A LTTE terrorist was killed

.

A LTTE terrorist was killed ambushed this morning (February 28) by Police Special Task Force (STF) personnel in general area Vellaveli, Batticaloa.

According to military reports, troops on receiving early information of an LTTE movement in the area have laid an ambush in a semi-jungle patch and gunned down a terrorist at around 5 a.m. The troops have managed to recover an LTTE body which was later brought to the general hospital at Batticaloa for post- mortem and magisterial inquiry.

During subsequent search operations conducted troops also found a T-56 assault rifle, 01x claymore mine, a detonator, a hand grenade, 3x T-56 magazines, a wire roll and few 9V batteries.

.

Nine terrorists killed

.


Nine terrorists including an area LTTE leader were reported killed said MCNS, during clashes erupted between LTTE and troops at Wanni defences on Wednesday (27).

According to reports, 3 terrorists were killed in confrontation with troops in general area Kovilmoddai, Vavuniya yesterday at around 2.15 p.m. A body of a female terrorist and T- 56 assault rifle was recovered by troops in subsequent search operations, MCNS reported.

Six other terrorists were also reported killed in clashes at Thiruketheeswaran area in Mannar, yesterday at 4 p.m. According to MCNS reports, it was believed that an area LTTE leader named 'Victor' was among the dead or had sustained injuries in confrontations.

Meanwhile, troops conducting search operations in general area Ponarasankulama, Vavuniya recovered a T-56 assault rifle, magazines and 60 ammunition rounds at 6 p.m.

The search operation was conducted on civilian information, where the items were found hidden in an abandoned house.


.

Batticaloa geared for polls

.

Defence Spokesperson Minister Keheliya Rambukwella addressing media yesterday (27) during a press briefing held at MCNS stated that all preparations were made for the local government elections in the Eastern province on March 10, contrary to the picture of violence and distorted cheap propaganda by certain groups and parties."Only 26 election related incidents had been reported so far in Batticaloa and they too are minor incidents. Police are fully investigating those incidents," the Minister said.

"There had been elections which had become a 'black mark' in this country. "So compared to other elections the local polls campaign in Batticaloa is one of the best elections so far," the Minister added.

Minister Rambukwella also drew attention to the incident concerning the former Executive Director of ICES (International Centre for Ethnic Studies), Dr Rama Mani, explaining that the UNDP Chief of Policies and Programs, Omar Norman, had signed a petition requesting that her visa be extended and had later complained that he was tricked into signing it.

The Eastern province is now going through a massive development process under the "Nagenahira Udanaya" he further stated. The GoSL has embarked on ensuring economic freedom to the Eastern population by implementing development projects costing Rs. 6.1 billion, the Minister remarked.

It is a great achievement to be able to hold local elections in the east, which also underlines the government's urgency to refurbish democracy in east while implementing its road map for the mega development projects, the Spokesperson said.

However, Minister Rambukwella also pointed out that even in superior democracies it is not always possible to prevent incidents of this nature adding that such incidents can be expected in an area liberated from the clutches of terrorism in the recent past.

.

The arrests that upset terror

A local TV station in its evening news telecast yesterday (February 25), reported that an unidentified gang that had come in a white van abducted a person named Muththusami Ilankoowan alias Sami at Pettah, Colombo on the same day evening. According to this TV station the person who was a holder of a Singaporean passport had been accommodated at a hotel on Kadireshan road before getting "disappeared".

Media personnel of this TV station who seemed to have got the first hand information on this "disappearance", quickly inquired from the police media spokesman who was only able inform them what he knew at the time. Later, the police spokesperson informed relevant media station that the person that it was referring as disappeared was actually a suspect arrested by the police. However, the media station carried out the same story spinning it as an abduction that carried out by the government giving less prominence to the police spokesman's clarification.


A senior intelligence official speaking exclusively to defence.lk said that Muththusami Ilankoowan is a number one LTTE terrorist who is suspected to have a hand in many civilian massacres carried out by LTTE in the south. Muttusami, is a Sri Lankan born Tamil, who has strong connection with terror chief V.Prbhakaran, and also with LTTE's international wing leaders such as Castro , Kumaran Padmanadan, David and Iyyanna. The suspect has his own shipping line by which he is said to be promoting cross border terrorists activities of LTTE as well as of other international terrorist organizations that work hand in hand with LTTE, the intelligence official said. As proof for his claim the intelligence official gave defence few pictures of the suspect taken with the kingpins of the terror organizations.

Speaking further the official revealed that the suspect had come to Sri Lanka last year to promote terror activities in the South. He said that the arrest of Muttusami is a great achievement, not only for Sri Lanka but also for other countries that fight against terrorism. Finally he said, that the irresponsible behaviour of the above mentioned TV station shows none other than its cooperation with the terror outfit that murder its own viewer
s.

It should be noted that counter terrorist warfare is not the same as conventional warfare and therefore has its own methods of dealing with the enemy. For instance, the arrest of Muttusami though perfectly legal, it has been made in a swift manner than a normal arrest in order to prevent accomplices of the suspect getting alarmed. However all such measures taken by the security forces are aimed at saving the lives of civilians than anything else. On the other hand, it is natural for the terrorist accomplices to get disturbed on such arrests and to take whatever action to prevent them. Therefore, it is high time for all peace loving Sri Lankans to comprehend reality that what agitates those terror accomplices are actually attempts aimed at saving lives of innocent.

.

.

Security forces continued military offensive operation against LTTE terror outfit inflecting heavy damages to the enemy yesterday, February 25. 46 LTTE terrorists were killed and another 5 sustained injuries in yesterday clashes. Further, 4 army soldiers were killed while 13 others received injuries during these clashes erupted right throughout the day, military reports said.

In the Jaffna theatre of battle, army snipers deployed in Muhamalai and Kilaly fronts gunned down two LTTE terrorists in two separate incidents around 7.25 a.m and 12.35 p.m respectively.

In Wanni theatre of battle, in Vavuniya front, one LTTE terrorists was killed by the troops in a confrontation took place at Navatkulam around 1.45 p.m, sources said.

In general area Koilmoddai, a fresh attack was launched targeting LTTE bunker defences and five LTTE cadres were killed by the troops around 12.30 p.m. two terrorists also injured due to the attack. Two army personnel were also received injuries in this confrontation, the report said.

Troops ambushed an LTTE movement in general area Udayanatankulam and killed 6 LTTE terrorists 5.20 p.m. an LTTE terrorist was killed in a separate confrontation took place at 12.35 p.m in general area Periyapantrichurichcha.

One soldier was killed and another received injuries due to LTTE mortar fire at 1.20 p.m in general area Koilmoddai. Meanwhile, one soldier was killed and two others received injuries in three separate anti-personnel mine explosions took place at Vilattikkulam, Karampaikkulam, Periyapantrichurichchan, report further added.

.

The arrests that upset terror

.

Defence sources in the Welioya battlefront say Sri Lanka Army soldiers have destroyed a fortified stronghold of LTTE terrorists this evening (February 25). According to the sources, Army infantrymen launched attacks at the LTTE defences located in the North of Janakapura area between 1.p.m. to 2.p.m.Following the attack, troops found 7 bodies of slain LTTE cadres, along with 6, T-56 riffles, one Light Machine Gun (LMG) and one GPS equipment, the sources said.

In addition, the terrorists attempted to regain the control over the area but failed in the face of army retaliation, said the sources. Army engaged artillery at the LTTE reinforcements and caused them to turn tail with heavy casualties. Later, LTTE radio transmissions revealed that 5 more LTTE cadres were killed and 4 injured due to Army retaliation.One soldier was killed in this incident, the sources added.


.