Kind Tamil Nadu fishermen rescue six sinhalese in Bay of Bengal

By Walter Jayawardhana

DESPITE ATTEMPTED ATOGONISM AGAINST SRI LANKA BY THE LTTE KIND TAMIL NADU FISHERMEN RESCUED SIX SINHALESE FISHERMEN

Despite the attempted antagonism by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) against Sri Lanka’s Navy and the country among the Tamil Nadu fishermen, they returned the kindness shown to them by the Sri Lanka Navy on previous occasions and rescued six Sinhalese fishermen drifting in the Bay of Bengal in a failed mechanized boat.

The six Sinhalese were found drifting on a non-working fishing boat named, “Kaveesha Putha-Kottegoda”in the Bay of Bengal about four kilometers off from Tamil Nadu’s Cuddalore coast and happily rescued by the Thevanampattinam fishermen, during the night of Sunday April 1.

The Trincomalee based Southern fishermen went to the deep seas three days before they were rescued, but got stuck when the engine of the boat failed in the mid sea. First they hoisted a white flag. Using the little English they learned in the elementary school on a thermocol sheet using black sticker they made a sign that said, “help pleis” and put it up for people to see. In addition they waved at the local fishermen who finally rescued them.

On Monday authorities gave permission to berth their boat on which it was inscribed “Sri Lanka TR 743, Ceylon Fishing Harbour Corporation-IMUL-A-0565 MTR,” to be berthed at the Cuddalore Port.

But the Sinhalese fishermen, J.Nizath Chamira (17), H.W.Kasun Rasange (21), Anathuge Rajesh Thusani (29), G.M.W.Dhanisth Mandarae (22), Sameera Rangei (20), and M.M.Amila Manoj Prasad (21), had to be taken to the Cuddalore Port Police station for interrogation. The Police questioned them. They also went through everything they had in the boat. But they said the Tamil Nadu fishermen were simply astounded by the five kilometer fishing net they possessed and the boat’s capacity to carry 4000 kilograms of ice blocks. True they had to be booked for entering the country without valid papers. But the Police said they did no wrong since their boat lost direction due to mechanical failure. So, most probably the young daring fishermen will be coming home very soon with kind memories of the Tamil Nadu fishermen who rescued them and saved their lives.

It was certainly good karma working for the Sinhalese fishermen. On many times before the Sri Lanka Navy has helped Tamil Nadu fishermen in distress. Assistance given to the Indian fishing trawler RMS 94 on October 24 2006 off karainagar and assistance given to Indian fishing boat in distress off Thondamannar on 24 November 2006 were only two such recent incidents. Even in this space age the old karma still works like a clock of precision, they say.

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12 LTTE cadres killed in a Mannar clash with the army

By Walter Jayawardhana

12 LTTE CADRES KILLED IN A MANNAR CLASH WITH THE ARMY

Twelve LTTE cadres were killed in a small arms confrontation when they clashed with the Sri Lanka Army in Mannar District along the North Western coast of Sri Lanka.

The April 1 clash happened when the LTTE challenged an army search group working in the terrorist infested area.

Four LTTE cadres were killed at the initial stages of the confrontation and the battle was prolonged when the Tamil Tigers called for reinforcements.

To match the reinforcement the search group called for help and it was answered with a mortar and artillery fire from the gun positions nearby.

In the artillery attack, 8 more Tamil Tigers died.

The Sri Lanka Army said intercepted enemy radio communications confirmed the enemy loss of 12 soldiers.

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Government calls the LTTE act of killing 16 in a bus bomb a cowardly act

By Walter Jayawardhana

GOVERNMENT CALLS THE KILLING OF 16 MOSTLY WOMEN AND CHILDREN A COWARDLY ACT OF THE TAMIL TIGERS

 

The government of Sri Lanka while condemning it called the bus bomb attack that killed 16 mostly women and children, on a Buddhist Full Moon holiday a cowardly act on the part of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam(LTTE).

The blast came to coincide with President Mahinda Rajapakse’s visit to neighboring India to attend a two-day South Asian summit opening in New Delhi Tuesday where he was intending to take up LTTE terrorism in his country as a main issue.

Experts said the blast had all the hallmarks of the LTTE but they denied any involvement in the blast. They customarily deny any involvement after any such violent act against civilians.

At least fourteen civilians including three children and an army soldier and a policeman were killed when the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam terrorists exploded a bus bomb inside a civilian bus in the country’s troubled Eastern Province, the army said.

A spokesman for the Ampara General Hospital said 16 dead bodies of the blast victims are in the hospital which is 220 miles East of Colombo.

“The bomb was planted inside the bus. The dead included 10 women, 3 children and three men — one of those a policeman and another a soldier,” said a member of the elite police commando Special Task Force, asking not to be named.

Military spokesman Brigadier Prasad Samarasinghe said the bus bomb was exploded at 12.10 p.m. when the bus reached Konduwatuwan Sri Lanka Army security check point, April 2.

The bus had stopped at the military checkpoint and most of the passengers were taken off while troops searched the bus. The bomb went off as the soldiers were carrying out their search, Samarasinghe said. The bomb had been hidden inside the bus and the dead soldier and policeman were examining the bus, according to the initial information. If it was not a concealed bomb inside the bus, it could have been a suicide bomber who was still seated inside the bus and triggered off the bomb when the inspection started, it was speculated.

According to the initial information among the dead were more females since many men were out of the bus at the time of the blast.

The sources said twenty five other severely injured passengers were rushed to the Ampara General Hospital.

The head of the Ampara hospital, Dr.Lankathilaka Jayasinghe, said the injured were still being rushed to the region’s main hospital.

“Three people were dead on admission and 12 others died in hospital,” Jayasinghe said, adding that 25 more people were undergoing treatment.

The bus was plying on Ampara-Badulla road towards Bibile when the explosion occurred. The Army sources said the bomb has been triggered inside the bus.

As the Tamil Tigers were evacuated from their occupied areas by military means they have been restricted to few jungle strips and have beeen attacking civilians by artillery fire and killed eight Tamil civilians.

Thereafter, LTTE gunmen on April 1, took eight civilian ethnic Sinhalese construction workers who were building Tsunami houses at Mailambaveli in Eravur in the same province and shot them in execution style. Six of them died on the spot. Two were admitted to the hospital with gun shot injuries.

The series of civilian killings inside the country came after suspected LTTE gun men killed five Tamil Nadu fishermen while they were fishing in the seas just to strain relations between India and Sri Lanka on the eve of the SAARC summit in New Delhi. The Indian Navy said the Tamil Tigers are prime suspects for the killings.

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Sanath Jayasuriya at his best

K.R. Nayar, Staff Reporter From Gulf news said it best: “Down-to-earth behaviour makes Sri Lankan cricketers popular.” There are teams with lesser cricketing experience, but arrogant enough to walk around ignoring everyone around them. After all, for a fan, a smile is all that they expect. In Trinidad as well as in Guyana, the Sri Lankans have won the hearts of the people. In fact, many West Indians would like to see Sri Lanka win the World Cup.

“They should win the World Cup for their behaviour. They may be the very few gentlemen left in the sport,” remarked Robert Rees, a volunteer at the stadium