Gen Denzil Kobbekaduwa

Special Supplement commemorate the Heroic Sons of Sri Lanka who laid their lives to preserve the Unity of Mother Lanka

The 16th death anniversary of the late Lieutenant General Denzil Kobbekaduwa, the legendary War Hero of our times and eight other military leaders including Major General Wijaya Wimalaratne and Rear Admiral Mohan Jayamaha falls today (August 8).Lieutenant Colonel H.R Stephen, Lieutenant Colonel G.H. Ariyarathne, Lieutenant Colonel Y.N. Palipana, Lieutenant Commander Asanga Lankathilaka, Major Nalin de Alwis, Lieutenant Commander C.B. Wijepura and Private W.J. Wickremasinghe were the other war heroes who perished in an LTTE terrorist blast at Araly point, Jaffna.

‘Nation First – Lead from the Front’ – A Tribute to Lt Gen Denzil Kobbekaduwa

Lt Gen Denzil Kobbekaduwa belonged to a class of military leaders all Sri Lankans can be proud of. Today is his 14 death anniversary. Lt Gen Denzil Kobbekaduwa is in the league of great military leaders of the world – who had been leading from the front - strategising, motivating and leading. Deeply loved by his troops for his leadership and humility, he was adored by his countrymen, irrespective of place or position.

Our Nation may still remember the times when it was lead from the front. We may also still remember the days when the terrorists were called terrorists, and were treated rightly so. Till recent, the same terrorists were being accorded the red carpet in return for the brutality and the inhumanity perpetrated on a democratic nation and its citizens, in return for small favours.

Lt Gen Denzil Kobbekaduwa had the ‘Nation First’ not himself, or his kith and kin first. Else, he would be living with us today. He inspired millions in his life and millions more in his death.

We also have many other leaders. Sadly, many would fail to inspire an ant, even if they live a million years. Some even live with a sense of denial that we are a nation under siege, to other it is a convenient oversight. Lt Gen Denzil Kobbekaduwa lead from the front, and did not pass the buck to the next generation.

However, it is very fortunate that we still have a large strength of immensely dedicated military leaders and troops who are following the footsteps of Lt Gen Denzil Kobbekaduwa. They remain the guardians of our sovereignty and the nation.

The limited military operations currently underway in Trincomalee for humanitarian reasons to ensure the supply of water to thousands must be continued. We need to secure the vital naval and military establishments in Trincomalee. No pains must be spared at this stage to ensure a complete mopping up operation of the surrounding areas lock, stock and barrel, so that a repetition of the recent ‘Terrorism of Water’ does not occur again.

A kindergarten child, and not a military strategist is needed to say that the enclave of Jaffna will fall safely be in Tamil Tiger terrorists hands when the eastern sea passages from Trincomalee is obstructed or terminated.

We urge our leaders to provide the fullest support to our brave defence force personnel who are sacrificing all they have, in the way general Lt Gen Denzil Kobbekaduwa have inspired them to –

Today, Sri Lanka, the motherland of the Sinhala people is hurtling towards oblivion at a million miles per hour, thanks mainly to an elite set of despots lead by a self cantered prime Minster who is intoxicated with power. Whilst the prime minister and his partners in crime (the cabinet) indulge in opulence, the Tamil Tiger Terrorists are making headway towards establishing their clandestine Eelam, ably assisted by a plethora of cabinet ministers, lead by Jayalath Jayawardena, Tyrone Fernando and Milinda Moragoda. Let us quickly take stock of the current situation.

The LTTE terrorists have in fact established a parallel administration in the North and East of Sri Lanka disenfranchising a large number of mother Lanka's law abiding citizens. They have a police force, a taxation system, a judiciary and very soon an official army and navy. The Sinhala people have to pay a visa fee to move beyond Vauniyawa. Very soon it will be Maddawachchiya and then Anuradhapura. In a few months the LTTE will also have an air force. What does the clandestine leaders of the UNF government do whilst this travesty of justice is taking place in the North and East of Lanka.? They have either banded themselves in to a group of pack dogs hunting the President, looked the other way as if nothing has happened or quite conveniently left the country on numerous foreign tours or so called 'Aid Junkets' to fathom their own nests.

The cost of living has sky rocketed. The common man is starving. The public servants are living in fear of losing their jobs as commission seeking ministers endeavour to sell anything and everything that is owned by the public that has value. Treachery and anarchy is ruling our dear motherland at present.

The carefully planned assassination of that great leader, General Denzil Kobbakaduwa, was the catalyst for the resurgence of the LTTE terrorists. The General was universally loved by all his troops and venerated as a honest, compassionate, naturally born leader by all citizens throughout our great nation irrespective of whether one was a Sinhalese, Tamil or a Muslim. The General was seen by the citizens to have the potential to be one day the 'President' of mother Lanka but alas, traitors amongst the ruling elite betrayed the great leader to the LTTE ultimately costing him his life.

On this day of his eighth death anniversary, we urge all Sri Lankan citizens to stand as one, united to fight against terrorism engulfing our motherland. Pledge today to fight to:

(SPUR Victoria has organised memorial services on 13 August 2000 at all Sri Lankan temples in Victoria to commemorate the 8th death anniversary of Lt. Gen. Denzil Kobbekaduwa and the other members of the Defence Forces of Sri Lanka who laid down their lives for the preservation of the unity of Mother Lanka.)

A hero is a great warrior or man of noble qualities and great achievements. Lieutenant General Denzil Lakshman Kobbekaduwa was both of these. He was beloved by his men, respected by his colleagues and loved by the people. Unfortunately, the powers that be, not being men of great stature would not give him his due not only when he was alive but even after he died.

Born into a wealthy family on 27 July 1940, the second child but the eldest of three sons, he was educated at Trinity College, Kandy. At school he excelled in sports, especially Rugby football, playing as scrum half. An exciting player, he continued to excel at this game even after he had joined the army. He not only played rugby football, he also coached, refereed and administered the game and was a Board member of the Duncan White Sports Foundation.

Lt. General Kobbekaduwa joined the army in May 1960 and received his training at the renowned military training institution, the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst in England. Although the Sri Lanka army was more a parade ground army at that time, Lt. General Kobbekaduwa was to see it turned into a well trained, battle hardened and disciplined army of which he was the proud leader. Being a cheerful, energetic, efficient officer, Lt. Kobbekaduwa (as he was at that time) was well liked both by his superiors and his peers (and later his subordinates as well) and his promotions within the army came swiftly, despite twice being a victim of political interdictions in 1965 and 1977. He was promoted to Major General in 1990 and was posthumously promoted to Lt. General in 1992.

Lt. General Kobbekaduwa was not a mere soldier, he was a tactician. The training on the rugby field stood him in good stead in the battle field, the attacks he planned having the same precision of execution as had his attacks at rugger.

One of the most famous victories executed by Lt. General Kobbekaduwa was the manner in which he broke the siege of Elephant Pass. The attack on the army camp at Elephant Pass which was launched in July 1991 was planned by Prabhakaran himself who named it "Operation Charles Anthony". Charles Anthony, alias Seelan had been Prabhakaran’s closest ally and it was in retaliation for his death that the landmine which killed 13 young soldiers was set off in July 1983.

Prabhakaran even came out of hiding to visit the terrorists’ forward areas prior to launching the attack. Civilians were co-opted to man supply lines and hospitals and provide other services with all available transport being requisitioned and hundreds of coffins being stockpiled in readiness for the operation. The attack was launched with about 3000 personnel (men and women drawn from the North and East) but at the height of the battle this number rose to about 6000. The LTTE leader was willing to sacrifice anyone to win this location while he directed the attack himself from his hideout in Chavakachcheri.

The tactics used by Lt. General Kobbekaduwa in breaking this siege were unprecedented in the annals of Sri Lankan military history. Though the battle plans for Operation Balavegaya one was drawn up at the Joint Operations headquarters in Colombo the execution of these plans was in the hands of Lt. General Kobbekaduwa, which he did in his own inimitable style.

With no tanks and heavy armour, 8000 men were deployed for the rescue mission to relieve the besieged camp and regain territory captured by the terrorists. This was an amphibious operation backed with helicopters carrying troops, and was carried out against great odds and at enormous risk. Lt. General Kobbekaduwa was in the landing craft leading his men from the front, willing to take the same risks as his men.

The resistance put up by the terrorists with their blazing mortars and RPGs was so intense that some battalion commanders were considering aborting the operation temporarily. Lt. General Kobbekaduwa wanted to go ahead. In this he was supported by Brigadier Vijaya Wimalaratne, who died in the same bomb blast Araly Point. Despite heavy enemy firepower, the taskforce established a beachhead at Vettilaikerny and military history was made.

Denzil Kobbekaduwa has been called an "exceptional Third World General". This is not to denigrate him but shows how good he was at carrying out a campaign under third world situations, where funds were limited and every resource had to be carefully nursed. It was Kobbekaduwa who in 1985 waged war with the LTTE on two fronts.

The LTTE found to their cost that sometimes the tactics used in the army operations against them were so sophisticated that many times the LTTE military strength was dispersed and their supply lines were disrupted and cut off. The superior fire power on which the LTTE depended to win battles were no match for these tactics.

The Adampan operation is one such instance. Here the armed forces waged a two prong attack one in the south-eastern entrance of Madhu Adampan base region while the main thrust was in the north western sector. It was only later the LTTE realised that while their forces were engaged the army had interdicted their supply lines in the area where the Mannar coast was linked to the jungle base of the Wanni. The planning was by Kobbekaduwa who could obtain maximum advantage from minimum resources a true attribute of great military leader. Even the LTTE fighters respected Kobbekaduwa’s strategical skills and military tactics that whenever such signs were observed in a manoeuvre, they associated it with him.

He was a professional and humane soldier with enough confidence in his skills to ask "Why should we let anyone else fight our war?" The IPKF, unhappy with his presence at the front, complained twice. His sense of justice made him realise that although the Tiger Terrorists were all Tamil, this did not necessarily mean that all Tamils were terrorists. He wanted to win the confidence of the civilian population, who, in this conflict, were caught between the devil and the deep blue sea as it were, and make them realise that they were better off trusting the army.

The most important trait in his character however, was his innate sense of fair play and justice. He never considered the civilian population of Jaffna the enemy. They were the victims of a ruthless terrorism, which they were helpless to overthrow. He and his men would do it on their behalf. He realised too, that the only way in which the terrorists could be weakened was to have the civilian population lose their fear and turn away from the LTTE.

He was fighting an enemy who had a large stock of arms and an advanced military infrastructure with limited manpower and finances and a mono-ethnic army. This made it difficult to hold on to territory, subjugating the people of the area to a military rule while continuing to wage war against a guerrilla army.

He used three principles in his counter-insurgency war measures: firstly, he did not believe in holding down land, secondly, he believed in drawing the enemy away from populated areas to minimise civilian deaths and with advance manoeuvring and superior fire power strain and destroy the enemy fire power, and thirdly make the civilians realise that they were better off trusting the armed forces. In fact, the UNHCR paid a tribute to him for his humanitarian approach to the beleaguered Tamil population.

It was six years ago on Saturday, the 8th of August that this brilliant tactician, this humane warrior, this hero, was lost to the nation. He was the man the nation had come to trust, had come to believe would lead the country to a lasting peace.

Lt. General Kobbekaduwa together with Major General Vijaya Wimalaratne and Rear Admiral Mohan Jayamaha, had been conferring far into the night on August 7th. They were planning an operation which was to be launched shortly. The final decision was delayed until they could reconnoitre a particular area to finalise troop movements, which required a visit to Araly point the next day. It was while they were returning to be taken back to the base by helicopter that the tragedy occurred.

An explosion was heard by two majors who were watching the jeep in which the three military leaders were travelling. Majors Rupasinghe and Induruwa were 400 yards away from the jeep. When they came running up, they found that except for two persons, the others, whose bodies were mutilated, had died instantaneously.

The intact bodies of Lt. General Kobbekaduwa and Rear Admiral Jayamaha were loaded onto the waiting helicopter which took off immediately to Palaly where the Rear Admiral was found to be dead. Though he was mortally wounded, Kobbekaduwa had said "I’m all right, see what can be done to the others.." As the doctors were unable to do more for him at Palaly, Lt. General Kobbekaduwa was brought to Colombo where a team of leading specialists battled to save his life, but were unsuccessful.

Lt. General Kobbekaduwa had remarked once that he wanted to die in his boots. Perhaps he had a premonition about the manner of his death. With him the hopes of a nation seemed to die. Since then the war has continued for six long years. Yet, his legacy lives on. The men who were trained by him, now follow in his footsteps and slowly but surely are taking the trail he blazed.

Eight years ago, on Saturday 8th of August 1992, an explosion detonated by tiger terrorists killed Lt. General Denzil Kobbekaduwa and six others travelling in the same Jeep with him plunging a whole nation into mourning.

On Saturday the 8th of August 1998 Sri Lankans living in Melbourne remembered these brave heroes with a special memorial pinkama at the Sri Lankan viharas in Dandenong, Glenroy, Noble Park and Springvale. Devotees gathered at these viharas where Bodhi poojas were held almost simultaneously. A pinkama was also held in Moscow on this day to remember these national heroes.

At these pinkama we reminded that as Sri Lankans we have a duty to remember these heroes who laid down their lives on our behalf. It was in defending our country, that they lost their lives. While SPUR had taken the leadership in organising this event, each and every Sri Lankan was in duty bound to remember not only these heroes but all those in the security services who had sacrificed their lives for our motherland, for us.

Ven. Vidura Thero of the Noble Park vihara recounted a talk he had with a senior officer in the army who had been a training officer when Lt. Gen. Kobbekaduwa first joined up. This officer, now retired, had remembered the young man as a very pleasant, kind person, full of promise, who was liked by everyone.

The Thero also recounted an event which showed how much these deaths had moved a nation. One week after the tragedy an elderly woman had come to the Vihara in Sri Lanka where he was residing at the time. She had brought dane (alms) to offer the priests on behalf of the late Lt. General. She had never known him, had never even seen him. Yet, his death was a personal tragedy for her and she was making this offering as she would had she lost one of her own family members, someone near and dear to her. This was how the people had reacted at that time. People had put up white flags on their houses to show they were in mourning. That was six years ago.

Six years later, the people still remembered, well enough to hold a pinkama in different parts of the world.


Special Bodhi Pooja at the Noble Park Temple in Melbourne, Australia (8 August 1998)	Special Bodhi Pooja at the Springvale Temple in Melbourne, Australia (8 August 1998)