THOUSANDS CONVERGE FROM WATER STARVED FARM LANDS TO KALLAR JUNCTION WHILE LTTE TERRORISTS FIRE MORTARS AT KALLAR
(By Walter Jayawardhana)
Los Angeles:- Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) guerillas fired mortar shells to Kallar village , Kallar school and Sri Lanka Army camp close to Kallar Junction where about thousand angry farmers have converged to protest against the rebel group closing the sluice gates of an irrigation canal that supply water to about 35,000 acres of farm land.
The restive farmers have come from many villages to protest against the action of the LTTE who are depriving them of water for the eighth consecutive day pushing most of their rice fields to the verge of ruination. Many use the irrigation water for drinking purposes too.
The mortar fire started July 28 about 7.30 a.m. and continued through out day. Three home guards have received minor injuries by a mortar that exploded in the premises of the army camp. The mortars fired at the schools have so far not damaged the school building or injured anybody.
The Air Force continued to pound nearby LTTE camps. Reliable sources said the complete Needal camp was destroyed. Sixteen guerillas have died and 40 injured.
Meanwhile Parliamentary leader of the Jathika Hela Urumaya, Athraliye Rathana Thero, a hard-line anti LTTE political party was trying to lead hundreds of protesters to reach the Mavil Aru sluice gate where the LTTE rebel group has closed depriving farmers of water. Accusing the government of being afraid of the terrorists Rathana thero accompanied by three other monks said they would take over the sluice gates and open water for the people.
But the Commander of the 222 regiment Lt. Colonel Sarath Wijesinghe prevented the angry mob of farmers from reaching the sluice gate, where the LTTE has kept about 25 rebels guarding. Lt. Colonel Sarath Wijesinghe told the restive mob it was very dangerous to reach the spot without being well prepared and the army personnel at Kallar camp were not enough to make adequate preparations to reach the sluice gate and open it. He said the LTTE may well have buried mines on the way and it was not advisable for lay people to reach the spot. He said any kind of mob activity would harm the plan to open the sluice gates systematically and appealed to them to act responsibly. To calm them down the army officer promised they would have to be patient until 9 a.m. Saturday when the army would open the sluice gates. The protesters with their leaders said they would remain until that time at Kallar junction and thereafter go and set up a camp at the sluice gate.
The army returned fire at the probable hide outs of the LTTE terrorists firing mortars at Kallar area. The Air Force jets also pounded places from where the LTTE guerillas were firing mortars.
Army spokesman brigadier Prasad Samarasinghe said the Air Force once again pounded guerilla camps around Verugal Aru irrigation camp. He said that the intention of the security forces of the country is not to go to war but engage in a limited military action to obtain water for the deprived farmers. The army is supportive of the government’s plan to solve the problem peacefully and through negotiations , Samarasinghe said.
Defense spokesman of the cabinet, Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said that the only intention of the military action of the government is to provide water and save 15,000 people from becoming refugees. He said the security forces would reach the Mavil Aru sluice gates only according to a plan and the time table would be determined by the obstacles discovered to reach it.
