Be vigilant during Vesak period - Military Spokesman

Rafik Jalaldeen

COLOMBO: Military Spokesman Brigadier Prasad Samarasinghe yesterday urged the public to be vigilant during the Vesak period.

“The public have given their fullest support to the Security Forces to maintain security during the Sinhala and Tamil New Year. We also ask them to be alert and vigilant during the Vesak period to avert any possible attack targeting civilians,” the Brigadier said, addressing the weekly security press briefing.

Samarasinghe said the Security Forces thwarted an attempted LTTE air attack at the army base in Palaly due to their vigilance and swift action.

The vigilant troops observed an LTTE light air craft moving towards the Palaly base and informed them. Following the information the Palaly base lights were switched off.

The LTTE light air craft was flying between 100-200 metres from the ground level with lights switched off. “The Troops fired at the aircraft from where the noise was coming as it was difficult to visualize due to the darkness,: Brigadier Samarasinghe said.

“The aircraft was in the air for around eight minutes and the Security Forces forced it to turn away before approaching the Palaly base area,” he added.

The Troops along with Air Force are taking precautionary measures to avert any LTTE air strikes in the future.

The troops repulsed the attack successfully with the available limited facilities. “We are also planning to bring more advanced equipment but we cannot bring them immediately as it takes some time,” the Brigadier pointed out.

Meanwhile, the LTTE is targeting innocent civilians by exploring claymore mines aimed at passenger buses. More than 45 civilians were killed in several bus bomb blasts beginning from Nittambuwa, Galle, Batticaloa, Ampara and Chettikulam.

A number of Tiger cadres are trapped inside the Thoppigala jungles and around 10 LTTE cadres have surrendered to the Security Forces with their weapons. “The troops engaged in liberating the East will resettle the civilians as soon the A5 road is opened,” he said.

Two Home Guards were killed and three STF personnel and two Homeguards sustained injuries when the LTTE detonated a claymore mine targeting a joint Homeguard and STF route patrol yesterday around 8.30 a.m. in Bakmitiyawa, Meerahal in Ampara.