Dashing all hopes of the United Nations and neighbour India that the two day truce declared by President Rajapaksa could be extended based on the reciprocal attitude of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the Tamil rebels exercised a second civilian massacre of Sinhalese civilians in a hamlet of Moneragala and continued firing at the Sri Lankan security forces regardless of the two day truce, Defece sources said.
The military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said , “the LTTE carried out the second civilian attack on the New Year day , Monday April 13 at Galvetiya-mandiya in Moneragala District at 7 p.m.”
The LTTE gunmen still hiding in the jungles of Moneragala also did a another massacre on the previous night at another village at a nearby hamlet , close to Buttala during the previous night.
The government of President Rajapaksa had refused to grant any ceasefire since in the past such ceasefires had been used, as he claimed, by the Tamil Tigers to rearm and regroup and carryout civilian massacres.
At least three have been killed during the second New Year massacre while in the first New Year massacre six were killed, all civilians, by shooting point blank the military spokesman said..
Calling the two day truce granted by President Rajapaksa an eyewash the LTTE demanded a longer ceasefire with international monitors and as the military claimed , “Sri Lankan soldiers manning their defences in the Puthukkudiyiruppu East and Ampelavanpokkanai areas encountered heavy machinegun fire and intermittent shelling yesterday (Apr 13) as they strictly observed the humanitarian pause ordered by the President.”
Prevented by the LTTE only 18 people managed to cross over to the no war zone from the LTTE controlled no fire zone demarcated by the government although announcement of government was broadcast over the loudspeakers across the border.
Although, international authorities believed, it would be a tremendous success the number is a disappointment, when compared with the figures of escapees on ordinary days, observers said. As long as the LTTE keep a watch over them they cannot escape, seems to be the truth.
By Walter Jayawardhana