Female suicide bombers hiding under NGO cover

Disclosures made by Vinodanaiki enabled the investigators to arrest another woman suicide bomber sent to Vavuniya to take VIP targets by Manimekhala. The Special Police team led by OIC Galle Special Crime Investigation Unit Inspector Ariyabandu Wedagedara under the direction of DIG Southern range Jayantha Kulatillake is continuing investigations to track down women suicide bombers like Vinodanaiki who had been deployed to assassinate VIPs. A Police team from Vavuniya including Inspector Nalaka Gunasekera under the direction of DIG Vavuniya Ravi Wijegunawardena and SP Ranmal Kodituwakku is continuing to assist the Galle Police team

By Tissa Ravindra Perera
The conduct of a certain NGO which had provided cover for the clandestine activity of the LTTE cadres came to light last week, when intelligence sleuths identified two women employed at its Vavuniya office as the LTTE suicide bombers and later unearthed two sets of suicide bomb kits in their possession.

Following intelligence received by OIC Galle Special Investigation Unit Ariyabandu Wedagedara a special Police team arrested Black Tiger cadre Kandiah Gauri alias Kuvalini following a raid on a house at Ukkulankulam in Vavuniya on September 22. The woman suspect bit on two cyanide capsules she had already inside her mouth as she stepped into the vehicle which was to take her to the Police headquarters. She was rushed to hospital but she died there.

Soon after, a Police team from Vavuniya Investigation Unit led by its OIC Nalaka Gunasekera, joined the Galle special Police team to conduct a second raid on the house where the suicide bomber was living. This raid yielded more incriminating finds and information. They found evidence to confirm that the house was the residence of Tiger Pistol gang leader Nerappu. Incidentally, Police had unearthed a micro pistol and a magazine buried on a land opposite this house in August last year.

Another woman suspect arrested

Pursuing the hot lead, the combined Police team arrested another woman suspect who had been living in the same house with the suicide bomber already arrested. She too tried to bite on a cyanide capsule concealed inside the mouth. But sleuths who had anticipated the woman’s move managed to remove the capsule on time. Later Police recovered two more cyanide capsules concealed in the hemline of her underskirt and frock. This woman LTTE cadre was later identified as Kulandavelu Vinodanaiki alias Tanieyi who had undergone training in the Black Tiger regiment. She had joined the LTTE movement in 1996 and had served under Manimekhala, the leader of the Women Black Tigers Unit, after `passing out of the Alfa 4 Base at Pudukudiiruppu.
Vinodanaiki , after having been posted to Vavuniya by Pottu Amman, had served under Manimekhala who had planned and carried out suicide bomb attacks under the direction of Pottu Amman. Vinodanaiki had been entrusted with the job of handling the women suicide bombers arriving in Vavuniya.
With the death of Manimekhala in an attack launched by the Special Forces, Vinodanaiki lost her link with the Tiger hierarchy and she no longer received orders for suicide bomb attacks.

More disclosures under interrogation

Under interrogation by the two Police teams, Vinodanaiki began spilling the beans. Following her disclosures, Police recovered three suicide bomb kits each laden with five kilos of high explosives, six kilos of C-4 explosives and 10 detonators from Kalvariyakanda in Asikulam off Vavuniya.
Investigators later arrested a woman executive of the NGO’s Vavuniya office where Kandiah Gauri was employed at the time of her arrest.

Disclosures made by Vinodanaiki enabled the investigators to arrest another woman suicide bomber sent to Vavuniya to take VIP targets by Manimekhala.
It transpired during investigations that this woman cadre from Mullaitivu was married to a youth from Vavuniya, and people in the area had never suspected that she was an LTTE suicide bomber.
The Special Police team led by OIC Galle Special Crime Investigation Unit Inspector Ariyabandu Wedagedara under the direction of DIG Southern range Jayantha Kulatillake, is continuing investigations to track down women suicide bombers like Vinodanaiki who had been deployed to assassinate VIPs. A Police team from Vavuniya including Inspector Nalaka Gunasekera under the direction of DIG Vavuniya Ravi Wijegunawardena and SP Ranmal Kodituwakku is continuing to assist the Galle Police team.

LTTE sniper marksman arrested with firearm

Meanwhile, Police team led by SI Nalaka Gunasekera arrested a leader of LTTE Sniper regiment, with a sniper weapon in his possession early this week. This Tiger cadre identified as Venmugilan had been a member of a batch of 29 cadres who had received sniper training under Ratnam Master of Radha regiment. A resident of Pallai in Jaffna, Venmugilan had joined the LTTE in 2007. Recognised as a good marksman, Venmugilan had later been deployed in operations at the Muhamalai LTTE Forward Defence Line. This terrorist had disclosed under interrogation that he managed to slip through the Army forward defence line following the Sugandipuram battle, and trekked through the thick jungle to finally reach Vavuniya. During the two week -trek through the jungle he had subsisted on edible fruits, leaves and biscuits.
He had said that while on his way, he had narrowly escaped a shell attack by the Army. When he reached Wellankulam in Vavuniya, he had hidden his firearm inside a fertiliser bag and later got lost himself among the civilians at Rambakulam.

PC Nalin had first received information about this terrorist who was later arrested at the Vavuniya bus central stand.
Police also recovered the firearm used by this terrorist which had been well greased for future use before concealing it.

Why women suicide bombers seek NGO cover

Police believe that Black Tiger women have taken up residence in Vavuniya under NGO cover to target the VIPs visiting the IDP camps. They, being NGO employees have excuses to access the IDP camps.
It should be recalled that there were three terrorists masquerading as NGO drivers among a group of terrorists arrested by the Western Province Intelligence, while they were in Colombo on a mission to assassinate President Mahinda Rajapaksa. It later transpired that these terrorists had been transporting explosives to Colombo in NGO vehicles.

The pro-LTTE NGOs got no chance to execute their sinister designs during the final stages of the Wanni battles, thanks to timely bold action taken by Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa to deport certain pro-LTTE NGO personnel and declare the North out of bounds for some NGOs.

Russian experts give LTTE cadres security training

Certain pro-LTTE NGOs appear to be back at centre-stage under the pretext of providing relief to displaced people. It is everybody’s responsibility not to allow room for errant NGOs to aid and abet terrorism in this country again.

A hardcore terrorist now under detention has disclosed that a group of Russians who had come here posing as NGO personnel during the ceasefire, had provided military training in VIP security to LTTE cadres who formed LTTE Supremo Prabhakaran’s security. The terrorist under arrest had confessed that he was one of the 30 cadres who underwent the special training program conducted by the five Russian nationals. Prabhakaran’s son Charles Anthony too had undergone this training by the Russians.

Four surviving Tiger pilots

According to some vital Tiger documents recovered by the Division 57 of the Army, six pilots of the Tiger Air Wing had undergone a training program for pilots conducted in Bangkok. The two pilots who perished in their abortive attack in the city at the height of hostilities early this year, too had received the said training in Bangkok. The surviving four pilots can be arrested by pursuing this lead.
It has been confirmed that the two pilots who were killed in the unsuccessful raid on Colombo had been guided by satellite images – mainly close-ups .of security-sensitive targets in the city.

Another assassination bid on Gotabhaya

Meanwhile, National Intelligence has uncovered a plan to assassinate Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa at a popular `café’ in Bambalapitiya, frequented by ministers, MPs and the like. The disclosure led to the arrest of an employee of this `café’ who was found to be a mole planted by the LTTE to gather intelligence about the movements of VIPs. His arrest led to the recovery of 21/2 kilos of C-4 explosives and two cyanide capsules from his house at Kandana. A hard core Tiger identified as Kavi who had been getting information from the `café’ employee has fled the country. Once Kavi had kept a Tiger assailant ready for a bomb attack on information that the Defence Secretary was to visit this place. And they had to abandon the planned attack when the VIP who turned up was not the Defense Secretary, but Speaker W.J.M. Lokubandara.

Vital documents recovered

Sleuths of Vavuniya Special Investigation Unit have meanwhile, unearthed a heap of vital documents including files of records and bank pass books packed in large barrels at the Tigers’ 22 Base camp at Narakamulla, Toppigala. Files on LTTE cadres in the east, Maha Veerar families and businessmen who funding the LTTE are among the documents recovered. Several books containing data on military hardware and 16 books on intelligence were among the other finds.
Of the files recovered, 21 contain details about numerous bank accounts operated by the LTTE. Some files have been handed to Colombo Terrorist Investigation Unit for further investigations.
Sub Inspectors P. Wijeratne, and M.V.Mendis, Police Sergeants Wijetunga, Pushpa Kumara, and Bandara, and PCs Ranga, Ajith, Priyadarshana, Maharambage, Harsha and Pushpa Kumara of the Vavuniya Special Investigation Unit participated in the raids conducted in the Batticaloa district.

Morris squeals

The suicide bomber who launched the bomb attack at Akuressa which killed and also wounded a number of people including Minister Mahinda Wijesekera, had come here from Malaysia to carry out the attack, investigations have revealed.
Tiger terrorist identified as Morris who was arrested at Wellawatte recently had given this information to intelligence sleuths. Morris had planned and executed the bomb attack on Minister Jayeraj Fernandopulle and also the aborted assassination attack on Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.

Promotions in the Sri Lanka Navy

Three senior Commodores of the Navy were promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral last week. Naval commander West Ravi Wijegunaratne, Senior officer in charge of Naval affairs at the CDF headquarters, Shirantha Udawatte, and Director General of Naval Training and Personnel Rohan Amarasinghe, are the new Rear Admirals.

Commandants I. R. Premaratne, H. K. Abeyratne, N.K. Patberiya, A.S. Potupitiya, M.T. Sigera, U. K. Kumarasena, G. S. Peiris, Atula Senarath, K.J. Kularatne, A.A. Gamage, S.R. Lelwela, and S.D.Vivekanandan have been promoted to the rank of captain.
Major General Daulagala- Commander South
The newly established Southern Defence headquarters was inaugurated on September 23. Major General Lalith Daulagala who was the Commander of the Division11 assumed duties as the Southern commander on September 23.

Army set to celebrate 60th anniversary.

The Sri Lanka Army is now making elaborate arrangements to celebrate its 60th anniversary. Army Chief of Staff Major General Mendaka Samarasinghe is in charge of organising the celebrations which are being designed to reflect the performance record par excellence of the Army, particularly in regard to ridding the country of the scourge of terrorism.