Fall of Elephant Pass celebrated

[TamilNet, Monday, 28 April 2003, 13:24 GMT]
The third anniversary of the fall of the strategically crucial Elephant Pass garrison and the successful defeat of the Operation Agni Khiela by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam was celebrated Monday on a grand scale in the grounds where the Sri Lanka Army artillery base in Pallai once stood. LTTE senior commander and Intelligence chief Pottu Amman participated in the event, sources said

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The flame of sacrifice was lit Monday morning around 10 by the head of the LTTE Martyr's Unit Mr.Pon Thiyagam. A senior commander of the LTTE Banu hoisted the Thamileelam national flag. Flags of several brigades of the LTTE were hoisted by the respective brigade special commanders, sources said.

The memorials of Black Tigers Major Thanushan and Major Suthajini who destroyed the SLA artillery base in Pallai were unveiled by their parents who later lit the flame of sacrifice, sources said Thereafter LTTE senior commander and the Intelligence Chief Pottu Amman, Banu and Theepan and several commanders of LTTE paid their homage to martyrs. Saplings were planted in memory of the cadres who sacrificed for the victory

LTTE Intelligence chief and a senior commander Pottu Amman said a decade ago we could not defeat the SLA and capture the Elephant Pass garrison when the SLA maintained it with only a thousand troops within two square kilometers.

"We were able to capture the expanded Elephant pass garrison in an area of 80 square km in extent with the strength of about forty thousand troops after ten years. This was achieved due to the correct guidance by our national leader who meticulously planned and executed the operation," said Mr. Pottu Amman when addressing thousands of people gathered to witness the event, sources said

"Our cadres and our people are behind our national leader to give life to his thinking. We proved our might to the Colombo governments with the capture of crucial Elephant Pass and the defeat of SLA's military operation " Agnihela"," said LTTE Intelligence Chief Pottu Amman.




Mr. Pottu Amman, the head of the LTTE's national intelligence wing addressing the celebration