Eastern Province (NA): Timeline (Terrorist Activities) -2007

A group of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) cadres fleeing from the Thoppigala area across Galmitiyawa in the Trincomalee district were confronted by troops on the Trincomalee-Habarana main road on August 1, according to Sri Lanka army reports. Three of them were killed and an unspecified number of them wounded in the incident. During a subsequent search operation in the area, troops recovered the dead bodies of three LTTE cadres along with five T-56 weapons. Read less...

Meanwhile, security forces (SFs) recovered a sophisticated Thermo Baric weapon left behind by the fleeing LTTE cadres in the Verugal area of Trincomalee district, according to Colombo Page. Thermo baric weapons, banned in warfare for its deadly effects, function by first expelling a cloud of explosive mist using a small charge, then igniting it with a second charge. The weapons create a huge pressure wave which effectively destroys almost everything within minutes. During a search operation, the military was able to find this weapon along with three disposable rocket propelled grenades, 1,250 rounds of 5.6-mm x 22 LR ammunition, 5,300 rounds of 5.56-mm x 45 ammunition and 2,130 rounds of pistol bullets. Read less...

Separately, troops confronted a group of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) cadres in the Palampattar area of Trincomalee district and killed at least one of them, according to Sri Lanka Army reports. While one soldier sustained injuries in the incident, troops recovered one multi purpose machine gun and one T-56 weapon from the incident site. Read less...

SFs also recovered an ant-aircraft missile, a large stock of T-56 weapons, claymore mines, mortar bombs, anti-personnel mines (APMs), ammunition rounds and other warlike items during search operations in the Thoppigala, Motagala and Meeyankolla areas on July 30. The seizure included, one Multi Purpose Machine Gun (MPMG), one shot gun, fourteen T-56 weapons and three APMs, six-hundred and forty seven 60-mm mortar bombs, seven 120-mm mortar bombs, one 120-mm mortar bipod, nineteen 120-mm mortar aimers, four hundred and ninety-seven 82-mm mortar bombs, one 40-mm grenade launcher, 27 claymore mines, one MPMG Bipod, 36-kgs of C-4 explosives, 200-kgs of TNT explosives, two pressure mines, 85 Banglore torpedoes, four MPMG ammunition boxes and 19 ammunition boxes. Read less...

Army troops recovered 21 anti-personnel mines, two rocket propeller guns, two rocket propeller gun chargers and 510 rounds of T-56 ammunition hidden under a shrub from the general area of Vakarai in the Batticaloa district on August 2. Read less...

On the same day, troops conducting search and clear operations in the Mudagala area of Batticaloa district recovered one disposable RPG, one claymore mine, two firing devices, two T-56 weapons, 2250 rounds of T-56 ammunition, fifty two detonators and 11 claymore mine remote controllers. Read less...

The Special Task Force (STF) personnel launched an attack on a group of armed Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) cadres hiding in the jungle area of Kanchikudichchiaru in the Ampara district on August 4 and killed six of them, according to Sri Lanka Army reports. One STF officer was injured in the incident. During a subsequent search operation in the area, STF personnel recovered one T-56 light machine gun (LMG), two T-56 weapons, 460 rounds of T-56 ammunition, one T-56 magazine, three LMG drums and magazines, one 80 links with bullets, eight T-56 LMG 25 links, five live hand grenades, one claymore mine, one LTTE uniform, two webbing sets, 105 multi purpose machine gun (MPMG) ammunition, one MPMG ammunition box, five 81-mm para bombs, one Rocket Propeller Gun bomb and two 81 mm bombs. Read less...

Elsewhere, on August 5, Special Task Force personnel recovered four hand grenades, two T-56 magazines, seventy T-56 ammunition rounds and a webbing kit from the Palugamam area. Read less...

Meanwhile, troops recovered two T-56 weapons during a search operation in the Panmedawachchiya area of Trincomalee district. Elsewhere, troops recovered one more T-56 weapon and two LTTE packs from the Pankulama area. Read less...

Separately, troops conducting search and clear operations in the Thoppigala area of Batticaloa district recovered twenty one thousand T-56 ammunition, four SFG 87 hand grenades and one C-1 Argus hand grenade at Narakamulla on August 6. Read less...

Meanwhile, in an e-mailed statement, LTTE military leader Ilanthirayan claimed that the outfit has killed four police commandoes in an hour-long battle in the Ampara district, according to Associated Press. Read less...

Naval troops conducted a clearing operation in the Sambalthivu area of Trincomalee district on August 7 and recovered a 40-mm grenade launcher, 14 live rounds of 40-mm grenades, a grenade, three T-56 magazines, 90 live ammunition, two claymore mines, one grenade pack and one belt order kit. Read less...

Separately, troops confronted a group of LTTE cadres in the Pankulama area of Trincomalee district on August 7 and killed two of them. They also recovered one T-56 assault rifle, one 40-mm grenade launcher, nine 40-mm rounds and two walkie-talkies from the area. Read less...

Further, 1000 live T-56 ammunition rounds were recovered by troops at Nevenagala. Read less...

Meanwhile, suspected Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) cadres opened fired on four transformers that distribute power to the Aliyadiwembu, Kolavil, Vammiady areas in the Akkaraipattu region of Ampara district on August 8. Read less...

On the same day, troops recovered 6750 live rounds of T-56 ammunition along with 17 anti personnel mines from the Thoppigala jungle in the Batticaloa district. Read less...

Separately, troops patrolling in the Ilandamodu area recovered one LTTE intercom base station radio set and its accessories from a jungle area. Read less...

The General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the 23rd Division in Batticaloa district has officially informed the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) that the Karuna group has to be disarmed for restoration of normalcy in the East, according to The Hindu. "The GOC told the SLMM it was a requirement to disarm the Karuna group in order to restore normalcy in the east," said the SLMM weekly report. The weekly report on the ground situation said that the SLMM was informed that the police would increase its forces from 2,000 to 4,000 officials in Ampara district and a new Army camp would be established in the Thoppigala area. Read less...

A day earlier, troops recovered one claymore mine, one anti-tank mine, two APMs, two T-56 weapons, three torpedoes and three partly-burnt T-56 weapons from the same location. Read less...

At Pulipanchikal, troops recovered 40 APMs. Read less...

Similarly, one T-56 weapon, two hand grenades, two T-56 magazines, one hundred T-56 ammunition rounds and a few other explosive fragments were recovered from the Kovilady area of Trincomalee district. Read less...

According to Sri Lanka Army reports, troops recovered eight gas bombs, 30 live rounds of pistol ammunition, 70 anti-personnel mine (APM) fuses, five area maps printed in Tamil and 200 rounds of Multi Purpose Machine Gun ammunition at Narakamulla in the Thoppigala area of Batticaloa district on August 10. Read less...

Further, on August 10, two claymore mines each weighing about 3-kgs and a length of detonator code was recovered by troops from the Valachchenai area. Read less...

Two T-56 weapons were recovered by troops from the Navenegala area. Read less...

In a similar incident, unidentified assailants shot dead a Muslim civilian, identified as Hyath Mohammed Mohammed Latheef, in the Baduriya area of Batticaloa district. Read less...

Tamil Net reports that unidentified assailants shot dead a Muslim religious leader, identified as Mawlawi Rafeek, at Ninthavoor in the Ampara district on August 11. Read less...

In a separate incident, three LTTE cadres were killed and 10 others injured in a encounter with the security forces (SFs) on August 12-night in the Pulmodai area. Brigadier Prasad Samarasinghe said that an army patrol detected a group of LTTE cadres moving towards the Pulmodai coastal area and "the Army laid an ambush and killed three LTTE cadres and injured 10 others". He added, "We now believe that the remaining stranded LTTE cadres in the jungle, North Trincomalee are attempting to flee towards Mullaitivu through the sea. Security Forces foiled these ground and sea attempts successfully." One soldier was killed in the incident. Read less...

SFs in the Kumburupiddi area confronted a group of LTTE cadres killing one of them on the spot. One T-56 weapon, four filled magazines, two hand grenades and one hand grenade saber set were recovered from the incident site. Read less...

The Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) foiled a Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) attempt to rescue its cadres trapped in the East killing six Sea-Tigers (cadres of the sea wing of the LTTE) and injuring several others in the sea off Pulmodai in Trincomalee district on August 13, reports Daily News. A LTTE boat was also completely destroyed in the attack launched after a Navy patrol detected two boats of the outfit in the sea off Pulmodai, said SLN spokesperson Commander D. P. K. Dassanayake. LTTE communication intercepts confirmed that six of the outfit’s cadres were killed and more than 10 others injured. Three sailors were injured in the clash. Read less...

Meanwhile, troops conducting search and clear operations in the Batticaloa district recovered 12 anti personnel mines, one claymore mine, 3750 rounds of T-56 ammunition in five boxes, one claymore charger, forty five of 60-mm mortar bombs, fifty four of 60-mm mortar bomb fuses, twenty four of 60-mm mortar cartridges, one 120-mm mortar collar, two hand grenades, 20 steel bicycle balls and one bottle of lubricant from the general areas (area under government control) of Mudagala, Mawadivembu, Wessibendagala and Mylanthanai. Read less...

The mastermind of the January 25, 1998-LTTE attack on the temple of the sacred tooth relic, Dalada Maligawa in Kandy, in which 12 devotees were killed and a part of the sacred temple was destroyed, was arrested by the Special Task Force on August 14. The most wanted LTTE cadre, Nawasiwayam Suwendirarasa a.k.a. Nithyanandan, was arrested from Palugamam area in the Ampara district. Read less...

On August 15, Vakarai police in Batticaloa district recovered 215-kg of C-4 explosive, 382 live rounds of T-56 ammunition, five rocket propeller gun rounds with five chargers, three hand grenades, four T-56 magazines, one pouch and a length of detonator code. Elsewhere, troops during a search operation in the Narakamulla recovered 8250 live rounds of T-56 ammunition packed in 11 boxes and 500 rounds of general purpose machine gun ammunition. Similarly, another group of soldiers in the same area recovered twenty 81-mm mortar bombs. Read less...

One Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) cadre was killed in an encounter with the troops in the jungles of Mollipothana in Trincomalee district on August 15-night, according to the Sri Lanka Army. A hand grenade and one dog tag were recovered from the incident site. A day later, one claymore mine weighing about 10-kgs, two hand grenades and an improvised explosive device was recovered from the same incident site. Read less...

Troops also recovered one pistol, one CDMA telephone and one cyanide capsule from the Vilankulama area in Trincomalee district. Read less...

On the same day, troops recovered two claymore mines, each weighing about 5-kg, along with some parts of a T-56 weapon from a jungle patch at Narakamulla in the Thoppigala area of Batticaloa district. Read less...

Elsewhere, during a cordon and search operation troops arrested two suspects along with two hand grenades in their possession at Alankerny. Read less...

On the same day, troops recovered ten micro pistols, 11 micro pistol magazines, three browning pistols with magazines, one rifle with silencer, 18 communication sets with 53 antennae, vehicle mounted communication equipment with antennae, 278 maps of some areas including Panama, Padiyatalawa, Ampara, Kalmunai, Mahaoya, Batticaloa, Wilpattu, Puttalam etc., one hundred and twenty four T-56 magazine pouches and one rocket propeller gun from the Aliyaodai area in Batticaloa district. Read less...

One cadre of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) who attempted to lob a hand grenade towards troops conducting a cordon and search operation at Mengamam in the Trincomalee district was shot dead by security forces on August 18, reports Sri Lanka Army. Read less...

Army troops on foot patrol in the Mahakallampattuwa and Palautthu areas in Trincomalee district recovered two locally-produced guns, one T-56 weapon, two T-56 magazines, 51 rounds of T-56 ammunition and two hand grenades. Read less...

Further, on August 19, troops also recovered 15 magazines, 20 military manuals translated into Tamil language, 135 video cassettes, 13 CDs and three audio cassettes from the Thoppigala area. Read less...

Further, troops recovered 51 detonators and three anti-personnel mines from the Thoppigala area of Batticaloa district. Read less...

Meanwhile, military spokesperson Brig. Prasad Samarasinghe said that a large hospital complex run under the name "LTTE Medical Unit" used by the LTTE was captured by troops during a search operation at East of Narakamulla in the dense jungle of Thoppigala, according to Daily News. "It was the second hospital uncovered by the Security Forces following the seizure last Tuesday of another hospital South of Narakamulla. The operating theatre was equipped with modern surgical equipment to treat seriously wounded Tiger cadres," Brigadier Samarasinghe said, adding that there were traces of surgery performed on LTTE cadres at the medical unit. The security forces also recovered a large stock of medicine carrying the emblem of the Government. "This evidently shows that the LTTE cadres were robbing drugs dispatched by the Government for the use of civilians," he added. Among other recovered equipment were folding beds, medical cloaks and surgical tools. Read less...

On the same day, unidentified assailants shot dead a Tamil woman, identified as Seenithamby Bawani, at Kampiyaaru in the Batticaloa district, reports Tamil Net. Read less...

Asian Tribune reports that one Jihad armed group, an armed group mainly of the Muslims in the Eastern Province, has recently killed two Tamils in the East. On August 20, they killed Jeyaraj at Jinna Nagar, a suburb located at the Third Mile Post, three-km north of Trincomalee town. On the same day, gunmen killed Thiyagachandran, elder brother of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Batticaloa Parliamentarian S. Jeyananthamoorthy, at Valaichchenai in the Batticaloa district. In a statement, the Eelam Revolutionary Organization (EROS) revealed that one of its members, known within EROS as "Gerald" otherwise known as Jeyaraj, was shot dead by a man identified as "Nizam" who is affiliated to the Jihad armed group. The Jihad armed group have been in existence since 1985 and known to have targeted political opponents and civilians in the past. However, this is the first time the Jihad group who are based in parts of Trincomalee, Ampara and Batticaloa have begun to target Tamils from the East. Read less...

Further, a Tamil youth, identified as Jeyaraj, was shot dead by unidentified assailants in the Jinna Nagar area of Trincomalee town. Read less...

Thambipillai Thiyagachandran, the elder brother of Batticaloa district Member of Parliament from the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), Jeyananda Moorthi, was shot dead by a suspected ‘pistol gang’ cadre of the LTTE at Oddamavadi in the Valaichchenai area of Batticaloa district. Read less...

Troops during a search and clear operation in the Katidankukulam area of Trincomalee district recovered one portable electric generator, three claymore mines each weighing about 10-kg, one Rocket Propeller Grenade, 18 60-mm mortar bombs, 31 rounds of T-56 ammunition, five litres of kerosene and 26 litres of petrol. Read less...

At Manirasakulam, one shot gun and two locally made hand guns was seized. Read less...

Elsewhere, one car, one Dolphin van, one canter lorry, three motorbikes and one double-cab was recovered from the Dhabageliyada and Narakamulla areas. Read less...

Meanwhile, troops recovered war like items during search operations conducted in the different areas of Batticaloa district on August 21. At Tharavei and Arasavikulam, they recovered 33 APMs, one claymore mine, one 120-mm mortar bomb, 16 rocket propeller grenade launcher bombs, 30 APM fuses and 1.5-kg of C-4 explosives. Read less...

Two claymore mines and a 10-m long flexible wire was recovered from the Pulipanchikal area. Read less...

The Uppuveli police arrested five Tamil men while they were carrying three SFG hand grenades, one 82 hand grenade and one binocular from the Iluppankulam area in Trincomalee district. One claymore mine, seven rounds of 7.62x39 ammunition and a few other warlike items were recovered from the Mathawani area. Read less...

Further, on August 24, troops ambushed a group of LTTE cadres at Kannalkadu in the Manirasakulam area of Trincomalee district and killed one of them, while the others managed to escape. Troops recovered one T-56 weapon and two claymore mines from the possession of the slain cadre. Read less...

On August 24, cadres of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) shot dead one civilian, identified as Thurairasa Pradeep Prabath, and injured another, Pushpanathan, in the Saliyasambalthivu area, according to Sri Lanka Army reports. Read less...

On August 24, cadres of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) using small arms attacked troops on a foot patrol in the Chundankadu area of Trincomalee district, according to Sri Lanka Army reports. Troops retaliated and subsequently recovered the dead body of a LTTE cadre along with one T-56 weapon with magazine, two claymore mines, 23 anti personnel mines, one CDMA phone with two antennas and two cord wire, two MPMG link belts with 400 rounds of MPMG ammunition, four maps and one pack with medicine. Read less...

At Pulipanchikal, troops recovered 19 anti-personnel mines on the same day. Read less...

Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) launcher, four RPG bombs and four RPG chargers were recovered by troops from the Ransarathenna area on August 26. Read less...

On August 28, the LTTE alleged that nine boys and five girls being taken to be handed over to their parents in the Ampara district by the outfit’s political division and the Child Protection Authority were ambushed by security forces in Ampara district on August 27, according to The Hindu. As per the LTTE, the “underage youths” were being taken to a civilian area in accordance with an arrangement between the LTTE and UNICEF. The outfit’s district political head of Ampara, P. Kavaiyarasan, told Tamil Net that two of the boys had managed to return to an outfit base after the ambush and the fate of the others is not known. The Sri Lankan Defense Ministry, however, acknowledged that the Special Task Force (STF) troops confronted a group of LTTE cadres. The STF troops, after observing a movement of armed LTTE cadres in the Kanchikudichchiaru area opened fire at them and subsequently recovered one T-56 weapon from the area, adds SLA. Read less...

Police personnel deployed at Kalkuda recovered two kilograms of C-4 explosives, three detonators and a length of detonator code from the Pethalai area of Batticaloa district. Read less...

Special Task Force (STF) personnel on August 28 rescued seven LTTE child combatants, between the ages 14 and 16 years, along with another 20-year old cadre of the outfit who had been forced to engage in a terrorist attack against the security forces in the Kangikaidichchi Aru area of Ampara district. According to STF sources, the commandos had rescued the group of young LTTE cadres comprising four girls and four boys when they had successfully intercepted a terrorist movement at a location close to 212 mile post on the Akkaraipattu-Pothuvil main road. During the subsequent search, the STF personnel also seized one claymore mine, one detonator, one detonator code, one wire roll, three anti-personnel mines, and one T-56 magazine with rounds along with some clothing and food items. Read less...

Three police personnel were wounded in a LTTE-triggered landmine explosion at Manipuram in the Karadiyannaru area of Batticaloa district on August 28-afternoon, according to Sri Lanka Army (SLA) reports. Read less...

Troops recovered 62 T-56 weapons, two G3A3 weapons, one sub-machine gun, one 30-kg anti-tank mine, 16 anti-aircraft ammunition rounds and four Arul bombs from the Narakamulla area of Batticaloa district. Read less...

LTTE cadres lobbed a hand grenade towards two police constables posted at a guard point near Alles Garden in the Trincomalee district on August 29. Four labourers of the road development authority and one of the police constables were injured in the explosion. Later, one of the labourers, identified as Madhusanka, succumbed to his injuries. Read less...

Separately, one CDMA phone and three hand grenades were recovered by SFs from the Pothana area of Batticaloa district on August 29. Read less...

Separately, suspected LTTE cadres shot dead a Tamil youth, identified as Nadarasa Kumanan alias Murali, at Ambivelipuram in the Trincomalee district, according to the Ministry of Defence Website. He was a supporter of the Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP), the political wing of the LTTE breakaway faction led by ‘Colonel’ Karuna. Read less...

Further, on August 30, two members of the Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP), Sinnathambi Siriniwasan and Mitharawel Wasandan, were shot dead by LTTE ‘pistol gang’ cadres at Iyankerni in the Eravur area of Batticaloa district. Read less...

Troops recovered one claymore mine, one detonator and one detonator code from Palauththu area in the Trincomalee district on August 30, reports SLA. The claymore mine weighing about 5-kg had been placed in front of the Naga Kovil (Temple). Read less...

At Vaakeneri in the Batticaloa district, troops recovered 1500 live rounds of T-56 ammunition, six anti-personnel mines, a radio antenna and a communication set. Read less...