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Anuruddha and service chiefs in narrow escape
by Shamindra Ferdinando reporting from NedunkerniDeputy Defence Minister Anuruddha Ratwatte, Army Commander Lt. Gen. Rohan De. S. Daluwatte, Navy commander Vice Admiral Cecil Tissera, Air Force commander Air Marshal Jayalath Weerakkody, Wanni Security Forces Commander Maj. Gen. Lional Balagalle and DIG Operational Command Lionel Karunasena narrowly missed being killed or wounded when terrorists fired mortars at them during a visit to Oddusuddan town on Sunday.
However four troops were killed on the spot and 42 wounded, six of them seriously.
The Deputy Wanni Security Forces Commander, Major General Neil Dias received a slight injury on his nose.
Three body guards of the deputy minister were among the slightly wounded personnel.
The attack was the most serious incident at Oddusuddan since it came under government control last week.
Officers said that the minister and the service chiefs were aware of the threat posed by enemy mortar units when they left Nedunkerni for Oddusuddan.
"We came to know of the deployment of two mortar tubes in the general area north of Oddusuddan less than 36 hours before the Sunday’s strike," a junior officer told ‘The Island’.
Minister Ratwatte accompanied by service chiefs and Wanni Security Forces Commander Major General Lionel Balagalle were visiting Oddusuddan which came under government control last Friday [4].
Ratwatte flew to Nedunkerni on Sunday morning before moving overland to Oddusuddan. Accompanied by the service chiefs and Wanni based senior security forces officials, Minister Ratwatte had first gone to the Oddusuddan Hindu temple for a religious ceremony which was attended by both soldiers and civilians. He had been there for approximately 20 minutes. The minister and his party had walked out of the temple around 2 pm. They were about to get into Russian built BTR-80 armoured fighting vehicles when four mortars hit the ground. "I was getting into the vehicle when the first explosion occurred," he told ‘The Island’ soon after the incident.
Major General Balagalle who was just behind the minister had pushed him into the vehicle. Most of the troops who were near the blasts were hit. Minister Ratwatte said that he will continue to visit troops despite threats before boarding a helicopter to go to Anuradhapura where he was scheduled to attend the first anniversary of Lakdhanavi Power Plant. The minister stayed at a base at Nedunkerni for almost two hours after the incident while troops engaged enemy targets with artillery.
A group of journalists who were taken to Oddusuddan by the military were turned back minutes after the attack. A convoy of locally built armoured vehicles carrying journalists were turned back by troops escorting the Minister and the service chiefs returning to Nedunkerni.
At the time of the incident the group of journalists were less than two kms south of the scene of the mortar attack.
The wounded were moved overland from Oddusuddan to Nedunkerni and airlifted to hospitals. Mi-17 transport helicopters airlifted the wounded as the artillery pounded suspected enemy positions in the general area north of Oddusuddan.
Sunday’s attack came as no surprise as the LTTE had been engaging troops operating at Oddusuddan since the fall of the town.
Several officers said that terrorists had fired mortars at the troops deployed at Oddusuddan since Friday. They said that terrorists were aware of the arrival of senior officers. "We don’t know whether they had prior knowledge of the visit or a spy operating within the secured area was able to contact mortar firing units using a communication set," an officer said. He pointed out that mortars started landing the service chiefs and the other senior officers were talking outside the kovil. At least two mortars exploded dangerously close to the minister.
Minister Ratwatte said that nothing has changed just because operation Jayasikurui had been called off. Both Minister Ratwatte and Army Commander Lt. Gen. Daluwatte pointed out that operations aimed at bringing more area in Wanni under control and restoring the Vavuniya-Jaffna Main Supply Route will continue. "There is no change of our intentions," Ratwatte said. The military said that troops can threaten enemy positions both north of Oddusuddan and Mullaithivu as a result of the latest gains. Mullaithivu is approximately 15 miles away from Oddusuddan on the Mankulam -Mullaithivu road.
However officers said that small groups of terrorists continued to mount attacks on troops in the defended area.
On Saturday two navy personnel died and a few wounded in a mine explosion at Nedunkerni.
Earlier in the day Wanni Security Forces Commander Major General Lionel Balagalle said that 53 and 55 Divisions and some elements of 56 Division which launched the new Wanni offensive, Rivi Bala last Tuesday [1] were able to regain Oddusuddan two days later.
Terrorists had not resisted the advance.
Major General Balagalle said that with the completion of the operation, troops have been able to secure control of the road between Olumadu-Oddusuddan and also Nedunkerni-Oddusuddan.
As Catering Services go slow continues –
Air Lanka and other airlines obtain meals elsewhereFrom Wijesiri Weerawardena,
BIA CorrAirLanka and six international airlines have stopped obtaining meals from Air Lanka Catering Services Ltd., due to the on-going go-slow by employees, which has caused a serious disruption, authoritative sources said.
The employees launched their ‘go slow’ last Friday following a bonus dispute. They are demanding a payment of Rs. 40,000 plus four months salary. The management has expressed willingness to pay four months salary, but not the additional Rs. 40,000.
Airlines from Singapore, Thailand, Germany, Jordan, Congo and France in addition to Air Lanka have ceased obtaining meals from the catering service as the go-slow by the protesting employees dragged on, the sources said.
The loss incurred so far as a result of the stoppage by the airlines in ordering meals from the Air Lanka Catering Services is reported to be around Rs. 7 million.
Milroy Perera, President, Sri Lanka Independent Employees Union (Air Lanka Catering Services branch) told ‘The Island’ that a discussion with Tourism and Aviation Minister Dharmasiri Senanayake is expected to be held today. ‘We will resort to tough trade union action if nothing works out’, he warned.
He charged that the Air Lanka management had informed international airlines to bring their own meals with a view to ‘negating the go-slow by the catering services employees.’
The funeral of Deputy Commerce and Food Minister Y. P. de Silva will take place at the General Cemetery Kanatte at 3.00 p.m. today (7)
The funeral procession will leave No. 42 C, Keppetipola Mawatha, Colombo 5 at 2.00 p.m. The late Mr. De Silva was the leader of the SLMP and a National List MP.
Armed gang hijacks cigarette van
By Bandula DinapurnaA five-member gang hijacked a cigarette van last Saturday morning at Belummahara along Colombo-Kandy road after holding the driver and salesman at gun point. But Ganemulla police was able to arrest the leader of the gang and take into custody a T-56 rifle, two magazines, and 58 live bullets within 3 hours of the haist, police said.
All police stations in the area were alerted after the robbery was reported and the van with its stock of cigarettes and a large amount of money intact was found by police abandoned at Rathupaswela.
The leader of the gang travelling in the van the armed men had come in, was arrested by police while he was taking a detow to Ganemulla town. The arms were found ingeniously hidden inside the door pockets of the van, police said.
Gampaha police Special Investigations Unit have launched a search to take into custody other members of the gang.
The leader of the gang was described by police as a former prison guard.
Ganemulla police with assistance from Gampaha police headquarters are conducting investigations under the direction of Western Province (North) Division DIG, J. N. de Silva.
IGP says police have now got a new image
From Cyril WimalasurendreA mock LTTE base was overrun and destroyed at the Asgiriya, Kandy Police Grounds by a special police contingent who had completed training in anti-terrorism combat last Friday. The ‘attack’ was witnessed by IGP Lucky Kadituwakku.
The mock LTTE jungle base was completely destroyed in the raid which ended in a thick cloud of smoke billowing into the sky.
The special police battalion comprised policemen and women drawn from several police stations of the Central Range commanded by the DIG Sirisena Herath.
IGP Kodituwakku, after having witnessed the swift attack on the enemy hide out praised the performance of the police battalion.
The police chief on arrival at the venue, was welcomed by DIG Sirisena Herath, Senior SP Nimal Mediwaka and other high ranking police officials.
The IGP inspected a guard-of-honour accorded to him.
Mr. Kodituwakku told journalists that the police had turned a new page in its achievements in areas such as tackling crime, illicit liquor production and sale and in particular treasure hunting.
Several treasure thieves had been apprehended and legal action instituted against them while the number of incidents of plundering and destruction of archaeological sites had reduced drastically, the IGP noted.
He said that his department acknowledged the excellent relations between the police and the media but he wished the press would be generous to give more publicity to the good work done by his men.
‘We always welcome pinpointing of shortcomings and constructive criticism by the media,’ IGP Kodituwakku said.
Police seize Goddess Kali statue hidden in house
By Kalinga K. A. WeerakkodyPolice raided a house at Kantale and seized a 42 kilogramme priceless statue of Goddess Sri Maha Badra Kali last Saturday.
Police said the artefact belonged to the Polonnaruwa era. It was found hidden in a room of the house in the village of Wewasirigama.
The recovered artefact is a rare one made of alloy and with intricate carvings on it. It’s 34 com in width, according to police.
The statue is to be handed over to the Archaeological department after being forwarded to DIG H. M. G. B. Kotakadeniya, police said.
Police have arrested a suspect, a resident of Ruwanwella who was staying in the house at that time. Another suspect believed to a ‘kattadiya’ had escaped to Anuradhapura, police said.
The raid was carried out by Kantale OIC Srinika Jayakody under the direction of SP E. M. Gunatilleka.
Two teachers ‘culprits’ in student’s bogus telephone call incident
From Methsiri B. HerathTwo teachers of a leading school in Wariyapola wanted in connection with causing panic in the area by allegedly engineering a false ‘kidnapping’ of a student of the same school, surrendered to Karunegala Police last Friday.
They were in turn handed over to Wariyapola police for investigations.
Subsequently, the two suspects were produced before Wariyapola Magistrate, H. Ranaweera and remanded till December 17.
The two teachers ordered to be remanded are B. M. Aravinda Dissanayake and W. D. Ariyawansa.
The student in question was earlier remanded till December 10.
It’s alleged that the two suspects were behind the false telephone call the student gave saying that he had been kidnapped.
People’s Liberation Organisation of Thamileelam in a statement denied involvement in Friday’s killing of seven persons of the same family at Iyankerny, Chenkaladdy.
The suspect is one Bala who who was a member of the LTTE. He surrendered to the army and was in prison for a year. After he was released, due to fear he took asylum with the PLOTE. Any member of LTTE, once if they are caught by the army, have to swallow cyanide and commit suicide or else they are sentenced to death by the LTTE. We gave him the shelter in order to save his life.
"He is not a PLOTE member. We have not given him any duties. There had been constant quarrels among his family. Without any information to us he left us taking a gun with him at mid night, PLOTE claimed.
Arjuna’s defamatory suit against Express Newspapers
Proxy filed before Colombo Additional District Judge
By V. VarathasuntharamA proxy was filed before Colombo Additional District Judge Mohamed Mackie on Friday on behalf of Express Newspapers, Ceylon Ltd. and the Editor of The Weekend Express, Sukumar Rockwood, both defendants in the 100,000,000 rupee defamation suit filed by Arjuna Ranatunga, captain of the Sri Lankan cricket team.
District court put off the hearing for January 25, 1999.
In his plaint Ranatunga states that since March 1989, he has captained Sri Lanka cricket team in both test and one-day international cricket matches.
The Sri Lanka team under his captaincy won several test matches in Sri Lanka as well as abroad and also won Champions Trophy in Sharjah in October 1995, Wills World Cup in 1996 played in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, Singer World Series in Sri Lanka in August/September 1996, Singer Akai Cup in Sharjah in April, 1997. Independence Cup in India in May 1997 and Pepsi Asia Cup in July 1997 in Sri Lanka.
He had upto August 1998 played in 82 test matches scoring 4595 runs at an average of 35.34 and 244 one day international matches scoring 6870 runs at an average of 37.13.
This year too he captained several cricket tours and matches after the strenuous programme of the said matches and tours, several of the senior members of the cricket team including him were physically exhausted and some of them also suffered from injuries.
The Sri Lanka cricket team is to tour Australia in January-February 1999. In March 1999, it is scheduled to participate in the Asian Test Championship Tournament with India and Pakistan.
Sri Lanka team will then defend the World Cup in England in May, 1999.
In view of these reasons, the Board of Control for Cricket and the National Selectors, in the process of selecting a team to represent Sri Lanka to the 16th Commonwealth Games played at Kuala Lumpur - Malaysia in September 1998 left out several senior and regular members of the team including him.
The defendant newspaper and its editor published in "The Weekend Express" of September 12, 1998 the proceedings at a press interview held at Kuala-Lumpur by Chairman, Sri Lanka Olympic Committee, Hemasiri Fernando, under the caption "Cricket team at half strength disappoint games organisers."
The said article contained the following sentences -" these four cricketers thought that representing the country at the Commonwealth Games is not good enough... the cricketers have turned professionals and only play for money. Winning a medal is only a piece of metal in their pockets".
These statements are defamatory of him and intended to mean that he had no loyalty to country, and that he was only financially motivated, Arjuna Ranatunga concluded.
Chandana Perera appeared for the petitioner.
G. G. Arulpragasam appeared for the newspaper.
