken by the Government authorities to Vavuniya and sheltered in the Welfare Centres for the Internally Displaced.

Today these people have returned home. Pudukuduyirippu as well as other towns and villages have undergone a total change. Today, there are no signs to prove that these towns and villages were the nerve centres of the battle against terrorism.

There ended the sole responsibility of the Armed Forces to eliminate terrorism from the motherland. Yet they never gave up and continue their service to this day. Army personnel are involved in a large number of development work such as agriculture, building roads and helping the newly resettled communities.

The Sri Lanka Army has over 200,000 personnel who are paid by the government and thus they feel duty bound to serve the country. The Army shoulders not only the responsibility of uplifting the lives of resettled communities, but also implementing major government programs and even the preservation of archaeological sites, as the North and East of Sri Lanka is filled with historical monuments.

Our soldiers are experts in the art of repairing and rebuilding as they are the sons of the average villager. They are handy at work, and mending a roof or rebuilding a wall is not a big deal for them. They clean school buildings, repair community halls and kovils. The area is dotted with Hindu temples and churches of different dimensions. Be it a small kovil under a huge tree worshipped by a small village community or a large multi coloured fascinating kovil in a more populated area all are given equal consideration, protection and care. For the soldier it is not the size of the kovil that matters but the belief of the common man that needs to be respected.

First they made the land clear of landmines, AP mines and any other booby traps laid by the LTTE. The gallantry on the part of the soldiers is such that during the height of the war at the risk of their lives, four man teams crawled to the other side of an LTTE bund for surprise attacks in an area dotted with Anti Personnel mines. They overpowered their sense of fear with courage and determination. They destroyed LTTE terrorists and saved the innocent civilians.

The Government has already embarked on its plans for the rapid development of these areas with much emphasis on infrastructure developments. Though the Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu areas faced the most fearsome and deadliest phase of the battle the development initiatives are not lagging behind. Today the valiant soldiers are the driving force behind the gigantic development drive launched by the government to rebuild the war-ravaged North East to ensure a better life to the community.

Yet, the threat remains though not on the Sri Lankan soil as certain segments of the Tamil diaspora are forming groups to regain power, the end of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam simply marks the beginning of a new phase in their struggle for power.