Military top brass in fly-past over north

LTTE artillery deprives Defence VIPs from attending commissioning ceremony in Jaffna

By Tissa Ravindra Perera
On the morning of Monday, January 28, suddenly, there was heightened security around the Defence Ministry grounds. Several VIP convoys moved towards the grounds, where a Bell helicopter used to airlift VIPs, stood waiting.

Surrounded by scores of security personnel, Army Chief Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka, Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshall Donald Perera alighted from their vehicles and hopped aboard the Bell which took off around 8:30 a.m. It was taking the VIP passengers to the Katunayake Air Base, from where they were to board a plane to fly to Palali air base in Jaffna, to officiate at the commissioning ceremony of the Mechanized Infantry.

A Russian AN-32 aircraft had already arrived at Katunayake by the time the VIPs arrived there. The VIP passengers, along with their security contingents, boarded the Antanov and the plane took off a short while later. It was scheduled to land in Palali at 9:51 a.m.

By this time, telephone networks had been disconnected throughout the Jaffna peninsula, for security reasons. Less than a handful of military officials were even aware of the intended arrival of the VIP contingent. Around the scheduled arrival time, Jaffna Commander Maj. Gen. G.A. Chandrasiri, along with senior officials in Jaffna, had assembled near the runway, awaiting the aircraft from Katunayake.

Wanni Security Forces Commander and Colonel of the Mechanized Infantry Brigade Maj. Gen. Jagath Jayasuriya, Brigade Commander Col. Ralph Nugera and other senior officers were at the site of the ceremony awaiting the VIPs. At the site, eight officers and 125 other ranks of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Mechanized Infantry Brigades had lined up, awaiting commissioning. They would participate for the first time in the military parade to be held on February 4, to mark Sri Lanka’s 60th anniversary of independence.

It had been learnt that the LTTE which had suffered significantly at the hands of the Mech Infantry, was keeping these particular Brigades under surveillance.

At approximately 9:32 am, the skies over Palali started raining with the LTTE’s artillery fire. It is believed two 130 mm guns positioned at Pooneryn and Kalmunai Point, were firing towards Palali and Mailadi.

The aircraft carrying the VIPs were due to land in Palaly in just over 15 minutes. Palaly Control Tower warned the aircraft and the pilot turned the plane around. Soon afterwards, the Captain of the flight explained to the VIPs on board, the reason for the turn around and returned to Katunayake, on the instructions of Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.

By this time, the LTTE had fired at least 15 rounds of artillery fire towards Palali and the surrounding area. The military responded with Multi-Barrel Rockets and artillery fire of its own. Although the LTTE had used around 11 boats to distract the military from their position at Kalmunai point, these boats were attacked successfully. One soldier was killed in the LTTE fire, while several others were injured. The LTTE firing stopped shortly afterwards and the ceremony was held at the scheduled time, with the Jaffna Commanding Officer (CO), Maj. Gen. G.A. Chandrasiri presiding. In Monday’s attack, the Tigers had used 34 rounds of 130mm artillery.

In retaliation, the Air Force has since targeted air strikes at the LTTE’s artillery positions at Kalmunai Point in Pooneryn several times.

The LTTE fired artillery at a similar ceremony sometime ago, when the Mechanized Infantry Brigade was initiated in February 2007 in Kodikkamam, also in the Jaffna peninsula. Brigade Commander Ralph Nugera, CO Lt. Col. Sumith Atapattu, Second-in-Command Maj. Harendra Peiris and two other officers were wounded, while one Lance Corporal perished in that attack last year.

Later that same year, on August 21, just moments before an aircraft carrying Army Chief Lt. Gen. Fonseka landed in Palali, it was turned back to Katunayake, due to artillery fire from LTTE positions – on that occasion, the Tigers fired 18 rounds of artillery towards Mailadi and Kankesanthurai. Hence, this latest targeting of an aircraft carrying VIPs, therefore, was no surprise.

Even though the VIPs’ arrival and the times thereof, was a tightly guarded secret, the LTTE’s intelligence had, once again, been able to obtain the information. It is likely that the intelligence leak was from either the Ratmalana or Katunayake air bases, but there is nothing to disprove that the leak was from Jaffna itself. Several personnel in Jaffna, on suspicion of providing information to the LTTE, have already been arrested. A secret investigation has already commenced into this breach in intelligence.

While those responsible for the ‘leaks’ must be found and punished, VIP security officers should also be more wary of the trips they undertake. Not only would a successful attack on a plane or vehicle convoy carrying such a large contingent of VIPs, be a tragedy of epic proportions, but it would also give the LTTE a new lease of life, to have wiped out so many high ranking members of the defence establishment, in one swoop. Such things are not unheard of in the history of Sri Lanka’s civil war and lessons must be learnt from such tragic incidents. On August 8, 1992, such a tragedy occurred at Araly Point on Kayts Island, killing some of the defence establishment’s brightest stars, including Gen. Denzil Kobbekaduwa, Brig. Wijey Wimalaratne and Rear Admiral Mohan Jayamaha. The blast also killed Col. H.R. Stephen, Col. Neomal Palipanne, Col. Ariyaratne, Lt. Col. Nalin De Alwis, Lt. Cmdr. Asanga Lankathilaka and Lt. Cmdr. Wijayapura.

The senior officials had been travelling together in one vehicle following a crucial security commanders meeting to discuss Operation Final Countdown scheduled for launch on August 10, 1992, aimed at wiping out the Tiger presence in the Jaffna peninsula. Kobbekaduwa, Wimalaratne and Jayamaha had alighted from the three Land Rovers they were traveling in and got into one vehicle at Araly junction, for discussions on the way. The jeep carrying the senior officials was targeted in a powerful pressure bomb, killing them all. The attack which came just 48 hours before a scheduled massive operation to rid Jaffna of the terrorists, had been averted, and the ramifications of that attack and the direction of the war, from that point onwards, has had an impact on the Eelam War, to this date.

In the first week of December 1996, a helicopter bearing Deputy Defence Minister Anuruddha Ratwatte, IGP W.B. Rajaguru, Joint Operations Commander Maj. Gen. Asoka Jayawardane, travelling from Jaffna, had to make an emergency landing in an LTTE controlled area. The helicopter had radar trouble and was going to land in Vavuniya, but having run out of fuel unexpectedly, Wing Cmdr. Sagara Kotakadeniya was forced to make a landing in hostile territory, ahead of the Army’s Omanthai forward defence line. However, the delegation was able to walk to safety on that occasion, averting a major disaster.

It is hoped that senior members of the Defence establishment pay heed to these past lessons and take necessary precautions, while travelling in a group. Similar disasters re-enacted today, would turn the current war against the LTTE on its head, and undo a great deal of the good work carried out by the security forces to date. Army Chief Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka is in the habit of visiting conflict areas to motivate troops, despite the threats to his own life. Unfortunately, these are the very same areas in which the LTTE would do its utmost to inflict harm on the top brass who are leading the final battle against the Tigers in the Wanni.