We are told there is a War against Terror. Sri Lanka should know, we suffered various forms of terror, the LTTE being the most heinous. That terror lasted 30 decades. We wasted decades following Western/UN templates of ceasefires, negotiations, peace talks. Lives were lost and people lived in fear. All communities fell victims. In 2006, LTTE went overboard with the closure of the Mavil Aru anicut committing a war crime denying water. LTTE challenged the Sri Lanka military and the military took the challenge. The East was liberated of LTTE in 2008 and thereafter with the capture of LTTE’s capital Kilinochchi on 2 January 2009, the Eelam quest was annihilated and the country fell under one flag. By 8 March 2009 LTTE had lost all the towns held forcibly and by 12 March, the troops took over Pudukudurippu hospital which had been occupied by LTTE. All civilians were rescued by 17 May and LTTE was cornered and refused to surrender choosing its fate. LTTE were terrorists and we are baffled why the UNHRC is not commending Sri Lanka for the manner it conducted a military offensive plus a humanitarian rescue operation. The timeline below together with video footage will make you also to wonder what agenda UNHRC is actually working to. Please share among all UNHRC Member states for them to realize the lies that the Office of the UNHRC is cooking up and the bogus allegations being made going so far as to even claim the GoSL starved Tamil civilians.

Tamil civilians flee LTTE 

30 – January 2009 – Tamil civilians demonstrate against LTTE

5 – February 2009 – Mannar civilians rally against LTTE

6 February 2009 – civilians escape LTTE held territory

12 February 2009 – More civilians flee LTTE

13 February 2009 – Injured civilians taken to Trincomalee

13 February 2009 – Sri Lanka Navy evacuates sick and wounded from Mullaitivu

16 February 2009 – Vanni civilians tell of heinous crimes committed by LTTE (with English subtitles)

17 February 2009 – SL Navy rescues 440 Tamil civilians from LTTE

18 February 2009 – More civilians escape LTTE

25 February 2009 – 386 Tamil civilians flee LTTE and seek refuge with Sri Lanka Armed Forces

1 March 2009 – LTTE attempt to abduct children

16 March 2009 – More civilians seek shelter with Sri Lanka troops

17 March 2009 – Large exodus of civilians flee LTTE

17 March 2009 – LTTE kill a fleeing child

18 March 2009 – Tamil civilians revolt against LTTE

19 March 2009 – LTTE continue to attack fleeing ciivlians

22 March 2009 – Tamil civilians describe hardships they were subject to under LTTE

25 March 2009 – 1386 Tamil civilians escape LTTE

3 April 2009 – Tamils go against LTTE

8 April 2009 – LTTE exerting pressure on civilians

9 April 2009 – Tamil civilians attack LTTE

12 April 2009 – Sri Lanka Army doing utmost to grant security to fleeing Tamil civilians

18 April 2009 – escaping civilians a challenge to Prabakaran (no hostages/human shields)

19 April 2009 – over 70,000 Tamil civilians come to the Army

19 April 2009 – LTTE plan to stop fleeing civilians revealed

20 April 2009 – More civilians continue to flee LTTE and enter government controlled areas

20 April 2009 – large exodus of civilians flee LTTE

21 April 2009 – Army enters vacated areas of NFZ and saves over 31,000 civilians

22 April 2009 – during the past 3 days over 60,000 Tamil civilians brought to safety by Sri Lanka Armed Forces

22 April 2009 – More civilians flee LTTE

22 April 2009 – Over 100,000 Tamil civilians flee LTTE

23 April 2009 – LTTE attempt to take cover among civilians

28 April 2009 – Sri Lanka troops continue humanitarian rescue operation

2 May 2009 – LTTE activities inside he safe zone

3 May 2009 – LTTE video footage shows LTTE activities inside safe zone

7 May 2009 – Humanitarian rescue operation continues

13 May 2009 – Civilians who escape curse LTTE

15 May 2009 – 3000 civilians flee LTTE

17 May 2009 – all Tamil civilians rescued – Only LTTE & Sri Lanka Armed Forces in 1sq.km

President of Sri Lanka

2 January 2009 – LTTE is asked to surrender

30 January 2009  – President Mahinda Rajapakse demands LTTE to release civilians

12 February 2009 – a New safe zone declared by GoSL

26 February 2009 – With troops reaching Pudukudurippu on 25 February, the GoSL again asks LTTE to lay down arms and surrender

19 March 2009 – LTTE attack troops from the Safe Zone declared for Tamil civilians (what has UNHRC to say about this) 

25 March 2009 – LTTE fire at Sri Lanka Army helicopters from within the safe zone (another clear example of LTTE violating IHL rules of war)

27 March 2009 – Sri Lanka’s President gives another warning to LTTE

19 April 2009 – President Mahinda asks international community to tell LTTE to release civilians

20 April 2009 – President Mahinda gives last warning to LTTE to surrender

UN & UNSG statements & Foreign Government appeals

31 January 2009 – UNSG Ban Ki Moon commends Sri Lanka’s President call to release civilians

5 February 2009 – Gordon Weiss UN Spokesman accepts Sri Lanka did not possess cluster weapons

16 February 2009 – India tells LTTE to lay down arms and surrender

17 February 2009 – UN tells LTTE to stop recruitment of civilians (how many did LTTE recruit & how many died engaged in hostilities- none of them can be classified as civilian)

17 February 2009 – UNICEF asks LTTE to stop child recruitment (as if LTTE cares too hoots)

18 February 2009 – India says it holds LTTE responsible for fate of Tamil civilians

19 February 2009 –  UN Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes calls on LTTE to free civilians

20 February 2009 – UN representative monitors displaced civilians – civilians who have taken shelter in Social Welfare Camps in Vavuniya have told UN Deputy Secretary General John Holmes that they are satisfied with the relief (so what rubbish is UNHRC head talking about)

23 February 2009 – Japan slams LTTE

24 February 2009- UN & EU tell LTTE to surrender

28 February 2009 – UN ambassadors tell LTTE to surrender

5 March 2009 – World accepts LTTE’s forcible recruitment (30 years too late)

13 March 2009 – EU MPs condemn LTTE violence

16 March 2009 – UN accuses LTTE of recruiting their members (oh the innocent UN)

19 March 2009 – The United Nations accepts that statistics of the UN Human Rights Commissioner which led to a controversy had not been verified (seems to be a regular malady) 

21 March 2009 – Australia condemns LTTE’s terror tactics

23 March 2009 – Majority of UN Members do not wish to extend a life line to LTTE

26 March 2009 – Rahul Gandhi says no support for LTTE (well LTTE did kill his father)

27 March 2009 – UN tells LTTE to disarm or perish (after perishing UN is mourning) 

4 April 2009 – UN Special Representative for internally displaced persons, Walter Kalin lauded the welfare facilities including food (they make no complaints in SL but then go back & write lies years later – these UN officials must be investigated)

4 April 2009 – UN issues ultimatum to LTTE to free civilians (oh yeah – LTTE listens)

5 April 2009 – Co-Chairs order LTTE to free civilians

15 April 2009 – The Hindu newspaper says LTTE had no right to enter safe zone meant for civilians

16 April 2009 – UK and France call for LTTE to surrender

18 April 2009 – UNHRC calls on LTTE to release Tamil civilians

23 April 2009 – UNSC demands LTTE to surrender

29 April 2009 – UK and French envoys PRAISE facilities provided for civilians

12 May 2009 – UN spokesman Gordon Weiss summoned to explain “civilian bloodbath” (the guy would say anything for publicity)

15 May 2009 – NO UNHRC special session on Sri Lanka (what took place thereafter was nothing but a witch hunt)

Food sent to civilians (forcibly taken by LTTE for combatants & their families)

3 February 2009- Needs of civilians taken to account

12 February 2009 – Airforce airlifts dry rations for civilians

19 March 2009 – All requirements of civilians are met says Essential Services Commissioner S.B. Divaratne

4 April 2009 – More essentials sent by GoSL to the war fronts – most confiscated by LTTE for their families

22 April 2009 – Cooked meals for civilians who fled LTTE (UNHRC head seated in Geneva accuses Sri Lanka of starving civilians)  

23 April 2009 – More food air lifted to North

These are only a timeline of video footage, statistics and facts can also prove how admirably Sri Lanka conducted the military-humanitarian rescue operation.

Shenali D Waduge