On 1 June a claymore attack, carried out by the Sri Lankan Army, in Vedivaiththakal village in Nedunkerni in Vavuniya district, killed one LTTE auxiliary force member and injured another. Varothayan Sritharan was the person killed in the incident.
On the night of 1 June at 7.30 pm at the Kakayan Forward Defense Lines (FDL) in Vavuniya, SLA carried out a shelling attack killing one member of the LTTE.
(http://www.sibernews.com/)
On Thursday the Tigers took four buses which ply between Batticaloa and Valaichenai. The incident occurred near the spot where more than forty soldiers were killed very recently. Troops were tense. Traffic was held up for a long time.
It was apparent that the army was worried that the buses had been taken for the purpose of mounting an attack on its exposed positions in the interior to the southwest or its semi- beleagured camps on the road from Chenkaladi to Valaichenai.
Many usually well informed local people were, however, of the opinion that the vehicles had been taken by the LTTE to transport villagers in areas under their control to meetings which are being held widely to mark the Annai Poopathy week.
On Friday the Tigers attacked the commandos of the elite Special Task Force at Pulukunawa, a remote village in the Ampara district, killing more than sixteen of them. Though there may be little connection between the attack and the hijacking of the buses, it is still difficult to rule out the distinct possibility of the vehicles being used in preparations for a major offensive in the east which in the LTTE's view may thoroughly tilt the military balance in the region in their favour.
The army on the road between Valaichenai and Chenkaladi might for sure heave a sigh of relief only in the event of the buses being recovered or returned in the near future without incident.
There are seven military camps between Valaichenai and Chenkalady - a distance of eight miles. Of these the camps at Kinnaiady and Kalmadu which is near Kalkudah, control vulnerable approaches to the main road from the sea and from the interior.
A camp was established at Kaluwankerni on the coast east of Vantharumoolai to control the increasing activities of the Sea Tigers in the area which had made the army's positions on Chenkaladi - Valaichenai road doubly vulnerable. Despite this the security forces have been taking very heavy casualties on this route. First, the army lost more than sixty five soldiers (according to a local body count) in an encounter at Santhiveli, after which a camp was set up near the place and then at Mavadivempu it took more forty five casulaties - which later increased to about fifty two.
Why is the army so vulnerable in this relatively small area despite having such a large number of camps? The answer to this will throw some light on the general security situation in this part of the island.
The control of the trunk road between Chenkaladi and Valaichenai, which is a vital segment of the Main Supply Route to the district on its north western side, is precarious because immediately to its west and to its north lie vast areas which are held by the LTTE. The area covered by the seven army camps is therefore like a fragile islet in a hostile wilderness.
It takes hours every day for the army to clear short distances on the road before it can allow any traffic, including its own, to pass. This daily routine has become quite dangerous now. It is also sapping the strength of the camps. Though this is a high risk area, the situation which obtains in other sectors of the Batticaloa district is more or less the same.
The military balance in Batticaloa can be tentatively described as follows: The government is trying to ensure its hold on the district despite withdrawing a substantial number of troops to the north, by controlling three of the five strategic access routes to the region.
The three area, the Welikanda - Batticaloa road, the Kalmunai - Batticaloa road and the network of narrow dust roads from the Central Camp - Bakkiella area in the Ampara district to Mandoor and Vellaveli in the Batticaloa district.
The other vital access routes - the road from Maha Oya to Chenkaladi is under the full control of the LTTE beyond the derelict village of Pullumalai. The coastal road from Mutur to Batticaloa is in the hands of the Tigers between Kiliveddi and Kayankerni which is a few kilometers north of Valaichenai.
The three main access routes which are under the control of the security forces are under constant pressure from the Tigers who hold the hinterlands on the edges of which these routes lie.
The Welikanda - Batticaloa road is held by the army and the other two access routes are supervised by the STF. The strength of the army and the STF in their respective areas of operation seems to be adequate only to keep the routes precariously safe enough to ensure civilian and military traffic during daytime. They do not obviously have the ability or power to 'soften' LTTE positions in the hinterlands.
The security forces have engaged in major offensives like Operation Rivikirana and small scale Special Forces operations in the hinterlands to take the pressure of the three access routes. The massacre of twenty-six STF commandos in Vellaveli and the attack at Vantharumoolai show that the major offensives which were aimed at destroying the LTTE's military potential in the interior quite substantially, have had no effect.
Such offensives in the past were meant to keep the Tigers on the run, giving them little time between one major operation and the other to regroup and reestablish vital supply bases and sources.
Despite reports in the press that the recent big operations into the Tiger held hinterlands - the most popular in the military communique being Thoppigala have been quite successful in dispersing the LTTE. The pressure keeps increasing almost daily on the access routes which are under security forces control. Ex-Tamil militants who have undertaken deep penetration operation into the Thoppigala area say that the LTTE maintains vast base complexes there with permanent concrete structures which do not, according to them, seem to have been touched by artillery fire.
The LTTE's military network is so large in this area and supplemented by widely-strewn groups of auxillary forces that it is virtually impossible to score a hit and make a safe withdrawal they say. Although this may be the case in the Thoppigala and Vakarai regions, Special Forces operations have been somewhat more successful in bringing some pressure on the LTTE's mobility in the Paduvankarai hinterland.
This is mainly due to the influence which the Mohan's group still retains there. Special Forces Ops are carried out on a smaller scale by other Tamil groups as well.
In Eelam War Two the Mohan group operating with commandos of the Special Forces regiment were quite successful in bringing the LTTE's activities in Paduvankarai almost to a standstill after it ambushed and killed serveral key Tiger leaders including David.
Special Forces Ops are facilitated greatly in this region by the pervasive intelligence network cultivated and maintained by Mohan and his boys. They have an exceptionally large number of informants, infiltrators and moles who help them pick their targets with extreme precision. They have also been able to place explosive devices in Tiger camps.
But the LTTE seems to have become really alarmed after Mohan ambushed and killed Kalanesan and another Tiger who was travelling with him. Kalanesan was at that time believed to be the chief of LTTE's civilian intelligence organisation. It was discovered later, according to Mohan's associates, that the person who was killed along with Kalanesan, was Tharma, supposed to be the most senior operative in the LTTE's intelligence wing in the district.
Such S.F. operations being the most effective way of hitting at the LTTE now, Mohan has become indispensable to the government which at one time cried foul, at the work of his 'handlers' in the military intelligence like 'Captain Munaz'.
It has to therefore turn a blind eye to some of his non-military activities which in the past drew flak from human rights groups. However, the withdrawal of the larger portion of the Special Forces regiments to the north for the purpose of carrying on a counter insurgency campaign against the LTTE in the Valikamam sector and the closure almost all the camps in the interior, have now placed severe limitations on the operations of the Mohan group.
This has been further compounded by the manner in which the LTTE has devised its counter strategy.
Firstly, the Tigers withdrew all their important leaders to bases in the deep jungles about which Mohan and the military intelligence seem to have very scanty information. This happened soon after the killing of Tharma and Kalanesan. It was widely reported at that time that Karikalan, who was the most prominent of those who were 'withdrawn' thus, had been recalled to Jaffna by the Tiger leadership which was not happy with his statements to the press.
Karikalan in fact never went to Jaffna but remained in one of the remote base complexes, appearing regularly to meet the public at the LTTE office in Vakarai. No one it should be pointed out here, is able to carry out Special Forces operations in the vast Vakarai region.
There are few or no ex-Tamil militants or LTTE surrendees who know the area or who can cultivate a stable network of informants and infiltrators. This makes the Vakarai region virtually free of the deep penetration operations which seem to be a greater headache to the LTTE than large scale offensives.
Secondly, the LTTE has taken to road and area clearing operations before they permit their leaders to move into places considered vulnerable to S.F. ambush and attack. The public have to sometimes wait till eleven thirty in the morning at the LTTE office in Arasadythivu near Kokkaddicholai to meet officials.
One rarely comes across key Tiger leaders in the Paduvankarai region now. But one can see many ordinary cadres going about on motorbykes - some of which were captured from the army in Koduvamadu near Chenkaladi.
The LTTE has also made matters worse for Special Forces Ops by deploying auxiliary forces drawn from the large population of dispossessed paddy and chena cultivators in the hinterlands who were driven out of their lands during Eelam War Two by the army which believed that the prevention of cultivation could deprive the Tigers of essential food supplies - a method which appears to have worked in South America and Malasiya.
The presence of these militias which are armed with the FLN self-loading rifles now considered redundant by the LTTE, according to Mohan's boys, has made safe withdrawals after attacks in the interior virtually impossible in certain regions. They also say that LTTE surrendees are of little use these days because they (surrendees) do not know much about the key camps in the interior.
Therefore, with the major offensives not producing the desired effect in the hinterlands and with the S.F. operations losing their former impact, the task of taking the steadily increasing pressure on the three access routes to the Batticaloa district, off has become impossible. On the other hand the LTTE has made the following gains:
a) undisputed control of all the strategic hinterlands of the district plus the southern extreme of the Trincomalee district which is contiguous with Vakarai.
b) the ability to destabilise the three main supply routes at will, an ability which may eventually become power to interdict all military movement on them if the government were to concentrate in the north for a sufficiently long period.
c) the control of a large stretch of coast south of Ilankaithurai Muhathuvaram in Trincomalee district to north of the Kalkudah bay.
d) Recruitment. The Tigers have opened three recruitment centres (called Puthiya Poralihal Inaiyum Seyalaham in Tamil) in the Kokkaddicholay, Arasadithivu and Paddipalai. In recent months 47 boys and girls have joined the organisation from the village of Kokkaddicholai alone. A steady flow of recruits is reported from almost all the villages in the hinterlands.
This briefly is the fate of all the vast investments that the military made in pacifying the east between 1990 and 1994. Can the new investment made in the Jaffna peninsula yield dividends which can offset the abandonment of the vast investment of military resources in the east?
The two DPU attackers were still hiding in the jungle area. A cordon and search operation by the Tiger cadres was going on, Mr. Daya Mohan said.
The rescue team of the DPU, was attacked as they crossed the Batticaloa lagoon.
The Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol (LRRP), known as the Deep Penetration Unit (DPU), was given instructions to attack civilian targets, the captive has told the Tigers, according to Mr. Daya Mohan.
The DPU attacker in LTTE custody, has also revealed that their team was behind the Claymore attack, last week, in Pattipalai and another attack, at Thandiyadi Maveerar cemetary in Batticaloa.
The DPU rescue team had gone to the Tamils Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO) office in Batticaloa earlier on Thursday and robbed the office, according to the captured LRRP attacker.
Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission officials would be contacted Friday morning with the details from the captured Deep Penetrating Unit member, Daya Mohan further said.
(http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=18526)
Vavuniya district Political Head of the LTTE, Gnanam, handed over the dead body of the Sri Lankan DPU trooper to the ICRC officials. SLMM officials were also present at the Vavuniya district political secretariat of the LTTE in Puliyankulam where the body was handed over to the ICRC, sources added.
Meanwhile, a pickup vehicle narrowly escaped from a Claymore attack Thursday morning in Puliankulam area, Tamileelam Police sources in Kilinochhci said.
(http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=18515)
Meanwhile, a pickup vehicle narrowly escaped from a Claymore attack Thursday morning in Puliankulam area, Tamileelam Police sources in Kilinochchi said.
(images)
(images)
(http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=18515)
The dead soldier was wearing striped LTTE uniform like the other SLA soldier killed two days ago in LTTE area of Vavuniya district.
In the meantime a claymore attack by the SLA DPU in Kanagarayankulam in Vavuniya did not cause any damage. Several items left behind by the SLA team were found near the site.
(http://www.sibernews.com/the-news/tamileelam/second-sla-soldier-killed-in-ltte-
area-while-trying-to-lay-claymore-mine-200606154598/)
International truce monitors say that they expect Tamil Tigers to hand over the body of the alleged Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldier killed in rebel-held territory on Tuesday.
The LTTE said two of their members and a Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldier were killed near Vavuniya in the rebel-held territory.
There has been a gunfire between the SLA and the LTTE in the area, Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) spokesman Thorfinnur Omarsson told BBC Sandeshaya.
Monitors who visited the scene have reported that the alleged SLA soldiers were not wearing military uniforms.
Setting up claymore mines
The SLMM is to make a ruling on the incident after receiving the body, Omarsson said.
But the SLA rejected LTTE claims that their soldiers entered rebel-held territory to set up claymore mines.
“Two soldiers have been abducted by the LTTE in last few days,” military spokesman Brigadier Prasad Samarasinghe told bbcsinhala.com.
Rejecting the LTTE claims, he said it one of those soldiers might have been killed in Vavuniya.
"It will only be clear when we recieve the body".
Transporting drugs
Meanwhile, Major Kamal Kariyawasam has been arrested in Vavuniya while transporting 15kg of drugs.
Describing it as “a disgrace” Brig. Samarasinghe said he should be brought into a military court.
In Jaffna, a soldier was killed by a sniper and an LTTE member was shot dead in Jaffna.
The spokesman accused the LTTE pistol group of killing a 56-year old civilian near Jaffna hospital.
Two home guards have been killed in Vavuniya, he added.The clash occurred Tuesday in Nedunkerny village, the rebels said on their Web site.
Thorfinnur Omarsson, a spokesman for the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, a group of independent European cease-fire monitors, said ``it is apparently true'' that soldiers dressed in rebel uniforms were planting Claymore anti-personnel mines in the village.
Two rebels and one Government soldier were killed in the clash while four other soldiers escaped unhurt, he said.
However, military spokesman Brig. Prasad Samarasinghe accused the rebels of fabricating the incident and falsely accusing the soldiers of bearing arms in rebel territory -- a violation of a 2002 cease-fire agreement.
``This is totally fabricated,'' Samarasinghe said. ``We totally deny'' that armed soldiers were in the rebel-held village.
The government and the rebels have blamed each other for a recent spike in attacks that threatens the fragile truce.
Hundreds of government soldiers and dozens of Tamil Tigers have been killed since April, but both sides deny responsibility for the violence.
The Tamil Tiger rebels began fighting for a separate homeland in 1983, accusing the majority Sinhalese of discrimination. More than 65,000 people were killed before the cease-fire.
(http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/003200606141340.htm)
At least 21 people were killed and 20 others injured in mine attacks carried out by government forces in the island's embattled north-east during the past six days, Tamil Tiger rebels have claimed.
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said government troops infiltrated areas held by the guerrillas and staged the devastating attacks, a claim rejected by the military.
However, there had been several reports of Claymore mine attacks in areas held by the Tigers.
Both sides had stepped up attacks and counter attacks in the past six months during which at least 680 people have been killed despite a truce that is in place since February 2002.
A government soldier was killed today in a mine attack the military blamed on the Tiger rebels.
(http://www.daijiworld.com/home.asp)
The Sri Lanka Army sniper had targeted the LTTE official from the SLA controlled area beyond the lagoon, from Murakkoddanchenai.
Captian Ramanitharan (Vadivel Kangatharan), 28, is from Thihiliveddai.
Ramanitharan's body was taken in procession from Thihiliveddai to the burial site at Tharavai Heroes' cemetary and burried with military honours Sunday evening, Daya Mohan said.The Divisional Secretary, Mr. Pathmanathan, was wounded.
Meanwhile, a Claymore attack targeted devotees traveling to Vatrapalai temple festival on Nedunkerny Mulliavalai Road around 12:50 p.m. Monday. No casualties were reported.
The escalating Sri Lankan penetration attacks have targeted civilian travellers inside LTTE controlled territory.LTTE Terrorist has exploded yet another claymore mine in un-cleared areas off NEDUNKERNI, MULLAITTIVU injuring a Tamil Assistant Divisional Secretary, his driver and three others Monday (12th June) morning around 9.15 a.m.
The victims were traveling in a double cab when the terrorists exploded the mine in NEDUNKERNI.
The most seriously injured were KADIRAMALANADAN PASANTHAMAN, Assistant Divisional Secretary, NEDUNKERNI and his driver who were rushed to COLOMBO for further treatment.
It is suspected that the terrorists set off the mine after they identified the vehicle as one that does not belong to them.
The incident has exposed the Tiger policy of killing anyone entering "their" territory and shifting the blame on the Security Forces.
(http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20060612_04)
SLMM has informed MANNAR police that two civilians were killed due to a claymore mine explosion at PERIYAMADU in the LTTE dominated area today (08th) around 12.50 p.m. The two victims include an engineer who had been employed in an irrigational project in the area. However, the police came to know about the incident as the SLMM reports received around 7.30p.m. (08th).
Further, the SLMM sources confirmed that LTTE was planning to hand over the two dead bodies to Government Agent in MANNAR tomorrow (09th).
(http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20060608_10)Having failed in their previous strategies i.e; Para Military Issue and then the alleged Extra Judicial Killings; the innovative minds behind Pro Terror media have come up with their latest innovation- a "Deep Penetration Unit "to Sri Lanka Army. This latest addition to Sri Lanka Army have been created by Pro LTTE media as a measure for avoiding the responsibility coming to the parent organization of the recent wave of attacks .
Unfortunately, the behaviors of the LTTEs Political wing headed by Mr. Thamiselvan, Military wing headed by Mr. Prabhakaran (or possibly Mr. Soosai) and Intelligence wing headed by Mr. Pottu Amman do not seem to provide any support to the Pro Terror media strategies, in their painful struggle to prevent the reality of the LTTE coming out.
After reaching to OSLO whilst enjoying VIP treatments offered by the government, LTTE political heads, now hesitate to negotiate with the government. Perhaps they might not know what to negotiate when their military leaders are out of control in Wanni. But for obvious reasons the LTTE political delegation would love to stay in Oslo than to go back to Wanni; where they know the "Maniac" waiting for them.
Mr. Pottu Amman, the master mind behind LTTE's "intelligent" operation and the " man behind the scene" of all pro LTTE media, operating overseas and in the country itself (including the "Head" media network and "Leader" publishers), seems to lost in old world war II stories on covert operations. Having failed to locate Colonel Karuna, Mr. Amman and his mob go on berserk killing everyone that has a different view form LTTE's, calling them to be pro Karuna people. His well planned dramas of "Manthivu Killings" and "Allaippidy massacre" also failed to yield sufficient results as they could not get the support of the Tamil civilians in the area. Mr. Aman has a personal war to fight, thus he has very little interest in bringing peace to Tamil community.
Mr. Soosai, the happiest man in the world since Colonel Karuna estranged, has begun to emulate his beloved role model, Adolph Hitler. Hoarding innocent civilians by the rule of the bullet, ordering them to run few miles and arm them with clubs , Mr. Soosai and his mob train them how to smash a child's head when they are sent on future " Mission" in Sinhalese or Muslim villages . Mr. Soosai has become so belligerent it seems; his mobs continue with small scale attacks to the FDL and carryout out claymore explosion using innocent civilians but without success and with heavy losses. Mr. Soosai has no interest in achieving lasting peace, he only needs the ceasefire, since it gives him more opportunity to score more marks from the leadership. Why should he worry about the lives of the Tamil people, he never goes to war anyway. Recently at one of his ridiculous ceremony of graduating innocent civilians with clubs and red head bands, he boasted "The Sinhalese will not understand when you say something normally, but if you make the Sinhalese to understand in the proper way then they will begin to understand."
Many claymore mines were exploded and many were killed in both government controlled areas and in the LTTE dominated areas, just after LTTE delegation left OSLO. Ironically, LTTE accuses security forces for all these crimes. Of course, the security forces must bear the responsibility for their inability to prevent such attacks in the areas under their control, but how they can possibly stop the violence in LTTE dominated areas, when the present cease fire agreement does not allow security forces to enter in to those areas.
Above all, if Sri Lanka Army can proceed to those locations far behind the LTTE defence line as they(LTTE) accuse, the deterioration of the command structure of LTTE is much more than ever anticipated by the defence analysts.
(http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20060609_04)
A top Tiger guerrilla commander responsible for claymore attacks against the Naval Forces in Manna is killed in a claymore mine explosion in the LTTE controlled areas in Mannar.
Mahenthi, Lt Colonel in the LTTE’s rank and three others were killed when their vehicle was caught in clay more mine in Vellankulam- Thunnukkai road this morning.
Mahenthi was believed to have spearheaded the claymore mine attacks against naval convoys since the November last year.
Military spokesman Brigadier Prasad Samarasinghe denied any security force involvement in the explosion, which took place deep inside uncleared areas in Mannar.
(http://www.asiantribune.com/index.php?q=node/519)
Pro LTTE media says that the big terrorist in Mannar area, named Mahenthi along with three more LTTE terrorists have been killed in a claymore mine attack, somewhere on Vellankulam - Thunukkai Road on Saturday morning (10th). The reports further make the usual allegation that Sri Lanka Army "DPU" was responsible for this attack along with many other attacks carried out, deep in the LTTE dominated area. It is apparent that Army "DPU" has almost captured Kilinochchi!!!!
Meanwhile the civilian sources revealed that this assassination was done by an advisory of LTTE to avenge the brutal massacre in VANKALAI on 08th June. It was reported earlier that Mr. Moorthy Martin the head of the family killed in Vankalai was suspected by LTTE for having connections with one of their adversary group which had set a Claymore mine targeting Mahenthi on 08th June at PERIYAMADU in LTTE dominated area.
Hoverer, Mr. Mahenthi had narrowly escaped from the claymore mine attack, but the whole family of Mr. Moorthi was assassinated in the most barbaric manner, to ensure that no adversary party would ever think of threatening Mr. Mahenthi's life.
But the affect of LTTE's barbarism seemed to yield unexpected results; Mr Mahenthi and his friends could only save their lives for two days after the brutal crime, even in their safe heaven in Wanni.
Meanwhile, all Pro LTTE media elements are all-out in accusing the Army "DPU" for all the misfortunes of their parent organization. One of their reports has gone to en extent that it charges the imaginary "DPU" for a claymore attack in Nadunkerni, at the door step of Mulativu. No wonder if these intelligent media units go on accusing this "DPU" even when their leader gets a mosquito bite at his hiding place.
It is still doubtful whether these media men by themselves, believe the story of "DPU" issue or they simply cannot accept the truth of the existence of adversary elements to LTTE.
Has everyone suddenly forgotten the existence of Karuna factor?
The quest for International sympathy....The "Sole Representative's Tamil blood thirst" satisfied at Vankalai?
The LTTE's big brain has done it again. The same drama LTTE enacted at Manthivu, Jafffna and followed by a more bloody version at Allaipiddy, Kayts has now been enacted in the most bloodiest and treacherous manner at Vankalai, last night (8th). Four members of innocent Tamil family were brutally assassinated in the barbaric fashion only practiced by the LTTE terrorists. The four victims include two small children of age 7 and 9, and their parents.
The terrorists have hacked them, shot them and later they were hanged to give a lesson to other villages, of the consequences of disobeying the "sole representative". More evidence can be found in the LTTE's own web site which sells own blood to the cheapest price.
It has been reveled that the LTTE had identified the father(Mr SINNAIYAH MOORTHI MARTIN of 38) of the family as an informant of their adversary group and alleged him for involving in the recent claymore mine attack in Periyamadu in Mannar (in the LTTE dominated area) where a senior LTTE cadre had narrowly escaped. Further, The LTTE cadres had reportedly made several threats to the father (Mr:SINNAIYAH MOORTHI MARTIN) accusing him to having cordial relationships with the security forces.
However, Sri Lanka Army has vehemently denied the abominable effort of LTTE to make security forces responsible for the killings. The Army media spokesman Brigadier Prasad Samarasinhe told media that the security forces had no involvement in the killings and explained the hidden motives of LTTE by carrying out such brutal killings of innocent Tamil civilians. LTTE is desperately looking for the international sympathy towards the organization by tarnishing the image of the security forces. The Army will never do such barbaric crimes, he added.
Meanwhile, the Defence Spokesman Minister Keheliya Rambukwella told media that the recent pattern of behavior of LTTE has a direct bearing towards the crime. The security forces have no valid reason to get involved in such brutal crime. It is the LTTE who gets the advantage, if succeed in their propaganda accusing the government forces. However, Minister Rambukwella elaborated the necessity of conducting proper investigation to the incident, saying that he would not directly accuse LTTE for the crime until more sound evidence obtained.
The rising international pressure and continuous loss of civilian support and emerging of adversary parties seemed to push the LTTE leadership to a limit that he has begun to unleash his violence towards the Tamil community as well. Now, it is not the Sinhalese or Muslims that have the greatest threat from this maniacal organization but the Tamils themselves. Save the Tamils from the "Sole Representative".
(http://www.lankaweb.com/news/items06/120606-1.html)
A senior LTTE member and three others were killed in a claymore mine explosion on the LTTE controlled Vellankulam-Thunukkai Road in Mannar yesterday morning, a rebel official said.
LTTE spokesman Daya Master said that “Colonel” Mahenthi, an LTTE “Commander” in Mannar district, and three LTTE cadres, were killed.
Mahenthi was in charge of an area in LTTE-controlled Mannar district and he was the former head of the Jaffna liberation unit. He had also led many attacks on the security forces.
Meanwhile, a farmer was killed in another explosion in Nedunkerni in Kilinochchi.
In Muttur, a man and his 10-year-old son were shot dead while they were travelling in a bus from Muttur to Trincomalee.
One person was also injured and admitted to the Trincomalee hospital, Police said. Two employees of the World Bank-funded North East Irrigated Agriculture Project (NEIAP) were also wounded in another claymore mine blast in Nedunkerni.
Meanwhile, three bodies with cut injuries were found at Vijayapura, in Anuradhapura last afternoon. Their hands were tied and their faces had been burnt to prevent identification. Police said the bodies had been dumped at this location after being killed elsewhere.
(http://www.sundaytimes.lk/060611/news/senior.html)
Palaipani is located around 36 km northwest of Vavuniya town, 3 km away from Panangamam.
Further details are not available at the moment.The civilian farmer who succumbed to his wounds at Killinochchi hospital was identified as Navaratnam Srinagathasan, 32.
Two other attacks were also reported in LTTE-controlled areas on Saturday, according to Tiger officals.
Also on Friday, a blast was reported around 7:25 p.m. in LTTE controlled Mannar area near Pallamadu. Casualty details were not available.
A Sinhala driver and a trainee caretaker of Thummara Enterprise, a Southern contractor firm, were killed two days ago, when the SLA DPU attackers targeted the Mannar Commander of the Tigers.A top Tamil rebel commander and three other guerrillas were killed in a mine blast in the northwest on Saturday, a pro-rebel report said, as surging violence threatened to drag the island nation back to full-scale civil war. Pro-rebel Web site TamilNet reported that Lt. Col. Mahenthi was killed by an anti-personnel mine activated by the government military in a rebel-held region of Mannar. Military spokesman Brig. Prasad Samarasinghe denied army involvement in the blast, saying the soldiers did not enter rebel-controlled areas in accordance with a 2002 cease-fire agreement. Mahenthi was the second high profile rebel to be killed since May. Also on Saturday, a gunman boarded a passenger bus and fatally shot a Tamil man and a 10-year-old boy in the North East, a government source disclosed. Another passenger was critically wounded in the shooting at Muttur, the Media Centre for National Security said. Meanwhile nine civilians were injured in a grenade explosion at the Thirunelvely market, North of Jaffna town, around 10.15 a.m. yesterday. The wounded were brought to the Jaffna teaching hospital yesterday morning. V.Sivanathan (23), Jaffna town, N.Vijeyakumar (40), Kokkuvil, N. Uthayakumar (34), Allaipiddy, V.Sivashanthini (24), Arasady Road, Urumparai, A.Murugamoorthy (45), Thirunelvely, T.Thivakaran (26), Kokkuvil, A. Prsanth (13), Thirunelvely, K. Vanthan (23), Palaly road, Thirunelvely and T. Raventhirarasa (40), Kokkuvil were identi fied as those injured in the blast, according to sources. (http://www.dailymirror.lk/2006/06/12/news/06.asp) | |||
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Pro-rebel Web site TamilNet reported that Lt. Col. Mahenthi was killed by an anti-personnel mine activated by government military in a rebel-held region of Mannar district 220 kilometers (135 miles) north of the capital, Colombo.
Military spokesman Brig. Prasad Samarasinghe denied army was involved in the blast saying that the soldiers do not enter rebel-controlled areas in accordance with a 2002 cease-fire agreement.
Mahenthi is the second high profile rebel to be killed since May.
Also Saturday, a gunman boarded a passenger bus and fatally shot an ethnic Tamil man and a 10-year-old boy in northeastern Sri Lanka, the government said.
Another passenger was critically wounded in the shooting in Muttur, about 230 kilometers (140 miles) northeast of the capital, Colombo, the Media Center for National Security said.
The center said it suspected Tamil Tiger rebels in the killings but that the motive was unknown. Rebel officials could not be contacted immediately for comment.
Scores of government troops and rebels have been killed in Sri Lanka's volatile north and east since April, when hostilities heightened between the government and Tamil Tigers.
Also many civilians have been killed under mysterious circumstances with the government and the rebels blaming each other for the crimes.
On Friday, an entire family of four _ a man, his wife and their two young children _ were found hacked to death in northwestern Sri Lanka.
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam rebels have fought the government since 1983 to create a separate state for ethnic minority Tamils, accusing the majority Sinhalese-dominated state of discrimination.
More than 65,000 people were killed in the conflict before the two sides signed a 2002 cease-fire brokered by Norway. Subsequent peace talks have broken down.
On Thursday, proposed direct talks in Norway between government and rebel representatives on ensuring the security of 60 European cease-fire monitors failed after the rebels refused to meet with government officials.
(http://www.theacademic.org/stories/11499557990/story.shtml)
On Thursday, the Sri Lanka Army Deep Penetration Unit (DPU) exploded a claymore mine and three explosives in Akkarayan- 20 km from Kilinochchi, the rebel capital. In the attack, four health officials from the Tamil Tiger operated Mobile Medical Services were wounded.
As the health officials were traveling back to Kilinochchi following a routine visit to rural villages in Mannar, the claymore mine hit the vehicle and damaged it while severely wounding a nurse and the driver, says local officials to TNS.
This attack comes shortly after yesterday's pressure mine explosion in the east by the Sri Lankan Army (SLA) where nine civilians, including three children, were killed and fourteen were wounded. In that explosion, rebel sources said that the SLA troopers moved beyond the Forward Defense Line of the LTTE controlled area to administer the attack.
Through such attacks, SLA is trying to penetrate LTTE controlled areas by tactically forcing civilians to flee the borders of LTTE controlled areas, the sources further said. In addition, a similar attack took place in Thikiliveddai, another LTTE controlled border area, where two young boys were killed in ambush on farmers traveling in a tractor.
Even though the military has denied that its forces had been operating behind rebel lines, few diplomats and journalists in the capital Colombo believe them.
Low Expectations as Violence Rises
Despite the rising violence, the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE have begun talks separately with the Norwegian facilitators in Oslo regarding the safety of the SLMM monitors. Following repeated broken promises by successive Sri Lankan Governments in a series of peace talks over the last 20 years, civic leaders in the North and East of Sri Lanka are not placing any expectations of returning to normalcy following current talks.
Both parties last met in February where they agreed to de-escalate violence. However, a covert war continues as innocent civilians are frequently affected by the violence. This is pushing the country onto the brink of re-entering into a war that has killed more than 80,000 people.
(http://www.tamileelamnews.com/news/publish/printer_5422.shtml)
The victims were identified as Alocious Rex Sasiharan, 24, the trainee caretaker and H.M.Amarasekara, 45, the Sinhala driver of the blue color pickup vehicle with registration number CPHF 5832, Police officials said.
Mannar district field commander of the LTTE was travelling in another vehicle on Periayamadu - Pallamadu Road, 5 minutes behind the civilian vehicle that was ambushed by the deep penetration unit, Police officials further said.
The DPU ambush has taken place 4 km from Periyamadu.
(http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=18438)
The trainee caretaker was on his way to inspect a water supply project that supplies water to Vidthaltheevu island.
The bodies were handed over to Adampan District Hospital.
The vehicle belonging to the Tamileelam Health Service was damaged in the attack that took place, west of Akkarayan junction towards Mulankavil, at 9th Mile Post.
The doctor, Ms. Theva, is from LTTE's Medical Unit. Two women nurses and the driver were civilian workers employed in Tamil Eelam Health Services.
The Claymore mine was detonated from 60 meters distance. Three other explosives were planted in 3 meters distance to explode jointly with the Claymore mine, Police officials who inspected the site explained.
The Claymore mine hit the vehicle which was returning to Kilinochchi after a routine visit to rural villages in Mannar providing medical services, according to Tamileelam Police officials.
(http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=18436)
One of the victims was identified as H. M. Amarasekara, 45. The other victim is yet to be identified. They were riding in a vehicle, with registration number CPHF 5832, Police officials said.
A vehicle with a Mannar district field commander of the LTTE was riding 5 minutes behind the civilian vehicle that was ambushed by the deep penetration unit, Police officials further said.
The DPU ambush has taken place 4 km from Periyamadu on Periayamadu - Pallamadu road.
Further details are not available at the moment.
(http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=18438)
