MANNAR: The liberation of what is known as the “Rice Bowl” of this district was completed on Monday with the troops capturing the area of 120 sq. kilometres, according to military officials who took us on a conducted tour of the area.
The Sunday Times photographer Sanka Vidanagama took part in a conducted tour arranged by the Media Centre for National Security on Tuesday.
We saw clear signs of fierce battles. Every part of the area, even the trees, which were damaged by artillery fire, told the horrific tale of what had happened in this “Rice Bowl” which had once produced record harvests of paddy and was regarded as the haven of prosperity.
The war had destroyed or damaged the few buildings in the area. In places where there once were houses, we saw only the foundations.
The only undamaged houses were those that had been guarded by stacks of palm trunks and branches that took the brunt of the crossfire during the fierce battles in the area.
Military officials said those houses were apparently bunkers of LTTE cadres. Though the bunkers were largely undamaged, there was no one in them. The officials said some 2200 LTTE cadres were believed to have been killed from September 11 last year to June 30 this year with another 780 wounded. Other LTTE cadres fled the area without even taking the bodies of their colleagues, the officials said.
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| Troops preparing for their next move. Pix by Sanka Vidanagama |
The largest monument the LTTE had left behind was a vast Tiger cemetery which is now being guarded by the army.
Years ago, hundreds of farmers would have worked in this Rice Bowl, but when we went there on Tuesday we saw only about five civilians and we did not know where all the other farmers had gone.
Military officials said some of the farmers or civilians had moved to areas nearby.
The Rice Bowl during the reign of the LTTE had been turned into a vast stretch of landmines which is now being cleared by the troops, the officials said.
The Army has put up signs warning people of landmines.
The Giant’s Tank, the well spring of this Rice Bowl served as an oasis for the weary soldiers as they washed their hands and faces there amidst the blazing sun.
The officials said the troops also picked up some mementos from the bunkers or camps that the LTTE cadres had left behind.
One was an undelivered letter written by a female LTTE cadre to her “kiriamma” explaining her sufferings and misery in the camp. Another was a love letter from a person called Sivatharan to Kayanthani with flowers drawn on the border of the paper.
Among the LTTE cadres killed were 26 “Lt Colonels” , 85 “Majors” and 99 “Captains” . According to military officials, the death toll showed the way the battle went -- 92% of those killed were LTTE cadres and only 8 % from the army.
While we were touring the area where there were little signs of life or any other movements, we were told by the military that battles were going on in the direction of Vidattalthivu, about three kilometres away.
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| The big booty: The troops display weapons captured from LTTE bunkers and hideouts. |
The 58th Division’s Commanding Officer Brigadier Shavindra de Silva said the re-capturing of the “Rice Bowl” was significant and timely. He said his commando division had coordinated with the 57th Division which came from Vavuniya to liberate the Rice Bowl.
The Brigadier said that there were several small villages in the area near the Giant’s Tank and a lot of open area but, their main objective had been to kill the maximum number of LTTE cadres as possible.
He said the operation started near the Giant’s Tank. Manthai, Manthottam, Adampan, Pallekuli, Kurukkandalkulama, Vellankulama, Vadakkandal, Alankulama, Andankulama, Marattikannadi, Alakaddiveli, Parappakandal.
Parappukadatan, Tenveddiyan, Minukkulama, Vilayankulama, Papamoddai, Odduppalan, Kuruvil- Sluice, Neduvarampu, Kannaputtukulama and Vannakulama, were the main areas that were liberated by the security forces in the operation.
Calling young patriots
The Defence Ministry is taking advantage of new technology to boost its recruitment campaigns. Over the next two months, the Sri Lanka Army will use mobile phone text messages in a drive to recruit 8,000 personnel.
Mobile phone service providers have volunteered to send the text messages to their customers free of charge. The messages call on young patriots to join the Sri Lanka Army, Navy and Air Force and “be a part of a winning team”.
Military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakara said the text messaging was one part of a general recruitment drive to encourage more youth to join the armed forces.
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