Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Sri Lankan rebels launch air raid
BBC ^ | Monday, 26 March 2007, 06:29 GMT 07:29 UK | na

Posted on 03/26/2007 12:03:30 AM PDT by fishhound

Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers have bombed a military base near the international airport north of Colombo, in the rebels' first ever aerial attack.

Three people were killed and 16 injured when light aircraft dropped two bombs, officials said, hitting a parking area for planes and helicopter gunships.

The international airport - which was not damaged - was closed briefly.

Tiger rebels attacked the airport and base in 2001, killing 18 and wiping out half of the national airline fleet.

A statement from the Tamil Tiger rebel group, carried by TamilNet, claimed responsibility for the attack on the Katunayake base, which is 30km (20 miles) north of Colombo.

The group said two aircraft were used in the bombing and both planes returned to rebel-held territory safely.

(Excerpt) Read more at news.bbc.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: asia; muhammadsminions; sasia; southasia; srilanka; srlanka; tamilnet; tamils; tamiltigers
That is scary.

The BBC's Roland Buerk in Colombo says the confirmation that the rebels now have an air capability confirms government suspicions that they had been smuggling in aircraft parts to be assembled in areas of the island they control.

1 posted on 03/26/2007 12:03:32 AM PDT by fishhound
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: fishhound
It seems like I've been seeing similar headlines for, oh, 30 years.

I know little about Sri Lanka, less about the rebels, but this sure seems to be an ongoing thing.

2 posted on 03/26/2007 12:15:04 AM PDT by Darkwolf377 (Anti-socialist Bostonian, Anti-Illegal Immigration Bush supporter, Pro-Life Atheist)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Darkwolf377

The conflict is like Ireland's. It'll never get settled.


3 posted on 03/26/2007 12:28:38 AM PDT by CarrotAndStick (The articles posted by me needn't necessarily reflect my opinion.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: fishhound
Two small planes with 1 bomb each and the advantage of surprise did negligible damage. Having lost surprise I suspect they won't do much better. To me this smacks of desperation, with the terrorists in a "use it or lose it" mode trying to gain bargaining points. Reports out of Sri Lanka the past few months have had the government forces advancing steadily and the terrorists in disarray, ever since diplomacy cut off the Tamil Tiger's international financial support. Oddly, Canada had been a major source of Tiger fund raising, but Harper stopped that.
4 posted on 03/26/2007 12:54:46 AM PDT by JohnBovenmyer
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: fishhound; Constitutionalist Conservative; Gator113; Zhang Fei; DanielLongo; Tamar1973; ...
Asia pinglist.

If you want on or off to the list, go to the link and follow the instructions.

5 posted on 03/26/2007 2:31:25 AM PDT by Jedi Master Pikachu ( What is your take on Acts 15:20 (abstaining from blood) about eating meat? Could you freepmail?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: fishhound; All
The article:

Sri Lankan rebels launch air raid


Tamil Tiger rebels with one of their aircraft - undated file photo
The Tamil Tiger rebels have not previously used aircraft to attack
Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers have bombed a military base near the international airport north of Colombo, in the rebels' first ever aerial attack.

Three people were killed and 16 injured when light aircraft dropped two bombs, officials said, hitting a parking area for planes and helicopter gunships.

The international airport - which was not damaged - was closed briefly.

Tiger rebels attacked the airport and base in 2001, killing 18 and wiping out half of the national airline fleet.

A statement from the Tamil Tiger rebel group, carried by TamilNet, claimed responsibility for the attack on the Katunayake base, which is 30km (20 miles) north of Colombo.

I heard a large thud and we all went to the window - there was a long silence and then several more explosions followed by machine gun fire
Neil Butler
British eyewitness

The group said two aircraft were used in the bombing and both planes returned to rebel-held territory safely.

"It is a measure to protect Tamil civilians from the genocidal aerial bombardments by Sri Lankan armed forces. More attacks of the same nature will follow," said the rebels' military spokesman, Rasiah Ilanthirayan.

Air force officials said no planes were hit, damage to the military facility was "minor" and that a search operation was under way.

The BBC's Roland Buerk in Colombo says the confirmation that the rebels now have an air capability confirms government suspicions that they had been smuggling in aircraft parts to be assembled in areas of the island they control.

One international airline, Cathay Pacific, announced that it was suspending flights to Colombo.

Panic

The raid on the air force base took place at about 0045 on Monday (1915 GMT Sunday).

Air force personnel use a sniffer dog outside the Katunayake base
Air force officials said damage to the military facility was "minor"

Flights in and out of the civilian airport were cancelled and roads cordoned off but no civilians were wounded and the runway was not damaged.

Neil Butler, a British passenger at the airport, was inside the terminal building when the attack happened.

"I heard a large thud and we all went to the window. There was a long silence and then several more explosions followed by machine gun fire," he told the BBC News website.

"The staff ran for the exit followed by the passengers. When I arrived downstairs in the check-in area a large crowd was running in a panic from the entrance where there had been more machine gun fire."

He said: "I saw what looked like kind of fireworks in the sky, like a series of red flashes. But I didn't see any aircraft going over."

Independent homeland

The air force base, which adjoins the country's only international passenger airport, houses some of the aircraft used in recent air strikes against Tiger rebel bases in the north.

Injured air force personnel being treated at Negombo hospital
The wounded air force personnel were treated at a military hospital

Despite a ceasefire still being in place on paper, Sri Lanka has been sliding back towards civil war, with more than 4,000 people killed in the past 15 months, our correspondent says.

The rebels have been fighting the armed forces of the predominantly Sinhalese government for much of the past 20 years.

They want to establish an independent homeland for the minority Tamils in the north and east of the country, to be called Tamil Eelam.

About 65,000 people have been killed and one million displaced by the fighting.


6 posted on 03/26/2007 3:17:43 AM PDT by Jedi Master Pikachu ( What is your take on Acts 15:20 (abstaining from blood) about eating meat? Could you freepmail?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Darkwolf377

It's apparently the first time that the Tamil Tigers have used aircraft in an attack.


7 posted on 03/26/2007 3:21:33 AM PDT by Jedi Master Pikachu ( What is your take on Acts 15:20 (abstaining from blood) about eating meat? Could you freepmail?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: fishhound; All
Who put Muhamed's minions as a keyword in the keyword place? The Tamil Tiger/Sri Lanka conflict is between Hindus and Buddhists, and between Tamils and Sinhalese.

Muslims aren't largely involved--other freepers might type "Muslims aren't involved in this conflict at all."

Get back on topic. (last sentence not directed at you, fishhound--unless you put in that keyword).

8 posted on 03/26/2007 3:26:11 AM PDT by Jedi Master Pikachu ( What is your take on Acts 15:20 (abstaining from blood) about eating meat? Could you freepmail?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Jedi Master Pikachu

Most of the Tamil Tigers are nominal hindus,with a few Christians as well.They have a semi-Stalinist approach with religion almost out of the picture.They oppose Sri Lanka's Muslims,living on the Northern coast,who support the Sinhalese.


9 posted on 03/26/2007 7:02:41 AM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: JohnBovenmyer

THe Tamil Tigers maybe severally weakened,but don't expect them to die out-they will get the support of the Tamil Diaspora unless the Government in Colombo irons out a federalist structure for Sri-Lanka with equal rights for the Tamils.


10 posted on 03/26/2007 7:06:55 AM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Jedi Master Pikachu

I do not know who put the Muslim reference in the keywords.

One thing I know about the Tamil people,(though unsure about the Tigers) is that they place a high value on education. They have a high rate of Phd's for thier population.


11 posted on 03/26/2007 8:52:40 AM PDT by fishhound
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: fishhound

Yes. They have a large population of high-income sympathisers, as a result. This is what feeds the LTTE movement.


12 posted on 03/26/2007 11:16:15 AM PDT by CarrotAndStick (The articles posted by me needn't necessarily reflect my opinion.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson