Sri Lanka still trying to forget over 300 attacks by LTTE in 30 years

– by Shenali D Waduge –

Some organizations are trying to remember a solitary incident that took place in 1983 but unrepeated since to continuously project and promote a larger objective. They take great pains to ‘remember’ this solitary incident but refuse or ignore to hold a single exhibition, documentary or issue a statement for the 300 or more attacks by the LTTE. We wonder why they wish to only concentrate on one unrepeated incident only. These ‘remembrance’ programs copy the strategy of Channel 4 and are held every time Sri Lanka attends an important event. It is obvious that they are attempting to push the notion of guilt upon the Sinhalese Buddhists. We now demand that these false accusations must cease. When the LTTE attacks are brought up the immediate defence by these groups was to depict that Tamils are not to blame for LTTE attacks. By the same logic, organized mob attacks of 1983 does not equate to Sinhalese Buddhists attacking Tamils. Never a word gets mentioned of how Sinhalese Buddhists saved and protected their Tamil neighbours and friends. We agree that all Tamils are not LTTE but all LTTE were Tamils similarly 1983 was a mob attack and those that looted homes/property comprised men from all the ethnic groups as happens in riot situations. The public is not to blame. If Tamils are not to be blamed for LTTE – Sinhalese Buddhists are not to blame for 1983 either.

If 1983 was a REVENGE attack – why did the people not avenge 300 LTTE attacks?

Going further the 1983 riots was attributed to revenge attacks for the killing of 13 soldiers. On July 18, 1996 the LTTE overran an entire army camp in Mullaitivu killing 1200 soldiers. In 1998 26 September LTTE overran the Kilinochchi army camp killing more than 900 soldiers – why did the people not repeat 1983 to revenge these killings? Again by the same logic of revenge, the below comprehensive list of LTTE attacks upon the military as well as unarmed civilians should have resulted in revenge attacks by the public for the anger at killing unarmed men women and children would have been far more difficult for any authority to curtail. BUT – no such revenge attacks took place despite the horrific manner the LTTE planned and executed their killings. This speaks volumes of the tolerance of the Sri Lankan public inspite of their anger with previous Governments for forsaking the greater interest of the people and thinking of only their political futures that led to delaying action against LTTE terrorism resulting in the deaths of close to 30,000 war heroes, thousands of still missing unaccounted for soldiers, tens of thousands of civilian deaths, destruction of property, ancient sacred sites being affected – the damage was colossal.

Those that take pains to make the world remember July 1983 do not want to remember LTTE atrocities to hold exhibitions or documentaries? Why would they promote one and not the other? Coincidentally, they also happen to be the same people that finds difficulty in admitting the achievement of Sri Lanka’s armed forces whatever love lost they have with the Government.

1983 Black July was certainly a planned attack; unfortunately most of those main players are now no more to verify the different versions that prevail. While the 13 soldiers died in the North it was strange that the attacks took place only in certain pocket areas. Nevertheless, what the 1983 riots did was to allow for the 1st time the opportunity for an exodus of Tamils to exit Sri Lanka on the ticket of refugee status. These people now make up the Tamil Diaspora. We now question how many of those actually attacked got the chance to go overseas and how many Tamils that had nothing happen to their homes or themselves ended up leaving as ‘refugees’ to live in the West obtaining foreign citizenship thereafter? How many more Tamils over the years used false stories of ‘discrimination’ to also plead for refugee status needs to also be explored though no one would mind anyone wanting to live in the West so long as they do not slander the country of birth or the people with lies and distortions.

How many of Tamils in the North are actually Sri Lankan Tamils?

If 600 died in 1983 there are now close to 1million Tamils living overseas. Excluding the estate Tamil population the Tamils number 2.4million in total of a 20million population and with the close to 1million now living overseas we again question the validity of the census statistics implying the need for the Sri Lankan Government to authenticate how many of the present Tamils living in the North are actually Sri Lankan Tamils for the possibility of South Indian Tamils coming and settling in the North throughout 3 decades of LTTE defacto rule cannot be ruled out. If the authorities find that there are illegal Tamil Nadu immigrants living in Sri Lanka since the 1980s they need to be immediately sent back. Sri Lanka should not accept illegal immigrants and a proper policy must be implemented forthwith.

LTTE and Prabakaran started their killing spree borrowing or rather hijacking the ‘separatist’ slogan from the Tamil political leaders. The joke that ‘Eelaam’ was by Tamils for Tamils was proved when LTTE assassinated the Tamil mayor of Jaffna, Alfred Duraiappah and not stopping there went on to kill scores of Tamil police officers on duty making Tamils fear joining the police service.

If Alfred Duraiappah was the first victim of LTTE, being a Tamil too, the last victims of the LTTE were also Tamil. It was on 20th April 2009 that 3 LTTE suicide bomb attacks targeted fleeing Tamil civilians being rescued by the Sri Lankan armed forces and resulted in 17 civilian deaths including women and children. This was the last time the LTTE was able to inflict pain upon the Sri Lankan populace and now 4 years on not a single bullet, not a single claymore, not a single suicide mission or assassination has taken place. LTTE has killed 82 Tamil politicians / 54 Tamil Government officials / 24 Tamil intellectuals & academics.

LTTE has assassinated

§  2 Heads of State (President Premadasa and former PM Rajiv Gandhi) and attempt on President Chandrika Kumaratunga

§  1 Opposition candidate

§  10 leaders of political parties

§  9 Ministers (including 7 cabinet level Ministers and Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadiragamar)

§  37 Members of Parliament

§  6 Members of Provincial Councils

§  22 Members of Pradeshiya Sabhas

§  17 Political Party Organizers &

§  4 Mayors including Alfred Duraiappah who became the LTTE’s first killing in 1975 outside a kovil in Jaffna.

Prior to the July 1983 riots, the LTTE was involved in a spate of activities that included blasting of Air Ceylon Avro Aircraft (1978), bombing night mail train to Jaffna (1983 June), killing of police officers (Tamil) and attacks on police stations (Chavakachcheri-1982), attacking Navy convoys (1982) as well as killing 2 soldiers in Jaffna (1981). The first LTTE cadre to be killed was Seelan (Charles Anthony) in 1982.

The UNP may like to remember some of its members killed by the LTTE – MP Pulendran/Vavuniya Organizer (1982), K V Rathnasingham (1983), S S Muttiah (1983), Sinnathambi Thilagar (1983 June) A J Rajasooriar (1983), M Hemachandran (1983)

Following is a list of key dates in the conflict and each added comes upto over 2000 incidents involving LTTE attacks upon both civilian and armed forces – the handful of prominent one’s are given below:

1972
	Tamil Tiger leader Velupillai Prabhakaran forms the Tamil New Tigers (TNT).
1975 July 27	Assassination of Jaffna Mayor – Alfred Duraiappah
1976
May 1	TULF calls for separate state with Vaddukodai Resolution for self-determination.
May 5	TNT becomes the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)
1983
July 23	LTTE ambush army patrol in Jaffna, kills 13 soldiers, sparking an anti-Tamil pogrom by organized mobs in which an estimated 600 people die
July 29	Mob riots – resulting in burning of homes/businesses, arson and looting
1983 – 84	India, despite denials, begins arming and training guerrillas from five major Tamil militant groups – unofficially the training began far earlier.
Aug 1	6th Amendment to Sri Lanka’s Constitution prohibiting separatism
1984
Jan 21	Bomb attack Hilton Colombo killing civilians
Nov 30	Dollar and Kent Farm attacks on Sinhalese villages in north-eastern border areas kill 127 people,  – 244 such attacks on civilians have taken place since
1985
Jan 19	Bombing of Yal Devi train
May 14	LTTE guns down 146 Sinhalese civilian pilgrims at the holy Buddhist town of Anuradhapura including Seelawansa Thero
July 8	First attempt at peace talks between the government and the LTTE in Bhutan fails.
1986
May 3	LTTE bomb Airlanka plane at Colombo airport, killing 16 people
1987
April 21	Car bomb explodes at Colombo central bus stand, killing 113 people and wounding scores more
June 2	LTTE stop bus and shoot 33 people, including 29 Buddhist monks near the eastern town of Arantalawa
July 5	LTTE carries out its first suicide bombing at the Nelliady army camp killing 40 security force (SF) personnel.
July 29	India and Sri Lanka sign pact to end Tamil separatism. India deploys troops in Sri Lanka – INDO LANKA ACCORD signed virtually under duress.
July 30	Arrival of Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF)
1988
May 1	Landmine blows up bus, killing 22 passengers in eastern Trincomalee
Nov 14	27 Sinhalese die in attack on bus in Trincomalee
1989
Feb 11	34 Sinhalese killed in shootings at Duluwewa in northeast
1990
March 24	Indian troops withdraw
June 10	LTTE resumes separatist war, breaking 14 months of talks with President Ranasinghe Premadasa
June 11	Over 600 policemen shot dead by LTTE after they surrender in Eastern Province
Jul 12	Suicide attack on Naval Vessel in Trincomalee kills 6 security force members
Aug 3	140 Moslems praying at a mosque in eastern village of Kattankudy killed in machete, gun and grenade attack
Aug 12	120 Moslems killed in Eravur, north of Batticaloa
Nov 3	suicide bombers attack the Manakulam Army Camp with a car laden with explosives.
1991
March 2	Deputy Defence Minister Ranjan Wijeratne killed by car bomb in Colombo with 18 others
May 5	‘Sea Tigers’ attack a Naval Vessel in Trincomalee killing 5 SF personnel
May 21	Former Indian premier Rajiv Gandhi blown up by an LTTE suicide bomber along with 18 others
June 21	21 killed and more than 175 injured as suicide bomber drives truck with explosives into Joint Operations Command Office/ Colombo
1992
Sept 1	Bicycle bomb in eastern Batticaloa kills 22 Moslems
Oct 15	166 Muslim men, women and children were brutally hacked to death in their sleep by women and child cadres of the LTTE in northeastern Palliyagodella
Nov 16	Sri Lankan navy commander Clancy Fernando and 4 navy personnel killed by a motorcycle-borne suicide bomber at Galle Face in Colombo
1993
April 23	LTTE kill former security minister Lalith Athulathmudali
May 1	President Ranasinghe Premadasa blown up by an LTTE suicide bomber with 23 others
1994
Oct 13	Third round of peace talks begin between the government and LTTE
Nov 24	Presidential candidate Gamini Dissanayake and 58 others killed by Tiger suicide bomber
1995
April 19	LTTE blasts two navy boats killing 12 soldiers after six months of talks
June 4	Ship chartered by International Committee of the Red Cross blown up in northern Jaffna
Aug 7	Suicide bomber explodes bomb hidden in coconut cart in Colombo, killing 24 and wounding 40
Oct 17	9 Navy personnel killed and Vessel damaged by LTTE suicide bomber in naval facility Trincomalee
Oct 20	LTTE cadres blow up two oil depots in capital Colombo, killing more than 20 security personnel
Nov 11	Two Tiger suicide bombers kill 15 people in Colombo in unsuccessful attack on Army headquarters
Nov 24	LTTE suicide targets headquarters of the Sri Lankan Army and explode bombs concealed in their vests killing at least 16 people and wounding 52 others.
Dec 2	Jaffna falls to Sri Lankan army
Dec 5	23 police officers die as truck filled with bombs attack police camp in Batticoloa.
Dec 11	14 civilians and 3 SF personnel killed and 59 injured when LTTE suicide bombers blew themselves up during an attack on the Army Headquarters complex in Colombo.
Dec 30	An Sri Lanka Army (SLA) officer and a civilian were wounded by LTTE suicide bomber at Kalladi in the Batticaloa district
1996
Jan 31	Tigers ram a truck loaded with explosives into the central Bank building in Colombo, killing 91 people with over 1400 injured
Apr 1	10 SF personnel killed by suicide squads in Vettilaikerni.
Apr 18	Sea Tiger suicide at Colombo Port.
July 4	Jaffna military commander Brig. Ananda Hamangoda, and 20 others are killed and approximately 60 others sustain injuries by suicide bomber in Jaffna
July 18	Tiger overrun army camp in northeastern town of Mullativu, killing 1,200 troops
July 24	Two bomb blasts on a rush-hour commuter train kill 57 people and injure at least 157.
Oct 25	12 Sri Lankan navy killed by boat filled with explosives in Trincomalee
Nov 25	Suicide bomber dies critically wounding police driver in Trincomalee town
Dec 17	A Deputy Police Commander killed by suicide bomber in Amparai
1997
Mar 5	Air Force Base Trincomalee attack
May 13	Army launches biggest ground offensive, ‘Jaya Sikuru’ to capture the Vavuniya-Jaffna highway. The offensive is called off in December 1998
July 5	Lawmaker Arunaslam Thangathurai and four others die in a grenade attack
July 17	North Korean ship carrying food, attacked and seized, killing one crew
Sept 9	Civilian ship attacked north of the eastern port of Trincomalee. 32 people killed in a gun battle between rebels and the Sri Lankan navy
Oct 8	The United States declares the LTTE a foreign terrorist organisation
Oct 15	The LTTE attacks The World Trade Centre in central Colombo killing 18 injuring over 110
Oct 19	LTTE attacks naval gunboat in northeast – 2 sailors die
Nov 14	Colombo’s Kelanitissa Power Plant attacked
Dec 28	Suicide truck near Magalle naval base (Galle) damages shops and houses.
1998
Jan 25	The LTTE bombs Sri Lanka’s holiest Buddhist shrine, the Temple of the Tooth, in the central town of Kandy, killing 17
Jan 26	The Sri Lankan government outlaws the LTTE
Feb 6	Suicide bomber explodes outside SLAF roadblock near Rio cinema Slave Island. 6 soldiers and 2 civilians die.
Feb 23	Suicide attack on Point Pedro coast in northern kills 51 troops and 28 civilians are killed in this attack.
Mar 5	Bus bomb explosion in Maradana, Colombo claims over 36 civilians injuring 270 more
May 14	Brigadier Larry Wijeyaratne, a top Sri Lankan Army’s top commander killed in Jaffna
Sept 11	LTTE assassinates the mayor of Jaffna a member of the pro-government Tamil United Liberation Front
Sept 26	Tigers overrun the Kilinochchi army camp, killing more than 900 government soldiers,
1999
Mar 18	Suicide cadre blows herself near police station in Colombo. Her target was Chief Inspector Nilabdeen head of the terrorism investigation unit. He and 8 civilians were injured.
Apr 11	LTTE suicide attack on bus in Kandy kills 2 and injures over 20
July 25	Suicide bomber targets ship at Trinco harbour killing a civilian.
July 29	LTTE suicide blast kills Tamil MP Neelan Tiruchelvam
Aug 4	9 police commandos and 1 civilian killed by suicide bomber in Vavuniya. 18 commandos were on board.
Aug 9	First suicide bombing inside army camp – Vakarai posing as civilian collecting food relief kills Major T. G. J. B. Karunanayake, the second in command of an infantry battalion.
Sep 18	LTTE women cadres attack three villages, kills 50 people
Oct 9	The US state department extends by two years the ban on the Tamil Tigers
Nov 2	Tigers mount their biggest ever counter offensive and within four days overrun a total of 10 military bases
Dec 18	President Chandrika Kumaratunga is wounded in a suicide assassination bid by LTTE
Dec 18	Suicide bomber kills retired Major General Lakshman Chula Algama and 11 persons at a United National party (UNP) election rally at Ja-Ela in Colombo.
2000
Jan 05	A suicide bomber stages attack outside Prime Minister Sirima Bandaranaike’s office, killing 13 civilians
Mar 2	Attack on Col. Piyal Abeysekara in Trinco results in death of his driver.
Mar 10	14 civilians and 6 police personnel killed and 46 injured when suicide cadres attack motorcade leading to Parliament.
April 22/23	Tamil Tigers capture army garrison of Elephant Pass entrance to Jaffna peninsula
May 4	The Sri Lankan Government assumes new powers and puts the country on a war footing
May 17	More than 20 people are killed and 75 injured in a bomb explosion in the eastern town of Batticaloa
June 5	34 naval personnel killed by ‘Sea Tigers’ off Vadamarachchi coast in Jaffna
June 7	A senior Sri Lankan Minister, CV Goonaratne, is assassinated and 20 others killed
June 14	2 civilians killed and 11 injured in an attempt to target Sri Lanka Airforce bus in Wattala
June 26	Ship carrying private cargo to Point Pedro from Trinco attacked at sea,5 die include 3 naval ratings.
Aug 16	(Vavunia) A child was killed and five persons, including three army officials
Aug 22	Thailand bans LTTE
Sept 15	7 killed and 28 injured by suicide bomber near hospital in Colombo – Health Minister Nimal Siripala escapes
Oct 3	National Unity Alliance Trincomalee District candidate M. L. Baithullah, and 20 persons, including four police personnel, killed and 49 injured by suicide bomber in Muttur
Oct 5	12 killed over 40 injured by suicide bomber at People’s Alliance election meeting at the Medawachchiya bus stand
Oct 19	3 civilians killed 21 injured including 3 Americans by suicide bomber near Colombo Town Hall
Dec 5	Interpol sends a world wide notice for the arrest of LTTE chief, Velupillai Pirabakaran
2001
Feb 28	LTTE Banned in UK
July 24	20 LTTE suicide cadres attack main airbase and the only international airport in Sri Lanka, destroying 13 aircraft and leaving at least 12 people dead.
Sep 16	LTTE suicide attacks on a ferry carrying 1,200 soldiers off northern Sri Lanka kill 29
Oct 30	4 killed in suicide bomb blast aiming PM Ratnasiri Wickremanayake at Narahenpita, Colombo Two police personnel and 2 civilians are killed while 14 injured
Oct 30	3 soldiers killed in a suicide boat attack on an oil tanker, MV Silk Pride, off the port of Point Pedro
Nov 04	LTTE’s assets in Britain and USA frozen
Nov 09	LTTE Banned in Canada
Nov 15	Three Army intelligence personnel and a civilian killed while 8 persons injured in Batticoloa town
Dec 19	Tigers announce month-long ceasefire to start on 24 December.
Dec 21	The government says it will also observe month-long truce.
2002
Jan 15	The government eases 7 year embargo on goods, food and medicines entering the northern rebel-controlled areas.
Feb 21	Government and Tamil Tiger rebels agree to a permanent ceasefire
Sep 05	LTTE ban lifted by government to pave way for peace talks in Thailand
Sep 16	First round of Peace talks start in Thailand between government and LTTE
2004
July 7	Suicide bomber detonates outside Kollupitiya Police station next to the Sri Lankan Prime Minister’s official residence in Colombo killing herself and four police personnel and injuring 9.
2003
	LTTE pulls out of Peace talks
2004
Mar 3	Renegade Tamil Tiger commander, known as Karuna, leads split in rebel movement
2005
May 31	Major Tuwan Nizam Muthaliff, Commanding Officer of the First Intelligence Corps of the Sri Lankan Army gunned down in Colombo
Aug	Foreign minister Luxman Kadiragamar, a Tamil himself assassinated by LTTE
Nov	Mahinda Rajapakse elected president of Sri Lanka.
2006
Jan 7	15 Sri Lankan Navy personnel in Trincomalee naval harbor
Apr 25	LTTE suicide bomber posing as pregnant attempts to assassinate Army Commander Lt General Sarath Fonseka – 8 others die inside military hospital Colombo
Jun 26	Suicide bomber kills SLA Deputy Chief of Staff, Major General Parami Kulathunge, the third highest appointment in the SLA, and three others at Pannipitiya, a suburb of capital Colombo.
July 26	LTTE Blocks Mavil Aru sluice gates. Army launches operation ‘Watershed’ to take control of the gates. This incident is regarded as the beginning of the Army’s military operation to oust the LTTE (known as Eelam war IV)
Aug 11	Army takes full control of the Mavil Aru sluice gates
Aug 10	Government closes the A-9 highway
Aug 14	LTTE launches an unsuccessful assassination attempt against the Pakistani High Commissioner 7 die including 4 soldiers.
Oct	Peace talks fail in Geneva
Oct 2	LTTE attacks Muttur, displacing Muslims
Oct 16	LTTE suicide attack blasts buses carrying sailors who were going on leave. Over 100 sailors died in this incident.
Oct 18	Sea Tigers attack naval base in Galle – Troops, successfully repulse the attack, killing 15 LTTE cadres, while one sailor also died in the incident
Dec 1	LTTE suicide bomber launches an unsuccessful assassination attempt against Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapakse
2007
Jan 6	LTTE bombs passenger bus near the tourist resort of Hikkaduwa killing 11
Mar 24	2 civilians die as suicide bomber attacks military checkpoint in Jaffna
March 26	LTTE Air Wing, for the first time launches an air raid and drops bombs over Katunayake Air Base causing minor damages – 3 deaths
March	Operation to liberate Wanni begins
Apr 2	LTTE attacks military checkpoint near Ampara, killing at least 16 civilians and wounding 25 others
May 24	Suicide bomber on bicycle rams bus carrying army personnel – 2 soldiers die
Jun 3	LTTE attacks army bases in Mannar and Vavuniya districts
July 11	Military liberates the Eastern Province from LTTE with the capture of Toppigala
July 16	The Chief District Secretary of the Eastern province is shot dead in Trincomalee
Oct 21	LTTE aircraft and ground troops, in a two pronged assault, attack the Sri Lankan air force base in Anuradhapura
Nov 2	The head of the Tamil Tigers’ political wing, S.P. Thamilselvan, is killed in an air raid
Nov 18	LTTE suicide bomber explodes herself at office of Douglas Devananda, the Tamil minister for social welfare killing his personal secretary.
Nov 18	Bomb explodes at a shopping complex in busy Nugegoda
Dec 6	LTTE claymore attack on bus heading to Kebithigollewa kills 16 and mostly children
2008
Jan 2	Sri Lanka withdraws from the ceasefire agreement
Jan 8	Minister for Nation Building, D.M. Dassanayake killed in LTTE claymore in Ja Ela
Jan 16	Suicide bomber on civilian bus in Buttala kills 27 and injures 60 – LTTE also shoot at civilians
Jan 31	Suicide bomber on bicycle in Thinnaveli kills 3 civilians injures 17
Feb 3	Suicide attack at Fort Railway stations kills 12 and injures over 100.
Feb 29	8 including 3 police officers killed by suicide bomber in Colombo
Apr 6	suicide bomber blast kills Highways Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle and 10 others at a school roadside marathon start line.
Apr 25	24 killed in bus blast in suburb of Piliyandala
May 16	Suicide bomb explosion near Sambuddhaloka temple ; 9 killed, over 95 wounded – Fort
May 26	Bomb attack at Dehiwela station kills eight
June 4	24 injured in blast targeting commuter train
June 6	20 killed in bomb attack on bus in suburb of Moratuwa
Jun 16	Vavuniya suicide attack kills 12 police personnel including 3 women police officers
Sept  28	One dead, nine injured in Vavuniya blast
Oct 6	Retired Major General Janaka Perera and 27 others killed in suicide bombing in Anuradhapura
Oct 9	Minister Maithreepala Sirisena Miraculously Escapes LTTE Female Suicide Attempt
Oct 22	LTTE Tamil Tiger Terrorists attack merchant ships carrying essential supplies including food, medical suppliers etc to civilians in Jaffna
Nov 15	Amry liberates Poonaryn, opening up a land route to Jaffna
Nov 26	LTTE kills Lt. Col Lalith Jayasinghe of Special Forces Regiment
Dec 29	LTTE suicide bomb blast near Catholic Church ; 8 killed, 17 injured – Wattala
2009
Jan 2	Army liberates Killinochchi town, the rebel administration headquaters
Jan 2	LTTE suicide bomb explosion in Colombo in front of the Air Force camp in Slave Island
Jan 9	Elephant Pass, a major passage way to Jaffna falls and with that army takes full control over the A9 road
Jan 25	Army liberates Mullathivu Town, the rebel military headquaters
Feb 9	bomb attack at IDP rescue centre – Kilinochchi – At least 23 people killed
Feb 21	Two LTTE Air Tiger planes which came in a suicide mission gunned down in Colombo and Katunayake. One plane crashes in to the IRS building after being shot down. The other one crashes in to a field near Katunayake Air Base.
Mar 10	LTTE suicide bomber attacks Milad Festival – Akurassa 10 civilians were killed and at least 35 others , including a government minister
Apr 13	Sri Lanka announces Norway will not be Sri Lanka’s peace broker after Sri Lankan Embassy in Oslo is attacked by LTTE
Apr 20	Army destroys earth bund which prevented civilians from leaving the Safe Zone. 41,000 civilians reach the liberated areas on the first day.
May 09	Remaining civilians start coming out from the Safe Zone
May 17	Velupillai Prabhakaran and other senior leaders killed. Major fighting ends.
May 18	Government confirms that Velupillai Prabhakaran is dead
May 19	President Mahinda Rajapakse officially declares that the war is over. Prabhakaran’s body displayed to the public.
May 20	Military ends fighting with ceremonially silencing the guns

No nation would have tolerated the above attacks (just a handful of the total) as Sri Lanka has therefore it is time people with vested interests stop ridiculing Sri Lanka any further.