Sri Lankan Air Force bombs LTTE interim capital
By D.B.S. Jeyaraj
Kilinochchi the interim capital of northern territory controlled by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was bombed on Thursday November 2nd by the Sri Lankan Air Force.
Israeli built K-fir jet bombers flying in pairs conducted two sorties between 2 .15 and 2. 45 pm and dropped sixteen bombs in the east and south – east of Kilinochchi town limits.One of the bombs failed to explode.
Kilinochchi has been the functional interim capital of LTTE controlled territory in the Northern Province. This is the first time that planes belonging to the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) have bombed kilinochchi although bombs have fallen on areas on the outskirts of Kilinochchi on earlier occasions.
The bombs fell mainly in the township of Aanandapuram and Thiruvaiyaaru in the east and south – east of Kilinochchi. At least five civilians were killed and about twelve injured in the bombing.
About five of the bombs fell within 150 – 300 metres from the boundary wall of the Kilinochchi hospital situated along the A – 9 Highway.It is about one and a half km from the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) office.All other bombs fell within a 6 00 metre radius of the Hospital.
[The inauguration ceremony of the new General Hospital in Kilinochchi district, was held on July 10, 2006: Photo: TamilNet]
The SLMM officials went to the scene of bombing within minutes of the bombing. The SLMM had to cut short its inspection tour when an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) began scouring the skies.
SLMM Spokesperson Helen Olafsdottir told the BBC that the SLMM turned back due to security reasons and would re -inspect the area later on. The SLMM is insecure after several nasty incidents including one in Maavilaaru where former SLMM chief Ulf Henrikksson’s life was endangered by Sri Lankan armed forces shelling when he went to open the anecut.
Two air strikes were conducted by the Air Force in the North on Thursday. K-firs first bombed areas between Pallavarayankattu – Ponagary in the North – Western region of Kilinochchi district around 11. 45 am to 12 noon. No casualties were reported at the time this article was written.
According to the Sri Lanka Army website the reported air strike occurred in Mannar. This is what the Army report stated.
” SRI LANKA AIR FORCE fighter craft this morning (2) on intelligence received struck two Tiger (LTTE) terrorist targets in MANNAR and KILINOCHCHI causing extensive damages to a Sea Tiger base and another weapon training camp.
Fighter craft bombed the Sea Tiger base north of MANNAR this morning after intelligence confirmed that several weapon -laden boats were about to leave the Sea Tiger base for a major offensive against the Security Forces.
The LTTE military training center, situated about 10 km to the south east of KILINOCHCHI was another target taken by Kfir fighting jets of the Air Force a few hours after the attack on MANNAR.”.
In spite of the claim that an LTTE sea tiger base was bombed north of Mannar all available information indicates that the sea tiger base in Naachikkuda to the North of Mannar was not hit by the SLAF. It appears that the K-firs had unloaded bombs further to the north of Nachikudah in an area between Pallavarayankattu and Poonagary.
The second air strike according to defence ministry reports was on a weapons training camp about 10 km to the South – East of Kilinochchi. This again was blatantly inaccurate.
The bombs fell in an area about 800 – 1600 km metres to the South and South – East of Kilinochchi junction. The bombs fell mainly in Aanandapuram and Thiruvaiyaaru. Both places are within Kilinochchi town limits.
Aanandapuram is named after Veerasingham Anandasangaree the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) President who was Kilinochchi MP from 1970 to 1983.
Thiruvaiyaaru takes its name after the village in Thanjavoor district in Tamil Nadu where Thiyagarajar the most famous of the Carnatic music trinity was born.
The Kilinochchi hospital is located in Aanandapuram. Thiruvaiyaaru is adjacent to Aanandapuram. Actually the outer boundary wall of the Hospital is the “border” of Aanandapuram and Thiruvaiyaaru.
The bombs fell within the vicinity of Kilinochchi Hospital. Kilinochchi Zone Education Secretariat, Kilinochchi Technical Institute and Kilinochi Central College. Mercifully none of these places were hit but the fact that bombs fell within close proximity resulted in fear and pandemonium.
Five bombs fell within 150 – 3 00 metres from the Hospital which is the largest of its kind within the Northern Mainland. The explosions and vibrations resulted in windowpanes shattering, tiles cracking , roofing sheets shifting and much equipment losing equilibrium.
Worse still was the human terror and panic. People began screaming and fleeing the hospital building. Mothers with their children, old people, invalids, sick persons and the disabled all began running away. Three patients and three hospital staff sustained minor injuries. Some others too had cuts from broken glass and sprains through falls sustained while fleeing.
With bombs exploding outside there was widespread panic in the hospital and pandemonium reigned. Many bedridden patients were taken out by their relatives. In addition, many who were receiving intravenous treatment pulled out the tubes and ran out of the hospital. Parents could be seen carrying out their children. Young people carried old people out.
Bombs had damaged the Hospital staff and nurses quarters buildings. Fragments of the bombs and other debris was scattered all over Hospital premises. All hospital activity came to a standstill.
According to Hospital authorities there were more than 2000 people inside the Hospital premises at the time of the bombing. Of these 300 – 325 patients had been admitted to the wards in the hospital. There were also about 600 – 650 outpatients awaiting or undergoing treatment. There were also a number of people who had accompanied patients or had come to visit patients. This number along with Hospital staff amounted to around 2000 or more said the officials.
There were 18 expectant women admitted in the wards at the time of the attack. Three were in labour. Most of the pregnant women also fled the hospital. Some of them are admitted to smaller hospitals and clinics. Expectant women scheduled for surgery are back at the hospital.
With fear of further bombing the hospital was virtually deserted by 3. 30 pm. Only a skeleton staff remained to attend to victims of the bombing and urgent cases. Gradually fears subsided and some patients and people have begun trickling in along with other hospital staff.
Hospital authorities had earlier appealed to the International Committee of the Red Cross to declare the Hospital as a safety zone. The ICRC had informed the Hospital that flying the Red Cross flag in the premises was adequate enough for it to be treated as a safety zone in terms of the Geneva cobventions and International Humanitarian law.The authorities had felt safe until the bombing.
Usually people rush into Hospital premises during air raids or artillery attacks because hospitals are not targetted during conflict. But all civilised norms have been violated under the Rajapakse regime where civilians and civilian institutions are specifically targetted.
It had been long rumoured that the Air Force would deliberately destroy the Kilinochchi hospital as a prelude to an invasion into tiger territory. This had been the method employed in the East where hospitals in LTTE controlled areas were rendered inactive through aerial bombardment and artillery shelling.
Though the hospital was not targetted in Kilinochchi the people started panicking because of the prevailing mindset when the bombs began falling in the vicinity. Students from schools and office – workers in the vicinity too started running away.People were seen running helter -skelter in fearful frenzy in the aftermath of the bombing.
The bombs that fell in Aanandapuram and Thuruvaiyaaru fell on a few houses, buildings and compounds. One bomb that wrecked a house resulted in the deaths of five inmates all relatives. The killed persons were Murugesu Shanumugarathinam (56) his sons Saji Shanmugarathinam (20), Krishanth Shanmugarathinam (18), his brother Murugesu Markandu (62) and sister Rathinam Saraswathy (59).
Both Saji and Krishanth were students at Kilinochchi Central College.Only their mother a teacher at Thiruvaiyaaru Maha Vidyalayam and sister a student at St. Theresas Convent are now alive as both were away in school at the time of the bombing. All five victims were innocent civilians from one household.The house was about 600 metres away from the Hospital
Shrapnel and flying debris had injured around six other people in the area. None of them were fatal. This along with those incurring minor injuries at the Hospital the number of injured amounted to about twelve. Five were dead in the bombing where according to GOSL a training camp was taken out.
The Kilinochchi bombings seem to be a tit for tat attack. The alleged provocation is the death of a soldier and injuries to four others caused by LTTE shelling of Muhamaalai. Contrary to GOSL claims no LTTE training camp ten km away from Kilinochchi was bombed.
Brigadier Prasanna Samarasinghe the sensitive and gentlemanly Military spokesperson was evasive and vague when questioned by the BBC Tamil service about the bombings. The Country however waits for crudely insensitive Keheliya Rambukwella to come out with the usual “kaivaaru” at his regular press briefings.
[Photo: Frontline]
The GOSL seems to have ushered in a new phase to the on going conflict this time by bombing Kilinochchi, the de-facto LTTE capital. The bombing could be the precursor to many more incidents of this type. This has not been done before and it comes in the aftermath of Geneva where solemn pledges were made about calling off offensives. There are bound to be repercussions.
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November 3rd, 2006