Leaflets dropped by air, Gota assures civilians will be safe from attack
By Jamila Najmuddin
The government yesterday said it would be establishing an escape route for civilians trapped by the conflict in the Wanni while leaflets containing information about the possible escape routes would also be air-dropped.
Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa at a rare media briefing said Kilinochchi’s ongoing military operations was mainly aimed at freeing the thousands of civilians trapped by the LTTE.
“We want to free these civilians so that they can come to Vavuniya. All necessary arrangements to resettle them will be done once they arrive. Currently leaflets are being dropped by air describing where they should go and which escape route they should use,” Mr. Rajapaksa said.
He said that while the troops advanced further into Kilinochchi, civilians were moving back and escaping into the thick jungles.
He however stressed that once the escape route was established and the civilians safely brought to Vavuniya, they would defeat the LTTE and take control of the Kilinochchi District.
“The LTTE has currently trapped thousands of civilians for its personal gain. But as time goes on and the security forces advance further into the north, they will have no choice but to free the civilians. That is what we are expecting,” Mr. Rajapaksa said.
He also maintained that as in the eastern province, the security forces maintained a zero civilian casualty even in the north as troops were restricted to carry on their operations in areas where civilians resided or were trapped. According to Rajapaksa, civilians who had died in the conflict or had been injured had been so at the hands of the LTTE and not the security forces. “Our forces – the army, navy and airforce are one of the best in the world, which is why we are able to defeat the LTTE. Our military plans are going perfectly to what we expected,” Rajapaksa said.
The Defence Secretary also stressed that adequate food and relief supplies were made available for the civilian trapped in the Wanni as a lorry containing medicines and dry rations entered Kilinochchi every day. He added that the results were “dead satisfactory” as the government agents in the north had informed the government that ample food and medicines were available for the thousands trapped in the Wanni. “We are working closely with the UN organizations and it has been confirmed by the respective GA’s that the civilians are not starving or suffering from medical shortages,” Rajapaksa said.
According to Essential Services Commissioner, S.B. Divaratna who was also present at the media briefing, there are currently 110,000 IDPs in the Kilinochchi District while an estimated 15,000 remained in Mullaitivu. IDP’s in Mannar had fled to Kilinochchi, he added. Out of the numbers 90% stayed had moved in with families or friends.
Responding to a question, Rajapaksa also denied that the IDPs faced a risk of being branded as terrorists once they crossed into government controlled areas and added that the only people who would be branded as LTTE cadres were those carrying a weapon. He added that other than the security forces, no member was allowed to hold or carry a weapon, and those who did would immediately be branded as terrorists.
Meanwhile, according to Rajapaksa, giving a specific time frame to end the war was “foolish” at this point of time as the main aim of the security forces was currently to safeguard and establish an escape route for the civilians. He added that the reaction of the LTTE should also be taken into consideration, before specifying a time period to win the conflict.
According to Rajapaksa, the recent LTTE air raid in Trincomalee also did not have any impact on the ongoing military operations as troops continued to maintain balance in its operations. He added that other than it having a psychological effect, it did not bear any drastic impact and stressed that the troops would “take care of it” accordingly.
He also maintained that as stressed by President Mahinda Rajapaksa, the government supported a political solution to end the conflict and the ongoing military operations were conducted solely to create an environment for such a situation. “Just as in the eastern province, where we first conducted military operations and then held elections for the people to select their preferred leader, this is the same plan we are going to maintain in the north,” Rajapakse said.
Prior to the media briefing a meeting was held between Foreign Minister Rohita Bogollagama, Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Essential Services Commissioner S.B. Divaratna and the diplomats, where the government briefed the international community about the IDP situation in the northern province as well as the government’s victory at the recently concluded provincial council elections.
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