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Unannounced air craft landing in Batticaloa comes under LTTE fire
Two air crafts that landed in two military installations in Batticaloa came under LTTE fire this morning at 9.30am. One aircraft landed in the Batticaloa military air strip and the other landed inside the Batticaloa military Head Office premises.
In recent times the Batticalo air space has only been used by the Sri Lankan military. The two landing sites, the Batticaloa air strip and the military head office complex are used for military purposes only. The air strip was also used to bring military supply. 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.
LTTE military spokesman, S Ilanthirayan, expressed shock and sadness that Sri Lankan Government has exposed senior diplomats to danger by allowing air crafts carrying them into an area where they have declared military operations without informing LTTE in advance. He added that this is criminal negligence on the part of the Sri Lankan government. He said that simple diplomacy could have avoided the unfortunate incident and condemned the childish action of the Sri Lankan military.
Ilanthirayan noted that a channel of communication exists between the LTTE and UN agencies and the ICRC for exchanging flight information when flying to the Palaly military airport in Jaffna. This well established and effective channel is operated through the LTTE Secretariat for Liaison with UN and International Agencies in Kilinochchi. No such channel of communication has been opened regarding Batticaloa airspace.
Indeed, immediately after the event, Marian Din Kajdomcaj, Head of UN Security, contacted M Pavarasan of LTTE Liaison office and the shelling was stopped immediately and the air crafts with foreign diplomats were able to take off safely.
Kajdomcaj thanked Pavarasan of LTTE for the prompt action and acknowledged their failure to warn LTTE about the flight in advance.
Exploiting the halting of shelling by LTTE, Sri Lankan military has begun shelling again and latest report is that there has been aerial bombing in Batticaloa as well since than.
27 February 2007
Unannounced air craft landing in Batticaloa comes under LTTE fire
Two air crafts that landed in two military installations in Batticaloa came under LTTE fire this morning at 9.30am. One aircraft landed in the Batticaloa military air strip and the other landed inside the Batticaloa military Head Office premises.
In recent times the Batticalo air space has only been used by the Sri Lankan military. The two landing sites, the Batticaloa air strip and the military head office complex are used for military purposes only. The air strip was also used to bring military supply. 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.
LTTE military spokesman, S Ilanthirayan, expressed shock and sadness that Sri Lankan Government has exposed senior diplomats to danger by allowing air crafts carrying them into an area where they have declared military operations without informing LTTE in advance. He added that this is criminal negligence on the part of the Sri Lankan government. He said that simple diplomacy could have avoided the unfortunate incident and condemned the childish action of the Sri Lankan military.
Ilanthirayan noted that a channel of communication exists between the LTTE and UN agencies and the ICRC for exchanging flight information when flying to the Palaly military airport in Jaffna. This well established and effective channel is operated through the LTTE Secretariat for Liaison with UN and International Agencies in Kilinochchi. No such channel of communication has been opened regarding Batticaloa airspace.
Indeed, immediately after the event, Marian Din Kajdomcaj, Head of UN Security, contacted M Pavarasan of LTTE Liaison office and the shelling was stopped immediately and the air crafts with foreign diplomats were able to take off safely.
Kajdomcaj thanked Pavarasan of LTTE for the prompt action and acknowledged their failure to warn LTTE about the flight in advance.
Exploiting the halting of shelling by LTTE, Sri Lankan military has begun shelling again and latest report is that there has been aerial bombing in Batticaloa as well since than.
27 February 2007
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