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National Force
By D.B.S. Jeyaraj
The time was around 7.45 pm on Monday February 7th. The Toyota Dolphin van -
numbered 57 - 1020 - going along the Batticaloa - Polonnaruwa road or A - 11
highway slowed down as a vehicle with blinking lights was parked ahead on the right
side of the road. With the lights signalling to go ahead the van driven by
Vinayagamoorthy slowly passed the white coloured van parked alongside the road
with its motor running.
There were nine people inside the Dolphin. In front seated next to the driver
Vinayagamoorthy was former Amparai district Parliamentarian Ariyanayagam
Chandranehru. Sitting next to him was a policeman from Thirukkovil Chandrasekeran.
In the middle were the Tiger political commissar for Batticaloa - Amparai Kausalyan,
his comrade at arms Pugalan and another constable Nagarajah. Three other LTTE
cadres Senthamilan, Vithimaran and Vinothan were seated at the rear.
Even as they passed the parked vehicle the policeman in the front seat saw two or
three men in uniform standing on the road in front of the white van. One of them
raised a hand as if hailing them or asking them to stop. The Dolphin that was already
moving at snail's pace now slowed down further. Suddenly all hell was let loose. Rapid
gunfire from behind and to one side of the Dolphin ensued. Vinothan seated behind
saw the driver and Kausalyan slumping forward. The tiger leader had been quite
relaxed having removed even his shoes.
The two policemen inside the vehicle were boduguards assigned to protect
Chandranehru. They had a T - 56 each. Furthermore Chandranehru had a 9mm for
his personal protection. There was no time for any counter fire. Even as the vehicle
and occupants were hit in a hail of gunfire at least one of the cops jumped out but fell
down as gunfire hit him. The five LTTE men were unarmed. Without any retaliation
being proffered the attack was simply a cold - blooded massacre. Within two minutes
it was all over and the assassins fled away in their vehicle.
Five of the men inside - Kausalyan, Pugalan, Nithimaran and Senthamilan and the
driver Vinayagamoorthy were dead. The two Policemen, Chandranegru and LTTE
cadre Vinothan were injured but alive. Chandrasekeran and Vinothan though
bleeding were conscious. Chandranehru, Kausalyan and another LTTE cadre had a
cellular phone each. But neither of the conscious persons thought of using them. In
about ten minutes after the shooting soldiers from the Welikande camp about five KM
away came to the scene.
The dead and injured persons were taken to Welikande and then Polonnaruwa
hospitals. The injured persons were then airlifted to Colombo and admitted to the
National hospital. Emergency surgery was performed on Chandranehru who was later
placed in the intensive care unit. Initially Nehru showed signs of recovery but started
sinking later and died. Thus the death toll in the massacre became six. The condition
of both Chandrasekeran and Vinothan improved to an extent where they were able
to testify at the inquest and also be interviewed by sections of the media.
The ambush took place on the deserted stretch of road between the 104th and
105th mileposts. It was in the vicinity of a comparatively new Sinhala settlement known
as Namalgama. It is suspected that the parked white van was the same vehicle that
had been following the ill - fated Toyota dolphin after they had passed the 23rd
brigade headquarters at Welikande. It had overtaken them at Pillaiyarady between
the 103rd and 104th milepost when the driver Vinayagamoorthy and the two
policemen had alighted to worship at the shrine dedicated to Lord Ganesh and also
put money into the till.
The attack had occurred near the Polonnaruwa - Batticaloa district border. The two
nearest military camps on the A - 11 highway at Welikanda and Punanai were about
14 km apart. The attack happened at a spot five km from Welikanda. Furthermore
there were three other army camps in proximate region. Navaladdy and Valaichenai in
Batticaloa district and Minneriya in Polonnaruwa. Yet the assailants seem to have
vanished without a trace.
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and their propaganda organs have levelled
overt and covert charges of security complicity in the massacre. It is not known
whether the suspect white van travelled along the A - 11 highway after the massacre
or not. If so the Punanai and Welikanda army camps must be having some
knowledge. There are also other routes through which the vehicle could have
reached Minneriya or Thoppigala. Moreover the areas around the place where the
incident occurred are now Sinhala or Muslim inhabited. 25 years ago the area was
predominantly Tamil. This column still remembers the delicious milk sold by Tamil
vendors at Welikanda when the buses stopped there!
Col Kausalyan, Major Pugalan, Major Senthamilan and 2nd Lt Vidhimaran were all
promoted post - humously Vidhimaran from Mandoor was only sixteen years.He had
been conscripted three years ago just as he entered teen - age. The greatest loss to
the LTTE was of course its political wing head for Batticaloa - Amparai Kausalyan.
Chandranehru was first given "Naatuppatraalar" (Patriotic citizen) award by the LTTE.
This is the second highest civilian award of the LTTE . Subsequently he title
"Maamanithan" (Great Person) was conferred upon him posthumously by the LTTE
supremo. It was formally awarded at a ceremony held in Paavattai near the LTTE
base in Kanchikudichhaaru by the LTTE Batticaloa - Amparai commander Lt. Col
Ram.
Despite his seniority and experience 32 year old Kausalyan seems to have acted with
rash carelessness.The ceasefire regulations permit security to be provided to senior
tigers when passing through Government controlled territory. Kausalyan's boss the
overall LTTE political wing chief Thamilsellvan for example always demands and gets
helicopter transport. In Kausalyan's case he seems to have gone to Kilinochchi with
recently appointed Eastern Commander Bhanu.
Apparently Kausalyan had lowered his guard in recent times. He had underestimated
the prevailing "Karuna" threat lightly calling his former boss a spent force. The
tsunami disaster necessitated a lot of travelling for the political commissar. Kausalyan
and even Bhanu were seen travelling extensively within the district without adequate
security.
After some discussions in the Wanni regarding Post - Tsunami rehabilitation work
Kausalyan had returned by road. He and accompanying cadres were unarmed. They
were travelling in a double cab NP 6886. The LTTE head of finance division
Thamilendhi (nee Ranjith Appa) accompanied him from Puthukudiyiruppu up to
Puliyankulam. Thereafter Thamilendhi turned back. This however led to a rumor
initially that Thamilendhi too was killed in the attack. The LTTE issued a denial and
also sent Thamilendhi to the funeral ceremony in Batticaloa to prove that their
"chancellor of the exchequer" was still alive.
Upon reaching Polonnaruwa Kausalyan had changed vehicles. Former Amparai
district MP Chandranehru who is now the district representative of the LTTE human
rights outfit - North - Eastern center for Human Rights - had gone in the Toyota
Dolphin 57 - 1020 to Polonnaruwa.They had according to the LTTE website
"Nidharsanam" met at a side road in Polonnaruwa. According to the Policeman
survivor Nehru and Kausalyan had been communicating via cellular phone. After
switching vehicles Kausalyan had sent the double cab back to the Wanni.
Kausalyan had checked in with the security forces at the entry - exit point at
Omanthai at about 3 pm. He had not requested any security escort and opted to
travel alone and unarmed in government controlled territory. Contrary to some
reports Chandranehru had not been travelling with Kausalyan from Kilinochchi. So
there was absolutely no security cover as the two injured Policemen 35 year old
Chandrasekeran and 36 year old Nagarajah were assigned to Nehru because as a
former Eastern Tamil MP he was in potential danger.
The tigers had broken journey in Vavuniya, Habarana and Polonnaruwa for
refreshments. Chandranehrus vehicle had initially passed Kausalyan by at
Polonnaruwa. Later Kausalyan had phoned him and the Dolphin turned back.
Interestingly Chandranehru had not told the two Policemen of the purpose for
travelling. They were told that Chandranehru was going to Colombo. It was only after
Kausalyan and comrades entered the vehicle which turned back towards Batticaloa
that the cops became aware of their mission.
Likewise the driver Vinayagamoorthy too was unaware of his destination. He had told
his wife that he was going with Nehru to Vavuniya. Incidently the Dolphin was not
Chandranehrus or Vinayagamoorthy's own. It was a hired vehicle. Vinayagamoorthy
had worked for a long time in Saudi Arabia. After returning to Lanka he had bought
his own van and drove it for hire. Recently he had sold it and worked as a free -
lance driver. He was a close associate of Nehru and worked diligently for him at the
election campaign.
It appears therefore that Kausalyan and Chandranehru had a pre - arranged plan to
switch vehicles at Polonnaruwa. If Kausalyan had thought this "switch" and the two
armed cops were enough security he had been sadly mistaken. Another cardinal
error had been delaying the Wanni departure till after noon because by the time he
passed Polonnaruwa it was dusk rendering him more vulnerable. The switch would
have become known when passenger identity was checked at Welikanda. Moreover
a tiger website says that switching vehicles at Polonnaruwa was observed by the
"enemy".
Being an active political commissar Kausalyan had been often compelled to work in
Govt controlled areas without security. He had often been warned by the security
personnel to not take such risks. Yet Kausalyan persisted perhaps because he did
not want the security forces to keep track of his movements under the pretext of
protection. Batticaloa - Amparai LTTE administrative head Dayamohan has explained
the reluctance to seek security as being due to delay and red tape by the security
forces. Whenever such requests were made there was always inordinate delay in
accommodating them he alleges.
When news of the ambush became known the immediate suspects were the Karuna
cadres. If there was any doubt it was dispelled the following day when some of
Karuna's operatives began telephoning people in Batticaloa and abroad that the
military wing of the newly formed Tamil Eelam Ikkiya Viduthalai Munnani (Tamil Eelam
United Liberation Front) was responsible. This was a union between Karuna's party
the Tamil Eelam Makkal Viduthalai Puligal and the Eelam National Democratic
Liberation Front led by Paranthan Rajan.
The military wing of the new outfit is known as the "Tamil Thesiya Padai" or Tamil
National Force. On Thursday Feb 10th a statement in Europe was issued by a person
called Cheran. It was openly claimed that the TNF was responsible. By this time the
Batticaloa grapevine was humming with the news that Five people comprising ex -
LTTE and ENDLF cadres were responsible. The actual firing was done by Mangalam
master and Thooyaseelan.
Both were Karuna loyalists. Thooyaseelan had earlier been LTTE chief of the
Kaluwankerny area. Mangalam master was an aide de camp to former Vinothan
regiment commander Bharathidasan who was killed at Vaaharai in the LTTE
internecine warfare last April. An AK 47 assault and an HK 33 sub - machine gun had
been used. The assassins apparently had made their escape along the
Maradanwela road.
Curiously the grapevine also had it that the assassins had no knowledge of the victim
identities. It seemed that Mangalam master had been elated afterwards that they had
taken out Kausalyan and rushed to claim credit. The killers had not deliberately
disfigured Kausalyan as alleged in some quarters. Though Kausalyan's face was
severely damaged it was not due to his being shot at close quarters. It was because
he had received bullets which entered the back and exited from the face thereby
damaging the face severely.
The assassins had also not taken away the baggage in the van. Kausalyans brief
case with important documents was not taken. So too were the two T - 56s , Mehru's
revolver and the three cell phones. The operation smacked of being in haste. The
assassins knew there were tigers inside and finished them off as quickly as possible.
They had then sped away presumably because the security forces would have been
on the scene soon.
LTTE and pro - tiger elements however allege that it was a deliberate operation
clearly aimed at Kausalyan. The notion that the security forces were involved to some
extent is believed widely. The statement issued by the Tamil National Alliance
insinuates this clearly. It also makes a valid point that the Government cannot
disclaim responsibility. The Monitoring Mission however opines that the ambush was
not a ceasefire violation. This means that the SLMM feels that it was purely an "intra -
Tamil" killing without security force participation.
If the assassins had definite knowledge that Kausalyan was travelling in that particular
vehicle the question arises as to how they knew it. One possibility is the cellular
phones being tapped. Was there electronic eavesdropping? Another possibility is that
the LTTE security itself being breached. Karuna exercised great control over the
tigers in the East once. It is possible that some tigers in the mainstream LTTE are
actually double - agents. The LTTE is reputed in planting moles. Let us not forget
that Karuna himself remains a "tiger" in practice.
Another possibility is that the killers were tipped off after Kausalyan and party
checked in at Welikanda. If so there was little time for the killer squad to start the
action unless a hit squad was always in readiness. It seems more likely therefore that
the assassination squad was prowling around in the vicinity to pounce on a sound
target. Once the vehicle checked in at Welikanda the killers must have known that
some tigers were in the van and struck without knowing the identities of their victims
fully. In any event some association between low ranking security personnel and
Karunas men cannot be ruled out.
The LTTE will however continue to berate the state for the killing. Its propaganda
organs lament lodly about the cowardly killing and the threat to the ceasefire. What is
conveniently overlooked is the spate of killings undertaken by the LTTE during the
ceasefire. From Robert of the EPRLF to Sinna Bala of EPDP the list is long. As for
cowardly killings the worst manifestation in that category was the massacre of 8
Karuna loyalists in Kottawa. They were drugged and murdered. Interestingly enough
the Government has issued a condemnation of the killing. This is seen as further
proof of security force complicity.
Given the propaganda barrage unleashed by the pro - tiger sections few Tamils will
believe that the security forces had no role. There is also suspicion that the
assassins could have simply taken refuge at a military installation. After the Karuna
revolt the LTTE maintains a stance that it was only a one man show and that there
are no Karuna cadres in the East. This is simply not true. Cadres loyal to Karuna are
living in areas north of Batticaloa town from Arumugathankudiyiruppu onwards.
The areas between Chenkalladdy and Valaichenai along with areas like Vaharai,
Kirimichai, Omadhiyamadhu, Mankerni, Panichankerny, Kalkudah etc are Karuna
strongholds. The jungle areas around Kudumbimalai, Tharavai, Kattumurivu.
Vaganeri and Vadamunai are also no go areas to the mainstream LTTE because of a
strong pro - Karuna cadre presence. The border areas along Batticaloa -
Polonnaruwa too are infested with Karunas cadres. Whatever the LTTE may boast
current reality is that the tigers are safely in control only in certain parts of the
Western interior in the East.
The mainstream LTTE will simply not acknowledge the Karuna loyalist presence..
They take up the position that Karuna is no more a factor to reckon with. The charge
is that some pro - Karuna remnants along with Tamil para - military groups allied to
the security forces are engaging in hit and run tactics with the security forces aiding
and abetting. The LTTE says that these elements are either staying in close proximity
to military camps or within the camps itself. In any case the LTTE feels that the anti -
tiger violence in the east is not possible without some military connivance. This
accusation is not entirely without foundation.
When the LTTE conveyed these sentiments to President Kumaratunga thru the
Norwegians she denied any state complicity. She however admitted that some
elements in the security forces could be aiding the pro - Karuna elements in an
unofficial capacity. Cadres fleeing the wrath of Pirapakaran who seek refuge at
military camps will be granted sanctuary. Whatever the truth it has not been the
practice for states in any part of the world to admit to such activity. Covert operations
are usually "officially sanctioned unofficial action".
The LTTE in its official statements does not refer to Karuna or the existence of his
outfit. The reference is to " Para - military" forces. The inference is that these are
linked to the security forces and enjoy their support. This is due to two reasons. One
is that the LTTE considers it infra - dig to admit that Karuna is still a problem and that
his cadres can inflict damage to the supposedly "invincible" LTTE. Any damage is
possible only because of security force involvement is the LTTE position.
Secondly admitting to an internal squabble will take the offence out of the Monitoring
Commissions purview. Who can forget or forgive the Norwegians for washing their
hands off the whole Karuna revolt and remaining aloof while a massacre of innocents
was perpetrated by Piraba loyalists? Emphasising "para - military" involvement makes
it a ceasefire offence and throws blame on the security forces. The Karuna group is
further undermined when charged as collaborators working as para - military forces.
Despite the massive propaganda that the security forces were involved in the killing
the LTTE has thought nothing of using state helicopter to transport Thamilselvan and
others to Batticaloa. It is strangely ironic that five top leaders could "trust" the security
forces and travel with them while accusing them of conspiracy to murder senior Tiger
leaders. This can possibly mean that the LTTE is being duplicitous in levelling
charges against the security forces.
Whatever the outcome of these charges and counter - charges there is no doubt that
the Karuna - Paranthan Rajan combine has made a significant hit. Further attacks of
this nature are on the cards. It is reported that Karuna is back with a vengeance. The
anniversary of his inglorious exit from Batticaloa on April 12th is drawing near. The
renegade "Colonel' has sworn that the Batticaloa situation will be transformed by April
New Year. The LTTE will certainly resist. This means that terrible bloodshed is on the
cards. [Sunday Leader]
enough the
Government
has issued a
condemnation
of the killing.
This is seen as
further proof of
security force
complicity. "
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