Residents get guns but fear reigns

Since the sporadic Tiger terror attacks in Moneragala District within the past 10 days, villagers are wary of going back to their homes and prefer instead to gather at temples or stay in one residence while police shore up security in the area. The latest attack was on Tuesday, January 22, when rebels shot dead three policemen manning a guard post in the kithulkotte area along the Thanamalwila – Buttala road. The attack came a few hours after the Army pulled out from the area following an intense search operation.

This incident has sparked off fresh fears among villagers with most of them abandoning their chena cultivations and seeking refuge in safer areas. Some villagers have been provided with shot guns to back up the Civil Defence Force and the police. By Friday more than 200 shot guns had been issued to residents in Buttala and more are yet to be distributed. The villagers are expected to report to the local police station at the end of every month and collect fresh ammunition, after accounting for the previous rounds of ammunition.

Efforts to recruit more members to the Civil Defence Force to strengthen security has faced a hurdle as the stipulated age limit is between 18 to 35 years and most of the villagers are above 35. As villagers fear for their safety there is an additional suspicion that some villagers involved in illegal activities including the cultivation of cannabis were helping the rebels to buy food, give them directions and information about the movements of the security forces.

Earlier this week President Mahinda Rajapaksa charged that the Tigers were being tipped off by Ganja cultivators for money. Police and military officials in the area too believe that Tigers were getting assistance from some villagers. Abanwala’s Deputy Inspector General of Police said investigations were being carried out in this regard.

The tense security situation has had an adverse effect on local and foreign tourist arrivals at the Yala National Park while the Udawalwe Park has been closed indefinitely pending a search operation there. Yala park officials said visitors to the park were sometimes held up for several hours due to sudden search operations or the vehicles were forced to suddenly take a different route for security reasons resulting in many visitors avoiding the park.

They said the closure of the Buttala – Kataragama main road between dusk and dawn had also had a negative impact on tourist arrivals. The same situation has been reported from Kataragama with many shops and hotels being forced to close down.