Three LTTE suspects gunned down

Latest reports from the East confirm that the body of the remaining LTTE suspects has been found with gunshot injuries. Two LTTE suspects were gunned down during a Police and Army combined cordon and search operations at Pallaikudiruppu in Akkaraipatuwa this morning (June 10). According to the defence sources in the area, an armed group of 3 suspects had lobbed two hand grenade at the Police and Army personnel engaged in the search operation around 7 am.

Policeman helping LTTE bomber arrested

A special police team arrested a policeman who is said to have had close dealings with the LTTE suspect Jadheesan Balasubramaniam who was arrested on in connection with the bomb blast on the railway line at Dehiwala last week.
The policeman attached to the Wellawatte Police Station is a resident of Kobeigane, in Kurunegala and had very close connections with the LTTE suspect Jadheesan Balasubramaniam, who was arrested by the police at the Irattaperiyakulam in a bus bound for Vavunia last week, Police Headquarters sources said yesterday (9).
The policeman had met Jadheesan very often used his motorcycle.
It has also been revealed that the policeman had visited Bangkok with a friend some weeks back and the police are investigating his movements to ascertain whether his overseas tour had anything to do with terrorist activities.
The special police team questioning the constable at length believes that valuable information could be gathered from the suspect about the activities of the LTTE suspect Jadheesan, who was working as a technician for an air condition equipment company while living at Wattala with his wife, who, too, was arrested.
Police also said that they were also investigating the background of the policeman and whether he had any connections with other covert LTTE operatives in the south.

Government troops captured 14 base in Mullaitievu

The security forces have entered Mullaitievu and they have already taken control of the One Four Base Camp where the LTTE leader at one time was hiding. The forces captured the camp yesterday after the sudden attack. The troops are in complete control of the area.

Meanwhile defence sources say the Sri Lanka Air Force attacked a LTTE bunker in the North of Alankumala area in this morning. Air Force Media Spokesman Wing Commander Janaka Nanayakkara says the attack was launched around 11 AM today using MI 24 fighter craft. Air force pilots have confirmed that the attack was successful.

The Media Centre for National Security says 17 LTTE terrorists were killed in clashes with the security forces in the past 24 hours in Jaffna, Vavuniya and Welioya. The Army has recovered a corpse of terrorist and several military equipments.

Helicopter gunships raid terror bunker line

Sri Lanka Air Force MI 24 helicopter gunships have raided an LTTE bunker defence located in the North of Alankumala area this morning (June 9). Air Force spokesperson, Wing Commander Janaka Nanayakkara said that air raid has been launched at 11 am in support of troops of 58 divisions.

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17 terrorists killed

At least 17 terrorists were killed and more than 35 wounded on Sunday (June 8) as Army infantry and armour battalions forced into LTTE bunker positions located North of Janakapura and Kiriibbanwewa at Welioya during a multi-pronged offensive launched since the morning hours.

United Nations Humanitarian Office condemns Katubedde and Polgolla attacks

The Katubedde and Polgolla bus attacks blamed on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) are against all standards of international humanitarian law and all principles on which the United Nations is based, said the UN office for the coordination of Humanitarian Affairs(OCHA).
"The targeting of non-combatants is a contravention of international humanitarian law, for which those responsible must be held accountable," OCHA’s news service IRIN quoting a UN official said.
The UN humanitarian office said that the United Nations is renewing calls for increased protection of unarmed civilians in accordance with international humanitarian law , in the two bomb attacks targeting civilian buses June 6 eight hours apart , leaving 24 dead and more than 80 injured.
The UN office said, “In the first attack, a bus full of morning commuters was hit at around 7.30am by a Claymore mine-type explosion at Katubedda, a suburb 15km south of the capital, Colombo. Twenty-two people were killed and more than 60 injured in that incident, according to police.
“The second bomb, in the rear of a passenger bus in Polgolla town, Kandy District, about 120km from Colombo, left two dead and more than 20 injured. "These attacks on civilians are against all standards of international humanitarian law," Neil Buhne, the UN resident representative and humanitarian coordinator in Sri Lanka, told IRIN. "They are against all principles on which the UN is based."
The report added,“The latest two bombings added to the long list of attacks on civilians, especially targeting public transport, since a ceasefire between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) broke down on 16 January 2008.
“Not counting the latest two attacks, at least 14 others have taken place, most in government-controlled areas, killing more than 200 civilians, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
The government has blamed the Tamil Tigers for the attacks, while the Tigers have accused teams from the Sri Lankan Army of targeting civilians in areas under LTTE control. Both sides have denied the charges.

Contravening international law

"The targeting of non-combatants is a contravention of international humanitarian law, for which those responsible must be held accountable," UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes said in a statement on 29 May.
On 27 May, nine civilians were killed and more than 70 injured when a parcel bomb exploded in a packed evening train, south of Colombo. On 24 May, a roadside bomb in LTTE-controlled Kilinochchi District, 250km north of the capital, left 17 civilians dead."This despicable behavior must stop," Holmes stated.
“Buhne said the sentiments expressed by Holmes had become even more relevant and important with the latest attacks. He warned that deliberate attacks on civilians not only hampered humanitarian work in conflict areas, but made innocent civilians too scared to lead normal lives.
"What these attacks do is that they make people scared," he said. "There should be a sense of safety for any kind of work to progress, humanitarian or development."