Military offensives assume new dimension

Rev. Father M. X. Karunaratnam, was killed in a claymore attack, allegedly carried out by a Deep Penetration Unit (DPU) of the Sri Lanka Army, on Sunday, according to initial reports from Tamileelam Police.

The attack took place on the Mallavi - Vavunikkulam Road, in Wanni around 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, according to the pro-LTTE website, TamilNet.

Rev. Father Karunaratnam was known to the LTTE, as Father Kili.

Responding to the TamilNet article, Sri Lanka Military Spokesperson Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said, the Army is not operating in Mallavi, and refuted the allegation.

According to a source from Kilinochichi, Rev. Father Karunaratnam was accompanied by a former senior Sea Tiger leader, identified as, Yogan, in a double cab, escorted by an LTTE back-up vehicle.

After Yogan was wounded in the battlefront, he joined the LTTE propaganda wing, and was the editor one of the pro-LTTE website cyber news.

Why didn’t the LTTE announce in their website, the assassination of Yogan?

The LTTE leadership is said to be evaluating, the fallout from Rev. Father Karunaratnam’s death.

The distance from Mannar to Mallavi, is around 47 km. How did the DPU infiltrate such a long distance? How did the DPU get back to its base in the Government controlled area, after carrying out the alleged mission?

The DPU team could neither use a vehicle, nor go on foot, avoiding the LTTE checkpoints.

Has the DPU bypassed areas in Mallavi and its surroundings?
The supply route of LTTE weapons, ammunition and explosives to the Wanni battlefront, is from Mallavi, which is heavily guarded, the source further said.

Considering all these facts, LTTE Intelligence Head Pottu Amman, ordered his cadres, to crack down on the traitors within the LTTE.

Soon after the claymore attack, LTTE cadres conducted a cordon and search operation, and checked civilians, whose identity cards were issued by the LTTE.

The LTTE is said to be recruiting people by force, and training them, for a very short period, before sending them to the battlefront. Many of them desert later, and are arrested by the LTTE and confined in detention camps.

LTTE’s artillery and mortar fire
Last year, when the Navy destroyed, two LTTE vessels which contained arms and weapons, Navy Commander Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda, told the media that, the LTTE artillery and mortar stocks, would last only three months, but it seems that, the LTTE’s stocks have increased, as the LTTE still continues to attack the Army.

Has the LTTE unloaded another shipment of arms? The answer to the million-dollar question, whether the sea supply route of the LTTE is intact, would be known, in the near future.

LTTE artillery fire directed at Mirusuvil in the Jaffna peninsula, is said to have injured many innocent civilians, including women.

Does the LTTE have any respect for religious places?
The answer is, the LTTE does not have any respect. Here are some examples.

In 1990, the LTTE butchered 103 Muslims, including about 25 small children during prayers, at the Kattankudi Mosque. 

At 6:10 a.m. on January 25, 1998, LTTE suicide cadres exploded a massive truck bomb, at the entrance to the Sri Dalada Maligawa, killing eight people, including a two-year-old infant and injuring about 25 others, all peaceful innocent civilians, who were on their way to offer alms, at the temple, that morning.

The LTTE occupied the Madhu church premises, and directed mortar fire, at the Army.

The Tigers can damage the church and blame the Sri Lanka Army for it. This is the nature of terrorism.

As the battles increased, in Mannar and in the areas north of Madhu Chruch, the terrorists entered the holy compound, and began placing their armaments there, ignoring the presence of the pastors, residing there. The fall of LTTE mortar bombs on two occasions, on the residential quarters at the Shrine, on April 1, 2008, was a classic example, for the callous disregard, the Tigers have for religious places.

The Tiger terrorists capitalised on the inertia, of the shrine authorities, and conveniently went on actively, laying booby traps, anti-personnel mines, and all other forms of improvised explosive devices, to prevent any advance of the Army, into areas close to the ‘Zone of Peace’.

In this scenario, the shrine authorities, instead of taking the Statue for ‘safety’, to the northern most St. Sebastian Church, in un-cleared Thevanpiddy area, some 70 kilometers northwest of Madhu, in the Mannar Diocese, could have brought it down, to a Government-controlled area.

It is also pertinent to mention here, how the terrorists on previous occasions, in the same manner, converted Catholic churches in the Mannar area, into their hide-outs and stores for arms and ammunition. The Parappakandal Church, was one instance. Their scant regard for religion was again demonstrated, when they bombed the Thallady Church, in February this year.

Under phase two of ‘Operation Rana Gosa’, in March 1999, the Army, as the sole authority responsible for security, in and around Madhu camp area, captured the Shrine, (to the jubilation of Catholics), from the terrorist grip, amidst heavy Tiger fire, but the authorities, were never keen to take away the holy statue elsewhere, on this occasion.

Why was ‘Our Lady of Madhu’ sent to an isolated and inaccessible area?
Since, the majority of the Tamil and Sinhalese Catholics live in the Government-controlled areas, why did Bishop Rayappu, deprive the majority of the Catholics, access to ‘Our Lady of Madhu’, by sending it to an unknown, isolated and inaccessible area? The Bishop knew that, Thevanpiddi is located nearly 70 kilometres northwest of Madhu. Therefore, Catholics from all communities find it difficult to access Madhu (which is closer to Mannar), because of obstructions placed by the Tigers, and also because of the on-going conflict. So, on what religious / rational grounds, did the Bishop decide, to send the statue, a further 70 kilometers away, making it inaccessible, to the majority of Catholics? Some are of the view that the statue of ‘Holy Mary’, is not the private property of the Bishop. His primary concern, it is argued, should have been to make it accessible to his flock. Instead, he conceals it in a place, that will make it inaccessible even to the Pope, should he come to Sri Lanka. 

Where would the statue be, safer? It is safer in a conflict-free area. The Bishop’s residence in Colombo for instance, would be a secure place for the ‘Holy Statue’, until the Madhu Shrine is opened, to all Sri Lankans. At the rate the security forces are advancing into Tiger-controlled areas, the statue will be in ‘danger’ again, when the forces advance to liberate Thevanpiddi. What is Rev. Bishop going to do then? Some also cynically questioned whether the statue will be taken further away or hidden in the underground bunker of Prabhakaran in the Wanni? People will not be surprised even if that, eventually happens. How many Catholics can pay homage to the Holy Mother then?

Military offensive
Efforts by this correspondent to reach Bishop Rayappu, several times over the phone were unsuccessful because nobody from the bishop’s residence answered the phone.

On April 20, two Air Force MI-24 helicopter gunships carried out a decisive night attack, destroying an LTTE mortar launching pad and a ‘forward operating position’, east of Adampan ahead of the Mannar battle front, as a pre-emptive measure, to assist the advancing ground troops, engaged in offensives, in the area.

The targeted LTTE mortar site was located in a jungle patch, three to four kilometres, north of the Mannar FDLs.

The Air Force confirmed that, the air raid was successful. According to an officer at the battlefront, the air raid was followed with simultaneous heavy artillery attacks, from the Army.

In Mannar, soldiers faced a lot of trouble due to heavy rains and floods, but they bravely faced the situation.

At 4.15 a.m on April 21, troops of 581 Brigade belonging to the 58th Division, commanded by Brigadier Shavindra De Silva, sneaked into LTTE territory.

When troops approached the Tiger Lima base, after monitoring the area, with their night vision glasses and strategically attacked the camp, the Tigers retaliated. They requested artillery and mortar support, when the Army directed a continuous artillery barrage, at the base.

Seven LTTE terrorists were killed, while many others received injuries, in this surprise attack A stretch of about 1300 meters, came under the control of troops, as the LTTE terrorists fled the area, when the Army attacked them, Army sources said.

The initial report received from the Mannar battlefront, stated that, four soldiers suffered injuries in this confrontation.

On April 21st , 57 Division commanded by Major General J. Dias led the attacks in the Vavuniya battle front

At Palampidi, ground troops confirmed that, four LTTE terrorists were killed around 11 a.m. yesterday.

An army soldier also received injuries, due to LTTE’s retaliation.

Meanwhile, troops attacked a LTTE bunker line, established at Nawathkulam area last afternoon, sources said. Ground troops confirmed that, three terrorists were killed in this attack.

Separately, an army soldier suffered injuries, due to an explosion of anti-personnel mine, in general area, in Sulainamarapamadu, while he was in mine clearing duties. The explosion occurred around 5 p.m and the victim was rushed to the hospital, for medical attention immediately, sources added.