Biggest ever rescue operation

Shanika SRIYANANDA

The Sri Lankan military is to expedite the world’s largest hostage rescue operation where the LTTE terrorists keep over 70,000 civilians in a small patch of land less than 20 square kilo metres, the Army Commander Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka said.

Despite requests and warnings pouring in from all over the world to keep the civilians away from fierce fighting, the terrorists, who have fixed their heavy artillery guns in densely populated areas, in the Govt declared ‘No Fire Zone’ (NFZ), are still trying to make the civilians a `show piece’ to get international sympathy to avoid annihilation.

While the LTTE terrorists’ request from the international community “to apply adequate pressure on the government to enter into a ceasefire with the Tigers”, President Mahinda Rajapaksa had strongly rejected the idea, last week.

Meanwhile, UN Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon called on the LTTE leadership to allow civilians to leave the conflict area of their own free will and urged to stop forced recruitment of children.

“The Secretary General is deeply distressed by continuing reports from the Vanni region of Sri Lanka that civilians are at extreme risk, with heavy casualties and that the LTTE are keeping civilians in a very small area of active conflict against their will. While some have been able to leave or escape, reliable reports indicate that the LTTE have prevented others from leaving, including by firing at them”, a UN statement stated.

Reiterating that there would be no ceasefire, the Army chief said that the soldiers had to keep fighting to rescue a large number of hostages as this was the first time in the world history that a terrorist organisation has become so ruthless. “No others have kept their own people as hostages and forced them to die”, he said.

Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka said that no influence - local and international - could prevent the troops marching forward to liberate the innocent civilians in the NFZ though the military was experiencing some constrains due to hostages. “We could finish the LTTE weeks back if civilians are freed”, he said.

He said that over 12,000 soldiers of three defensive divisions - 53, 55, 58 and Task Force 8, were in liberating civilians caged in a coastal stretch of 12 kms in Puthumathalan, Valayanmadam, Karayamullivaikkal and Vellamullivaikkal while over 40,000 soldiers were deployed to defend any infiltration by the LTTE. “ We have made a tremendous progress during a period of an year, where the troops were still fighting to liberate Madu last year. The NFZ is a very narrow stretch and troops have only three km from the longest point to reach to the beach front of the NFZ”, he said.

The Army Chief requesting the public not to be mislead by the unpatriotic rumours at this moment where the LTTE was facing their last days renewed his call to the LTTE leaders and cadres, to surrender to save lives.