SLMM says it kept away from the area of the Batti attack during the last month

Diplomats caught in crossfire

By Amantha Perera

It was a clear morning in Batticaloa last Tuesday when helicopters approached the air force runway and the Webber stadium, located at the edge of main STF camp. Top area commanders from the forces and the police had gathered at the ground to welcome the high powered delegation that was to tour Batticaloa to assess the humanitarian situation in the district.

Two helicopters had landed according to senior army officials at the site, one carrying officials and the other a group of media personnel. The time was around 8.50 am, when the two helicopters with Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe and five ambassadors from the US, Canada, Japan, Italy and Germany approached the ground.

Samarasinghe alighted from the helicopter and was walking up to the officials when the first thud occurred just 40 metres away. Cries of 'go down' reverberated in the air, with security officials trying to get Samarasinghe out of danger. He was bundled into an air force vehicle and driven straight to the DIG's office.

The ambassadors were right behind and they too got caught to the falling shells. According to military officials three 120 mm shells had fallen at the Webber stadium. The Italian Ambassador Pio Mariani was injured in the head while early reports of injuries to US Ambassador Robert O'Blake and his German counterpart Jurgen Weerth were later proved untrue.

One helicopter immediately took off while the other did not even land before being diverted.

The ambassadors too were bundled into a military vehicle and driven to the police headquarters. It was there that discussions began on what move to take next. Mariani was moved to the Batticaloa Hospital for a medical check up. The head injury was treated and he was asked to do a CT scan in Colombo.

While shells started falling on the Webber stadium, shell fire had also reached the air force runway where a 26 seater was landing. The craft with UN officials landed but was slightly damaged.

Security cordon

The helicopters were diverted from the Webber Stadium and the entire Batticaloa town was brought under a security cordon.

The shell fire had originated from the Vavunathivu area that lies west of the Webber stadium. The area is the line of control between government and Tiger held areas.

The Tigers reacted almost immediately saying that it was a case of mistaken identity and that they fired at the craft suspecting them to be ferrying military personnel. "We are shocked and saddened by this incident This was a retaliatory attack, because the Sri Lankan forces shelled in the morning from the same locations, and military helicopters were flying in," LTTE Military Spokesperson Rasiah Ilanthirayan said.

He added that if the Tigers had been informed of the identities of the passengers they would not have fired at all. The Tigers say that when UN and ICRC flights take place to Jaffna their timings are pre-informed to the Tigers.

"Military use"

"All this could have been avoided by a phone call to Pulidevan (head of the LTTE Peace Secretariat)," Ilanthirayan said. The Tigers said that when they were made aware of the identities, the firing stopped completely.

"In recent times the Batticaloa air space has only been used by the Sri Lankan military. The two landing sites, the Batticaloa airstrip and the military head office complex are used for military purposes only. The airstrip was also used to bring military supplies. The Sri Lankan military also uses these two locations as artillery positions. Even this morning there was provocative shelling by the Sri Lankan military in Batticaloa.

"Immediately after the event, Head, UN Security, Marian Din Kajdomcaj contacted M. Pavarasan of LTTE liaison office and the shelling was stopped immediately and the aircraft with the foreign diplomats were able to take off safely," the Tigers said.

The government however said that the diplomats were the target. In fact the mission had been known for a while. The US Embassy said that it was preplanned. And military officers in Batticaloa said the government agent had informed all the divisional secretaries of the impending visit. "They (the Tigers) should have known, they have a pretty good information channel. There were a large number of vehicles parked near the stadium so, they should have at least known that this was no ordinary group," a top military officer in Batticaloa said.

Kept  away

Ironically the SLMM said that they had kept away from the area of the Webber stadium and surroundings from last month as a precautionary measure. "Mortars were fired over our quarters, that is not so nice," spokesperson Thoffinur Omarsson said.

The monitors had moved to Ampara since January and unless on an extraordinary case, like the shell attack, they avoid the area, Omarsson said.

The ambassadors had taken part in a meeting conducted at the DIG's office in the morning. Their return was however delayed for several hours with authorities trying to determine the safest route. They was finally transported to Valachchennai and airlifted to Colombo thereafter.

LTTE  ship

The day after the attack, the navy destroyed an LTTE arms smuggling ship off Dondra in the south.

Naval craft had spotted the ship sailing without a flag about 185 nautical miles off  Dondra around 4.30 am on February 28.

After getting close they had tried to reach the crew on the international communication, there was no response, and when the craft got near they fired warning shots, the vessel too had opened fire. "Subsequently the navy retaliated with gun fire at the suspected vessel at about 08.30 a.m.

It is now confirmed that the vessel had illegally carried weapons and ammunition for the LTTE," the Defence Ministry said.

It also said that the Tigers had planned a diversion as well, further north. "Naval intelligence units believe that the LTTE movement comprising a cluster of terrorist boats yesterday (27), to be a diversion plot for the LTTE arms vessel."