EELAM WAR II

      The IPKF withdrew in March 1990, and the Government sponsored peace talks with the LTTE broke down in June 1990. The first outbreak of violence was reported in Ampara and Batticaloa areas. Large numbers of police personnel were captured and slaughtered by the LTTE.

     The presence of the Army in these areas was very limited in numbers and the camps located in Kalmunai, Kalavanchikudi and Kiran were under siege. Kalmunai camp was evacuated by sea before reinforcements arrived. A massive operation was launched to reinforce the other two camps. Two brigades were launched under the command of Brigadier R De S Daluwatte, the Area Commander for Ampara and Batticaloa, under the direction of the late Lt Gen Kobbekaduwa who was responsible for the operations in the Eastern Province. 1 Brigade Group was tasked to reinforce Kalavanchikudi camp held by a company of 6th Battalion, Sri Lanka Light Infantry, whilst the 3 Brigade Group was assigned to reinforce Kiran camp held by a company of 1st Battalion, The Gemunu Watch. In approximately one weeks time the two brigades were able to break the siege on the two camps. The soldiers of the two camps held on valiantly beating back several LTTE attacks and inflicting heavy casualties on the enemy. Hostilities also broke-out in the adjoining Trincomalee district and in the Northern Province during the same period. The situation in the Eastern Province was brought under control within a months time, and civil administration was restored.

     The situation in the Northern province was different to what was in the east. The Army bases which existed in the north were Palaly, Jaffna Fort, Mankulam, Kokavil, Elephant Pass, Mullaithivu, Kilinochchi and Mannar.

     Due to the presence of the IPKF and the subsequent peace talks, the numbers in the bases had been reduced and the perimeters in large camps like Palaly had been reduced. There was no depth to the defences of these camps. The nonexistence of a land route forced the Army to depend on the Air Force for troop reinforcements and combat supplies. The air strip in Palaly was directly under enemy fire. However the determined pilots of the Sri Lanka Air Force were able to bring in reinforcements despite a heavy volume of enemy fire. Operation JAYASHAKTI was launched to expand the Palaly camp in order to facilitate the unhindered landing of aircrafts.

EELAM WAR I

       In October 1981, a soldier of the army was killed in Stanley Road Jaffna. Since then skirmishes took place on and off until the 23rd of July 1983 when 13 soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army were ambushed and killed by the LTTE at Thirunelveli, in Jaffna. This single incident created a new dimension in the northern conflict in Sri Lanka and also affected the country's image adversely.

      Since then the separatist war in Sri Lanka was converted into a conflict, which yet obstructs the development of this country due to soaring defence expenditure. During the past fourteen years, there were many major operations conducted against the LTTE.

      'Operation Liberation' was conducted to wrest control of the Vadamarachchi area in the Jaffna peninsula, and was aimed at forcing the LTTE to enter negotiations. For the first time in the military history of Sri Lanka, two brigades were launched into an offensive operation in the early hours of 26th May 1987. These two brigades, under the command of late Lt. Gen. Denzil Kobbekaduwa and late Maj. Gen. Vijaya Wimalarathne were able to complete the capture of the Vadamarachchi area within five days.

       As a result of this Operation, the entire area of Vadamarachchi was brought under the control of the Security Forces. This was a severe blow to the LTTE as Vadamarachchi is the birthplace of the Tiger leader, V.Prabakaran, and also most of the senior cadres of the LTTE are natives of Velvettithurai, the main township of Vadamarachchi. Consequent to this operation, the Army was entrusted with the administration of a large number of civilians.

     The 'Hearts and Minds' campaign was at its height and the population was gradually being drawn towards the Government and the Security Forces. Before the Security Forces commenced the next phase of the operation, aimed at gaining control of the entire Jaffna peninsula, Indian pressure started mounting and climaxed with the forced food drop by the Indian Air Force. The Peace Accord with India was signed on the 29th of July 1987, and the Indian Peace Keeping Force, (IPKF), began arriving, thus making a new dimension in the separatist war in Sri Lanka.

      The Army was confined to barracks in the Northern and Eastern provinces of Sri Lanka. This enabled the troop withdrawal from this region in large numbers, to facilitate their deployment in the southern part of the Island to suppress the JVP uprising.