19.11.2008
KILINOCHCHI:
TROOPS attached to the 574 Brigade advancing in the general
area of KOKAVIL to the south of KILINOCHCHI by Wednesday
afternoon closed in on the KOKAVIL town centre perimeter
where the famous KOKAVIL SLRC (Sri Lanka Rupavahini Cooperation)
transmission tower stands.
The
area fell to the LTTE hands in November 1990 after the
terrorists launched an attack on the Army detachment at
the SLRC tower which spread transmission to the entire
northern part of the island.
During
that fateful military thrust, the Army detachment remained
isolated after it was cut off from the rest of the deployments
in the area.
The
imminent fall of the entire KOKAVIL into the Army hands
at any moment hereafter deprives the terrorists of using
this transmission tower for any terrorist purposes in
the future.
KOKAVIL’s
history is replete with a series of unpleasant memories.
Army
troops, now on the outskirts of much-spoken KOKAVIL, to
the south of KILINOCHCHI bordering the parallel A-9 Highway
and old MURIKANDI-KOKAVIL Railway Station recall cherished
memories of their fallen War Heroes in the 1990s with
honour, admiration and valour and LTTE massacre on ‘YAL
DEVI ’passenger train.
Photos
in this story show vandalized ruins of the MURIKANDI-KOKAVIL
railway station platform with all its roof-sheets, iron
rail tracks, and almost everything, belonging to the railway
station after those items were either damaged or removed
and finally taken away by jungle- based Tiger terrorists,
to be used for their criminal acts.
The
packed south-bound YAL DEVI train on its run from northern
JAFFNA-KANKESANTURAI, on that fateful day, 19th January
1985 was blasted by Tiger terrorists, triggering a landmine
when it was nearing MURIKANDI-KOKAVIL stop. The train
with thirteen carriages had service and Police personnel
as well as hundreds of civilians aboard who were proceeding
to Colombo on duty requirements and business.
Twenty-eight
Army soldiers and eleven civilians lost their precious
lives, and a total of twenty soldiers, five civilians
and three Police Constables, suffered injuries due to
this senseless terrorist act. Nevertheless, the train
driver, thanks to his presence of mind and bravery pushed
all the injured into the carriage, connecting the diesel
locomotive and speedily continued its journey, leaving
all other twelve compartments behind, since the train
remained disconnected as a result of the impact of the
blast. However, the driver ensured all casualties were
delivered to the nearest hospital at the next railway
station, just a couple of minutes later. He still lives
to relate his saga.
Likewise,
intensification of Tiger terrorism in the early part of
1990 saw Officer Commanding at KOKAVIL Army camp, Lieutenant
S.U ALADENIYA, was posthumously awarded the highest valour
in combat, the gallantry medal “PARAMA WEERA VIBHUSHANA”
(PWV) for his fight against Tiger terrorists valiantly
without reinforcements until his camp was destroyed by
the terrorists on 11th July 1990. He received orders to
abandon the camp, but he refused to do so as the majority
of his troops were injured by then and completely immobile.
He was the first to be nominated for this prestigious
PWV upon his supreme sacrifice.
In
fact, his camp was assigned the task of providing security
to the Rupavahini relaying tower in KOKAVIL (see photo).
This brave officer’s troops fought continuously
for fourteen days, despite running short of food, water
and ammunition. The fall of KOKAVIL in 1990 after fighting
the Tigers to the last bullet gave terrorists a stimulus
and a propaganda mileage.
Almost
two decades after the sacrifices made by those brave soldiers
of the Army, valiant troops of the 57 Division consolidated
control over the A-9 road which is within kissing distance
of the much-talked KOKAVIL centre on 29th September this
year. (See News Highlight Article Titled "Troops
on Kokavil Outskirts Recall Memories” on 30th September
2008)
Courtesy - Slk Army
