She could have breath her last in few minutes or would have tucked with other dead bodies of her colleagues. Founded among 17 dead bodies, she was sustaining serious injuries in the stomach and the left arm, had the luck to live thanks to the sharp eyes of a soldier, who is fighting a battle to liberate thousands of Tamils still suffer for the sake of a one man`s dream to have a separate land.
The fighting escalated at 5.30 am as the LTTE was still holding ground at the A 32 Road towards Pooneryn. Eight man team of the Delta Company of the 11 Sri Lanka Light Infantry at the 58 division, led by Captain Lalantha Kollurage was taking its maximum effort to capture the location bunkers at Paddaruyal Villu between the 10 and 11 mile posts which is three and half km East of Ponneryn - Manner main road. After hours long heavy fighting using RPG attacks, the team managed to gain control of the location in the wee hours of November 1 killing 17 LTTE cadres.
While recovering dead bodies of the LTTE cadres, the soldiers found a female cadre was still breathing. The field medics gave her fist aid. After regaining consciousness she pleaded the soldiers to give her some water. Later she asked something to eat saying they were left without food for days. Honouring the moral values, the soldiers did not let her die and they treated her as one of their colleagues and was given saline. She was then brought to the nearest medical dressing station where she was treated.
This girl who was found lying unconsciously among the other dead bodies was in a trench. She a cadre attached to the `Malathi` regiment was a resident of Mulankavil. Trained in Jaffna, the 18 year old girl was brought down to Uthirivillu from Muhamalei forcibly. The blindfolded LTTE cadres including females were just dropped at battle fronts and forced to fight.
The girl with her norm de guerilla `Priya` was abducted by the LTTE some months back and was given a crash training on handling weapons and facing the battle. Know nothing about the strength or the fighting capacity of the Security Forces, the teenage girls and boys were shown heroic pictures of the LTTE cadres and have misled by saying that the LTTE would confront any battle against the Security Forces. The young cadres were given an assurance that the LTTE would win the battle and they are fighting a wining battle. Still abducting underage children to keep the battle going, the LTTE which is fighting a losing battle with a less man and fire power, gives hopes for a separate state for Tamils while shutting down all the possible communication links to know the truth about the battle. Arriving at a very decisive stage, the LTTE still maintaining the human shield, according to information, has become very hard on those who try to flee the LTTE controlled areas. The outfit does not spare even 10 year old children and the sources said the LTTE now abduct small children to employ them in the other work while the senior cadres are being sent to battle fronts.
The sources said that the new recruits from elsewhere were blindfolded and drop at the front lines and as they have no option and without knowing much about each other they are forced to fight for their survival.
Priya had a grenade and she did not bite the cyanide as she wanted to live. Priya`s story will be the best example to show the difference between a professional army and a terrorists organisation.
During the Thoppigala operation, Sergeant K.G. Priyantha Pathirana was found with serious injuries and was taken under the LTTE custody, before the security forces captured the Thoppigala town. The LTTE terrorists, including female cadres, treated him in an inhumane way before his neck was cut while he was struggling for life. Later his head was displayed at the Thoppigala junction. But, the fate of Priya turned a new leaf in her life and she will live to tell the difference. The mission to rescue another `human` at the battle front was a success due to immediate actions by the 58 division Commander Brigadier Shavendra Silva, the teenager was given a new lease of life. It will be a show piece to tell the world that the Sri Lanka is carrying a humanitarian operation and not even a battle against those who misled by the LTTE. Not only Priya but many LTTE carders who crossed to liberated areas with serious injuries were given medical treatment alike the soldiers wounded in the battle fronts.
The highly discipline soldiers carried Priya, more than a kilo metre from the point that they were fighting simply to save a life of another human being. They did not disregard the international humanitarian laws and even the soldiers at the front lines are well aware about those values - not to kill even an enemy who is fighting for life.
Already suffering from internal bleeding Priya was carried by a stretechre to the nearest Medical Dressing Station (MDS) where she was given immediate treatment.
Then she was transported in an ambulance for over eight km to the main MDS where the military doctor of the 58 division gave her treatment for the abdominal injuries.
Giving top priority the teenage female cadre was airlifted to the Anuradhapura General Hospital for further treatment as she was badly injured.
Then her journey for freedom as well as for life was ended at the Colombo National Hospital, where she is now given special medical treatment and care.
No comments:
Post a Comment