Srilanka Timeline 2009

4/30/2016
http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/shrilanka/timeline/2009.htm
SriLankaTimelineYear2009
January1
Troops advancing towards Kilinochchi captured the key Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)
garrisonofParanthanfollowinghoursoffightingthatkilledover50militants.
The Security Forces (SFs) captured Iranamadu junction, about six kilometres south of Kilinochchi
towncentreopeningroutetotheIranamadutown.
January2
TheSriLankaArmycapturedKilinochchi, theLTTEspoliticalandadministrativeheadquarters.The
SFs launched simultaneous attacks from three directions in Paranthan, Iranamadu and Adampan
before capturing the town in the early hours. The military had crossed into Kilinochchi District on
July31,2008andhassincebeenengagedinclasheswiththeLTTE.Acknowledging theloss,the
proLTTETamilNetWebsiteinareportsaidthat the SLA "has entered a virtual ghost town as the
wholecivilianinfrastructureaswellasthecentreoftheLiberationTigersofTamilEelamhadshifted
furthernortheast."
In a special address to the nation on state television hours after the troops captured Kilinochchi,
PresidentMahindaRajapaksedescribedtheactionasa"majorvictoryintheworldsbattleagainst
terrorism."HesaidhisGovernmentwouldcontinuethefightagainsttheLTTEuntilthe"finalactof
this false Eelam struggle is played to its finish" in the small territory of jungle in Mullaithivu it is
confinedtotoday.
Speaking at a special function in Colombo to announce the military success in Kilinochchi,Army
CommanderLt.GeneralSarathFonsekasaidover1500LTTEmilitantswerekilledduringthepast
twomonthsinthenorth.
ALTTEsuicidebomberblewhimself upkillingthreepersons,includingtwoAirmen,andinjuring37
othersattheentrancetotheAirForcecampinSlaveIslandin Colomboataround5.15pm(SLST).
Anaccompliceofthesuicidebomberwasarrested.
January3
SFs advancing towards Mullaitivu confronted LTTE militants in the Thanniutthu, Thottam,
Kachchilamadu, north of Mudaliyankulam and Kumulamunai areas and inflicted an unspecified
number of casualties upon the outfit. Troops also expanded their Forward Defence Line (FDL)
furtherintheKumulamunaiareaandrecoveredthedeadbodyofamilitantfromthearea.
January4
SFsattachedtoTaskForceIVoperatingintheEastoftheA9roadcapturedthekeyjunction town
Oddusudan on theA34 road taking full control of the Oddusudan NedunkerniPuliyankulam road.
"SecurityForceskilledatleast10TigercadresastheyattackedatractortransportingTigercadres
andseveralothervehicles,"amilitaryofficialsaid.
TheproLTTEWebsiteTamilNetclaimedthatatleast53SLAsoldierswerekilledand morethan80
sustained injuries during heavy fighting that erupted when the SLA launched an offensive push
through2ndMilePostontheParanthanMullaitivuRoadontwofronts.
President Mahinda Rajapakse expressed satisfaction that his 'Zero Civilian Casualty Policy' was
implemented perfectly by theArmed Forces during the operations to liberate Kilinochchi. During a
telephonic interview with The Hindu, he also expressed concern over the LTTE not releasing the
tens of thousands ofTamil civilians it holds "virtually as prisoners." He also said the Government
was doing its best to neutralise the LTTE's suicide bombers, possibly 15 to 20 of them, who are
believedtohaveinfiltratedintoColomboanditsenvirons.
January5
SFsreachedElephantPasswiththe58Divisiontroopscapturingtheentiresouthernpartofitand
further advancing towards the North to capture it entirely, Army Commander Lt. General Sarath
Fonseka said. The troops captured Thamilamadam, the causeway to the south of the Elephant
Pass.
HeavyfightingeruptedintheEastofParanthanandElephantPassSouthforthepasttwodaysas
theLTTEmadetheirmaximumefforttostoptheadvanceofthetroopstowardsElephantPassand
Murusamudai, East of Paranthan. According to military sources, 10 soldiers were killed and 23
othersinjuredinthefiercebattleintheElephantPassandMurusamudaiareas.
While indicating that Kilinochchi was where the Sri Lanka military has suffered previous historic
debacles,thepoliticalwingleaderoftheLTTE,BalasinghamNadesan,inaninterviewwiththepro
LTTE Website Tamil Net dismissed the occupation of the town as an insignificant setback in the
contextofaliberationstruggle,andsaid,Tamilpeople'ssupport hasalwaysbeenLTTE'sstrength,
andwiththemoralbackingoftheglobalTamilcommunitythemovementwillsurmountcurrentand
futurechallenges.
1/81
4/30/2016
January6
SFs in Jaffna captured the LTTE's FDLs in Kilali and Muhamalai, some 600 metres ahead of the
SecurityForce'sFDLs.
TaskForceIIItroopsoperatingintheEastofOlumaduwaiandTaskForceIVtroopsoperatinginthe
OddusudanareatookcontroloftheA34road.
Major General N.A.J.C. Dias, General Officer Commanding of the 57th Division, told reporters, "as
perourestimatesasmanyas4073LTTEfightershavebeenkilledinthepast14months,whilethe
LTTEinterceptsadmittheyhavelost3447cadreswithinjuriestoanother2197oftheirfighters."
The Police said more than 29,000 people from the northern, eastern and the central provinces
livinginthewesternprovinceforemploymentandbusinessactivitiesregisteredthemselvesunder
aprogrammeinitiatedbytheCivilCommunityPolice.
The Government declared in Parliament that the LTTE has links with al Qaeda and used their
'freedomstruggle'todabbleinthenarcoticstrade.
TheParliamentvotedtoextendtheEmergencyLawforanothermonthwithamajorityof106votes.
Member of Parliament and leader of the TMVK, Vinayagamoorthy Muraleetharan alias Karuna
Amman,saidPrabhakaranisnowrunningeverywhereastheyhaveloststrengthtofacetheheavy
attacksofGovernmentforces.HeaddedthattheLTTEhaslessthan1,500cadrespresently.The
LTTEleaderhastriedtorecruit5000 new cadres, but he managed to recruit only 150 members in
thepastfewmonths,Karunaclaimed.
Sri LankaArmy Commander Lt. General Sarath Fonseka said nearly 15,000 LTTE militants were
killedbytheSFsduringthelasttwoandhalfyears.Inthesameperiodnearly2,000SFpersonnel
werealsokilled.HesaidtheLTTEhadmanagedtostrengthentheir cadres as well as the military
equipment during the ceasefire from 2002 until its abrogation in 2007. He added the number of
LTTE militants increased to 15,000 as a result of the truce. The militants only possessed two
artillerygunscapturedfromtheArmybeforetheceasefire,butMachineguns,Dvoralikefastboats
and three fixed wing airplanes were added to their strength during the ceasefire, he added. They
established banks, courts, police and customs to generate income, theArmy Commander further
said.
January7
The Government said the Cabinet had taken a unanimous decision, in accordance with a
memorandumsubmittedbyPresidentMahindaRajapakse,toproscribetheLTTE,whichcontinued
to engage in blatant human rights violations. The Proclamation of the President proscribing the
LTTEunderChapter40ofthePublicSecurityOrdinancegaveseveralreasonsfortheproscription.
TheSriLankanmilitaryclaimedtohavecapturedMurasumoddaitownonthewaytoMullaitivuamid
stiffresistancefromtheLTTE.
January8
SFsadvancingfromtheKilaliandMuhamalaiforwardFDLscapturedPallaitown,themaintownship
south of Muhamalai and Kilali FDLs. The troops also captured Sorampattu, about five kilometres
southeastofPallai.
Murasumoddaitown,ontheA35roadandabout 5.5kilometrestotheeastofParanthantown,was
captured by troops of the 58th Division. An unspecified number of militants were killed during
clashesthateruptedintheareasincetheeveningofJanuary7.
FourciviliansandthreeSLAFpersonnelwerekilledin an LTTEtriggered claymore mine explosion
at Morawewa in the Trincomalee District. The explosion occurred when the SLAF personnel were
engagedinrouteclearingforatractoroftheIrrigationDepartmentwhichwastakingcivilianworkers
to the Neluwa irrigational worksite, killing four civilians aboard the tractor and three accompanying
SLAFpersonnelonthespot.Sixmoresustainedinjuriesintheblast.
SFs in Mannar confronted a group of LTTE militants in the Pampaimadu area and killed an
unspecifiednumberofthem.Duringsubsequentsearchoperations,theyrecoveredthedeadbodies
offivemilitants.
SFs attacked LTTE camps in the Urani, Murusumoddai, Mulliyaweli, west of Mankulam,
Thaddumalai, Thaddalaimadu, north of Ampakamam and north of Alankulam and inflicted heavy
casualties upon the militants. During subsequent search operations, troops recovered the dead
bodiesoffourmilitants.
SFs continued their advance amidst heavy LTTE mortar fire in the Kilinochchi east, Vattaikachchi
and Iranamadu. An unspecified number of militants were killed in these clashes. Troops also
recoveredthedeadbodiesofthreemilitants.
2/81
4/30/2016
EditoroftheSundayLeader,LasanthaWickramatunga,wasshotdeadbyunidentifiedassailantson
amotorcycleatAttidiyanearMt.LaviniainColombo.Wickramatungawasdrivingtoofficewhenthe
assailantstargetedhimneartheBakeryjunctioninAttidiya.
ForeignMinisterRohithaBogollagamareiteratedthattheGovernmentdoesnotbelieveinamilitary
solutiontoaddressthegenuinegrievancesoftheminoritycommunitiesandisfirmlycommittedtoa
politicalsolutiontotheethnicconflict.
January9
SFs captured the A9 highway connecting the south with the Jaffna peninsula after 23 years.
Troops of the 53rd, 55th, and 58th Divisions captured the strategically important Elephant Pass,
President Mahinda Rajapakse announced. The President said the SFs are now able to connect
peopleinDondraHeadwithpeople in Point Pedro after 23 years in an environment sans terrorism
makingabridgeofpeacebetweentheSouthandNorth.The53rdand55thDivisionadvancingfrom
Muhamalai and Kilali linked up with troops of the 58th Division who had taken control of the
ElephantPasssouthbyJanuary6.The58thDivisionclearedthepathforthe53rdand55th Division
tomovetowardsthesouthofJaffnapeninsulacompellingtheLTTEmilitantstovacatemanyofthe
areastheyheldinthesouthernpartoftheJaffnapeninsula.
WiththecaptureofElephantPass,thetroopswere able to clear a 96 kilometre stretch of theA9
road between Omanthai and Muhamalai after two years of military operations in Wanni and in the
north.MilitaryofficialssaidthisisthefirsttimetheA9roadisopentillJaffnaundermilitarycontrol
after the SFs lost control of it after the departure of the Indian Peace Keeping Force in the late
1980s.TheSFslostcontrolofElephantPassinApril2000when353soldierswerekilledand over
2,500injured."ItisafternineyearstroopsaretakingcontrolofElephantPassfromtheclutchesof
theLTTE,"thePresidentstated.
SFsrecoveredthedeadbodiesof12militantsalongwithfiveT56weapons,oneGeneralPurpose
MachineGunandtwoIcomradiosetsfromtheMurusamoddaiareaofMullaitivuDistrict.
An unspecified number of militants were killed and some solders wounded during clashes at
Iranamadu and Wattakachchi in the Kilinochchi District. During subsequent search operations in
Wattakachchi,thetroopsrecovereddeadbodiesofthreemilitants.
The UNHCR expressed concern over the deteriorating security situation in eastern Sri Lanka with
increasednumberof killings. It said the UN recorded 24 civilian deaths in the Batticaloa district in
November2008alone.
The Highways Minister,A. L. M.Athaulla, called on the Government to resettle all those Muslims
whowereevictedfromJaffnainJuly1991andarenowlivinginrefugeecampsinPuttalam or with
theirrelationsintheSouth.
Foreign Minister Rohita Bogollagama said Sri Lanka would positively consider handing over LTTE
chiefVelupillaiPrabhakarantoIndiaaliveiftheIndianGovernmentmadearequesttodoso.
January10
SevenTamilcivilians,includingtwochildren,ontheirwaytoclearedareas(areaunderGovernment
control)seekingprotectionfortheirlives,wereshotdeadbytheLTTEmilitants.However,49more
civilians, two of them injured in firing, of the same group managed to arrive at the SFs camp in
Paranthan.
AnunspecifiednumberofmilitantswerekilledduringfightingintheVaddakkachchiandKandavalai
areas.Troopslaterrecoveredthedeadbodiesoffivemilitants
AgroupofLTTEmilitantsattackedtheTMVPoffice atKilliveddiinTrincomaleeDistrict,killingone
TMVP member and injuring two others. In the ensuing exchange of fire between the LTTE cadres
andTMVPmembers,twomilitantswerekilled.DeadbodiesoftwoLTTEmilitantsalongwithoneT
56weapon,threehandgrenades,onecyanidecapsule,andmobilephonewererecoveredfrom the
incidentsite.
An unidentified assailant killed a prominent Tamil businessman, identified as Thambirasa
Ravindran,atNawakkaduintheBatticaloaDistrict.
SFs captured a LTTE airstrip located five kilometres west of the Mullaitivu lagoon. The Defence
Ministry said the airstrip was about 2.5 kilometres long and 100 metres wide. This is the fourth
LTTE airstrip captured by troops in the recent past, military spokesperson Brigadier Udaya
Nanayakkara said. Troops operating in the Mullaitivu area captured this airstrip together with two
emptyhangars,headded.
SFs captured a LTTE base in the Aiyamperumal area of Mullaitivu District. The militant camp,
protectedwitha12feettallbarbwirefenceandone60mmmotorgun,consistedofonelecturehall,
3/81
4/30/2016
12temporaryhuts,onemedicalroom,onestorebuildingandakitchen.
Morethan100civiliansleavingtheirhomesinLTTEheldareascametoOmanthai,Vaddakkachchi,
Pandimoddai and Thadduwankoddy areas of Vavuniya and Kilinochchi Districts and sought
protection from the SFs. Similarly, four civilians, including a female, from Vettalaikerny area
reachedthetroopsinMullaitivu.
The LTTE has asked India to "stop providing military assistance" to the Sri Lankan Government
andvowedtotakebackitdefactopoliticalheadquartersKilinochchi.
January11
SFs opened fire towards LTTE militants in the Periyakulam, Vaddakkachchi and the east of
Iranamaduareasandkilledanunspecifiednumberofthem.Troopslaterrecoveredthedead bodies
ofeightmilitants,includingthedecomposedbodyofafemalecadre.
107 civilians who escaped from LTTEheld areas reached the SFsheld area of Kandalkadu and
soughtprotectionfromthetroops.
TheGovernmentsaidthataround3,000soldiershavebeenkilledinbattlewiththeLTTEinthelast
three months and not 15,000, as alleged by the Opposition. Asked where he thought LTTE chief
VelupillaiPrabhakaranmightbehiding,Rambukwellasaid,"heisinMullaitivuandbeingguardedby
the 2,000 cadres that the LTTE has left. It is a matter of time before its last bastion is also
overrun."
TheSriLankanPoliceheldthesecondphaseofaspecialcensusstartedearliertoregisterpersons
who have come to capital Colombo from the North, East and Central Provinces since January 1,
2003.
Aseniordefenceofficialsaid,"theSriLankanNavyhasbeenputonalerttopreventanyattemptby
TigerchiefVelupillaiPrabhakaranorotherseniorLTTEleadersfromfleeingthecountryThenaval
blockadehasbeenimposedinnorthernMullaitivu,theonlyremainingstrongholdoftheLTTEafter
thefalloftheirdefactocapitalofKilinochchiandthestrategicElephantPass.
January12
After a two day battle, troops of the 59th Division recaptured the Government hospital and its
surrounding area at Tanniyuttu town in the Mullaitivu District. The hospital has been used by the
militants as a key strategic point to attack the SFs and treat their injured cadres. The outfit had
erectedseveralbunkerswithinthehospitalpremises.
According to the Resettlement and Disaster Relief Services Ministry sources, 1168 persons have
sought refuge with authorities and they have been housed in the Menik farm and Nelumkulama
welfarecentreinVavuniya.Accordingtoindependentverifications,thenumberofdisplacedwhoare
being forcibly kept in Wanni by the LTTE ranges between 150,000 to 250,000. The Government
reiterated that it was fully prepared to handle the mass exodus of civilians from Wanni, and
Vavuniya was being readied as a humanitarian assistance hub to cater to their needs.Authorities
havealsotakenstepstoclearan80acrelandinVavuniyatoconstructtemporaryshelters.RDRS
SecretaryA. C. M. Razik said the Government had already allocated SLR 30 million as an initial
sumtoexpeditereliefmeasuresthroughtheGovernmentAgentinVavuniya.
President Mahinda Rajapakse said the LTTE and its chief Velupillai Prabhakaran are presently
confined to a minuscule area of 30 kilometres in length and 20 kilometres in breadth in the north
eastern district of Mullaitivu. Over the last few days, the LTTE, he said, lost about 1,000 square
kilometres,shrinkingareaundertheircontrolrapidly.Interactingwithforeignjournalists,Rajapakse
saidMullaitivutownhadallbutfallenbecauseitwasbeing attacked from the west, south and the
northgivingtheLTTEno chance to stem the assault.Asked when the war would be over, he said
he hoped to end it in about twoandahalf months. The President accused the LTTE of holding
Tamil civilians in Mullaitivu District as hostage to be used as a human shield. He claimed that
civilians had to pay SLR 100,000 to the LTTE to migrate to the Governmentheld areas.Although
therewereonlyabout1700to1900LTTEcadresnow,theoutfitwasguardingalltheexitpointsto
preventciviliansfromfleeing,hesaid.
Themilitaryisreportedtohavestatedthatithaskilledatleast14,000militantsandestimatesthere
arefewerthan2000LTTEcadresnowleftcorneredintoatriangularareaofabout45sqkm.
January13
LTTE militants withdrawing towards Mullaitivu were fired upon by troops in the Ramanadhapuram,
Thanniuttu, east of Puthukudirippu, Muthiyandankulam, west of Puthukudirippu, north of
Ampakamam and Kanakarandankulam areas killing an unspecified number of militants. SFs later
recoveredthedeadbodiesofsixmilitants.
SFs attacked LTTE camps in the Murusamoddai area of Mullaitivu District inflicting heavy
casualties upon the militants. While the SFs recovered dead bodies of four militants, three other
4/81
4/30/2016
LTTEcadreswhowerehidingintheareasurrenderedtothetroops.
TheArmy has successfully cornered the LTTE to a 600 square kilometres area with the present
progressinoperationskillingalmost15,000militantswithinthepastthreeyears,ArmyCommander
LieutenantGeneralSarathFonsekasaid. "Today theArmy is strong with 180,000 personnel where
asafewyearsago,wehadjust116,000people.Weelevatedourselvesnotjustwithmanpowerbut
withwelltrained,sharpandskilledprofessionals,"hestated.
The APRC Chairman Tissa Vitharana urged Sri Lanka's opposition parties, the UNP and JVP, to
rejoin the APRC process to reach a solution for power devolution. Vitharana said all APRC
members have agreed that the province as the unit of devolution and it would be offered to the
TamilNationalAllianceasasolutiontotheethnicissue.
The LTTE is reported to have carried out 168 suicide attacks between 1984 and 2006.This is the
highestnumberofsuicideattacksbyaterroristorganisationduringthisperiod, said the Healthcare
andNutritionMinisterNimalSiripaladeSilva."TheLTTEcarriedout346attackstargetinginnocent
civilians in many parts of the country and they assassinated 3,262 civilians during 1984 to 2006.
They have killed 2,252 Sinhala civilians, 309 Tamil civilians and 701 Muslim civilians in these
attacks and have seriously injured 3,494 people including children, women and even pregnant
mothers," de Silva said while addressing an election meeting at the United People's Freedom
Alliance party office in KurunegalaTown on January 10.The Minister also said the LTTE killed 50
political leaders, including President Ranasinghe Premadasa, United National Party Presidential
election candidate, Gamini Dissanayake, Ministers D.M. Dassanayake and Jeyaraj Fernandopulle
and veteran politician Lakshman Kadirgamar. They also tried to assassinate former President
ChandrikaBandaranaikeKumaratunga,headded.
January13
Troops captured the entire Jaffna peninsula by capturing the last remaining LTTE stronghold of
Chundikulam. The military said SFs captured Chundikulam which lies parallel to the east of the
ElephantPassisthmusinJaffnaPeninsula.TheArmyalsodestroyedaLTTEboatwithartilleryfire
killingseveralmilitants,includingaseniorSeaTigerleader,identifiedas"LieutenantColonel'Thiru.
SFs advanced 40 kilometres from the Nagarkovil defence line in the Eastern edge of the Jaffna
peninsula, captured five Sea Tiger bases in Manmunai, ThalaiAdi, Vathurayan, Vettalaikerny and
Chundikulam.Thetroopsalsorecoveredofafleetof125boats belongingtoSeaTigersandLTTE
fromChundikulamalongwithseveralotheritems.WiththefallofChundikulam,theLTTEhasbeen
forcedtooperateonlyintheseassurroundingMullaitivu.
The troops clashed with militants in the Dharmapuram, Puliyansekkarai, Ramanadhapuram and
Murusamoddai areas of Mullaitivu District and killed an unspecified number of them. At least six
deadbodiesofthemilitantswerelaterrecoveredfromDharmapuramandPuliyansekkarai.
SFscapturedanotherLTTEairstriplocatedeastofIranamadutankrunningthroughOlumaduwaiin
theMullaitivuDistrict.
Following Court approval, the Sri Lanka Government buried 42 unclaimed dead bodies of LTTE
militantswhichwerelyingattheVavuniyahospitalforsometime.
Civilians started converging into the cleared areas (area under Government control) in Kilinochchi
and Jaffna as troops took full control of the Jaffna peninsula, said Military spokesman Brigadier
Udaya Nanayakkara. 655 civilians reached the SFs controlled areas of Kevil and Murusamoddai
fromthemidnightofJanuary13,theBrigadieradded.
January15
SFs captured Dharmapuram, one of the LTTE's biggest townships on theA35 road and about 15
kilometres to the east of the A9 highway, in the Mullaitivu. Troops reportedly inflicted heavy
casualties upon the outfit and subsequently recovered the dead bodies of six militants along with
four T56 assault rifles, an MPMG weapon, two LTTE dog tags, an Icom set, a motorcycle and
otheritems.
TheproLTTEWebsiteTamilNetclaimedthattheadvancebytheSLAfromDharmapuramonthree
fronts was repulsed by the LTTE cadres killing 51 SLA soldiers and wounding 150 others in the
confrontation which started in the morning of January 15. The website also claimed that the SLA
artillery attack in the Kaiveali, Koampaavil and Vishvamadu areas killed five civilians, including a
14yearoldgirl,andinjuredsixothers,includinganeightyearoldboy.
Heavy fighting erupted between the troops and militants in the Vishvamadu, Kulaweddidal and
Mulliyaweliareasinwhichanunspecifiednumberofmilitantswerekilled.SFslaterrecovered dead
bodiesofsevenmilitants.
An airstrip around 1,100 metres long and 40 metres wide inside the dense Iranamadu jungle was
capturedbytheSFsfollowingintensivefighting.
5/81
4/30/2016
ThecourageouspoliticalleadershipgivenbyPresidentMahindaRajapakseandthecorrectmilitary
leadership given to the Security Forces were the principal reasons behind the historic victories
achievedinthestruggletodefeatterrorism,DefenceSecretaryGotabhayaRajapaksesaid.
January16
The57thDivisiontroopstookfullcontroloftheentireperimeteroftheIranamadutankbundcovering
aboutthreekilometresintheKilinochchiDistrict.
SFs attacked LTTE camps at Udayarkattikkulam in the Mullaitivu District and subsequently
recoveredthedeadbodiesofthreemilitantsalongwiththreeT56weaponsandonetractor.
The troops captured the LTTE's sixth airstrip located at the eastern edge of Iranamadu tank in
Mullaitivujungles.
744 entrapped civilians in the Mullaitivu District and other areas reported to the troops in the
Chundikulam, Kokueliya, Ramanadhapuram, Omanthai, Puliyanpokkarai, Kulaweddidal and Kevil
areasoftheJaffna,VavuniyaandKilinochchiDistricts.
RulingoutageneralamnestyfortheLTTE,DefenceSecretaryGotabhayaRajapaksesaidthatthe
outfit's chief Velupillai Prabhakaran and his chief lieutenants would be tried for crimes they had
committed, both in Sri Lanka and abroad. Even if they surrendered to the army, the Government
would go ahead with legal proceedings, he told The Island. Rajapakse said that although ordinary
LTTE cadres would be rehabilitated to facilitate their return to civilian life, the top LTTE leadership
shouldn'texpectclemency.HealsosaidPrabhakaranandPottuAmmancouldn'tbe handedoverto
IndiaastheyhadtofirstfacechargesinSriLanka.
January17
SFs captured Ramanathpuram, a large township in the east of Kilinochchi District. After being
evicted from Iranamadu and Kilinochchi, LTTE militants withdrew to Ramanathpuram where they
had already made a fortress constructing strong bunkers, training areas, command and logistic
points and administrative bases. According to the military, Ramnathpuram is the second largest
builtupotherthantheKilinochchitownintheKilinochchiDistrictandthetownareaislocatedabout
610kilometreseastoftheA9roadfromIranamadu.
SFskilledanunspecifiednumberofLTTEmilitantsintheareaaboutsevenkilometresnorthofthe
Muthuiyankaddukulam tank in Mullaitivu District. During subsequent search operations, the troops
recoveredthedeadbodiesof19militants.
Troopsofthe59thDivisionclashedwithmilitantsatPuthukkudiyiruppuintheMullaitivuDistrictand
subsequentlyrecoveredthedeadbodiesofeightmilitants.
SFs confronted LTTE militants in the Puliyanpokkarai, east of Dharmapuram, Kandavalai and
Udayarkattikkulam areas inflicting an unspecified number of casualties upon the militants. The
troopslaterrecovereddeadbodiesoffourmilitants.
Unidentifiedassailantsshotdeadthreepersons,includingacivildefenceforcesoldier,intheMuttur
areaofTrincomaleeDistrict.Policesaidtheassailantskilledthevictimswhile they were travelling
inatractor.TwoofthevictimsarebelievedtobefarmersfromtheMutturarea.
The LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran may have already fled Sri Lanka with the army moving
swiftly towards the outfit's final strongholds, Army chief General Sarath Fonseka said. He also
predicted victory in a matter of months as the LTTE resistance was weaker than expected.
FonsekaalsosaidthatPrabhakaranwouldneithercommitsuicideasheexhortshisfollowerstodo
with cyanide capsules worn around their necks, nor allow himself to be captured like former Iraqi
president Saddam Hussein. Fonseka also said the LTTE now hold an area of 30 kilometres by 15
kilometresandsaidtroopshadmarched17kilometrestowardMullaitivuinasmanydays.
SriLankantroopslaunchedasearchtoarrestLTTEchiefPrabhakaran,believedtobehidinginside
a 35meter deep bunker in Mullaitivu District, the State radio Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation
said.
January18
18civilianshavebeenconfirmedkilledintroop'sartilleryfirewithinthelast24hourstill3:00pmin
severalvillagesofMullaitivuDistrictandtheoutersuburbsofKilinochchiDistricttotheeastofA9
highway, claims pro LTTE Website Tamil Net.At least 42 civilians were wounded on January 18
alone,accordingtothereport.
Threecivilianswereshotdeadandthreeothersinjuredbyagroupofunidentifiedassailantsatthe
SadatissagamajunglepatchintheButtalaareaofMoneragalaDistrict.
SFs neutralised several LTTE hideouts in the areas north of Kalmadukulam tank, west and
southeast of Udayarkattikkulam tank, northwest and east of Puthukkudiyiruppu, killing an
6/81
4/30/2016
unspecifiednumberofmilitants.Threedeadbodiesofthemilitantsweresubsequentlyrecovered by
thetroopsfromPuthukkudiyiruppuandUdayarkattikkulamareas.
OfficialssaidthemorgueinVavuniyahospitalispackedwithbodiesofslainLTTEmilitants.Dead
bodies of LTTE militants are also reportedly piling up in other hospitals in the region, including
Trincomalee, Mannar andAnuradhapura. More than 75 dead bodies of militants have so far been
buriedwiththemediationoftheICRClastweek.TheICRCresumeditstransportdutiesonJanuary
16afterabriefinterruptionduetotheunavailabilityofsecurityguaranteefrombothsides.
The Japanese Embassy in Colombo announced that the Japanese Special Peace Envoy for Sri
Lanka,YasushiAkashi,willarriveinthecountryonJanuary21todiscuss,amongotherissues,the
currentsituation,includingthehumanrightsandproblems faced by the internally displaced people
inWanni.
January19
The pro LTTE Website Tamil Net quoted the outfit's sources as saying that 35 SLA soldiers were
killedand at least 60 others wounded when the outfit's defensive formations clashed with the SLA
for 24 hours in the Northwestern frontier of the LTTEheld territory till the SLA was pushed back
fromNeththaliyaattuppaalam.
President Mahinda Rajapakse said that military operations in the North are not only to capture the
territory held by the LTTE but also to free people in the areas under LTTE control and reinstate
peace, freedom and democracy to the Tamil people of the North. Addressing a workshop at the
PresidentialSecretariat,hesaidtheLTTEisnowfacingacertaindefeatandtheGovernmentforces
willcapturethefinalrebelbastion,Mullaitivusoon.
January20
15civilians,includingfivechildren,werekilledand29othersinjuredduringartilleryfirebythetroops
in the Vishvamadu, Udaiyaarkaddu, Chuthanthirapuram and Maanikapuram areas of Mullaitivu
District,claimedTamilNet.
Troops of the 59th Division and Task ForceIV attacked LTTE camps in the areas east of
Puthukkudiyiruppu and northeast and southeast of Mulliyaweli inflicting heavy casualties upon the
militants.Severalsoldiersalsosustainedinjuriesduringtheseattacks.TheSFslaterrecoveredthe
deadbodiesofninemilitants.
Deadbodiesof38LTTEmilitants,including21femalecadres,whichhadnotbeenacceptedbythe
outfitwereburiedintheVavuniyacemeteryintheafternoon,followingacourtorderreceivedbythe
Policeadayearlier.
An unnamed senior military official said that speedy moves by the SFs from all fronts have
confined the LTTE into an area North of A35 road between Dharmapuram and Mullaitivu, further
shrinkingtheareasundertheoutfitscontroltolessthan400squarekilometres.
January21
TheSFscontinuedattackingLTTEcampsintheDharmapuram,RamanathapuramandVisuamadu
southareasinflictinganunspecifiednumberofcasualtiesuponthemilitants.Several soldiers also
sustained injuries in these clashes. The SFs later recovered the dead body of six militants,
includingthreefemalecadres.
The Sri Lanka Army assigned new uncleared area (area not under Government Control) in the
Mullaitivu District as a Safe Zone and urged civilians to move into the area as soon as possible.
The Safe Zone borders a four kilometers stretch of the PuthukkudiyiruppuParanthan (A35) main
road from Udayankattu junction to the Yellow Bridge on the south and extends northwards to
Iruthumadu and Thevipuram. The military had announced a 32 square kilometers Safe Zone near
Mullaitivuanddroppedleafletsurgingcivilianstogothere.
TheGovernmentisreportedlyplanningtoestablishthreenewvillagestosettletheIDPsfromWanni
whocannotgobacktotheirownvillagesduetotheLTTEactivities.
Nine journalists were killed and 27 others were assaulted in Sri Lanka since January 2006, the
Governmentsaid.
January22
Atleast100personswerekilledinartilleryexchangesbetweenmilitaryandtheLTTEinthelastone
week, a Government official working in the area controlled by the LTTE said. "Around 30 people
died in the morning today. Personally I saw that nearly 100 people have died from Saturday
[January 17] up to today. More than 300 have been injured," Mullaitivu District GovernmentAgent
EmeldaSukumarsaid.
TheTamilNetclaimedthat66civilianswerekilledandmorethan200woundedinSLAsartilleryfire
within the last three days in Mullaitivu District. While 16 civilians were killed on January 20, 20
othersdiedonJanuary21 and around 30 more were killed within the past 12 hours of January 22,
7/81
4/30/2016
according to the Regional Director of Health Service (under the LTTE administration) for Mullaitivu
DistrictDr.Varatharajah.
The Intensive Care Unit and the surgical site of the Mullaitivu hospital, functioning as a makeshift
hospitalatWallipuramschool,weredamagedinSLAsartilleryfireinthenightofJanuary21andat
around12:20pmonJanuary22inwhichfivecivilianswerekilledwithinthehospitalpremises.
40 SLA soldiers were killed and 70 others injured as the LTTEs defensive formations put up stiff
resistance against the SLA that attempted to advance through Kallaaru in the Northwestern front,
the LTTE sources said.The militants did not issue details on their casualties but claimed to have
seizedweaponsintheclearingmissionthatfollowed.
The 58th Division troops clashed with LTTE militants in the Visuamadu area of Mullaitivu District
andkilledanunspecifiednumberofthem.Duringsubsequentsearchoperations,theSFsrecovered
thedeadbodiesoffourmilitants.
TroopsclashedwiththeLTTEmilitantsintheareassouthofMullaitivuandPuthukkudiyiruppuand
captured one LTTE bunker and earth bund on. During subsequent search operations, the SFs
recovereddeadbodiesoffivemilitants.
The SFs advancing towards Mullaitivu along the southernmost tiny islet of the Chundikulam strip
confronted a pocket of LTTE militants at the JaffnaMullaitivu District inflicting heavy casualties
uponthemilitants.Troopslaterrecoveredthedeadbodiesofthreemilitants.
11 dead bodies of the LTTE militants were handed over to the representatives of the ICRC in
Vavuniya and they were taken to uncleared areas (areas not under Government control) to be
deliveredtotheLTTEbytheICRC.
The ICRC secured the release of an Army Lance Corporal, A.D.M.S. Pushpa Kumara, kept in
detentionbytheLTTE,fromthePuthukkudiyiruppuhospitalinMullaitivuDistrict.
The UN said that the LTTE had violated international law for refusing to allow local staff and their
familiestoleaveSriLanka'swarzone.
MilitaryspokesmanBrigadierNanayakkarasaidthat2,959civilianshadarrivedintheclearedareas
fromtheLTTEterritoryfromJanuary1toJanuary21.
MalaysiahassoundedanalertforLTTEchiefPrabhakaranafterreportsthathemayhaveentered
thecountryasSriLankantroopswereclosinginontheremainingLTTEstrongholdofMullaitivu.
The LTTE media spokesman Rasiah Ilanthirayan has been placed under arrest by the outfit,
accordingtoArmyintelligence.
January23
Five civilians, including a 10yearold girl and a 56yearold priest, were killed when the SLA fired
artilleryshellstargetedSafeZoneareassuchasIruddumadu,UdaiyaarkadduandWallipuraminthe
Mullaitivudistrictatleastfourtimes,accordingtomedicalsourcesintheregion,TamilNet reported.
The SLA fired artillery and MultiBarrel Rocket Launcher shells targeting Tamil refugees in
temporarysettlementsofMullaitivudistrictkillingthreeciviliansandinjuring33others,theWebsite
added.
The UNICEF called on the LTTE to release thousands of civilians including as many as 75,000
childrenentrappedinthewarzonealongwithnearly100childsoldiersrecruitedbytheoutfit.
The TMVP leader and a Member of Parliament, Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan, said the
Government would put an end to the child soldiers issue in the Eastern Province within the next
threemonthsunderajointagreementsignedbytheGovernment,UNICEFandtheTMVP.
SriLankasdonorgroupCochairstheUnitedStates,EuropeanUnion,NorwayandJapanwhile
backing the ongoing humanitarian operations are in constant touch with the Government with the
common objective of bringing a speedy solution to the ethnic conflict, the ForeignAffairs Minister
said.
January24
12 civilians killed were killed and 87 wounded as SLA continues artillery attack on Safety Zone in
theUdaiyaarkadduareaofMullaitivuDistrict,TamilNetreported.
January25
SFstroopscapturedMullaitivuTown,theLTTEsmostprestigiousmilitarystrongholdintheEastern
coast.ThetroopsenteredMullaitivuby1pm(SLST).Earlier,onJanuary23,theSFsmadeamajor
breakthrough in their battle to capture Mullaitivu with the capture of the earth bund located four
kilometressouthofMullaitivucentre.ArmyCommanderLt.GeneralSarathFonsekaannouncedthis
victory to the nation in the evening in a special message telecast live. "The Tiger stronghold of
8/81
4/30/2016
Mullaitivu fell under Security Forces control after 13 years with the 59 Division troops under the
commandofBrigadierNandanaUdawattaenteringthisstrategicstrongholdlastafternoon",military
officialssaid.TheArmylastcontrolledthisisolated ArmycamplocatedinMullaitivuin1996andit
wasoverrunbytheLTTEonJuly18,1996.
22 civilians were killed and 60 others wounded as SLA continued artillery shelling in various
localities, including Chuthanthirapuram, Udaiyaarkaddu and Thearaavil in Vishvamadu, inside the
'safetyzone',TamiNetclaimed.
Troops clashed with LTTE militants in the Visuamadukulam, south of Puliyanpokkarai, east of
Dharmapuram and southeast of Puliyanpokkarai areas and killed an unspecified number of them.
Duringsubsequentsearchoperations,thetroopsrecoveredthedeadbodiesofsevenmilitants.
The SFs clashed with militants in the Visuamadukulam and south of Puthukkudiyiruppu areas of
Mullaitivu District. During subsequent search operations, troops recovered dead bodies of three
militants.AnotherdeadbodyofaLTTEmilitantwasrecoveredfromthePuthukkudiyiruppuarea.
SFsinthenortheastofUdayarkattikkulamtank clashed with the LTTE militants and subsequently
recoveredthedeadbodiesofthreeofthem.
January26
More than 300 people were killed and several hundreds injured when the SLA fired artillery shells
inside the Safety Zone declared by the Colombo Government within the last 24 hours, Tamil Net
claimed.The shells mostly exploded in the area three kilometers between VallipunamKaali temple
andMoongkilaarutowardsParanthanroad.
SriLankahealthunionsurgedtheGovernmentandICRCtointervenetogetthehealthworkerswho
are currently in LTTE custody released. Saman Rathnapriya, chairman of the All Ceylon Health
Service Union, said there are nearly 100 health workers being held captive at various places in
Mullaitivu.
TheGovernmentinformedtheAppealCourtsthatithasdecidedtocanceltheradiolicensegivento
theLTTE.
TheColomboHighCourtreissuedanarrestwarrantfortheLTTEchiefVelupillaiPrabhakaran,head
ofLTTEintelligencewingPottuAmmanandtwoseniormembersof theoutfit,CharlesMasterand
Komadee Manimekala, in connection with the assassination of former foreign minister Lakshman
Kadirgamar,whowaskilledbyaLTTEsniperathisresidenceinColomboonAugust12,2005.
January27
Commanderofthe59thDivision,BrigadierNandanaUdawatta,saidthattroopsadvancingfromthe
north of Mullaitivu town succeeded in capturing a stretch of two kilometres amidst stiff resistance
by the LTTE. Troops operating in Mullaitivu town also recovered a LTTE defence line which
consistedofamassiveearthbundandaditch.
TheGovernment,onJanuary26,bannedtheVoiceofTigers(VoT),thesocalledofficialradioofthe
LTTE, Director General of the Media Center for the National Security, Lakshman Hulugalle. A
specialgazettewasissuedonJanuary27,hesaid.
The ICRC and UN officials who went to Puthukkudiyiruppu area to fetch some 300 patients to be
transferredtotheVavuniyaHospitalforfurthertreatmentwererefusedandturnedawaybytheLTTE
whileholdingallthosepatientscaptiveas'humanshields'.
DisasterManagementandHumanRightsMinistrySecretaryProf.RajivaWijesinhasaidover6000
civilians have arrived at the No War Zone declared by the Government since January 22. The
Government declared a no war zone to facilitate civilians in the uncleared areas to enter cleared
areas.
The ICRC said a major humanitarian crisis is unfolding in the North as civilians are caught in the
crossfire between theArmy and LTTE. It said hundreds of people have been killed and scores of
wounded are crowded in illequipped and understaffed medical facilities in the North.According to
the ICRC, an estimated 250000 people are trapped in a 250 squarekilometre area and they are in
needofprotection,medicalcareandbasicassistance.
President Mahinda Rajapakse told the visiting Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee
thathewasextendingapersonalinvitationtotheTamilNadu(SouthernIndianState)ChiefMinister
M.KarunanidhiandtheAIADMKleaderJayalalithaa tovisitSriLankatopersuadetheLTTEtolay
down arms and join the democratic mainstream. Mukherjee said that India has no sympathy for
terroristorganisations,butwantsSriLankatoensurethatciviliansarenotvictimisedintheconflict
betweenthearmedforcesandtheLTTE.
TheLTTEchiefVelupillaiPrabhakaranisstillinSriLankaandleadinghisfightersonthebattlefront
9/81
4/30/2016
inMullaitivu,B.Nadesan,politicalheadoftheoutfit,toldBBC.
TheGovernmentsaidthatamanhuntwasonforPrabhakaranandifcapturedalivehewouldnotbe
extraditedtoIndiabutfirsttriedinSriLankaonchargesofcrimescommittedbyhim.
January28
50 LTTE militants were killed and more than 150 injured during heavy fighting between the troops
andmilitantsintheUdayankattuandPallaikudiyirippuareasofMullaitivuDistrict.Foursoldiersalso
wentmissing.
AnunspecifiednumberofLTTEmilitantswerekilledandseveralothersinjuredwhenSFsoperating
from the south of ParanthanMullaitivu (A35) road reached Vishvamadu junction amidst stiff
resistance from the outfit. The village, near Kalmadukulam tank, was completely under water and
theirhousesandpropertieswerelargelydamaged,whenthetankbundwasbreechedbytheLTTE,
MilitaryspokesmanBrigadierUdayaNanayakkarasaid.Duringsubsequentsearch operations, SFs
recoveredthedeadbodiesoffivemilitants.AccordingtoNanayakkara,thecaptureofVishvamadu
junction dealt a severe blow to the LTTE who are now confined to a territory of 300 square
kilometres.Thetroopshavealsogainedcontrolofastretchof10kilometersalongtheroadleading
toChundikkulamaviaPuliyampokkanai.
ThechiefoftheLTTEunitinBritainhelpedsupplymilitaryequipmenttotheoutfit,aLondoncourt
heard.Prosecutorsallegedthat52yearoldArunachalamChrishanthakumaraliasA.C.Shanthanled
theacquisitionoffundingandmaterialsboundfortheLTTE.
Nearly 13,000 LTTE militants have been killed during the past two years of conflict in Sri Lanka
sincetheoperationstoliberatetheNorthernregionbeganinJuly2006,themilitarysaid.Over3700
soldiers have died in the ongoing battles, during the same period, Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara
said. Over 1500 LTTE cadres have been killed during the clashes in the past two months alone.
Nearly150Governmentsoldiershavealsobeenkilledinthesameperiod,thespokesmanadded.
January29
44 civilians were killed and 178 others sustained injuries during SLA's artillery firing targeting
civiliansinsafetyzonesinWanni,claimedTamilNet.
ALTTEarmourplatedunderwatercraftandthree otherpartiallyassembledsubmarinetypesmaller
crafts(midgets)were recovered by the SFs from the Udayarkattikkulam area of Mullaitivu District.
The SFs also found a damaged bulletproof car that could have been used here by either LTTE
chiefVelupillaiPrabhakaranorotherseniorLTTEleaders.
TheLTTEreleasedthetwoUNexpatriatestheywereholdingandallowedtoreturntheGovernment
controlledareasbutdetainedthe13localstafffurther.
President Mahinda Rajapakse urged the LTTE to release the civilians within 48 hours and allow
themtomovetosafetyintheGovernmentcontrolledareas.
The political wing leader of the LTTE, Balasingham Nadesan, said that the outfit has been urging
the UN, ICRC and other international actors through all available offices to facilitate transportation
forthewoundedciviliansinneedofmedicaltreatmenttotheVavuniyaHospital.
TheUnitedStatesandJapanhaveofferedaSLR3.2billiongranttoSriLankaGovernmentforde
miningintheMannarDistrict,oneoftherecentlyliberateddistrictsintheNorth.
January30
In a predawn attack, the SLN destroyed an explosive laden LTTE suicide boat in the seas off
Mullaitivucoast.NavalcraftonpatrolintheMullaitivuseashadearlierinterceptedthe suicide boat
launchedfromMullaitivuanddirectedheavygunfireatit.
The Government rejected calls for a ceasefire with the LTTE and vowed to continue the military
operationsuntiltheNorthiscompletelyliberated.
The APRC has finalized its report recommending a power devolution formula to solve the ethnic
conflict,theGovernmentannounced.
January31
SFs captured a Black Tiger camp complex in the east of Visuamadu in Mullaitivu District. Nine
mortarlaunchersof five different calibre of 120mm, 81mm, 82mm, 80mm and 60mm, six Multi
Purpose Machine Guns, two thermo baric launchers, 20 pistols, three Rocket Propeller Guns
(RPG), seven claymore mines, one improvised claymore mine, 18 T56 weapons, one sniper gun,
eight RPG rounds, 59 hand grenades, one tripod, 35 Arultype bombs, 100 detonators, one radio
set,thirtyfivegasmasks,48helmets,35pouches,alargestockofnewLTTEuniformsalongwith
thedeadbodiesof12militantswererecoveredfromthecomplex.
The48hourtruceperiodthePresidenthadofferedtotheLTTEtoallowstrandedcivilianstomove
intosafeareasexpiredinthenightofJanuary31buttheLTTEcontinuedtoholdthepeopleignoring
10/81
4/30/2016
the ultimatum. "LTTE terrorists violating the objective of the safe area, moved heavy artillery
batteries and mortar guns over civilians endangering their safety also attempting to draw civilian
casualties in a military retaliation," the Defence Ministry said. Defence sources said the LTTE is
manning a forward defence line in the outer perimeters of the Safe Zone and they have also
"cluttered" the area with land mines to prevent civilians from reaching the Governmentcontrolled
territory. The United Nations estimates some 250,000 civilians are trapped in the battlefield now
limitedtoanareaoflessthan300squarekilometersinthenortheastjungles.
January31February1
TamilNetclaimedthat56civilianswerekilledbetweenJanuary31andFebruary1whentheSLA
firedartilleryshellstargetingcivilianrefugesatMoongkilaaruintheUdaiyaarkadduareawithinthe
'safetyzone'announcedbytheGovernmentofSriLanka.
February1
150SLAsoldierswerekilledandmorethan350othersinjuredwhenthedefensiveformationsofthe
LTTE foiled an SLA attempt to capture Puthukkudiyiruppu in the Mullaitivu District, claimed Tamil
Net.Threebattletanks,twotroopcarriers,amilitarybusandtwotractorswerefullydestroyed,said
S.Puleedevan,DirectoroftheLTTEPeaceSecretariat.
35LTTEmilitantswerekilledinseparateclashesbetweenthetroopsandmilitantsintheMullaitivu
District.The daylong fighting erupted between the two sides in the area west of the Nanthikandal
lagoonandtheUdayarkattikkulamnearthedeclaredciviliansafezoneastroopscameunderheavy
artilleryattackfromthemilitants.
TheSFsclashedwithLTTEmilitantsintheareanorthofVisuamadukillingatleast11militantsand
injuringeightothers.
Following several rounds of clashes with the LTTE militants in the Udayarkattikkulam and
Udayankattu areas, troops recovered dead bodies of five militants. An unspecified number of
soldierswereinjuredinthefightingwhilefiveotherswentmissing.
TheLTTErecentlynamedaseniorleader,identifiedasSelvarasaPathmanathan,asthechiefofa
newly established Department of International Relations (DIR). Pathmanathan will be representing
theoutfitinanyfuturepeaceinitiativesandwillbetheprimarypointofcontactforengagingwiththe
international community, according to a letter sent to various international actors by the DIR.
PathmanathanwillbeworkingabroadwithrequiredmandatefromtheLTTEleadership,accordingto
theletter.Theoutfit'spoliticalwingleader,B.Nadesan,confirmedtoTamilNet that Pathmanathan
hasalreadybeguncorrespondingwithinternationalactors.
President Mahinda Rajapakse renewing his call to the LTTE urged them to surrender or face the
dangerofbeingcapturedbytheArmedForces.
The Sri Lanka Government said that it couldn't go for a power sharing solution for the country's
ethnicissuevanquishingthe13thamendmentoftheconstitution.
ThecommitteeappointedtoformulateasolutiontotheethnicconflictinSriLankahasproposeda
HigherAppointmentsCouncilinplaceofthepresentConstitutionalCouncil.
February2
Nine civilians were killed and 20 others injured when a hospital in the LTTEcontrolled area of
PuthukkudiyiruppuintheMullaitivuDistrictcameunderartilleryattackthreetimes.
Tamil Net claimed that the SLA fired artillery shells throughout February 2 from all directions
targetingcivilianrefugeskillingorinjuringatleast100civilians.Morethan5,000artilleryshellsand
MultiBarrelRocketLauncherrocketswerefiredbytheSLA,itadded.
PresidentMahindaRajapaksedeclaredthattheArmyisonthevergeofcrushingtheLTTEaftera
25year war. "The strongholds of terror once believed to be invincible ... have fallen in rapid
succession,bringingthefinaleliminationofterrorfromourmotherlandandthedawnoftruefreedom
toallourpeoplewellwithinourreach,"Rajapaksesaidinamessagetomarkthe61st Independence
DaythatwillbecelebratedonFebruary4.
The SFs recovered the dead bodies of 12 LTTE militants following clashes in the Murusamoddai
andEttakokkavilkulamnorthareasofMullaitivuDistrict.
Three people were killed and 10 injured when the SLA for the third consecutive day shelled the
PuthukkudiyiruppuhospitalinMullaitivuDistrict,reportedTamilNet.
The Government asked all civilians to enter the demarcated 'safety zone' as soon as possible,
cautioningthatotherwisetheirsecuritycouldnotbeguaranteed.
February3
52civilianswerekilledwhenthePuthukkudiyiruppuhospitalinMullaitivuDistrictwasshelledfor the
fourth consecutive day, this time by a cluster bomb, forcing authorities to evacuate patients from
11/81
4/30/2016
oneofthelastfunctioningmedicalfacilitiesinthewarzone,saidtheUN.
TheSriLankanmilitaryaccusedtheLTTEofarmingcivilianstofighttheSFs.
TheResettlementandDisasterReliefServicesMinistrysaidtheIDPswhohadsoughtrefugewith
authoritieshadincreasedtoover5,000.Ministrysourcessaid1,000acresoflandhadbeencleared
in Vavuniya to cater to an expected exodus in the coming weeks in addition to the existing
facilities. They said these centres were equipped with all facilities including health, sanitary,
schoolingforchildren,banking,foodetc.
The Government took measures to establish four more welfare villages in Vavuniya andAdampan
areasfortheIDPscomingfromWanniandMannar.TheGovernmenthasalreadycommencedbasic
activities of the four villages.According to Government statistics, 113,731 civilians are still under
LTTEcontrolinMullaitivuDistrictalthoughaidagenciesclaimahighernumber.
February4
A 13yearold LTTE suicide bomber blew herself up after reaching the troops in a location north of
Chalaiinjuringonesoldier.
In his speech during the 61st Independence Day celebrations, President Mahinda Rajapakse
declaredthattheLTTEwouldbedecisivelydefeatedinthenextfewdays.
The Norwegian Government said that it had urged the LTTE to negotiate with the Sri Lankan
Governmentforaceasefire.
TheSriLankaCoChairsappealedfora"temporarynofireperiod"inSriLanka.
RespondingtotheCoChairsstatement,theproLTTEpartyTNAsaiditwastheneedtoresistthe
physical subjugation of the Tamil people by the Sri Lankan state that led to the "advent of Tamil
armedresistanceanditisonlytheLTTEthatisresistingtheaforementionedgenocidaldesignsof
theSriLankaState".
The Puthukkudiyiruppu hospital which was closed due to shelling has been relocated to
Puthumalan,alocationclosertothecoastalareainMullaitivuDistrict,theICRCsaid.
February5
The SLA fired more than 6,000 artillery shells inside the safety zone not allowing people to come
out of bunkers throughout the day in the Chuthanthirapuram and Iruddumadu areas of Mullaitivu
District killing 16 people, claimed Tamil Net. Two of the 16 dead bodies of civilians brought to
hospitalhadgunfireinjuries,accordingtomedicalsources.
TheSFscapturedtheLTTEslastSeaTigerbaseofChalaiinthenorthofMullaitivuafterfivedays
of fighting killing at least 12 Sea Tigers cadres, including top leaders. Among those killed was a
deputyleaderknownasVinayagam.WiththecaptureoftheChalaiSeaTigerBase,SFshavebeen
abletoreducethecoastalareaunderLTTEcontroltolessthan15kilometres.
Troops attached to the 57th Division took full control of Visuamadu by capturing the southern part
while the 58th Division captured the northern part. With the capture of Visuamadu and Chalai, the
SFs have been able to confine the LTTE to an area less than 200 square kilometres. "In actual
terms they have been confined to 16 by 6 kilometres area in the Mullaitivu district," an unnamed
military official said. The LTTE is now left with only areas in the North, East and West of
Puthukuduiruppu.
A hospital in the Udaiyaarkaddu area within the safe zone was shelled by the SLA killing at least
sevencivilianswhileinjuring27others,reportedTamilNet.Twoambulancesandthemedicalstore
ofthehospitalwerealsodestroyed.
Three militants were killed during clashes between the LTTE and troops in the areas west of
KuravikulamandKuravikulam.
Medical authorities said at least 500 civilians, including children and elderly, were killed and 2,000
woundedwithinthelastthreeweeks,TamilNetclaimed.
Nearly 1,000 civilians arrived in Tharmapuram and Visuamadu after fleeing from the LTTE in
Mullaitivuduringthepast48hours.
Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake told Parliament that under no circumstance will the
Government suspend the ongoing military operations against the LTTE until they are completely
neutralised.
February6
TheSLAFbombedPonnampalamhospitalinPuthukkudiyiruppukilling61patients.
59 civilians were killed in shelling by the SLA inside the safety zone in the Chuthanthirapuram,
12/81
4/30/2016
Iruddumadu,UdaiyaarkadduandTheavipuramareasofMullaitivu,reportedTamilNet.
Troops overran the LTTEs Radha Regiment headquarters at Visuamadu. Military spokesman
BrigadierUdayaNanayakkarasaidtheRadhaRegimentwasinTheravilkulam,alongtheA35main
roadandisledbyaseniorLTTEcadreidentifiedasRatnam.
An unspecified number of militants were killed in clashes with troops in the Kuppilankulam and
Thuvarankulam areas. The SFs also captured a LTTE camp in the Thuvarankulam area. During
subsequentsearchoperations,SFsrecoveredthedeadbodiesofsixmilitants.
SFs continued operations in the LTTEheld areas south and west of Puthukkudiyiruppu and
Kuppilankulamkillingatleastthreemilitants.
Tamil Net reported that more than 100 SLA soldiers were killed in a Black Tigers attack targeting
soldiers in the Keappaapulavu area, according to February 4 edition of Eezha Naatham, the only
newspaper printed in LTTEcontrolled territory. The Black Tigers rammed an explosivesladen
vehicle into the SLA installation and the militants stormed the 'box' and brought it under their
control.
5100 civilians escaped from the LTTE control and reached the army controlled areas of
Darmapuram,VisuamaduandKuppilankulam.
DefencespokesmanMinisterKeheliyaRambukwellasaidthatonlyabout700LTTEmilitantsremain
intheoutfitsforcenow.Hedeniedthat200,000civiliansaretrappedintheLTTEterritorywhichhas
nowshrunktoabout160squarekilometres.
The Sri LankaArmy said that the LTTE is now restricted to only 172 square kilometres of land in
theMullaitivuDistrict.
February7
62 civilians were killed in shelling by the SLA inside the safety zone in the Chuthanthirapuram,
Iruddumadu,UdaiyaarkadduandTheavipuramareasofMullaitivu,reportsTamilNet.
34LTTEmilitantswerekilledwhentheSFsfoiledanLTTEinfiltrationattemptthroughtheSFsFDL
inthesouthofPuthukkudiyiruppu.
The SLAF said its fighter jets destroyed a hideout of the Sea Tigers chief Soosai located one
kilometrenortheastofPuthukuduiruppujunctionintheMullaitivuDistrictandclaimedthathecould
either have been killed or wounded in the attack. The SLAF spokesperson Janaka Nanayakkara
said11LTTEmilitants,includingaveryseniormilitant,werekilledintheattack.
5600civilians,includingchildrenandwomen,reachedthetroopsinPuthukkudiyiruppu.
February8
The SLA continued indiscriminate barrage of artillery shelling on the safety zone killing more than
80civiliansandinjuring200.Mostofthecasualtieswerereportedalongtheroads.Further,ashell
explodedinsideabunkerinVallipuan,killingthreepersonsandinjuringfourothers.More than 500
housesandhutsweredamagedintheshelling.
TroopskilledsevenLTTEmilitantsinfierceclashesatastrategictownshipnearMullaitivu.
NavalcraftpatrollingtheseaoffMullaitivuinapredawnattackdestroyedtwoLTTEboatsjustafew
minutes after it was detected on the radar screen.According to Navy spokesman Captain D.K.P.
Dassanayake, Dovra high speed naval craft had given chase and fired at the fleeing LTTE boats
killingatleastsixmilitants.Twodeadbodiesofthemilitantswererecovered,headded.
TheSLAreportedthatLTTEmilitants firedatcivilianswhowerefleeingtheoutfitheldareaskilling
threeofthemwhileinjuringthreeothers.
The Sri Lankan military claimed that over 10,000 civilians trapped in the war zone have crossed
over to the safe zone in the first week of February.As per Government estimates of February 1,
therewere1.2lakhciviliansheldupintheLTTEheldterritoryintheMullaitivuDistrict.
February9
ALTTEwomansuicidebombermingling withagroupofdisplacedcivilianscomingfromuncleared
areas blew herself up at Sugandirapuram in the Mullaitivu District, killing 28 people and injuring
more than 60 others.Among the dead were 20 SF personnel and eight civilians. 24 soldiers were
among the 60 injured persons. The bomber, who had come with around 1,000 displaced civilians
fromunclearedareasofMullaitivu,blewherselfupwhenawomansoldiertriedtobodycheckherat
acheckpointpriortobeingtakentoatransitwelfarecentre.
The Sri Lankan Government told a highlevel United Nations delegation in Colombo that the LTTE
maintains a hostile approach towards the exodus of civilians from the Wanni region and the
casualties caused by it is underreported. "The surge of civilians leaving the conflict zone,
13/81
4/30/2016
numbering in excess of 20,000, is encouraging even though the LTTE regrettably maintains a
hostileapproachontheexodusofcivilians,"DefenceSecretaryGotabhayaRajapaksesaid.
The founder of the TMVP and Member of Parliament, Vinayagamoorthy Muraleetharan alias
Colonel Karuna Amman, has said that he will join the ruling SLFP in the near future. Making a
special statement to the media, Karuna said that he will obtain the SLFP membership within the
next three weeks and could convert all offices of his political party in theTrincomalee, Batticaloa
andAmparaDistrictsasSLFPoffices.
TheLTTEmilitantstriggeredapressuremineexplosiontargetingateamofSTFmemberstravelling
onatractorintheOnkandaareaofBatticaloaDistrict,killingtwoSTFpersonnel.
February10
19civilians,includingfivewomenandtwochildren,werekilledand75others,including30women
and28children,werewoundedastheLTTEmilitantsopenedfireonagroupofciviliansfleeingthe
outfitheldareasofPuthukkudiyiruppuintheMullaitivuDistrict.
SFs captured the Western part of Kuruwilkulam in the Mullaitivu District following clashes that
commenced from February 9night. Kuruwilkulam is located East of Vishvamadu and North of
Udayanarkattukulam along the south of theA9 Road.The LTTE territory is reportedly confined to
96squarekilometres.
The SFs killed three armed LTTE militants in the Surantharanpuram area and also recovered their
weapons,tworadiosetsandtwomotorbikes.
The proLTTE party TNA is to be invited to the APRC which is expected to soon complete
deliberations towards a future power sharing mechanism for Sri Lanka, theAPRC ChairmanTissa
Vitharanasaid.
The Government has asked all parties, including the United Nations aid agencies, providing relief
supplies to refugees in Wanni to ensure that they operate within the framework approved by the
Government.
February11
The SFs killed eight LTTE militants in the Thuvarankulam and surrounding areas of Mullaitivu
District.
The US Department of Treasury designated the Marylandbased Tamil Foundation as a front
organizationoftheLTTEunderExecutiveOrder13224whichtargetsterroristsandthoseproviding
supporttoterroristsoractsofterrorism.
The Government said that over 32,500 civilians out of the total population of 113, 832 in the
Mullaitivu District have fled the uncleared areas (area not under Government control) and sought
protection with the Security Forces. Meanwhile, the Government has allocated another SLR 50
milliontoprovidenecessaryfacilitiestofleeingciviliansintheNorthernpartofthecountry.
TheLTTE,whichhasbeendisappointedwiththewaytheexodusofciviliansfleeingfromtheLTTE
held area, have reportedly forced the civilians to go further North East of Puthukuduiruppu and
SouthofChalaiintheirbidtokeepthemundertheircontrolforalongperiod,militarysourcessaid.
"The LTTE had pushed the civilians towards the Putumatalan area North East of
Puthukuduyiruppu",militaryofficialssaid.
President Mahinda Rajapakse said that the LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran will soon have to
"pay"forattackingvariousreligiousplacesintheislandnationinthepast25years.
February12
The SFs clashed with the LTTE militants in the Mullaitivu District killing at least 28 militants, the
Defenceministrysaid."Snipersdeployedintheforwardareasconfirmedshootingdown23terrorists
atvariouslocationsduringdaytime,"theministrysaid,adding,fivemilitantswerekilledinseparate
clashes.
12LTTEmilitantswerekilledandanequalnumberoftheminjuredasclasheseruptedbetweenthe
SFsandmilitantsintheareasouthofPuthukudirippuinMullaitivuDistrict.
Security Forces in Wanni declared a new Safe Zone demarcating 12 kilometers along on the
western boundary of the Mullaitivu lagoon on humanitarian grounds to rescue civilians trapped by
theLTTEinMullaitivu.
In a response to the ICRC appealing to the Government and the LTTE to meet their obligations
under international humanitarian law to spare the wounded, the sick, medical personnel, and
medicalfacilitiesatalltimes,theDefenceAffairs spokesman Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said
theGovernmentisfullyrespectingandadheringtotheinternationalhumanitarianlaw.
The Eastern Province Chief Minister and TMVP leader Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan said
14/81
4/30/2016
civilians who fled the East due to the conflict are being resettled in a two stage process. He also
saidthatTMVPhasbeguntodisarmitscadresinlinewithitsrecentpolicy.
February13
Subsequent to heavy clashes between the two sides in the Kuppilankulam area of Mullaitivu
District,theSFsrecoveredthedeadbodiesoffivemilitantsalongwithfiveT56weaponsandoneI
comradioset.
TamilNetclaimedthatmorethan50civilianswerefearedkilledinanartilleryattackbytheSLAat
TheavipuramandValipunamareasofMullaitivuDistrict.
The Government has cancelled with immediate effect the radio transmission licence issued (on
November11,2002)totheLTTEpeacesecretariatduringthetenureoftheceasefireagreement.
TheGovernmenthastakenmeasurestoreestablishthePolicestationinKilinochchiafteralmosta
decade. The Deputy Inspector General of Police, Mahinda Balasooriya, who visited the area
recently, said the Kilinochchi Police station is the first of 20 Police stations scheduled to be
establishedinWanni.
ForeignAffairsMinisterRohithaBogollagamasaidthatallfrontorganizationsoftheLTTEshouldbe
bannedinternationallytocombatterrorism.
February14
16civilians,mostofthembelongingtothreefamilies,werekilledinanartilleryattackbytheSLAat
Iranaippaalai, located between the new and old safety zones, in the Mullaitivu District, reported
TamilNet.
February15
EightcivilianswerekilledwithinthenewsafetyzoneintheatPokkanaiareaofMullaitivuDistrict.
Tamil Net claimed that a bomb blast in the Kanchikudichchaanaaru area ofAmpara District killed
morethan12STFcommandos,includinganofficer,atasitewherepreparationswerebeingmade
tolaythefoundationstoneforaBuddhistVihara.
The Government claimed that only about 65,000 civilians remain in Mullaitivu and not 450,000 as
statedbytheLTTE.
PresidentMahindaRajapaksesaidhisGovernmentguaranteesthesafetyoftheciviliansfleeingthe
LTTEheldareasandreachingtheSFsortheICRC.
According to the Ministry Human Rights and Disaster Management, over 35,000 civilians have
safelyreachedtheGovernmentcontrolledareasinFebruary2009.
The ruling United People's Freedom Alliance secured a majority in the Central Provincial Council
electionsheldonFebruary14toselectcouncillorsforanotherfouryearterm.Thefinaloutcomeof
theNorthWesternProvincialCouncilelectionisyettobedetermined.
The LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran is still in Wanni and will continue to hold the innocent
civiliansuntilthemilitarycaptureshim,revealedtwoBlackTigerstotheArmy.Inaninterviewwith
SundayObserver,theysaidthatPrabhakaranssonCharlesAnthonywascommandingtheirforces
withotherprominentLTTEleaderslikeBanuandLakshman.
February16
Three workers attached to Karaithuraippattu MultiPurpose Cooperative Society were killed inside
theTheavipuramareaofMullaitivuDistrict.
TamilNetclaimedthatabout275civiliansarefeareddeadsinceFebruary14andtheroads remain
continuouslyunderheavyartilleryattackbytheSLAintheTheavipuramVallipunamsafetyzone.
TheUNcalledontheLTTEtoreleasetheUNworkerheldhostagebythem,todesistfromfurther
recruitment of civilians and to permit passage of tens of thousands of civilians remaining in the
WanniPocket,includingchildren.
The LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran is planning to commit suicide along with hundreds of his
hardcore followers at a beach in Mullaitivu District if the Sri Lankan armed forces close in on his
lasthideout,saidBasilRajapakse,SeniorAdvisortotheSriLankanPresidentMahindaRajapakse.
TheLTTEisreportedlyburyingtheirweaponsinordertousethemlaterwhenthearmedstrugglefor
an independent Tamil Eelam could be revived. UAV surveillance had revealed that militants were
greasing their weapons, wrapping them up in polythene and burying them deep in jungles, as they
didintheEastin20067andaftertheIndiaSriLankanAccordin1987.
February17
The SLA launched indiscriminate artillery attack into the newly announced safety zone killing at
least 108 civilians and injuring more than 200, claimed Tamil Net. The artillery attack targeted
Maaththalan,PokkanaiandMullivaaykkaalareas.
15/81
4/30/2016
The Sri Lanka Air Force fighter jets bombed Iranaippaalai, the new centre for humanitarian and
basicfacilitieslocatedbetweenthenewandoldsafetyzones,killingatleast15peoplefleeingfrom
theold'safetyzone'towardsMaaththalan,claimedTamilNet.
The SFs entered the Puthukuduiruppu West area of Mullaitivu District confining the LTTE to less
than80squarekilometresarea.TheSFshavereportedlytakencompletecontroloftheprevious'No
FireZone'declaredbytheArmyafterthousands ofciviliansmovedoutoftheareaoncetheArmy
declared the new safe areas in the coastal belt in the north of Mullaitivu. The SFs also recovered
thedeadbodiesof23militantsfromthearea(14onFebruary16andnineonFebruary17.
The UNICEF expressed grave concern for children being recruited by the LTTE and said it was
extremelyalarmedatthehighnumberofchildrenbeingkilledorinjuredinthefightinginthenorth.
Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse said LTTE leaders are using civilians in the North as
human shields as they cannot face the heavy attacks by the Security Forces in the final stage of
thewar.
The TNA said that the Government should go for a ceasefire with the LTTE. TNA leader and
MemberofParliament,R.Sampanthan,claimedthatnearly350,000civiliansarestilltrappedinthe
outfitheldareasofMullaitivu.Healsoclaimedthatnearly2,000innocentcivilianshavebeenkilled
andanother4,500injuredsinceDecember2008.
Minister Dinesh Gunawardene told Parliament that 60,088 families have been displaced in the
EasternProvinceduetotheLTTE.
ThefounderoftheTMVPandMemberofParliament, Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan alias 'Colonel'
KarunaAmman,hasquittheparty.KarunasaidthatheandsomeseniorleadershadquittheTMVP
andwouldholdtalkswithPresidentMahindaRajapaksenextweektojointherulingSLFP.
The Government appointed a committee to evaluate activities of the national and international
NGOsinthecountryinvolvedinhumanitarianassistanceandhumanrightspromotion.
February18
50civilianswerekilledandmorethan70otherswoundedwhenfourSLAFbombersdroppedcluster
bombsoninternallydisplaced civilians atAananthapuram in the Mullaitivu District at around 12:50
pm,claimedTamilNet.
TroopskilledninemilitantsinthewestandsouthofPuthukkudiyiruppuandinsouthOddusudan.
SFsrecoveredsixdeadbodiesoftheLTTEmilitantsalongwithfiveT56weaponsduringasearch
operationintheareawestofPuthukkudiyiruppuinMullaitivuDistrict.
The skeletal parts and 70 partlyburnt pieces of a fuselage and a rotor blade of a helicopter that
couldhavebeenexperimentedbytheLTTE,apparentlyfortheirclandestineaerialoperations,were
recoveredfromthenewlycapturedareasofVaddakkachchi.
The Sri Lanka Government reiterated its stance of no ceasefire with the LTTE rejecting the fresh
calls for a truce. Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said that the Government has taken a policy
decision to completely neutralise terrorism. Describing the truce demand as "laughable," he said,
"TherewillbenoceasefirewiththeLTTE."
February19
24 civilians were killed in the SLA artillery attack in the Puthukkudiyiruppu area of Mullaitivu
District,reportsTamilNet.
10 civilians were killed and 70 injured in the Iranaippaalai, Aananthapuram and Valaignarmadam
villagesoftheMullaitivuDistrict.
ThreemembersofafamilywerekilledintheValaignarmadamareaofMullaitivuDistrict.
SFscapturedtheentirePuthukkudiyiruppuwestareainMullaitivuDistrictbyFebruary19afternoon
and by evening the troops entered the Ampalavanpokkanai town. During a search operation
following clashes between the two sides, the SFs recovered the dead bodies of three LTTE
militants along with seven T56 weapons and three Icom sets from the Puthukkudiyiruppu west
area.
Addressing a press briefing following a meeting with the Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka, the UN
UnderSecretaryGeneral for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Sir John
Holmes, urged the LTTE to allow free movement of civilians caught in the crossfire between the
GovernmenttroopsandtheLTTEinthenorth.
February20
70 civilians were injured when the SLA launched artillery attack targeting civilians within the 'safe
zone'andtheadjoiningareasinWanni,claimsTamilNet.13ofthe70woundedciviliansdiedlater.
16/81
4/30/2016
Troops clashed with the LTTE militants in the Puthukkudiyiruppu, Puthukkudiyiruppu west, Chalai,
Mulliyaweli and Ampalavanpokkanai areas of Mullaitivu District inflicting heavy casualties among
the militants. During subsequent search operations, the troops recovered the dead bodies of 10
militantsfromthePuthukkudiyiruppuwestandAmpalavanpokkanaiareas.
Troops capturedAmpalavanpokkanai village in the Mullaitivu District after a fierce battle with the
LTTE.TroopslaterrecoveredsevenLTTEbodiesandfiveT56assaultrifles.
Two LTTE light aircrafts were shot down by the Security Forces in Colombo and Katunayake
followinganattemptbytheoutfittobombColombocity.However,oneoftheaircraftsmanaged to
drop a bomb on the Inland Revenue Department injuring at least 50 persons and destroying the
building.Twoofthewoundedpersonslatersuccumbedtotheirinjuries.
February21
33civilianswerekilledand73woundedwhentheSLAfiredartilleryshellstowardstheSafetyZone
atValaignarmadam,MullivaaykkaalandPokkaaniintheMullaitivuDistrict.
Troops advancing towards Puthukkudiyiruppu town attacked more LTTE camps in the west and
south of Puthukkudiyiruppu inflicting heavy casualties among the militants. During subsequent
searchoperations,theSFsrecovereddeadbodiesof11militantsfromthePuthukkudiyiruppuwest
andAmpalavanpokkanaiareas.
TheLTTEsaidthattheFebruary20airstrikescarriedoutbyitovercapitalColomboweresuicide
attacks by its elite Black Air Tiger squad. The outfit said that two men from the Black Air Tiger
suicide squad piloted the two light aircraft that carried out the attack. In addition, the military,
quoting initial investigations, said the pilot, whose body was found intact, had a large quantity of
explosivesandbombsinsidetheaircraft.
February2122
12civilians,includingtwochildren,wereshotdeadbytheLTTEmilitantsatKarawetiyagamainthe
Ampara District. The death toll increased to 21, the Media Centre for National Security said on
February22.
February22
20 civilians were killed and 60 others wounded in the Iranaippaalai, Aananthapuram and
PuthukkudiyiruppuareasofMullaitivuDistrict.
TheSFskilledfourLTTEmilitantsintheVattappalaiarea.
Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe said that around 250 LTTE cadres have so far arrived in the
cleared areas during the past few weeks and surrendered to the military. Army Spokesman
Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said that 20 out of these 250 identified as hardcore fighters were
referredtotherehabilitationcentresafterascreeningprocess.
ThePoliticalHeadoftheLTTE,B.Nadesan,madeanappealtotheheadsoftheTokyoCochairs
countriessayingthat"whenapermanentpoliticalsolutionisreachedfortheTamil people, with the
supportandtheguaranteeoftheinternationalcommunity,thesituationwillarisewheretherewillbe
noneedforthearmsoftheLTTE".
Member of Parliament Vinayagamoorthy Muraleetharan alias 'Colonel' Karuna Amman has put
forwardthreemainconditions,includingthehaltofgovernmentsponsoredcolonizationprogrammes
intheEasternProvince,beforehejoinstherulingSLFP.
Government officials said that the LTTE's air power has almost collapsed after two of the outfit's
aircraft,whichenteredtheColomboskytocarryoutasuicidemission,weredestroyedbytheSFs.
Military spokesman Udaya Nanayakkara said defence authorities had estimated the LTTE to have
three aircrafts. The defence authorities had claimed that the SLAF destroyed the first aircraft on
September 9, 2008 when the LTTE carried out an air and ground attack on the air force base in
Vavuniya.
LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran's wife and two children have left Sri Lanka as the Government
troopszeroinonthelastpocketsoftheLTTE,areportsaid.
Military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said the number of civilians remaining in the
clutchesoftheLTTEisonly70,000.
February23
SFs reached closer to Puthukkudiyiruppu town, the outfit's last stronghold, and regained a section
of the earth bund in the Kombavil area of Mullaitivu District. Following a fierce battle, troops
recoveredthreebodiesofmilitantsandtwoT56assaultriflesfromtheincidentsite.
PoliceinFrancearrestedsixSriLankanTamilsaccusedofkillingaPoliceofficerinParis,officials
said.SugeeswaraSenadheera,MinisterCounsellorattheSriLankanembassyinParis,saidthatall
ofthemwereLTTEmembers.
17/81
4/30/2016
TheUNSecretaryGeneralBanKimooncalledforahalttofightingbetweenSriLankanGovernment
forces and the LTTE to allow civilians to flee and for political talks to try and end the 25year
conflict.
February24
SFs entered Puthukkudiyiruppu in Mullaitivu District, the last town under LTTE's control, following
fiercefightinginwhicheightmilitantswerekilled.
19 militants were killed when they attempted to infiltrate the SF's defence line in the north of
Mullaitivu.
Three Sri LankaAir Force fighter jets bombed Iranaippaalai thrice, killing seven civilians, claimed
TamilNet.Atleastfourofthevictimsbelongedtoasinglefamily,accordingtothereport.
Six civilians were killed when the SLA fired artillery shell near the makeshift hospital at
Puthumaaththalan,claimedTamilNet.
SFskilledsixmilitantsintheareanorthofPuthukkudiyiruppu.
37 civilians, including 12 United Nations local staff, who were detained by the LTTE in uncleared
areas(areasnotunderGovernmentcontrol)managedtoescapeandreachedthenavaltroopsinthe
PalamoddaiareaofVavuniyaDistrict.
LTTEchiefVelupillaiPrabhakaranisnotexpectedtosurrenderdespitelosinghisdefactoStateand
may instead try to flee by boat, Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse said. He said that
Prabhakarancoulduseahumansmugglingringtoescapebyboat.
ForeignAffairsMinisterRohithaBogollagamasaidthatcontrarytocertainreportsintheinternational
media, no ceasefire call has been made by the UN. The Minister also reiterated that the stand
takenbytheGovernmentontheceasefireissuehadnotchanged,andtheLTTEhadtolaydown
theirarms.
February25
45civilianswerekilledandseveralotherswoundedincontinuedmilitaryoffensiveintheMullaitivu
District,TamilNetreported.18ofthevictimswerekilledwithinthe'safetyzone'inartilleryshelling.
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse is to launch a "National Campaign against the
RecruitmentofChildrenforUseinArmedConflict".ThePresidentialSecretariatsaidasperreports
before 2003, nearly 60 per cent or 8,500 of the 14,000 LTTE fighting cadre were children under 18
years. "These were often referred to as the LTTE's 'Baby Brigade'. There was more reliable
informationafterthis,whenparentsbeganreportingtoUNICEFofficesoftheforciblerecruitmentof
childrenforcombat,"itsaid.AccordingtothelatestfiguresinDecember2008theLTTErecruited
3,809boysand2,478girls.Thereareclaimsthat2059suchchildren,orthoserecruitedaschildren,
havebeenreleased,whichrequiresverification.
February26
30civilianswerekilledandseveralotherswoundedincontinuedmilitaryoffensiveintheMullaitivu
District, Tamil Net reported. Two of the victims were killed within the 'safety zone' in artillery
shelling.
ThetroopsclashedwithLTTEmilitantsinthePuthukkudiyiruppuareaofMullaitivuDistrictkilling14
of them, including a 'ground commander' identified as Shankar who led the confrontation in
Puthukkudiyiruppu.
EditoroftheColombobasedTamilnewspaperSudarOli,N.Vidyatharan,wasarrestedbyPolicefor
questioningoveratelephoneconversationwithregardtotheLTTEairraidonColomboonFebruary
20.The Media and Information Minister Anura PriyadarshanaYapa said that he is alleged to have
helped the LTTE in its suicide air mission. Police said Vidyatharan's telephone had been used to
makeacalltotheLTTEinconnectionwiththeattack.Ifhehascommittedanyoffence,legalaction
willbetakenagainsthimandifnothewouldbereleased,theMinisteradded.
February27
60 civilians were killed and several others wounded in military operations in the Mullaitivu District,
TamilNetreported.
AtleastfiveLTTEmilitantswerekilledinfightingwiththetroopsatKombavilinMullaitivuDistrict.
Tamil Net claimed that a Sri Lanka Air Force fighter jet engaged in bombing civilian pockets at
AananthapuramandChempankunduexplodedonFebruary27.
Upto85,000civilianstrappedinnortheasternSri Lanka could flee the war zone in coming weeks
astheArmy closesinontheLTTEheldterritory,theUNHCRsaid.Aidagencies estimate200,000
peoplearetrappedinanarrow12kilometres(7.5mile)warzoneonthenortheasterncoast,where
themilitaryhascorneredtheLTTE.
18/81
4/30/2016
February2728
20 LTTE militants were killed as fierce fighting erupted between the troops and the militants in
Mullaitivu District in the night of February 27 and morning of February 28.The troops on February
28stormedtheLTTEearthbundinPalamattalanfollowingheavyfightingintheareasinceFebruary
27.Troopsalsocapturedthetwokilometreslongearthbundandabunkerlineacrosstheland strip
andengagedafleetof20SeaTigerboatsonreinforcementdestroyingallofthemwiththemilitants
onboard.A suicide boat was also destroyed by the ground troops as it came towards the troops
operating in the lagoon front. The ground troops foiled more than 15 counter attacks by the LTTE
killingmorethan20militants.
February28
Around 40 people are reported to have died in SLA artillery attack and SLAF bombardment in the
MullaitivuDistrict.
TheSFskillednineLTTEmilitantsinthePuthukkudiyiruppuarea.
Reports indicate that the LTTE's Intelligence Chief Pottu Amman is believed to be active on the
groundasfightingcontinuedinPuthukkudiyiruppu.
March1
Around 37 civilians were reportedly killed in SLA artillery attack and SLAF bombardment in the
MullaitivuDistrict.
20 militants were killed as the SFs foiled a LTTE sea attack by destroying three boats in the
Puthukkudiyiruppu area. The Defence Ministry said the LTTE launched 15 boats, including four
suicidecraft,assistedwithsimultaneousheavymortarfireattheSFsdirectedfromthedeclared'no
fire zone' in the region. Intercepted LTTE communication confirmed heavy damages to the outfit
andtheministryaddedthatseniorLTTEleaders,includingSoosaiandLawrence,hadcommanded
the attack. One female cadre of the outfit, in the wake ofArmy operations, committed suicide by
detonatingasuicidejacketwhileotherswentintohiding.
10 civilians were killed and dozens more wounded when artillery shells fell inside a Government
designated"safezone"intheMullaitivuDistrict,saidDr.ThurairajaVaratharajah,ahealthofficial.
ThreeLTTEmilitantsandacivilianwerekilledwhenhepreventedaattemptbytheformertoabduct
childrenfromtheNoFireZone.
March2
TheVoiceofTigers,'officialradio'oftheLTTE, said on March 1 that the Sri Lankan armed forces

havekilled2,018TamilciviliansinJanuaryandFebruaryinWanniandthat700ofthevictimswere
children.
The A9 main highway was reopened by the SFs after almost 23 years. The MCNS said that
following the reopening the first batch of Army soldiers commenced a journey on this road from
Anuradhapura to Jaffna.This is the first time theA9 highway reopened completely under the full
control of Government. Although the road has been reopened for SFs, there is no civilian
movement since the SFs and few NonGovernment Organizations are currently demining some
areas surrounding the highway. The A9 highway had been closed for the last two decades for
civiliansassomesegmentsontheroad,fromOmanthaiinVavuniyatoMuhamalaiinJaffna, were
undertheLTTEcontrol.
A LTTE womansuicide bomber blew herself up in the Vannakulam area, to the east of Elephant
Passandtothesouthof Vettalaikerny, when troops of the 55th Division attempted to go closer to
heronsuspicion.
March3
73 civilians were killed and more than 160 others wounded inside the 'Safety Zone' in the
Maaththalan, Pokkani, Iranaippaalai and Muliivaaykkaal areas of Mullaitivu District as Sri Lanka
ArmyfiredartilleryshellsandtheSriLankaAirForcedroppedbombs,claimedTamilNet.
SFs captured the LTTE's last stronghold and strategic Puthukuduiruppu town in Mullaitivu District
followingclashesinwhichanunspecifiednumberofmilitantswerereportedlykilled.Withthefallof
Puthukkudiyiruppu, the LTTE is now confined to some jungle pockets in Mullaitivu and as per
militaryestimates,theareaunderLTTEcontrolisnowbelow50squarekilometres.
Troops conducting search and clear operations in the Vishvamadu, Puthukkudiyiruppu south,
Kattikulam, Mudaliyarkulam and Malawi areas recovered the dead bodies of seven militants along
withalargecacheofarmsandammunitions.
TroopsclashedwithmilitantsintheKevilareaandsubsequentlyrecoveredthedeadbodiesofthree
ofthem.
TheSFsarrestedafemaleSeaTigercadrewhoreachedtheGovernmentcontrolledareaalongwith
31 other civilians who had crossed to Palamoddai over the sea in two boats. Police spokesman
Senior Superintendent of Police Ranjith Gunasekara said the SFs found a tube filled with cyanide
19/81
4/30/2016
capsulesinherpossession.Thearrestedcadrehaddisclosedthatshehadbeenamemberofthe
SeaTigerwingsince1985.
March4
68 civilians, including 21 children, were killed and 126 others sustained injuries as the SLA
continued artillery shelling inside the 'Safety Zone', claimed Tamil Net. An ICRC member was
reportedly among the victims. Maaththalan, Pokkani and Iranaippaalai were reportedly the areas
whichcameundermilitaryattack.
Troops recovered the dead bodies of seven militants along with a cache of arms and ammunition,
fromthePuthukudirippujunctionandsurroundingareas.
The Government has no intention to go for a ceasefire with the LTTE, reiterated Prime Minister
RatnasiriWickremanayake.
Army Chief Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka said that the LTTE militants are mingling with
civilianstotrytocarryoutattacks,adding,"Theirabilityforfrontalfightingasbeforehasdrastically
diminished and the terror outfit has been badly affected due to lack of manpower and
replenishments."
The LTTE denied any link to the terrorist attack on Sri Lankan cricketers in the Pakistani city of
Lahore on March 3, saying the outfit has no links with those terrorists. "We don't have any
connectionswiththosepeople(Lahoreattackers),"LTTE'sspokesmanThileepansaid.
March5
Troops foiled the LTTE's attempt with human shield by killing around 50 militants at
Puthukkudiyiruppu in Mullaitivu. 50 other militants and several soldiers were wounded in the
counterinsurgency operation. Troops later recovered dead bodies of 33 LTTE cadres from the
incidentsite.
March6
ThemilitantsopenedfireandkilledthreeIDPsand injured two others when they were escaping to

clearedareasinboats.
Three civilians were killed and another sustained injuries at Chalai in the Mullaitivu District, when
theLTTEmilitantsopenedfireonthem.
March7
InasearchoperationfollowedbyclasheswiththeLTTEmilitantsinPuthukkudiyiruppu,thetroops
recovereddeadbodiesof19militants.
Troops engaged in search and clear operations in Vishvamadu area were attacked by a group of
LTTE militants. While the attack was repulsed by the SFs, dead bodies of eight militants were
recoveredbythetroopsduringsubsequentsearchoperations.Ten60mmmortarbombs,2960mm
mortarcartridges,threeArulbombs,oneT56weapon,32magazines,and54handgrenades were
alsorecoveredfromthearea.
FollowingaclashbetweenthetroopsandLTTEmilitantsinthePuthumathalanandPallaimatahalan
areas,thetroopsrecovereddeadbodiesofsevenmilitants.
TheTMVPsymbolicallyhandedoverthearmsthathadbeenprovidedtoitscadresforselfdefence
and security in the wake of the LTTE atrocities during a brief ceremony at the Weber stadium in
Batticaloa. The Chief Minister of Eastern Province and leader of the TMVP, Sivanesathurai
Chandrakanthan, Batticaloa Mayor Sivageetha Prabaharan, senior Army and Police Officers and
cadresoftheTMVPwerepresentontheoccasion.
March78
Subarathnam Selvatureiy alias Thamilendi, the LTTE's chief of financial division, was confirmed
killedintheweekendfightinginthenortheastofPuthukkudiyiruppuwhereover150 dead bodies of
militantswererecoveredaftertheclashes.
March10
14peoplewerekilledand46others,includingthePostsandTelecommunicationsMinisterMahinda
Wijesekara, were wounded when a suspected LTTE suicide bomber blew himself up, targeting a
procession celebrating EideMilad (Prophet Mohammed's birthday) in the southern town of
AkuressainMataradistrict.ThisisthefirstsuicideattackinMatara,thesouthernmostregionand
populatedoverwhelminglybythemajoritySinhalacommunity.Thedefenceministrysaidthesuicide
bomber"hadarrivedattheplaceonapushbikeandexplodedhimselfamongtheIslamicdevotees
going to the mosque in a procession Among the deceased and injured were several local
governmentrepresentatives."
ThefirstconsignmentoffoodandotheressentialitemsforciviliansinJaffnawasdispatchedalong
theA9MainSupplyRouteaftertheroutewasbroughtunderfullcontroloftheSecurityForces.
March11
12LTTEmilitantswerekilledand24othersinjuredinclasheswithtroopsinthePuthukkudiyiruppu,
Mulliyaweli,Kuppulankulam,PuthumatalanandareasnearMullaitivutown.
Troopsrecoveredastockofaircraftspareparts,includingaircrafttyres,batteries,enginepartsand
20/81
4/30/2016
severalotheraccessories,keptburiedbytheLTTEinoilbarrelsinPuthukkudiyiruppu.
March12
16LTTEmilitantswerekilledwhentroopscapturedahospitalatPuthukkudiyiruppu.Theperipheral
hospital mostly used hitherto by the LTTE for treatment of its cadres was reportedly without
patients at the time of its capture. Troops subsequently recovered dead bodies of seven LTTE
militantsfromPuthukkudiyiruppu.
13 top and middlerung LTTE leaders were confirmed killed in the weeklong clashes in
Puthukkudiyiruppu. They included 'lieutenant colonel' Saleem, the fourth in the LTTE hierarchy,
'lieutenant colonel' Ambalanan and 'lieutenant colonel' Eleel Chelvan, sent by the LTTE chief
Velupillai Prabhakaran himself for ground battles against troops, 'lieutenant colonel' Maran, 'major'
Tamil Maran, 'captain' Kathier Nilavan, 'major' Malar Shamal, 'captain' Elavilan, 'captain' Kalai
Kadiravanand'captain'KalaEnivan.
March13
ThecontinuingclashesbetweentroopsandLTTEresulted in the death of a number of militants in

theeastofPuthukkudiyiruppu.Troops in a subsequent search operation recovered dead bodies of
18militants.
FourpregnantmotherswerekilledintheSLAshellinginsidethe'SafeZone',claimedTamilNet.
March14
69civilians,including19children,werekilledandseveralotherswoundedwithinthe'SafeZone'in
SLAshellingandSLAFbombardmentsinMullaitivuDistrict,claimedTamilNet.
437 IDPs, including 18 minors, trapped in uncleared areas of Puthumathalan in Mullaitivu were
rescued by the Navy with assistance of the ICRC. Meanwhile, 592 IDPs reached the Security
ForcesheldareasinPuthukkudiyiruppu.
March15
58civilianswerekilledinSLAshellinginMullaitivuDistrict,claimedTamilNet.
SFs entered the outskirts of Iranapalai in Mullaitivu District, the last operational centre of the top
rung LTTE leaders, including Intelligence Wing leader Pottu Amman and Sea Tiger Wing leader
Soosai, with the troops clearing the last section of the buildup area in Puthukuduiruppu East by
March15evening.MilitarysourcestoldDaily News that the troops were in the process of clearing
thelastsectionofbuildingsinPuthukuduiruppuEastwiththecaptureofLTTE'slastcourtcomplex.
ThetroopsalsocapturedaLTTE'PoliceStation'inthesamearea.
During a clash between the two sides in Puthukkudiyiruppu, the SFs killed seven militants and
injuredanunspecifiednumberofthem.Severalsoldiersalsosustainedinjuriesintheincident.
The Government has commenced its resettlement process in the recently liberated areas of the
Northernregion,P.S.M.Charles,DistrictSecretaryofVavuniya,said.
The exodus of civilians into military controlled areas both from the North and South of
Puthukkudiyiruppuhasreportedlybegun.Thetroopshavealsoreachedsome400metrescloserto
the'SafeZone'inPuthumattalanwherethousandsofcivilianshadtakenrefuge.
PoliceauthoritiesaretoregisterallindividualsfromtheNorthernandtheEasternprovincesstaying
inColombobyMarch17.
The Army reiterated that the LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran is still very much in the last
remaining outfit held areas in Puthukkudiyiruppu area of the Mullaitivu District. Brigadier Udaya
NanayakkarasaidPrabhakaranhasnotfledthecountry,butheisleadingLTTEactivitiesfromhis
hideout.ThespokesmanalsosaidthattheLTTEchiefcouldbeinanundergroundbunker,similarto
bunkersdiscoveredbythetroopsearlier.
March16
29 LTTE militants were killed and an equal number of them injured following clashes between the
SFs and militants at Irunapalai in the Puthukkudiyiruppu region of Mullaitivu District. During
subsequentsearchoperations,SFsrecoveredthedeadbodiesof14militants.Troopsalsocaptured
aonekilometrelongLTTEbuiltearthbundintheareasoutheastofPuthukkudiyiruppufollowingthe
clashes.
The UN said the LTTE had forcibly recruited another of its local staff members and three
dependentsofhis,includinga16yearoldgirl.
Aspecialinvestigationhasbeenlaunchedinto anincidentinwhichhightechnologyequipmentand
weapons, reportedly for the use of the LTTE had been smuggled through the BIA by passing all
inspectionprocedures,during20022003(CeaseFireAgreementperiod).
The Government said that as of today an estimated total of 42,855 civilians have fled the LTTE
controlled areas and are housed in 22 Government welfare centres. The figure also includes the
civilianswhoarereceivingtreatmentinthehospitals.
21/81
4/30/2016
29morecivilianswerekilledinshellingandsixothersinthegunfirebytheSLA.73otherscivilians
werereportedwoundedonthesameday.
The Army captured a one kilometre long LTTEbuilt earth bund in the area southeast of
Puthukkudiyiruppu following clashes that killed as many as 29 militants, the army said.A similar
numberofmilitantswerereportedlyinjured.
ALTTEsuicidebomber,cladinArmytypeuniforms asaSergeant,blewhimselfupwhiletryingto
infiltrate the SFs held areas in the area west of Puthukkudiyiruppu. However, the troops escaped
unhurt.TheSFslaterrecoveredthedeadbodyofthebomberalongwithhisT56weapon.
ThetotalnumberofciviliansintheGovernmentdeclared'SafeZone'intheNorthisaround70,000
to100,000accordingtothestatisticscompiledbytheSecurityOperationsInformation Centre, said
Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha. Prof. Wijesinha said these figures are compiled through an analysis of
satelliteimagingandotherinformation.
March17
Voice of Tigers, the radio broadcast of the LTTE, claimed in its evening broadcast that 604 SLA
soldiers were killed during three days of heavy fighting in the Puthukkudiyiruppu area of Mullaitivu
District. Several hundred soldiers were also wounded in the fighting. However, this has not been
confirmedeitherbyofficialorindependentsources.
84civilianswerekilledandover182injuredastheSLAFdroppedaround50massivebunkerbuster
bombs and the SLA continued shelling on the fringes of the 'Safe Zone', reported Tamil Net. The
SLAF and the SLA that targeted Pachchaippulmoaddai and Valaignardam areas within the 'Safety
Zone' killed 52 civilians and injured 182 others, according to initial reports by the VoT evening
broadcast. In the same morning, 32 civilians were killed during shelling in other areas of the 'safe
zone',accordingtoindependentsources.
Troops clashed with the LTTE militants in the Puthukkudiyiruppu area of Mullaitivu District and
destroyedafewhideoutsofthemilitantsonMarch17.TheSFslaterrecovered dead bodies of 18
militantsfromthearea.
Afterdaysofheavyfighting,thetroopscapturedthestrategicallyimportantIranapalaijunctioninthe
remaining LTTEcontrolled territory of Puthukkudiyiruppu in Mullaitivu District. The LTTE is now
cornered into an area of 30 square kilometres, including the 22 square kilometres of demarcated
safezonebytheGovernment.
Dozens of civilians detained by the LTTE in the "No Fire Zone" in the Puthumatalan area of
Puthukkudiyiruppu were either killed or seriously wounded after one densely concentrated civilian
gathering area in the Zone was indiscriminately fired upon by the militants over an argument that
ensuedfollowingashootoutattwofleeingcivilianswithintheZoneearlierintheday.Inthemelee,
1565 displaced civilians, including some who were subjected to LTTE atrocities and gunfire,
managedtoescapeandreachedtheGovernmentcontrolledareas.
45519personshavesofarreportedlycrossedovertotheGovernmentcontrolledareassinceMarch
1.
The UNICEF expressed grave concern over the children trapped in the LTTEheld war zone in
northern Sri Lanka. UNICEF Executive Director,Ann M. Veneman, said hundreds of children have
beenkilledandmanymoreinjuredasaresultoftheconflictinSriLankaandthousandsarenowat
riskbecauseofacriticallackoffood,waterandmedicines.
March18
23 militants were killed and an equal number of then injured during clashes with SFs in the
northeastofPuthukkudiyiruppuinMullaitivuDistrict.
17civilianswerekilledinsidethesafetyzoneinSLA'sshelling.Theshellingandbombingincidents
were reported from Mullivaaykkaal, Iraddaivaaykkaal, Valaignarmadam, Pokkanai and Maaththalan
areaswithinthe'SafetyZone',TamilNetreported.
The Eastern Chief Minister and TMVP leader, Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan said
thechildsoldiersissuerelatedtotheTMVPwouldbeconcludedinanotherthreemonths.
The SFs have won 99 per cent of the battle against the LTTE which is now in its death throes
confined to a mere 28 square kilometres in the Mullaitivu jungles. He also said the LTTE, through
its global network, is carrying out a propaganda campaign to gain sympathy from the international
community.
TheGovernmentreiterateditsproposaltotheLTTEleadershiptolaydownarmsandsurrenderfor
the sake of the trapped civilians. The Minister of Mass Media and Information, Lakshman Yapa
Abeywardena, also informed the media that 45,519 civilians have already safely reached the
22/81
4/30/2016
Governmentcontrolled areas while 25,000 to 30,000 civilians are currently living in the uncleared
areas.
March19
39civilians,including11children,werekilledinsidethesafetyzoneinSLA'sshelling.Theshelling
and bombing incidents were reported from Mullivaaykkaal, Iraddaivaaykkaal, Valaignarmadam,
PokkanaiandMaaththalanareaswithinthe'SafetyZone',TamilNetreported.
AnunspecifiednumberofLTTEmilitantswerekilledbythetroopsasclasheseruptedbetweenthe
two sides in the Ampalavanpokkanai, Puthukkudiyiruppu east and Mullaitivu north areas. During
subsequent search operations, the SFs recovered dead bodies of 11 militants from
Puthukkudiyiruppu.
The number of civilians who have so far crossed over to the Governmentcontrolled area was
47,241,saidtheDisasterManagementandHumanRightsMinisterMahindaSamarasinghe.Hesaid
civilianshaveescapedfromtheLTTEfacingshootingsandnumerousdifficulties.TheMinisteralso
said the name of the Mullaitivu Regional Director of Health Services and forged letter heads are
being used to mislead the international community and the media for false propaganda on the
presentsituationintheNorth.
Sri Lanka Government will lodge strong protests with countries where there have been
demonstrationsinfavouroftheLTTE,saidtheHumanRightsMinisterMahindaSamarasinghe.
March20
The SLA artillery shelling killed 46 civilians inside the safety zone in the Mullaitivu District, Tamil
Netreported.
SLA soldiers attempted to advance in Iranapalai following heavy artillery firing and air attacks, but
wereforcedtowithdrawleavingbehinddeadbodiesandmilitaryhardware,theLTTEsaid,claiming
thatatleast20SLAsoldierswerekilledand120otherssustainedinjuriesintheclash.
AseniorSeaTigerleaderwaskilledandhisbody was recovered by the troops along with another
four bodies following heavy confrontations between the SFs and the militants in the area south of
Patikkarai in the Mullaitivu District. Citing intercepted LTTE communication, the military sources
saidtheLTTEhavefledtheareaintotaldisarray,leavingbehindthedeadbodies,includingthatof
theSeaTigerleaderSindu.
The SFs recovered dead bodies of four militants following clashes with the LTTE in the
PuthukkudiyiruppuandUdayarukattukulamareas.
The military claimed it had encircled the "last standoff" of the LTTE west of the "No Fire Zone" in
Puthukkudiyiruppu.
March21
TheSLAfiredartilleryshellsintothe'Safety Zone'killing42civiliansandinjuringaround80others,
includingaVillageofficer,intheMullaitivuDistrict,reportedTamilNet.
TheSLAandSLAFusedheavyexplosivesintheir clasheswiththeLTTEinthePuthukkudiyiruppu
area, Tamil Net reported, adding, at least seven civilians who ventured into Iranapalai to collect
coconutswerekilledintheSLAFairstrike.
Military spokesman Udaya Nanayakkara said 10 militants were killed by the SFs in the
Puthukkudiyiruppuarea.
Troops clashed with the LTTE militants in the Puthukkudiyiruppu, Patikkarai and Sarwaruthoddam
areas and inflicted some casualties upon the militants. Troops later recovered dead bodies of 10
militantsfromthePuthukkudiyiruppu,Visuamadukulam,VishuamaduandKillinochchiareas.
FiveSeaTigerswerekilledastheSLNfoiledanattemptbyLTTEsuicidecadrestoattacktheSFs
astheytriedtomixwiththefleeingciviliansinboatsandreachtheGovernmentcontrolledareas.
SFs gained total control over a 1.5 kilometre stretch of the A35 main road amid stiff LTTE
resistance.Duringsubsequentsearchoperations,thetroopsrecovereddeadbodiesoffivemilitants
fromthearea.
Iranapalai,ajunctionintheeastofPuthukkudiyiruppu,anditscentralareawascompletelybrought
underthecontroloftheArmy.
ThetotalnumberofcivilianswhohavesofarcrossedovertotheGovernmentcontrolledareashave
risento50,000withthearrivalofagroupconsistingof1,164personsinthePuthukkudiyiruppuarea
onMarch.AccordingtoGovernment estimates, there are nearly 65,000 more civilians living in the
unclearedareas(areanotunderGovernmentcontrol)forciblyusedashumanshieldsbytheLTTE.
TheSriLankaGovernmentrejectedafreshLTTEdemandforaceasefire.Therejectioncomesin
23/81
4/30/2016
responsetoLTTEpolitical chief B. Nadeshan's claims that the outfit would enter negotiations with
theGovernment"withoutpreconditions".
Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse said that the LTTE had aspired to carve out a big Tamil
EelamStateextendingfrom near Colombo to the southern part of Sri Lanka. He also claimed that
LTTEchiefVellupillaiPrabhakaranmaytrytofleethroughtheseabyusingahumanring.
March22
32civilians,includingsevenchildren,werekilledinSLA'sshortrangemortarshelling,RPGattacks
andgunfirewithinthe'SafetyZone'inthePuthumaaththalanareaofMullaitivuDistrict.
SFs captured the LTTE's last operational centre, Iranapalai in the Mullaitivu District.According to
military sources, with the fall of Iranapalai, the LTTE has now been confined to a 25 square
kilometreslandpatch,whichalsoincludesthe'SafeZone'designedforthedisplacedcivilians.
Military spokesman Udaya Nanayakkara said 28 militants were killed by the SFs in the
Puthukkudiyiruppuarea.
TroopsclashedwithmilitantsintheareaeastofPuthukkudiyiruppuandkillednineofthem.
Total number of civilians who have reached the Governmentcontrolled areas from the uncleared
areas(areanotunderGovernmentcontrol)hadrisento52,000byMach22.TheLTTE,meanwhile,
is now cornered in a mere 21 square kilometres of land and continues to target those fleeing from
itscaptivity,themilitaryadded.
ThemilitarysaidtheLTTEhasrestrictedthemovementofcivilianswhoarecurrentlytrappedinthe
battle zone. Tamil civilians are given 15day forcible military training by the LTTE in addition to
holdingthemashumanshieldsinthebattleagainstGovernmenttroops,civilianshaveclaimed.The
LTTE,onoccasions,hasalsofiredatcivilianswhoattemptedtoleavetheirareas.
March23
The SLA's shortrange mortar shelling, RPG attacks and gunfire killed 96 civilians, including 19
children,andinjured160otherswithinthe'SafetyZone'inthePuthumaaththalanareaof Mullaitivu
District,accordingtolocalaidworkersandmedicalauthorities,TamilNetreported.
TheColomboCrimesDivisionrecovered280kilogramsofC4highexplosivesandalargeamountof
weapons hidden by the LTTE in the Mattakkuliya area to launch a major attack by targeting
Colombocity.
The National Integration and Reconciliation Minister (NonCabinet) Minister Vinayagamoorthy
Muralitharan alias Karuna Amman's senior leaders are to be appointed as SLFP's electoral
organizersintheEasternProvince.
SriLankaPresidentMahindaRajapakseinvitedtheproLTTETNAMPsforaspecialdiscussionon
March 26 over the current situation in the North. However, the TNA MPs have not decided yet
whethertoacceptthePresident'sinvitation.
March24
62 civilians were killed and several others injured as the military continued shelling and bombing
into the Safety Zone in the Mullaitivu District, reported Tamil Net. Valaignarmadam,
Pachchaippulmoaddai junction, Puthumaaththalan, Pokkanai, Ampalavanpokkanai, Mullivaaykkaal
andMaaththalanweretheareastargeted,thereportadded.
SuspectedLTTEmilitantsshotdeadfivefarmersandinjuredtwoothersatNeelapolaintheKantale
areaofTrincomaleeDistrict.
TroopsadvancingtowardsPuthukkudiyiruppuattackedtheLTTEdefensivebundintheareawestof
thelagoonontheA35roadandcompletelycapturedthearea.Anunspecified number of militants
werereportedlykilledduringtheoperation,whileseveralsoldierssustainedinjuries.
TroopsrecovereddeadbodiesofeightmilitantsfromthePuthukkudiyiruppuarea.
TroopsconfrontedLTTEmilitantsintheareasaroundPuthukkudiyiruppuonseveraloccasionsand
killedthreeofthem.
Over a dozen militants were feared killed and a similar number of them injured during clashes
betweenthetwosidesintheMullaitivuandPuthukkudiyiruppuareas.
TheColomboChiefMagistrateCourtorderedtopreventeightdirectorsoftheLTTEfrontTROfrom
leaving the country. While hearing the case chargingTRO of raising funds for the LTTE, the Chief
Magistrate, Nishantha Hapuarachchi, also issued arrest warrants against seven of the directors,
whowereabsentintheCourt.Thesedirectorsarepresentlybelieved to be in the uncleared areas
(areanotunderGovernmentcontrol).Accordingtosources,twoofthemaresaidtobea'lieutenant'
24/81
4/30/2016
and a colonel' of the LTTE. Meanwhile, the Chief Magistrate released Sinnaiah Ramalingam, the
onlydirectorwhoappearedintheCourt,onaSLR500,000suretybail.
March25
Troops repelled an attempt by the LTTE to breach the Army forward defence lines north of
Iranapalai in Mullaitivu District, killing an unspecified number of militants. Defence sources said
overadozendeadbodiesofthemilitantswereseenattheincidentsitefollowingheavyfightingthat
ensued since 5:30am (SLST). Citing intercepted LTTE communication, military officials said four
senior militants, identified as Kadal, Vardhan Anna, Sooriyan and Eelavan, were among those
killed.Anunspecifiednumberofsoldiersarereportedtohavesustainedinjuriesinthefighting.
Troops clashed with militants in south of Puthukkudiyiruppu, killing at least five of them, including
twowomencadres.
AgroupofarmedLTTEmilitants attackedagroupoffarmersatMankdeniyaintheWelikandaarea
ofPolonnaruwaDistrictandshotdeadatleastfourofthemandinjuredfourothers.
TheMinsterofNationalIntegrationand Reconciliation, Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan alias Karuna
Amman, has ruled out Police powers to the EPC. Speaking at the Parliament, Karuna described
givingPolicepowerstotheEPCasanotherunnecessaryproblem.
The UN said the humanitarian and security situation of an estimated 100,000 civilians is unstable
astheaccesstofoodandmedicalassistanceremainlimitedwhileshellingstillcontinuesintheno
firezoneandtheLTTEkeepsforciblyrecruitingcivilians.
The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sri Lanka, Neil Buhne, has admitted that he is
unable to confirm the veracity of the figures of civilian casualties since January 20, 2009 in the
MullaitivuDistrict,issuedbyhisofficerecently.
March2526
Reuters quoted the military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara as saying on March 26 that
atleast30militantswerekilledbytheSFsduringacounterattackinMullaitivuDistrictonMarch25.
March26
131 civilians, including 32 children, were killed and more than 252 others, including 49 children,
sustainedinjuriesinmilitaryoperationsinsidetheSafetyZoneinthe Mullaitivu District during the
past48hoursaccordingtodatacollectedfromvariousNGOworkersandmedicalauthoritieswithin
the civilian pocket besieged by the SLA, Tamil Net reported. The SLA fired RPG shells, mortar
shells and engaged in longrange gunfire, using Multi Barrel Rocket Fire, in the Puthumaaththalan,
Valaignarmadam, Maaththalan, Pokkanai, Pachchaippulmoaddai and Mullivaaykkaal areas. The
SLAFalsobombedsomeoftheseareas,thereportsaid.
59civilianswerekilledandseveralotherssustainedinjuriesinSLAattacksinsidetheSafetyZone
inMullaitivuDistrict,reportedTamilNet.PokkanaiandMaaththalanweretheareastargetedinSLA
shelling.
Troops continued their attacks on LTTE camps around Puthukkudiyiruppu area in the Mullaitivu
Districtandkilledmorethan24militantswhileinjuringsimilarnumberofthem.
TheUN,backedbyBritainandtheUnitedStates,pressedfora"humanitarianpause"inSriLanka
andblamedtheLTTEfortheplightoftrappedcivilians.
The Government said the LTTE has now been restricted to an area of one square kilometre
excluding the NFZ. Speaking at the weekly press briefing, Brigadier Nanayakkara said the SFs
have to liberate another 21 square kilometres in Mullaitivu. However, 20 square kilometres of this
consistsofSafeZone,lagoonandwetlands.HealsosaidtheLTTEcadresarehidingamongthe
civiliansintheSafeZone.
TheTNA refused to take part in discussions called by the President Mahinda Rajapakse over the
situation in the north. The TNA leader and MP, R. Sampanthan, told the media that they will not
attendanykindoftalksuntiltheongoingmilitaryoperationsinthenortharesuspended.
March27
selling.
Sri Lankas "roadmap" for defeating the LTTE "is [being] handled very professionally and with
responsibility." Asserting this, Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama told The Hindu in
SingaporeonMarch27that"Humanitarianconcerns"were"gettingaddressed"andColombowould
"notrushthroughfortheeuphoriaofamilitaryvictory"overtheLTTE.
March28
25/81
4/30/2016
shelling.
31LTTEmilitantswerekilledandmorethan30othersinjuredinfiercefightingwithSFsinMullaitivu
DistrictasthetroopsrepulsedaseriesofLTTEattemptstobreachtheSFsFDL.
During search operations conducted in the Puthukkudiyiruppu, Dharmapuram, Oddankaddukulam,
Muthiyankulam,AmpakamamandOlumaduareastheSFsrecovereddeadbodiesofsixmilitants.
Ground sources, quoting intercepted LTTE communication and civilian escapees from the 'No Fire
Zone',saidtheLTTEhadconductedfuneralsforafewofitsseniorcadreskilledinrecentfighting.
The Ministry said sporadic fighting and smallscale doortodoor operations are continuing in the
areatargetingLTTEpocketsandresistancepositions.
PresidentMahindaRajapakseappealedtotheLTTEtolaydowntheirarms,sayingitwouldensure
thesafetyoftensofthousandsoftrappedcivilians.
The President met with Tamil and Muslim party leaders in Colombo. During the meeting, he said
localGovernmentelectionsfortheJaffnaDistrictwillbeheldsoon.However,thePresidentdidnot
mention a specific timeframe for the polls, sources said. The last local Government election was
held in Jaffna in 1998. The parties present at the meeting, include the Democratic Tamil National
Alliance,theEPDPandtheSLMC.
March2829
TroopscapturedthelastsupplyrouteandgainedcontrolofaLTTEbuiltearthbundintheMullaitivu
DistrictonMarch28followinghoursofintensefightingthatkilledninemilitantsandwounded11,the
military said on March 29. The SFs advancing further East from Puthukkudiyiruppu captured the
LTTE supply line stretching towards Iranapalai, the Defence Ministry said. The capture of the last
LTTE supply route will further thwart the LTTEs movement and logistic supply, according to the
defenceofficials.
SFs on March 28 gained control of a LTTEbuilt earth bund constructed north of Palamattalam
killingatleasteightmilitantsandinjuringanother17inafiercebattle,themilitaryreportedonMarch
29.The military said the LTTE now cornered in an area of just 21 square kilometres that includes
the Government declared 20 square kilometres NFZ is continuously mounting heavy artillery and
mortarattacksfromtheNFZ.
March29
Heavy fighting erupted between the two sides in the Puthukkudiyiruppu East, Iranapalai East and
PalamattalamareasasSFsclosedinontheSafeZonefromthreedirections."TheSafeZonehas
nowbeensurroundedfromallthreedirectionsandtroopsarepoisedtoliberatethecivilianstrapped
inside the Safe Zone clearing paths for them to reach Security Forces controlled areas," a senior
military official told Daily News.The LTTE is now fighting within a one square kilometre stretch in
theIranapalaiEast,thelastbuildupareaunderLTTEcontrolatpresent,hesaid.
TheSLAFrejectedanewsreportpublishedbysomeinternationalmediaoutletssayingthatthereis
another light aircraft of LTTE. The SLAF spokesman Wing Commander Janaka Nanayakkara said
fourlightaircraftoftheLTTEwerealreadydestroyedbytheGovernmentforcesduringthepasttwo
years. Seven air strips of the LTTE have also been captured by the troops during the ongoing
operationsintheNorth.Amediareportsaid onMarch27hadsaidthattheLTTEmaystillhavean
aircraftleftintheirarsenalandthishastriggeredahighalertoverthecapitalColombo.
March2930
MilitaryspokesmanBrigadierUdayaNanayakkarasaidthatheavygroundbattlesbetweentheArmy
troops and LTTE on March 29 left 29 militants dead, Associated Press reported on March 30. A
military statement said a senior Sea Tiger leader, known as Uththaman, who commanded the
groundbattle,wasalsokilled.FollowingclasheswiththemilitantsintheareanorthofPalamattalam
and Puthukkudiyiruppu region on March 29, SFs recovered dead bodies of 15 militants along with
20T56weaponsandoneMPMGonMarch30.
March30
SLA continued artillery, mortar and longdistance gunfire throughout March 29 killing at least 53
civilians and causing injuries to around 119, claimed Tamil Net. 17 civilians were killed in
Maaththalan,18inPokkanai,15 in Valaignarmadam and three in Pachchaippulmoaddai, the report
added.
Naval troops following a predawn sea encounter off the seas at Chalai in the Mullaitivu District
killed26SeaTigers,includingoneofitstopleadersidentified as Maran, and submerged four Sea
Tiger boats. A huge stock of LTTE armaments also perished with the boats, the Navy said. An
unidentifiednavyspokesmansaidthatasailorwasalsokilledinthebattle.
TheSFscapturedaLTTEtruckmountedwith12.7mmantiaircraftmachinegunfromtheIranapalai
area in the east of Puthukkudiyiruppu. Sources said that the SFs repulsed the outfits attempt to
breachtheSFsFDLkillingfivemilitants.
26/81
4/30/2016
TheGovernmentisplanningtoopenasecondPolicestationontherecentlyliberatedA9highway
in the coming days. The Police said they would open the second station at Puliyankulam in the
Vavuniya District while the office of the Senior Superintendent of Police is to be opened at
Kanagarayamkulam.
The Government rejected some media reports that it has called for a 'humanitarian ceasefire' in
order to evacuate trapped civilians. A senior Government official said that the troops are not
observinganykindofceasefirewiththeLTTE.
Some600suspectedLTTEmilitantshavereportedlybeenarrestedattheOmanthaicheckpointin
theVavuniyaDistrictduringthelastthreemonths.
Quoting military sources, Relief Web reported that more than 59,773 civilians have fled from the
LTTEheld areas since January. 332 civilians crossed over to the Governmentcontrolled area on
March29.
March30
The SLA shelling claimed the lives of 70 civilians. In addition, gunfire from the SLA positions
across the lagoon killed 18 civilians on the road which links the makeshift hospital with Internally
Displaced Person settlements. 21 of the slain victims and 31 of 156 wounded civilians were
children.
An unspecified number of LTTE militants were killed by the SFs during several clashes in the
Puthukkudiyiruppu area of Mullaitivu District. During subsequent search operations, the SFs
recovereddeadbodiesoffivemilitants.
March3031
A tactical meeting on the front organizations of LTTE was hosted by Eurojust [the EU institution
responsible for coordination of investigations and prosecutions between competent authorities in
the Member States], on March 3031, 2009 in the Hague, Netherlands. The Meeting was attended
byrepresentativesoftheIntelligenceandCriminalJusticecommunitiesofEUmemberStates, non
EU countries, including Sri Lanka and the Europol, said a press release issued by the Sri Lanka
Embassy in Brussels. Sri Lanka's Ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg and EU, Ravinatha
Aryasinha, said that notwithstanding its proscription as a terrorist entity within the EU since May
2006, the LTTE, through front organizations such as the TRO and Tamil Coordination Committee,
hascontinuedtocircumventtheimpositionsplacedonthem.
March31
SLAshellingkilled45civiliansandinjured120 otherswithinthe'SafetyZone'inMullaitivuDistrict,
reported Tamil Net. 13 civilians, including nine members of two families, were killed in
Ampalavanpokkanai and Valaignarmadam in the morning while 32 more were killed in attacks
elsewherewithinthe'SafetyZone'.
TwotopLTTEleaders,AmirthapaliasAmuthaband KobithaliasGobith,werekilledduringclashes
with the troops in Puthukkudiyiruppu. Prabhakaran's son, Charles Anthony, was also confirmed
injured during these clashes.Amirthap was the leader of the LTTE's "CharlesAnthony Regiment".
Hebecametheleaderin2008afterservingasthespecialleaderforthe"ImranPandiyan Regiment"
in2006.Kobith,wholedLTTEoperationsagainsttheArmy,wasformallythespecialleaderofthe
"CharlesAnthonyRegiment"in2007.
CharlesAnthony,eldestsonoftheLTTEchief VelupillaiPrabhakaran,wasinjuredduringamilitary
operation in Puthukkudiyiruppu, military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara told the media.
However,neitherLTTEnoranyofitsfrontorganizationshasrespondedtotheclaim.
TheGovernmentrejectedtheLTTE'sofferforaceasefiresayingtheGovernmentwillnotgofora
truceunderanycircumstances.
The outfit's new head of International Diplomatic Relations, S. Pathmanathan, said in an interview
with the proLTTE website Tamil Net that the outfit did not believe war was the only means to
achieve their aspirations and urged the global community to exert pressure on the Sri Lankan
Governmenttoenterintoaceasefirewiththem.
The Government said it has withdrawn its troops from the Internally Displaced Persons centers in
Vavuniya.
Indonesia has assured the Sri Lankan Government that it will not allow its territory to be used to
promoteseparatismorterrorismintheislandnation.
April1
33 civilians were killed and 78 wounded as the SLA continued artillery and mortar shelling in
addition to firing RPG shells and Fifty Calibre rounds inside the NFZ, according to medical and
humanitarianworkerswithintheNFZ,TamilNetreported
19 LTTE militants were killed and more than 200 others encircled as the entire Puthukkudiyiruppu
town and Iranapalai area in Mullaitivu District came under SFs control. The SFs have surrounded
27/81
4/30/2016
thelastLTTEterraininnortheastPuthukkudiyiruppuaftercapturingPachchaippulmoaddaijunction,
the last supply route connected to the NFZ from the mainland. During the search operations
conductedinthearea,theSFsrecovereddeadbodiesof32militants.
TheSFsclashedwithmilitantsineastPuthukkudiyiruppuandkilledthreeofthem.
Defence sources citing intercepted LTTE communication said the LTTE's technical wing chief S.
KirupakaranaliasMadivalahanwaskilledduringclashesinMullaitivurecently.Madivalahanwasthe
mastermindandchiefcoordinatoroftheLTTE'ssatellitecumradiocommunicationnetwork.Further,
'LieutenantColonel'ThirubaharanaliasMathiyalagan,anLTTEannouncerandareporterattachedto
theoutfit'sVoiceofTigers,wasalsokilledrecentlybytheSFsinPuthukkudiyiruppu.
TheGovernmentisreadyforapauseinfiringiftheLTTEfreesthecivilianstrappedinsidetheNFZ
but it is not ready for a ceasefire with the outfit at any moment, Defence Affairs spokesman
MinisterKeheliyaRambukwellasaid.
PrimeMinister,RatnasiriWickremanayakeclaimedthatthetroopscan"finish"theLTTEin"halfan
hour",butwasconcernedforthesafetyoftheinnocentcivilianstrappedinthelastLTTEheldarea.
"The Government can finish off terrorism completely within half an hour if it acted in an inhuman
manner. Driving out terrorists (LTTE) from a very small bastion in the north has been time
consuming because the Government is acting most humanely considering the safety of civilians
heldbytheLTTEasahumanshield,"thePrimeMinistersaid.
PresidentMahindaRajapaksesaidtroopshavenowenteredthefinalphaseofthebattleagainstthe
LTTEwhoatpresenthavebeentrappedinasmallarea.ThePresidentalsoinstructedhisministers
to be vigilant of LTTE suicide bombers as intelligence sources have warned that there are 16
suicide bombers in capital Colombo already. The President also instructed his ministers not to
attend elections rallies for the upcoming Western Provincial Council polls because of this new
threat.
Military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said 62,157 civilians have reached the cleared
areasasofApril1.
April2
humanitarianworkerswithintheNFZ,TamilNetreported.
31 LTTE militants were killed by the SFs during clashes between the two sides in the
PuthukkudiyiruppuareaofMullaitivuDistrict.
During a search operation following an encounter with the militants, the SFs in Vishuamadu area
recovereddeadbodiesofthreemilitants.
April3
45militantswerekilledwhenheavyfightingeruptedbetweentheSFsandtheLTTEmilitantsinthe
northeastofPuthukkudiyiruppuinMullaitivuDistrict.TheSFslaterrecovereddeadbodiesofall the
slain45militants.Earlier,theSFshadrecovered21deadbodiesofthemilitants.
40 senior militants were killed by the SFs during clashes in the Analankulam area of Mullaitivu
District.TheSFsalsorecovered60T56weapons,fourRPG,twoIcomsets,10claymoremines,
60mortars,15antipersonnelmines,28packsandseveralLTTEuniforms.
humanitarianworkerswithintheNFZ,TamilNetreported.
18SeaTigerswerekilledwhentheSLNengagedaflotillaof10LTTEboatsinthenortheasternsea
offthecoastofAlampildestroyingthreeoftheboats,theMCNSsaid.Themilitary saidthreenaval
craftreceivedminordamagesandtwosailorssufferedinjuriesintheincident.
13 LTTE militants, including an explosive expert, were killed when Police commandos of the STF
ambushedthematKongahahelaintheLahugalaareaofAmparaDistrict.
SFskilledfivemoremilitantsinthenorthofPuthukkudiyiruppu.
April4
93LTTEmilitantswerekilledinfierceclasheswith the SFs in the Puthukkudiyiruppu east area of

MullaitivuDistrict.
71civilianswerekilledand143sustainedinjuriesinSriLankaArmyshellingtargetingMaaththalan,
Pokkanai, Valaignarmadam and Iraddaivaaykkaal areas inside the No Fire Zone in Mullaitivu
District,TamilNetreported.
28/81
4/30/2016
The Sri LankaAir Force helicopter fired a rocket killing eight civilians near the Pokkanai Pillaiyaar
temple.
April5
At least 420 LTTE militants, including several top leaders, were killed as the troops captured the
outfit's final stronghold in Puthukkudiyiruppu in Mullaitivu District and ended the long siege on the
lastsquarekilometreheldbytheLTTEfollowingthreedaysoffighting.ThisisthefirsttimetheSFs
havetakenfullcontrolofPuthukkudiyiruppuduringthethreedecadelongconflict.Theslainleaders
included Northern area leader Theepan, female wing leader Vidusha and her deputy Durga,
BatticaloaleaderNaguleshandGadafi.MilitarywingleaderBhanuwasreportedlycriticallyinjuredin
the fighting. Five more senior leaders, identified as Seelambarasan, leader of the LTTE's Radha
Regiment,hisdeputyAnbu,themilitantinchargeofmortarsectionGopal,Asmi,inchargeofmines
sectionandaleaderofLTTE'sSodiaRegimentMohanawereamongtheothertopleaderskilled.In
search operations conducted in the area troops recovered more than 250 dead bodies of militants
bringingthetotalnumberofdeadbodiesrecoveredduringlastthreedaysupto420.
According to military sources, LTTE chief Vellupillai Prabhakaran has taken refuge in the NFZ
mingling with the civilians along with remaining top rung leaders, including intelligence wing leader
PottuAmman,SeaTigersleaderSoosaiandVelavanandanothertopSeaTigerleader.
The SFs clashed with LTTE militants in the Vishuamadu and Mullaitivu areas killing 14 of them,
includingsixfemales.
2093civilianswhohadreachedtheGovernmentcontrolledareasinPuthukkudiyiruppuwerebrought
toKilinochchibythetroopsbeforetheyweredirectedtotheInternallyDisplacedPersoncentres.
April56
President Mahinda Rajapakse said "the mythical belief that the LTTE is unconquerable" was
shattered. He said that many past leaders were suspicious of the strength of the military in
defeating terrorism and believed a war with the LTTE was unwinnable. His Government will not
permit terrorism to raise its head again, the President asserted. He pointed out that to appease
some foreign interests and to obtain monetary assistance the past regimes had offered land on a
plattertothemilitants.OnApril5,hecalledontheLTTEchiefVellupillaiPrabhakaran to surrender
tothemilitarywithhisremainingcadresassoonaspossible."Youhavenooptionbuttoputdown
yourarmsandsurrenderwithyourbrainwashedremainingcadres.Itisnowtimeforyoutorelease
allTamilciviliansandletthemliveinpeaceandharmony,"reportssaidquotingthePresident.The
President also said the LTTE was fighting against the armed forces while keeping the innocent
civiliansasacoverintheNFZ.
April6
Troops conducting search and clear operations in the Puthukkudiyiruppu area of Mullaitivu District
recovered72 more dead bodies of the LTTE militants raising the total number of recovered bodies
fromtheareato525sinceApril1.
The military said that 500 leaders and cadres of the LTTE, including chief Velupillai Prabhakaran,
have fled into the NoFire Zone and have taken shelter among an estimated 50000 to 100000
strandedcitizens,reportsDailyNews.
With the capture of the entire Puthukkudiyiruppu area by the SFs, theTNA reiterated its call for a
ceasefire saying this was needed now much more than ever before. The TNA Jaffna District
parliamentarian N. Srikantha said that according to latest media reports, the Government had now
capturedtheentirelandmassthatremainedunderLTTEcontrol.SrikanthasaidonlytheNFZmeant
forciviliansremainednow,andthereforetherewas no justification for the Government to continue
its military operations. He said it was nothing but logical and sensible to have a ceasefire at this
time.
A woman suicide bomber of the LTTE blew herself in the Ramanathapuram area of Mullaitivu
DistrictimmediatelyaftershespottedthepresenceofArmytroopsahead ofher,reportsSriLanka
Army.Theimpactoftheexplosioninjuredoneoftheofficersondutyinthearea.
The SFs are in no hurry to storm the NFZ to pursue the LTTE in the northeast, said Defence
SecretaryGotabhayaRajapakseinaninterview.
Walter Kaelin, representative of the UN SecretaryGeneral Ban Kimoon, called for a pause in the
fightingtoallowthetrappedcivilianstoleavethearea."IftheSriLankanarmywouldtrytogointo
there,iftheLTTEwould not be ready to let these civilians go, then we''ll end up with a bloodbath,
andthismustbyallmeansbeavoided,"hestated.
April7
The Government rejected a call by the UN for a ceasefire in its military campaign against the
LTTE, insisting it would not be trapped into letting the group''s leaders escape. The military also
acknowledgedthatitfacedan"extremelydifficulttask"inseparatingthemilitantsfromthecivilians
intheNFZ.
29/81
4/30/2016
April8
129civilianswerekilledand282otherssustainedinjuriesinSLAartilleryshellinginside theNFZin
MullaitivuDistrict,reportedTamilNet.
50 civilians were killed and 296 others injured in military operations inside the NFZ, Tamil Net
reported.
Troops of Army's 53 rd Division advancing ahead of the eastern limits of Puthukkudiyiruppu in
Mullaitivu District clashed with the LTTE militants amid heavy resistance killing 12 militants and
injuring20others.Troopslaterrecovereddeadbodiesofsevenslainmilitants.
Troops conducting search and clearing operations in Puthukkudiyiruppu found five dead bodies of
LTTEmilitants.
The total number of civilians fleeing from the LTTEheld areas to the Governmentcontrolled areas
increasedto64,147.
TheLTTEintelligencechiefPottuAmmanhastakenoverallcommandoftheoutfitamidstthe"fast
deteriorating mental health condition" of its leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, the Sri Lankan Defence
Ministrysaid.TheMinistry also said the Governmentdesignated NFZ, meant for the civilians held
hostage by the LTTE in Wanni, has now become a sanctuary for top LTTE leaders, including
Prabhakaran.TheDefenceMinistrysaidPottuAmman,havingnobattlefieldexperience,appointed
Velawan,thelastofLTTEsbattlehardenedcadre,astheoutfitsnewmilitarychief.
President Mahinda Rajapakse asked the militants to surrender, promising to "rehabilitate" them as
"goodcitizens"."NinetyninepercentoftheLTTE,itsleaders,cadresandinfrastructurehavebeen
destroyed.ThereisnowaytheLTTEcanraiseitsheadagain,"Rajapaksestated.
April89
The Sri Lankan military blamed the LTTE Police of firing at civilians in order to deter them from
leavingtheNFZ.LTTEdeputyleaderPottuAmmanhadreportedly orderedtheoutfitsPolicetofire
atcivilianswhowantedtoleavetheNFZ.ThisfollowedthefinalnoticegivenbytheGovernmentto
LTTE leaders to surrender and let the civilians leave NFZ at Puttumatalan. Further, Amman has
orderedhisPolicechiefIlangotomoveallhisforcestothefrontline.
DefenceofficialssuspectarebellionagainsttheLTTEbythecivilianstrappedintheNFZhadtaken
place,astroopsheardloudexplosionsandsoundsofgunfirefromtheNFZ.
April9
52 civilians were killed and 315 others injured in military operations inside the NFZ, the pro LTTE
WebsiteTamilNetreported
The SFs conducting search and clear operations in the Munnai, Chalai, Patikkarai, east of
Puthukkudiyiruppu and Vishuamadu areas, recovered four decomposed dead bodies of the
militants.Afewsoldiersalsosustainedinjuriesinexplosionsinthearea.
ThebrotherinlawofVinayagamoorthyMuralitharanalias Karuna is reported to have escaped from
theLTTEinPuthukkudiyiruppu.
TheTNAParliamentarianforthe WanniDistrict,S.Kanagaratnam,isreportedlytrappedintheNFZ.
Political head of the LTTE, B. Nadesan, denied reports in a section of the English media in India
thattherewasaLTTEthreattotopIndianpoliticians,includingCongresspartychiefSoniaGandhi
andherfamily,reportsTamilNet.
President Mahinda Rajapakse told the United Nations SecretaryGeneral BanKiMoon that the
Security Forces in their final military operations are capable of neutralising the remaining LTTE
cadreswithoutlaunchingmilitaryoperations
April910
The SFs brought the remaining area west of Puttumatalan in Mullaitivu District under their control,
bykillingatleastsevenmilitantsonApril9.TheSFsalsorecovered nineT56weapons,oneIcom
set and a damaged tractor with its trailer. During extended search operations onApril 10, the SFs
recovered three more dead bodies of the militants along with 12 T56 weapons and one MPMG.
AfterthecaptureofthisareathereisnolandleftforthetroopstoclearfromtheLTTEexceptthe
NFZ.
April10
12 civilians were killed and 50 others injured in military operations inside the NFZ, the pro LTTE
WebsiteTamilNetreported
Troops clashed with the LTTE militants in the outer perimeter of the NFZ and subsequently
recoveredninedeadbodiesofthemilitants.
ThePuthukkudiyiruppuhospitalrecordshaveregistered599civilianskilledand3,350injuredinside
30/81
4/30/2016
theNFZ,sincethelastUNstatementoncasualtiesonMarch13,theWebsiteclaimedfurther.But
theactualnumberofcivilianskilledcouldexceed1,500asmanyofthebodieswerenotbroughtto
the hospital to be counted and buried, said medical officials in Wanni. The SLA is stationed 800
meters away from the hospital. Even in the other parts of the NFZ, the Army is barely 11.5
kilometresaway,themedicalsourcessaid.3,944injuredpersonshavebeentaken toTrincomalee
throughICRCshipduringMarch2009.
The Government has established four new villages in the Pulmoddai area ofTrincomalee to settle
theciviliansfleeingfromLTTEheldareas.Speakingtothemedia,theMinisterofResettlementand
Disaster Relief Services, Risath Bathiyutheen, said these villages can accommodate nearly
100,000 persons. The Minister also said the Government is ready to establish more villages in
Pulmoddai area if needed. Over 62,000 internally displaced persons have already been settled in
campsinVavuniya,Jaffna,andMannar.
April11
17civilianswerereportedkilledand48othersinjuredinSLAattacks,reportedTamilNet.
MilitaryclaimedkillingeightLTTEmilitantsandinjuring12othersassporadicfightingwasreported
between troops and the militants at the fringes of Ampalavanpokkanai in Mullaitivu District.
According to military, the SFs engaged the militants who were attempting to breach the forward
defensesataround10:00am(SLST).
FivemoremilitantswerekilledbytheSFsintheeastPuthukkudiyiruppu.Inaseparateincidentin
the same area, 53rd Division troops clashed with a group of LTTE militants and reportedly killed
threeofthem.
Witharrivalof270IDPsfromtheLTTEheldPutumatalanarea,totalnumberofIDPswhoreached
theclearedareasincreasedto67280.
April12
31civilianswerekilledinSLAshellingandgunfireinsidetheNFZonApril12,claimedTamilNet.
Aonekilometerlongearthbund builtbytheLTTEinthenorthofNanthikandallagoonwascaptured
by troops. Later, troops recovered 18 T56 weapons, one mortar, one Icom set and one vehicle
fromthearea.
The Government declared a 48hour ceasefire during the traditional Sinhala and Tamil New Year
festive season onApril 13 and 14 in order to allow trapped civilians to move from the NFZ in the
northeast.
The LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran has ''agreed to a rescue mission by a western country''.
"Diplomatic sources indicate that Tiger leader Vellupillai Prabhakaran has apparently agreed to a
rescue mission by a Western country. He has agreed to this offer after he lost all his top level
leaders in the Puthukkudiyiruppu battle as there is no point for him to operate there in the NFZ
withouttheabilitytogiveleadershiptotheremainingcadres,"itsaid.
April1213
Tamil Net claimed that at least 23 civilians were killed within 12 hours in SLA shelling and gunfire
inside the NFZ. Most of the killings occurred within Valaignarmadam and Mullivaaykkaal areas,
whenSLAsteppedupafreshgroundpushtoadvanceintotheNFZ,thereportadded.
Five villagers, including two children, were hacked to death and two injured by suspected LTTE
militants,whiletheywerereturningfromtheirpaddyfieldsatMahagodayaya in the Buttala area of
MoneragalaDistrict.Atleast twootherswereinjuredintheattack,SeniorSuperintendentofPolice
RanjithGunasekarasaid.
The death toll of the suspected LTTE attack on villagers at Mahagodayaya along the Buttala
MoneragalaroadinMoneragalaDistrictintheeveningofApril12increased to nine, Police said on
April 13. Police spokesman Senior Superintendent of Police Ranjith Gunasekara said that another
fourpersonswhowerewoundedseverelysuccumbedtotheirinjurieslaterinthesamenight.Police
confirmedthatthreemen,threewomen,andthreechildrenwereamongthedead.
TheLTTE,disregardingtheGovernment'spauseinfighting,attackedthetroopsandkilledasoldier
by sniper fire at Puthukkudiyiruppu in Mullaitivu District. Military spokesman Brigadier Udaya
NanayakkarasaidtheLTTEalsofiredmortarsinthedirectionoftheSFswoundingasoldierinthe
same area.Apart from these two, there were no other incidents in the war zone, the spokesman
confirmed.
April13
TheLTTEpoliticaldivisionreleasedastatementcallingtheSriLankanannouncementofrestricting
military operations for two days as eyewash to create an impression of engagement on false
premises, the proLTTE Website Tamil Net reported. Condemning the move as a "political drama"
aimed at "deceiving the International Community and the Tamil people", the LTTE said the Sri
LankaArmywascontinuingindiscriminateshellingandgunfireoncivilians.Theoutfitalsocalledfor
31/81
4/30/2016
apoliticallyandmilitarilymeaningfultrucewithhumanitarianconsiderations.
The Royal Norwegian Government apologized to Sri Lanka following an attack on the Sri Lankan
EmbassyinOsloadayearlier.CondemningtheunauthorizedentryintotheSriLankanEmbassyby
protesters, Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said the attack is a violation of
Norwegianlawandanactionthatistotallyunacceptable."ThePolicehavebeenorderedtoprovide
betterprotectionfortheEmbassy,"theStatementadded.
518civiliansfromtheNFZarrivedintheArmycontrolledareaofPuthukkudiyiruppu.
In response to the recent demands by Western leaders for Sri Lanka to stop the war against the
militants and go for a ceasefire, Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse said that the war will
continue despite any international pressure until the LTTE terrorism is completely wiped out from
thecountry.
April1314
SuspectedmilitantsattackedtheresidentsofGalvetiyamandiyavillageinMoneragalaDistrictinthe
evening ofApril 13 and shot dead at least three civilians, the military spokesman Brigadier Udaya
Nanayakkara said onApril 14.The victims included two elderly women and one male. Police also
found one more woman with severe cut injuries. Police suspect that the same group of militants
whomassacrednineciviliansinMahagodayayaisinvolvedinthisattack.
April14
Two threeyearold boys who sustained injuries during LTTE shelling in the uncleared areas (area
notunderGovernmentcontrol)diedatthePulmoddaihospital.
RejectingacallbytheLTTEforapermanentceasefire,theGovernmentsaidtherewillbenosuch
truceuntiltheLTTElaydownarms.
The Foreign Secretary, Palitha Kohona, accused the LTTE of using civilians caught in the conflict
tobuildabundduringthetwodayceasefireperiod.
TheArmy Chief Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka vowed to wipe out terrorism from the country
andcrush the LTTE 'dream of a separate state'.The Commander said the military have destroyed
LTTE's weaponry, planes, and sea craft acquired with the help of various organizations and the
LTTEhavelostabout18,000cadresinthefightingwithsecurityforcesovertheyears.
TheNorwegianGovernmentsaidit has not been able to play a mediation role in the conflict since
thepeaceprocessbrokedownin2003.
April15
Military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said that following the conclusion of the
temporarytrucetheSFscommencedtheirhumanitarianoperationsintheNortheast.
The Government accused the LTTE of "taking away" large amount of food supplies from the
consignmentmeantfordisplacedTamilciviliansinthenorth.
CanadahasdoneitsbesttoendthelongrunningconflictinSriLanka,butwillnotbowtopressure
toremovetheLTTEfromthelistofbannedterroristgroups,theImmigrationMinisterJasonKenney
toldreportersinCalgary.
April1516
13LTTEmilitantswerekilledand15othersinjuredascasheseruptedbetweenSFsandmilitantsin
eastPuthukkudiyiruppuintheMullaitivuDistrict.
April16
57civilianswerekilledandmorethan300woundedwhentheSLAfiredshellsandcannonsinside
the NFZ at Mullivaaykkaal, Pokkanai and Iraddaivaaykkaal in Mullaitivu District the Tamil Net
reported.
TheSFsgainedcompletecontroloveraLTTEbuiltearthbundcumditchintheoutskirtsoftheNo
FireZonekillingsixmilitants.
Responding to international claims that the 48hour humanitarian pause was inadequate, the
Government said that what prevails in the NFZ was a hostage situation which needed strategic
militarymanoeuvretosavethetrappedciviliansandnotanormalevacuationprocess.
TheforeignministersofUKandFranceissuedajointstatementcriticisingtheuseofciviliansas a
human shield by the LTTE and said that the outfit had clearly been "forcefully preventing civilians
32/81
4/30/2016
fromleavingthesafezone"duringthe48hourceasefire.
Over 101 civilians fleeing from the LTTE captivity sought protection with the Security Forces in
Puttumatalan and Chalai. Around 69,000 displaced civilians crossing LTTE lines have reportedly
reachedclearedareas.
April17
A London court convicted a man described as the head of the LTTE in Britain on two terrorlinked
charges,includingsupplyingbombmakingequipmenttotheoutfit.Arunachalam Chrishanthakumar
(52) was found guilty of coordinating supplies of material to the LTTE and was also convicted of
receivingdocumentsforthepurposeofterrorismafteratrialatKingstonCrownCourt.TheCourtis
totakeadecisionnextweekonwhethertoholdaretrial.
TheGovernmentisnotpreparedtogiveintointernationalanddomesticpressuresandabandonthe
on going operations to free thousands of innocent civilians taken hostage by the LTTE chief
VelupillaiPrabhakaran,saiddefencespokesmanMinisterKeheliyaRambukwella.
April1718
SLA continued indiscriminate shelling inside the NFZ in Mullaitivu District onApril 17 andApril 18
killing at least 60 civilians, according to local NGO workers, claimed Tamil Net. The SLA shelling
targetedIraddaivaaykkaalandMullivaaykkaalareasoftheNFZ.
April18
Over 2,800 civilians arrived in the Governmentcontrolled area of Puttumatalan, the military said.
Accordingtodefencesources,thegroupofciviliansincluded1,253 children, 832 women, and 772
men.
The Government rejected calls to extend the unilaterally declared 48 hour 'humanitarian pause' as
the LTTE had not honored it and had actively prevented civilians from leaving the NFZ during the
saidperiod.
April19
TheSLAshellingtargetingIraddaivaaykkaal and Mullivaaykkaal areas inside the NFZ in Mullaitivu

Districtkilledatleast30civilians,reportedTamilNet.
TheSFskilled17LTTEmilitantsandinjured22othersduringclasheswhilethetroopsattemptedto
clear a road that would give the military access to remaining territory in Mullaitivu District held by
theoutfit.
ThreemilitantswhohadinfiltratedtheareawestofOmanthaiinVavuniyaDistrictwereshotdeadby
theSFs.
ThetotalnumberofciviliansfleeingfromLTTEheldareastotheGovernmentcontrolledareashas
increasedto72,000.Speakingtothemedia,militaryspokesmanBrigadierUdayaNanayakkarasaid
withthearrivalof3,218civiliansonApril18,thetotalnumberroseto72,000.
Reports indicated that the LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran has ordered for bunkers to be
constructedexpeditiouslyaroundthe17squarekilometresoutfitheldterritoryof Puthukkudiyiruppu,
anunnamedtopofficialsaid.
April20
The SFs rescued 39081 civilians held hostage by the LTTE inside the NFZ in Mullaitivu District.
Earlier,the58thDivisionenteredtheNFZintheearlyhoursofApril20withthecaptureofathree
kilometres long LTTEbuilt earth bund in the Puttumatalan and Ampalavanpokkanai areas and
openedthegatesoftheNFZ.
17civilianswerekilledandover200injuredwhenthreeLTTEsuicidebombersrammedintocivilian
gatheringsandblewthemselvesupinsidetheNFZinthePuttumatalanareabetween9.00a.1.00pm
(SLST). The Defence Ministry said the militants initially fired at civilians on the causeway using
heavymachineguns.
The political wing leader of the LTTE, B. Nadesan, has denied reports that human bombs blew
themselves up to prevent civilians fleeing the NFZ. He accused the SFs of using three types of
internationally banned weapons such as cluster shells, napalm bombs and phosphorus bombs
againstcivilianskillingnearly1000ofthem.
Following the exodus of civilians from the No Fire Zone in Mullaitivu District, the defence ministry
hasseta24hourdeadlinefortheLTTEtosurrender.
Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse said that the SFs will continue their military operations
until it rescues the last civilian held hostage by the LTTE and the last LTTE leader is killed or
33/81
4/30/2016
surrenderstotheSFs.
President Mahinda Rajapakse called upon the international community to exert pressure on the
LTTEchiefVelupillaiPrabhakarantolethimgrantfreedomofmovementforjusthalfanhour.
TheLTTEhassaidthatamilitarysolutionwillneverlaythisproblemtorestasSriLankawillnever
beabletoliveinpeace,asitimaginesamilitaryvictorywillbring.
April21
22 dead bodies of the LTTE militants were recovered as troops moving past the Puttumatalan
junction in the NFZ further extended their defence line to the eastern edge of the beach virtually
breakingtheNFZintotwomajorportions.
The Defence Ministry said that at least four LTTE militants, including local area leader Ramanan,
were killed and an armour plated vehicle was destroyed "when troops raided an LTTE gathering
positioneastofPuttumatalan".
Two LTTE leaders, identified as Kalandan and Vijayan, were killed in the attack mounted by the
troopsontwoLTTEcabsproceedingaheadoftheArmysnewdefence lineinsidethePuttumatalan
NFZ.Duringsubsequentsearchoperations,troopsrecoveredtwomicropistolsalongwiththedead
bodiesoftheslainmilitants.
21,534 more trapped civilians in the NFZ entered the cleared areas held by the Army in
Puttumatalan, thereby increasing the total number of escapees to 62,609 during April 2022. This
bringsthetotalnumberofcivilianswhofledfromtheLTTEsofartoover122,000.
The SFs are engaged in the evacuation of innocent Tamil civilians being trapped by the LTTE
militantsintheNFZandtheGovernmentwillnothaltthismissionunderanycircumstancesuntilthe
civiliansarefullyliberatedfromtheclutchesofterrorists,PrimeMinisterRatnasiriWickremanayake
said.Hesaidtheinternationalcommunityandvariousinternationalagenciesareexertingenormous
pressureontheGovernmenttogoforaceasefireandtheGovernmentisnotreadytogiveintoto
suchpressureandstoptheevacuationofinnocentTamilcivilians.
TherequestbyBritishPrimeMinisterGordonBrownforapauseinmilitaryactionwasdeemedas
unnecessary by President Mahinda Rajapakse considering the unexpected exodus of 35,000
civilians to the cleared areas from the NFZ. This was said by President Rajapakse during a
telephoneconversationinitiatedbytheBritishPrimeMinister.
A24hourperiodgivenbytheGovernmenttotheLTTEchiefVelupillaiPrabhakaranandhisgroupto
surrender concluded with no response from the outfit. "The LTTE terrorists have not surrendered
duringtheultimatum.ButthepeoplewhowereheldhostagebytheLTTEinasmallstripofcoastal
landintheMullaitivudistrictcontinuetoarriveinthegovernmentheldareasinlargenumberssince
Monday,"militaryspokesmanBrigadierUdayaNanayakkaratold.
April2122
Tamil Net claimed that the SLA stepped up artillery and mortar barrage on Valaignarmadam killing
andinjuringcivilianswhohavesoughtrefugeatseverallocations.Rev.FatherJamesPathinathar,a
prominent Catholic priest, was reportedly injured in SLA shelling that hit the Church in
Valaignarmadam. The Website also alleged that the SLA shelling on April 21 killed a doctor and
sevenpersonsatamakeshiftmedicalcentreinthesamearea.
The Army Commander Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka said that with the arrival of a large
civiliangrouponApril21thetotalnumbernowstandsat150,232.Hesaid thetotalnumberofIDPs
who have reached the cleared areas north of Puttumatalan rose to 77,793.According to theArmy
chief,only10,000to15,000civiliansarecurrentlytrappedintheLTTEheldareas.
April22
The SFs killed 14 LTTE militants and injured 21 others during clashes in the Puthukkudiyiruppu
eastareaofMullaitivuDistrict.
TheSFskilledfourmilitantsinthePuttumatalanareaandalsorecoveredone12.7gunandseven
MultiPurposeMachineGunsfromtheincidentsite.
TheGovernmentsaidthattheLTTEisnowrestrictedtoonlyeightsquarekilometersintheNFZat
Puttumatalan in Mullaitivu District. Defence spokesman Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said the
SFscapturedsixsquarekilometersofthenorthernpartofNFZinthemorningofApril22.Withthis,
theSFshavecapturedonethirdoftheNFZ.
TheformerLTTEspokesman,DayaMaster,andaninterpretertotheslainpoliticalwingleaderS.P.
Thamilselvan,George,surrenderedtothetroopsatPuttumatalaninMullaitivuDistrict.DayaMaster
reportedly has disclosed that there are only 10,000 to 15,000 civilians trapped in the NFZ at the
moment. Nanayakkara also said over 3000 LTTE militants have so far surrendered since January
2009.
34/81
4/30/2016
AddressingthemediaattheMCNS,militaryspokesmanBrigadierUdayaNanayakkarasaidtroops
on rescue mission are using small arms to confront pockets of LTTE militants using heavy
weaponstargetingtheSFs.
PresidentMahindaRajapaksereportedlysaidthattheLTTEchiefVelupillaiPrabhakaranshouldnow
facetheconsequencesofhisacttorejectsurrenderingtotheGovernment.
The UNSC demanded the LTTE to immediately lay down arms, renounce terrorism, allow
evacuation of remaining civilians and join the political process to find a peaceful solution to the
conflict.ItalsocalledontheSriLankanGovernmenttoabidebyitsobligationsontheinternational
humanitarianlawandalsotoallowinternationalhumanitarianaccesstothearea.
ThecivilianexodusfromtheNFZinPuttumatalaninMullaitivuDistrictintoGovernmentheldareas
crossedthefigure100,000,theArmyheadquartersdeclared.Meanwhile, theMinistryofHealthsaid
thenumberofIDPssofarhospitalizedformedicaltreatmentoutsideWannihasgoneupto3668as
ofApril21midnight.Theyarebeingtreatedforinjuriesdueto LTTE firing, explosions or otherwise
whenfleeing.
April2223
The UN SecretaryGeneral Ban Kimoon said he was sending a humanitarian team to the NFZ to
assessthehumanitariansituationanddowhateveritcantoprotectthethousandsof civilians held
hostagebytheLTTEashumanshield."ItiscriticalthatthisteambeallowedintotheZoneassoon
as possible and I am asking for strong support and speedy assistance of the Sri Lankan
government,"heurged.
April23
Rev.FatherT.R.Vasanthaseelan,thedirectorofHumanDevelopmentCentreofCaritasJaffna,the
social arm of the Catholic Church in the Jaffna Diocese, was wounded, when the SLA fired shells
on the Our Lady of Roses Church in Valaignarmadam inside the NFZ of Mullaitivu District for the
second consecutive day, claimed the Tamil Net. 14 civilians who had taken refuge at the church
werekilledintheshelling.
TroopsengagedinrescueoperationsatPuthumattalanNFZinMullaitivuadvancedfurthertowards
thesouthernsectorclosetoAmpelvanpokkanaiandVelayanmadamareaskillingover10militants.
The ICRC said that conditions have deteriorated in the conflict zone in the recent days. "The
fightingistooclosetocivilianswhoaretoooftenkilledorwounded", the ICRC spokesman Simon
Schorno, adding, "There have been hundreds of dead and wounded in recent days." Of the 400
peopletheICRCmanagedtoevacuateonApril22,themajoritywereseriouslywounded.
TheArmychiefLt.GeneralSarath Fonseka is reported to have said that the LTTE chief Velupillai
Prabhakaran continued to take shelter behind the remaining estimated 15,00020,000 trapped
civilians."PrabhakaranisinthesouthoftheNFZ,takingcoveramongthecivilians.Mytroops,the
SpecialForces,commandosandinfantrymenareadvancingtowardstheareato rescue the rest of
the civilians. Prabhakaran cant escape over the land route as my troops are effectively manning
thedefencelines.Prabhakaransonlyescaperouteisbysea,"saidtheArmychief.
CommanderMaheshKarunaratnereportedlysaidPrabhakaranorotherLTTEleaderwillnotgraban
opportunity to leave the Island via sea as the naval troops are on surveillance to track the LTTE
movementsroundtheclock.
ThecivilianexodusfromtheNFZatPuttumatalaninMullaitivuDistrictintoGovernmentheldareas
reached 103,143. With the 72,571 civilians who have exited and relocated elsewhere in cleared
areas before April 20, the total as of April 23 midnoon reached 175,714. According to the Army
chief Lt. General Sarath Fonseka, only 10,000 to 15,000 civilians are currently trapped in the
LTTEheldareas.
April24
The 58th Division Commander Brigadier Shavendra Silva said in Kilinochchi that troops have
alreadycapturedsix kilometres of the NFZ in Mullaitivu District and added that the LTTE was still
putting up resistance, firing away 122 mm artillery. "At least 15 soldiers were killed and about 75
injured during the past four or five days due to LTTE artillery fire. The military operation will end
35/81
4/30/2016
whenwefullyrescuetheremainingciviliansfromtheLTTE.AndthatwillbetheendoftheLTTE,"
Brig.Silvasaid.
2603 more civilians reached Government controlled areas increasing the number of civilians
releasedbytheArmysinceApril20to109,320.
April25
Suspected LTTE militants carried out two attacks at Nochchikulam in the Morawewa area of
TrincomaleeDistrictandPanamainthePothuvilvillageofAmparaDistrict,killingninecivilians.
April26
Atleast40LTTEmilitantswerekilledand35otherswoundedasthetroopscapturedValayarmadam
area of NFZ in Mullaitivu District. The SFs have now commenced advancing further south of the
NFZamidststiffresistancefromtheLTTE,saidaseniormilitaryofficial.
ThenumberofciviliansrescuedbytheArmysinceApril20fromLTTEgripinPuttumatalanNFZ by
theeveningofApril26roseto111512.
TheSLNondutyintheseasoffMullaitivuconfrontedaclusterofLTTEattackboatsandsankthree
of them with militants on board. At least 12 militants were killed and several others injured in
clashesthatlastedforafewhours.
The LTTE announced a unilateral ceasefire. However in response, the Government of Sri Lanka
rejecteditsayingthereisnoneedforatruceatthemoment.
Britain urged the Sri Lankan Government to respond positively to the LTTEs unilateral ceasefire
and call an immediate halt to its own military operations so that the people trapped in the conflict
zonecouldmovetosafety.
UNhumanitarianchiefJohnHolmesaskedtheGovernmenttohaltitsmilitaryoffensiveagainstthe
LTTEinordertoallowaidworkerstohelpcivilianstrappedintheNFZ.
April27
TroopscontinuedtheirpushtowardsthelastLTTEhideoutintheNFZinMullaitivuDistrictkilling12
militants while injuring 27 others, the Defense Ministry said. The ministry said that the LTTE has
intensifiedviolenceagainstcivilianswitharenewedhopeofsurvival.
Four SeaTigers were killed in an attack carried out by the Sri Lanka Navy Fast attack crafts and
theSpecialBoatSquadronboats.
Over 180,000 civilians who were held hostage by the LTTE have been rescued since January. Of
themnearly115,000werefreedsincethebeginningoftherescuemissionthatbegunonApril20.
The Government announced that the combat operations against the LTTE have reached their
conclusionandthatthetroopswereinstructedtoendtheuseofheavyweapons,whichcouldharm
civilian population. However, the rescue missions to free the remaining estimated 20,000 civilians
will continue. The statement followed a meeting of the National Security Council presided over by
President Mahinda Rajapakse. DirectorGeneral of the MCNS Lakshman Hullagulle said, "There is
no ceasefire. The government will go ahead with their operation to get the civilians out of the 'No
FireZone'whoarebeingheldhostagebytheLTTE,"Hullagullesaid.
TheLTTEdescribedtheGovernmentstatementasan"attemptbySriLankatodeceive"theworld.
DirectorofPeaceSecretariat,S.PuleedevansaidtheLTTEwill"neversurrender"andwillfighton
until their "legitimate demands" are met. "We made our position very clear to the international
community.Wewillneversurrendertillourlegitimatedemandsaremet,"Puleethevanadded.
April27
TroopscontinuedtheirpushtowardsthelastLTTEhideoutintheNFZinMullaitivuDistrictkilling12
militantswhileinjuring27others,theDefenceMinistrysaid.
Four militants were killed in an attack carried out by the SLN Fast attack crafts and the Special
BoatSquadronboats.
Over 180,000 civilians who were held hostage by the LTTE have been rescued since January. Of
them nearly 115,000 were freed since the beginning of the rescue mission that begun onApril 20.
Civilianshavetoldthesoldiersthattheterroristsarenowforciblypushingtherestofthehostages
totheVellamullivaikkalarea,wheretheirleaders
The Government announced that combat operations against the LTTE have reached their
36/81
4/30/2016
conclusionandthattroopswereinstructedtoendtheuseofheavyweaponswhich could harm the

civilian population. However, the rescue missions to free the remaining estimated 20,000 civilians
willcontinue.
DirectorGeneral of the Media Center for National Security, Lakshman Hullagulle, said the
Government has not declared a ceasefire with the LTTE, but has only announced that heavy
caliberweaponswillnotusedwhilerescuingthousandsofcivilianstrappedinthenorthernwarzone.
TheLTTEdescribedtheGovernmentstatementasan"attemptbySriLankatodeceive"theworld.
TheoutfitsDirectorofPeaceSecretariat,S.Puleedevansaid that the LTTE will "never surrender"
and will fight on until their "legitimate demands" are met. "We made our position very clear to the
internationalcommunity.Wewillneversurrendertillourlegitimatedemandsaremet,"Puleethevan
said.
April2728
Morethan200civilianswerekilledastheSLAfiredatleast2,600MBRLrockets,morethan1,000
artilleryshellsandatleast2,000heavymortarshellsfrom6:00pmonApril27till11:00amonApril
28,LTTEleadersinWannitoldTamilNet.MostoftheshellsfiredbytheSLAhitcivilian sheltersin
Mullivaaykkaal, Thaazhampan, Ottaippanaiyadi and Iraddaivaaykkaal areas. In addition, the Sri
LankaAirForcebombersattackedOttaippanaiyadiandIraddaivaaykkaalareasbydeployingcluster
bombs,LTTEleadersfurthersaid.
April28
35 militants were killed as clashes ensued between the SFs and LTTE militants in south of
RektavaikkalinMullaitivuDistrict.
TroopsconductingoperationsintheNFZinMullaitivuDistrictcaptureda700meterlongLTTEbuilt
earth bund built across Rektavaikkal area in the south of Valayarmadam. Subsequently, the
militantsdroveanexplosiveladentruckintothetroopswhoretaliatedblowingupthevehicleusing
gunfire, defence sources said. Troops also suffered casualties but managed to avoid a major
disaster by destroying the explosive laden vehicle, before it reached the earth bund. Troops later
recovered the dead bodies of seven militants from the area. Troops also foiled numerous counter
attackswhichcameintheformofexplosiveladenvehicles,seaborneattacksandarmouredtanks
torecapturetheearthbundwhichwas10to12feetinheightand700metersinlengthdefendingthe
southernpartoftheNFZ.
DespiteclaimsthatLTTEchiefVelupillaiPrabhakaranmightattempttouseasubmarinetoescape
fromthecountry,theSriLankaNavyclaimedthattheoutfitdidnotpossessanysubmarinecapable
offerryinganyone,includingPrabhakaran,toanotherlocationbysea.
April29
Atleast350soldierswerekilledandover700injuredasheavyfightingeruptedbetweenthetroops
andtheLTTEintheareanorthofMullivaaykkaalintheNFZinMullaitivuDistrictaccordingtoTamil
Net.ThefightingeruptedaftertwodaysofheavyattacksbytheSriLankaArmythathasattempted
toadvancetowardsMullivaaykkaal,thereportadded.
The military continued its operation inside the NFZ in Mullaitivu District killing several civilians,
claimed Tamil Net. Rescue workers recovered 160 dead bodies of civilians from the area north of
Mullivaaykkaal. Around 150 civilians were feared killed after 4pm on the same day, the rescue
workersfurthersaid.
NavaltroopspatrollingtheNorthEasternseasfoiledaLTTEattempttobreachitsfirstdefenceline
killing 28 SeaTigers, including three female SeaTiger leaders, identified as Manparithi,Ariyu and
Manmadhi,intheseaoffMullaitivu,NavyspokesmanCaptainD.K.P.Dassanayaketold.TheNavy
Special Boat Squadron confronted with six boats, including four suicide craft, launched from
VellamullivaikkalinthesouthernpartoftheNFZ.Alltheboatsweredestroyedintheoperation.
Military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said troops are continuing their mission of
rescuingtheremainingciviliansaftercapturingthe700metrelongand10feethighditchcumearth
bund in Rektavaikkal. "The LTTE had made seven suicide attempts to recapture the earth bund
usingthreehumanbombs,oneexplosiveladentruck,threemotorbikesandadoublecabduring24
hoursendingWednesdaymorning,"theBrigadiersaid,adding,"Ourtroopsalsosufferedcasualties
butmanagedtofoilthosesuicideattempts."
The LTTE has six large boats equipped with antiaircraft weapons, high fidelity communication
37/81
4/30/2016
equipment,GPSsandothersophisticatedinstrumentsattheirdisposalforanyeventualescapeas
the last resort. Similarly, five more LTTE boats packed with food items and dry rations have been
reportedlykeptstandbytobeusedforanemergencymissionbytheoutfitintheremainingpatchof
landadjacenttotheseas.
MilitaryspokesmanBrigadierUdayaNanayakkarasaidmilitantstrappedinsidetheremainingpartof
theNFZhaveorderedpeopletoburnallfishingboatsinVellamullivaikkalto prevent the remaining
civilianstrappedinsidetheNFZfromfleeingthearea.
TheLTTEsaidtheywouldneversurrendertotheadvancingSriLankanforcesandappealedtothe
internationalcommunitytoworkharderforaceasefire.
The surrendered former media coordinator of the LTTE, Daya Master, and LTTE leader George
MasterinaninterviewsaidthattheywitnessedthedeathsofseveralciviliansastheLTTEcadres
fired indiscriminately after the military breached the three square kilometre earth wallcumbund on
theNFZswesternfrontborder.
The United Nations said conditions were "far from satisfactory" in the camps for displaced Tamil
civilians in Sri Lanka and its top priority is to get an estimated 50,000 civilians still trapped in the
warzonetosafety.
April30
TheproLTTETamilNationalAlliance (TNA)partysTrincomaleeDistrictMemberofParliament,R.
Sampanthan,andparliamentarianSureshPremachandrantoldthevisitingBritishForeign Secretary
David Miliband that 7000 Tamils in Wanni have been killed and 14000 injured in the last three
months, according to Tamil Net. The TNA parliamentarians also told Miliband that more than 300
TamilyouthsintheVavuniyadetentioncentrehavebeenarrestedbytheSLAandthattheSLAhas
notrevealedthewhereaboutsofthosearrestedtotheirparents.
President Mahinda Rajapakse said that although there are many requests to go for a ceasefire
there was no time and need for it at this stage and the Governments aim was to liberate the
remainingciviliansintheNFZwithinthenextfiveorsixdays.
DefenceSecretaryGotabhayaRajapaksesaidthewarwouldnotenduntiltheLTTEchiefVelupillai
Prabhakaraniscapturedorkilled.
The Information and Media Minister Anura Priyadharshana Yapa said that there were no
discussionsheldwithanypartyaboutaceasefireandthattheSFsareonthevergeofrescuingthe
remainingciviliansintheNFZ,adding,thoughtheNFZwasoriginallyaround12kilometresinlength
ithasnowbeenreducedtothreetofourkilometres.
April30May1
At least 66 civilians were killed as the SLA stepped up artillery, mortar and MultiBarrel Rocket
LauncherfireonMullivaaykkaalvillageduringthepast48hours,reportedtheTamilNet.While39of
the 200 injured civilians admitted at Mullivaaykkaal hospital died on April 30, 27 more civilians
amongthe110injuredadmittedatthehospitaldiedonMay1.
May1
The Sri Lanka Navy destroyed three Sea Tiger boats, including two suicide boats and an attack
craft,killingatleast23militantsinapredownattackintheseasoffMullaitivu.
The advance of the troops towards the remaining areas under LTTE control is set to be expedited
with the 58 Division troops capturing another earth bund paving the way for the 53rd Division
advancingalongtheA35 roadtojoinwiththe58thDivisionandadvancefurthersouthwards in the
NFZ, military officials told.As troops advanced further southward to capture the remaining areas
under LTTE control, two more huge blasts believed to be accidental explosions of two suicide
vehicleswhichwerebeingpreparedtobesenttowardstheadvancingtroops,wereobservedbythe
ground troops in the early hours of the same day. The military officials stated that at least few
dozens of civilians would have been killed and injured due to these explosions as it took place
38/81
4/30/2016
deeperinsidetheNFZinVellamullivaikkal.
The Sri Lanka Armys official news wing www.army.lk was illegally hacked and technically
assassinated by suspected LTTE militants or their proxies, inserting some gruesome images.
Similarly, the Government news portal www.Lankapuvath.lk was hacked by suspected LTTE
militantsonthesameday,theGovernmentInformationDepartmentsaid.
PresidentMahindaRajapakseurgedtheremainingcivilianstrappedintheNFZinMullaitivuDistrict
toescapefromtheareaandcometotheclearedareas(areaunderGovernmentcontrol).
May2
64 civilians were killed and 87 others injured as the SLA twice attacked the only remaining
makeshift hospital at Mullivaaykkaal in the NFZ of Mullaitivu District reported Tamil Net. Two
artillery shells fired by the SLA hit the hospital at around 9:00am killing 23 and injuring 34 others
whileseveralshellsthatwerefiredlaterat10:30amkilled41civiliansandwounded53others.
The STF personnel ambushed a group of LTTE militants at Kanchikudiary in theAmpara District
killing four militants and recovering a large haul of arms, ammunition and explosive devices. The
STF later identified the LTTE intelligence wing members as Vedanayagam, Elevandran,
KaleiwendranandSathyapavan.
The 58th and the 53rd Divisions troops captured the key junction that links the Putumattalan
MullaitivuandParanthanMullaitivuroadsnorthofVellamullivaikkal.
May3
The58thandthe53rdDivisionsclearedtheirpathstowardstheremainingfivekilometresstretch of
theNFZafterthelatterstormedanotherheavilyfortifiedLTTEbuiltearthbundacrosstheA35road
afterfighting,saidmilitaryofficials."TheLTTEsufferedheavilyduringthisbattlethatendedwiththe
troops capturing this heavily fortified earthbund by the early hours of yesterday braving the heavy
mine fields of the LTTE," an unnamed official said. It has also been reported that senior LTTE
leader Thamilendi, who was in charge of the heavy weapons of the outfit, was killed during the
fighting. "The LTTE is now trapped in a five km stretch of land along with the civilians and the
troops are slowly but steadily advancing to that terrain amidst all obstacles posed by the LTTE,"
militaryofficialsadded.
Although the Government of Sri Lanka is rehabilitating the surrendered LTTE militants, it is not
ready to grant this opportunity to any leader of the outfit, said the Minister of Human Rights and
Disaster Management Mahinda Samarasinghe. He, however, said the Government is to offer an
amnestywithouttrialforallmilitantswholaydowntheirarmsandsurrender.However,theamnesty
willnotbegrantedtothosewhohavealreadybeenchargedorconvictedincourts.
TheLTTEappealedtoBritainandFrancetoimmediatelyinterveneandbrokeraceasefirewiththe
Government.
TamilNetaccusedthattheArmyduringtheweekendhaddeployeditstroopsforamajor onslaught.
"All kinds of heavy weapons, including prohibited ones, are ready for deployment on the NFZ," it
said.Themilitary,meanwhile, denied the charge and said that as per policy the troops do not use
heavyweaponsintakingontheLTTEinsidetheNFZ.
May4
STF personnel in the Komari and Pothuvil areas of Ampara District foiled a LTTE infiltration bid,
killingfourmilitants.
2530LTTEmilitantswereeitherkilledorseverelyinjuredduringintermittentclasheswiththetroops
intheareawestofVellamullivaikkalinsidetheNFZinMullaitivuDistrictduringthepast36hours.A
few soldiers also sustained injuries in the fighting. The report said that the SFs continued to
consolidatetheirpositionsandcounteredheavyLTTEresistanceduringtheiradvancefurtherinside
theNFZ.TheLTTE hasbeenconfidedtoanarealessthanfivesquarekilometersonthecoastof
MullaitivuDistrict.
TroopsthatstormedasectionofLTTEbuiltearthbundinthestretchoflandbetweentheA35 road
and the Nanthikandal lagoon on May 3 expanded their advance by another 250 metres, while
closinginonKaraiyamullivaikalarea.
The UN Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka said that they have not released any casualty figures
publiclyandcirculatedtothediplomaticcommunityinColomboasAssociatedPressreportssaid.
The TULF leader V.Anandasangaree, in a letter addressed to President Mahinda Rajapakse has
suggested that an international agency acceptable to the Government be selected to visit Wanni
and persuade the LTTE to allow innocent people to go free, with an offer of general amnesty to
39/81
4/30/2016
LTTEcadreswhosurrenderwitharms.
The Government said the second phase of resettling the displaced would commence on May 11
with 2100 people belonging to 520 families in the Mannar District. The Ministry of Disaster Relief
Services and Resettlement said steps were being taken to resettle more displaced in the Arippu
areaofMannarDistrict.
Sri Lanka urged the international community to provide US $ 50 million in order to meet urgent
humanitarianneedsofthedisplacedintheNorth.
May5
Militants launched indiscriminate small arms fire attacks at hostages who were fleeing from the
LTTEheldareaofVellamullivaikkalintheNFZinMullaitivuDistrictaboard15fishingboats.ALTTE
second rung leader, identified as Seelambu, is reported to have ordered the assault targeting the
civilians. According to intercepted LTTE transmission, a few civilians are reported to have died in
theincident.
The LTTE, currently confined to a mere land stretch of about 5 kilometres in the NFZ with the
intentionofblockingtroopmovements,continuedfiringonthetroopsinsidetheNFZ.
A video camera recovered by the soldiers from a slain LTTE militant provides rare proof that the
outfitisforciblyrecruitingcivilianstofighttheirlastbattle.
The Sri Lankan Government estimates that it has captured LTTE armaments worth almost $20
million so far from the Northern Province. Cambodia has been a significant source of the LTTE
weapons.TheresthavecomefromplacessuchasNorthKorea,Afghanistan,Lebanon,Turkeyand
Ukraine.ThearmsbrokerbehindthepurchasesisallegedtobeKumaranPathmanadanaliasK.P.
PrimeMinisterRatnasiriWickremanayaketoldtheParliament that intelligence reports revealed the
LTTEchiefVellupillaiPrabhakaranremainedtrappedwithinafoursquarekilometreareain NFZ on
whichSFshavenowlaidsiege.
TheproLTTETNApartyhasonceagaindecided torejectPresidentMahindaRajapakse'sinvitation
foraspecialdiscussion.
TheLTTEhasdemandeddirectforeignaidforpeopleintheirshrinkingpatchoflandafteraccusing
theGovernmentofblockingessentialsupplies.
UNSecretaryGeneralBanKimoonhasurgedSriLankaGovernmenttostopusingheavyweapons
thatriskcivilianlivesandtosuspenditsoffensiveagainstethnicTamilrebels sothatasmanyas
250,000civiliansdesperatelyneededaidcanbesenttothewarzone.
May6
Clashes continued in the Vellamullivaikkal area, when advancing troops met LTTE resistance.
Duringsubsequentsearchoperations,troopsrecovereddeadbodiesofthreeLTTEterrorists,twoT
56weaponsandonecommunicationsetfromthearea.
The Sri Lanka Army said the LTTE cadre strength have been reduced to only 300 fighters in
NortheastcoastastheArmyadvancestoenda26yearcivilwar.Troopscapturedtwomore LTTE
strongholdsinthestripoflandtheLTTEisoccupyingneartheportofMullaitivu,theArmysaidon
May 5. The LTTE are currently operating in about 5 square kilometre area in a Government
declaredsafezoneforcivilians,Armysourcessaid.
The UN humanitarian wing said that over 192, 000 civilians have fled the conflict zone in northern
Sri Lanka, where clashes continue between Government forces and the LTTE terrorists. Although
the number of registered IDPs has increased, it is not due to new arrivals, and there are still no
reports of more people in transit for days, the OCHA noted. OCHA estimates that around 50,000
more civilians remain trapped in the conflict zone, a shrinking pocket of land on the northeast
coastline,andthattheyareindireneedoffoodaidandmedicalsupplies.
May7
An unspecified number of dead bodies of militants were found scattered along with their weapons,
when troops captured the last LTTE built earth bund in the south of Karaiyamullivaikal. Several
soldiers also sustained injuries in the string of pitched battles in the remaining strip of land in the
NFZ.
DuringheavyfightingbetweentroopsandLTTE,the deputy leader of the SeaTigers, Chelliyan, is
reportedtohavebeenkilled.
Amilitaryspokesmansaidthatthetroopshad breachedthelastearthenfortification,bringingthem
to 800 metres of the LTTE leadership. Though estimates are not available, military sources said
thatbetween500to1,000hardcoreBlackTigershasformedalastwallofdefencearoundtheLTTE
chief Velupillai Prabhakaran and others. The spokesman also added that the LTTE is deploying
40/81
4/30/2016
suicidebombersinlargenumberstoslowdowntheArmy'sadvance.
Some150LTTEsympathiserscarryingflagsandchantingslogansattackedtheChineseEmbassy
in London. Supporters of the banned LTTE attacked the embassy and damaged many windows of
the office while trying to enter inside the building, Police said. Three protesters were arrested but
laterreleasedonbail.
May78
45civilianswerekilledandmorethan197injuredastheSLAcontinuedheavyshellingwithcluster
munitionsonciviliantargetsintheMullivaaykkaalareaoftheNFZintheMullaitivu District, claims
TamilNet.
May8
Troops in the Karaiyamullivaikal, Vellamullivaikkal, Udayarukattukulam and Vavunavillu areas of

MullaitivuDistrictrecovereddeadbodiesof31LTTEmilitants.
31 more dead bodies of LTTE militants were recovered by the troops along with a cache of arms
ammunition from the Puthukkudiyiruppu west, Puthukkudiyiruppu east, Verakulam,
Vellamullivaikkal,VavunavilluandAllaiwewaareas..
The Sri Lankan military demarcated a new NFZ to match the current situation. Announcing its
decision, the military said that it is now in full control of more than 2/3rd of the existing
Putumattalan NFZ. The new NFZ is restricted to an area of two kilometres in length and 1.5
kilometresinwidthsouthofKaraiyamullivaikal,includingVellamullivaikkalinthenarrowstrip along
the northeastern coast of Mullaitivu. "This has been modified to match with the present situation
and after considering the concentration of civilians in the area," the Army source said. The re
demarcation of the new NFZ followed the complete capture of possibly the last LTTEbuilt earth
bund in the Karaiyamullivaikal amid fierce fighting between the troops of 58th Division troops and
theLTTE.
May89
35LTTEmilitantswerekilledonMay8,astheadvancingtroopstookfullcontrolofthelastoutfit's
defensive earth bund in the Mullaitivu District. The troops have completely cleared the
Karyamullvaikkalarea,DefenceofficialssaidonMay9.CurrentlytheLTTEislimitedtoanareaof
justthreesquarekilometres,addedtheofficial.
May9
Nineciviliansdiedand19otherssustainedinjurieswhentheLTTEterroristsopenedfireonthemat
NFZ.TheSriLanka Armyreportaddsthatestimated303escapeesweretryingtoentertroopheld
areas across causeway in Mullaitivu when the LTTE terrorists stormed them and went on a
shootingspreetopreventthemfromdesertingtheLTTE.
Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse while denying LTTE reports of the military killing a large
number of civilians said "the LTTE had timed the latest propaganda lie on the eve of an informal
session of the UN Security Council scheduled for May 11." He told a local newspaper that "the
LTTE was making a desperate attempt to force the international community to stop the offensive.
WeareinthefinalstageofouroffensiveandthereisabsolutelynowaytheTigerscangetoutof
thistrap."HealsoblamedtheLTTEforopeningfireonabout1,000civiliansattemptingtoreachthe
Army,deployedsouthoftheNFZ.
May910
TamilNetclaimedthatindiscriminateshellingbytheSLAinsidetheNFZstartingfromthenightof
May9tothemorningofMay10killedmorethan2,000civilians,includingwomenandchildren.
Ahealthofficialintheregion,Dr.V.Shanmugarajah,toldforeignmediathattheinitialartilleryattack
whichlastedfromtheeveningofMay9tothemorningofMay10killedatleast378civiliansand
woundedmorethanathousandmore.
May10
The Government rejected the LTTE's latest claims that the military had shelled the NFZ in
Mullaitivu killing 2,000 civilians in 24 hours and accused the militants of firing mortars at the new
NFZ from the positions in the old NFZ. The Army said the LTTE has positioned their mortars in
previouslydeclaredNFZandfiredmortarstowardsthenewNFZ.
Asked about accounts provided by the Government health officials on the deaths inside the NFZ,
an unnamed senior official reminded reporters of the circular issued by the Health Ministry urging
themedianottogivencredencetotheversionsofitsofficialsstrandedintheLTTEoccupiedzone.
"Wehavenoreasontodoubttheintegrityofthedoctors.Buttherealityisthattheseofficials,like
therestofthecivilians,arebeingheldhostagebytheLTTEandhavenooptionbuttotakeorders
fromtheTigers,"hesaid.
Over 1500 civilians who were forcibly held by the LTTE crossed over to the cleared areas (area
under Government control) amidst heavy resistance by the LTTE. Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara
said, "Troops have detected that the LTTE is using heavy weapons to target civilians living in the
newlydeclaredNoFireZone.LTTEcadresstartedfiringmortarstothenewlydeclaredNoFireZone
from 9.00 a.m. yesterday from time to time. Our radar system has effectively detected that the
41/81
4/30/2016
LTTEhaspositionedheavyweaponsincludingmortarsinthearea."
The Government is to launch an investigation into the LTTErun Eelam Bank, where thousands of
peoplehadreportedlydepositedtheirmoney.
May1011
Morethan3200civilianswerereportedkilledinsidetheNFZinMullaitivuDistrict,reportedtheTamil
Net on May 11. Lawrence Christy, chief of the TRO field office, on May 11 put the death toll of
civiliansinSLAshellingatmorethan3,200killedsincetheeveningofMay10uptothemorningof
May 11. The SLA offensive formations were firing using cannons, 50 calibre machine guns,
artilleries,mortarandMultiBarrelRocketLauncherguns.
A Sri Lanka Government doctor V. Shanmugarajah, who works at a makeshift hospital in the war
zone,said393peoplewereeitherbroughttothehospitalforburialorhaddiedatthefacilityonMay
10,whileanother37bodieswerebroughtinthemorningofMay11.Morethan1,300injuredcameto
the hospital, he added. In addition, a senior UN official in Colombo said on May 11 that reports of
largescalekillingsinthewarzoneinSriLankaappeartoshowthatfearsofbloodbathhadbecome
a reality. "Weve been consistently warning against a bloodbath, and the largescale killing of
civilians including more than 100 children this weekend appears to show that the bloodbath has
become a reality," said UN spokesman Gordon Weiss. The Government, however, in a statement
issued on May 11 denied allegations by the LTTE that its Security Forces shelled the recently re
demarcated new NFZ causing thousands civilian casualties. It said that it denies the reports
"attributable to sources aligned with or under duress from the LTTE" and said "the Government's
view is that to treat the doctor's statement as evidence of irrefutable and incontrovertible fact, is
unwise."
May11
A Sri Lanka Government doctor V. Shanmugarajah, who works at a makeshift hospital in the war
zone,said393peoplewereeitherbroughttothehospitalforburialorhaddiedatthefacilityonMay
10,whileanother37bodieswerebroughtinthemorningofMay11.Morethan1,300injuredcameto
thehospital,headded.
ThemilitaryhasindicateditishopefulofneutralisingthemilitarycapabilitiesoftheLTTEinsidethe
newNFZinthenext48hours."OnthebasisofreportsfromthemilitarycommandersIcansaythat
thetroopsarepoisedforamajorbreakthroughinthenext48hours.TheLTTEwouldsoonloseits
wherewithal to offer organised resistance and the troops expect to repeat a feat like on April 20
when the military succeeded in breaching the threekilometre Tiger earth wallcumband and
facilitatedtheescapeof1.16lakhciviliansfromtheLTTEclutches,"DefenceSecretaryGotabhaya
Rajapakse told Doordarshan in an interview in Colombo. The Defence Secretary denied reports of
shellingontheNFZbythemilitaryanddismissedthemaspropagandabytheLTTEtocoincidewith
UNSecurityCouncilmeetingonMay11.HeaccusedtheLTTEwithindiscriminatefiringatagroup
of 1,000 fleeing civilians. The military said 250 of them were either killed or injured in LTTE firing
and released purported transcripts of intercepted communication among the militants forcibly
stoppingcivilians.ItsaidtheLTTEsufferedheavycasualtiesasthetroopspusheddeeperintothe
NFZ.MilitaryspokespersonoftheLTTE,RasiahIlanthriyan,wasamongthosekilled.
AseniorUNofficialinColombosaidthatreports oflargescalekillingsinthewarzoneinSriLanka
appear to show that fears of bloodbath had become a reality. "We've been consistently warning
against a bloodbath, and the largescale killing of civilians including more than 100 children this
weekend appears to show that the bloodbath has become a reality," said UN spokesman Gordon
Weiss.
AnewtransitcampfortheIDPshasbeensetupinthePulmoddaiareaofVavuniyaDistrictinorder
toincreasefacilitiestothosepeoplearrivingfromtheunclearedareas(areanotunderGovernment
control).
LTTEmilitantswerereportedlydirectingfiretowardsfleeingciviliansfromNFZinMullaitivuDistrict.
Military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara reiterated that militants were firing towards
civilians on the instructions from their ground commanders or when they cannot control fleeing
civilians. He said latest attack by the militants was revealed through intercepts of LTTE
communicationamonggroundcommanders.
ThemilitaryhasindicateditishopefulofneutralisingthemilitarycapabilitiesoftheLTTEinsidethe
new NFZ in the next 48 hours and paving the way for the release of civilians being held hostage.
Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse told Doordarshan in an interview in Colombo. The
Defence Secretary denied reports of shelling on the NFZ by the military and dismissed them as
propagandabytheLTTEtocoincidewithU.N.SecurityCouncilmeeting.HeaccusedtheLTTEwith
indiscriminate firing at a group of 1,000 fleeing civilians. The military said 250 of them were either
killed or injured in LTTE firing and released purported transcripts of intercepted communication
among the militants forcibly stopping civilians. It said the LTTE suffered heavy casualties as the
troops pushed deeper into the NFZ. Military spokesperson of the LTTE, Rasiah Ilanthriyan, was
42/81
4/30/2016
amongthosekilled.
Expressing deep concern over the civilian deaths in Sri Lanka, the United Nations Secretary
GeneralBanKimoonwarnedtheLTTEfortheirrecklessdisrespectforthesafetyofthousandsof
civilianstrappedintheNFZandsaidtheLTTEmustimmediatelyallowtheremainingciviliansinthe
conflictzonetoleave.
TheGovernmentistorehabilitateanothergroupofLTTEchildsoldierswhosurrenderedtotheSFs
recently.According to sources, 61 child soldiers have surrendered to the SFs during the past few
days.CurrentlytherearefourcentresinSriLankatorehabilitatesurrenderedchildsoldiers.
May12
The SLA fired artillery shells on the makeshift hospital which was functioning at Mullivaaykkaal
juniorschoolinsidetheNFZinMullaitivudistrictkillingatleast47civilians,reportedTamil Net.At
least55patientssustainedseriousinjuriesintheattack.
Troops in the Karaiyamullivaikal area of Mullaitivu District recovered 43 dead bodies of LTTE
militants along with 65 T56 weapons, two bodyarmours, one pouch, three helmets, 13 explosive
cansandoneOutboardMotor.
Troops of the 58th Division moving from the north entered the new NFZ in the Mullaitivu District
countering the LTTE attacks. Addressing the press at the Media Centre for National Security,
militaryspokesmanBrigadierUdayaNanayakkarasaid,"ThreeLTTEsuicidebombershidinginside
undergroundbunkershaveblownthemselvesasadvancing58divisiontroopsclosedinonthem.In
a subsequent search operation, troops recovered 25 bodies of Tiger cadres, 20 T56 assault rifles
andotherwarlikeitems."
The 59th Division troops after crossing the LTTE constructed earth bund and ditch in the north of
the Vadduvakal causeway advanced 300 metres further north. The SFs advanced further by
crossing the Nanthikandal lagoon. The troops have formed an extended defence line around the
southern end of the new NFZ covering the entire Nanthikandal lagoon and the surrounding sea
beachandlinkedwiththe53rdDivisiontroopswhoaredeployedalongthewesternboundaryofthe
NFZ.The troops of 58th Division have gained control of the northern boundary of the NFZ and are
nowconsolidatingtheirpositions.TheeasternborderofthenewNFZisguardedby the Sri Lankan
Navy.
The proLTTE party TNA has pointed out that 3000 Tamils have been killed and more than 1000
have been wounded in the last three days in Wanni region, according to Tamil Net. In a press
conferenceheldinColombo,TNA parliamentariansalsosaidmorethan10,000Tamilcivilianshave
beenkilledwhilemorethan20,000woundedwithinthelastthreemonths.
Over100SeaTigers[cadresoftheseawingoftheLiberationLTTE]werekilledand17LTTEboats,
includingseveralsuicideboats,destroyedintheseasoffMullaitivubynavaltroopsduringthelast
few weeks, said Navy spokesman Commander Mahesh Karunaratne told. Two boats were
reportedlycaptured.
May1213
The59thDivisiontroopswhoreachedthesouthofthenewNFZinthenightofMay12foiledamajor
sea and ground attack by the LTTE to recapture the newly liberated areas destroying a number of
LTTEsuicideboatsandkillinganunspecifiednumberofmilitants,militaryofficialssaidonMay13.
The fighting broke out at around 9.30pm (SLST) on May 12 as the troops were consolidating their
positions along the earth bund they captured after crossing the lagoon in Waddawakkal. "Initially
therewerehugeTigersuicideboatsfittedwithhighpoweredenginesandtwoofthemrammedinto
thebunkersheldbythetroopsintheground.Theenginesofthesesuicideboatswere so powerful
43/81
4/30/2016
thattheycanreachthebunkersinthegroundoncetheylandedinthebeach,"anunnamedmilitary
official told Daily News. Another suicide boat that reached the shore after the initial attack was
damagedbythetroopspreventingitreachingtheshore.Amidtheseaborneattack,morethan100
to 150 militants attempted to breach the newly captured earth bund south of the NFZ but that
attemptwasalsofoiledbytheSFskillingunspecifiednumberofmilitants."Fiercefightingcontinued
till1amonWednesdayastheLTTEdeployedsomeoftheirsuicidecadrestobreachtheSecurity
Forcesdefences,"theofficialadded.
May13
Morethan100civilians,includingmanychildren,patientsandanInternationalCommitteeoftheRd
Cross(ICRC)worker,werekilledinaSLAartilleryattack thattargetedamakeshifthospitalandthe
surrounding areas which comprises of many tarpaulin huts in the Mullivaaykkaal area of Mullaitivu
DistrictinsidetheNFZ,reportsTamilNet.
Troops in the Karaiyamullivaikal area of Mullaitivu District recovered dead bodies of 19 LTTE
militants,includingaseniorcadreidentifiedasKannikkaran.
Troops unearthed a stock of LTTE light aircraft accessories buried in a coconut grove at
TheravikulaminthePuthukkudiyiruppuarea.
The SFs captured a 55 feet long LTTE boat filled with 1,500 kilograms of explosives from the
Vellamullivaikkal area in the NFZ. The suicide boat plastered with claymore mines around its hull
washiddenunderbushesbythesideofthebeach.
The UN called on Colombo to expedite the screening of thousands of internally displaced persons
nowstayingatdozensofGovernmentcampsintheNorth.
The UN said that heavy fighting in the conflict zone prevented the ICRC aid ship reaching its
destination,forthesecondday.
GeneralOfficerinchargeofthe58thDivision,BrigadierShavendradeSilva,toldthattheSriLankan
troopswereexercisingmaximumrestrainttoavoidciviliancasualties.
President Mahinda Rajapakse, by virtue of powers vested in him by Article 33 (f) of the
Constitution, has appointed a 19member Presidential Task Force for Resettlement, Development
and Security in the Northern Province. It is mandated to prepare strategic plans, programs and
projects to resettle internally displaced persons, rehabilitate and develop economic and social
infrastructureoftheNorthernProvince.
The Colombo High Court reissued an open warrant to LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran and its
intelligence leader Pottu Amman in connection with the assassination of former Foreign Minister
Lakshman Khadirgamar. This is the second arrest warrant issued to the duo in 2009. Earlier, the
ColomboHighCourthadissuedanarrestwarrantonJanuary26.
May14
At least 1,700 civilians were killed and over 3,000 wounded within the last 48 hours as SLA
continued its indiscriminate shelling inside the new NFZ, according a statement released by the
LTTE Peace Secretariat, reported Tamil Net. The catastrophic situation has been made worse by
theacuteshortageoffoodandmedicine,thestatementsaid,adding,"Localdoctorswhoaretrying
to work in these hospitals have decided to hand the hospitals over to the ICRC in the hope that
underICRCmanagementthehospitalsmaybesparedfrombombardment."
TheSLAlaunchedshellsfellandexplodedinaboatinwhich12personsfromWanniwerefleeingto
PointPedro,killingfourpersons,reportedTamilNet.
The59thDivisiontroopscapturedVadduvakalBridgethatlinktheParanthanMullaitivu(A35)road
intotheMullaitivutownthroughNanthikandallagoon.
TroopsengagedintheirfinalpushagainstLTTEarepoisedtocompletelysealofftheEasterncoast
within the next 24 hours as 58th Division troops advancing towards Mullaitivu from the northern
direction reached closer to Mullaitivu front after capturing the grounded Jordanian ship Farah III in
theMullaitivuseas,militaryofficialssaid.
TheSriLankaDefenceMinistrysaidthattheLTTEispreparingfortheworstslaughterofcivilians
withthesystematicuseofhostagesasaweaponofmassdestruction.
Recognizing the legitimate right of the Sri Lankan Government to fight terrorism, the UNSC
demandedtheLTTEtolaydownarmsandallowcivilians,stilltrappedinthewarzone,toleave.
SriLankarejectedinternationalcallstohaltitsfinaloffensiveagainstLTTE,hoursaftertheUNSC
calledforcivilianlivestobespared.
44/81
4/30/2016
May15
During their advance into the Mullaitivu front, troops of the 58th Division recovered dead bodies of
40LTTEmilitantsandarrestedthreefemaleSeaTigers.Groundtroopslaunchedamassiveattack
ontheLTTEmilitantswhotriedtostopthetroopsadvanceintotheareainflicting heavydamages
tothem."TheSecurityForcesonceagainlaysiegeontheLTTEterrainsurroundingtheremaining
Tigerleadersinsideasthe58Divisionandthe59DivisionwerepoisedtomarryupintheMullaitivu
sea front by yesterday evening," a military official said. Troops also recovered the biggest ever
arms and ammunition stock they have within a 24 hour period, he added. The recoveries included
seventy two 60mm mortars, 36 Indian made Rocket Launchers, two antiaircraft pedal guns, one
12.7mm machine gun, a Marine Radar, 12 suicide boats. "Thousands of sea mines and huge
stocksofarmsandammunitionswhichwerebeingcountedbythetroopsforhourswererecovered
onFriday",theofficialadded.
Army troops continued their advance further into the LTTEheld areas inside the new NFZ and
attackedgroupsofmilitantscausingextensivedamagestothemilitants.Duringsubsequentsearch
andclearoperationsinthePalamattalanareathetroopsrecovered35deadbodiesofthemilitants.
An explosion in the Vellamullivaikkal area targeting the 58th Division troops at the frontal defence
positions failed to inflict damages to upon the SFs as the redcoloured LTTE double cab
prematurelyexplodedandwentup in flames as it was nearing the troops in the opposite direction.
Atleast45LTTEsuicidebombersinsidethedoublecabwerereportedkilledinthehugeexplosion.
In addition, four LTTE militants aboard to motorbikes along the beach sped at a high speed and
triedtoattacktroopsontheothersideofthebeach.However,theyfailedintheirattemptandwere
shot dead by the SFs. Further, a LTTE tractor with explosives attempted to ram against troops in
theoppositedirection.However,troopsmanagedtoblowupthetractor.
Twotopleadersoftheoutfit,SwarnamandSashiMaster,werekilledbytheSFsinaconfrontation
in Mullaitivu. Swarnam and Sashi Master were very senior cadres in the outfit and they remained
thetopconfidantsofoutfitschiefVellupillaiPrabhakaran,sourcesadded.
The SLN captured 11 family members of the Sea Tiger leader Soosai, including his wife, son,
daughterandhisbrotherswife,daughter,whiletheywereattemptingtoescapebyseainMullaitivu
area.
A huge influx of civilians once again started to flow into the military controlled areas as Security
ForceswerereadylayingsiegeontheremainingLTTEcontrolledareasmilitaryofficialstold.During
thewholeday,morethan15,000civilianshavearrivedinmilitarycontrolledareas.
PresidentMahindaRajapaksehasallciviliansheldbytheLTTEasahumanshieldintheoutfitheld
areainnortheasternSriLankawillberescuedinthenext48hoursandtheTamilswouldbesaved
fromtheLTTEterrorism.
The LTTE air capabilities have been completely neutralised, the Sri Lankan Army claimed after
recoveringastockofaccessoriesandenginesofthe"skyTigers"fromtheembattlednorth.
May16
The Army which is in the final phase of the rescue operation took control of the entire eastern
coastal area when the 58th and 59th Division troops linked up together depriving the LTTE of the
coastalbelt.The58thDivisionmarchingfromthenorthlinkedupwith59thDivisiontroopswhowere
forgingaheadnorthboundinthenewNFZ.Accordingly,troopsofthe11GemunuWatchin the 59th
Division and 11th Sri Lanka Light Infantry in the 58th Division have taken control of the entire
Mullaitivucostalbelt.
Over10,000civilians,madeuseofthenewlyopenedescaperouteviatheNanthikandallagoon in
the past 24 hours amidst LTTEs indiscriminate firing in the Vadduvakal area. Also, 241 LTTE
cadressurrenderedtotheSFsduringthepasttwodays.
ArmytroopsattackedLTTEpositionsintheKaraiyamullivaikalandVellamullivaikkalareascausing
heavy damages to the militants. During subsequent search and clear operations troops recovered
fourdeadbodiesofthemilitants.
DuringaclashbetweenthetwosidesintheSarwaruthoddamareatroopskilledthreemilitantsand
alsorecoveredtheirbodiesduringclearingoperationsalongtheA35intheKaraiyamullivaikalarea.
45/81
4/30/2016
May17
The humanitarian mission launched to liberate civilians taken hostage by the LTTE for months
reachedanendinMullaitivuwiththelastbatchofciviliansarrivingin Government controlled areas
through the Vadduvakal causeway towards Mullaitivu by 2.30pm whilst troops surrounded the last
batchofmilitantsinsidealessthanhalfsquarekilometrestretchintheNFZ.AccordingtoMilitary
officials, more than 52,000 civilians have arrived in the Governmentcontrolled areas and nearly
30,000 were due to be screened by the troops before being dispatched to welfare centres in
Vavuniya. "An estimated figure exceeding 82,000 civilians have so far arrived in the military
controlledareassinceMay14,"militaryofficialsinMullaitivuadded.Asthelastbatchesofcivilians
werefleeingfromtheNFZ,manyexplosionswereheardinsidetheNFZastroopswerefighting with
thelastbatchofmilitantstrappedinside.
Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse, however, said that the war is not over yet. "We have
rescued all the civilians from the area, now we are searching for any more civilians. In the
meantime, we have restricted the LTTE to one square kilometrelike area, so we will mop up and
seizetherestoftheLTTEcadresandtheleadership."
TheLTTEinternationalrelationsheadK.Pathmanathansaid,inastatementissuedfromoutsideSri
Lanka, the war had reached its bitter end and the outfit had decided to silence their guns in the
interest of saving the lives of innocent Tamil citizens. "This battle has reached its bitter end.
Againstallodds,wehaveheldbacktheadvancingSinhaleseforceswithouthelporsupport,except
for the unending support of our people. It is our people who are dying now from bombs, shells,
illnessandhunger.Wecannotpermitanymoreharmtobefallthem.Weremainwithonelastchoice
toremovethelastweakexcuseoftheenemyforkillingourpeople.Wehavedecidedtosilence
ourguns.Ouronlyregretsarefortheliveslostandthatwecouldnotholdoutforlonger.Wecanno
longerbeartoseetheinnocentbloodofourpeoplebeingspilled,"hesaid.
At least 150 LTTE militants were killed during fierce fighting with the troops inside the No NFZ in
Mullaitivu District. Troops operating in the western edge of the Nanthikandal lagoon foiled an
attempt by the LTTE militants to escape towards the jungles in Mullaitivu and Puthukkudiyiruppu
south killing more than 80 militants, including nine female cadres, who tried to breach the SF
defences. "More than 80 well trained Tiger cadres were killed and their bodies were recovered
collected from the Nanthikandal lagoon as troops foiled theTigers attempt to breach the Security
Forcesdefencearound2.30amyesterday,"saidmilitaryofficialsinMullaitivu.
May18
The LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran was killed, the Sri Lankan military has said. The
announcement on State television came shortly after the military said it had surrounded
Prabhakaran in a tiny patch of jungle in the northeast. The head of the Sri Lankan army Lt Gen
SarathFonsekasaidthemilitaryhaddefeatedtherebelsand"liberatedtheentirecountry"."Today
we finished the work handed to us by the president to liberate the country from the LTTE," Gen
Fonsekasaidinthebroadcast.ThebroadcastquotedmilitaryofficialsassayingPrabhakaranwas
killed along with two of his deputies. It said Prabhakaran, his intelligence chief PottuAmman and
Soosai,theheadoftheLTTEnavalwing,wereshotdeadinanambushintheMullivaaykkaalarea
whiletryingtoescapethewarzoneinanambulance.
The SFs found a dead body suspected to be of Charles Anthony, the elder son of LTTE chief
Velupillai Prabhakaran, from the Karaiyamullivaikal area. The Sri LankaArmy, however, confirmed
thatAnthony, known to be the head of Information and Technology department of the LTTE, was
killed. In addition, the SFs also recovered dead bodies of three key LTTE leaders, identified as
political wing leader of the outfit Nadeshan, head of the outfits peace secretariat Pulidevan and
seniorspecialmilitaryleaderoftheoutfitRamesh.
The death of senior LTTE militants, including Suventhiran Balaguru alias Jeyam, Rathnam Master
and Madavan Master, were confirmed by the troops after their dead bodies were scientifically
identified,theArmyHeadquartersdeclared.
Troops also confirmed the death of 11 more senior LTTE militants who attempted to escape being
captured by the troops in Wellamullivaikkal area. These senior cadres include LTTE Police chief
Ilango, aide to LTTE chief's son Sudharman, senior intelligence leader Thomas, LTTE military
46/81
4/30/2016
leaderLuxman,seniorSeaTiger(SeawingoftheLTTE)cadreSriRam,LTTEfemalemilitaryleader
IseiAravi,LTTEdeputyintelligence leaderKapilAmman,inchargeofLTTEfemaletrainingAjanthi,
inchargeofLTTEmortarsectionWardha,SecretarytoLTTEchiefPudiyawanandSpecialmilitary
leaderJenarthanwereamongthem.
Armyelitesarecontinuingthefinalmopupoperationsatthelast100mx100mLTTEfootholdinthe
north of Vellamullivaikkal. Selfignited LTTE explosions were also heard and witnessed in close
vicinity.
The SLA announced that the entire Puthumattalan area has now been brought underArmy control
bringingtheentirecountryfreefromLTTEsterrorism.Over250corpsesofLTTEmilitantsscattered
intheentireareahavebeensofarrecoveredandsubjectedtoidentification,claimedtheArmy.It is
believed all the remaining terrorist leaders including top LTTE cadres were among those feared
killed,saidtheArmy.
Troops recovered 43 dead bodies of LTTE militants, including that of eight female cadres, during
searchandclearoperationsinKaraymullivaikkalarea.
TroopsinVellamullivaikkalandWadduvakkalareasrecovereddeadbodiesof35LTTEmilitants.
May19
TheproLTTEwebsiteTamilNetclaimedthattheLTTEchiefVelupillaiPrabhakaranisstillaliveand
safeadayafterSLAannouncedthatithaskilledhim.TheWebsitequotedtheLTTE'sInternational
Relations chief S. Pathmanathan as stating, "I wish to inform the Global Tamil community
distressed witnessing the final events of the war that our beloved leader Velupillai Prabhakaran is
alive and safe.He (Prabhakaran) will continue to lead the quest for dignity and freedom for the
Tamilpeople."TheWebsite,however,didnotgivedetailsofPrabhakaranslocation.Pathmanathan
alsosaidtheSriLankanArmyandtheGovernmentdeliberatelycameupwiththestorydetailingthe
demiseoftheLTTEchief."WecategoricallyrejectthisandwishtoinformtheTamilcommunityto
bevigilantandtoexercisemaximumrestraintwhilstgrievingforthelossofTamilcivilianlives,"he
said.
Army Commander General Sarath Fonseka confirmed that the dead body of the LTTE chief
Velupillai Prabhakaran was found. His body was found by the 53rd Division troops led by Major
General Kamal Gunaratne near the Nanthikandal lagoon. Military spokesman Udaya Nanayakkara
saidPrabhakaranhaddiedduetoagunshotinjurytohishead.TheArmyisreportedtohavefound
his identity card issued by the LTTE and the armlet with the number one indicating his position in
the outfit. According to defence sources, Prabhakaran had tried to save his life until the last
moment. Although the LTTE International Relations Head K. Pathmanathan denied the
Government'sclaim,sayingonaproLTTEwebsiteTamilNetthatPrabhakaranis "alive and safe",
the DNA tests have proved that the body recovered belongs to Prabhakaran, the Army said.
Fonseka confirmed that Prabhakaran's body was found among the 150 or so bodies the army
recovered.
The announcement by the Army Chief on behalf of President Mahinda Rajapakse and Defence
Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse said, "A few hours ago ground troops confirmed that they have
recovered the dead body of the world's most ruthless terrorist leader. I make this disclosure with
responsibility and pleasure as millions of Sri Lankans as well as the Army would be the most
delighted at this news. It further said LTTE's Daya Master, who is in Government custody, and
LTTE's former eastern military leader and Nation Building Minister in the Rajapakse Government,
Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan alias Karuna in the afternoon of May 19 flew to Puthukkudiyiruppu
wherePrabakaran'sbodyisbeingkept.BothofthemidentifiedthebodyasthatoftheLTTEchief.
The Defence Ministry said in the evening that Sea Tiger (sea wing of the LTTE) leader Soosai's
bulletriddendeadbodywasfoundbyArmycommandosinthemarshylandinKaraiyamullivaikal."
Two hours before the announcement of the recovery of the dead body of the LTTE chief Velupillai
Prabhakaran, President Mahinda Rajapakse addressing the ceremonial opening of Parliament said
the victory gained by defeating the LTTE is the victory of the nation, and the victory of all people
47/81
4/30/2016
livinginthecountry."ThedefeatoftheLTTEandthebreakdownoftheirarmedstrengthwillnever
be the defeat of the Tamil people of this country," he added. "It is necessary for us to state with
greatresponsibility,thatwedonotacceptamilitarysolutionasthefinalsolution...Itisnecessary
thatwefindasolutionthatisourveryown,ofourownnation.Itshouldbeasolutionacceptableto
allsectionsofthepeople,"hesaid.ThePresidentsaidhehopestoprovidea'homegrown'solution
totheconflictanddoesnothopetobeexperimentingsolutions.
38 dead bodies of the LTTE militants, including those of seven females, were recovered by the
troops during a search operation in the Vellamullivaikkal area of Mullaitivu District. The bodies
recoveredandidentifiedincludedthatofSeaTiger(seawingoftheLTTE)leader"Brigadier"Soosai,
seniorintelligenceleader"LieutenantColonel"Verti,anintelligenceleader"LieutenantColonel"Ram
Kumar, a senior female intelligence leader "Lieutenant Colonel" Manimekala alias Komali, political
head in Batticaloa "Lieutenant Colonel"Anna Thurai, a senior Sea Tiger leader "Colonel" Rangan,
"LieutenantColonel"Vinodanandaseniorintelligenceleader.
May20
TheSriLankanmilitaryceremoniallyendedthewarwiththeLTTEatMullaitivubeacharea.Defence
sourcessaidtheArmyformallysilencedtheirgunsintheafternooninamilitary ceremony,headed
by Major General Jagath Jayasuriya and in the presence of commanders of all units. Forces fired
MBTandMBRLgunstowardstheMullaitivuSeamarkingtheendofthewar.
TheslainLTTEchiefVelupillaiPrabhakaran'swife Mathivathani, daughter and 13year old younger
son Balachandran were reportedly found shot dead. Their bodies, having gunshot wounds in the
head,werefoundintheNanthikandallagoonareabarely600metresfromwherePrabhakaran'sbody
was recovered by the Army. Contrary to earlier media reports, Prabhakaran's family were not in
Europe. The family was shot dead by the SFs as it tried to break out of the NFZ. Another 150
bodieswerefoundinthelagoonarea.
SFsshotdeadfiveLTTEmilitantsinthePeriyapillumalaiareaofBatticaloaDistrict.
ArmytroopsonpatrolintheKanchikudichchiaruareaofAmparaDistrictshotdeadthreemilitants.
Policehavesetup37PolicestationsintheEasternProvinceandsevenintheNorthernProvince,
includinginMadhuandOmanthai,theInspectorGeneralofPoliceJayanthaWickramaratnesaid.
ThenavalspokesmanD.K.DasanayakesaidthatPrabhakaran made two lastminute attempts to
escapetoIndiaorMalaysia,butthesecametoolateastheSriLankanNavyhadputupaeffective
naval blockade by then. These failures left no option for Prabhakaran, who had earlier
outmanoeuvredtheSriLankansecurityapparatus,tostayputinthenorthernwarzoneand fight to
the last. Prabhakaran made these attempts as Sri Lankan forces made major advances into the
LTTEheldterritoryin2009,Dasanayakeadded.
May21
10 LTTE militants were killed by the Army troops in the Kadawana jungle area of Trincomalee
District.Threeseniormilitants,identifiedasSathyanMaster,KanthanandOviyanwereamong the
killed.
ArmytroopsrecovereddeadbodiesofsixLTTEmilitantsduringsearchandclearoperationsinthe
VellamullivaikkalareaofMullaitivuDistrict.
The dead body of LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran and other leaders will be buried in Wanni,
Military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said. The bodies would be buried as soon as
possibleaftertheinitialinvestigationsareover,hesaid.Themilitaryhascollectedover350bodies
ofmilitantsafterthefinalbattleinMullaitivu.Mostofthebodiesoftheoutfit'sleaders,includingthat
of Prabhakaran, his son Charles Anthony and Sea Tiger leader Soosai, were already identified by
themilitary.
Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapakse assured the visiting Indian envoys National Security
Adviser M.K. Narayanan and Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon that his Government is
committed to a political solution to address the grievance of the Tamil people in the country. The
PresidentassuredtheIndianenvoysalongtermpoliticalsettlementbasedonthe13thAmendment
totheSriLankanConstitutionthatprovidesfordevolutionofpowerstotheprovinceswithinaunited
country. He also said that his Government had drawn up a plan for resettlement of 280000war
displacedpeopleintheiroriginalplacesofhabitationinthenorthwithinthenextsixmonths.Healso
promisedtogiveacopyofthedeathcertificateoftheLTTEchiefVelupillaiPrabhakarantoenable
Indiaclosethe18yearoldcaseofassassinationoftheformerPrimeMinisterRajivGandhi.During
the discussions, Sri Lanka told the Indian delegation that it plans to dismantle the relief camps at
and resettle at least 80 percent of the displaced in their original homes by the end of the year.
During the meeting with the President, India pledged to provide all possible assistance in the
implementation of such a plan in areas such as demining, provision of civil infrastructure and re
constructionofhouses.ThetwoIndianleaders,whoarrivedinthecountryonMay20ona twoday
48/81
4/30/2016
visit,pledgedIndia'sfullestsupporttoreconstructthewaraffectedareasandofferedaINR5billion
reliefpackagetoassisttheinternallydisplacedpersons.
TheSriLankanHighCommissionertoIndia,C.R.Jaisinghe, said in New Delhi that the Rajapakse
Government is planning to hold provincial elections in theTamildominated areas freed from LTTE
control,astepwhichIndiahasbeenrepeatedlyunderlining."Ourcountryisnowfreeofterror.The
President [Mahinda Rajapakse] has already made it clear that the concerns of the Tamil Diaspora
willbeaddressed.Wewillholdprovincialcouncilelectionsinthenorthernregion."
The UNHCR expressed concern over conditions in the camps set up for people displaced by the
recentfightinginSriLanka.
May22
More than 6000 Sri Lankan SF personnel were killed and nearly 30,000 personnel were wounded
duringthelastthreeyearsduetothefightingagainsttheLTTE.Inaninterviewwiththestateowned
television Rupavahini , Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse said 6261 SF personnel,
Policemen and paramilitary guards were killed and 29551 were wounded in the offensive which
commenced in August 2006 and concluded on May 17. He also said that since 1981 a total of
23,790 SF personnel, Policemen and women and paramilitary guards have been killed in the
war.Though he did not give casualty figures for the LTTE, Reuters quoted military spokesman
Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara as saying that troops killed 22,000 LTTE fighters during Eelam War
IV.TheLTTEinNovember2008hadsaidthattheyhadlostmorethan22,000cadressincethefirst
guerrilladeathinNovember1982.TheUnitedNationsthisweeksaidtheconflicthadkilledbetween
80,000100,000 people since it erupted into fullscale civil war in 1983 including unofficial and
unverifiedtalliesshowing7,000civiliandeathssinceJanuary.
TroopsfoundfivedecomposeddeadbodiesoftheLTTEmilitantsalongwiththreeIcomsets,two
pistolsandtwomagazinesfromtheMullaitivuarea.
About280,000ethnicTamilshavefledthefightingandareincamps.Thisincludestheworld'smost
populated refugee camp at Manik Farm, which now houses almost 200,000 people. The
Government has revealed there are thousands of former LTTE militants mingling with regular
civilians in the closely guarded camps. Foreign Secretary Palitha Kohona told that about 4000
former militants had "sneaked in" to the general refugee population. This group was under close
surveillance. "We will need to see how they will integrate and leave their past behind, or whether
they will still harbour thoughts of going back into the jungle," Kohona said. "We are just watching
them." Many may have been forced to support the Tigers and had not been serious combatants.
"Wewouldliketogivethemachancetoquietlyreintegrateintosocietyandnot rake up their past
and make a mess of their lives," he added. Another 2000 Tiger cadres who surrendered or were
capturedwerebeing"rehabilitated"inspecialfacilities,Kohonaaddedfurther.
Head of international secretariat of the intelligence wing of the LTTE, Arivazhakan, denied the
reports that the outfit's chief Velupillai Prabhakaran has been killed, according to the proLTTE
Website Tamil Net. He urged the global Tamil community not to trust the "engineered rumours,"
beingspreadbytheGovernmentofSriLankaanditsmilitaryestablishment."Ourbelovedleaderis
alive," he said and added that the LTTE leadership will make contact with its people at a suitable
time in future. "These rumours have been set afloat to confuse the globalTamil community which
has been voicing support for the liberation of Tamil Eelam," he further said. Arivazhakan, who
verifiedhisidentitythroughaseniorreporterinSriLanka,didnotrevealhislocationdueto security
reasons.
SFscrematedthebodyofLTTEchiefVelupillaiPrabhakaran,ArmychiefSarathFonsekasaidinan
interview.GeneralFonsekatoldSundayRivira,"Wecrematedthebodyinthesameareaandthrew
the ashes into the (Indian) ocean." He said, "Even before Prabhakaran was killed, I knew we had
wonthewar,butIwasoverjoyedwhenIhadconfirmationofhisdeath.
May23
The UN SecretaryGeneral Ban Kimoon following his visit to the Manik Farm camp, one of the
majorIDPcampsinVavuniya,andconflictzoneinPalamattalanmetSriLankanPresidentMahinda
Rajapakse at Kandy. During the press conference following the meeting, he said the Sri Lankan
Governmentisdoingitsutmost,thoughitlacksresources.HeurgedtheSriLankanGovernmentto
give UN and other international humanitarian agencies need immediate and unimpeded access to
the camps to help the Government meet urgent humanitarian needs. He warned that if issues of
reconciliationandsocialinclusionarenotdealtwith,historycouldrepeatitself.
ForeignMinisterRohithaBogollagamasaidtheSriLankanSFscarriedoutthewaragainstterrorism
without leaving room for any human rights violations. He also said the Government expects to
concluderesettlementsintheregionwithinthese180days.Accordingtohim,theGovernmenthas
alreadystartedtheprocessinMannarDistrict.
The Sri Lankan Government pledged to investigate claims of human rights violations committed
49/81
4/30/2016
during the conflict with the LTTE. However, it rejected UN calls to allow aid agencies immediate
unhindered access to Tamil refugee camps. President Rajapakse said the authorities first had to
identifyanyremainingLTTEmilitantsinthecamps.ReportsindicatedthatPresidentRajapaksehas
assured the UN chief that the LTTE child soldiers would be brought to the mainstream as
"productivecitizens"andthe civilians displaced due to the war would be resettled within 180 days
undergloballyacceptednorms.
Defence Spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella said that Government has retained samples of body
partsofPrabhakaranforDNA tests before he was cremated on May 20 in Mullaitivu. He said that
the Government was prepared to conduct a DNA test should the necessity arise. "The defence
establishment, however, has no doubts that he is dead," he said. Minister Rambukwella said the
fateofPrabhakaran'swifeandtwoyoungerchildrenremainedamystery."Itisnotcleariftheywere
caught up in the battle or residing overseas," he said. It was earlier reported that they have also
beenkilled.
TheproTNA,whichtillnowinsistedonrecognisingtheoutfitasthesolerepresentativeoftheTamil
people,willnowtakesomecrucialdecisionsontheirfuturestandinthecomingdays,partysources
said.Theothermajordecisionbeforethemiswhethertogoalongwiththe13thAmendmenttothe
Constitution,brought in under the IndoLankaAccord signed in 1987. Earlier, theTNA rejected the
13thAmendmentasbeingtotallyinadequate. TheSriLankanGovernmentistoimplementthe13th
Amendmentasameansofresolvingtheconflict.
May24
TheLTTEadmittedforthefirsttimethattheirchiefVelupillaiPrabhakaranisdead.
Accordingtotopmilitaryofficials,over10,000LTTEmilitantshavesurrenderedtothemilitary.The
officials said over 2,379 of them were identified by the military. While over 7,237 these militants,
including1,601females,whohadsurrenderedtothemilitary,arenowbeingrehabilitatedatvarious
rehabilitation centres, another batch of 202 militants, including 80 males, are living in Internally
DisplacedPersonscamps.Accordingtoofficials, these202militantswereidentifiedbythemilitary
and separated from the refugees in the welfare camps. "They surrendered to the troops when the
militaryoffensivesgottough.The202terrorists includingfemalesarewelltrainedLTTEterrorists",
they said. Over 2,065 of these cadres said that they surrendered to the troops at the Forward
Defence Lines as they were disillusioned with their leadership. They had sensed the defeat and
realisedthattheLTTEcadreshadtofighttoprotectthelifeoftheirchiefVelupillaiPrabhakaranand
notforEelam.
VavuniyaDistrictSecretaryP.M.S.Charlessaidthatalthoughtheinternationalcommunitywantsto
increase the facilities for IDPs the Sri Lanka Government is providing for their needs at the
moment.Accordingtothestatistics,there are 262,000 IDPs living in welfare centers at Vavuniya.
Of them, 220,000 are living at the Menik Farm Welfare Center and others are living at selected
schools and temples in the area, she further added.The IDPs are being facilitated in Government
welfarecentresin29locations,includingGovernmentschoolsinthedistrictsofVavuniya,Mannar
andJaffna.
May25
Nominations for the Jaffna and Vavuniya local Government elections are to be called for shortly
after the gazette notification to that effect was issued, Minister for Local Government Janaka
Bandara Tennakoon announced at a media briefing in Colombo. Nominations for Jaffna Municipal
CouncilandVavuniyaUrbanCouncilaretobefiledbetweenJune1428andelectiondatesaretobe
fixedafterwards,theMinisterannounced.Electionsinboththesecouncilscouldnotbeheldinthe
past20yearsormoreasaresultofviolenceanddisruptioncausedbytheLTTE.
TheSLAFistousetwoofthecapturedLTTEairstripsfortheiractivities,SLAFspokesmanWing
Commander Janaka Nanayakkara said. According to the spokesman, they would convert the
capturedIranamadurunwayeastoftheJaffnaKandy(A9)roadinKilinochchiintoasmallairbase.
ThelargerairstriptakenfromtheLTTEclosetoMullaitivuwouldbedevelopedfortheuseofSLAF
inthenearfuture.DuringthetwoandhalfyearsofmilitaryoperationsintheNorth,SriLankaArmy
hascapturedsevenairstripsusedbytheLTTE.
SriLankanmilitarysaiditwantstoboostupitsmanpowerbymorethan100,000troopstoprevent
resurgenceoftheLTTEoranyothersuchgroup.Thetroopbuildup,whichwillincreasethenumber
of Sri Lankan forces from 200,000 to 300,000, was announced by theArmy Commander General
SarathFonsekaamidstfearsinColombothattheLTTEmilitantslivingabroadmaytrytoresurrect
thegroupunderanewleadership."Theremaybepeopleabroadtryingtopromoteanewleaderand
stage a comeback," Fonseka told. But, "it will not be easy for them to build up a terror group as
they did before", the army chief asserted. More than 22,000 LTTE militants were killed in the
offensive and another 9,000 surrendered to the Government forces, Fonseka added. He also
indicatedthatfreshoperationsmightbecarriedouttoflushoutsmallLTTEunitsstillinhidinginthe
jungles.
50/81
4/30/2016
Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse said that even though some proLTTE groups bring up
variousopinions,theLTTEhastotallybeendestroyedbytheSecurityForcesandthereisnoroom
fortheLTTEtoreviveinthecountry.
May26
Four decomposed dead bodies of LTTE militants along with huge cache of arms and ammunition
were recovered by the troops from the Vaddakachchi, Visuamadukulam, Puthukkudiyiruppu,
AmpakamamandVellamullivaikkalareasofMullaitivuDistrict.
DefenceSecretaryGotabhayaRajapaksehasrejectedtheLTTEoffertotakethedemocraticroute
intheirstruggle.SpeakingtoBBC,hesaidtheLTTE,defeatedrecentlybytheSriLankanmilitary,
cannotbetrustedtogiveupterrorism.
More than 9,000 LTTE militants have been questioned by judges and the majority will undergo
rehabilitation,SriLanka'smilitarysaid.Manyoftheremaining2,000whohave"selfconfessed"are
likely to face trial. Military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said, "Since the start of
fightingindifferentlocations,9,100LTTEcadreshaveselfconfessed.Wehavesent7,000ofthem
to welfare camps for rehabilitation after legal proceedings, while others are facing court
proceedings,"headded.
The Government said in Parliament that the State of Emergency will not be relaxed immediately
despite the end of the LTTE. Speaking in the Parliament, Leader of the House, Minister Nimal
SiripalaSilva,saidthePreventionofTerrorismAct(PTA) andStateofEmergencywillbecontinued
asitistooprematuretolifttheemergencyregulationsyet.
TheGovernmentofJapanhasdecidedtoprovideadditionalaidworthUS$1.4millionfordemining
innorthernSriLanka.
The Government through the Nation Building and Estate Infrastructure Development Ministry has
allocated SLR 1,270 million to provide opportunities for social and economic empowerment by
focusingonbalancedandsustainabledevelopmentintheEasternProvince.
TheSriLankanGovernmentsoughtinternationalpolice(Interpol)assistancetolocateandarrestthe
LTTE arms procurement chief Kumaran Pathmanathan alias KP who is believed to be hiding
somewhereinSouthEastAsia.
May27
11 LTTE militants were killed by the troops in the Kalavanchikudi area of Batticaloa District.
Subsequentlythetroopsrecovereddeadbodiesofallthe11slainmilitants.
The political wing leader of the LTTE women force, Subramaniam Shivathai alias Thamilini, was
arrested by Police at a welfare village in Vavuniya, Senior Superintendent of Police Ranjith
Gunasekara said. She was with her mother and sister when she was arrested, he added.
SubramaniamShivathaireachedtheGovernmentcontrolledareaswithotherciviliansduringthe last
civilianrescueoperationsintheNoFireZoneatMullaitivu.Shereportedlythrewawayhercyanide
capsule and revolver before reaching the Governmentcontrolled areas with other civilians. One of
hersisters,Santhilan,waskilledinaclashwiththeSFsatParanthanafewmonthsago.
TheUNHumanRightsCouncildroppedaSwissEUdraftresolutioncallingforaninvestigationinto
possiblewarcrimesduringSriLanka'srecentlyconcludedwaronterrorismandadoptedSriLanka's
counterresolutionwithsomeoftheproposalsintheSwissEUdocumentincorporatedintoit.
May28
The Government has relaxed restrictions on motor vehicles in centres for the IDPs in Vavuniya,
wherethecountry'slargestIDPcentre,ManikFarm,islocated.
SriLankaArmymedicalexpertshavereportedly confirmedthattheDNAfromthebodyoftheslain
LTTEchiefVelupillaiPrabhakaranmatchestheDNAfromhisslainson,CharlesAnthony.
The SLA announced that Veraswami Thiruwengadam Velupillai (79) and Velupillai Parvathi Pillai,
fatherandmotherofPrabhakaran,areinoneoftheGovernmenttemporarywelfarecampsatManik
FarminVavuniyaDistrict.
SLA Chief General Sarath Fonseka said the remaining LTTE militants may carry out hitandrun
attacks.However,heassuredthattheLTTEcannotregroupmilitarily,saying,"Wehavedestroyed
the LTTE leadership's first, second and third rungs. The LTTE is overThey may do a bit of hit
andrun tactics, but they are militarily over. We expanded our troop strength and took a practical
approach to finish the war...within two years and 10 months."TheArmy Chief also said theArmy
lost 190 officers and 5200 men during the latest fighting while 27,000 soldiers were also injured.
Troopshavealsokilled22,000militantsandarrested9000othersduringthesameperiod,headded.
May29
SriLankaForeignAffairsMinisterRohithaBogollagama hasrequestedtheGovernmentofMalaysia
to consider proscribing the LTTE. He pointed out that the LTTE is already banned in over 30
51/81
4/30/2016
countries including the USA, UK, Canada, India and many of the EU nations. Bogollagama
expressed his deep concern regarding certain illicit overseas activities of the LTTE such as fund
raising,armstradingandhumantrafficking.
An investigation by The Times (London) published has revealed that more than 20,000 Tamil
civilians were killed by Sri Lankan armed forces in the final stages of the war against the LTTE.
ThisnumberisthricethenumberofcasualtiesannouncedbytheSriLankanGovernment.Although
GovernmentauthoritiesstatethattheirArmystoppedusingheavyartilleryonApril27 and observed
the NFZ where some 10,000 civilians were trapped in the fighting between the two sides, the
Londonbased newspaper has relied on aerial photographs, official documents, witness accounts
and expert testimony to conclude that innocent civilians paid the price in the battle.A Sri Lankan
High Commission spokesperson, however, told the newspaper, "We reject all these allegations.
Civilianshavenotbeenkilledbygovernmentshellingatall.Ifcivilianshavebeenkilled,thenthatis
because of the actions of the LTTE who were shooting and killing people when they tried to
escape."
May30
The top aide to the UN SecretaryGeneral, Vijay Nambiar, was told more than a week ago that at
least 20,000 Tamil civilians were killed in the Sri Lankan Government's final offensive against the
LTTE in May. UN officials told Vijay Nambiar, Ban Ki Moon's chief of staff, that their figures
indicatedalikelyfinaldeathtollofmorethan20,000,duringabriefinginpreparationfor Ban's visit
totheregiononMay23.TwostaffpresentatthemeetingconfirmedtheexchangetoTheTimes but
Ban never mentioned the death toll during his tour of the battleground, which he described as the
"most appalling scene" he had witnessed in his long international career. The figure of 20,000
casualtieswasgiventoTheTimesbyUNsources,whoexplainedindetailhowtheyarrivedatthat
calculation.
Lakshman Hulugalle, a Sri Lankan Defence Ministry spokesman, denied the allegation that 20,000
peoplewerekilled.Hesaid,"Thesefiguresarewayout...Whatwethinkisthattheseimagesare
alsofake.Wetotallydenytheallegationthat20,000peoplewerekilled."
May31
ImplementingitstroopdeploymentplanforthefullyliberatedKilinochchiandMullaitivuDistricts,the
SriLankaArmyhasestablishedtwoSFsHeadquartersinMullaitivu andKilinochchitooverseethe
overall security plan of the two Districts,Army Commander General Sarath Fonseka said. These
twoSFsHeadquarterswillbeestablishedinadditiontotheSFsHeadquartersinWanni.
Unable to retrieve the body of LTTE intelligence chief Pottu Amman from the war zone, the Sri
Lankan Army is reportedly still investigating the possibility that he may be alive despite several
claimstothecontrary.Ammanwasbelievedtohavedied alongwithmostoftheotherleadersand
anLTTEspokespersonhadrecentlyconfirmedhisdeath.TheArmy,however,didnotfindhisbody.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa has said that killing former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was
thebiggestmistakeoftheLTTEwhichcostthemthesympathyofIndia.
Reports indicated that as many as 300400 LTTE militants may have infiltrated into India in the
guise of refugees fleeing Sri Lanka. Sources said intelligence agencies had received reports that
lower level LTTE cadres may have infiltrated into India and could be among those currently being
heldinhighsecuritycampsforscreening.
TheSLAFchief,AirChiefMarshalRoshanGoonetilike,toldTheIslandthatduringEelamwarIVthe
SLAF conducted over 3,000 missions against some 1,900 targets in the north and east over the
past three years. He said three jet squadrons comprising Kfirs, MiG 27s and F7s and the No. 9
"Attack Helicopter" squadron of Mi 24s had played a critical role in the war. Denying Pakistani
media reports that some of the missions against the LTTE had been carried out by PakistanAir
Force pilots, he said, "There is absolutely no truth in this claim." Military spokesman Brigadier
Udaya Nanayakkara told The Island that there was no truth in reports that Sri Lanka had acquired
22AlKhalidmainbattletanksbuiltinPakistan.
June1
TheUNSecretaryGeneralBanKimoonreiteratedhisconcernoverthe"unacceptablyhigh"civilian
casualtiesinthe conflict between the Sri Lankan Government and the LTTE, while rejecting in the
strongesttermsanyfigureattributedtotheUN.BriefingtheGeneralAssemblyonhisrecentvisitto
Sri Lanka and other travels, Ban Kimoon said media reports alleging that some 20,000 civilians
mayhavebeenkilledduringthelastphaseof the conflict "do not emanate from the UN and most
arenotconsistentwiththeinformationatourdisposal.""Icategoricallyrejectrepeat,categorically
any suggestion that the United Nations has deliberately underestimated any figures," the
SecretaryGeneralunderscored.
TheSriLankanGovernmentistoestablishafifthreliefvillageforthepeopledisplacedinthenorth
duetotheconflictatManikFarmcampinVavuniyaDistrict.
52/81
4/30/2016
The PLOTE, a minority Tamil party engaged in political activities in Northern Province, urged the
Government to unarm all the parties except Security Forces before the upcoming elections in the
North.
The TNA, the pro LTTE party, said the surrendered LTTE militants should be granted amnesty.
TNA leader R. Sampanthan said during a visit to India that the militants should be provided with
opportunities"sothattheycanleadnormallifeinthemainstreamofsociety."
The CPA, an independent Colombobased thinktank critical of the Government on Eelam War IV,
saidithadreceivedan anonymous letter threatening the worst if the organisation did not mend its
ways.TheCPApostedacopyoftheletter,writteninSinhala,online.
The Sri Lanka Working JournalistAssociation secretary, Poddala Jayantha, has been hospitalised
withleginjuriesafterbeingabducted,assaultedanddumpedonaroadinColombo.
June2
The Minister of Disaster Management and Human Rights, Mahinda Samarasinghe, said that the
Government is keeping a close eye for signs of separatism among the hundreds of thousands of
people rendered homeless by the civil war. "The Government of Sri Lanka will continue with its
efforts to weed out terrorists who have infiltrated the ranks of IDPs (internally displaced persons)
andthecivilianpopulation,"SamarasinghetoldtheUNHumanRightsCouncil.
TheGovernmentplanstoimplementthe13thAmendmenttoConstitutionspeedilyintheNorthafter
the Local Council elections in Jaffna and Vavuniya, the Media Minister Lakshman Yapa
Abeywardanasaid."Wetookthis decision at a correct time and it was not taken in a hurry as the
JVPsaid.ThisismainlyduetoprotectingthedemocraticrightsofthepeopleintheNorthenabling
them to elect their representatives to the local bodies according to their wishes," he said. The
Minister also said there are no Internally Displaced People in Jaffna and Vavuniya now. He also
saidtheresettlementprocesshasalreadybeguninSilavathuraintheNorth.
ddressing the 11th Regular Session of the United Nation Human Rights Council in Geneva the
MinisterofDisasterManagementandHumanRightsMahindaSamarasinghesaidthatSriLankais
committed to find a homegrown solution through the political process for the ethnic issue and is
alreadyintheprocesswhileaddressingmoreimmediateproblemsathand.
June3
ThemilitaryhasfoundSLR13millioninthepossessionofthemanagerofEelamBankrunbythe
LTTEinKilinochchiandisnowlookingforthedepositorstohandoverthesemoniestothem.
TheColomboAdditionalMagistrate, G.PunarshaS.Ranasinghe,detainedaLTTEintelligenceunit
head, Gunasundaram Jayasundaram, till June 9 in the Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) for
allegedlysupplyingfirearmsandammunitiononalargescaletotheLTTE.
President Mahinda Rajapakse declared that now was the time to "win over the hearts of theTamil
people.AtaceremonyatGalleFaceGreentomarktheendofEelamWarIV,Rajapaksesaid,"The
Tamilspeakingpeopleshouldbeprotected.
June4
The SLN seized a LTTE cargo vessel, "Captain Ali", 160 nautical miles off the Colombo seas.
According to the SLN, the Syrian vessel had set sail from the United Kingdom on April 20 as a
"mercy mission" towards Puttumatalan to provide logistic supplies. The Navy said the crew of
"CaptainAli" had not obtained permission to enter Sri Lankan territorial waters.The vessel is now
being towed to Colombo harbour with a crew of 15 including its captain Christia Goomesta, an
IcelanderandaformerSriLankaMonitoringMissionmember.Thevesseliscarrying884tonnesof
cargowhichisyettobecleared.
Inspector General of Police Jayantha Wickramaratne has claimed that several journalists, mostly
Sinhalese,wereonthepayrolloftheLTTEandwerefullyinvolvedintheinsurgency.Inaninterview
withtheStateowned,hesaid,"AlthoughthePoliceknowmoredetailsofthistreasonIdonotlike
torevealallofthemsinceitmightobstructfurtherinvestigations.
A senior Sri Lankan official estimated the civilian death toll in the last stages of the war with the
LTTEas3,000to5,000anddefendedtheuseofmortarsinaGovernmentdesignatedNFZ.Rajiva
Wijesinha,permanentsecretaryintheministryofdisastermanagementandhumanrights,rejected
reports that 20,000 civilians were killed in the final phase. He also rejected an unpublished UN
reportthat7,000peoplehadbeenkilledbytheendofApril2009.
The Human Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe said a group of medical doctors are being
53/81
4/30/2016
detainedattheCriminalInvestigationDepartmentonreasonablesuspicionofcollaborationwiththe
LTTE. "I don't know what the investigations would reveal but maybe they were even part of that
whole conspiracy to put forward this notion that Government forces were shelling and targeting
hospitalsandindiscriminatelytargetingciviliansasaresultoftheshelling,"hesaid.
TheJapaneseGovernmentsignedtwograntcontractstotalingUS$1.4millionforhumanitariande
miningactivitiesintheNorth.JapanhascontributedatotalofUS$2.1millionin2009,includingan
earliergranttotheSwissFoundationforMineActionfordemininginMannar.
June5
Unidentified gunmen shot dead a senior member of the TMVP party atAriyampathy in Batticaloa
District.ThegunmenshothimathisresidenceatPudur.Policeconfirmedthatthevictim,identified
asRamalingamJeayakumar,isaleaderofTMVPintheAriyampathyarea.
June6
SFs arrested six foreigners, who reportedly supported the LTTE, at several welfare centres in
Vavuniya, military sources said. Out of the six, three are Australians and other three are from
Norway,GreatBritainandNetherlands,theMinistryadded.
Nearly176,000APMsburiedbytheLTTEhadsofarbeendetectedandremovedbetween2002and
March 31, 2009, Senior Advisor to the Nation Building Ministry, M. S. Jayasinghe, said. In the
Eastern Province about 98 per cent of mines have been removed and demining groups are now
concentrating on theThoppigala area. Between 2002 and 2009, 455 civilians were either seriously
injuredorkilledduetotheseAPMs,statisticsrevealed.
Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse said the Government would release the detained MV
Captain Ali, which entered Sri Lankan territorial waters with a shipment of humanitarian aid meant
for the displaced people in the north. In an interview with a local newspaper, Rajapakse said that
"theshipanditscrewwouldmostlikelybeaskedtoleaveonceinvestigatorswere convinced that
theshipmentdidnotincludeanysubversivematerialbuthadonlyhumanitarianitems."
The Government is reportedly "100 per cent" sure that its forces killed the LTTE intelligence chief
PottuAmman during the last phase of the army offensive against the outfit, but admitted that his
bodycouldnotbeidentifiedasthetroopswerebusywithsearchanddestroyoperations."Wefound
the body of LTTE sea tiger chief Soosai. We have identified the bodies of all the leaders except
PottuAmman.
TheSriLankanGovernmentisbeginningthe third step of its resettlement process in Mannar next
week. The Ministry of Disaster Relief Services and Resettlement says they have scheduled the
third step of the resettlement process to begin on June 9 at Silawathura area in Mannar District,
wheretheyhopetoresettle2120displacedpersonsfrom591families.
The Government is to rehabilitate another batch of Liberation LTTE child soldiers who lived at
several welfare centres in Vavuniya. The chairman of the National Child Protection Authority
(NCPA),JagathWellawaththasaidthattheyhavefoundnearly400childsoldiersfromthosewelfare
centresinVavuniya.
The Government is planning to create foreign employment opportunities for the IDPs living in
welfare centres in the North. Kingsley Ranawaka, chairman of the Foreign Employment Bureau,
saidtheywilllaunchaspecialprogrammeforthisinthenearfuture.
54/81
4/30/2016
June9
Six LTTE cadres, hailing from Kilinochchi and Jaffna, surrendered to the STF Police post at
VarikutturinVavuniyawest.
TwonewSecurityForcesHeadquartersinMullaitivuandKilinochchi,establishedbySriLankaArmy
on the instructions of Commander of theArmy General Sarath Fonseka, came into operation with
effectfromJune5,2009,theArmyHeadquartersdeclared.
FourpersonspleadedguiltyinthefederalcourtatBrooklyninUSforconspiringtoprovidesupport
to the LTTE outfit. The United States Attorney in Brooklyn, Benton J. Campbell, said the four
defendantshadraisedmillionsofdollarsandobtainedweaponsandtechnologyfortheLTTE.
The Canadian Member of Parliament, Bob Ray, who supported LTTE and their supporters in
Canada, was deported shortly after he was not allowed into Sri Lanka across the Colombo
InternationalAirport. He was reportedly held by the Immigration and Emigration authorities at the
airport on charges of aiding and abetting terrorism while working against the interests of Sri
Lanka.
Theresettlementofover2120peoplebelongingto551familiesintheiroriginalhomeswillbegin in
the Musali division in Mannar under the resettlement of IDPs Phase II in the Northern
Province. According to the Resettlement and Relief Services Minister Rishad Bathiudeen, these
familiesfromsevenGramaNiladhariDivisionsintheMusaliDSdivisionwillbeprovideddryrations
andkitchenutensilsbytheGovernment.
ThePoliceDepartmentwouldsetup 21 Police Stations in the North and aTamil language training
centre for Police personnel in Kilinochchi. A Tamil Language Training Centre (TLTC) will be
established in Kilinochchi District in addition to the existing one in Kalladi. IGP Jayantha
Wickramaratnesaidthataround2995PoliceandSTFpersonnelwerekilledand3571injuredbythe
LTTE attacks since 1974. Around 500 Police and STF personnel were killed and 485 injured in
LTTEattacksaftertheMavilaruoperationtothelastlegofhumanitarianoperation.
June10
More than 12 youngsters who were subjected to the LTTE extortion and death threats in Norway
weretoseekanurgentmeetingwithNorwaysDirectorofPolice,sincethe Norwegian Police have
so far failed to take the LTTE threats with deserving seriousness. The disclosure on Norwegian
National Television (NRK) came in the wake of an interview given by the Oslobased Tamil
journalist,NadarajaSethurupan,whohadbeenassaultedandthreatenedwithdeathbyNorwayOslo
basedLTTEcadresmorethantentimesinthepasttwoyears.
June12
TroopsshotdeadaLTTEinfiltratorwhenhewasmovinginthegeneralareaofVannivillu.OneT56
weaponandfourhandgrenadeswererecoveredfromthepossessionoftheslainterrorist.
AleadingBritishTamilleader, identifiedasArunachalamChrishanthakumar(52)oftheBritish Tamil
Association,wasimprisonedfortwoyearsforhelpingtheLTTE.Hewasearlierconvictedofillegally
procuringequipmentfortheLTTE.
June13
SriLankanPolicearrestedfivedoctorswhoworkedattheLTTEmedicaldepartment.TheTerrorist
Investigations Department arrested the suspected doctors who were hiding among the IDPs in
Vavuniya Welfare camps.The arrest was made following information given by civilians at the IDP
centre. Action has reportedly been taken to detain these persons under the Emergency Act for
furtherinvestigations.
June15
TheElectionSecretariatofSriLankahasdecidedtoestablishseveralpollingstationsfortheIDPs
intheupcomingelectionsfortheJaffnaandVavuniyaMunicipalCouncils.
The Terrorist Investigation Division arrested a director of a leading pharmaceutical company at
WellawattenearcapitalColomboforhavinglinkswiththeLTTE,andrecovereda stock of medical
itemsvaluedataroundSNR2.5millionwhichwere prepared to be sent to the LTTE.The suspect
had maintained close links with the LTTE including the outfits medical wing chief Selvanayagam
KugarajanaliasManoj.
June16
ArmytroopsmanningtheHatmunaroadblockinPolonnaruwaDistrictarrestedayouthcarryingtwo
55/81
4/30/2016
detonatorswithhim.
The Government released a complete report on the IDPs, including the total number of the
displaced who are living in welfare canters. According to the report, the total number of IDPs is
262632, including 134464 women. The most number of displaced persons are reported from
MullaitivuDistrictwith 235386 IDPs.Another 21079 from Kilinochchi, 2778 from Jaffna, 1864 from
Vavuniya, 1054 from Trincomalee and 471 from Mannar Districts have been displaced due to the
conflict.Thereportaddsthatthereare350childrenoflessthan10yearsoldwholosttheirparents
due to the war. The total number of students living in those welfare canters are 58000 and out of
them 250 are undergraduates. The Government commenced a special educational programme for
700 displaced students in the welfare camps in Vavuniya who are sitting for the advanced level
examination for the General Certificate of Education in 2009 and distributed reading material,
uniformsandstationery.
The Government said that they have already completed demining activities in 90 percent of the
liberated areas in the North. The Minister of Nation Building, S. M. Chandrasena, told that the
Government expects to complete the resettlement programme in the North by 2010. The
GovernmenthasalreadycommenceditsresettlementprocessatrecentlydeminedareasinMannar
District.
June17
The head of international secretariat of the intelligence wing of the LTTE, Kathirkamathamby
Arivazhakan, who had earlier disputed claims that the outfits chief Velupillai Prabhakaran was
dead, has now confirmed before the media that he was killed. Arivazhakan had in May 2009
dismissed the report of Prabakaran's death as "engineered rumours spread by the Government of
SriLankaanditsmilitaryestablishment"andhadaskedtheglobalTamilcommunitynottotrustthe
report. His email, however, does not provide any details on the date and time of Prabhakarans
death. It said the "leaders martyrdom" had been confirmed through sources including intelligence
cadres in the know on the final incidents "concerning attempts to move the National Leader to a
saferlocationwhohavenowreachedsafety,fightersofotherdepartmentsandourinformantswith
links to the High Command of the Sri Lankan armed forces". "We confirm emphatically that the
National Leader did not surrender and was not arrested but fought attaining Martyrdom. At this
critical juncture we have to carry forward our liberation struggle with the same steadfastness,
disciplineandcoordinationasdonebyourGreatLeader.Thetaskbeforeistogettogetherforthe
Provisional Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam that is to be formed as the next phase of
ourstruggle,"itsaid.
June18
ThreesuspectedLTTEmilitantswereshotdeadbythePoliceinaclearingoperationintheformer
LTTEhideout in northern areas of Vavuniya District.According to Police, suspected LTTE cadres
attackedtheVavuniyaspecialPoliceunitwhentheyattemptedtosearchavehicleduringcombing
operations at Nelukulam. Three militants were killed in the encounter that ensued after Police
openedfireinretaliationtothemilitantsfiring.
June19
PolicearrestedthreesuspectedLTTEmilitantswhohadallegedlyplottedtoassassinatePresident
Mahinda Rajapakse. According to Police spokesman Ranjith Gunasekara, two suspects were
arrestedneartheAyurvedaHospitalinRajagiriyaareaandoninformationprovidedbythemthethird
suspect was arrested at Valachchenai area in the Eastern Province. The three suspected LTTE
cadresareagedbetween1516years,thePolicesaid.
ThecompletionofthedeminingprocessandthestrengtheningoftheArmytoholdtheentireNorth
and East to avoid any type of terror raising its head are prerequisites for the resettlement of
displaced civilians in Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu Districts, said Army Commander General Sarath
Fonseka.TheCommandersaidthestrengthoftheArmyhastobeincreasedto holdtheentirearea
capturedbytheArmyduringthepastthreeyears.
ApersonidentifiedasArunachal ChrishanthakumarakaA.C.Shanthan,whoboughtelectronic and
computer equipment for the banned LTTE that could have been used to make a bomb, was jailed
for two years. The 52yearold from Norbury was found guilty of charges relating to conspiracy to
receive and receiving property that could be used for terrorism at Kingston Crown Court on April
17. A judge at the Old Bailey jailed him for two years for the conspiracy count and one year for
receiving property the sentences will run concurrently. Deputy Assistant Commissioner John
McDowall, head of the Metropolitan Polices counter terrorism command and senior national co
ordinator counter terrorism, said: "Shanthan bought component parts which have been used in the
56/81
4/30/2016
past by the LTTE to make improvised explosive devices. He purchased electrical equipment
including circuit boards, GPS and antenna equipment and sent it to Sri Lanka for terrorists to
use.Hespentmorethan13,000injust14monthsonmilitarypublications,manualsandguidesto
be used as reference for military attack planning, yet denied he was involved in any terrorist
activity".
June26
The National Integration Minister, Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan alias KarunaAmman, is reported

to have said that efforts by the remaining LTTE leaders overseas to create a provisional
transnationalGovernmentwouldnotsucceed."WhatKumaranPathmanadanandtheotherleaders
are trying to do will only be a dream. We will not allow them to do so and neither will the
internationalcommunity,"headded.
June28
TheparentsofthelateLTTEchiefVelupillaiPrabhakaran,whoweretakenintocustodyfromanIDP
camp in Vavuniya a few weeks ago, were transferred to capital Colombo for further investigation.
"The two of them were being detained at a safer location and will be taken for legal action
accordingly,"anunnamedPoliceofficialsaid.
ColomboPagequotingSriLankanSundayweeklyreportsthattwoforeignnationalsalongwith three
drivers attached to international aid agencies along with two Sri Lankan politicians have reportedly
been involved in a suicide plot to assassinate the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse.
According to Nation, Police have commenced investigations to arrest the two politicians. The
weeklysaidthatinvestigationshaveuncoveredplansforasuicidebombertoexplodehimselfwith
the help of the politicians while the three drivers attached to the UNOPS, UNHCR and Save the
Children offices in Vavuniya have transported the explosives to be used for the attack.
Investigations have revealed that 40 kilograms of C4 explosives have been brought to Colombo
fromKilinochchiinpetroltanksofthevehiclesofaidagencies.TheUnitedNationssaidonJune20
thattwoofitslocalstaffmembers,onefromUNHCRandonefromUNOPS,havebeenarrestedbut
theywerenotawareofanychargesordetailsofanyaccusations.
June29
ALTTTEleader,Keenan,andhis deputy,Kannawan,werearrestedbytheAntiTerroristUnitof the

Vavuniya Police at Pesalai in Mannar District. Two claymore mines, two T56 weapons, five
magazines and 142 rounds of ammunition were recovered from their possession. According to
Police,thereweretwogirlsalongwiththemilitants.IntheirstatementtoPolice,bothgirlssaidthey
wereabductedandforciblykeptbythetwoLTTEcadres.
July1
Sri Lankas Defence Ministry extended the deadline given to Muslim militant outfits in the East to
surrendertheirweaponstotheSFs,bytwomoredaysonJuly4.Thedeadlineissuedearlierwasto
expire on July 2. The deadline has been extended following requests made by the concerned
parties, Police sources said. Police said a special committee has been formed to accept firearms
and other weapons from these Muslim armed groups within the stipulated period. These groups
could surrender their weapons to this committee through Mosque Federations in the area before 3
p.m.(SST)onJuly4,theEasternRegionalDeputyInspectorGeneralofPolice,EdisonGunatilake,
saidinBatticaloa.AccordingtoaPolicereport,thereare18MuslimmilitantoutfitsinKaaththankudi
areaalone,inBatticaloaDistrict.
July2
Anotherlargestockofjewellerydeposited by civilians at the LTTEs "Eelam Bank" was recovered

bytroopsinthePuthukudirippuareaofMullaitivuDistrict,themilitarysaid.
July4
One soldier was killed when he attempted to arrest a former LTTE leader for Batticaloa District,
identified as Nallarathnam Mohan, overboard a boat in the Kirankulam seas. The death of the
soldier is the first military loss of life since troops on May 19 announced the killing of the top
leadershipoftheLTTE,includingitschiefVelupillaiPrabhakaran.
InresponsetotheGovernmentsappeal,IslamicmilitantssurrenderedtheirweaponstothePolice
in the evening of July 4 at a ceremony held at Meera Jumma Mosque in the Kattankudi area of
Batticaloa District. The former militants surrendered their weapons through the Association of
Muslim Mosques. The period granted for armed groups in the Eastern Province to hand over their
weapons ended at 3:00pm on July 4. Receiving the weapons, Deputy Inspector General of Police
(EasternProvince)EdisonGunatilakedescribedtheeventas"historic"andcalledforthesurrender
of all such weapons. Quoting Gunathilake, the English weekly Lakbima said a joint military
operation would be launched to track down arms and ammunition in the hands of the "jihadist
groupsintheEast,aftertheextendeddeadlinegiven for the hand over of the weapons lapsed". It
quotedGunathilakeassayingtheresponsefromtheMuslimarmedgroupstotheGovernmentscall
tohandoverweaponswaspoor.Theweekly further quoted him as saying that intelligence reports
revealIslamistmilitantspossess250T56assaultrifles,afractionofwhichhadbeenhandedover
57/81
4/30/2016
on July 4. 18 armed groups have been identified in the Eastern Province and these groups are
reportedtobeholdingmorethan400firearms.
July5
As a measure to return normalcy to the waraffected North, Sri Lanka Government has eased
severalsecurityrestrictionsintheVavuniyacitylimits.Asafirst stepinthisprocess,theSecurity
Forces have allowed parking of vehicles in the city and reopened all the subroads that had been
closed for several years. The Government recently also lifted all restrictions on fishing in the
country. With the lifting of fishing restrictions and opening of KandyJaffna (A9) highway for
commercialtraffic,theGovernmentexpectstostimulatetheeconomyintheNorthandconsiderably
reducepricesoffishandotherseafoodintheSouth.
July6
NewIndianExpressreported on July 6 that only a few of the armed Muslim groups in Eastern Sri
Lanka are jihadis. Most of the armed Muslim men are reportedly political henchmen or persons
enjoying the protection of mainstream Muslim political leaders, informed sources in the Eastern
town of Batticaloa told the newspaper. "The jihadis among the Muslim armed men may be just
about30orso,"onesourcesaid.
PresidentMahindaRajapaksehassaidthatapoliticalsolutiontotheethnicconflictwillcomeafter
thepresidentialelections.Askedaboutthepoliticalsolution the"13thAmendmentPlus"hehad
inmind,PresidentRajapakseinaninterviewwithTheHindusaid"eventomorrow I can give that
but I want to get that from the people." "I am waiting but it will be after my [re] election [as
President]," he said. He insisted that all parties and especially the Tamil National Alliance
representativesshouldparticipateinthediscussionsonthepoliticalsolution.
July7
SecurityhasbeenintensifiedintheMoneragalaDistricttoarresttwohardcoreLTTEmilitants,Ram
and Nagulan, along with several other cadres who are believed to be roaming in Moneragala. The
MoneragalaDivisionSeniorSuperintendedofPolice,AmarasiriSenaratne,saidintelligencereports
have revealed that Ram and his team have gone to the East. Security sources said Ram led the
LTTEunitintheEasternPartafewyearsagoandisbelievedthatheandhisdeputyNagulanare
roamingintheareawithoutsurrenderingtoSecurityForces.
July8
FivedoctorswhowereservingintheNFZduringthelastfewdaysofthefinalbattleinMullaivaikkal
admitted that the figures they were dispatching to certain media groups about civilian casualties
were false and exaggerated, due to pressure exerted by the LTTE and regretted their errors. The
doctors revealed that the number of civilians deaths were between 300350 from January to May
2009andtheestimatedciviliancasualtiesmaybearound600to650.
TheSriLankaParliamentextendedtheStateofEmergencyforanothermonth.TheTamilNational
AllianceparliamentariansvotedagainstitwhilethemainoppositionUnitedNationalPartyabstained.
July9
TheICRCinSriLankadecidedtoscaledownitsoperationsinthecountryfollowingaGovernment
requestbasedonthecessationofactivehostilitiesbetweenthemilitaryandtheLTTE.Earlierinthe
day,theMinisterofDisasterManagementandHumanRights,MahindaSamarasinghe,toldReuters
thattheGovernmenthasaskedaidagenciestoscaledownoperationsasthecountrys"challenges
arenowdifferent"withtheendofa25yearwar.
July10
TheGovernmentsaidthatnodatehadbeenfixedforthereopeningoftheKandytoJaffnastretch
oftheA9Roadforciviliantrafficasdeminingwascontinuing."TheA9Roadwillbeopenedtothe
publicsoonbutitwillonlybedoneoncedeminingiscompleteandspecialsecuritymeasuresarein
place,"MediaCentreforNationalSecurityDirectorGeneralLaxmanHulugallesaidaddingthatfrom
June 17 convoys carrying relief supplies to the refugee camps were traveling along theA9 Road
afteralapseofseveralyears.
July12
Minister Vinayagamoorthi Muralitharan alias Colonel Karuna Amman told BBC Sandeshaya that
twoseniorLTTEleaders,DayaMohanandColonelRam,whohadlivedintheAmparajungles,had
escaped.HeaddedthatDayaMohan,themostseniorLTTEleadertosurvivethemilitaryonslaught
hasleftSriLankaand"escapedtoMalaysia".
ArmyCommanderGeneralSarathFonsekasaidthatthedeathsreportedwithintheSriLankaArmy
is much lower during its victorious march to eliminate terrorism from the country compared to the
number of deaths reported during 2000 when the Sri LankaArmy was losing ground to the LTTE.
"Therefore,thevictoryachievedbytheSriLankaArmysacrificing5,200livesisagreatvictoryasit
couldachieveitminimisingthenumberofdeathsandcasualtiesandcouldcompletelyeliminatethe
LTTE without leaving any trace of it," theArmy Commander said. He also said that about 26,000
Army personnel sustained injuries during the operation. The Commander also praised the political
leadership of the country and said he was able to conduct the war successfully because of
President Mahinda Rajapakses leadership. "I did my part militarily and President Mahinda
Rajapakseplayedhisroleasthepoliticalleader,"hesaid.
July14
A presidential probe into the massacre of 17 local aid workers of the French aid agency Action
against Hunger orAction Contre la Faim (ACF) exonerated the Sri Lanka military saying that the
58/81
4/30/2016
military was not operating in the area when the crime took place inAugust 2006.The chairman of
the presidential Commission of Inquiry (COI), former Supreme Court Judge Nissanka Udalagama,
has said in a report that the deaths occurred on the morning of theAugust 4, 2006 and until the
night of that day the town of Mutur and the surrounding areas were under the Liberation Tigers of
TamilEelam(LTTE).
TheTransportMinisterDullasAllahapperumareportedlysaidthatSinhalesewillnotbesettledinthe
earlier Tamil dominated areas when displaced persons are resettled in the North. Addressing a
press briefing at the Mahaweli Centre in Colombo on July 14, the Minister emphasised that no
Sinhala colonies will be established in the areas where only Tamil people were living during the
resettlement process. Denying a Parliamentarians comment to Times UK Online that the
GovernmentistryingtosettleSinhaleseinTamilvillagesunderthecover ofresettlingdisplacedin
the north, the Minister said not a single family other than original dwellers were resettled in the
villagesintheMusaliDivisioninMannar.
July15
TheIslandreportsthattheSecurityForceshavecommenceddismantlingprotectivemeasureslike
bunkersandfencesbuiltaroundbordervillagessincethedefeatoftheLTTE.Ontheinstructionsof
theMinistryofDefence,suchsecuritymeasuresthatwereinplaceinTekkawatte,Muntrumurippu,
Vairavapuliyankulam,KatkuliandThavasikulamarebeingdismantled. Severalroadsinthevicinity
ofVavuniyawerekeptpermanentlyclosed with barriers built across and deep trenches dug during
thelasteightyearstopreventLTTEmilitantshavingfreeaccesstoplacesofstrategicimportance.
Onthecompletionofthedemolitionofthesebarriers,publicwillbeallowedfreeaccessalongthese
roads. Furthermore, the VavuniyaKebitigollewa road that was closed for traffic, too, would be
reopenedsoon,securitysourcessaid.
Malaysia has pledged to cooperate with the Sri Lankan Government in preventing LTTE remnants
from carrying out operations from countries in the region. Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Rohitha
BogollagamawasgiventhisassurancewhenhisMalaysiancounterpartAnifahAmancalledonhim
on the sidelines of the 15th NonAligned Movement Ministerial Meeting in Sharm El Sheikh in
Egypt.
President Mahinda Rajapakse has rejected the idea of ethnicitybased separate provinces in an
interviewtothelatesteditionoftheAmericanmagazine Time.Askedifhebelievedinsomekindof
selfgovernance for the Tamils, Rajapakse said, "Dont say Tamils. In this country you cant give
separateareasonanethnicbasis,youcanthavethis."Butprovincescouldcertainlyhavepowers,
to enable them to handle local matters, he stated. While rejecting the idea of changing the
demography of Tamilmajority areas, the President pointed out that demographic changes were
happening in the Sinhalesemajority Colombo. Ruling out any special devolution for the wholly
TamilspeakingNorthernProvince,RajapaksesaidtheNorthcouldnothaveamodelofitsown.He
noted that there were differences among the Tamils as to what they should ask for, now that the
LiberationTigersofTamilEelam(LTTE)hasbeendefeatedanditsleaderVelupillai Prabhakaran is
dead.
SriLankacancelledplanstopurchaseweaponsandammunitionworth$200millionfromChinaand
PakistanafterthewaragainsttheLTTEended,thenewlyappointedChiefof Defense Staff (CDS),
former Army Commander General Sarath Fonseka said. Addressing the media after assuming
dutiesasthenewCDS,FonsekasaidtheGovernmentcancelledtheordersforweaponssincethe
LTTEiscompletelydefeatedanditsleaderwasdead.
July16
PresidentMahindaRajapaksehastoldtheUNSecretaryGeneralBanKimoonthathisGovernment
remainscommittedtotheresettlingandrehabilitatingthenearly300000 war displaced in the north
ofthecountryintheshortestpossibletime.Theissueofthewardisplaced,conditionsinthe relief
centres and the need for reconciliation among all communities were discussed at the bilateral
meetingbetweenRajapakseandBanonthesidelinesofthe15thNonAlignedMovementSummitat
SharmElSheikhinEgypt.
July17
SriLankaBroadcastingCorporationreportedthattheArmyhasexpandeddeminingactivitiesin the
north.ChiefofDefenceStaff,GeneralSarathFonseka,saidallArmyteamswithexperienceinde
mining have been deployed in this regard. With the coordination of the army engineers corps, de
miningintheareatothenorthofVavuniyaisnowbeingconducted.GeneralFonsekasaidateam
of500personnelfromtheIndianarmywillarriveinSriLankainthecomingdaystoassistinthede
miningactivitiesinthenorth.
SriLankasDefencebudgetistoreachSLR200billion(USD1.74billion)in2009.Thisisabout17
percentofoverallGovernmentspendingfortheyear.In2008,thedefencespendingstoodatSLR
166billion(USD1.4billion).Earlierin2009,theDefenceMinistryhadrequestedaraisetoSLR 177
billionrupees(USD1.54billion)topayforthewaragainsttheLTTE.
Sri Lanka has requested a USD 1.9 billion International Monetary Fund loan to bolster foreign
59/81
4/30/2016
exchangereservesandsolveabalanceofpaymentsproblem.
July18
President Mahinda Rajapakse reassured the country that his Government will resettle the Tamil
civiliansdisplacedduetothewarwiththeLTTEintheNorthassoonaspossible.Hesaidthathe
willnotlettheIDPstoremaininthewelfarecentersforlong.
The Government has said that child soldiers recruited by the LTTE would not be prosecuted and
insteadmadetogotoschools.ThedecisionwasannouncedbyPresidentMahindaRajapaksewho
said,"Ourheartsarenotvicious.Wewillnotprosecutechildrenwhoare12,13and14yearsofage
and were forced to take up arms. We need to integrate them into society after rehabilitation." The
President also said his Government has released all people above 60years from the temporary
camps for the wardisplaced while 40000 children are being given education, adds The Hindu.
Nearly 15000 people above 60 had reported in the camps. Rajapakse said at least 80 per cent of
theinternallydisplacedpersonswouldberesettledpriortotheDecemberenddeadline.Hesaidhis
Governmenthadgivenanewlifetochildsoldiersbyrehabilitatingtheminvocationsoftheirchoice
attherehabilitationcamps.
July19
SundayTimesreportedthatpersonalfilesbelongingtotheslainLTTEchiefVelupillaiPrabhakaran
withdetailsaboutarmsdealsandarmsshipments,intendedtargets,suicidecadresandotherkey
informationwereunearthedlastweek.EquipmenttomonitorthemovementsofAirForcejetsand
UAVs, as well as weapons and weapon parts, were among the assorted items found. The items
were found at the end of a sixday search operation conducted by a Police team led by Colombo
Crime Division (CCD) Director, Superintendent of Police Vass Gunawardena. Anura Senanayaka,
theDeputyInspectorGeneralofPoliceinCCD,saidfiles with more than 270 personal documents
belonging to Prabhakaran were found in three large plastic containers.According to Gunawardena,
thesearchpartyalsofoundcommunicationequipmentusedbytheLTTEtomonitorthemovements
ofSriLankaAirForcejetsand transmissionsfromUAVs.Satellitephones,laptops,faxmachines,
antennas,cablesandotheritemswerealsorecovered.Inseparatesearchesinthevicinity,Police
foundantiaircraftmissiles,partsof120mm,130mmand152mmartilleryguns,chemicalsand33
LTTEsuicidekits,aswellasphotographsofLTTEsuicidecadres.
July20
TheSriLankanPolicearrestedthemastermindofanattackbytheLTTEontheSriLankaAirForce
base in Anuradhapura on October 22, 2007. Senior Superintendent of Police Ranjith Gunasekara
confirmedthatthesuspect,identifiedasThaboRuban,hasbeenarrestedfromawelfarecenterin
Vavuniyaafewdaysago.ThesuspecthasrevealedthatthelightaircraftoftheLTTEreachedthe
area based on the information given by him to attack the Air Force Base. Police believe Thabo
Ruban, from Kilinochchi area, reached the welfare centers in Vavuniya after the Government
declaredvictoryovertheLTTEonMay18.
TheICRCinSriLankacloseddownitsofficesintheEasternprovince.
TheGovernmenthasdecidedtoconductelectionsinotherlocalGovernmentinstitutesintheNorth
soonaftertheconclusionofJaffnaMunicipalCouncilpolls.
CanadawasoneofthetopsourcesoffundingfortheLTTE,providingupto$12millionayear,said
asecretintelligencereportobtainedbytheNationalPost.
The Sri Lanka Police arrested the chief of the LTTE "Eelam Bank", Colin Ruban, in capital
Colombo. Colombo Page reported that Colin was arrested from a lodge on information revealed by
intelligence units.According to sources, he was a resident of Puthukuddiyiruppu and had reached
the welfare centers in Vavuniya during the last stages of the war. However, he later arrived in
ColombobypayingSLR250000toapersonwhohelpedhimtoreachthecapital.
During search and clear operations in the Puthukuddiyiruppu area of Mullaitivu District, the Task
ForceVIII troops uncovered a large stock of jewelry left hidden by the LTTE militants in Wanni,
according to a Sri Lanka Army report. The latest recovery of gold jewelry to the weight of 37.5
kilograms confirmed speculation that the LTTE had collected jewelry of civilians who could have
been in dire need of money due to maladministration of the LTTE before they were expelled from
theirfortressesbytheSFs.Thejewelryhadbeenplacedintincontainersandburiedunderthesoil.
According to reports, the LTTE was in the practice of exploiting the wealth of civilians in those
areasinvariousways,bywayofransom,"tax'andtransactionsthroughthe"EelamBanks".
July21
Addressed as originating from the headquarters of the LTTE, an Executive Committee announced
restructureoftheorganizationandtheleadershipofSelvarasaPathmanathanintakingupthefuture
courseofthemovement,reportsproLTTEWebsiteTamilNet."Wehavesetupaheadofficeforour
liberation movement and formulated various sectorbased working groups and an executive
committee,"apressreleaseonbehalfoftheExecutiveCommitteesaidaddingthatthedetailswill
60/81
4/30/2016
be shared in due course. The press release claimed the announcement is a collective decision
arrived at after consultations "among our members, including our cadres who bravely fought their
way out of the battlefield and our representatives abroad and in the Diaspora." "The Eelam Tamil
peopleareinthemidstofacriticalandsorrowfulperiodinthehistoryofthestruggleforfreedomof
our nation, Tamil Eelam. No one can deny the fact that we have experienced massive and
irreparable losses, losses we would not accept even in our worst dreams," the LTTE's statement
said, adds Express Buzz. It was the Tamils' 'historic duty' to rise up and fight for their `legitimate'
rights, it said. But like all liberation struggles, the LTTE had decided to `modify' the form and
strategies of the struggle according to the times and the exigencies of the situation. However, the
'Honorable Mr Veluppillai Prabhakaran shall remain forever, the leader of Tamil Nation hood', the
statementaddedfurther.
The statement said the LTTE had set up a headquarters, but did not disclose the location. It had
also set up sectorbased working groups and an executive committee to take the struggle forward
`vigorously'.TheLTTE,itstated,wasalsolookingfor`wisecounsel'fromthegeneralTamilpublic.
In conclusion, the statement said, "If the Sinhala nation and those countries which support it
consider that the Tamil peoples' freedom struggle has been defeated through the capture of the
historicalhomelandareasoftheTamilpeopleandthemassacreofthousandsofTamilcivilians,we
shallconsiderthatanillusion.Letusdemonstratetotheworld through our actions, that the fire of
freedomawakenedbyourgreatleaderVPirabakarancontinuestoburnintheheartsof allTamils,
andonlyafreeTamilnationhasthepowertoextinguishit."
Although the amnesty period announced by the Sri Lankan Government to hand over illegal
weapons expired a few weeks ago, more armed factions handed over their weapons to authorities
on July 21.An armed Muslim group in Eravur in the Batticaloa District is reported to have handed
over their illegal weapons to the chief priest of the mosque at Michchinagar in the morning. The
weaponsweresubsequentlyhandedovertotheDeputyInspectorGeneral of Police in the area by
the chief priest. Seven guns and several hand grenades were among the weapons that had been
surrendered, the Police said. An amnesty period to hand over the illegal weapons in the Eastern
ProvinceannouncedbytheSriLankanGovernmentendedonJuly4.Therearereportedly18armed
groupsintheEasternProvincewithnearly400firearmsintheirpossession.
TheSFshaveopenedtheVavuniyaHorowpathana(A29)roadforciviltrafficafteralapseofthree
years. Military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said, "The A29 road was opened after
threeyearswhichwasclosedduetotheLiberationTigersofTamilEelam(LTTE)threat."Henoted
thattheLTTEhadcarriedoutaseriesofattacksonthisimportantroad,adding,"Therefore,people
had to make a detour to Trincomalee after reaching Medawachchiya which was a long way for
them."
TheSriLankaGovernmentannouncedthattheyhavetakenstepstoresettlemoreIDPs,sheltered
in the welfare villages in Wanni at the beginning of next month under the Government's 180day
resettlement program. Addressing a special meeting at Vavuniya District Secretariat, the senior
advisortothePresident,parliamentarianBasilRajapaksesaidthatallthearrangementsare now in
placetoresettlethedisplacedpersons.According to Rajapakse, the Government plans to resettle
3,000 persons in 35 cleared villages in Wanni region beginning August 7. The Government has
completed the demining activities of these villages with the assistance of international demining
groupsandtheUnitedNations.
President Mahinda Rajapakse said that he is prepared to face any court to defend Sri Lankan
militarycommandersoncharges of human rights violations during the recently concluded war with
the LTTE, reports Hindustan Times. "The President emphatically stated that he was prepared to
appearbeforeanycourtonbehalfofthemilitaryleaders,"anofficialreleasesaid.
July22
TheJaffnaKandy(A9)mainhighwaywasreopenedforpassengertransportinthemorningofJuly
22 after a gap of three years. The nearly 200 mile long A9 Road was closed for passenger
transportationinAugust2006afterthearmycamp inMuhamalaiinJaffnacameunderattackfrom
theLTTE.Theroad wasopenduringtheceasefireperiodof20032006butwasunderthecontrol
of the LTTE who imposed heavy taxes on the passengers. With the liberation of Kilinochchi and
Elephant Pass, the Sri Lankan Army brought the entire highway under its control on January 9,
2009.The LTTE had mined the highway heavily to prevent the Sri LankanArmy offensive against
them. The A9 is the only land route which connects Sri Lanka's capital Colombo and the
northernmost point of the country in the Jaffna peninsula. During the time it was closed the
passengers had to travel between Colombo and Jaffna taking either the sea route or the air route.
The Government opened theA9 for military traffic in March and earlier this month for commercial
traffic.
The Government has set a sixmonth timeline for rehabilitating Tamils displaced by the recently
ended conflict with the LTTE. Asked when the time limit for resettling the internally displaced
61/81
4/30/2016
personsbegan,theMinisterforForeignAffairsRohitha Bogollagamasaid,"amonthhasgone"and
wantedtheglobalcommunitytoappreciatethatthewarhadendedlessthantwomonthsback.
July24
The Government is scheduled to start resettlement process in the Vavuniya District onAugust 7.
According to Resettlement and Relief Services Minister Rishad Bathiudeen, the resettlement of
peoplein35GramaNiladhari(villagelevelofficial)divisionsintheVavuniyaDistrictisexpectedto
beginonAugust7.TheMinistersaidthesevillagesarebeingclearedofminesandallinfrastructure
facilities are provided to these villages before the displaced people are resettled in their original
houses. "The Government has decided to set up examinations centres for the students who are
sitting for the G.C.E. (A\L) examination within the welfare camps", he added.The Minister refuted
recent media reports that over 100 people die in the welfare centers a week. He said one or two
personsdieincampsperweekduetonaturalcauses.
July27
ThemastermindbehindtheattackontheAnuradhapuraAirForceBasein2007wasarrestedonan
unspecified date by the officers of the Central Province Intelligence Unit (CPIU) on information
given by the LTTE suspects in custody. Rasalingam Thaboruban, 26, of Kankasanthurai was
amongthedisplacedciviliansintheMannarDistrictwhenthearrestwasmadebyaspecialteamof
officialsattachedtotheCPIU.RasalingaminhisconfessiontotheSecurityForcessaidateamof
25LTTEcadreswas assigned to launch an attack on theAnuradhapuraAir Base and they had to
gatherinformationonhowtoaccesstheAirBasefordays.
July30
ThenewlyappointedLTTEchiefKumaranPathmanathanaliasKPclaimedthattheoutfitsdecision
to give up armed struggle and take recourse to "political and diplomatic moves" was taken by its
former chief Velupillai Prabhakaran along with other commanders at Mullivaikkal in the Mullaitivu
District days before his death during Eelam War IV. In a statement posted on his website, KP,
supposedly operating out of SouthEast Asia and wanted by the Interpol, dealt at length on his
earlierstatementabouttheLTTEsdecisiontoachievethegoalofTamilEelam.
The Government said 9,797 former LTTE members were now detained at rehabilitation centers in
island wide. Speaking to the media, the newly appointed Commissioner General of Rehabilitation,
MajorGeneralDayaRatnayake,saidthenumberwouldincreaseupto20,000inthenearfuture.He
saidthatthoseformerLTTEcadresneedtobecategorizedandseveralofthemshouldbeproduced
in Courts as they had deeply been involved in terrorist activities. According to Major General
Ratnayake, there are LTTE cadres in the rehabilitation centers who have surrendered to the
SecurityForcesaswellaswhowerearrested.HealsosaidtheformerLTTEcadreswillbedirected
to employment opportunities after they are rehabilitated completely. The Government is to review
therehabilitationprocessafterayear.
July31
A top LTTE militant, who is believed to have fixed the bomb in a vehicle that exploded at
DigampathanainOctober16,2006killingmorethan100navalratings,wasarrestedinVavuniyaon
anunspecifieddate.PolicesaidaspecialteamfromtheCentralProvincehadarrestedtheyettobe
namedmilitantwhenhewasgettingreadytoescapefromthearea.
TheSriLankaPoliceannouncedthatexcepttheSecurityForcesandPolice,nootherpartywillbe
allowed to carry weapons in the Eastern Province. The Deputy Inspector General of Police in the
East, Edison Gunathilaka, said several main Tamil political parties who bore weapons in the past
are also not allowed to carry weapons any more. According to the new rule, the political parties
Thamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal, Ealam People's Democratic Party, People's Liberation
Organization of Tamil, Ealam People's Revolution Liberation Front are also not allowed to hold
weapons. Following the conclusion of the earlier announced amnesty period the Police have
reportedlycommencedraidstoarrestpeoplewhocontinuetopossessweapons.
The Government closed its SCOPP according to the instructions of the Presidential Secretariat.
Prof.RajivaWijesinha,SecretaryGeneraloftheSCOPP,confirmedthattheGovernmenthastaken
this decision after conducting extensive discussions on the necessity of a peace secretariat
followingthemilitaryvictoryovertheLTTE.TheSCOPPhadcommenceditsactivitiesonFebruary
6, 2002 when the United National Party Government led by the former Prime Minister Ranil
WickremasinghehadattemptedtoresolvetheethnicconflictinNorththroughpeace talks with the
LTTE. The Secretariat was headed by Bernard Goonetilleke (20022004), Jayantha Dhanapala
(20042005)andDr.PalithaKohona(20062007)previously.
August1
The Government established its sixth Police station in Wanni in the Kanagarayankulam area. The
Inspector General of Police Jayantha Wickramarathna onAugust 1 opened the Police station and
thenewofficeoftheSuperintendentof Police.The Government opened Police stations in Madhu,
Veditaletivu,Vakarai,Silawatura,andOmanthaiinWannifollowingtheLTTEdefeatintheregion.
August12
TwopersonswerekilledandawomaninjuredinabombblastatBaduraliyaintheKalutaraDistrict
in the night ofAugust 1, Police said onAugust 2.The explosion occurred in a jungle patch in the
ruralpartofBaduraliya.
62/81
4/30/2016
August2
A senior civil administration official was arrested for alleged links with the LTTE, Police said on
August 2. Nagalingam Vethanayagam, the Government agent of Kilinochchi District, was arrested
on July 31 following information from an arrested LTTE cadre. Vethanayagam held the post in the
former LTTE political headquarters until January 2009 when Kilinochchi was recaptured by the
Governmenttroops.TheGovernmentagentistheseniormostcivilserviceadministrativeofficerof
aDistrictinSriLanka.
PolicearrestedthewifeandadaughterofaformerLTTEleaderwhoattemptedtoleavethecountry.
Police confirmed that the two suspects from Kilinochchi had attempted to leave for Budapest in
Hungary. During questioning at the Katunayake International airport in Colombo, both failed to
providetheiridentification,Policesaid.
August3
The LTTE could be attempting to revive the organisation amid efforts by the outfit to rescue
hardcore cadres housed in Governmentrun refugees camps for Tamil civilians in the Vavuniya
District,saidDefenceSecretaryGotabhayaRajapakse.InaninterviewwithSundayIsland,hesaid
an organised campaign had been launched to free terrorists from refugee camps before Army and
Police investigators, now engaged in a systematic screening process, closed in on them.
Gotabhaya stated that the Government would not allow the LTTE to reverse the military victory
achieved at a huge cost to the nation. He pointed out that ordinary civilians would never make an
attempttofleerefugeecampsastheGovernment,withthesupportofsomeinternationalagencies,
hadprovidedadequatefacilitiesforthem.
ATNAMemberofParliament(MP), SivanathanKishore,hassaidthattheIDPsinthenorthernpart
of Sri Lanka are being smuggled out from their camps by organised groups. He stated that
"smugglingofpeoplefromthesecampsisgoingonforsometime."Peopleinthecampshavebeen
paying huge money to get themselves out of the camps and some of them have even been
escortedtilltheairportandhavegoneabroad,accordingtotheMP.
The Vavuniya District Secretary P.S.M. Charles said that the Governments 180 day resettlement
programme is in progress with another batch of 1,500 civilians from the Manik Farm relief village
beingresettledintheOmanthai,Nochchimotai,Piramanalamkulam,PirappumaduareasonAugust
5.
TMVPmemberswhohadweaponsintheirpossessionbeforetheyenteredintomainstreampolitics
handedoverastockofarmsandammunitiontotheArmytroopsatKudumbimalaiintheThoppigala
area of Batticaloa District. The stock handed over included one Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG)
weapon, four RPG bombs, one Light Machine Gun (LMG) weapon, one LMG drum, one T81
weapon,fourT81magazines,twoT56MKIIweapons,10T56magazines,oneT56MKIweapon
and220roundsofT56ammunition.
August4
Police arrested a multi millionaire businessman engaged in fishing industry and another LTTE
militant along with a vehicle used for transporting LTTE weapons and explosives to the South.
Police confirmed the duo was arrested at Parayanakulam in Mannar and the truck, which was
specially made with several secret compartments to transport weapons and explosives, was
seized. According to disclosed details, the two suspects have transported LTTE weapons and
explosivesfornearlyfiveyears.
August5
The Government resettled another batch of IDPs who lived in welfare camps in Vavuniya. The
Government Information Department said that 1,094 IDPs belonging to 439 families were
transported to their own villages in Trincomalee, Jaffna, Batticaloa,Ampara and Kanthale. This is
thefirstphaseoftheresettlementschemeofthedisplacedwhoweretemporarilyhousedin welfare
villages of Vavuniya. In addition, the Government took steps to resettle 3,112 persons of 1,051
families, who were originally residents of Jaffna and occupied various places in Vavuniya
temporarily,backintheirhomesinthepeninsula.
August6
The newly appointed LTTE chief, Kumaran Pathmanathan alias Shanmugam Kumaran
Tharmalingam alias Selvarajah Pathmanathan alias KP, was arrested from Bangkok in Thailand.
"He has been arrested in Bangkok. That is all we know at the moment," military spokesman
Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said. Kumaran Pathmanathan was brought to Colombo and is now
being interrogated, The Island reported. Kumaran Pathmanathan, who had been the LTTEs
international relations chief till he claimed the LTTE leadership after the Army killed Velupillai
PrabhakaraninMay2009,previouslyfunctionedasthegroupsmainarmsprocurer.
TheParliamentpassedtheStateofEmergencyforanothermonth.
August7
ThenewlyappointedLTTEchiefKumaranPathmanathanaliasKP,whowasarrestedfromBangkok
in the night of August 6, was brought to Colombo the next morning, said Defence Affairs
spokesman Minister Keheliya Rambukwella. Addressing the media in Colombo, the Minister
disclosedthatKumaranPathmanathanisinthecustodyofdefenceauthoritiesandwillbedealtwith
according to the law of the land following investigations. "KP who was posing as a national of
63/81
4/30/2016
severalcountriesandcarryingoutmultifacetedactivitieswascapableofconvincingsomeofthem
even though the LTTE was defeated. This led some people to believe the LTTE might reemerge
again," he remarked. The Minister observed that the arrest sends a strong message that the
Government has the support of the International Community in combating LTTE operations in
foreigncountries.ReplyingtoaquestionwhetherKumaranPathmanathanwillbeextraditedtoIndia
tofacechargesinconnectionwiththeassassinationofformerIndianPrimeMinisterRajivGandhi,
Rambukwella said there has been no such request so far and if such a request is made, the
GovernmentwilldealwithitaccordingtoInternationalnorms,treatiesandconventions.
DefenceSecretaryGotabhayaRajapaksesaidthatthevictoryagainsttheLTTEwasnowcomplete
withthearrestofKumaranPathmanathan.
August8
TherulingUPFApartysecured acomfortablevictoryintheelectionsfortheUvaProvincialCouncil
(PC)heldonAugust8,2009winningboththeBadullaandMoneragalaDistricts.TheUPFAreceived
over 80% of votes in the Moneragala District and over 60% in Badulla which was a traditional
stronghold for the main opposition United National Party (UNP). The UNP received the highest
number of votes in Badulla polling division securing 34.40 percent. Around 80% of postal votes
werecastinfavouroftherulingparty.
Voters in Jaffna elected the ruling party to govern the Jaffna Municipal Council (MC). The UPFA
secured 13 seats of the 23member MC and the Tamil National Allianceaffiliated Ilankai Tamil
Arasu Kadchchi (ITAK) secured eight seats. An independent group and Tamil United Liberation
FrontledbyV.Anandasangareewononeseateach.
InVavuniya,theITAKwonamajorityoffiveseatsinthe11memberUrbanCouncil(UC)whilethe
People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelamaffiliated Democratic People's Liberation Front
securedthreeseats.TheUPFAcameinthirdwith twoseatswhiletheSriLankaMuslimCongress
wononeseat.
In both the Northern elections, the main opposition UNP was defeated and failed to secure more
thantwopercentofthevotes.ColomboPage,August9,2009.
August9
The LTTE asked the international community to intervene and investigate how their new leader
KumaranPathmanathanaliasSelvarasaPathmanathanaliasKPwasdetainedinMalaysiaandlater
flown to Sri Lanka for questioning, and ensure his safety and security. If the Government of
MalaysiafromwhereKumaranPathamathanwasreportedlyarresteddoesnothaveanyinformation
onthematter,wedemandaninquiryintothewholeepisode,astatementfromtheLTTEsaid.Ifhe
has been brought to Colombo as claimed by the Government of Sri Lanka, we call upon the
internationalcommunitytobecomeinvolvedinthismatterinordertoassurethesafetyandsecurity
of Kumaran Pathmanathan according to international standards and to facilitate access to legal
representation,itadded.
August10
TheGovernmentisexploringthepossibilityofarrangingforLTTEcadres,takingrefugeinColombo
andsuburbs,tosurrendertotheauthorities,Defencesourcessaid.Asenior officer of the Defence
MinistrysaidintelligencesourceswerewellawarethatkeyLTTEcadresandotherswhoinfiltrated
Colombo and other areas on suicide missions targeting VIPs and top military personnel are now
mingling with the public pretending to be ordinary citizens. "The security forces have launched an
operationtoapprehendthem but the Government may provide them an opportunity to surrender to
thesecurityforcesorthePolice,"hesaid.
TheGovernmenthassaiddisplacedpeoplelivinginthereliefcampsinthecountry'snorthwouldbe
allowed to leave only when the LTTE cadres hiding in these centres are identified. TheAttorney
General, in a written submission to the Supreme Court, said onAugust 10 that officials are in the
processofidentifyingtheLTTEmilitants.Hissubmissioncameinresponsetoacomplaintfiledby
the Centre for PolicyAlternatives, a rights group, urging the release of displaced people from the
reliefcampsrunbytheGovernmentinthenorthernDistrictsofJaffnaandVavuniya.
August11
UnidentifiedassailantsshotdeadaMuslimarmedgroupleader,identifiedasAbdulSamath,inthe
EravurareaofBatticaloaDistrict.AccordingtoSeniorSuperintendentofPoliceRanjithGunasekara,
thevictim,whowasalsothechairmanofthefisheriesassociationinthearea,wasshotdeadathis
residence at about 10:30pm (SLST). It was reported that he had handed over several illegal
weapons to the Police few weeks ago during the special amnesty granted by the Sri Lanka
Government.
President Mahinda Rajapakse urged the international community to help the nation crackdown the
international financing arm of the LTTE. He said the LTTE was still active in some countries,
especially in SouthEast Asia and Europe. In an interview to an Indian television channel,
Rajapakse said the arrest of Kumaran Pathmanathan alias KP last week was very important
becauseheclaimedtobethenewLTTEchiefafterthedeathofVellupilaiPrabhakaran.
AplottocarryoutasuicideattackonPresident MahindaRajapakseinhishometownMadamulana
64/81
4/30/2016
August12
AplottocarryoutasuicideattackonPresident MahindaRajapakseinhishometownMadamulana
with the involvement of a suspect arrested in connection with the killing of Southern Provincial
Councillor,DannyHiththetiyage,cametolightattheMountLaviniaMagistratescourtonAugust12.
TheTNAhasnominatedS.N.G.Nathanforthe postofChairmanoftheVavuniyaUrbanCouncil.
General Secretary of the Ilankai Thamil Arasu Kadchchi (ITAK) and TNA parliamentarian Maavai
Senathirajah said that he would inform the Elections Commissioner the decision in writing on
August 13.The ITAK, a constituent of theTNA, got five seats in the recently held election to the
Vavuniya Urban Council. Nathan obtained 1099 preferential votes at the election. Though he was
nominated as the leading candidate of the TNA, he came third in the preferential votes list.
Meanwhile, the party has also decided to appoint N. S. Muguntharathan who topped the list with
2551 votes as the deputy chairman. Other members representing the ITAK in the council are E.
Sivakumar(1105),S.Surenthiran(858)andI.Kanagiah(791).
MediaMinisterLakshmanYapaAbeywardnerevealedthatLTTEchiefKumaranPathmanathanalias
KP was trying to build up connections with the US State Department. He told a news conference
thatKPhadgotinvolvedwiththegroup'TamilsforObama'inUSAforthisreason.
August13
TheGovernmentofSriLankaisplanningtoresettle75,000IDPstotheiroriginalareasofresidence,
according to a recent report released by the USAID. Sri Lankan Government authorities plan to
return75,000IDPsinfourphasesduringthemonthofAugust,including15,000IDPstovillagesin
theVavuniyaDistrict,and25,000IDPstolocationsintheKilinochchiDistrict,theUSAIDreporton
current situation released onAugust 10 said. The Government plans to provide the returnees with
care packages consisting of shelter materials, cash grants equivalent to $220 with additional
subsidies for farmers, and a sixmonth food supply, including USAID/FFP commodities distributed
by the UN World Food Program (WFP). However, according to the USAID fact sheet, the
Government has not provided a comprehensive framework to date, for the implementation of the
proposedreturnsplanandenhancedcoordinationwithhumanitarianagencies.
According to the International Organization for Migration, the Office of the President National Data
Center which continues to register IDPs in Manik Farms camp had registered 125,260 IDPs and
issued 90,000 IDP identity cards by the end of July. The registration process represents ongoing
Government efforts to record the number of IDPs in a national database in order to improve IDP
services.
Detained LTTE chief Kumaran Pathmanathan alias KP has reportedly revealed the presence of a
largecacheofarmsandammunitionhiddenbytheoutfitincapitalColomboforcarryingoutattacks,
SriLankanPrimeMinisterRatnasiriWickremanayakesaid.
MediaMinisterLakshmanYapaAbeywardnesaidSri Lankahadnotviolatedanyinternationallaws
by arresting Kumaran Pathmanathan and had proved that it had the capacity to neutralize the
internationalnetworkoftheLTTE.
August16
TheGovernmentisreportedlyintheprocessofestablishingtheauthenticityofvariousdetailsthat
the detained LTTE chief Kumaran Pathmanathan alias KP has revealed to the Sri Lankan
authorities about several local individuals and organisations that have reportedly supported the
LTTEandtheirterroristmovement,MinisterKeheliyaRambukwellasaid.
The Commissioner General of Rehabilitation, Major General Daya Ratnayake, has said measures
havebeentakentorehabilitateover10,000exLTTEcadresintheNorthbytheGovernment.Inan
interview with Sunday Observer, he said, "The process to classify the excadres into different
groupsconsideringtheirage,genderandinvolvementintheoutfithasalreadybeencompletedand
thegroundworktomovethemintonewrehabilitationcentresisnearingcompletion." Informing that
over 80 percent of these excadres are now temporarily sheltered in Government schools, he
stated, "We want to hand over these government schools and five new centres are under
constructionatthemoment.Theywillbemovedtothe newcentresbeforetheendofthismonth."
Thechildrenbetweentheagesof12to18yearshavealreadybeenseparatedfromthegroup.There
areover455children,themajorityofwhomtheLTTEhadforcefullyrecruitedatitslaststageofthe
battle. Former female LTTE cadres numbering 1,700 have also been separated and housed
separately.TheauthoritieshavetakenstepstoseparatemaleexLTTEcadresover45yearsofage
and they will be given training according to their professions, skills, and their liking to undergo a
vocationaltraining.
August17
TheGovernmentsaidthatover15,000InternallyDisplacedFamilies(IDFs)fromtheJaffnaDistrict
will be resettled in their original homes soon. According to the Resettlement and Relief Services
Minister Rishad Badiudeen, authorities have already identified over 15,000 IDFs who claim to be
residents of Jaffna and their details have been forwarded to authorities in the Jaffna District.The
Minister stressed that they would be resettled in their original homes in Jaffna District after the
65/81
4/30/2016
Government officials gave an assurance that they are permanent residents of the Jaffna. These
familiesarenowlivinginwelfarecentresintheVavuniyaandMannarDistricts.TheMinisteradded
that the Presidential Task Force on Northern Development is committed to resettle as many
displacedciviliansaspossiblewithinthetimeframeof180days.
Chief of Defence Staff General Sarath Fonseka said that displaced persons in welfare centres
cannot be haphazardly resettled in their former villages on outside pressures or compulsions
because terrorist remnants hiding behind displaced civilians may take the opportunity to resort to
terrorism once again. He said five to six LTTE cadres were falling into Security Forces custody
every week from welfare camps and those pressuring the Government to expedite resettlement
processshouldunderstandthisreality.Healsosaidthatdemininghadnotbeenfullycompletedfor
theresettlementprocesstobegin.
August19
TheAPRCChairmanMinisterTissaVitharanasaidhehandedovertoPresidentMahindaRajapakse
on August 14 a document which was a summarised report of the recommendations of more than
threeyearsofdeliberationsoftheAPRC."Weexpect afeedbackfromPresidentRajapaksebefore
our next move. He will go through the summary before he gives instructions to the APRC on the
nextstep,"VitharanatoldDailyMirror.TheAPRC,duringthelastthreeyearsorso,hadcometoa
consensuson a number of key proposals expected to be incorporated in a new Constitution which
is aimed at resolving the ethnic problem. They included a new Constitution, reverting to the
Westminster System pruning of Executive Presidential powers, a Constitutional Court, a second
chamberofParliament,anationalLandandWaterCommissionandrevivingtheVillageCommittee
system. The APRC was appointed by President Rajapakse on July 20, 2006 and has held 178
sessions so far. However, only 13 political parties took part in theAPRC deliberations. The main
opposition United National Party, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna,Tamil NationalAlliance and Jathika
HelaUrumayaabstainedfromtakingpartinthedeliberations.
The United States announced that it is contributing an additional USD six million for demining
activitiesinnorthernSriLankatohelpexpeditetheresettlementoftheInternallyDisplacedpersons
intheiroriginalhomes.
August20
DefenceSecretaryGotabhayaRajapaksehasreportedlycalledonforeigncountriestohandoverto
SriLankatheLTTEcadresandtheirassetsworthmillionsofdollars."He(KP)isaseasonedman,
so he's coming out with information very slowly during interrogation. He was the person who ran a
massive network to purchase arms and ammunition for the LTTE for nearly 30 years," Rajapakse
told BBC. The estimates about the LTTE's assets and investments range from USD 300 million
(182m)toUSD1billion."OnceitisprovedthattheseassetsbelongtotheLTTE,thenconcerned
countries should hand over the assets as well as the remaining LTTE members to Sri Lanka,"
addedRajapakse.
The Resettlement and Disaster Relief Services Minister Rishad Bathiudeen told Parliament on
August20thattheGovernmenthasresettled59,608displacedfamiliesinBatticaloa,Trincomalee,
Mannar, Ampara and Jaffna Divisional Secretariat (DS) divisions during the past few months.
According to figures, 35766 families have been resettled in Batticaloa DS division while 22068
families have been resettled in Trincomalee DS division. The Government has resettled 669
families in Mannar, 51 families inAmpara and 1,054 families in Jaffna DS divisions. The Minister
alsosaidthenumberofinternallydisplacedpersons(IDPs)in2009is288938.
August21
ASriLankanministerhassaidthattheLTTEhadfundedtheproductionofTamilfilmsaspartofits
international business ventures. The Resettlement and Disaster Relief Services Minister, Abdul
Risath Bathiyutheen, reportedly said films thus tainted by 'LTTE blood money' included those of
Rajnikanth,apopularTamilactorinTamilNaduinsouthernIndia.Bathiyutheenmadethischargein
an interview to www.asiantribune.com, which quoted him as saying, "Millions and millions of US
dollars were given to a Londonbased Tamilian. He was asked to produce Tamil films in Chennai
[capitalofTamilNadu]withtopstars likeRajnikanth."Theinterviewalsoreportedlyhadamention
of proLTTE Tamil Nadu politicians like S Ramadoss, V. Gopalsamy a.k.a. Vaiko, Thol
ThirumavalavanandPNedumaranastheotherallegedbeneficiaries.Whencontacted,Rajnikanth's
office, however, said the actor refused to comment on the issue.An unnamed police official said
such charges had been heard of in terms of logistical support or hospitality extended to film units
abroad,buthehadnotcomeacrossasinglecasetoproveit."Rajnikanthisbusy shooting for his
film Endiran (Robot) and cannot be reached till late tonight," sources at the actor's residence in
Chennai told Hindustan Times. Vaiko denied the allegation saying, "This is sheer nonsense and
politicalmischief."
The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Sarath Fonseka said that the secret behind the success of the
Sri Lankan military in its war against the LTTE was its transformation from a conventional to a
guerrilla force. "From our side, we changed our tactics and started acting like guerrillas, making
incursions into their territories in small groups and carrying out daring attacks when the LTTE
challengedusinthejungles,"saidGeneralFonseka.Headdedthatthedecisiontowageawarwas
66/81
4/30/2016
politicalandtheArmytogetherwiththeotherforcesfoughtthewaraccordingtothepoliticalwill.
August23
ThearrestedLTTEchiefKumaranPathmanathanaliasKPhastoldinvestigatorsthattheoutfit had
tried to acquire nuclear weapons and knowhow to be used against the Sri Lankan army.A media
reportstatedthatPathmanathan,whowasarrestedinaSouthEastAsiancountryonAugust6,has
toldinterrogatorsthattheLTTEhadtriedtoacquirenuclearweaponsandtechnologyfromwestern
countries."KPhasrevealedthatthearmspurchasedwiththemoneycollectedwereshippedto the
LTTE.HowhepurchasedantiaircraftmissilesfromarmsdealersintheUSAhasbeendisclosed",
TheNationstated.
August24
The NIB uncovered a plan to assassinate Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse with the
recovery of a suicide kit, arms and ammunition from a house in Mutwal, a suburb in the capital
Colombo.According to the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Nimal Mediwaka, the NIB officials
found a cache of arms and ammunition, including a suicide kit weighing over five kilograms, a
machinegunand13Cyanidecapsules,concealedinacupboardinahousingunitatMutwalunder
the directive of a LTTE leader in Colombo. The unnamed LTTE leader had reportedly planned to
launchawellcoordinatedattackontheDefenceSecretary."Itisbelievedthattheyhadplannedto
hurl hand grenades at Rajapakses motorcade as a part of the massive assassination bid. The
terrorists had planned to launch this attack using a explosive laden motor bike. Officials are
combing the island to trace the explosive laden bike and the suicide cadre who were directed to
crash into the motorcade of the Defence Secretary," Mediwaka said. The Defence Secretary had
earlier in 2006 survived a LTTE suicide attempt in Colombo escaping with minor injuries although
eightofhissecurityguardswerekilled.
August25
Police personnel serving at Thirimunai in the Kalmunai area of Ampara District encountered an
isolated group of LTTE militants and killed two of them. During subsequent search in the lagoon
areawheretheincidentoccurred,Policefoundthedeadbodiesoftheslainmilitantsalongwithone
T56weapon,onemagazineand25roundsofammunition.
President Mahinda Rajapakse said that the displaced people in the North will be resettled in their
originalhomessoonafterthemineswereclearedintherespectiveareastointegratethem into the
nationaldevelopmentprocess.
TheFederalAppealsCourtinSanFranciscoin UShasruledagainstanappealtodelisttheLTTE
by the Humanitarian Law Project, which had challenged an executive order issued by the then US
President George W. Bush in 2001, Sri Lanka Presidential Secretariat website reported onAugust
25.Undertheorder,theLTTEremainslistedasaterroristorganisationbytheUS.
August26
A LTTE militant disguised as trooper committed suicide in Police custody on an unspecified date.
Trooper Siddiqui with the voluntary armoured corp was cooking for the CDS General Sarath
Fonsekasince2002inJaffnaandwashismainchefathisofficialresidenceinColombowherehe
movedin2004.According tothereporthewasaLTTEcadregiventhejobofensuringaccessfor
LTTEsuicidecadrestoentertheArmyheadquartersandtargetFonseka.
August27
The Sri Lankan Supreme Court said that wardisplaced persons in Governmentrun camps should
beallowedtogoiftheyarenoncombatantsandhaveaplacetogo.
SriLankaMuslimCongresschiefRaufHakeem,atanewsconferenceinColombo,chargedthat70
MuslimfamiliesresettledinVerugalintheEasthadbeenchasedawaywhile450Muslim persons
in Musali in the North had not been allowed to get on with their livelihood. "The Government is
carrying out showpieces just to show the world that it is resettling the displaced people but the
essentialthingshouldbeaproperprogrammeofresettlement,"hesaid.
The Government announced that it is making arrangements to resettle at least another 50,000
IDPsnowhousedinreliefcampsatVavuniya,inthenexttwoweeks.
August28
TheMinisterofDisasterManagementandHumanRights,MahindaSamarasinghe,revealedthatthe
GovernmenthasreliableinformationthattheLTTEcadreshaveinfiltratedthewelfarecampsinthe
NorthfortheIDPs.
The Supreme Court in Sri Lanka has ordered authorities to file charges or release the LTTE
suspectsincustody.
August31
TheJVPhasreportedlyopposedgivingland,PoliceandfinancepowerstoProvincialCouncils.
IntelligencesourceshavereportedlytoldtheDefenceMinistrythatLTTEmilitants,includingwomen
cadres,masqueradingasciviliansaremakinganattempttocontrolciviliansheldatwelfarecamps
in the Vavuniya region, especially the Manik camp, and have suggested that the internally
displacedpersonsofthecampshouldberelocatedtosmallercamps.
AsurveyconductedbytheGovernmentAgent(GA) ofVavuniyaDistricthasrevealedthatatleast
67/81
4/30/2016
10,000refugeeshaveescapedfromthecampslocatedthere.
Reports indicated that it was the LTTE that attempted to assassinate Bashir Wali Mohmand when
he was Pakistan's High Commissioner in Sri Lanka three years ago. Interrogation of an arrested
LTTE militant in recent weeks revealed that the outfit had set off the blast at Kolpitty junction in
capital Colombo on August 14, 2006, and that Mohmand was not a deliberately chosen target,
Police said. The LTTE's plan had been to attack any VVIP convoy taking that route at that time.
TheLTTEcadrecametoknowthattheVVIPhehadstruckwasthePakistanienvoyonlyafterthe
blast, which killed seven Sri Lankan Security Force personnel. On return to Pakistan after
completing his term, Mohmand, however, charged that India's external intelligence agency, RAW,
wasbehindtheattemptonhislifeinColombo.InSriLanka,however,DefencespokesmanKeheliya
Rambukwella had said that the Pakistani envoy was attacked because the LTTE was angry that
Pakistan was arming the Sri Lankan Security Forces, when most other major powers, including
India,hadrefusedtosellarmstotheislandnation.
September1
At least one child was killed and two more were wounded during an explosion in the Achchaweli
area of Jaffna District. Jaffna Police said the three children found the explosive device while they
wereplayinginthearea.
The JVP said there would be no free and fair election without the implementation of the 17th
Amendmenttothe1978Constitution.SpeakingatafunctioninMataraonSeptember1,JVPleader
Somawansa Amarasinghe said the Government should take action to implement the 17th
amendmentrightnow.HepointedoutthatthecountryneedsanindependentElectionsCommissio
andanindependentPoliceCommissionurgentlyasthepresidentialelectionwillfollowtheupcoming
SouthernProvincialCouncilelections.The17thAmendment requiresestablishmentofindependent
commissionstoadministerthePolice,Judiciary,PublicServiceandElections.
PresidentMahindaRajapaksesaidhewantstoachievereconciliationwithTamilcommunitiesinthe
north and east since the civil war is over and the LTTE was defeated. "I don't want to just be the
liberator,Iwanttobetheleaderwhobringspermanentpeaceanddevelopmenttothiscountryand
reconciliation with Tamil communities in the North and the East," Rajapakse said in an interview
withForbes."Thewarisover.Nowwehavenoexcuses.Wehavetostartworkinganddevelopthis
country,"headded.
September3
A racket carried out in the IDPs camps in Vavuniya to help the LTTE militants still hiding there to
escape using false NICs had come to light recently, Police sources said. These false NICs had
been produced by some persons within the IDP camps with the help of several outsiders as well
andhadbeensoldatveryhighpricestoyettobedetectedLTTEmilitantsintheIDPscamps.The
Policesourcesaidthattheracketcametolightafterthearrestofasuspect,identifiedas46year
old Subramanium Rachchandran, who had tried to escape following treatment at the Vavuniya
hospital.
September5
TheSLAsaidthatthereportpublishedby TheIslandonSeptember4hasnowhateverprooforany
otherevidencetoaffirmanyinvolvementofJapaneseexpertsforclandestineLTTEoperations,said
to have occurred during and after the Tsunami disaster in 2004. The Army categorically denied
having any knowledge on such Japanese involvement in the said report titled "Japanese experts
helped LTTE launch submersibles". Neither the 58 Division has had found any evidence to
ascertainlaunchofsuchsubmersibleswithJapanesehelp,theSLAsaid.
September7
TheTNAstressingtheimportanceofjointlyworking forthewellbeingofthecountryandit'speople
emphasisedthattheyarereadytocooperatewiththeGovernmenttorestorepeaceand prosperity
in the country. The TNA made this assurance following a meeting with President Mahinda
RajapakseheldatTempleTress.AmediacommuniqueissuedbythePresident'sMediaUnitstated
that the Government has given its priority to resettle the people displaced due to terrorism and
expedite demining activities. President Rajapakse said, "The resettlement activities will be
completed very soon under the program implemented by the Government. This would provide an
opportunity for the TNA and other political parties to engage in their political activities freely and
democratically. The Government will not allow any room for the LTTE or any other terrorist
organizationtoholdthepeopletoransomandtakethemintoatrapagain."
September8
A former employee of a Sri Lankan NGO has reportedly brought to the notice of the Defence
SecretaryGotabhayaRajapaksetheallegedinvolvementofthegroupinsmugglingLTTEoperatives
toColombooveraperiodoftime.Accordingto him, the LTTE suspects held at welfare centres in
theVavuniyaDistrict,too,havereachedColombowiththehelpoftheNGO.
September10
TheMinistryofDefencesaidthat30,000peopleareexpectedtoberesettledinnewlyclearedareas
undertheUthuruWasanthaya'(NorthernSpring)180daydevelopmentprogramme.
TheParliamentpassedtheStateofEmergencyforanothermonthwithamajorityof87votes.The
bill received 100 votes for it and 13 against it. For the first time, Sri Lanka's Marxist party, the
68/81
4/30/2016
JanathaVimukthiPeramuna,whichsupportedthebillsinceAugust2005,abstainedfromvotingand
walkedoutoftheParliament.
September11
AColomboCourtreleasedtwoLTTE leaders,formermediaspokesmanVelayudanDayanidhialias
Daya Master and interpreter Velayudan Kumaru Pancharatnam alias George Master, following
severalmonthsofremandcustody.
The Government resettled another group of IDPs in their own villages in the country's North and
East. According to current statistics, the Government has resettled nearly 29,280 IDPs after the
conclusionofwarbetweenGovernmentforcesandtheLTTE.
September12
Police raided an establishment in the Sea Street area of Colombo, said to be involved in sending
escapeesfromtheVavuniyaWelfareCentresabroad,andarrestedsixpersonsalongwithanumber
offorgedpassports,visasandotherdocuments.
September13
PakistaniPrimeMinisterYusuf RazaGilaniisreportedtohavesaidthattheSriLankanPresident,
Mahinda Rajapakse, had told him in Libya recently, that elements in Sri Lanka were linked with
terrorist events in Pakistan, including the terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore
onMarch3,2009.
The Sri Lankan Government is planning to resettle as many of the remaining nearly 250000 war
displacedaspossibleintheareawestoftheJaffnaKandy(A9)roadbeforetacklingresettlementin
theWannieast.
September18
The NewYorkbased LTTE leader Vishuanadan Rudrakumaran announced that the LTTE proposed
Provisional Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (PTGTE) will function as an organization of
the Tamil Diaspora. Rudrakumaran made this announcement in www.puthinam.com. The PTGTE
will continue to lobby with Governments for the establishment of separate State in the North and
East, the Website said. In the United States, United Kingdom and Canada where there are large
communitiesofSriLankanTamilsandwheretheLTTEaswellassomeofitsfrontorganizationsis
banned as a terrorist organization, the PTGTE will function as a front of the old LTTE carrying on
activitiesaimedatseparatisminSriLanka.ThePTGTEisanewfrontintroducedafterthekillingof
LTTEchiefVelupillaiPrabhakaran,byKumaranPathmanathanaliasKP,beforehewasarrestedon
August6.
September20
AnengineerofaprivateshipownedbythearrestedLTTEleaderKumaranPathmanathanaliasKP,
who arrived through the Bandaranaike InternationalAirport, was arrested by the State Intelligence
Services.
SriLankaincooperationwiththeIOMwilllaunchaUS$23millionprogrammetorehabilitateformer
LTTEmilitantswiththehelpfromtheinternationalcommunity.
Sri Lankan authorities released another batch of over 5,000 IDPs from the welfare centres in
VavuniyainaceremonyheldattheVavuniyaUrbanCouncil.
Arrangementsareinplacetoresettleanother3,000IDPsin32villagesinVavuniyainthenextfew
daysasdemininglookedcompletedintheirresettlementareas,theGovernmentannounced.
September22
AfemaleLTTEcadrecommitted suicidebyswallowingacyanidecapsule,whilebeingtakentothe
PolicefollowingherarrestatUkkulamkulamintheVavuniyaDistrict,militaryspokesmanBrigadier
UdayaNanayakkarasaid.
September23
The Minister of Export Development and International Trade, G.L. Peiris, at a press briefing in
ColombosaidthatalthoughtheSriLankanGovernmentisabletocontrolall international activities
oftheLTTE,theoutfitscommunicationsystem is still functioning and continuing acts against the
country.TheMinistersaidthegeneralpublicisalwaysreadytosupporttheGovernmentinitswar
againstterrorbutsomepoliticalpartiestrytoletdownwarheroeswhocrushedtheLTTEterrorism
inthecountry."ProLTTEpeoplestilltrytosummonleadersofthehumanitarianmissionagainstthe
LTTE to the International Criminal Court," Peiris noted. Recently a proposal to bring war crime
inquiries against Sri Lanka has been submitted to the United States Congress, the Minister
informed.
September24
The LTTE were reportedly set to get 10 new aircraft through an Eritreabased arms smuggling
network when the Government's military offensive reached its climax. According to Hindustan
Times, the aircraft had been dismantled and were to be shipped to the northeastern coast of Sri
Lankawhenthewarreachedadecisivestage."TheLTTEcalculatedthatthewarwouldstretchbut
itdidnthappentheaircraftcouldnotbedelivered,"thedailyquotedanunnamedseniorSriLankan
military officer as saying.According to the army officer, the LTTE while waiting for the aircraft to
arrive got the pilots trained from training schools in Malaysia and Indonesia. Trained instructors
werealsopresentinSriLanka.TheArmyhasrecoveredpilottraining simulatorfromthejunglesof
Mullaitivu."Atleastadozenpilotshadbeentrained.Twoamongthemhavebeenarrested.Therest
69/81
4/30/2016
could be hiding among the internally displaced persons (in refugee camps)," the officer told the
daily.
September25
FourcivilianswhowerecollectingsandintheMulliareaofJaffnaDistrictsustainedinjurieswhena
buriedlandmineexploded.
September27
TheGovernmenthascompletedtheprofiles of over 10,000 former LTTE combatants who are now

under Government custody in the welfare camps waiting to be either tried or rehabilitated. The
authorities have prepared profiles for each suspected LTTE cadre with details including, personal
information,natureoftheinvolvementwiththeLTTE,educationstandardandtheskillstheywould
like to pursue.The former militants will face charges in a court if they had been involved in grave
crimes such as murders and abductions. However, the Government is yet to finalize the legal
procedures to process the arrested and surrendered militants. The militants who were either
involved in minor crimes or forcibly recruited by the LTTE leadership in the later stage of the war
andthemilitantswhosurrenderedtotheSecurityForceswillberehabilitatedtointegratethemback
intothesociety,theauthoritiessaid.
September28
Atleast20,000ofthenearly300,000IDPsintheVavuniyacampshadescaped,saidSeniorSSP,
Ranjith Kasturiratna, at the Kandy District coordinating committee meeting chaired by Central
ProvinceChiefMinisterSarathEkanayake.KasturiratnasaidspecialPoliceteamsfromKandyhad
beendispatchedtotheIDPcampsintheNorthtoconductinvestigations.Policeinvestigations had
revealedthatabout20,000hadescapedfromthecamps.TheywerebelievedtobeLTTEcadres.
TheNorwegianGovernmenthelpedtheLTTEtoestablishrelationswithEritreainamovetoprocure
arms, ammunition, and equipment from China using Eritrean enduser certificates and other
documentsneededtolegallybuyweapons,amediareportsaid.
The Government plans to set up a Special Tribunal to try over 10,000 LTTE suspects who have
beeninvolvedinvariouscrimesandhasevensoughthelpfromtheUSand UK in dealing with the
formerrebels.
September29
TheEPRLFPathmanabhagroup,anantiLTTETamilpoliticalparty,saidthatTamilpoliticalparties
should arrive at some consensus when it came to issues such as power devolution and the
resettlement of displaced civilians. The EPRLF leader R. Sritharan said it was time for the Tamil
political parties, including the TNA and the EPDP, to come under one umbrella while maintaining
theirindividualidentities.
Authorities have sent a special prison representative to Anuradhapura prison to discuss with the
LTTE detainees the issue of their hunger strike which is continuing for several days. Prison
Commissioner General Major General V. R. Silva confirmed that 40 LTTE suspects, being held in
Anuradhapuraprison,arecontinuingwiththeirhungerstrike.
October1
Balraj Naidu, who was a influential committee member of the Singapore Reform Party, has been
arrestedandproducedincourtforanextraditionhearingoveranallegedarms deal with the LTTE,
DailyNewsreported.Naiduwasarrestedonawarrantandproducedincourts,saidSingapore Strait
Times. The man was arrested at his home last week and brought to court on September 29 for a
briefcourtappearance.ThebusinessmaniswantedbytheUnitedStates(US)Governmenton two
terrorismrelatedcharges.HeisalsowantedbytheUSfor allegedly brokering arms deals with the
LTTE.Noformalchargeshavebeenlaidagainsthimsofar.
October2
An unidentified assailant killed two army soldiers who were on duty at Paranthakadathan in the
MannarDistrict.SeniorDeputyInspectorGeneralofPolice,NimalMediwaka,saidtheassailanthad
firedatagroupofsoldierswhowereondutyinthearea.Twoofthesoldiershadsuccumbedtotheir
injuries following the attack and another one sustained injuries. The suspect, believed to be a
memberofanarmedgroupinthearea,isreportedtohaveescapedaftertheincident.
October3
PolicearrestedthreeSinhalanationalswhohaveallegedlysupportedformerLTTEcadrestoleave
thecountrythroughsearoutesillegally.SeniorDeputyInspectorGeneralofPoliceNimalMediwaka
saidthatthethreesuspectswerearrestedfromahotelatVaikkalaareainNegombo.These three
suspectshavereportedlysupportedformerLTTEmilitantswhofledthewelfarecampsinVavuniya
toleaveforAustraliabyboats.
October4
Apoliticalsolutiontotheethnic issue will not be found until a new Parliament is convened after a
likelyGeneralElectioninMarch2010asthePresidentMahindaRajapakse Government expects a
clear2/3rdmajoritytopassanewConstitutionbasedontheAPRCproposals,theAPRCchairman
andMinisterTissaVitaranasaid.
October7
The Defence Ministry said that intelligence agencies are now searching for several highprofile
LTTE front agentscumarms dealers. "The agencies have tracked the LTTE terrorist agents who
are alleged to have links with many militia and terrorist organisations. These agents had worked
clandestinely, based in foreign shores supporting and abetting LTTE's perpetrated crimes against
70/81
4/30/2016
humanity," said a report on the Defence Ministry Website. "According to reports, Sivarasa
Pirundaban alias Achchudan alias Suresh, Ravi Shanker Kanagarajah alias Shangili, Bahitharan
alias Bhavi, Narendran Rathnasabapathi alias Naren, Ganeshruban alias Ruban, Ponnaiah
AnandarajahaliasAiyyaaliasRajahaliasAiyyanna are alleged to be under intense scrutiny," said
theMinistry.
October9
PalithaKohona,PermanentRepresentativeofSriLankatotheUnitedNations,saidthatSriLanka
had fallen victim to dangerous forms of maritime terrorism. Speaking at the UN general debate of
the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) on crime prevention, criminal justice and
internationaldrugcontrolhestatedthatfollowingtherecentdefeatofaterroristgroup[LTTE],ithad
been discovered that their networks were being transferred to arms smuggling and drug trafficking
ontheinternationalarena.Henotedthatterroristgroupswiththeirtransnationallinkages and multi
faceted criminal networks generated a vast and complex mix of criminal activities, ranging from
fundraising, using overseas bases, terrorist financing, money laundering, arms procurement and
otherorganizedcriminalactivities,allofwhichwereinterrelated.
October10
AtameetingwithavisitingdelegationofIndianParliamentariansfromthesouthernIndianStateof
TamilNaduat India House in Colombo, theTNA alleged that the Sri Lankan Government wants to
changeWanni'sdemographybysettlingatleast30percentSinhaleseinKilinochchiandMullaitivu
Districts. The TNA delegation also charged that Buddhist stupas are being built in Wanni with an
intentiontochangethepredominantlyTamilregion'scultureandethnicity.
October12
22suspectedLTTEcadreswentontrialonOctober12forrunninganextortionracketamongethnic
TamilDiasporainParis(France)tofundtheirseparatiststruggleinSriLanka.
October13
Sri Lanka will hold Presidential and General elections before April 2010, the Government said
addingthatadeclarationinthisregardwillbemadeatthesessionoftherulingSriLankaFreedom
Party on November 15. The Media Minister, Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena, made the
announcement at a press conference in capital Colombo confirming that President Mahinda
Rajapaksewouldseekreelectionbeforehistermexpiresin2011.Areelectionbidaftercompleting
four years of his term is in line with Sri Lanka's Constitution. According to the Constitution, the
President,atanytimeaftertheexpirationoffouryearsfromthecommencementofhisfirsttermof
office, can declare his intention of a reelection, for another term. President Rajapakse will be
completing four years of his presidency on November 19, 2009. He was elected as the fifth
Presidentofthecountryin2005forasixyeartermthatistoendin2011.
October16
Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse revealed that the Government has made arrangements
withtheassistanceofitsambassadorstoobtaintheassetsaccumulatedbytheLTTEtoSriLanka.
He said the people should be vigilant since separatist forces are still active though terrorism has
beendefeatedfullyinthecountry."Separatistforceswhocouldnotachievetheirobjectivesthrough
the LTTE have not stopped their attempts although terrorism has been fully defeated in the
country,"headded.
October1617
A USbased hedgefund billionaire charged as part of an insidertrading case was investigated by

US authorities for allegedly raising funds for the LTTE, The Wall Street Journal reported. The
newspapersaidfederalagentshaduncovereddocumentsshowingthatRajRajaratnam,founderof
the Galleon Group, was among several wealthy Sri Lankans in the US whose donations to a
Marylandbased charity made their way to the LTTE. Rajaratnam, 52, was among six people
arrested on October 16. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said this is the largestever
hedgefund insidertrading case, the paper noted. Prosecutors allege Rajaratnam and his ring of
allegedcoconspiratorsearnedUS$20millioninimpropergains,thereportsaid.RajaratnamsNew
YorkbasedGalleonfundfirmmanages$3.7billionininvestments.
Aspartofaseparateterrorismprobe,whichwasledbytheFBIinBrooklyn,NewYork,eightother
peoplehavepleadedguiltytoattemptingtoprovidematerialsupportto the LTTE, designated as a
terrorist organization by the United States, Wall Street Journal stated. Documents in a federal
criminal complaint filed in US District Court in New Yorks Eastern District include allegations by
federalagentsthatmoneydonatedtoaUScharitycalledTROUSA,ofCumberland,Maryland,was
funnelled to the LTTE, the paper noted. The case was brought against Karunakaran Kandasamy,
described by prosecutors as the head of the US branch of the LTTE, the paper said. In the same
case,anFBIagentcitesdocumentsuncoveredincourtauthorizedsearchesasshowingdonations
toTROUSAmadebyapersonidentifiedonlyas"individualB."
October18
President Mahinda Rajapakse said Sri Lanka is still threatened by separatist forces five months
after the defeat of the LTTE. He stressed that the Sri Lankans will defeat separatists and "build a
newcountry",adding,"Weshallnotfeartotakethenecessarydecisionsinthefaceofdangerswe
mayface."
October19
AcivilianwasinjuredinanAPMexplosioninthePuresanthivuareaofJaffnaDistrict.
October20
Under the Government's process of reestablishing peace and harmony in the country, 45 new
71/81
4/30/2016
police stations have been established in Northern and Eastern provinces after the two provinces
wereliberatedfromtheLTTE,InspectorGeneralofPolice(IGP)JayanthaWickramarathnasaid.He
saidnewpolicestationswillbesetuptocovertheentiretwoprovinceswithinthenextfewmonths.
AccordingtotheIGP,thepolicedepartmenthasestablished37newpolicestationsintheEastand
eight stations in the North after the regions were liberated from the LTTE. Another four police
stationsaretobeestablishedinKilinochchiDistrict,headded.
October22
TheresettlementofthelargestnumberofIDPsoftheNorthtookplacewith41,685IDPsresettled
in 108 Grama Niladhari (villagelevel office) Divisions of Vavuniya, Mannar, Mullaitivu and
KilinochchiDistricts.SeniorPresidentialAdvisorandMemberofParliament(MP),BasilRajapakse,
saidthoughSriLankaisasmallcountry,theyhavebeenabletoresettlealargenumberofIDPsin
ashorttimethoughsomecountrieswerestillnotabletoresettledisplacedpersonsforyears.
October26
The Government has made remarkable progress in resettling the people displaced by the war
between Government forces and the LTTE, the Minister of Disaster Management and Human
Rights, Mahinda Samarasinghe said. Addressing a media briefing in Colombo at the Presidential
Secretariat, Minister Samarasinghe said the number of IDPs has been reduced from 288,000 to
196,088.TheIDPshavebeenresettledintheiroriginalhomes inasecureenvironmentwithallthe
assistancegiventorestoretheirlivelihood,theMinistersaid.However,theIDPshavebeengivena
choiceofalocationtoresettleandtheyarenotforcedto choose the location, the Minister added.
The resettlement was due to the successful demining process, said the Minister adding that the
Governmenthaspurchased24deminingmachinesand1,000trainedsoldiersareassistingthede
miningoperations.IncomingweeksmoreIDPswillberesettledasthedeminingprocesscontinues
theMinistertoldreporters.
October27
Around 300 senior LTTE cadres have been arrested by the Security Forces in September 2009
following information gathered by the Army Intelligence Unit. These cadres were detained while
being housed in certain welfare villages, including Menik Farm in Vavuniya, mingling with ordinary
civilianswhohadescapedthethenLTTEheldareafromNorth,Armysourcessaid.
October28
AnindictmenthasbeenfiledbeforetheColomboHigh Court against four suspects, including a Sri

Lanka Customs' Additional Director and a Wharf Executive, for aiding and abetting two persons to
provideaGPSunittotheLTTEonJuly30,2007,according to Daily News.TheAttorney General
filed indictment against the Sri Lanka Customs Additional Director Indra Sarath Balasooriya and
Wharf Executive Rajendran Yogarajah for aiding and abetting Roy Manoj Kumar Samadanam and
hiswifeRidmaRoshaniSelamban to provide a GPS unit to the LTTE.According to the statement
made by Samadanam, a Sri Lankan expatriate in Canada when he came to Sri Lanka he was
introduced to the LTTE by a friend. Then he was asked by the LTTE to help them to bring
telecommunicationequipmentfromSingaporeandMalaysia.Hefurtherstatedthatlater Muhundan
andSinawaninSingaporesentgoodsfromSingapore.Hegotthemreleasedandsentthemtothe
LTTE.Theindictmentincludesproductionsofthreeboxes,fourradarsets,fourradarantennas,150
VHFmobilephones.
October29
The Government hopes to resettle majority of the war displaced Tamils by January 2010, assured
the Minister of Disaster Management and Human Rights, Mahinda Samarasinghe, amidst rising
pressure from the US and other western nations to send the Tamils home. "The Government has
consistently maintained that Internally Displaced Persons will be screened and released in a
structuredandwellmanagedmanner,"heMinistersaid."Wearehopefulofachievingourtargetof
resettlingamajorityofIDPsby31Januarynextyear,"headded.
TheResettlementandDisasterReliefMinister,RishadBathiudeen,saidofthetotalnumberofIDPs
inthenorthnumbering2.85lakh,nearlyonelakhpeoplehavebeensentbackhome. He also said
oneofmainconstraintsinresettlingtheIDPsintheirhometownsorvillageswasthetimetakento
clearthelandminesinthoseareas.
November1
The Government is seeking access to a group of Sri Lankan Tamils detained in Canada following
intelligence reports that some of them are LTTE cadres. The suspected LTTE cadres, including
someofthosebelievedtobeinvolvedinthegroup'sclandestineshippingoperations,werearrested
recently while approaching the Canadian coast in a LTTEoperated ship. An unnamed senior
Government spokesman told The Sunday Island that representations had been made to the
Canadian High Commission in Colombo in this regard. He said that the Sri Lankan mission in
Canada,too,calledforaccesstothedetaineesasthiswouldhelpSriLankanintelligenceservices
totrackdownremainingLTTEoperativesbasedabroad.AnintelligenceofficialsaidtheCanadians
havebeenfullybriefedofthepresenceofLTTEcadresonboardtheseizedvessel.
November4
A Singaporean opposition party member will be extradited to the United States (US) and tried for
allegedlytryingtosupplyarmstotheLTTE,officialsinSingaporesaid.
The defeat of the LTTE had ended the insurgency but they remained a terrorist group that "could
72/81
4/30/2016
potentiallyhaveasignificantimpactonCanada,"saidtheRCMPCommissionerWilliamElliott.The
Cambodianregistered Ocean Lady arrived in Canadian waters on October 17 and the Canadian
Police and its immigration officials have been investigating the identities and backgrounds of its
humancargo.
Chinese arms consignments for the LTTE had been moved overland to North Korea across the
ChinaNorth Korea border before being transferred to the outfits floating warehouses on the high
seasclosetoIndonesia,foraboutadecade,TheIsland reported. Sources also said that Kumaran
Pathmanathan alias KP had established the ChineseNorth Korean route though the slain LTTE
chief Velupillai Prabhakaran replaced him with another person subsequently identified as Castro.
The Japanese Government, too, investigated the North Korean link. Japanese investigators had
visited Colombo and met with senior Defence Ministry and intelligence services officials in
connectionwiththeirinvestigation,sourcessaid.SourcesfurthersaidthattheLTTEhadobtaineda
considerableamountofweaponsofEastEuropeanorigin,too,andsmuggledthemtonortheastern
SriLanka.
A high profile US investigation had revealed that the LTTE had capacity to carry out midsea
transfer about 200 nautical miles off Sri Lanka. Top LTTE representatives, including foreign
nationals,whohadnegotiatedwithundercoverUSagentsposingoffasarmsagentssaidthatwhat
they paid for, should be delivered to LTTE ships about 200 nautical miles off Sri Lanka. Millions
worth of arms, ammunition and equipment captured by Sri Lanka consisted mainly of Chinese
weapons,includingarangeofartillerypieces,sourcesadded.
The Resettlement and Disaster Relief Services Minister Rishard Bathiudeen announced that the
resettlementof50percentoftheIDPswhowereinthewelfarevillagesintheNorthernProvinceto
their former homes was a major success for the Government. The number of IDPs had now been
reducedto150,000fromtheoriginaltotalof280,000.
November5
RajeevaWijesingha,secretaryintheministryofdisastermanagementandhumanrights,saidthat
theLTTEmayhavehadlinkswiththeCPIMaoistinIndia.
LawyersfortheFederalGovernmentinCanadarevealedthatatleasttwoofthe76menwhocame
toCanadaillegallyonOctober17arecadresoftheLTTE.
PresidentMahindaRajapaksesaidthat the LTTE deprived the freedom of Muslim community who
coexistpeacefullywithothercommunitiesinJaffna,VavuniyaandMannarDistricts.
November6
ThePrimeMinister(PM)RatnasiriWickramanayakatoldtheParliamentthattheSFshadbeenable
to remove landmines in an area extending to four million square metres in the Northern Province
(NP).
The Government reiterated its commitment to complete the ongoing resettlement of the conflict
displaced civilians in the North by the end of January 2010. According to the Government has
alreadyresettled119,687IDPsintheirownvillagesduringthelastfewmonths.Theexactfigureof
internally displaced persons to be resettled now is 143,534. Minister Samarasinghe stressed that
theywillcompletethisresettlementprocessonorbeforethe31stofJanuary2010.
Andrej Mahecic, spokesman for the office of the UNHCR said that the resettlement of IDPs is
continuingatarapidpaceandaboutathirdofthosedisplacedduringtheconflictinSriLankahave
returnedhomeoverthepastthreemonths."Some90,000internallydisplacedpeoplehavereturned
totheirvillagesinSriLankasnorthandeastoverthepastthreemonths,undertheongoingreturn
plan of the Sri Lankan government," he informed, adding, these include 39,000 people who have
headedhomeinthelasttwoweeks"aspartofthegovernmentseffortstoacceleratetheprocess".
November8
SriLankaGovernmentsnubbedmovesbytheLTTEremnantstoholdapollinApril2010toelect
members to its socalled transitional Government, saying this was another futile attempt to revive
the terror organisation.The Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama told Sunday Observer that their
(LTTE) declared Governmentinexile was a myth and so is the move to hold a poll as announced
onNovember5bytheUSbasedLTTE proxy Visuvanathan Rudrakumaran. Earlier, Rudrakumaran
said the poll will be conducted among the Diaspora community to elect members for what they
calledtheProvisionalTransnationalGovernmentofTamilEelam(PTGTE).
November9
TheLTTEsEasternProvinceleaderRam,whohadescapedfromtheArmy,wasrearrested.
TheLTTEinapressstatementissuedwelcomedallthecurrentdemocraticmovesintheDiaspora,
suchasreferendumonVaddukkoaddaiResolution,CountryCouncilsandTransnationalGovernment
and said that even if one of the efforts is at shortfall, it will affect all the others. "These are
democraticeffortsforwhichpeoplehavetakenovertheleadershiptogaintheirpoliticalaspirations
and while welcoming them the LTTE requests that they should be accomplished with full
participation of people," said the statement addressed LTTE headquarters. "It is now a historical
73/81
4/30/2016
duty of allTamils to firmly tell the whole world that what they desire is independent and sovereign
TamilEelamandtheyhavetheirhomeland,nationalismandtherighttoselfdeterminationtoclaim
it,"thestatementfurthersaid.
November10
TheGovernmenthastakenmeasuresto expand facilities at existing rehabilitation centres and set

up another seven centres to speed up the rehabilitation process, Government sources said. 14
rehabilitationcentresareinoperationcurrentlyandwiththenewadditionsthenumberwillincrease
to 21.According to the Government, 11,000 child soldiers of the LTTE are under the protection of
the troops. The excombatants receive education and vocational training at the rehabilitation
centres. Justice Minister Milinda Moragoda visited the rehabilitation centre at Thampamaduwa in
VavuniyaandsaidtheGovernmentintendstomaketheformercombatantsskilledprofessionalsin
variousfieldsandutilizetheirsupportforthedevelopmentofthecountry.
November12
SriLankasChiefofDefenceStaff(CDS),SarathFonseka,whoasArmyChiefledthewaragainst
the LTTE, sent in his resignation letter to President Mahinda Rajapakse, possibly to join politics.
SourcesinthePresidentialSecretariatsaidRajapaksewouldaccepttheresignationwitheffectfrom
December1.
November14
Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapakse said in capital Colombo that it was important to develop
good relations with India to defeat the LTTE politically in the international arena and prevent its
recrudescence. He said that though the LTTE had been defeated militarily, it was politically active
overseas. Some military cadres who had escaped were also active, he added. "Their vast
international networks of sympathisers and criminal associates who funded and facilitated their
separatist ambitions are still operating outside Lanka," Gotabaya said. In this context, it was
importanttodeveloptieswithothercountries,especiallyIndia,hesaid."Therelationshipdeveloped
overthepastfouryearswithourclosestally,India,helpedusinourwaragainstterrorism.Having
their support helped reduce the pressure by other nations, allowing us to proceed with our
humanitarian operations. It is important that we strengthen this relationship further in the years to
come,"Rajapaksefurthersaid.
November16
TheSriLankaGovernmentreleased20LTTEsuspectswhohadbeenarrestedunderthePrevention
ofTerrorismAct.The Prison Commissioner General, Major General V. R. De Silva, told the media
that 20 LTTE suspects have been released on the advice of the Attorney General's Department
after dismissing their cases due to lack of evidence. This was the second occasion that the
Government has released LTTE suspects due to a lack of evidence. The Government released
anothergroupof26LTTEsuspectsinOctober2009.Accordingtotheprisonchief,nearly600LTTE
suspectsarestillincustody,
The two LTTE cadres who were arrested by Police in Vavuniya were found to have links with the
abductionof a youth and demanding SLR .500000 as ransom, the Senior Superintendent of Police
(SSP),I.M.Karunaratnesaid.A17yearoldwasabducted byunidentifiedsuspectsinVavuniyaon
September 21 and the abductors demanded SLR 500000 ransom from the family. "It was reported
that the family members have paid Rs. 100,000 as an initial payment to the abductors. The
suspectshavespentallthemoney",theSSPadded.Asreportedearlier,PolicearrestedtwoLTTE
suspectsinVavuniyaonNovember11.
November18
Ensuring the free movement of civilians from North to South, the Government announced that
securityclearanceisnolongerarequirementforJaffnacivilianstoreachColombovialandroutes.
November20
The new LTTE leaderships plan to form a PTGTE came a cropper when about 90 percent of the
Tamil Diaspora members showed their contempt by abstaining from voting for the proposed outfit.
Nediyavan, who succeeded Kumaran Pathmanathan alias KP as the new LTTE leader, was in for
total disappointment when Tamils in Norway rejected his leadership on November 15. The Norway
basedLTTEleaderdecidedtoholdthefirstphaseofPTGTEelectioninNorwayitselfhopingfora
resounding victory to force Oslo to recognise the separatist outfit. But only 2,667 out of a total of
27,000TamilsinNorwayvoted.TheLTTEcandidate lostandVijayaShankar,anIndianTamilfrom
ChennaicapitalofsouthernIndianStateofTamilnaducamefirstwith1,864votes.
ThePoliceuncoveredafreshplotbytheTamilDiasporatocarryoutamassivebombattackinthe
capitalcityofColombo.TherecentarrestofAnandaVarnan,a topLTTEmilitant,inVavuniyabya
special Police team has revealed the planned attack. The Police had also recovered a powerful
bomb which was to be used in the attack, a senior Police official told The Island, adding, that
Varnan had received SLR 30,000 from his masters based in Malaysia to carry out the operation.
Accordingtohim,thePolicehadswoopeddownonthesuspectafterreceivinginformationregarding
apersonlookingforseveraldetonators.Underinterrogation,thesuspecthadledinvestigatorstoa
sevenkilogramsclaymoremineandaremotecontrollerinanLTTEhideout.
ThePolicesaidthatthesuspecthadplannedtotriggeraclaymoreattackinthecityinthenextfew
days. The suspect had admitted that he had obtained the remote controller from a shop in
74/81
4/30/2016
Vavuniya. The suspect had escaped from an internally displaced person (IDP) facility in the
Vavuniya area after he was brought to the Vavuniya Hospital to receive medical treatment.
Investigators said that Varnan had been involved in a series of bomb attacks in the city and its
suburbsoveraperiodoftime.
November23
President Mahinda Rajapakse ordered a fresh Presidential election, possibly in the second half of
January2010,twoyearsaheadofhistenure."PresidentMahindaRajapakseproclaimedthathewill
seek a fresh mandate as per constitutional provision and this has been duly gazetted (Gazette
Notification No. 1629/8/20091123)," Secretary to the President told www.news.lk after midnight on
November 23. Under the Constitution, the President can call a Presidential election once the
incumbentcompletesfouryearsofthesixyearterm.
AcourtinFrancesentenced20 outof21LTTEmilitantswhowereaccusedofextortingmillionsof
EurosfromtheTamilcommunityinFrancetoprisonterms,reports Colombo Page.An AFP report
saidtheleaderofthegroup Nadaraja Matinthiran has been sentenced to seven years in prison for
extorting USD 7.4 million (5 million Euros) as taxes from the Tamil community living in Paris and
other surrounding areas to finance the LTTE terrorist activities in Sri Lanka. The other 19
defendantsweresentencedtosixyearorlesswhileonewasacquitted.Thecourtalsoorderedthat
the Coordinating Committee of TamilsFrance be dismantled after ruling that it was a front for the
LTTE,AFPreported.
AccordingtothereportmostofthesuspectswerearrestedinApril2007andchargedwithcriminal
conspiracy to commit acts of terrorism, financing of terrorism or racketeering to finance terrorism.
FrenchprosecutorssaidtheTigersimposeda"revolutionarytax"ontheTamilimmigrantstoFrance
mostofwhomwerepoliticalrefugeeslivinginParisandneighbouringareas.
November23
AcourtinFrance sentenced20outof21LTTEmilitantswhowereaccusedofextortingmillionsof
EurosfromtheTamilcommunityinFrancetoprison terms,reportsColomboPage.AnAFPreport
saidtheleaderofthe group Nadaraja Matinthiran has been sentenced to seven years in prison for
extorting USD 7.4 million (5 million Euros) as taxes from the Tamil community living in Paris and
other surrounding areas to finance the LTTE terrorist activities in Sri Lanka. The other 19
defendantsweresentencedtosixyearorlesswhileonewasacquitted.Thecourtalsoorderedthat
the Coordinating Committee of TamilsFrance be dismantled after ruling that it was a front for the
LTTE.
AccordingtothereportmostofthesuspectswerearrestedinApril2007andcharged with criminal
conspiracy to commit acts of terrorism, financing of terrorism or racketeering to finance terrorism.
FrenchprosecutorssaidtheTigersimposeda"revolutionarytax"ontheTamilimmigrantstoFrance
mostofwhomwerepoliticalrefugeeslivinginParisandneighbouringareas.
A Jane's Intelligence Review report inAugust 2007 said the LTTE's profit margin was some USD
200to300millionperyear.
November25
The Canadian officials have found more traces of explosives on Princess Easwary which brought
76SriLankanTamilstoCanadainOctober,CanadaBorder ServicesAgency revealed.The traces
of RDX, which is used to make plastic explosives, especially for military has been found in three
separate compartments of the ship, sources further added. Residues of another two types of
explosiveshavealsobeendiscoveredon clothing of two migrants and they have been taken in to
the custody by Canadian immigration officials.The Canadian terrorist experts have alleged that at
leasttwoofthembelongtotheLTTE.
According to the Sri Lanka's Defense Ministry sources the Princess Easwary belongs to Ravi
ShankarKanagarajahaliasShangili,amostwantedtransnationalterroristcumkingpinofoverseas
based human trafficking and illegal arms smuggling activist. The ship is an LTTE floating
warehouseextensivelyusedinhumansmugglingandgunrunningactivities,thereportadded.
November26
The Government said that all the displaced civilians from Jaffna who were in the camps have
returnedtotheiroriginalhomesandtherewillbenomoreInternallyDisplacedPersons(IDPs)from
Jaffna in the Manik farm welfare village in Vavuniya. According to the Ministry of Rehabilitation,
Resettlement and Refugees a total of 59,475 IDPs have been removed from welfare centers in
Vavuniya,Mannar,Trincomalee(Pulmoddai)fortheirresettlementinJaffna."Asaresultthenumber
of IDPs in Vavuniya District had come down to 121,617 as at 25 November," the Secretary to the
Ministry of Rehabilitation and Resettlement, U.L.M. Haldeen said. The Ministry Secretary said all
the displaced from Batticaloa, Trincomalee and Ampara have been completely resettled now and
they are returning to normalcy with their lives. The Government has taken measures to allow the
remaining IDPs more freedom of movement from December 1, and the welfare villages would be
openvillages,Haldeennoted.
November27
A senior Police officer said that around 350 LTTE cadres, who had taken refuge among ordinary
75/81
4/30/2016
IDPsincamps,havebeenarrestedbythePolice,amongwhichwerearound50femalecadres.He
said that among those arrested were those who had been trained in handling explosives, guerrilla
warfareandinhandlingheavyweapons.Inordertodetainterrorsuspects,aspecialcamphasbeen
set up at Pampemadu in Vavuniya District to accommodate the increased numbers, the security
sourcessaid.
The Presidential Election will be held on January 26, 2010, announced Elections Commissioner
Dayananda Dissanayake. Nominations will be accepted from 9.00am (SLST) to 11.00am on
December17.ThiswillbethecountrysfifthPresidentialpolltoelectthesixthExecutivePresident.
The 2008 electoral register will be used for the election with a total number of 14,088,500 persons
eligible to vote. President Mahinda Rajapakse, who is the incumbent in office, decided to go for a
PresidentialelectionthoughhistermofofficeexpiresonlytwoyearslaterinNovember2011.
December1
The Government of Sri Lanka seized three LTTE ships overseas and is in the process of bringing
themtothecountry,anewsreportrevealed.TheshipsareexpectedtoarriveinColombosoon,The
IslandsaidinareportonDecember2.Allinformationwithregardtotheshipshadbeendisclosed to
the SFs by the recently arrested LTTE's chief arms procurer Kumaran Pathmanathan alias KP.
Interpol has helped the SFs to act on information provided by KP, sources said. The ships were
known to have been utilized for transportation of arms, ammunition, and human smuggling in the
pastbytheoverseasLTTEoutfit.
Sri Lanka Navy has taken charge of the three vessels and they are expected to reach Sri Lankan
waters under tight security during the next couple of weeks, the report said, quoting highly placed
Government officials. Sources have refused to divulge further information. Information about local
contacts of the LTTE, provided by KP, was being verified, sources added. The seizure is
consideredasthefirststepintheGovernment'sendeavourtoconfiscateLTTE'soverseasassets.
Sri Lanka Navy managed to destroy 10 LTTE vessels during war time which had been engaged in
armssmuggling.
December2
The Government will take over all the LTTE property and assets in the possession of individuals
and groups in Sri Lanka and abroad. The LTTE has 14 ships, five of them belonging to the self
appointed LTTE chief Kumaran Pathmanathan alias KP now in custody.Addressing the media at
theMediaCentreforNationalSecurity,DefenceAffairsspokesman MinisterKeheliyaRambukwella
saidtheGovernmentIntelligencehasidentifiedpropertiesoftheLTTEinvariouspartsoftheworld.
Action has been taken to confiscate these LTTE properties held by individuals and groups. "The
GovernmenthassoughttheAttorneyGeneralsadvicetotakeactiontotakeownershipoftheLTTE
properties,"headded.ItisknownthattheLTTEpossesses14shipsandfiveofthembelongedto
KP. The Government had taken steps to bring three ships belonging to KP. "More than 600
accountsofKPwerefrozenbytheGovernmentanditis intheprocessofprobingLTTEfinancing
channels,"theMinisteradded.
December4
Disaster Management and Human Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe said that a total of
169,938IDPshavebeenresettledintheirnativeplaceswithina short period providing them along
with the provision of health, shelter, sanitary, education cooperative, water, electricity and other
facilities in their villages, reports Daily News. "As a result of the speedy resettlement program the
number of IDPs in welfare villages has come down to 112,062 from 282,000," the Minister told a
mediabriefingonDecember4.MostprobablybyDecember31theGovernmentwillresettlealarge
number of IDPs out of the remaining or else complete resettlement activities, Minister
Samarasingheadded.Atpresent105,664IDPsareinVavuniya, 1,738IDPsinJaffna,2,298IDPs
in Trincomalee. Approximately 2,360 IDPs are receiving treatment in several hospitals. A total
numberof112,062IDPsareyettoberesettled.
December6
A Marxist group of Tamil militants with connections to the Palestinian Liberation Organisation and
CubaispreparingtomountanewinsurgencyinSriLanka.ThePeoplesLiberationArmy(PLA)was
foundedineasternSri Lanka inAugust and has vowed to launch attacks against Government and
military targets unless its demands for a separate Tamil homeland are met. "This war isnt over
yet," Commander Kones, head of the PLAs Eastern District military command, told The Times
during a night meeting in a safe house in the east of the country last week. "There has been no
solutionforTamilssincethedestructionoftheLTTE[LiberationTigersofTamil Eelam] in May. So
wehavebuiltandorganisedthePLAandare readytoactsoon.Ouraimisademocraticsocialist
liberationofthenortheastforaTamilEelam[thedesiredTamilstate]."
KonessaidthathehadnointentionoftryingtoemulatetheLTTEsstyleofwarfare,but suggested
a more asymmetric strategy involving attacks by widely dispersed PLA cells. However, he added
thathistargetswouldincludeeconomicandadministrativecentres,aswellasmilitaryforces.Other
PLAinsiderssaidthatoneoftheirlikely firstfightswouldbewithgroupsofformerLTTEcadresled
byColonelKaruna[KarunasplitfromtheLTTEranksin2004andlaterjoinedtheGovernment,but
stillholdsinfluenceineasternSriLanka.]"Wearegettingstrongerbytheday,muchstrongerthan
anyothergroup,"Konessaid,adding,"Thedayofactionisclose."
76/81
4/30/2016
December7
The Palestinian Ambassador in Sri Lanka, Anwar Al Agha, denied reports that a link exists
between the Peoples Liberation Organization (PLO) in Palestine and a new Tamil armed group
calledthePeoplesLiberationArmy(PLA)intheEastofSriLanka,accordingtoDailyMirror.Agha
said that he was not even aware of the existence of such a group, and that it is not possible for
such ties to exist. His observations follow a report which appeared in The Times hinting that an
organization called the Peoples LiberationArmy (PLA) in the East of Sri Lanka had the support of
thewellknownPLO,whoareactiveinPalestine,aswellasanothercountry."Wehave had strong
ties with the legitimate Government of Sri Lanka and have supported the Government in defeating
terrorismandstillsupporttheGovernmentintheirefforts,"heemphasized.
Sri Lanka Government spokesman for National Security and Defence Minister Keheliya
Rambukwella speaking to Daily Mirror said that the country was on a reconciliation course and as
such it was likely that groups of this nature would exist and added that the matter would be dealt
with"politicallyandadministratively".MilitaryspokesmanBrigadierUdayaNanayakkarastatedthat
amatterofthisnatureneededtobebackedbysubstantialevidence.
December8
SriLankaParliamentextendedStateofEmergencyforanothermonthwithamajorityof74votes.
The Sri Lanka Navy brought three LTTE ships to the Sri Lankan waters. Sources toldThe Island
that the Government had taken custody of the vessels following negotiations with foreign officials
subsequent to information provided by the new LTTE leader Kumaran Pathmanthan alias KP, who
hadbeeninchargeoftheLTTEarmsprocurementnetwork.
TheTNAsaidthat apoliticalsolutionbasedonfederalismwasforemostamongtheirconditions for
supporting either of the two main candidates at the presidential election. The TNA leader R.
Sampanthan has already held negotiations with President Mahinda Rajapakse and General Sarath
Fonseka, but the party has not yet to decided on its final stand. Besides, the party, which has 22
Member of Parliaments (MPs) , has also asked for the speedy resettlement of the displaced
civilians,thescalingdownoftroopsstationedintheJaffnapeninsula,theremovalofHighSecurity
ZonesandthewithdrawalofplanstosetupmilitarycampsintheWanniarea.
Suresh Premachandran, the partys MP for the Jaffna District told Daily Mirror that his party was
awaiting responses from the two main presidential hopefuls on their stands regarding a political
solution to the Tamil national question. Premachandran said that neither of them appeared to be
clear about his position in this respect. "Troops continue to occupy certain public places in Jaffna
and some hotels.They have to be removed immediately so that the people can live normal lives.
We do not mind these troops being there if they are confined to barracks. Demilitarisation should
take place in the post war era.Today, we see the IDPs being resettled in an ad hoc manner. The
government does not have a proper road map for the resettlement," he added. Asked for his
comments on the progress of the negotiations between the TNA and the main presidential
candidates,Premachandransaidthattherehadbeensomepositiveresponses.
December9
Authoritativesources said that the three ships were believed to be among the LTTEfleetthatwas
targeted by the SLN during September 2006 October 2007 period. The SLN destroyed eight
vesselsinfourseparateoperationsonthehighseas.
The Government said that most of the people associated with the LTTE now held in detention will
be released, ABC News reported on December 9. The secretary of the Ministry for Disaster
Management and Human Rights, Rajiva Wijesinha, said of the 11,000 LTTE cadres, only 200 are
beingcharged,adding,therestareinrehabilitationforeventualreturntosociety."Thevastmajority
we believe, even if they were involved in actual combat, were more people who were conscripted
andforcedtodoso,"headded."AndthentherearegirlswhoIthinkwerejustforcedintoarather
horrid life for a few months. I think that in the long run we believe very much that what you would
call real hardcore Tigers are extremely few," he further added, saying, most of the LTTE cadres
handedthemselvesin.
The Government said the process of returning people displaced by the conflict to their homes is
well under way and will be completed by the end of January 2010. It also claimed the 130,000
people remaining in refugee camps enjoy complete freedom of movement and can leave at any
time.
December11
Authorities in Thailand arrested five people, including a LTTE cadre, for producing and smuggling
morethan300fakeEUpassportsandotherofficialEuropeandocuments,officialssaid.Theysaid
Police seized from the group more than 300 bogus passports, produced in Thailand but made to
look like official documentation from 14 EU countries including Britain, France and Belgium. The
DepartmentofSpecialInvestigation(DSI)saidthesuspects,allarrestedsinceAugust 21,were32
77/81
4/30/2016
yearold Pakistani manAzad Said Giyani and a 35yearold Sri Lankan man, known to be a LTTE
cadre.A43yearoldThaiwomanwasarrestedforassistingthem.A38yearoldmanfromMyanmar
was arrested on suspicion of producing the passports and a 28yearold Thai woman is also being
heldforhelpinghim.
InastatementtheDSIsaidThaiauthoritieshadalsopickedupaBritishnational,Ahoor Rambarak
Fathi, at Bangkoks Suvarnabhumi Airport on September 27, 2009, carrying 104 stolen genuine
passports. Fathi, travelling under fake Swedish documents, had passports from Britain, Spain,
France,SwedenandRussia,thathadbeensmuggledintoThailand. "He (Fathi) confessed that he
hadtraffickedstolenpassportsintoThailandmorethan20times,"thestatementsaid.TheDSIsaid
Thailandisaknownhubforthetraffickingoffakeandstolenpassports.
December12
TheleaderofPLOTEsaidinapressmeetheldinthePLOTEofficeinJaffna,"Wearenotpreparing
ourselves to launch another armed struggle. The accusations that we had abducted minors from
Vavuniya camps are baseless." He further said that after the talks held with President Mahinda
Rajapaksehispartyhasdecidedtosupporthimintheforthcomingpresidentialelection,sourcesin
Jaffnasaid.
December13
31,148 eligible Eezham Tamil Diaspora voters over 18 in France participated this weekend in the
referendum to say yes or no to independent and sovereign Tamil Eelam and 30,936 of them said
yes,reportsLTTEWebsiteTamilNet.ThepostalvotespermittedtointeriorareasofFranceareyet
to be counted and is expected to be between 2,000 and 3,000. In the absence of any official
statistics, Police estimates earlier placed the number of adult Eezham Tamils in France between
25,000 and 35,000. The referendum was organised by the formation committee of the country
council of Eezham Tamils called "The House of Tamil Eelam," supported by 61 Eezham Tamil
organisations in France and two NGOs, Mouvement de la Paix (Movement for Peace) and
Mouvementcontreleracismeetpourl'amitientrelespeuples(MovementAgainstRacismandfor
FriendshipbetweenPeoples).
Financial Times, on a followup article to October coverage on young Tamils, said that while the
westerncrackdownontheLTTEsfinanciersamongtheDiaspora,hascreateddespondencyamong
this often wealthy migrant community, the "cluedup secondgeneration migrants were turning to
political lobbying," and that, "these young activists said the fight for Eelam, an independentTamil
homeland,wasfarfromover."
The CID arrested the Finance Division head of the TRO, a LTTE front organization, in Jaffna. He
wasarrestedbyaspecialteamofofficersinChunnakamwherehelivedwithhiswife.Priortohis
arresthehadlivedinawelfarecampinVavuniyaforafewmonthsandmovedtoChunnakamafew
weeksagoclaiminghiswifewaspregnant.ShehadworkedasaSamurdhianimatorinKilinochchi.
The suspect has admitted to his interrogators that he transferred millions of rupees to the LTTE
accounts from the TRO funds. He is alleged to have provided millions of rupees to the terrorist
organization for its war effort. Investigations have revealed that he provided TRO funds to slain
LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran, its Political Head S. Thamilselvan, Bhanu and several key
members. Military intelligence had earlier said there were at least 10,000 LTTE combatants and
activistsintheIDPcentres.Theyhadcrossedovertothearmyheldterrain duringthefinalstages
of the war on terror. Among them were family members of top LTTE leaders, including
Prabhakaransmotherandfather.
December14
Aparliamentarian fromtheTNAistocontestthepresidentialpollstobeheldin January 2010.The

ElectionSecretariatsourcessaidTNAJaffna parliamentarianM.K.Sivajilingampaidhisdepositto
contest the polls as an independent candidate. Sivajilingam earlier said that he will contest as an
independent candidate if theTNA does not a field a presidential candidate.The Jaffna Member of
Parliamentopposesbothcandidates,incumbentPresidentMahindaRajapakseandtheformerChief
ofDefenceStaffGeneralSarathFonseka.TheTNA,however,wasdividedonitsdecisionwhether
to support the two main candidates, or to field a contender from the party. Sivajilingam a leading
memberoftheTELO,wasanardentsupporterofthevanquishedterroristoutfitofLTTE.Duringthe
height of the war, he was in Chennai (India), after taking leave of absence from the Sri Lanka
ParliamentinOctober2008.
December18
Sri Lanka Transport Board recommenced the commuter transportation between Kandy and Jaffna
after a lapse of 26 years, Colombo Page reported. The first bus bound for Jaffna after the A9
highway was opened left the Kandy bus stand at 3am (SLST), the Chief Minister of the Central
Province Sarath Ekanayaka said. The commuter service between the two cities had been
suspended for 26 years due to the LTTE terrorism in the North. Early reservations of seats in the
KandyJaffnabusesareavailableforthecommuters.
December19
99.82 percent of 48,583 voters mandated independent and sovereign Tamil Eelam in the poll
conductedin31centresacrossCanada.
December21
Princess Chrisanta, a cargo vessel formerly belonging to the LTTE was acquired by the Navy. It
78/81
4/30/2016
December21
Princess Chrisanta, a cargo vessel formerly belonging to the LTTE was acquired by the Navy. It
was held in a foreign country and was acquired through information gained through the state
intelligence service, on a directive by President Mahinda Rajapakse and Defence Secretary
Gothabaya Rajapakse.The vessel was escorted into the Colombo harbor on December 21. It was
brought to the harbor by Navy tug boats Nandimitra and Vijayabahu. Six Navy personnel, led by
formerMediaSecretarytotheNavy,K.P.K.Dassanayaketookpartintheexercise.
It is believed that the vessel was to be used to aid the escape of LTTE leaders following heavy
losses in the war. It has the capacity to carry one light helicopter. This is the largest of the eight
LTTE vessels discovered or acquired by the Navy so far. The vessel, 90 meters in length and 16
metersindepthhasanenormouscargocapacityof5,000metrictons.
ThevesselwhichisnowapropertyoftheSriLankanNavywillbeusedinthefuturebytheNavyas
well as in the countrys development process. It is currently fully operational, needing only a few
minor adjustments. Navy Commander Vice Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe emphasized that the
LTTEhadastronginternationalshippingnetworkandreceivedmuchsupportfromforeigncountries.
Howeverfollowingthebattleoverterrorism,anincreasingnumberofcountrieshavedecidedto join
forceswithSriLankaandthissituationwouldcontinueinthefuture,hesaid.
The interview given by Sarath Fonseka to the Sunday Leader on December 13, 2009 wherein he
alleges that three LTTE leaders who came to surrender with white flags during the final stages of
thebattlewereshotdeadbygroundtroopshasopenedanUnitedNations(UN)probeinto possible
war crimes charges against the Heroic Forces. The UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial,
Summary or Arbitrary Executions Philip Alston in a letter to President Mahinda Rajapakse has
demanded an explanation regarding the allegations made by Fonseka that the Defense Secretary
has instructed the Commander of the 58th Brigade of the Sri Lanka Army to shoot those
surrendering.
The UN is inquiring particularly "the circumstances of the death of three representatives of the
LTTE Balasingham Nadeshan, Seevaratnam Pulidevan and Ramesh, as well as members of their
families,inthenightof17to18May,2009."Inhisletter,Alstonsaysthattheinformationthat he
has received are based on the allegations made by Sarath Fonseka in the above mentioned
interview.Healsosays"accountsofjournalistsembeddedwiththeSLA58thBrigadeconfirmsome
oftheallegedcircumstancesofthedeathsofNadeshan,PulidevanandRameshandtheirfamilies."
Referring to "fundamental legal rules applicable to all armed conflicts under international
humanitarian law and human rights law", particularlyArticle 5 of the Geneva Conventions of 1949,
the Special Rapporteur has inquired about the accuracy of the allegations and demanded
informationanddocumentaryproofintheeventthattheaccusationsareinaccurate.Theletteralso
seeksinformationonthefamilymembersofNadeshan,PulidevanandRamesh.
ThePresidentialSecretariatinareleasesaidtheGovernmentismakingacarefulstudy of the UN
Rapporteurs letter, prior to a formal response, and any action that may be necessary. The
Presidential Secretariat in a release said the Government is making a careful study of the UN
Rapporteursletter,priortoaformalresponse,andanyactionthatmaybenecessary.
ThreeSriLankanTamilsinMelbourneinAustraliaaretopleadguiltytochargesofprovidingmoney
totheLTTE.AruranVinayagamoorthy,35,SivarajahYathavan,38,andArumugamRajeevan,43,of
New South Walse, are to plead guilty to a single charge of providing money to the LTTE, their
lawyersinformedtheAustralianSupremeCourtonDecember21.
The Sri Lankan Government said that it has identified up to three former LTTE militants seeking
asylum inAustralia on a boat intercepted after a personal request from Kevin Rudd to Indonesia's
President.
In October, a boat carrying 255Tamil asylumseekers toAustralia was stopped by the Indonesian
navy.
December2324
The authority at Poonthotam detention camps in Vavuniya, Major Weerasekera, on December 23

saidthatmorethan35formerLTTEcadresdetainedinthecampweretobereleasedonDecember
24.TheytoldthereportersinPoonthotam thatthereare209detaineesand35amongthemwillbe
releasedonDecember24.SomeofthedetaineeswhoareinthecamphavebeenwiththeLTTEfor
justthreedayswhileothershavebeenforfewmonths.Howeverinotherrehabilitationcampsthere
are former LTTE combatants who have been with the LTTE for even for 24 years. Some of them
have been lieutenant colonels of the LTTE, according to the army. The detainees whom the
journalistsvisitedonDecember23aretrainedvocationalactivitiessuchasbeautyculture,tailoring,
Masonryandsewing.
December25
A Singapore opposition party member has been extradited to the US where he stands accused of
tryingtosupplyarmstotheLTTE.BalldevNaidu,47,abusinessmanandcofounderoftheReform
79/81
4/30/2016
Party,wasextraditedonDecember18,theStraitsTimesnewspapersaidquotingtheHomeAffairs
Ministry.
ALTTEvesselrecentlyseizedandbroughttoColombobytheSriLankaNavyhadbeenamongfive
shipsacquiredbythegroupduringtheEelamWarIVthoughtheycouldnotbeusedatleastonceto
smuggleinweapons.
December27
The Government is planning to close down Menik Farm welfare camp in Vavuniya as soon as
possible, Human Rights and Disaster Management Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe said, adding,
thatallIDPsintheNorthernregionwillbebackintheirhomesbyJanuary31."Weareworkinghard
toresettlealltheIDPsbyJanuary31tomeetour180daydeadline.Atthemoment,thereareonly
about 80,000 IDPs in welfare camps," he added. Speaking to The Nation, Minister Samarasinghe
saidabout120,000IDPshadavailedthemselvesofthefreedomofmovementbyDecember17.Of
them,some80,000havereturnedtothewelfarecamps.Accordingtotheminister,thenumbershad
furthercomedownbytheeveningofDecember26withonly80,000personsremaininginthecamps
of which 72,000 had returned after visiting their relatives. "We are expediting the resettlement
process to ensure the closure of the welfare camps ahead of the deadline.At the same time, the
demining process is going ahead," he said. Referring to IDPs willingly returning to the camps, he
said, "This shows that the IDPs are satisfied with the conditions in the camps giving lie to the
media reports to the contrary. We do not propose to encourage those taking advantage of the
freedom of movement to return from December 1. They may come back the same day. They are
notrequiredeithertoreturnonthedateofreturntheyindicateintheirapplicationformswhich they
havetosubmitpriortoleavingthecamp.Theymaystaywherevertheylike,"headded.
December29
President Mahinda Rajapakse said when he came into power he introduced a people friendly
manifesto Mahinda Chinthana and told the public if it could be successfully implemented, the
benefitswouldbeforthewholecountry,DailyNewsreported."Peopleaccepteditandralliedround
uswithnewvigor.Weneverforgotourelectionpromises.TodayIhavecomeforwardforreelection
aftercompleting98percentofmypromises,"headded.
Governmentsaid that it has resettled over 173,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) within five
months in their native places. Addressing a media briefing at the Wanni Security Forces (SFs)
headquarters Wanni SFs commander and competent authority for IDPs Major general Kamal
GunarathnesaidasofDecember23rdonly108,573IDPsareremaining at the welfare villages out
of over 280,000 displaced civilians received by the security forces. The Commander said the
resettlement is not an easy task.The Government resettles 1,000 IDPs in their own villages on a
dailybasisimmediatelyaftertheareasareclearedofmines.Hesaidthedangerousinmates have
beenseparatedandsentforrehabilitationawayfromtheregularIDPsaccordingtoUNregulations.
Demining officials, meanwhile, say the demining process is difficult in the northern region as the
LTTE have mined the areas in an unpredictable pattern which is hindering the resettlement of the
IDPsbythedeadlineattheendofJanuary."ThereisnosetpatternoflandmineslaidbytheLTTE
landmines and we confront with various challenges," Major K. Raju, an expert of the Swiss
Foundation for Mine Action (FSD) told Indian reporters recently. According to Major Raju whose
team is involved in demining activities in northwestern Mannar District, the unpredictable
landmines pattern, poor visibility because of thick jungles in the terrain was slowing the demining
progress.
The Government despite having given a pledge to resettle all the displaced people by the end of
January2010saidthattherewasnodeadlinefortheresettlementoftheInternallyDisplacedPeople
(IDPs) who were in the camps in Vavuniya. Disaster Management and Resettlement
MinisterSamarasinghetoldDailyMirrorOnlinethatnosuchassurancesweregivenearlier."Wedid
not promise to complete the resettling process on a particular date. However, the Government is
working hard towards completing the process as soon as possible," he said. He said around
100,000IDPsstillremaininthecampswhilst20,000havebeengrantedfreedomofmovementfrom
the camps. The Minister said the Government had organized go and see visits for the IDPs to
enable them to visit their homes and allow them to decide if they wished to remain in their home
towns or otherwise. "If they want to return to their homes, then they may. However, if they wish
otherwisewewillmakeotherarrangementforthem,"headded.MinisterSamarasinghesaidthat he
couldnotcommentonwhatwouldhappentothecampsoncealltheIDPswereresettled,butsaid
thatthepermanentstructuresoncevacantwouldmostlikelybeutilised.
December31
SriLankanauthoritieshavedecidedtoliftthenighttimecurfewimposedinJaffnafrom.Governorof
the Northern Province Major General G. A. Chandrasiri said that the curfew will be lifted
fromJaffnaasthenormalcyhasreturnedtothepeoples'livesandthetravelingonA9ispermitted.
ThecurfewwillbeliftedontheadviceofDefenceSecretaryGotabhayaRajapakseandChairmanof
the Uthuru Wasanthaya Task Force, Senior Presidential Advisor and Parliamentarian Basil
Rajapakse.
80/81
4/30/2016
81/81

Srilanka Timeline 2009

Hochgeladen von

Dokumentinformationen

Originalbeschreibung:

Copyright

Verfügbare Formate

Dieses Dokument teilen

Dokument teilen oder einbetten

Freigabeoptionen

Stufen Sie dieses Dokument als nützlich ein?

Sind diese Inhalte unangemessen?

Copyright:

Verfügbare Formate

Srilanka Timeline 2009

Hochgeladen von

Copyright:

Verfügbare Formate

4/30/2016

TheVoiceofTigers,'officialradio'oftheLTTE, said on March 1 that the Sri Lankan armed forces

ThemilitantsopenedfireandkilledthreeIDPsand injured two others when they were escaping to

ThecontinuingclashesbetweentroopsandLTTEresulted in the death of a number of militants in

93LTTEmilitantswerekilledinfierceclasheswith the SFs in the Puthukkudiyiruppu east area of

TheSLAshellingtargetingIraddaivaaykkaal and Mullivaaykkaal areas inside the NFZ in Mullaitivu

conclusionandthattroopswereinstructedtoendtheuseofheavyweaponswhich could harm the

Troops in the Karaiyamullivaikal, Vellamullivaikkal, Udayarukattukulam and Vavunavillu areas of

The National Integration Minister, Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan alias KarunaAmman, is reported

ALTTTEleader,Keenan,andhis deputy,Kannawan,werearrestedbytheAntiTerroristUnitof the

Anotherlargestockofjewellerydeposited by civilians at the LTTEs "Eelam Bank" was recovered

TheGovernmenthascompletedtheprofiles of over 10,000 former LTTE combatants who are now

A USbased hedgefund billionaire charged as part of an insidertrading case was investigated by

AnindictmenthasbeenfiledbeforetheColomboHigh Court against four suspects, including a Sri

TheGovernmenthastakenmeasuresto expand facilities at existing rehabilitation centres and set

Aparliamentarian fromtheTNAistocontestthepresidentialpollstobeheldin January 2010.The

The authority at Poonthotam detention camps in Vavuniya, Major Weerasekera, on December 23

Das könnte Ihnen auch gefallen