SRI LANKA ARMY TROOPS CONSOLIDATING ITS POWER AROUND MAVIL ARU IRRIGATION CANAL WITH THE OBJECTIVE OF OPENING IT AND MAINTAIN IT TO INSURE REGULAR SUPPLY OF WATER IN THE FUTURE
(By Walter Jayawardhana)
Los Angeles:-Sri Lanka Army spokesman Brigadier Prasad Samarasinghe said that Sri Lankan army troops were consolidating its power around the closed irrigation sluice Mavil Aru in order to reach the closed sluice gates and open water for the aggrieved farmers who have been without water for the last 13 days.
The troops successfully moved forward amidst intense mortar fire of the enemy and lost one soldier in the effort he said.
He said without consolidating its power around the sluice gates it was useless taking over the irrigation canal. Replying to a question raised how they could consolidate power in a LTTE controlled area Samarasinghe said as the military they only want to achieve the target of a mission and the target now is to capture the sluice gates and maintain the supply of water to the water deprived people in the future amounting to about at least 45,000.
According to the Sri Lanka Army the army troops were inching their way to their goal of opening the closed sluice gates under intense air cover. Samarasinghe confirmed that to retaliate the battling LTTE guerillas the Sri Lanka Air Force continued to bomb the LTTE’s Kadirveli military camp in support of the Army engaged in "operation Water Shed"
Meanwhile Sri Lanka’s Defense spokesman of the cabinet Keheliya Rambukwella said the government did not want to continue with a military offensive if the terrorist group LTTE wanted to open the sluice gates and give water to the farmers whose 35,000 acres of farmland is almost on the verge of ruin.
Rambukwella said that the government discussed the matter with the terrorist group and they were not ready to open the sluice gates and that resulted in the military action.
He said the army troops were closing in on their target facing enemy fire and as soon as they capture the sluice gates they would open it with the help of engineers and give water to the farmers.
Calling it only a humanitarian mission Rambukwella said that cannot be called a state of war.
The army’s first hurdles were heavily laden mine fields close to the sluice gates . Now it is mortar fire aimed at the troops from LTTE camps.
Brigadier Samarasinghe was quoted as saying there were no face-to-face confrontations between the Security Forces and the LTTE.
"The deaths and injuries to advancing troops were caused by the mortar fire of the LTTE", Samarasinghe added.
According to military sources, LTTE cadres were firing mortars to prevent troops advancing to the anicut area by using 81 mm and 120 mm mortar launchers from the Verugal Aru area.
"Initially it was the mine fields that slowed the advance of the ground troops towards the anicut. Now the mortar fire by the LTTE using 81mm and 120mm mortars were impeding the advancing the troops", Samarasinghe said
He said though the ground troops reached the sluice gate area they have been prevented from reaching the sluice gates as they have to move towards it through open space heavily mined by the LTTE.
