Thirunagar – Kilinochchi Bombed. Private Houses Demolished

by K.Mylvaganam reporting from Vanni

(September 13, Kilinochchi, Sri Lanka Guardian) Today the pilots of the KFir bombers were more cordial than yesterday when I was put up at 4.00 a.m. Today (10.09.2008) the planes swerved over my house at low heights at 6.45 a.m. yesterday the bombers circled Kilinochchi at a height of over 35,000 feet. But today they were more daring and flew very low. I was sure that the target was going to be somewhere near the Kilinochchi town if not the town itself. Within minutes the bomb fell close to the town but I couldn’t guess where. This time I did not take the risk of going into the generator room; instead I made straight to the bunker behind my house as I was almost certain that the bomb was going to fall not so far from where I was. Some shrapnel fell on the roof of my bunker as well.

When I came to the office I was told that the bomb had fallen on private residences in Thirunagar, which boarders the Kilinochchi town. All the 05 houses that were hit were completely destroyed. They belonged to private individuals. The pictures will tell the story of the damages done. Many more houses were partly damaged. People’s belongings were also lost due to the bombing. Many trees and arable crops were also destroyed.

The Pachchilapalli Divisional Office was also among the damaged buildings. This office was moved from its original office in Pachchilaipalli to Thirunagar in 2006 due to the eruption of the war. Pachchilaipalli is almost in ruins due the repeated shelling by the army stationed in Mukamalai. There are 10 employees attached to this office now.

The Kilinochchi District Secretariat is only 500 metres from where the bomb fell. Also there is the Non governmental Organisation the Sevalanka and the “Thiru English Way” Private school in the same vicinity. There are 250 students attached to this school. Luckily there were only 60 students at that time the bomb fell. They sought refuge in bunkers nearby on hearing the KFirs approaching. Hence none of them were injured but shaken.

The shrapnel from this bomb fell all over the Kilinochchi town including the other buildings and divisional secretariats of Karachchi . But the vibration emitted by the bomb have affected several other buildings as well

Mrs.Anitha Arumugam a teacher whose house was completely damaged states:

“I teach at the Kilinochchi Mahavidhiyalaya. At about 6.45 in the morning I was preparing food, when we heard the KFir. All of us – my husband, three children and I - made direct to the bunkers. We were hardly inside the bunkers when the bomb fell. We all felt the terrible vibration. Once the sound of the bombers subsided we peeped out to see the entire area engulfed in smoke. We could hardly see anything. But when we came out we saw our house was totally demolished. All our properties were also destroyed. Altogether there were 05 houses in this area that were completely damaged. Our house alone is worth Rs.2500000.00 (2.5 millions). We have still not valued the properties destroyed. Despite the demolition of our house and the damages done to our properties we are thankful to God that we all are alive.”

When she said this she became very emotional and hugged her children. I saw tears running down her cheeks as she turned her face away. - Sri Lanka Guardian