By Dr. Chandrani Gunaratne
What seems like an almost simultaneous attack, articles criticizing Sri Lankan government's handling of refugee crisis appeared Friday (June 19) in several western newspapers.
Nirmala Carvalho in AsiaNews under the heading "The tragedy of refugees in Sri Lanka, hidden from the eyes of the world", citing an aid worker, only identified by a pseudonym, 'Prasanna', writes that "there is still no data on the precise number of the refugees," and the "The only interest of the Colombo government - says Prasanna - is to find more Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam members who are living in the camp and kill them."
Had the author had even a slightest sense of journalistic integrity, she would have checked the facts and verified her information. OCHA Situation Report No. 22 of 18th June on Sri Lanka : Vanni Emergency gives the precise number of IDPs in the camps up to June 16th and the number still in hospitals. OCHA report also says that access to camps in Vavuniya has improved, though some delays are still experienced.
Did Ms. Carvalho try to find out how many LTTE cadres have been taken from the camps and executed as she claimed? When and where they have been killed? Anyone can say anything but doesn't the author have a responsibility to check her information at least from one other source before writing disparaging accounts.
So far 9,100 LTTE cadres including 400 child soldiers have surrendered to the Sri Lankan military and they would not have willingly marched into their execution. Out of them 7,237 cadres including 1,601 women are now being rehabilitated at various centers. Another 202 cadres, including 80 men, are in IDP camps. Incidentally, there were reports that IDPs in the camps have beaten up the LTTE cadres, and in some instances, have even helped the military to identify them.
In another report, the Christian Science Monitor under the title " Sri Lanka 's postwar resettlement stalls" criticizes the government saying that it has no clear resettlement plan.
The government was the first to realize that the early resettlement is in their best interest and that is why it has planned to resettle at least 80% of the displaced within 180 days. Last month the President, Mahinda Rajapaksa, set up a high-level task force, headed by his brother and MP, Basil Rajapaksa, to prepare strategic plans and projects to develop the infrastructure of the North and resettle the IDPs.
However the bottleneck is, the region to be resettled is heavily mined by both sides, and demining process is excruciatingly expensive and slow. Also, the military is still in the process of recovering arms hidden in the area by the LTTE. These two processes need to be completed before proceeding with any resettlement.
In addition, most of the infrastructure and facilities like schools and hospitals in the north have been destroyed during the war and the government needs to reconstruct these and provide basic facilities such as roads, water, and electricity and restore tanks and bridges so that the people can restart their livelihoods once they are resettled.
Parts of Mannar have been demined and the government has so far resettled 2,120 people in the cleared areas. The government is focusing its efforts now on clearing the west of the A-9 highway, known as the "rice bowl' where most of the rice cultivation took place before the war started and most of the people from that area depends on agriculture.
A UNHCR today reported that it brought back the first group of 1,676 people (about 390 families) to Arippu and some 555 people (about 150 families) to five other coastal villages in Mannar district where most people rely on farming or fishing.
The Sri Lankan government has already started to reconstruct power stations, train tracks, roads and other services in the region as the area being cleared up. Also, the government has moved the IDPs in Vavuniya from 34 area schools to a newly built welfare center so that the children can attend the schools. Projects that cost over one billion rupees are planned for the development of North under the President's "Uthuru Vasanthaya" program.
The welfare centers are not five star hotels but they provide the basic care to the displaced. The sad fact is these displaced civilians have better living conditions in the camps than they were under the LTTE, living under the trees and packing up and running along with them under gun point. At least the children who had been malnourished and starved under the LTTE are now receiving the care they need. Only thing they don't have is the freedom to venture out of the camps whenever they want to.
Dr. Jemilah Mahmood of Malaysian Medical Relief Society (MERCY), which is an NGO providing medical care in the Manik Farm camps recently said in an interview that compared to the camps for the displaced people from Afghanistan, Pakistan to Indonesia and Myanmar, these camps in Vavuniya do not appear as bad as those the NGO had experienced.
U.N. emergency relief co-coordinator John Holmes today told the reporters that they have "pretty much full access to those camps at the moment," and problems with overcrowding, water shortage and sanitation problems were gradually being overcome. His complaint was that people were not allowed to move freely in and out of them for the moment.
The Sri Lankan government has an obligation to the 19 million or so civilians in the rest of the country to protect them. The citizens also expect the government to ensure their safety from the possibility that hardcore LTTE cadres still hiding in the IDP camps masquerading as civilians could escape, regroup, and carry out suicide attacks.
If the UN, the NGOs, the Western media or even the Sri Lankan people think there are no sleeping LTTE cadres in the other parts of the country and all the IDPs are innocent civilians then they are really clueless to the LTTE's terror network.
Months-long violent protests by the pro-LTTE Tamil Diaspora in the cities of US, UK, Canada and Europe clearly demonstrated to the world the hidden potential of the LTTE to regroup and cause mayhem again even though their puppet leaders are dead. Under these circumstances the Sri Lankan government cannot be careless and allow the civilians to freely move in and out of the camps until the hiding LTTE cadres are weeded out for rehabilitation or for prosecution.
The Sri Lankan government also has the right to be weary of the NGOs and not to provide "unfettered access" as some have demanded. Knowing the track record of certain NGOs abetting the LTTE to procure vehicles, machinery, earthmovers etc. so that they can build air conditioned bunkers and earth bunds and acquire sophisticated weapon technology to have home-made submarines and aircraft, the government has to be selective when allowing NGOs access to the IDP camps.
Not all NGOs have the best interest of the IDPs at heart. Even the UN Secretary-General's Chef de Cabinet had an ulterior motive when he visited the North before the final battle. He was there on consultation with KP, the LTTE's head of international relations, to get 50 senior LTTE cadres out of the war zone more than facilitating the evacuation of the trapped civilians.
The Sri Lankan government is faced with the enormous task of not only sheltering and feeding over 285,000 civilians currently in the camps but later on resettling and providing facilities and livelihoods for them. The UN and other humanitarian agencies agree that although basic conditions are met lot more need to be done for the welfare of the civilians.
Ceaseless reports in the Western newspapers that criticize the government of Sri Lanka over the IDP issue miserably fail to mention any of the development programs, or facilities the government has set in place for the welfare of the IDPs. Not only these reports are biased, but also, like the report in AsiaNews, are blatantly false and lack credibility.
The Western media catering to the pro-LTTE Tamil Diaspora is in a constant drive to discredit the Sri Lankan state and encourage the pro-LTTE Tamil Diaspora to justify and continue their struggle for a separate state in Sri Lanka . Their latest move, the formation of the Transnational Eelam state to perpetuate the LTTE dream is partly due to the support it receives from the Western media.
The End Battle The cowardly death of the LTTE chief
There’s one thing you men will be able to say when you get back home. Thirty years from now, when you’re sitting by your fireside, with your grandson on your knee and he asks “What did you do in the great World War Two?” you won’t have to shift him to the other knee, cough and say, “Well, I shovelled sh*t in Louisiana” - General Patton
A death of a criminal, who led a murderous group that caused immense sufferings on innocent, is indeed a great relief for those who have to live under constant threat of that group. When, this criminal is one who is responsible for the deaths of over 75,000 people and one who threw a nation to the verge of destruction, the news not only brings relief to the nation, but also the individuals who brought that relief become national heroes. Their effort becomes a legend that would be told from generation to generation.
The death of V. Prabhakaran, the megalomaniac killer who haunted Sri Lankan citizens for 30 years is certainly a story that would never be forgotten. Defence.lk team presents the true story of the valiant effort that ultimately brought an end to the most implacable curse caste on Sri Lankan citizens.
“The End Battle” is for the generations to come, so they would know the difference between the true heroes who secured them a life without terror and the scoundrels who sought to destroy the nation they born by promoting terror for their own advantage.
The End Battle was fought for nearly four days starting from 16th to 19th May 2009 by Sri Lanka army 53, 58, and 59 Division troops on a neck of land situated on the north-eastern coast of the Island. The battle resulted in the total elimination of the Liberation Tamils of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the most barbaric terrorist outfit known to the mankind.
The Road to Mullivaikkal
Sri Lankan armed forces undertook their noble mission of ridding the country of terrorism in July 2006 when the LTTE closed down Mavil Aru sluice gates, denying water for over 30,000 civilians. With in one year, they accomplished their mission in Eastern Province and were knocking on the doors of Wanni mono-ethnic hellhole under Prabhakaran’s tyranny.
It took another 2 years for them to reach the final destination. It was a battle like no other. The challenges faced by the Sri Lankan Armed Forces were immense. The way they were dealt with was unique. They had to fight with a terrorist outfit that took 200,000 odd civilians at hostage and held them as a human shield. They fought with extreme care to avoid civilian casualties. It was for the benefit of those civilians more than anything else that they were risking their lives.
Also, there was a powerful section of the international community that did not want Sri Lanka to defeat terrorism. The agenda went beyond boundaries of the Island, one that wanting to keep the region unstable and non-competitive. Every armed forces personnel from private to general knew that there was no room for trial and error. The above section of the IC was already dancing to tune of the terrorist propaganda with great deliberation.
Like a swan separates milk from water, the soldiers had to rescue civilians from the terrorists. They boxed in a terror group that held almost 15000 square kilometres in the Island to 1000 square metres at the end.
They accomplished the largest hostage rescue mission the world has ever witnessed with great success before they struck the final blow on the terrorists. Thus, road to Mullivaikkal was not a cakewalk by any means. It was marched with great sacrifices, fortitude and professionalism on the part of Sri Lankan soldiers.
The Terrain
The final battle took place in an area not more than 4 square kilometres. The battleground was a narrow stretch of land opening to the Indian Ocean from the East and to the Nanthikadal lagoon from the West. Thus, there was an open beachhead on the East, a dusty scrubby land in the middle and a waterlogged stretch full of mangroves on the West.
On a large scaled map the ground can be seen lying diagonally to the North- South axis as it is located on the northeastern coast of the Island (see map). It has one main road access, the A-35 [Paranthan- Mullaittivu] that runs on the northwest- southeast axis, slanting itself towards the lagoon bank.
Yet, anyone who stepped into the terrain where this historic battle was fought would soon know that the description is not as simple as above. There were plenty of manmade and natural barriers that no other battleground of the identical size would ever have.
There were two causeways to be crossed, an open beach to be marched on, over dozen of earth bunds to be cleared, hundreds of enemy bunkers to be neutralized, and above all there was an human shield made out of over 75,000 civilians that had to be rescued before the final push.
Also, the terrain offered excellent hiding places for the terrorists more than they need and possible escape routes if they had ever managed to breach the army forward boundaries on the ground or the naval blockades at the sea (see pictures).
The deployment
There were three Army Divisions and one Task Force mainly involved in the ground battle. The 53 Division commanded by Major General Kamal Gunrathne, the Task Force 8 commanded by Colonel G.V. Ravipriya, which was again placed under the operational command of the 53 Division and the 58 Division commanded by Brigadier Shavendra Silva were the main offensive elements that fought the End Battle.
The 58 Division marched southwards along the A-35 axis dominating the ground stretching from the road to the coastal belt whereas the 53 Division marched on the same axis, dominating the ground stretching from the A-35 to the lagoon bank.
The 59 Division commanded by Major General Prasanna Silva, though remained defensive at the End Battle, made a vital contribution to the final victory. It was the 59 Division that was holding the defence line south of Vadduvakal causeway for months until the other offensive elements swept down from the North.
Three days before the End Battle, 59 Division troops crossed the Vadduvakal causeway and established their defence immediately south of the no fire zone. It was by this manoeuvre that the Army could rescue majority of the last group of civilians held at hostage by the terrorists.
The Battle
The final battle unfolded as Sri Lankan armed forces successfully completed the largest hostage rescue mission ever conducted by a conventional military force. Troops started rescuing the last group of hostages since the 16th May morning and declared the mission accomplished by the next day morning.
Meanwhile, troops of 58 Division linked up with 59 Division troops on the coast by the evening on the 16th. The link up marked the liberation of the entire coastal belt in the Island from the terrorists clutches.
Thus, the coastal belt was sealed off for the terrorists making it impossible for them to venture in to the seas.
Then, troops of the three Divisions started boxing in the terrorists from the North, East and South leaving only the lagoon bank on the West open for the terrorists as bait. If the LTTE terrorists wanted to try anything than surrendering themselves, they had no option than swallowing the bait, which they ultimately did to their demise.
The Failed Surface Attack
The terrorists made their first attempt to escape on the 17th morning. They launched a surface attack across the lagoon using boats around 3 AM and landed on the western bank of the lagoon. The attack was at the army defence line at Keppularu where 53 and 59 Divisions linked with each other. However, the attempt was soon foiled by well-prepared troops causing a heavy toll to the terrorists.
According to the ground commanders, the aim of the terrorists in the initial attack was to establish a foothold on the eastern bank of the lagoon and then to open up an escape route to the Muthiyankaddu jungle. One senior officer called the attack a desperate attempt made using an obsolete strategy.
“We knew that the terrorists would try this option first. They tried to breach the line at the link as they always did, but only to meet the most prepared adversary. They wrongly analysed the planning capability of the army and swallowed the bait”, he said.
“If they managed to establish the foothold there, they would certainly evacuate the leadership and the others across the lagoon and disappear into the huge Muthiyankaddu jungle. The victory over terrorist would have long delayed if they achieved this,” he further said.
The 5 Vijayaba Infantry Regiment (5 VIR) of the 53 Division and 19 Sri Lanka Light Infantry (19 SLLI) of the 59 Division were the battalions that crushed the first escape attempt of the terrorists. The 5 VIR soldiers collected over 40 bodies of slain LTTE cadres whereas another 90 odd bodies were collected by 19 SLLI. The total terror bodies found after the attack was 148.
According, to the intelligence sources, senior LTTE military leader Jeyam had led the attack. However, he had not come to the front as most of the senior LTTE leaders do and was killed on the next day.
Straight to the lion’s mouth
On the 17th May morning, troops rescued the last group of hostages held by the terrorists, bringing an end to the hostage rescue mission. By the evening of the same day, troops were able to box in the remaining terrorists to an area not more than 600 x 500 m (see map) keeping the lagoon bank on the west still open.
With the nightfall, Special Forces and infantry units of 58 Division pierced into the “box” from the southern edge, pushing the terrorists to fall into the trap waiting for them. Only three options left for the LTTE leadership, either to surrender, or to fight to the death as a true fighter or to try escaping like a coward until the last moment, betraying all his closest followers, including his not-so-loved son, Charles Anthony.
Knowing the character of the LTTE leader for a long time, the battle-hardened commanders realized that he would try to save his life at any cost. A snare was laid to lead him straight to their hands.
Major General Kamal Gunarathne, General Officer Commanding [GOC] of the 53 Division was quick to identify the crucial role that his troops have to play in the end battle. He called the entire battlefield commanders to place their troops at red alert and briefed them how to deal with the last escape attempt of the LTTE. All possible escape routes were blocked, ambush teams were placed, and all counter penetration measures were taken.
Commander of the Army, General Sarath Fonseka , was well briefed on the situation and the battle preparations were made under his direct guidance. By the 17th May evening the battleground was set for the final encounter and the soldiers were waiting for the LTTE leader to make his move.
The End Battle
As anticipated, the LTTE leadership opted to escape using the route that army was so eagerly wanted him to take. His plan was to escape with a small group of his personal bodyguards while all other cadres die in fighting with army, as a deception to cover his movement. He did not want to take even his elder son, Charles Anthony with him, but freed himself from the burden by ordering some of the most senior LTTE military leaders to take him from a different route. Over 12 million rupees found near the location where Charles Anthony was killed might give an explanation how those LTTE leaders were persuaded to the task.
It was troops of 17 Gemunu Watch [GW] to have the first contact with the terrorists. According to Lieutenant Colonel Keerthi Kottachchi , Commanding Officer of the 17 GW, a group of terrorists disguised as civilians had asked his troops manning the defence at the lagoon bank to let them in around 2.30 AM on the 18th May (see map).
“It was my troops that manned the civilian rescue point at Karayamullivaikkal. The terrorists had come along the lagoon bank and were hiding in a small islet that lies in front of our defence (see pictures). Only a small group of them have come to our line and pleaded the officer there to let them in saying there were lot of casualties among them”, Colonel Kottachchi said.
However, Colonel Kottachchi was well briefed of the situation by his Task Force Commander, Colonel G.V. Ravipriya and Brigade Commander, Lieutenant Colonel Lalantha Gamage of the possibility that the terrorists might launch an attack disguising themselves as civilians. The 17 GW was a unit under the command of 682 Brigade of the Task Force 8, which was also under the operational command of the 53 Division.
“Since, all civilians were already rescued, I have given strict instruction to not to take anyone in, until dawn. Around 3 AM, the officer at the rescue point reported that the group who called them civilians was becoming violent and trying to force into the line. So, I ordered him to fire two shots into the air and take control of the situation”, he said.
With the firing of two shots, nearly 200 terrorists opened up fire and charged into the defence. The end battle began.
“We were well prepared for the attack”, said Lieutenant Colonel Lalantha Gamage 681 Brigade Commander. “The terrorists neutralized two of our bunkers opening about a 100m gap in the defence. Most of the initial intruders stepped into the beaten zone of our machine guns and died on the lagoon bank itself. The commandos and infantrymen killed about 100 LTTE cadres including some of the most senior leaders even before they stepped out of the water”, he added.
The plan of the terrorists as analysed by the military officials were to take hold of the A-35 road for some time and execute their escape plan whatever it was (see map). With the attack at the 17 GW frontline, it was evident that about 100 other LTTE cadres had infiltrated into the area shown in the map, through various location of the lagoon bank. However, army had pre plans to deal with such an infiltration. The terrorists were again put into a box sealed with three strong defence lines of Army 53 and 58 Divisions.
The 53 Division held the northern and southern defence lines across the A-35 whereas the 58 Division held the eastern line along the A-35. Soon after the first engagement, Commandos and Special Forces under the operational command of 53 Division were sent to reinforce the northern defence line. With no strongholds or hideouts they earlier had, the terrorist ran in every direction with in the box until they finally met their fate. With the failed infiltration, LTTE lost 90% of its remaining cadre with in 24 hours.
The first terrorist group to meet their fate at the hands of army counter penetration troops was the group comprising of Charles Anthony. The group was gunned own by 5 GW troops before they walk 250m distance from the point of infiltration.
A large majority of the other infiltrators who managed to step on the ground were dealt by the 58 Division troops manning the defence line on the coastal side of the A-35 road. Over 100 other LTTE cadres who remained hiding in the mangroves were killed by the commandos, Special Forces and infantry troops conducting mopping up operations.
Meanwhile, another group comprising over 100 LTTE cadres tried to breach 58 Division defence, north of Vadduvakkal (see map) with the first light of the day. This group of also met the same fate at the hands of Special Forces soldiers and infantrymen already engaged in mop up operations in the last remaining LTTE hideout.
The ambulance that mislead media
The End Battle gave birth to number of speculations among the media circles than any battle in the Sri Lanka’s war on terror. The government has allowed number of media personnel in state and non-state media to cover the progress of the battle from the battleground itself.
However, the inherent thirst of media personnel for new information clashed with inherent chaotic situation created in the battleground that resulted in number of unsubstantial news items. The defence.lk team was not an exception.
The controversy that affected most on defence reportage was about an ambulance that supposed to have hijacked by the terrorists to transport their leader. This ended up with a huge uproar in media that the LTTE leader was killed.
“It was an ambulance belonged to the Advanced Dressing Station of the Air mobile brigade, a senor military official of the 53 Division said.
“It was destroyed by the terrorists may be in a failed attempt to hi jack the vehicle. We initially received from the soldiers that there was a burnt body lying closer to the destroyed vehicle that have a similar structure to the LTTE leader. Later, the information was proven wrong”, he added.
The Mission Accomplishment
On the 18th May evening, troops not only crushed the desperate attempt of the LTTE to escape but also took hold of the last remaining land under the LTTE control. Commander of the Army, General Sarath Fonseka declared the accomplishment of the mission by liberating the motherland from terrorism. The next day morning (19th), His Excellency Mahinda Rajapaksa, President of Sri Lanka and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces was to officially declare the liberation of the country at the parliament.
Meanwhile, military commenced clearing operations to neutralize possible enemy pockets and to collect the bodies and captured LTTE assets. On the 18th May itself over 350 bodies of slain LTTE cadres were collected. Intelligence officials managed to identify some 30 odd top level LTTE cadres before the nightfall (see the list). However, the whereabouts of LTTE chief V. Prbhakaran, his intelligence chief Pottu Amman and Sea Tiger chief Soosai were still a mystery.
However, the country was celebrating not only the liberation of the country but also the death of LTTE leader, as media including state media continued to confirm the same. However, Army refrained issuing an official statement on the death of the LTTE leader but expressed its strong belief that the LTTE leader may be among the dead.
In reality, the process of identifying the bodies and collecting them was still in progress. Yet, not for a second army ignored the possibility of that the LTTE leader may be alive. Despite relaxing the operations, the battlefield commanders tightened the clearing operations, with the soldiers starting to search every inch of the shrub on the ground and the mangroves in the lagoon.
The End of the villain
The 19th May 2009 was indeed an unforgettable day for all Sri Lankans. The President officially declared the liberation of the motherland from clutches of terrorism. Addressing the parliament, he said that from the day onwards the laws made in the democratically elected parliament would govern in whole country. The country was jubilant and the celebrations were on.
Meanwhile, the day was still busy for the soldiers. The battlefield commanders were yet to get the ultimate catch of the trap they laid. Major General Kamal Gunarathne, Colonel G.V. Ravipriya and Lieutenant Colonel Lalantha Gamage were preparing to launch the final phase of the master plan, the clearing of the last remaining patch of mangroves that lies south of the causeway at Karayamullavaikkal (see map).
Lieutenant Colonel Gamage was confident; it was just the previous night that he swore to his fellow officers that it was his troops that would catch “Prabha” at the end. Those who planned the battle knew that the 681 Brigade Commander was not talking nonsense. If Prabhakaran swallowed the bait as planned and remained live, he had nowhere to go than hiding in the mangroves behind the 4 Vijayaba Infantry [4 VIR] frontline.
The commandos already cleared a large part of the mangroves on the previous day evening. Knowing the possibility that LTTE leader had betrayed majority of his followers in a deceptive attack to save his life, the second clearing operation was launched in the remaining part of the mangroves by both commandos and 4 VIR troops around 8.30 AM on the 19th morning (see map).
Lieutenant Colonel Lalantha Gamage, and Lieutenant Colonel Rohitha Aluwihare, Commanding Officer of the 4 VIR were on the frontline expecting for a good news. Two eight man teams and one 4 man team of 4 VIR Bravo company were in the mangroves.
The first team into the mangroves, lead by Sergeant SP Wijesinghe, encountered heavy small arms fire as they stepped few metres in the growth. The soldiers had to wade through thorny bushes with water up to their chest (see pictures).
Sergeant Wijesinghe was quick to feel the presence of a high profile LTTE leader in the area from the resistance he had got. The team charged mangroves despite all difficulties and managed to collect five bodies carrying pistols and small arms that were usually carried by VIP escorts.
The Brigade Commander and the Commanding Officer were soon informed. One of the bodies was identified as of Vinodan, one of the most senior bodyguards of the inner protection team of the LTTE leader. “With in seconds we knew the importance of the finding”, Lieutenant Colonel Lalantha Gamage said.
“The matter was informed to the GOC and under his guidance, the first team was ordered to hold the line and sent another eight man team and a four man from the flank to support them” (see map). The second team was lead by Sergeant TM Muthubanda.
After an hour of heavy fire fight in the mangroves the guns were suddenly fell silent. A message came from the team leaders that there was body bearing similar appearance to Prabhakaran found among 18 other dead LTTE cadres. Both Lieutenant Colonel Gamage and Lieutenant Colonel Aluwihare rushed into the mangroves and found that the villain who haunted the nation for 30 years was no more.
The Achilles’ heel
The end of the megalomaniac killer and the megalomaniac outfit he created finally did the justice to the 19 million Sri Lankan citizens who suffered immensely due to the madness he unleashed. Ironically, it was the same madness and the hatred championed by Prabhakaran and his followers that became their Achilles’ heel.
Had the insular minds of Prabhakaran and his ardent followers abroad could perceive the reality, at least 500 LTTE cadres could have saved their lives even at the last moment. It is quite clear that Prbhakaran kept his last hope at the strength that he believed to be there with the pro terror Tamils abroad. Perhaps, he might have thought that Donald Gnanakoon and the lot had the power to send whole US army to Mullivaikkal to save him. Unfortunately, propaganda lies of LTTE could only took few mediocre diplomats for a ride and made them making fool of themselves by clamouring for a terrorist outfit.
On the other hand, it appears that the so-called “diaspora” Tamils supportive of terrorism had believed that Prabhakaran processed some kind of super natural powers and therefore his outfit would be invincible. Perhaps, they might have believed Prabhakaran was buying time to use some secret weapon that can whack whole Sri Lanka Army with a single blow. What they did not know was that that Prabhakaran was a coward who spent most of the hard earned “diaspora” monies sent to him for his own luxury.
However, the most immediate victims of this two-way deception carried out for last 30 years were the Tamils lived in Wanni under Prabhakaran’s tyranny. The brutal war that was fought at the expense of the Tamil youth had no genuine interest one the part of the person who led it or the people who funded it. The whole process was conducted out of unbridled hatred and lacked the scope to reach anywhere near to its so claimed goal, redressing legitimate grievances of the Tamil people.
In contrary, Sri Lankan Armed Forces fought a different war backed by strong will of the national leadership. Every member of armed forces and police shared the vision of their Commander in Chief that is to create a country free of terror for the next generation. Instead of hatred they brought the kindness on their Tamil brethren. They risked their lives to save innocent civilians from the evil grip of LTTE terror. They braved the raining artillery and mortar shells only with the riffles in their hands to free the civilians held hostage by the terrorists.
Finally, it was their kindness that was understood by the Wanni civilians and made them to seek protection with the soldiers. There was no bloodbath, no genocide, massacre as predicted by pro terror media but an end to terror and freedom to the Tamil nation.
A death of a criminal, who led a murderous group that caused immense sufferings on innocent, is indeed a great relief for those who have to live under constant threat of that group. When, this criminal is one who is responsible for the deaths of over 75,000 people and one who threw a nation to the verge of destruction, the news not only brings relief to the nation, but also the individuals who brought that relief become national heroes. Their effort becomes a legend that would be told from generation to generation.
The death of V. Prabhakaran, the megalomaniac killer who haunted Sri Lankan citizens for 30 years is certainly a story that would never be forgotten. Defence.lk team presents the true story of the valiant effort that ultimately brought an end to the most implacable curse caste on Sri Lankan citizens.
“The End Battle” is for the generations to come, so they would know the difference between the true heroes who secured them a life without terror and the scoundrels who sought to destroy the nation they born by promoting terror for their own advantage.
The End Battle was fought for nearly four days starting from 16th to 19th May 2009 by Sri Lanka army 53, 58, and 59 Division troops on a neck of land situated on the north-eastern coast of the Island. The battle resulted in the total elimination of the Liberation Tamils of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the most barbaric terrorist outfit known to the mankind.
The Road to Mullivaikkal
Sri Lankan armed forces undertook their noble mission of ridding the country of terrorism in July 2006 when the LTTE closed down Mavil Aru sluice gates, denying water for over 30,000 civilians. With in one year, they accomplished their mission in Eastern Province and were knocking on the doors of Wanni mono-ethnic hellhole under Prabhakaran’s tyranny.
It took another 2 years for them to reach the final destination. It was a battle like no other. The challenges faced by the Sri Lankan Armed Forces were immense. The way they were dealt with was unique. They had to fight with a terrorist outfit that took 200,000 odd civilians at hostage and held them as a human shield. They fought with extreme care to avoid civilian casualties. It was for the benefit of those civilians more than anything else that they were risking their lives.
Also, there was a powerful section of the international community that did not want Sri Lanka to defeat terrorism. The agenda went beyond boundaries of the Island, one that wanting to keep the region unstable and non-competitive. Every armed forces personnel from private to general knew that there was no room for trial and error. The above section of the IC was already dancing to tune of the terrorist propaganda with great deliberation.
Like a swan separates milk from water, the soldiers had to rescue civilians from the terrorists. They boxed in a terror group that held almost 15000 square kilometres in the Island to 1000 square metres at the end.
They accomplished the largest hostage rescue mission the world has ever witnessed with great success before they struck the final blow on the terrorists. Thus, road to Mullivaikkal was not a cakewalk by any means. It was marched with great sacrifices, fortitude and professionalism on the part of Sri Lankan soldiers.
The Terrain
The final battle took place in an area not more than 4 square kilometres. The battleground was a narrow stretch of land opening to the Indian Ocean from the East and to the Nanthikadal lagoon from the West. Thus, there was an open beachhead on the East, a dusty scrubby land in the middle and a waterlogged stretch full of mangroves on the West.
On a large scaled map the ground can be seen lying diagonally to the North- South axis as it is located on the northeastern coast of the Island (see map). It has one main road access, the A-35 [Paranthan- Mullaittivu] that runs on the northwest- southeast axis, slanting itself towards the lagoon bank.
Yet, anyone who stepped into the terrain where this historic battle was fought would soon know that the description is not as simple as above. There were plenty of manmade and natural barriers that no other battleground of the identical size would ever have.
There were two causeways to be crossed, an open beach to be marched on, over dozen of earth bunds to be cleared, hundreds of enemy bunkers to be neutralized, and above all there was an human shield made out of over 75,000 civilians that had to be rescued before the final push.
Also, the terrain offered excellent hiding places for the terrorists more than they need and possible escape routes if they had ever managed to breach the army forward boundaries on the ground or the naval blockades at the sea (see pictures).
The deployment
There were three Army Divisions and one Task Force mainly involved in the ground battle. The 53 Division commanded by Major General Kamal Gunrathne, the Task Force 8 commanded by Colonel G.V. Ravipriya, which was again placed under the operational command of the 53 Division and the 58 Division commanded by Brigadier Shavendra Silva were the main offensive elements that fought the End Battle.
The 58 Division marched southwards along the A-35 axis dominating the ground stretching from the road to the coastal belt whereas the 53 Division marched on the same axis, dominating the ground stretching from the A-35 to the lagoon bank.
The 59 Division commanded by Major General Prasanna Silva, though remained defensive at the End Battle, made a vital contribution to the final victory. It was the 59 Division that was holding the defence line south of Vadduvakal causeway for months until the other offensive elements swept down from the North.
Three days before the End Battle, 59 Division troops crossed the Vadduvakal causeway and established their defence immediately south of the no fire zone. It was by this manoeuvre that the Army could rescue majority of the last group of civilians held at hostage by the terrorists.
The Battle
The final battle unfolded as Sri Lankan armed forces successfully completed the largest hostage rescue mission ever conducted by a conventional military force. Troops started rescuing the last group of hostages since the 16th May morning and declared the mission accomplished by the next day morning.
Meanwhile, troops of 58 Division linked up with 59 Division troops on the coast by the evening on the 16th. The link up marked the liberation of the entire coastal belt in the Island from the terrorists clutches.
Thus, the coastal belt was sealed off for the terrorists making it impossible for them to venture in to the seas.
Then, troops of the three Divisions started boxing in the terrorists from the North, East and South leaving only the lagoon bank on the West open for the terrorists as bait. If the LTTE terrorists wanted to try anything than surrendering themselves, they had no option than swallowing the bait, which they ultimately did to their demise.
The Failed Surface Attack
The terrorists made their first attempt to escape on the 17th morning. They launched a surface attack across the lagoon using boats around 3 AM and landed on the western bank of the lagoon. The attack was at the army defence line at Keppularu where 53 and 59 Divisions linked with each other. However, the attempt was soon foiled by well-prepared troops causing a heavy toll to the terrorists.
According to the ground commanders, the aim of the terrorists in the initial attack was to establish a foothold on the eastern bank of the lagoon and then to open up an escape route to the Muthiyankaddu jungle. One senior officer called the attack a desperate attempt made using an obsolete strategy.
“We knew that the terrorists would try this option first. They tried to breach the line at the link as they always did, but only to meet the most prepared adversary. They wrongly analysed the planning capability of the army and swallowed the bait”, he said.
“If they managed to establish the foothold there, they would certainly evacuate the leadership and the others across the lagoon and disappear into the huge Muthiyankaddu jungle. The victory over terrorist would have long delayed if they achieved this,” he further said.
The 5 Vijayaba Infantry Regiment (5 VIR) of the 53 Division and 19 Sri Lanka Light Infantry (19 SLLI) of the 59 Division were the battalions that crushed the first escape attempt of the terrorists. The 5 VIR soldiers collected over 40 bodies of slain LTTE cadres whereas another 90 odd bodies were collected by 19 SLLI. The total terror bodies found after the attack was 148.
According, to the intelligence sources, senior LTTE military leader Jeyam had led the attack. However, he had not come to the front as most of the senior LTTE leaders do and was killed on the next day.
Straight to the lion’s mouth
On the 17th May morning, troops rescued the last group of hostages held by the terrorists, bringing an end to the hostage rescue mission. By the evening of the same day, troops were able to box in the remaining terrorists to an area not more than 600 x 500 m (see map) keeping the lagoon bank on the west still open.
With the nightfall, Special Forces and infantry units of 58 Division pierced into the “box” from the southern edge, pushing the terrorists to fall into the trap waiting for them. Only three options left for the LTTE leadership, either to surrender, or to fight to the death as a true fighter or to try escaping like a coward until the last moment, betraying all his closest followers, including his not-so-loved son, Charles Anthony.
Knowing the character of the LTTE leader for a long time, the battle-hardened commanders realized that he would try to save his life at any cost. A snare was laid to lead him straight to their hands.
Major General Kamal Gunarathne, General Officer Commanding [GOC] of the 53 Division was quick to identify the crucial role that his troops have to play in the end battle. He called the entire battlefield commanders to place their troops at red alert and briefed them how to deal with the last escape attempt of the LTTE. All possible escape routes were blocked, ambush teams were placed, and all counter penetration measures were taken.
Commander of the Army, General Sarath Fonseka , was well briefed on the situation and the battle preparations were made under his direct guidance. By the 17th May evening the battleground was set for the final encounter and the soldiers were waiting for the LTTE leader to make his move.
The End Battle
As anticipated, the LTTE leadership opted to escape using the route that army was so eagerly wanted him to take. His plan was to escape with a small group of his personal bodyguards while all other cadres die in fighting with army, as a deception to cover his movement. He did not want to take even his elder son, Charles Anthony with him, but freed himself from the burden by ordering some of the most senior LTTE military leaders to take him from a different route. Over 12 million rupees found near the location where Charles Anthony was killed might give an explanation how those LTTE leaders were persuaded to the task.
It was troops of 17 Gemunu Watch [GW] to have the first contact with the terrorists. According to Lieutenant Colonel Keerthi Kottachchi , Commanding Officer of the 17 GW, a group of terrorists disguised as civilians had asked his troops manning the defence at the lagoon bank to let them in around 2.30 AM on the 18th May (see map).
“It was my troops that manned the civilian rescue point at Karayamullivaikkal. The terrorists had come along the lagoon bank and were hiding in a small islet that lies in front of our defence (see pictures). Only a small group of them have come to our line and pleaded the officer there to let them in saying there were lot of casualties among them”, Colonel Kottachchi said.
However, Colonel Kottachchi was well briefed of the situation by his Task Force Commander, Colonel G.V. Ravipriya and Brigade Commander, Lieutenant Colonel Lalantha Gamage of the possibility that the terrorists might launch an attack disguising themselves as civilians. The 17 GW was a unit under the command of 682 Brigade of the Task Force 8, which was also under the operational command of the 53 Division.
“Since, all civilians were already rescued, I have given strict instruction to not to take anyone in, until dawn. Around 3 AM, the officer at the rescue point reported that the group who called them civilians was becoming violent and trying to force into the line. So, I ordered him to fire two shots into the air and take control of the situation”, he said.
With the firing of two shots, nearly 200 terrorists opened up fire and charged into the defence. The end battle began.
“We were well prepared for the attack”, said Lieutenant Colonel Lalantha Gamage 681 Brigade Commander. “The terrorists neutralized two of our bunkers opening about a 100m gap in the defence. Most of the initial intruders stepped into the beaten zone of our machine guns and died on the lagoon bank itself. The commandos and infantrymen killed about 100 LTTE cadres including some of the most senior leaders even before they stepped out of the water”, he added.
The plan of the terrorists as analysed by the military officials were to take hold of the A-35 road for some time and execute their escape plan whatever it was (see map). With the attack at the 17 GW frontline, it was evident that about 100 other LTTE cadres had infiltrated into the area shown in the map, through various location of the lagoon bank. However, army had pre plans to deal with such an infiltration. The terrorists were again put into a box sealed with three strong defence lines of Army 53 and 58 Divisions.
The 53 Division held the northern and southern defence lines across the A-35 whereas the 58 Division held the eastern line along the A-35. Soon after the first engagement, Commandos and Special Forces under the operational command of 53 Division were sent to reinforce the northern defence line. With no strongholds or hideouts they earlier had, the terrorist ran in every direction with in the box until they finally met their fate. With the failed infiltration, LTTE lost 90% of its remaining cadre with in 24 hours.
The first terrorist group to meet their fate at the hands of army counter penetration troops was the group comprising of Charles Anthony. The group was gunned own by 5 GW troops before they walk 250m distance from the point of infiltration.
A large majority of the other infiltrators who managed to step on the ground were dealt by the 58 Division troops manning the defence line on the coastal side of the A-35 road. Over 100 other LTTE cadres who remained hiding in the mangroves were killed by the commandos, Special Forces and infantry troops conducting mopping up operations.
Meanwhile, another group comprising over 100 LTTE cadres tried to breach 58 Division defence, north of Vadduvakkal (see map) with the first light of the day. This group of also met the same fate at the hands of Special Forces soldiers and infantrymen already engaged in mop up operations in the last remaining LTTE hideout.
The ambulance that mislead media
The End Battle gave birth to number of speculations among the media circles than any battle in the Sri Lanka’s war on terror. The government has allowed number of media personnel in state and non-state media to cover the progress of the battle from the battleground itself.
However, the inherent thirst of media personnel for new information clashed with inherent chaotic situation created in the battleground that resulted in number of unsubstantial news items. The defence.lk team was not an exception.
The controversy that affected most on defence reportage was about an ambulance that supposed to have hijacked by the terrorists to transport their leader. This ended up with a huge uproar in media that the LTTE leader was killed.
“It was an ambulance belonged to the Advanced Dressing Station of the Air mobile brigade, a senor military official of the 53 Division said.
“It was destroyed by the terrorists may be in a failed attempt to hi jack the vehicle. We initially received from the soldiers that there was a burnt body lying closer to the destroyed vehicle that have a similar structure to the LTTE leader. Later, the information was proven wrong”, he added.
The Mission Accomplishment
On the 18th May evening, troops not only crushed the desperate attempt of the LTTE to escape but also took hold of the last remaining land under the LTTE control. Commander of the Army, General Sarath Fonseka declared the accomplishment of the mission by liberating the motherland from terrorism. The next day morning (19th), His Excellency Mahinda Rajapaksa, President of Sri Lanka and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces was to officially declare the liberation of the country at the parliament.
Meanwhile, military commenced clearing operations to neutralize possible enemy pockets and to collect the bodies and captured LTTE assets. On the 18th May itself over 350 bodies of slain LTTE cadres were collected. Intelligence officials managed to identify some 30 odd top level LTTE cadres before the nightfall (see the list). However, the whereabouts of LTTE chief V. Prbhakaran, his intelligence chief Pottu Amman and Sea Tiger chief Soosai were still a mystery.
However, the country was celebrating not only the liberation of the country but also the death of LTTE leader, as media including state media continued to confirm the same. However, Army refrained issuing an official statement on the death of the LTTE leader but expressed its strong belief that the LTTE leader may be among the dead.
In reality, the process of identifying the bodies and collecting them was still in progress. Yet, not for a second army ignored the possibility of that the LTTE leader may be alive. Despite relaxing the operations, the battlefield commanders tightened the clearing operations, with the soldiers starting to search every inch of the shrub on the ground and the mangroves in the lagoon.
The End of the villain
The 19th May 2009 was indeed an unforgettable day for all Sri Lankans. The President officially declared the liberation of the motherland from clutches of terrorism. Addressing the parliament, he said that from the day onwards the laws made in the democratically elected parliament would govern in whole country. The country was jubilant and the celebrations were on.
Meanwhile, the day was still busy for the soldiers. The battlefield commanders were yet to get the ultimate catch of the trap they laid. Major General Kamal Gunarathne, Colonel G.V. Ravipriya and Lieutenant Colonel Lalantha Gamage were preparing to launch the final phase of the master plan, the clearing of the last remaining patch of mangroves that lies south of the causeway at Karayamullavaikkal (see map).
Lieutenant Colonel Gamage was confident; it was just the previous night that he swore to his fellow officers that it was his troops that would catch “Prabha” at the end. Those who planned the battle knew that the 681 Brigade Commander was not talking nonsense. If Prabhakaran swallowed the bait as planned and remained live, he had nowhere to go than hiding in the mangroves behind the 4 Vijayaba Infantry [4 VIR] frontline.
The commandos already cleared a large part of the mangroves on the previous day evening. Knowing the possibility that LTTE leader had betrayed majority of his followers in a deceptive attack to save his life, the second clearing operation was launched in the remaining part of the mangroves by both commandos and 4 VIR troops around 8.30 AM on the 19th morning (see map).
Lieutenant Colonel Lalantha Gamage, and Lieutenant Colonel Rohitha Aluwihare, Commanding Officer of the 4 VIR were on the frontline expecting for a good news. Two eight man teams and one 4 man team of 4 VIR Bravo company were in the mangroves.
The first team into the mangroves, lead by Sergeant SP Wijesinghe, encountered heavy small arms fire as they stepped few metres in the growth. The soldiers had to wade through thorny bushes with water up to their chest (see pictures).
Sergeant Wijesinghe was quick to feel the presence of a high profile LTTE leader in the area from the resistance he had got. The team charged mangroves despite all difficulties and managed to collect five bodies carrying pistols and small arms that were usually carried by VIP escorts.
The Brigade Commander and the Commanding Officer were soon informed. One of the bodies was identified as of Vinodan, one of the most senior bodyguards of the inner protection team of the LTTE leader. “With in seconds we knew the importance of the finding”, Lieutenant Colonel Lalantha Gamage said.
“The matter was informed to the GOC and under his guidance, the first team was ordered to hold the line and sent another eight man team and a four man from the flank to support them” (see map). The second team was lead by Sergeant TM Muthubanda.
After an hour of heavy fire fight in the mangroves the guns were suddenly fell silent. A message came from the team leaders that there was body bearing similar appearance to Prabhakaran found among 18 other dead LTTE cadres. Both Lieutenant Colonel Gamage and Lieutenant Colonel Aluwihare rushed into the mangroves and found that the villain who haunted the nation for 30 years was no more.
The Achilles’ heel
The end of the megalomaniac killer and the megalomaniac outfit he created finally did the justice to the 19 million Sri Lankan citizens who suffered immensely due to the madness he unleashed. Ironically, it was the same madness and the hatred championed by Prabhakaran and his followers that became their Achilles’ heel.
Had the insular minds of Prabhakaran and his ardent followers abroad could perceive the reality, at least 500 LTTE cadres could have saved their lives even at the last moment. It is quite clear that Prbhakaran kept his last hope at the strength that he believed to be there with the pro terror Tamils abroad. Perhaps, he might have thought that Donald Gnanakoon and the lot had the power to send whole US army to Mullivaikkal to save him. Unfortunately, propaganda lies of LTTE could only took few mediocre diplomats for a ride and made them making fool of themselves by clamouring for a terrorist outfit.
On the other hand, it appears that the so-called “diaspora” Tamils supportive of terrorism had believed that Prabhakaran processed some kind of super natural powers and therefore his outfit would be invincible. Perhaps, they might have believed Prabhakaran was buying time to use some secret weapon that can whack whole Sri Lanka Army with a single blow. What they did not know was that that Prabhakaran was a coward who spent most of the hard earned “diaspora” monies sent to him for his own luxury.
However, the most immediate victims of this two-way deception carried out for last 30 years were the Tamils lived in Wanni under Prabhakaran’s tyranny. The brutal war that was fought at the expense of the Tamil youth had no genuine interest one the part of the person who led it or the people who funded it. The whole process was conducted out of unbridled hatred and lacked the scope to reach anywhere near to its so claimed goal, redressing legitimate grievances of the Tamil people.
In contrary, Sri Lankan Armed Forces fought a different war backed by strong will of the national leadership. Every member of armed forces and police shared the vision of their Commander in Chief that is to create a country free of terror for the next generation. Instead of hatred they brought the kindness on their Tamil brethren. They risked their lives to save innocent civilians from the evil grip of LTTE terror. They braved the raining artillery and mortar shells only with the riffles in their hands to free the civilians held hostage by the terrorists.
Finally, it was their kindness that was understood by the Wanni civilians and made them to seek protection with the soldiers. There was no bloodbath, no genocide, massacre as predicted by pro terror media but an end to terror and freedom to the Tamil nation.
Sri Lanka May Become ‘Hong Kong of India’ After War, HSBC Says
By Cherian Thomas
June 18 (Bloomberg) -- Sri Lanka’s economy can bounce back from its weakest growth in six years and become the “Hong Kong of India” as the end of almost three decades of civil war boosts business opportunities, HSBC Private Bank said.
Decades of fighting on the Indian Ocean island shackled its $32 billion economy, which according to figures released yesterday expanded 1.5 percent last quarter from a year earlier as the global recession intensified the slowdown. Ports, retailers, apparel and tea exporters could lead a recovery after the Tamil Tiger rebels were defeated last month.
“The rebound will be spectacular,” said Arjuna Mahendran, the Singapore-based chief investment strategist for Asia at HSBC Private Bank, which oversees $494 billion in assets. “To start with, Sri Lanka’s location gives its port a natural advantage.”
Sri Lanka could benefit from its proximity to India, just as Hong Kong profits from being a trade hub to China. Sri Lanka lies just 31 kilometers (19 miles) south east of India, the world’s second-fastest-growing major economy.
Seventy percent of the volume handled by the Colombo port is trans-shipment of goods imported by India and this could be increased because Indian ports don’t have adequate depth, Mahendran said. Sri Lanka has embarked upon a plan to quadruple capacity at the Colombo port in three years.
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam were defeated on May 16, ending their 26-year struggle for a separate homeland in Sri Lanka. The Tigers, who controlled a third of the country at one point, fell swiftly since January as the Sri Lankan military launched an unprecedented offensive to wipe them out.
“It’s something you never expected to happen when you have lived most of your life under the specter of war,” said Otara Gunewardene, who runs Odel, Sri Lanka’s biggest department store. “It’s unbelievable. I see things differently now and see a lot of potential for growth.”
Odel plans to sell a stake in the company to overseas investors and spend $20 million to add another 70,000 square feet to its flagship store in Colombo and open new outlets in other cities in the country.
“We fought terrorism and now the economic war has to be fought,” said Malik Fernando, whose family owns Dilmah Tea Co., among the best-known Ceylon tea brands in the world.
“For manufacturers, the cost of doing business is very high because infrastructure, like roads and power, was neglected because of the war.”
Dilmah, for example, operates a bus service in Colombo to pick up their workers from home because “we know that if they use the public transport, they are going to be late, fagged out and stressed,” Fernando said.
Still, Sri Lanka can be turned around quickly as it is a small economy and Dilmah is exploring options to expand in the hotels and tourism business, Fernando added.
John Keells Holdings Ltd., the island’s biggest diversified company, said it sees opportunities to grow in all its businesses from property development to banking and insurance.
Tea exporters could also benefit from a 30 percent surge in prices this year while the worldwide recession hasn’t sapped demand for the high-end lingerie and apparels the nation sells overseas, HSBC’s Mahendran said.
Sri Lanka, which receives about 500,000 tourists each year, aims to increase that number by at least 20 percent annually through a global campaign entitled “Small Miracle,” said Dileep Mudadeniya, managing director of the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau.
The war discouraged travelers from the U.S. and Europe for years from visiting the teardrop-shaped tropical island.
Occupancy rates have been 40 percent in the past two years in Colombo’s five-star hotels, which have a combined capacity of 2,000 rooms, said Jerome Auvity, general manager at Hilton Colombo. As a result, the average room tariff is about $62 a night, he said.
“There is no immediate reaction suggesting business is rising,” Auvity said. “Give it another six months to see whether confidence returns to Sri Lanka’s leisure market. There is still this dark cloud, this debate and issue regarding the displaced people.”
The final battles have left about 300,000 people displaced and living in more than 40 camps across the northern part of the country. President Mahinda Rajapaksa said last month he intends to resettle them in the region within 180 days.
Still, the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka expects foreign direct investments to quadruple to $4 billion by 2012, led by investments in ports, tourism, telecommunication and textiles.
“We have been getting encouraging responses from foreign investors,” saidDhammika Perera, chairman of the Board. “We expect three leading hotel chains to sign an investment agreement with us in about three months.”
Sri Lanka’s benchmark stock index, the Colombo All-Share Index, has climbed 20 percent since the Tamil Tigers were defeated, taking its gains this year to 50 percent as local investors snapped up shares.
The Securities and Exchange Commission is now keen for the likes of George Soros, Mark Mobius and other top fund managers to invest in the country and help the Colombo Stock Exchange double its capitalization to $14 billion in a year.
“It will take a while for people to realize that a 30-year war has ended and the dividends it can bring,” said Channa de Silva, director general of the Commission. “Sri Lanka is a country waiting to unfold and we are confident there will be a lot of interest internationally.”
To contact the reporter on this story: Cherian Thomas in New Delhi atCthomas1@bloomberg.net .
June 18 (Bloomberg) -- Sri Lanka’s economy can bounce back from its weakest growth in six years and become the “Hong Kong of India” as the end of almost three decades of civil war boosts business opportunities, HSBC Private Bank said.
Decades of fighting on the Indian Ocean island shackled its $32 billion economy, which according to figures released yesterday expanded 1.5 percent last quarter from a year earlier as the global recession intensified the slowdown. Ports, retailers, apparel and tea exporters could lead a recovery after the Tamil Tiger rebels were defeated last month.
“The rebound will be spectacular,” said Arjuna Mahendran, the Singapore-based chief investment strategist for Asia at HSBC Private Bank, which oversees $494 billion in assets. “To start with, Sri Lanka’s location gives its port a natural advantage.”
Sri Lanka could benefit from its proximity to India, just as Hong Kong profits from being a trade hub to China. Sri Lanka lies just 31 kilometers (19 miles) south east of India, the world’s second-fastest-growing major economy.
Seventy percent of the volume handled by the Colombo port is trans-shipment of goods imported by India and this could be increased because Indian ports don’t have adequate depth, Mahendran said. Sri Lanka has embarked upon a plan to quadruple capacity at the Colombo port in three years.
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam were defeated on May 16, ending their 26-year struggle for a separate homeland in Sri Lanka. The Tigers, who controlled a third of the country at one point, fell swiftly since January as the Sri Lankan military launched an unprecedented offensive to wipe them out.
“It’s something you never expected to happen when you have lived most of your life under the specter of war,” said Otara Gunewardene, who runs Odel, Sri Lanka’s biggest department store. “It’s unbelievable. I see things differently now and see a lot of potential for growth.”
Odel plans to sell a stake in the company to overseas investors and spend $20 million to add another 70,000 square feet to its flagship store in Colombo and open new outlets in other cities in the country.
“We fought terrorism and now the economic war has to be fought,” said Malik Fernando, whose family owns Dilmah Tea Co., among the best-known Ceylon tea brands in the world.
“For manufacturers, the cost of doing business is very high because infrastructure, like roads and power, was neglected because of the war.”
Dilmah, for example, operates a bus service in Colombo to pick up their workers from home because “we know that if they use the public transport, they are going to be late, fagged out and stressed,” Fernando said.
Still, Sri Lanka can be turned around quickly as it is a small economy and Dilmah is exploring options to expand in the hotels and tourism business, Fernando added.
John Keells Holdings Ltd., the island’s biggest diversified company, said it sees opportunities to grow in all its businesses from property development to banking and insurance.
Tea exporters could also benefit from a 30 percent surge in prices this year while the worldwide recession hasn’t sapped demand for the high-end lingerie and apparels the nation sells overseas, HSBC’s Mahendran said.
Sri Lanka, which receives about 500,000 tourists each year, aims to increase that number by at least 20 percent annually through a global campaign entitled “Small Miracle,” said Dileep Mudadeniya, managing director of the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau.
The war discouraged travelers from the U.S. and Europe for years from visiting the teardrop-shaped tropical island.
Occupancy rates have been 40 percent in the past two years in Colombo’s five-star hotels, which have a combined capacity of 2,000 rooms, said Jerome Auvity, general manager at Hilton Colombo. As a result, the average room tariff is about $62 a night, he said.
“There is no immediate reaction suggesting business is rising,” Auvity said. “Give it another six months to see whether confidence returns to Sri Lanka’s leisure market. There is still this dark cloud, this debate and issue regarding the displaced people.”
The final battles have left about 300,000 people displaced and living in more than 40 camps across the northern part of the country. President Mahinda Rajapaksa said last month he intends to resettle them in the region within 180 days.
Still, the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka expects foreign direct investments to quadruple to $4 billion by 2012, led by investments in ports, tourism, telecommunication and textiles.
“We have been getting encouraging responses from foreign investors,” saidDhammika Perera, chairman of the Board. “We expect three leading hotel chains to sign an investment agreement with us in about three months.”
Sri Lanka’s benchmark stock index, the Colombo All-Share Index, has climbed 20 percent since the Tamil Tigers were defeated, taking its gains this year to 50 percent as local investors snapped up shares.
The Securities and Exchange Commission is now keen for the likes of George Soros, Mark Mobius and other top fund managers to invest in the country and help the Colombo Stock Exchange double its capitalization to $14 billion in a year.
“It will take a while for people to realize that a 30-year war has ended and the dividends it can bring,” said Channa de Silva, director general of the Commission. “Sri Lanka is a country waiting to unfold and we are confident there will be a lot of interest internationally.”
To contact the reporter on this story: Cherian Thomas in New Delhi atCthomas1@bloomberg.net .
World’s richest IDPs – only in Sri Lanka!!!! -INVESTIGATE SOURCE/S OF THE LOOT NOW!!! Posted on June 15th, 2009
Written by Ramanie de Zoysa
For all the reams of paper that has been used to evoke pathos by all and sundry on behalf of the ‘suffering’ Sri Lankan IDPs in the North absolutely no mention has been or is made of the immense wealth these very ‘IDPs’ are reported to have deposited into Banks especially set up in the North in the IDP camps. These Tamil IDPs that have been likened to those of Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia etc by the Tamil Diaspora and their international lackeys have reportedly banked Rs 390m in a matter of two days after the banks were opened! To top this, further cash and gold have been deposited into bank accounts and safety deposit boxes at the newly opened banking facilities since then- and reportedly some are still drying monetary notes that got submerged in the lagoon waters. To my mind, this must be the subject of an immediate Presidential Inquiry.
As I watched the exodus of these people emerging from waters of Nanthai Kadaal lagoon on television, chin on my palm, and heart in my mouth feeling great sorrow for the suffering of the men, women, children and the aged I must say that my interest was piqued just passingly at the exceptionally large gold jewellery some women were wearing. In fact that pleased me at the time because in a village, a village woman wearing gold jewellery simply means that she has not had to pawn them off to feed her starving children. I saw the suitcases, pottanis and carry bags being hauled by men and women and I assumed that those must contain their weather beaten clothes or may be even a treasured television set which is what I saw poor seaside Sinhala villagers carry to safety after the tsunami struck. I was floored to learn that the pottanis, bags and suitcases possibly carried money and gold and my estimates were out possibly by a cool billion rupees or so!
For thirty solid years these people have not been employed. No known businesses have been run from these areas. They have not added one cent to the GDP of the country. Then, where does this wealth come from?
Are the IDPs carrying LTTE wealth? Are they indeed LTTE fighters who are posing off as ‘innocent civilians’? Age, gender or physical ability has never been a basis for discounting the possibility that someone is an LTTE cadre as has been proven over thirty years over and over again.
If this is the case then their wealth is the result of major scale racketeering, drug trafficking, money laundering, and kappan taking. The Sri Lankan Government has a duty to freeze these assets immediately and follow the money trail which will also shed light into who indeed the IDPs are.
While this wealth is treated with such reckless disinterest by the relevant authorities the money may just be the start-up kit for the next generation LTTE. While there is hardly a doubt that that this could be LTTE wealth; these IDPs may have come into ownership of the loot through one or more of several ways. The LTTE leaders in their final days may have entrusted these villagers with the funds asking them to guard it and pass on to the next line of fighters when they are ready. Secondly it could be that these people are the next generation LTTE cadres themselves who will bide their time masquerading as civilians and re-group using these deposits and further overseas remittances. Thirdly, the people may have stolen the LTTE loot and carried it with them to the safety of Sri Lankan Government protection. None of these scenarios allow the illegal loot of the LTTE to be handled freely by these people. The wealth should immediately be frozen and a team of experts in investigating money laundering, criminal and terrorist financing should be employed to investigate the sources. Any wealth that is claimed by the holders legitimately could then be returned to the owners and they could be re-settled immediately.
Banking secrecy? - How far does it go?
What also amazes me is the absolute secrecy afforded by the Sri Lankan authorities and the local and international media to the existence of this wealth. As far as I am aware only the Sinhala newspaper Lankadeepa and Sunday Observer made any mention of this issue, albeit in the absolute minimalist fashion. I recall the amount of media exposure given to two Southern Sinhala scammers, Sakvithi and ‘Danduam mudalali’ only several months ago. I also remember the self- righteous venom with which the Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka Mr Ajith Nivard Cabraal reacted when victims of these scammers sought leniency and assistance at the time of their misfortune. Cabraal ruled out ANY relief to the investors apparently because ‘they have been dishonest and greedy for large returns’ and invested their hard earned money in the black economy. Where is that self-righteousness, high moral standards and ruthless scrutiny, Mr Cabraal?
For a start, this unexplained wealth must be fully exposed to the likes of Mr Ban ki Moon UNSG and all major media outlets. LTTE-lovers such as BBC, CNN, Al Jazeera etc may never pick up on this news item but there are other unbiased media outlets in the International arena that will surely pick up the story.
Personally I am amazed at the zero intelligence shown in this regard by Governor Cabraal, who reportedly personally visited the IDP camps in Vavuniya to oversee the banking facilities provided to IDPs. After announcing to local papers that the displaced people have deposited a total of Rs 390 million in the two mobile branches of the Bank of Ceylon and People’s Bank, just two days after they opened, Cabraal reportedly made the following loose comment:
“”There must be much more now. They brought all kinds of valuables, including cash, gold, jewellery wrapped in cloth bundles and small bags as they fled,” he said, adding that ATMs have also been installed at these mobile banking units. The branches have also been authorised to receive foreign remittances and transfer money out. “Some money has also come in from abroad for inmates at the camp,” Mr Cabraal said.”
Did it ever cross the brain cells of this Chartered Accountant turned Banker that in any other village in the rest of the country the villagers would struggle to put together Rs390 let alone Rs390 million?
Is he aware of anti-money laundering and Anti-Criminal & Terrorism Financing laws of developed countries that would pounce upon a single deposit of cash of even a couple of thousand dollars by an individual and query the source of those funds? Banking secrecy laws are often superseded by the provisions contained in these anti-money laundering, anti-criminal & terror financing laws.
Why are the Sri Lankan Banks that come under Mr Cabraal’s purview allow unexplained cash and gold deposits amounting to several times the budget deficit of the entire country without a simple question and also provide ATM facilities that will allow the IDPs to withdraw, transfer or otherwise dispose of millions or possibly billions of Rupees. Funnily enough Cabraal says that some money has also come from overseas for the IDPs. I hope this overseas source/s has/have been thoroughly investigated.
This is the type of incompetence of the highest order that allowed the LTTE to achieve the impressive heights it achieved and amass extraordinary wealth and terror capacity over the past thirty years which had to be dismantled in the extremely painful way at great personal cost by our valiant sons and daughters of the Armed Forces. Let no further bureaucratic moron continue to act in the same stupid manner squandering arguably the most remarkable human achievement in the history of mankind, certainly in the history of Sri Lanka.
Dear President Rajapakse and Defence Secretary Rajapakse, I appeal to both of you to look into this matter!
For all the reams of paper that has been used to evoke pathos by all and sundry on behalf of the ‘suffering’ Sri Lankan IDPs in the North absolutely no mention has been or is made of the immense wealth these very ‘IDPs’ are reported to have deposited into Banks especially set up in the North in the IDP camps. These Tamil IDPs that have been likened to those of Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia etc by the Tamil Diaspora and their international lackeys have reportedly banked Rs 390m in a matter of two days after the banks were opened! To top this, further cash and gold have been deposited into bank accounts and safety deposit boxes at the newly opened banking facilities since then- and reportedly some are still drying monetary notes that got submerged in the lagoon waters. To my mind, this must be the subject of an immediate Presidential Inquiry.
As I watched the exodus of these people emerging from waters of Nanthai Kadaal lagoon on television, chin on my palm, and heart in my mouth feeling great sorrow for the suffering of the men, women, children and the aged I must say that my interest was piqued just passingly at the exceptionally large gold jewellery some women were wearing. In fact that pleased me at the time because in a village, a village woman wearing gold jewellery simply means that she has not had to pawn them off to feed her starving children. I saw the suitcases, pottanis and carry bags being hauled by men and women and I assumed that those must contain their weather beaten clothes or may be even a treasured television set which is what I saw poor seaside Sinhala villagers carry to safety after the tsunami struck. I was floored to learn that the pottanis, bags and suitcases possibly carried money and gold and my estimates were out possibly by a cool billion rupees or so!
For thirty solid years these people have not been employed. No known businesses have been run from these areas. They have not added one cent to the GDP of the country. Then, where does this wealth come from?
Are the IDPs carrying LTTE wealth? Are they indeed LTTE fighters who are posing off as ‘innocent civilians’? Age, gender or physical ability has never been a basis for discounting the possibility that someone is an LTTE cadre as has been proven over thirty years over and over again.
If this is the case then their wealth is the result of major scale racketeering, drug trafficking, money laundering, and kappan taking. The Sri Lankan Government has a duty to freeze these assets immediately and follow the money trail which will also shed light into who indeed the IDPs are.
While this wealth is treated with such reckless disinterest by the relevant authorities the money may just be the start-up kit for the next generation LTTE. While there is hardly a doubt that that this could be LTTE wealth; these IDPs may have come into ownership of the loot through one or more of several ways. The LTTE leaders in their final days may have entrusted these villagers with the funds asking them to guard it and pass on to the next line of fighters when they are ready. Secondly it could be that these people are the next generation LTTE cadres themselves who will bide their time masquerading as civilians and re-group using these deposits and further overseas remittances. Thirdly, the people may have stolen the LTTE loot and carried it with them to the safety of Sri Lankan Government protection. None of these scenarios allow the illegal loot of the LTTE to be handled freely by these people. The wealth should immediately be frozen and a team of experts in investigating money laundering, criminal and terrorist financing should be employed to investigate the sources. Any wealth that is claimed by the holders legitimately could then be returned to the owners and they could be re-settled immediately.
Banking secrecy? - How far does it go?
What also amazes me is the absolute secrecy afforded by the Sri Lankan authorities and the local and international media to the existence of this wealth. As far as I am aware only the Sinhala newspaper Lankadeepa and Sunday Observer made any mention of this issue, albeit in the absolute minimalist fashion. I recall the amount of media exposure given to two Southern Sinhala scammers, Sakvithi and ‘Danduam mudalali’ only several months ago. I also remember the self- righteous venom with which the Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka Mr Ajith Nivard Cabraal reacted when victims of these scammers sought leniency and assistance at the time of their misfortune. Cabraal ruled out ANY relief to the investors apparently because ‘they have been dishonest and greedy for large returns’ and invested their hard earned money in the black economy. Where is that self-righteousness, high moral standards and ruthless scrutiny, Mr Cabraal?
For a start, this unexplained wealth must be fully exposed to the likes of Mr Ban ki Moon UNSG and all major media outlets. LTTE-lovers such as BBC, CNN, Al Jazeera etc may never pick up on this news item but there are other unbiased media outlets in the International arena that will surely pick up the story.
Personally I am amazed at the zero intelligence shown in this regard by Governor Cabraal, who reportedly personally visited the IDP camps in Vavuniya to oversee the banking facilities provided to IDPs. After announcing to local papers that the displaced people have deposited a total of Rs 390 million in the two mobile branches of the Bank of Ceylon and People’s Bank, just two days after they opened, Cabraal reportedly made the following loose comment:
“”There must be much more now. They brought all kinds of valuables, including cash, gold, jewellery wrapped in cloth bundles and small bags as they fled,” he said, adding that ATMs have also been installed at these mobile banking units. The branches have also been authorised to receive foreign remittances and transfer money out. “Some money has also come in from abroad for inmates at the camp,” Mr Cabraal said.”
Did it ever cross the brain cells of this Chartered Accountant turned Banker that in any other village in the rest of the country the villagers would struggle to put together Rs390 let alone Rs390 million?
Is he aware of anti-money laundering and Anti-Criminal & Terrorism Financing laws of developed countries that would pounce upon a single deposit of cash of even a couple of thousand dollars by an individual and query the source of those funds? Banking secrecy laws are often superseded by the provisions contained in these anti-money laundering, anti-criminal & terror financing laws.
Why are the Sri Lankan Banks that come under Mr Cabraal’s purview allow unexplained cash and gold deposits amounting to several times the budget deficit of the entire country without a simple question and also provide ATM facilities that will allow the IDPs to withdraw, transfer or otherwise dispose of millions or possibly billions of Rupees. Funnily enough Cabraal says that some money has also come from overseas for the IDPs. I hope this overseas source/s has/have been thoroughly investigated.
This is the type of incompetence of the highest order that allowed the LTTE to achieve the impressive heights it achieved and amass extraordinary wealth and terror capacity over the past thirty years which had to be dismantled in the extremely painful way at great personal cost by our valiant sons and daughters of the Armed Forces. Let no further bureaucratic moron continue to act in the same stupid manner squandering arguably the most remarkable human achievement in the history of mankind, certainly in the history of Sri Lanka.
Dear President Rajapakse and Defence Secretary Rajapakse, I appeal to both of you to look into this matter!
Canadian MP detained at Colombo airport
Sri Lanka had detained a Canadian MP at the Colombo airport for his alleged pro-LTTE stand and he is likely to be deported, officials said on Wednesday.
Bob Rae, an MP of the opposition Liberal Party of Canada, who came here on a visit visa, was detained at the Bandaranaike airport on his arrival last night.
Bob Rae, an MP of the opposition Liberal Party of Canada, who came here on a visit visa, was detained at the Bandaranaike airport on his arrival last night."We are likely to make necessary arrangements to send him back," the official said.
Rae, while speaking in the Canadian parliament recently, had hit out at Sri Lanka for the alleged killing of 20,000 Tamil civilians, a media report said.
"On June 2, 2009 Bob Rae spoke in parliament calling for an investigation into Sri Lanka, and referred to 20,000 dead/missing and was followed on June 3, 2009 by Jim Karygianis speaking on behalf of his LTTE Tamil constituents calling for an emergency debate on Sri Lanka," a newspaper website said.
"They are from the greater Toronto area where the bulk of the Tamil voters sympathetic to the LTTE live and from where tens of thousands of Tamils waving the LTTE flag and carrying pictures of Prabhakaran have been demonstrating both in Ottawa and Toronto," the report said.
The paper said that being the foreign affairs critic in parliament, Rae would use information from this visit to harass the Canadian government which will affect relationship between the two countries.
French & British Tamils reject LTTE proxies for EU Parliamen
French voters elected 78 MEPs for EU Parliament including 14 each from the Green Party and the Socialists, but outright rejected the LTTE backed Tamil candidates who fielded under independent group for Ile de France district that includes Paris. EPP topped the list with 30 seats while the Liberals came fourth with 6 seats after the Greens and the Socialists.
The Tamil origin French voters from Sri Lanka, Mauritius, East Africa and India cast their votes in favour of socialist and left parties. The Tamil group backed by the front organizations of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was routed in the election.
The Independent group headed by Jean Marie Julia from Pondicherry could not even get the votes of the French citizens of Pondicherry origin because the list included 18 Sri Lankan Tamils backed by the LTTE. "Julia had a chance of getting elected if he had contested from a socialist party," Joe Samuels, a Pondicherry Tamil in Paris said. "But our people rejected his list because it contained names of several LTTE supporters. Our people detest violence and they don’t want anybody who believes in violent politics".
Meanwhile, Janani Jananayagam, know as Janani to the LTTE diaspora in London, had to bite the dust, in spite of heavy backing by the LTTE supporters. She was subsequently backed by one MIA, a rap artist who thought that the younger generation of rap fans would rally round her call and vote for Janani who thought she would make it into the EU Parliament. Even a couple of musical events which were supposedly organized by this rapper failed to draw crowds as anticipated and also votes at the elections.
Jananayagam received 50,014 votes as opposed to the last elected member of the UKEP which was 188,440 votes. This was a dismal performance by the much hyped Jananayagam who hoped to be carried into the EU Parliament by the Tamil Diaspora.
"It is a very poor showing," said Jacob Vasan, a Tamil youth leader from Luton. "Jaani, lost more Tamil votes than she could win over because of a her 'I am the greatest' attitude. She snubbed many Indians and people from friendly countries like Malaysia and Mauritius".
No of Votes MEPs
Conservertives 497,037 3
Labour 372,590 2
Liberal Democrats 240,156 1
Green 190,589 1
UKip 188,440 1
BNP 86,420 0
Christian Party 51,336 0
Ind. Jananayagam 50, 014 0
Jan Jananayagam is an independent British candidate in the forthcoming European Parliament elections, which will take place on June 4-7. Jananayagam has been lobbying the British government to help stop the war in Sri Lanka—an issue that M.I.A. has been very vocal about in the past.
Her support for Jananayagam looks set to be immortalized in a song, which will be available to Londoners who vote for the candidate. It’s not yet clear what the song is called or how it will be distributed to voters, but it will inevitably leak online once M.I.A. has made it available.
The losses faced by LTTE supporting politicians such as Jayalalitha, Vaiko, The Independent Candidates who contested for a berth in the European Parliament in Paris, and the latest loser Jani Jananayagam brings out a strong message to the effect that all Tamils are not and never were with the LTTE, the most ruthless terrorist organization in the world.
Tamil Writers Guild is delighted to fully endorse Independent (Tamil) MEP Candidate Ms. Jan Jananayagam - Your Vote Counts!
On behalf of the Tamil Writers Guild, we seek your immediate support to help elect Ms. Jan Jananayagam, who is standing as an Independent candidate in the forthcoming European Parliamentary Election for the London constituency on Thursday 4th June. This message is particularly relevant to those of you who are on the electoral list for the London region and also, for those of you who have family, friends and colleagues who live in that region and are entitled to vote.
Please remember she needs only 150,000 votes to be elected – every vote you can help to deliver is one more towards that winning goal!
Sri Lanka turns back Tamil aid ship
Sri Lankan authorities Monday ordered a foreign-owned ship carrying aid for Tamil civilians to leave the island without unloading its cargo.The Syrian-registered ship, Captain Ali, was seized last week, and the Sri Lankan defence ministry said the cargo of food and other supplies had been destined for the now defeated Tamil Tiger rebels.
"The ship had tried to enter Sri Lankan waters without following the proper procedure," an official said, but added that a search of the vessel confirmed it was not carrying any arms or ammunition.
The organisers of the mission, Mercy Mission to Wanni, said on their website that the goods were meant for Tamil civilians caught up in the decades-long conflict.
An Icelandic national, Kristjan Guomundsson, who had served as one of the monitors of a truce between Tamil Tigers and troops between February 2002 and January 2008, was also aboard the Captain Ali.
The mission's website admitted the voyage may have violated international shipping and port safety procedures.
"If this is the case and the non-Mercy Mission persons responsible for this compliance did not fulfill their responsibilities and handle these matters in the appropriate, professional manner, Mercy Mission apologizes," the website said.
The supplies, donated by Tamils living abroad, were loaded on to a ship in the British port of Ipswich in April -- just weeks before the government declared victory in the ethnic conflict.
According to the group's website, the materials were then ferried from England to the French port of Fos-sur-Mer. From there they were loaded on to the Captain Ali on May 7.
The mission was organised at a time when Tamil Tiger rebels were cornered in the island's northeast along with tens of thousands of civilians. The ship was originally due to travel to a coastline that was then under rebel control.
Government troops announced they had crushed the Tigers after killing the rebel leadership on May 18.
Nearly 300,000 Tamil civilians crossed over to government-held areas during the final stages of fighting.
Pottu Amman dead but body could not be identified: Gotabhaya
Sri Lanka is "100 per cent" sure that its forces killed LTTE intelligence chief during the last phase of Army offensive against the rebels, but admitted that Pottu Amman's body could not be identifed as the troops were busy with search and destroy operation, a top official said. "We found the body of LTTE sea tiger chief Soosai.
We have identified the bodies of all the leaders except Pottu Amman. Our soldiers were on a search and destroy operation and in these circumstances, Pottu Amman's body could not be identified," Sri Lanka's powerful Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa has said.
"There were so many bodies we could not identify. All the people who were there were killed and I am 100 per cent sure that Pottu Amman was also killed in the confrontation with Army," Rajapaksa told The Sunday Times.
Rajapaksa, the brother of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, said that top LTTE leaders tried to flee through land or sea, but failed as military cornered them with their fool-proof plans and killed them. "There is no big story behind it.
Tactically, the military cornered them and all the leaders were killed. Our military plans were superior and that's what happened.
There should be no speculation or suspicion," he said.
HRC seeks clarity over Sri Lanka vote
The Human Rights Commission has asked the government to explain why its UN representative voted against a call for an international investigation into suspected atrocities in Sri Lanka.
This week commission chairman Jody Kollapen wrote to the minister of international relations and cooperation, Maite Nkoane-Mashabane, asking why the position taken by the SA representative on the UN Human Rights Council differed from the government position.
South Africa recently supported a call by Judge Navi Pillay, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, for an investigation into the atrocities.
In his letter Kollapen says: “ The SA government issued a statement that the Human Rights Council ‘urgently investigates possible violations of international human rights law and contraventions of the Geneva Convention’.
“This was not supported by the SA representative when the matter came before council last week.”
In recent weeks the Sri Lanka government has carried out an offensive to finally defeat the Tamil Tiger rebels who launched their separatist struggle in 1983. Both sides have been accused of human rights abuses.
Kollapen said South Africa had always played a role in trying to mediate the conflict.
“What was concerning was South Africa supported the resolution that would not see any investigation. It was in contradiction to the statement issued by the South African government.
“On one hand the government is saying there should be an investigation, but on the international forum it’s not consistent in taking the same stance. We are asking the government for an explanation for the contradictory stances,” said Kollapen.
Thangam Jogianna, secretary of the Tamil Co-ordinating Committee of SA, said: “This leads us to question the role of South Africa. .. and whether our government would take a stand regarding the violation of the rights of Tamils in Sri Lanka.”
A spokesman for Nkoane-Mashabane said: “If there is such a letter, the minister would respond to the Human Rights Commission.”
Sri Lankan troops hunt rebels in east
The military in Sri Lanka said Saturday that at least two Tamil Tiger rebels were killed in a search operation in the east on Friday.
Officials from the Ministry of Defense said the two members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) were killed Friday afternoon in eastern Ampara district's Pottuvil area.
The troops are on the hunt for LTTE rebels who are believed to have escaped into eastern jungles from the northeastern Mullaittivu district during the final battles at the end of last month.
Elsewhere at Valaichchenai in the eastern Batticaloa district, the troops, during a search operation, had found weapons and ammunition hidden by the rebels, the officials said.
The government on May 19 announced the end to the 30-year-old armed conflict in the island.
Most of the eastern rebels have surrendered to the government with the announcement of the death of LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran.
The LTTE began to fight for an independent homeland for the minority Tamils in the 1980s based on claims that the Tamils were being discriminated by the majority Sinhalese-dominated governments.
More than 100,000 people were killed in the civil war, one of the longest civil wars in Asia
Sri Lankan Canadians steal thunder from Tamil Tigers in Toronto
Despite the protest and March by the LTTE supporters in Toronto, democratic Sri Lankan/Canadians stole the thunder in Toronto and demoralized the terrorists with the display of a large banner and the use of a small plane which read “Protect Canada – Stop the Tamil Tigers”.
Reporting the counter protest which enraged the Tamil Tiger supporters in Toronto, The Toronto Star said:
“Members of Toronto’s Sri Lankan community used a banner pulled behind a plane in the sky and a banner and placards over the Don Valley Parkway today to express their fear the Tamil community will bring Tamil Tiger violence to Canada.
“We want Torontoto be safe. The Tamil Tigers are controlling the Sri Lankan community in Canada and their agenda is the only one being heard. We feel we are being controlled,” said Kumar Gunasekera, one of about 50 people who waved placards and hung a banner over the Don Valley footbridge to Riverdale during this evening’s rush hour.
The airplane pulling another banner circled over the huge Queen’s Park demonstration, enraging the protesters crowded there.
The banners read: “Protect Canada - Stop the Tamil Tigers.”
The demonstrators at the Don Valleybridge said they represent more than 50,000, until now, silent Sinhalese Canadians.
“What should be of real concern are the 1,000 cadres of Tamil Tigers in the GTA and the violence we have yet to see here,” he added.
The bridge demonstrators were members of the Sri Lankan Youth of Canadaand the Sri Lankan United National Association.
They said today’s airplane message was paid for by private citizens, and neither the Sri Lankan government nor consulate in Toronto.
“We only hear one side of the story and it is the Tamil agenda,” said Eranga De-Zoysa, a Ryerson architectural science student.
“They have ruined their motherland and now that Canada has offered them shelter they are ruining it here,” added his mother Badra De-Zoysa.
Reporting the counter protest which enraged the Tamil Tiger supporters in Toronto, The Toronto Star said:
“Members of Toronto’s Sri Lankan community used a banner pulled behind a plane in the sky and a banner and placards over the Don Valley Parkway today to express their fear the Tamil community will bring Tamil Tiger violence to Canada.
“We want Torontoto be safe. The Tamil Tigers are controlling the Sri Lankan community in Canada and their agenda is the only one being heard. We feel we are being controlled,” said Kumar Gunasekera, one of about 50 people who waved placards and hung a banner over the Don Valley footbridge to Riverdale during this evening’s rush hour.
The airplane pulling another banner circled over the huge Queen’s Park demonstration, enraging the protesters crowded there.
The banners read: “Protect Canada - Stop the Tamil Tigers.”
The demonstrators at the Don Valleybridge said they represent more than 50,000, until now, silent Sinhalese Canadians.
“What should be of real concern are the 1,000 cadres of Tamil Tigers in the GTA and the violence we have yet to see here,” he added.
The bridge demonstrators were members of the Sri Lankan Youth of Canadaand the Sri Lankan United National Association.
They said today’s airplane message was paid for by private citizens, and neither the Sri Lankan government nor consulate in Toronto.
“We only hear one side of the story and it is the Tamil agenda,” said Eranga De-Zoysa, a Ryerson architectural science student.
“They have ruined their motherland and now that Canada has offered them shelter they are ruining it here,” added his mother Badra De-Zoysa.
Sri Lankan voice to the Washington Post
The Editor,
Washington Times,
Dear Sirs,
How is it that the Western media never congratulated the
Sri Lankan government and one of the best Army, Navy
and other Law Enforcement organisations on this planet
who were able to completely eradicate terrorism.
It is about time you give some recognition and publicity
to this tiny island and it’s inhabitants. Sri Lanka embraces
an inclusive society where all people are treated equal.
We are a great nation who will set standards for the world
to follow in the future.
History is a funny animal. Like a pet dog it can be
loved, rubbed, groomed, fed, made to obey, ignored,
forgotten, punished, or locked up – depending on the
owner’s proclivities and prevailing mood. As long as the
animal is fed, it is usually cooperative. In a rare moment,
however, it can bite back if provoked or mistreated. I think
this might be just one of those moments when the dog takes a
nip out of his owner’s hide. Let me explain.
The recent uproar over presumed human rights abuses by
the Government of Sri Lanka resulted in the "Western
Powers" crying foul in unison. Even without proper
investigation, for some strange reason they quickly jumped
to condemn the GOSL, which was doing everything it could to
protect the lives of the innocent Tamil human shields and
bring them to safety in the No Fire Zone.
There has been a lot of tearful feigned sympathy for the
rescued IDP’s, but there has also been a huge loss of
memory in regards to the "Western Powers" past
sins of mass murder, or their looking the other way while
thousands suffered and died on their watch.
Let me cite a few examples, and allow me to cry
"Foul!" on behalf of the innocent victims.
• Since the 2003 invasion of Iraq by the "Western
Powers" there have been 92,133 to 100,591 documented
civilian deaths from violence in Iraq (source: "Iraq
Body Count" website). The British medical journal, The
Lancet, puts the figure much higher at approximately
654,965.
• Since the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan by the U.S.
there have been 7,760 to 10,557 documented direct deaths of
civilians, and 3,200 to 20,000 indirect deaths for a total
of direct and indirect at 10,960 to 30,557 (source:
Wikipedia). The "Unknown News" website puts this
figure at 19,886 including nearly 1,100 foreign troops and
journalists who have been killed.
• Going back a ways in history, the Mau Mau
insurrection against British rule in Kenya caused the death
of 10,173 activists, and an approximate 70,000 Kikuyu
tribesmen were imprisoned (source: About.com: African
History).
• Going back even farther in history to World War II,
there were approximately 140,000 innocent civilians killed
by the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima by the U.S.; 80,000
at Nagasaki; and as many as 500,000 in Dresden when the
Allies dropped 700,000 phosphorous bombs on the city –
nearly one for every two inhabitants. Approximately 120,000
Japanese residents in the US (66% of them US citizens) were
imprisoned in ten interment camps, an act that was declared
unconstitutional in 1945, and never apologized for until
President Clinton’s era (albeit very weakly).
• Even farther back in history, to the turn of the
last century, you’ll find the US suppression of the
insurrection in the Philippines killing 200,000 people, with
the policy to shoot anyone over ten years old who dared to
resist US occupation. Speaking of genocide, what about the
killing of hundreds of thousands of Native Americans –
even going so far as to make gifts of US Army blankets to
the Natives that were laced with smallpox. Nice gifts.
Reports of genocidal actions by the "Western
Powers" during their empire expansion and colonial
periods already fills volumes – including Sri Lanka’s
history books. Did anyone call “foul” when they were
actually happening?
• A little more recently, Belgium’s legacy when
Rwanda was granted independence in 1962, was the death of
800,000 Tutsi’s and Hutu sympathizers from April 6, 1994
and continuing for 100 days – some days killing as many as
10,000. Belgium and the other “Western Powers” did
nothing until it was too late.
• How about the genocidal campaigns in Bosnia,
Cambodia, Hitler’s Holocaust, and the Japanese Nanking
Massacre? Who came to the rescue of the innocent victims –
or even cried foul while they were being cruelly and
systematically exterminated?
• The statistics of the LTTE’s war to create a
racially separate homeland for Tamils are staggering. Over
thirty years approximately 100,000 people of all races were
killed, and countless more injured or permanently maimed.
The LTTE was 100% responsible for this outrage, so who could
blame the GOSL for wanting to end it once and for all?
The GOSL rescued nearly 300,000 Tamils being held by
Prabhakaran as human shields during the waning days of Eelam
IV, and is currently doing its best to care for them with
the limited resources it has available. I don’t know why
the Government isn’t being applauded for such an
accomplishment. I still can’t figure out why the
"Western Powers” are crying foul. What exactly is
there intention, I’d like to know. Do they really want to
see the conflict finished – or is it in their best
interest to continue seeing the South Asian region
de-stabilized? Is this perhaps why the British Government
sold arms to Sri Lanka during Eelam IV, and we’re just now
finding out about it? Was it just to make a sale and keep
business moving?
It’s almost as if the "Western Powers"
can’t bring themselves to acknowledge that a small,
far-away island nation, populated by brown-skinned natives,
could be successful in ending a thirty-year terrorist
scourge when they can’t do the same in their own
struggles, wherever they might be. Granted, the
brown-skinned natives didn’t acquiesce to the
"Western Powers" demands to cease their fire and
allow the terrorists to escape. Also granted, the
brown-skinned natives are proud of their victorious
accomplishment, and of their President who stood firm
against the “Western Powers” ridiculous and duplicitous
demands.
I say we all stand up and cry "foul" at the
"Western Powers" for their historical, un-avenged
murders, and at those who simply stood by and allowed the
destruction of millions of innocent lives. I think history,
like the mistreated dog, will bite the "Western
Powers" on their collective posteriors, while it winds
up applauding Sri Lanka for its success against the LTTE
terrorists, and its compassionate treatment of the survivors
that it made sure were spared and re-settled in their
homes.
History indeed is like an animal. I don’t think it
will be too long before the "Western Powers" are
bought to their knees by the dogs they raised, but can no
longer control. Their “national karma” may have just
"come home to roost" and put them even more at
risk than they already are. Perhaps by then history, like a
good dog, will be on the side of Sri Lanka and give it the
proper accolades it so rightfully deserves.
Washington Times,
Dear Sirs,
How is it that the Western media never congratulated the
Sri Lankan government and one of the best Army, Navy
and other Law Enforcement organisations on this planet
who were able to completely eradicate terrorism.
It is about time you give some recognition and publicity
to this tiny island and it’s inhabitants. Sri Lanka embraces
an inclusive society where all people are treated equal.
We are a great nation who will set standards for the world
to follow in the future.
History is a funny animal. Like a pet dog it can be
loved, rubbed, groomed, fed, made to obey, ignored,
forgotten, punished, or locked up – depending on the
owner’s proclivities and prevailing mood. As long as the
animal is fed, it is usually cooperative. In a rare moment,
however, it can bite back if provoked or mistreated. I think
this might be just one of those moments when the dog takes a
nip out of his owner’s hide. Let me explain.
The recent uproar over presumed human rights abuses by
the Government of Sri Lanka resulted in the "Western
Powers" crying foul in unison. Even without proper
investigation, for some strange reason they quickly jumped
to condemn the GOSL, which was doing everything it could to
protect the lives of the innocent Tamil human shields and
bring them to safety in the No Fire Zone.
There has been a lot of tearful feigned sympathy for the
rescued IDP’s, but there has also been a huge loss of
memory in regards to the "Western Powers" past
sins of mass murder, or their looking the other way while
thousands suffered and died on their watch.
Let me cite a few examples, and allow me to cry
"Foul!" on behalf of the innocent victims.
• Since the 2003 invasion of Iraq by the "Western
Powers" there have been 92,133 to 100,591 documented
civilian deaths from violence in Iraq (source: "Iraq
Body Count" website). The British medical journal, The
Lancet, puts the figure much higher at approximately
654,965.
• Since the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan by the U.S.
there have been 7,760 to 10,557 documented direct deaths of
civilians, and 3,200 to 20,000 indirect deaths for a total
of direct and indirect at 10,960 to 30,557 (source:
Wikipedia). The "Unknown News" website puts this
figure at 19,886 including nearly 1,100 foreign troops and
journalists who have been killed.
• Going back a ways in history, the Mau Mau
insurrection against British rule in Kenya caused the death
of 10,173 activists, and an approximate 70,000 Kikuyu
tribesmen were imprisoned (source: About.com: African
History).
• Going back even farther in history to World War II,
there were approximately 140,000 innocent civilians killed
by the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima by the U.S.; 80,000
at Nagasaki; and as many as 500,000 in Dresden when the
Allies dropped 700,000 phosphorous bombs on the city –
nearly one for every two inhabitants. Approximately 120,000
Japanese residents in the US (66% of them US citizens) were
imprisoned in ten interment camps, an act that was declared
unconstitutional in 1945, and never apologized for until
President Clinton’s era (albeit very weakly).
• Even farther back in history, to the turn of the
last century, you’ll find the US suppression of the
insurrection in the Philippines killing 200,000 people, with
the policy to shoot anyone over ten years old who dared to
resist US occupation. Speaking of genocide, what about the
killing of hundreds of thousands of Native Americans –
even going so far as to make gifts of US Army blankets to
the Natives that were laced with smallpox. Nice gifts.
Reports of genocidal actions by the "Western
Powers" during their empire expansion and colonial
periods already fills volumes – including Sri Lanka’s
history books. Did anyone call “foul” when they were
actually happening?
• A little more recently, Belgium’s legacy when
Rwanda was granted independence in 1962, was the death of
800,000 Tutsi’s and Hutu sympathizers from April 6, 1994
and continuing for 100 days – some days killing as many as
10,000. Belgium and the other “Western Powers” did
nothing until it was too late.
• How about the genocidal campaigns in Bosnia,
Cambodia, Hitler’s Holocaust, and the Japanese Nanking
Massacre? Who came to the rescue of the innocent victims –
or even cried foul while they were being cruelly and
systematically exterminated?
• The statistics of the LTTE’s war to create a
racially separate homeland for Tamils are staggering. Over
thirty years approximately 100,000 people of all races were
killed, and countless more injured or permanently maimed.
The LTTE was 100% responsible for this outrage, so who could
blame the GOSL for wanting to end it once and for all?
The GOSL rescued nearly 300,000 Tamils being held by
Prabhakaran as human shields during the waning days of Eelam
IV, and is currently doing its best to care for them with
the limited resources it has available. I don’t know why
the Government isn’t being applauded for such an
accomplishment. I still can’t figure out why the
"Western Powers” are crying foul. What exactly is
there intention, I’d like to know. Do they really want to
see the conflict finished – or is it in their best
interest to continue seeing the South Asian region
de-stabilized? Is this perhaps why the British Government
sold arms to Sri Lanka during Eelam IV, and we’re just now
finding out about it? Was it just to make a sale and keep
business moving?
It’s almost as if the "Western Powers"
can’t bring themselves to acknowledge that a small,
far-away island nation, populated by brown-skinned natives,
could be successful in ending a thirty-year terrorist
scourge when they can’t do the same in their own
struggles, wherever they might be. Granted, the
brown-skinned natives didn’t acquiesce to the
"Western Powers" demands to cease their fire and
allow the terrorists to escape. Also granted, the
brown-skinned natives are proud of their victorious
accomplishment, and of their President who stood firm
against the “Western Powers” ridiculous and duplicitous
demands.
I say we all stand up and cry "foul" at the
"Western Powers" for their historical, un-avenged
murders, and at those who simply stood by and allowed the
destruction of millions of innocent lives. I think history,
like the mistreated dog, will bite the "Western
Powers" on their collective posteriors, while it winds
up applauding Sri Lanka for its success against the LTTE
terrorists, and its compassionate treatment of the survivors
that it made sure were spared and re-settled in their
homes.
History indeed is like an animal. I don’t think it
will be too long before the "Western Powers" are
bought to their knees by the dogs they raised, but can no
longer control. Their “national karma” may have just
"come home to roost" and put them even more at
risk than they already are. Perhaps by then history, like a
good dog, will be on the side of Sri Lanka and give it the
proper accolades it so rightfully deserves.
Tamil protesters in UK demand Lankan team's ouster from T20 WC
A group of Tamil people protested the presence of Sri Lankan cricket team in the T20 World Cup here and demanded their ouster from the tournament in the wake of alleged human rights violation by the island nation's army in its recent offensive against the LTTE.
The protest took place when Sri Lanka and South Africa were playing a warm-up match at the Lord's yesterday.
About 50 London-based Sri Lankans gathered outside the Wellington Road entrance and one of the placards they were holding, read, "Sri Lanka's latest score: 20,000 dead, 300,000 displaced".
Thusiyan Naneakumar, a spokesman for the protesters said, "The human rights issue is the only issue we are protesting over. The Sri Lankan human rights record is abominable. The government are not letting in any major aid agencies or any major media, there are 300,000 Tamils trapped in camps.
"How can the team come and play cricket representing a country that does this to its own people?," he was quoted as saying by the 'Guardian'.
Naneakumar criticised England for adopting double standards in human right violation matters.
"Last year England refused to play Zimbabwe because of their human rights record. They refused to play on moral grounds, and we feel it is hypocritical of them to play Sri Lanka, because the human rights situation in Sri Lanka is just as bad, if not worse. That's why we are making this protest, because we don't want them here," he added.
The protest took place when Sri Lanka and South Africa were playing a warm-up match at the Lord's yesterday.
About 50 London-based Sri Lankans gathered outside the Wellington Road entrance and one of the placards they were holding, read, "Sri Lanka's latest score: 20,000 dead, 300,000 displaced".
Thusiyan Naneakumar, a spokesman for the protesters said, "The human rights issue is the only issue we are protesting over. The Sri Lankan human rights record is abominable. The government are not letting in any major aid agencies or any major media, there are 300,000 Tamils trapped in camps.
"How can the team come and play cricket representing a country that does this to its own people?," he was quoted as saying by the 'Guardian'.
Naneakumar criticised England for adopting double standards in human right violation matters.
"Last year England refused to play Zimbabwe because of their human rights record. They refused to play on moral grounds, and we feel it is hypocritical of them to play Sri Lanka, because the human rights situation in Sri Lanka is just as bad, if not worse. That's why we are making this protest, because we don't want them here," he added.
UN denies covering up Lanka civilian deaths
United Nations, June 02: UN chief Ban Ki-moon Tuesday "categoriacaly rejected" that his office "underestimated" civilian casualty figures in the conflict between LTTE and the Sri Lankan Army, saying the reports about the death of 20,000 people "did not emanate" from the world body.
Ban reiterated his strong concerns over "unacceptably high" civilian casualties in the Lankan conflict while rejecting in the strongest terms any figure attributed to the United Nations.
Briefing the General Assembly on his recent visit to Sri Lanka and other countries, Ban said media reports alleging that some 20,000 civilians may have been killed during the last phase of the conflict "do not emanate from the UN and most are not consistent with the information at our disposal."
Last month, Sri Lanka’s Government declared that its military operation against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam was over, ending more than two decades of fighting.
"I categorically reject – repeat, categorically – any suggestion that the United Nations has deliberately under-estimated any figures," the Secretary-General underscored.
"Let me also say, whatever the total, the casualties in the conflict were unacceptably high – as I have also said repeatedly," he added.
Ban told the Assembly that during his May 22-23 visit to the South Asian island nation, he pressed the Government to heed international calls for an inquiry into alleged abuses and underscored the need for full accountability and transparency.
"Any inquiry conducted by the international community would require, first, the full cooperation of the host government, or, second, the support of the UN Member States, expressed through the Human Rights Council, the General Assembly or the Security Council," he said.
At the Human Rights Council’s special session on Sri Lanka last week, High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said that investigating abuses allegedly committed against civilians by both the Government and LTTE will help the country transition into a new future.
"There are strong reasons to believe that both sides have grossly disregarded the fundamental principle of the inviolability of civilians," Pillay had stated, with the LTTE being accused of using civilians as human shields and the Government reportedly using heavy weapons on the small and densely-populated area of conflict in northern Sri Lanka.
An "independent and credible international investigation into recent events should be dispatched to ascertain the occurrence, nature and scale of violations of international human rights and international humanitarian law, as well as specific responsibilities," she said.
Ban reiterated his strong concerns over "unacceptably high" civilian casualties in the Lankan conflict while rejecting in the strongest terms any figure attributed to the United Nations.
Briefing the General Assembly on his recent visit to Sri Lanka and other countries, Ban said media reports alleging that some 20,000 civilians may have been killed during the last phase of the conflict "do not emanate from the UN and most are not consistent with the information at our disposal."
Last month, Sri Lanka’s Government declared that its military operation against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam was over, ending more than two decades of fighting.
"I categorically reject – repeat, categorically – any suggestion that the United Nations has deliberately under-estimated any figures," the Secretary-General underscored.
"Let me also say, whatever the total, the casualties in the conflict were unacceptably high – as I have also said repeatedly," he added.
Ban told the Assembly that during his May 22-23 visit to the South Asian island nation, he pressed the Government to heed international calls for an inquiry into alleged abuses and underscored the need for full accountability and transparency.
"Any inquiry conducted by the international community would require, first, the full cooperation of the host government, or, second, the support of the UN Member States, expressed through the Human Rights Council, the General Assembly or the Security Council," he said.
At the Human Rights Council’s special session on Sri Lanka last week, High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said that investigating abuses allegedly committed against civilians by both the Government and LTTE will help the country transition into a new future.
"There are strong reasons to believe that both sides have grossly disregarded the fundamental principle of the inviolability of civilians," Pillay had stated, with the LTTE being accused of using civilians as human shields and the Government reportedly using heavy weapons on the small and densely-populated area of conflict in northern Sri Lanka.
An "independent and credible international investigation into recent events should be dispatched to ascertain the occurrence, nature and scale of violations of international human rights and international humanitarian law, as well as specific responsibilities," she said.
Media rights campaigner assaulted
The General Secretary of the Working Journalists Association Poddala Jayantha was admitted to hospital after abduction and assault
 |
| Poddala Jayantha is a prominant campaigner for media freedom |
Poddala Jayantha received head and leg injuries in the attack near his home in the Colombo suburb of Nugegoda.
Mr Jayantha campaigns for media freedom and is seen by government supporters as an opponent of the authorities.
Critics in Sri Lanka's local media have come under extreme pressure in the past few years. Several independent journalists have been killed.
Mr Jayantha, the general secretary of the Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association, was kidnapped on Monday while he was walking near his home on the outskirts of the capital.
BBC correspondents say he was named by government politicians as an anti-government campaigner who had been instrumental in tarnishing the name of the government.
Threats
As a result of earlier threats and intimidation - which included an armed group trying to kidnap him from his residence - Mr Jayantha spent a brief period abroad, returning to Sri Lanka only a few weeks ago.
Dr Hector Weerasinghe, director of Colombo General Hospital, told the BBC the journalist had suffered injuries to the head and legs.
The attackers shaved parts of his head and the beard as a part of the attack.
Reports say his injuries are not life-threatening.
Sri Lankan govt invites pvt investment to war-ravaged north
Inviting private investment in rebuilding of the war-ravaged northern Sri Lanka, the government has said it will ensure "local ownership" of the development projects to be implemented in the region.
Chairman of Presidential Task Force for Resettlement, Development and Security in the Northern Province, Basil Rajapaksa, said the government wanted to localise development projects to suit the needs of the people in the northern areas, as he met a group of Tamil professionals for working out ways to develop the region following end of the conflict.
"When development is taking place the people want their ownership. It should not be something which we enforce from outside. We must ensure the local ownership of the people. These are the things we are doing," said senior Presidential Advisor and brother of President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
He said private sector will be invited to play a role in undertaking developmental projects in the region from where the LTTE has been wiped out.
"The private sector will have to be invited. There is zero private sector in these areas. So private sector, civil society and other government organisations will have to be involved to rebuild and activate the process," Rajapaksa said.
Pointing out that displaced persons constitute one-third of the people in the north, Rajapaksa said the government will not wait for their complete resettlement to start development projects in Wanni.
Chairman of Presidential Task Force for Resettlement, Development and Security in the Northern Province, Basil Rajapaksa, said the government wanted to localise development projects to suit the needs of the people in the northern areas, as he met a group of Tamil professionals for working out ways to develop the region following end of the conflict.
"When development is taking place the people want their ownership. It should not be something which we enforce from outside. We must ensure the local ownership of the people. These are the things we are doing," said senior Presidential Advisor and brother of President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
He said private sector will be invited to play a role in undertaking developmental projects in the region from where the LTTE has been wiped out.
"The private sector will have to be invited. There is zero private sector in these areas. So private sector, civil society and other government organisations will have to be involved to rebuild and activate the process," Rajapaksa said.
Pointing out that displaced persons constitute one-third of the people in the north, Rajapaksa said the government will not wait for their complete resettlement to start development projects in Wanni.