Soldiers infiltrated deep into Vadamaradchi and spied: A shocking incident
Soldiers infiltrated deep into Vadamaradchi and spied: A shocking incident
It was the month of March 1995, when the soldiers were approaching Jaffna. The Vallai-Achuveli junction was under the control of the army.
It was impossible to even show one’s head at the foot of the Muniyappar temple in Vallai. The reason was that there was a risk of a sniper hiding there, and a bullet hitting his head.
On the other side, the LTTE’s main team was engaged in a fierce battle to stop the soldiers advancing towards Yarlpanam.In the Vadamaradchi area, from the mouth of the Thondaman River to the Sannidhi Temple, the LTTE was engaged in the work of building earthen dams.
It was expected that the soldiers would come towards Vadamaradchi after capturing Yarlpanam. The preparations were made for this. To avoid the hidden attacks of the soldiers, the people joined the LTTE in erecting protective fences.
One night, a fighter in the political secretariat of Vadamaradchi was changing the frequency of his walkie-talkie to contact the political secretariat in Thenmaradchi. At that time, he accidentally heard a Sinhala conversation on one of the channels. When the fighter changed the frequency, he checked the same channel again the next night, and very accurate information was exchanged.
As he followed the frequency changes, he realized one truth—the soldiers were hiding somewhere very close. He immediately reported this information to Selliah, the political in-charge of Vadamaradchi.
Early next morning the channel was quiet. There was no movement of the soldiers and no information from the people. This information was immediately reported to the LTTE’s political headquarters in Thenmaradchi. They passed it on to the Monitor Unit (interception unit).
That day, the Monitor Unit set up their equipment in the Vadamaradchi area and waited for nightfall. After eleven o’clock at night, the channel began to operate again. Various information such as the movement of LTTE fighters in key areas of Vadamaradchi, the location of wounded fighters, the Manthigai hospital, and the location of Doctors Without Borders (MSF) were transmitted to the Palali military base. Usually, soldiers in the field use the VHF or UHF frequency.
However, even though many areas of Vadamaradchi were crowded with displaced people from Yarlpanam, no one reported seeing any suspicious movement.
Two weeks earlier, the motorcycle of a displaced trader who had a temporary shop in the Manthigai area had been stolen. He had filed a complaint at the Nelliyadi police station.
The next day, the LTTE troops secretly conducted a search and rescue operation throughout Vadamaradchi. The search was carried out secretly because if the information was shared with the public, the spies might get nervous and escape.
On the first day, it was revealed that the food distribution for the troops was taking place in the Vallai area. The LTTE monitor unit devised a plan. They would cut off the enemy’s radio frequency, speak in their own voice, and tell them to come and collect food and other supplies. They compared the Udupitti junction, which leads to the Selva Sannidhiyan Thondaimanaru temple via the Nelliyadi Kunjarkadai and Purapporukhi.
At the same time, another LTTE unit was hiding in the same place. At around two in the morning, the sound of a motorcycle was heard. It stopped about three hundred meters from the specified junction. Two figures walked slowly in the darkness and reached the specified location. Suddenly, beams of light flashed from many angles.
The ambushed fighters rushed forward and caught them. One surprising thing was that the enemy soldiers were also wearing the tiger-like uniform worn by the LTTE. When they were interrogated, it was revealed that four more people were hiding with them in a weaving factory on the Nelliyadi-Parithithurai road.
They were also in tiger-like uniforms. The motorcycle they were using was later revealed to be that of the trader who had gone missing in Manthigai.
Six walkie-talkies, one LMG, one RPG, two LOWs, five T56 rifles, one sniper rifle, night vision devices, compasses and other items were recovered from them.
(Translation by Tamilpriya)
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