Sri Lanka news columns

Ranil WIJAYAPALA Karambakulam: Following a fierce battle with the LTTE troops attached to the 58 Division yesterday captured a 1.5 Km stretch of the huge earth bund in Karambakulam, eight Kilometres North East of Nachchikuda, Military Spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara told the Daily News. The huge earth bund which is 12 to 14 feet in height, a ditch 6 feet deep and 12 to 14 feet width that has been constructed from Nachchikuda to Akkarayan by the LTTE posed a huge obstacle for the troops in their advance towards the North. Fierce fighting erupted in this terrain when troops attempted to capture this earth bund during the past few weeks. "Troops attached to the 58 Division captured 15 to 20 Tiger bunkers along this stretch of the earth bund amidst heavy resistance from the LTTE," Brigadier Nanayakkara said. Twenty five Tiger cadres were killed and nearly 25 others injured during the fierce battle that erupted in the early hours of yesterday. "Four soldiers were also k...

Sri Lanka Army says investigations into a recent LTTE gas attack on advancing troops in the Wanni had found that the Tigers had used ‘CS gas’, which is generally used for anti-hijack or hostage operations. Army headquarters, in a statement, acknowledged that a few soldiers in the Wanni during their encounters with the LTTE in the most recent past developed breathing difficulties following emission of gas, believed to have been directed by the Tigers towards the advancing troops. “Investigations which went into the incident soon after admission of those soldiers to hospitals have affirmed Tiger terrorists have used CS gas, generally used for anti-hijack or hostage operations in Wanni. Produced in 1928, the name CS gas came to be known after the death of its founders Ben Corson and Roger Staughton,” the Army said. The statement further asserted that the Sri Lanka Army is fully equipped and well geared up to face any chemical or gas attacks of the enemy. The army while reiterating its cap...

By Sandun A Jayasekera The government has put in place contingency plans for a possible chemical attack by the LTTE against the security forces fighting in the North. Healthcare and Nutrition Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva, yesterday, instructed officials to immediately despatch extra health staff, medicines and equipment to the North to face any contingencies that may arise in the event of a chemical attack on the security forces, said ministry spokesman W.M.D. Wanninayaka. The decision was taken following a discussion held at the ministry and chaired by Mr. De Silva, to draft a contingency plan in the event of a chemical attack on the armed forces, he said. The discussion was attended by Prof. Ravindra Fernando, acting Health Secretary Dr. Nihal Jayatilaka, Dr. Ajith Mendis, Brigadier Sanjeewa Senaratna, Col. N.K.Ariyaratna, Major Ruwan Senatilaka and Dr. Hemantha Benaragama. Mr. De Silva had given instructions to post a special medical team and nurses to hospitals in Vavuniya, Pad...

මහින්ද කුලතුංග ශ‍්‍රී ලංකා යුද හමුදාවේ වීරෝදාර සෙබළුන් විසින් ඊයේ (15) සවස් වනවිට වන්නි සටනේ තවත් සුවිශේෂී ජයග‍්‍රහණයක් අත්පත් කර ගනිමින් කිලිනොච්චි දිස්ති‍්‍රක්කයේ අක්කරයාන්කුලම් වැවේ සිට නැෙඟනහිර ප‍්‍රදේශයේ කිලෝමීටර් හයක් දුරට බලය තහවුරු කර ගනු ලැබ තිබේ. ත‍්‍රස්තවාදීන් සමඟ ඊයේ දවස පුරා පැවති දැඩි සටනකින් පසු යුද හමුදාවේ 57වැනි සේනාංකය විසින් මෙම ජයග‍්‍රහණය අත්පත්කරගත් බව යුද හමුදා මාධ්‍ය ප‍්‍රකාශක බි‍්‍රගේඩියර් උදය නානායක්කාර මහතා “දිනමිණ”ට පැවසීය. මෙම සටනේ දී හමුදාව අතින් ත‍්‍රස්තවාදීන් 18 ක් මැරුම් කෑ අතර තවත් විශාල පිරිසක්තුවාල ලැබූ බවත් බි‍්‍රගේඩියර් නානායක්කාර මහතා වැඩිදුරටත් කීය. මෙහිදී හමුදාවේ තිදෙනකු දිවිදුන් බවත් තවත් නවදෙනකුª තුවාල ලැබූ බවත් ඒ මහතා කීය. අක්කරායන්කුලම් වැවේ සිට කිලෝමීටර් 6 ක් නැගෙනහිරින් මුරිකන්ඩි ප‍්‍රදේශයට ආසන්නයේ හමුදාව සිටින බවත් හමුදාව අවසන්වරට සිටි ස්ථානයේ සිට මුරිකන්ඩි කෝවිලට තවත් කිලෝමීටර් දෙකක් පමණක් තිබෙන බවත් බි‍්‍රගේඩියර්වරයා කීය. මුරිකන්ඩි සිට කිලෝමීටර් 5 ක් පමණ දුරින් ඒ - 9 මාර්ගයේ කොකාවිල් පිහිටා තිබේ. මේ අනුව හමුදාවට කිලිනොච්ච...

Intense fighting was reported from the east of Akkarayankulam tank in the Kilinochchi district yesterday killing at least 18 LTTE cadres and three soldiers, the military said. The Defence Ministry said the LTTE cadres were constructing an earth barrier along the Akkarayankulam Tank-Tirumurukandi Road (East of Akkarayankulam) to delay the security forces' movement towards Kilinochchi. “Despite heavy resistance given by the terrorists, troops have dominated a land stretch along the Akkarayankulam-Tirumurukandi Road,” it said. It also said LTTE cadres were making desperate attempts to secure their defences in the area by reinforcing more LTTE cadres from Jaffna and Kilinochchi areas. Few LTTE teams being reinforced also suffered maximum damage due to heavy firepower launched by the security forces. Meanwhile, Air Force MI-24 helicopters raided LTTE strongholds located in north-east of Akkarayankulam tank yesterday evening. Air Force spokesperson, Wing Commander Janaka Nanayakkara sai...