India backing humanitarian mission in North: Govt.

The Indian request to hand over LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran if he was captured alive by the Sri Lankan armed forces was an endorsement of the ongoing humanitarian operations in the North, by India the government said yesterday (06).

Addressing journalists at the weekly UPFA news briefing in Colombo, SLFP General Secretary and Minister Maithripala Sirisena said India was convinced of the imminent end of the LTTE.

Courtesy: Government Information Department

53 fishermen released

The Government of India has taken action to free all Sri Lankan fishermen who had engaged in fishing in Indian waters, as a result of discussions initiated by Minister Felix Perera, the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources said.

Fifty-tree fishermen are scheduled to arrive in the country on Friday along with ten boats which were arrested by the Indian Coastal Guard. The fishermen come from different parts from the country ranging from Trincomalee to Dondra and Negombo.

Courtesy: Government Information Department

117 Suicide bombers in Colombo: Minister

According to intelligence reports, about 117 suicide bombers move around in Colombo area, Minister of Media Lakshman Yapa Abeywardana said yesterday (06) at a news briefing.

He stated that with the security forces planning its strategy to capture Mullaitivu, the people in the South will have to be more vigilant & on the alert of any suspicious movements around them.

Courtesy: Government Information Department

Our forces second to none - prime Minister tells parliament;

Uditha Kumarasinghe Irangika Range and Sandasen Marasinghe

Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayaka told Parliament yesterday the valiant Armed Forces through the capture of the LTTE’s military hub Kilinochchi have demonstrated to the entire world that their capabilities are not second to any military force in the world.

The Premier commencing the Emergency debate said the great victory attained by our Security Forces has given a good response to the LTTE terrorists.

“Various LTTE friendly elements attempted to portray to the world that it was not an easy task for our Armed Forces to liberate Kilinochchi,” the Premier said. “As the Government we pay our tribute to the Army Commander, all the senior officers and the members of the three Armed Forces who made the supreme sacrifice in the liberation of Kilinochchi which was considered as the administrative and military hub of the LTTE,” he said.

The Premier said with the dawn of the New Year, we have to traditionally seek the support of the House to extend the Emergency regulations.

“Our intention is not to make this request from the House again and again in future. The Government has entered into the final phase of eradicating terrorism. In order to create the necessary environment conducive to defeat terrorism, there is an urgent need to extend the Emergency regulations.

“Even at this final stage, terrorists are pretending to show their strength. But the entire world has understood that terrorists do not possess such strength as they claimed. We all should be united to defeat the objectives of the terrorists irrespective of any political differences.

“I have to say with regret that certain elements are acting in an irresponsible manner. But their activities are not a secret to the people. These LTTE friendly elements have implemented their project under various fronts. There was a period where certain elements were forced to suspend the ongoing military operations in the North.

They even sought the assistance of the international community to stop these military operations,” he said. These elements remained silence when the innocent civilians were brutally killed by the LTTE. The latest project of these elements is to compel the LTTE to engage in various atrocities which may cause serious impact on the country’s economy.

They are attempting to disrupt the income generating avenues of the Government. But most of the people are well aware on these conspiracies,” the Premier said. “It is fortunate to have people who are patriotic. Due to our misfortune, we have been unable to rally round all of our political parties under one wing. Sometimes, the people are well ahead than certain politicians.”

The Prime Minister said it was Prabhakaran who destroyed the unity among communities by creating an uncertainty. “Therefore, Prabhakaran should pay a fair compensation for this. Steps should be taken to prevent all avenues which help the LTTE to strengthen themselves.”

“There is a need of a common power to boost the morale of our valiant soldiers who are now entering into the LTTE battlement by making the supreme sacrifice. But certain elements attempt to belittle the heroic military victories achieved by our Security Forces. As a Government, we are ready to face these challenges. We request everybody to rally round the Government to defeated terrorism,” the Prime Minister said.

Courtesy - Daily News

Sri Lanka bans LTTE terrorist organization

The Cabinet had decided to ban the LTTE terrorist organization in Sri Lanka by this evening, 7 January 2009.

The Cabinet decision was officially announced by government defence spokesperson minister Keheliya Rambukwella in a special media briefing held at the government information department late evening.

Courtesy: Ministry of Defence

‘No fighting force has withdrawn 95 percent of land as a tactic like LTTE’ says Army Commander

(By: Walter Jayawardhana)

Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka, Commander of the Sri Lanka Army said if the claim of the LTTE supporter in South India that the terrorist outfit’s defeat at Kilinochchi is only a temporary one and it is only a tactical withdrawal engineered to surge back like an unwavering wave is true, no fighting force like the LTTE has ever withdrawn from 95 percent of the land mass it occupied as a strategic move.

He told independent Television Network(ITN) in an interview broadcast on Tuesday(Jan 6) that “the LTTE not only lost 95 percent of the land it held but also lost within the last one year 8000 terrorists out of whom the Sri Lanka army knows the names of 4000.”

Army Commander General, Fonseka said today the LTTE fighting machine is constrained to a triangular area in two sides of which are about 40 kilometers each in the Mullaittivu area roughly and called it a clear defeat where they lose at least one square kilometer daily until they are flushed out finally in a short period of time. Every day the army also discovered 5 to 7 corpses of the LTTE at the war front the army commander said.

Lieutenant General Fonseka said to achieve this victory, the political leadership provided by President Mahinda Rajapaksa was very vital. To wipe out the shortcomings of earlier times, Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa worked day and night, without a stop the army commander revealed. He said to add fire power to that of the army the Sri Lanka Air force, Navy and the STF of the police provided a great service and in transporting the injured the Air Force did an excellent job.

He said the great majority of the people of Sri Lanka gave their blessing to the armed forces to go ahead with their plans by showing their love through various ways and mostly allowing their sons and daughters to join the forces in great numbers. Great majority of politicians cheered up the forces while a few of them, green with envy by the successes of the soldiers, burst out with anger he said.

Asked about how the LTTE had improved themselves making use of the Ceasefire Agreement the army commander said, more than any thing else the LTTE increased their combat soldiers from 2500 to more than 11,000 during the four years of the ceasefire agreement. They only possessed two artillery guns captured from the army before.

They were increased to many fold machine guns, Dvora like fast boats and three fixed wing airplanes were added to their strength. They established banks, courts, police and customs to generate income, the Army Commander pointed out.

Asked whether Karuna Ammans departure contributed to the success of the army, General Fonseka said Karuna Amman and Prabhakaran fell out because of ideological differences. By the time the army started capturing the Eastern Province he was left with about 200 troops. Trying to connect Karuna Amman’s departure to Army success is shameful, on the part of some politicians, he said.

He said ordinary people supported the army to recapture Eastern Province from the LTTE. There were lot of Sinhala, Muslim and Tamil villages in the Eastern Province side by side who helped the army. The army was able to capture the hearts of the people of the Eastern Province before capturing the land, he further asserted.

To day, many of the Tamil people in the Eastern Province are quite comfortable with the army he pointed out. Even, there is no difference in Jaffna. Out of the 400,000 population more than 10,000 with some holding national flags demonstrated against the LTTE. The army commander pointed out 183,000 people came to enjoy the army organized exhibition recently.

From the villages in Wanni, nearly 40 people escape the villages formerly held by the LTTE, and come and surrender to the army trusting them and seeking refuge almost every day now. “We cordially welcome them and provide accommodation until they could be resettled, he said.

Asked about whether he was trying to get the credit for the good work done by the former army commanders, he said neither he had asked for such undue credit nor former commanders have complained that he was trying get credit due to them. He said all commanders have to be responsible for their blunders and get praise for their achievements. There should be reason why he should not get credit for his achievements, he said.

The ITN interviewer asked whether it was true that he was getting ready to settle down in the United States of America. He said long before he accepted the post of the Commander of the Army he received, what is called a “Green Card”, the status of permanent residence there. But he never could go and settle down after he became the Commander of the Army. But it came handy, to admit his children to universities there for a cheaper fees.

He decided to take the children because they could not get enough marks to obtain admission to the universities in Sri Lanka, as the admission is very competitive. “I may be one of the few people who received the green card but did not go there to settle down”, he said.

Asked whether a large number of deaths had been reported in the army, General Fonseka said, in a war, zero deaths cannot be maintained and the ratio of deaths in armies that clash with guerillas is in favor of the guerillas : 1:5. That means five soldiers die to one guerilla. He said among 11,000 deaths inclusive of all places like Jaffna Wanni and Eastern Province only 2000 of our soldiers have died.

He said an advanced army like the US army in Iraq for the five years has lost 10,000 soldiers. He said in the Eastern Province battles it was only 20 kilometer distance the army had to enter. But here in the North it was 89 kilometer distance the troops had to handle.

Today, the triangular area to which the LTTE hierarchy and others are constrained is being attacked from multiple fronts. Before, Kilinochchi’s fall everybody thought the attack there is only a dream of President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Army Commander said the continued attack on the LTTE, is also going to be a daydream to some likewise, but certain to become a reality soon.

Courtesy: Ministry of Defence

LTTE receives heavy damages; 3 LTTE bodies found - Mullattivu

Troops of 59 Division on advance to capture remaining LTTE hideouts in Mullaittivu front had several confrontations with LTTE terrorists yesterday, 6 January, inflicting damages to the enemy.

According to the military report received from the battlefront, troops confronted with detected groups of LTTE terrorists in general area Mulliyaweli. Subsequent search operation conducted, troops have found 3 bodies of LTTE terrorists killed during the gun battle along with military items left away by the fleeing terrorists. Two T-56 Weapons and eight T-56 Magazines were also among the items uncovered.

In general area Mulliaweli north troops had confronted with LTTE terrorists in two occasions during the day hours. Three T-56 weapons, one Light Machine Gun (LMG) Weapon and a Communication Set were uncovered in a subsequent search operation.

On the same day, troops had confronted with LTTE terrorists in Alakkulam and Oddusuddan areas in day hours. Electronic Warfare sources confirmed that LTTE terrorists received heavy damages due to the security forces attack.

Meanwhile, Army troops sustained minor damages in a confrontation took place in the Periyakulam area around 12.15pm yesterday.

Courtesy: Ministry of Defence

US hopes fall of Kilinochchi will hasten end of conflict Not for talks with LTTE

The fall of Kilinochchi represents an important point in the 25-year war that has divided Sri Lanka. We hope that this event will help hasten an end to the conflict, said a press release issued by the United States Embassy in Colombo yesterday (Jan 5).

“The United States does not advocate that the Government of Sri Lanka negotiate with the LTTE, a group designated by the United States since 1997 as a Foreign Terrorist Organization,” the release further said. However, “The U.S. believes that a lasting, sustainable peace can best be achieved if the Sri Lankan Government works now to reach a political solution that addresses the aspirations of all Sri Lankans, including Tamils, Muslims, and Sinhalese,” the release added.

“We do believe that a broad range of other Tamil voices and opinions must be brought into a political process to reach a political solution that Tamils inside and outside of Sri Lanka see as legitimate.

This will help assure Tamils that their rights are protected, that they have a say over important areas of their lives in geographical areas in which they predominate, and that they are an integral and respected part of an undivided Sri Lanka.

At the same time, such as process would further delegitimize and erode the support of the LTTE in Sri Lanka and abroad, ” the communiqu‚ further read.

Courtesy: priu.gov.lk

MI-24 Helicopters raids LTTE gathering - Mullaittivu

Sri Lanka Air Force MI-24 helicopter gunships have raided LTTE gathering place observed in Mullaittivu front this morning, 7 January.

Air Force spokesperson, Wing Commander Janaka Nanayakkara, speaking to defence.lk said that the air raid was launched at 11.30AM observed LTET gathering place in 4Km south of Mullaittivu.

The air attack was launched to assist the ground troops of 59 Division.

Courtesy: Ministry of Defence

140 civilians reach security forces seeking safety

One hundred and forty civilians who had been trapped by the LTTE terrorists as a human shield have escaped the LTTE’s grip and reached to security forces, sources said.

According to the available information 96 Tamil civilians, 58 males and 38 females, reached to troops of 58 Division deployed in west of Murasamoddai, northwest of Murasamoddai and east of Karadipokku area in four separate occasions yesterday (6 Jan). 29 children were among the escapees, sources said. The escapees are residents of Vaddakachchi and east of Murasamoddai areas.

Meanwhile, another group of civilians of 10 families including 12 males and 14 females have reached to troops of 57 Division deployed in north of Iranamadu on the same day. Two year-old child is also among the escapees.

18 more civilians reached to troops of 57 Division in north of Iranamadu this morning, 7 January, seeking safety for their lives. 13 males and 5 females are among the escapees and they arrived at 6.45AM, sources said.

Courtesy: Ministry of Defence