(May 29, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) which launched offensive actions commencing around December 2005 including stoppage of water from Mavil Aru to 30000 farming families, were earlier driven out of the eastern province by retaliatory measures taken by the government security forces resulting in their defeat and eviction from the region in early 2007. Further steps being taken by the government to neutralize the military capability of the LTTE terrorists has seen the boundaries of the usurped territory held by Tamil Tigers fast receding, despite the enormous amount of landmines and booby traps laid to stop the advancing government troops.
The call to lay down arms and enter the democratic stream has been ignored by the LTTE, as they attempt to hold on to the patch of jungle in the Vanni which is the nucleus of the dream state of 'Tamil Eelam', which they hoped to foist on the international scene with funds extorted from the Tamil Diaspora in Canada and other western countries, narcotics smuggling, gun running, human smuggling and an unending list of illicit activities together with the blessings of interventionist NGOs and INGOs that would like to see Sri Lanka divided on ethnic lines. As their dream of empire building evaporates, the cowardly LTTE cadres who have infiltrated the capital city of Colombo and other parts of Sri Lanka are targeting civilians with bombs and guns on a regular basis.
The deadly scorecard of the LTTE's terror attacks in just the past month are listed below:
May 26, 2008 – Time bomb explodes in rush hour passenger train near Dehiwela at 4.55 p.m. killing 9 and injuring 84;
May 25, 2008 - Time bomb discovered at Madawala junction in Wattegama near Electric Transformer, and defused in time;
May 25, 2008 - Time bomb placed in a passenger bus was discovered at Moratuwa and Defused;
May 24, 2008 - Time bomb discovered in a passenger bus near Ganemulla and diffused;
May 21, 2008 - Minor explosion at Katugastota Railway Bridge – Little damage;
May 17, 2008 - Sinhala youth shot dead in Vavunia;
May 16, 2008 - Suicide bomber on motorbike attacks bus in Colombo Fort killing 10 and injuring 95;
May 13, 2008 - Human Rights Lawyer, Maheswary Velayutham, shot and killed in her Sick mother's house in Jaffna;
May 12, 2008 - Tamil businessman shot dead in Kokuvil, Jaffna;
May 10, 2008 - Indiscriminate mortar attack injures 4 in Damana village;
May 09, 2008 - Bomb planted in New City Café in Ampara Town kills 12 and injures 31;
May 09, 2008 - Tamil businessman shot and killed in Nallur, Kopay;
May 07, 2008 - Tamil civilian shot dead at Puntotam, Vavunia
May 06, 2008 - Tamil dissient from PLOTE group killed in Vavunia;
May 06, 2008 - Claymore attack kills 2 civilians in Vavunia;
May 06, 2008 - 15 kg. Claymore blast injures 2 incl. Buddhist monk at Mahavilachchiya;
May 03, 2008 - Claymore blast injures 2 at Kebittigollewa;
April 30, 2008 - Artillery fire directed at civilians in Siripura, Welioya;
April 29, 2008 - Tamil youth shot dead in Kokuvil;
April 28, 2008 - Farmer killed by Claymore blast close to Nikawewa;
April 28, 2008 - Time bomb discovered in passenger bus at Ganemulla, and defused;
April 26, 2008 - Time bomb detonated in a passenger bus at Piliyandala, killing 26 and injuring 64;
The authorities have the unenviable task of flushing out the LTTE cadres who continue to operate from safe houses in the capital city, suburbs, and other parts of the country. In some instances, vigilant members of the public have been able to assist by alerting the police to suspicious parcels containing bombs left inside buses, trains and public places, where it was possible to defuse these on time and avoid harm. Sri Lanka has also earlier been fortunate in detecting two trucks carrying payloads of over 1000 kilograms of explosives hidden under the floor boards in one of them, whilst the other contained the deadly cargo hidden between the cab and the freezer compartment, with regular merchandise such as coconuts and fish in the visible area destined for Colombo, which would have caused a colossal amount of death and destruction.
Regular search and cordon operations, inspections at security check points, intelligence gathering, are some of the means of combating a shadowy and elusive enemy who functions like a robot, carrying out terror attacks directed by the megalomaniacal terrorist leader from his jungle den and other handlers who would communicate by coded electronic messages to activate the trained killers waiting with packs of explosives and cyanide necklaces to unleash themselves on selected targets. The suicide bombers belong to the Black Tiger Suicide Squad made up of Tamil youth many of whom are women, who have been brainwashed for a considerable period of time, waiting for the moment of glory biding their time when they could become human bombs darting metal pellets that could seriously harm people within a radius of 100 feet. Up to now, the Tamil Tigers have carried out nearly 274 suicide bombings mainly against civilians, and far outstrip the other terror groups that have followed their lead. It is therefore necessary to use the special powers of search and detention to apprehend the shadowy killers, even if it means that some Tamils who are not involved with the LTTE too have to be detained on occasion in suspicious situations pending investigation, in order to safeguard the law abiding citizens from all communities including the large number of Tamils who have opted to live in mixed ethnic surroundings midst the Muslim and the Sinhalese people.
- Sri Lanka Guardian
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