Saturday, 16 February 2008

Tamil Tigers must be made to pay for desecrating Catholic churches, Buddhist temples and Muslim Mosques

Thalladi Catholic Church in Mannar

Temple of the Tooth Buddhist Temple in Kandy

Muslim devotees killed while praying at Kattankudi Mosque

The desperation of the Tamil Tiger Terrorists knows no bounds. Nothing is sacred to them any more.  Prabakarn and his men, indulging in an orgy of violence:

1.       Targeted killing over 30 children including infants  in the last month (Butthala and Railway Station bombing)

2.       Slit pregnant mothers open and mutilate stillborn foetuses (Dollar and Kent Farm assassinations)

3.       Separated Buddhist monks from other bus passengers and shot them at point blank (Aranthalawa massacre)

4.       Killed Muslims devotees whilst attending prayers at mosques (Kattankudi massacre)

5.       Destroyed Buddhist archaeological sites and artefacts (attack on the Temple of the Tooth)

6.       Killed the Hindu Priest who welcomed President Rajapakasa to  Vakarai  and attacked Kovils including that in Delft Island

The brutality against humankind and the gross violation of human rights continue unabated. LTTE’s latest triumph seems to be the attack on the Thalladi church in Mannar. The barrage of artillery launched by the LTTE towards Thalladi destroyed the highly venerated St. Sebastian Catholic Church in Mannar. According to media reports, six soldiers from the nearby army camp deployed to clean the Church for a Valentine Day’s sermon were killed due to this artillery fire. A further 10 soldiers had sustained injuries. What is most disturbing is that the attack took place after Rev. Fr. Thevaraja and four other priests had visited the location on Monday and made the request from the army for assistance. A number of questions remain unanswered. Was the timing of the LTTE attack on the church and the presence of the soldiers a coincidence or synchronised having prior knowledge of those requesting assistance from the army?  On 9 February 2008 , the LTTE fired 80mm mortar at the sacred Madhu church erroneously anticipating military presence in the area. It is evident from this that the LTTE is working to drive a wedge between the liberating armed forces, the people living in the area, the Catholic church and the international and local Catholic community by initially destroying Catholic churches and then falsely accusing the Government. Unfortunately, even the Administrator of the Madhu church, Fr Email has refrained from naming the LTTE as the perpetrator of this crime publicly.

The hierarchy of the Catholic Church must condemn these callous attacks against religious establishments and publicly shame and name the perpetrators as the LTTE. Failure to do so emboldens the Tiger precipitating more callous attacks. They must not be able to get away with these types of attacks on places of worship, civil infrastructure and civilians in general.

Enough damage was caused when the Bishop of Mannar Rayappu Joseph called the LTTE ‘our boys’ and urged the Australian Government to stop providing aid to Sri Lanka whilst touring Australia some time ago. Members of SPUR were present at this public forum when Bishop Rayappu Joseph made this misguided plea. When SPUR members challenged Fr Joseph, he said that ‘our boys will rehabilitate in the near term’. This was awhile ago. The ‘rehabilitated’ LTTE has now extended its catalogue of vicious acts to include destroying church infrastructure evidenced by the Thalladi bombing. Bishop Rayappu Joseph’s continued deadly silence and what he stated during his Australian tour is evidence of his tacit support for the LTTE.  It was also reported last weekend that a Christian priest named Nagulan and two other priests from the Four Square Church , a Christian evangelist group had been arrested associated with transporting a parcel containing two suicide kits, eight detonators, eight batteries, and six remote control devices. The thought of the mayhem and destruction caused by an explosion of this deadly cocktail should send a shiver down anyone’s spine.

Hence it is evident that over the years unfortunately rogue elements linked to the LTTE have infiltrated the Catholic Church and are working behind the scene to subvert democracy.

For the sake of regaining confidence in the clergy, we urge the Church hierarchy to immediately begin a process to marginalize and expose the rogue elements bringing ill repute to the Church.  Continued silence and inaction by the church hierarchy could be interpreted as tacit acquiescence. The onus is also on the Catholic congregation to pressure the Church hierarchy to act in the name of democracy and religious values.

Dr Dasarath Jayasuriya

President, SPUR (Victoria)

Back to Latest News on LTTE Tamil Tiger Terrorists

The United States' top intelligence agency, Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) says that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) is the most dangerous and deadly extremist organization in the world. The official website of FBI in its tops story said that LTTE is far more dangerous terrorists outfit than al Queda, Hezbullah or even HAMAS.  http://www.fbi.gov/page2/jan08/tamil_tigers011008.html

Back to Latest News on LTTE Tamil Tiger Terrorists

Massacre of school children by the LTTE Tamil Tiger terrorists at Okkampitiya, Monaragala in Sri Lanka on 16 January 2008.

LTTE Tamil Tiger terrorists have carried out a cowardly bomb blast targeting innocent civilians at Okkampitiya, Monaragala on 16 January 2008. According to the available information the bus which was plying from Buttala to Okkampitiya with large number of civilians including schoolchildren has been targeted in the explosion (Details and photos in SPUR).

http://www.spur.asn.au/LTTE_Bomb_20080116_Okkampitiya_Monaragala.htm

28 killed and 64 wounded

Bomb victims need O+ and O- at the Monaragala Hospital The hospital sources inform that there is an urgent need for blood groups of O- and O+ at the Monaragala Hospital, for the treatment of the victims in bomb blast. Blood bank sources confirmed that anyone could donate blood at any of the 74 major district/general hospital blood banks island wide. Contact details. Main blood bank, Narahenpita - 0112369931-4 or 0115332153/4 .Central blood bank hotline - 0777272985

On 02 January 2008, LTTE Tamil Tiger terrorists killed another two students, Pathum Divanka Chathura Dissanayake (14), and Malith Lasidu Bandara (16) (see details).

(see details and photos in SPUR). LTTE_Atrocities_20080102_Slave_Island_Bomb.htm

Recent LTTE Bomb Attacks on Public Buses

Easter Holidays Massacre in Sri Lanka - LTTE Tamil Tiger Terrorists attacked a passenger bus to massacre five Sri Lanka Army Soldiers, killing 8 civilians and injuring 28 (Tamil pilgrims of Madhu Church Easter Festival).(Full details in SPUR Web Page).

LTTE Tamil Tiger Terrorist suicide bomb blast one more bus: 15 killed & 40 injured in a crowded bus at Seenigama, Hikkaduwa, south of Colombo in Sri Lanka - 06 January 2007 (Read full details in SPUR)

LTTE Tamil Tiger Terrorist kill 6 innocent civilians and injures another 63, by exploding a bomb in a public passenger bus at Nittambuwa, near Colombo in Sri Lanka on Friday, 05 January 2007 (Read full Details in SPUR Web Page)

Kebitigollewe Massacre (15 June 2006), Read full details and phots in SPUR WebPage. Carnage at Kebithigollewa (Photos in Island). Download in PDF 1.88 MB