{"id":98231,"date":"2020-01-24T16:50:07","date_gmt":"2020-01-24T23:50:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=98231"},"modified":"2020-02-15T15:49:23","modified_gmt":"2020-02-15T22:49:23","slug":"erasing-the-eelam-victory-part-13-d","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2020\/01\/24\/erasing-the-eelam-victory-part-13-d\/","title":{"rendered":"ERASING THE EELAM VICTORY Part 13 D"},"content":{"rendered":"

KAMALIKA PIERIS<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n

Revised 15.2.20<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Eelam war threw up many dedicated military leaders. The best known is the late General Denzil Kobbekaduwa followed by late Maj. Gen. Vijay Wimalaratne.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kamal Gunaratne said of them \u201dI firstly pay\ntribute to the late General Denzil Kobbekaduwa, the most charismatic\nbattle-field commander we had because he always understood the heartbeat of the\nsoldier and put his life on the line to safeguard their interests before his\nown comfort at all times. The late Maj. Gen. Vijay Wimalaratne, my guru, who in\nmy opinion was the most brilliant field commander we had because he knew the\nterrain we fought on, his adversary\u2019s modus operandi, and above all knew and\nunderstood his men, always leading from the front. His\ncreation, the Gajaba Regiment will always bear testimony to his great qualities\nof inspired leadership and dedicated service to the Corps, Army and Country. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have selected just two other leaders, for this essay, the much admired Major General Chagie Gallage and the much remembered Col\u00a0 Fazly Laphir. They are presented here, not only for their own \u00a0personal contribution but also as representatives of the fine work done by all who fought and won the Eelam war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biographical information on Chagie Gallage<\/strong> is not available in the public domain, except that he attended Ananda College. However, there is plenty of information about his work in the Sri Lanka army. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

During most of his long and enduring military career, Chagie served either in an operational area or at a military training institute said, analysts. \u00a0\u00a0He was in the forefront of the war against the LTTE. He played a decisive role in the final thrust against the LTTE terrorists in 2007-2009. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chagie was the first choice of any senior\nmilitary commander, to include in their team of field commanders for\noperations. Thus, Chagie was seen in almost all major combat operations in all\nfronts in the North and East from 1985 to 2009.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chagie as a young subaltern, in the\nmid-eighties, was a skillful and tactically sound combat fighter who operated\nalong with his rifle company in many areas of the Jaffna Peninsula. His first independent\ncommand was to guard the Nagadeepa (Nainativu) island in 1986 with his platoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He played a\nkey role in Operation Vadamarachchi and Operation Clean Sweep, the two military\noperations led by late Generals Kobbekaduwa and Wimalaratne to drive the\nterrorists out of the Jaffna peninsula in 1986.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 During Jaya Sikurui Chagie and the Sixth\nGemunu Regiment were asked to take Puliyankulam. Chagie asked headquarters for\na bulldozer, a backhoe and a few days time for rehearsals. This regiment had a\nreconnaissance platoon of well trained and highly motivated soldiers. They provided intelligence to Chagi who then\ndid a mockup of the LTTE defense lay out, using the bulldozer and backhoe. Each\nsoldier was made aware of his role and they took Puliyankulam straight away. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Eelam war IV,\nChagie\u2019s leadership was instrumental in liberating the Southern part of the\nEastern Province that included the LTTE stronghold Thoppigala. Chagie as a\nBrigadier commanded the Commando Brigade, which he moved into action against the\nLTTE in the Eastern Province in 2006. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Then\nChagie switched to the Wanni theatre with the beginning of operations in the\nNorthern front in 2007. He raised the Task Force-1 there and launched it from\nMannar front, along with Commando Brigade, (later upgraded as 58 Division). Chagie\nwas away from battlefield for some time due to illness. He returned in 2009 to\ncommand the 59 Division in Mullaitivu. On completion of the campaign, Brigadier\nChagie was promoted to Major General prematurely ahead of most of his peers, on\nmerit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chagie is\nwidely considered one of best strategists in the army. During an intense battle\nat Karadipokku in Kilinochchi, as Operation \u2018Sathjaya\u2019 was underway in 1996,\nthe Army suffered heavy casualties and the battle was about to be lost. It is\nat this crucial moment that Chagie came in voluntarily without waiting for\ninstructions from superiors, and led his elite Airmobile troops to fight\ngallantly and restored the situation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chagie was\nmeticulous in his approach to an assignment.  He looked into the minute details of any\nassignment. That particularly is the reason for his success, said analysts. Also, Chagie\nis extremely innovative. He can devise things when the resources are scarce or\nunavailable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Colonel Chagie\nwas the Commandant of Army Training School in Maduru Oya in 2004.   He was\ninstrumental in conceptualizing and forming the highly skilled \u2018Special\nInfantry Operations Teams\u2019 (SIOT) of the Army, together with Lt Col Ralph\nNugera, realising a vision spelt out by the then Inspector of Infantry, Major\nGeneral Sarath Fonseka. It was these SIO teams, which boosted the fighting\ncapacity of the infantry and fought as vanguards of the advancing Army during\nEelam War IV. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chagie\ntrained these special teams in special battle drill that eventually enabled the\ntroops to successfully cross LTTE obstacles. One such obstacle was highly fortified LTTE fortifications built on \u2018Ditch cum Bund\u2019,\ncommonly known as \u2018DCB\u2019 (a line of bunkers coupled with about 10 foot wide\nwater obstacle in front of them). These obstacles severely hindered the\nmovement of the advancing Army. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chagie has always\nbeen popular among his comrades in the Army, among his batch mates, among old\nAnandians, among the motor-racing community of Sri Lanka, among his relatives\nand friends, said his admirers. He is one\nof the few officers of the Army who always commanded respect not only from his\nsubordinates but also from his superiors and peers.  Chagie not only earned gallantry medals\nmultiple times for his bravery in battle, but he also worked hard to get\ngallantry medals for his juniors too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Major general\nChagi Gallage was also very outspoken. He spoke out, angrily, when Mangala\nSamaraweera visited Jaffna in 2016 to launch a website for ethnic\nreconciliation. He was immediately transferred to a post which did not have\ncommand of troops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A week after retirement, Gallage delivered his\nfarewell speech at Saliyapura, Anuradhapura, on the eve of the 35th anniversary\nof the Gajaba Regiment, 2018. Gajaba\nRegiment is synonymous with Chagie Gallage, said analysts. Chagie\u2019s\ncontribution to the Gajaba Regiment has been outstanding. ”\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gallage began his\nfarewell speech by referring to the gigantic role played by the Gajaba Regiment\nand the Army as a whole\nin the Eelam wars, reported Shamindra Ferdinando. He recalled the spearheading\nrole played by the late Maj. Gen. Wijaya Wimalaratne in the shaping of the\ncelebrated Gajaba Regiment in the \u201880s. Gallage declared Wimalaratne as the\ngreatest infantryman in the Army. Gallage then \n thanked Maj Gen Shavendra Silva,\nColonel of the Gajaba regiment and the Adjutant General of the Army who had organized\nhis farewell. He then went on to thank officers and men of the Gajaba Regiment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chagie thereafter\nsaid,  I have witnessed, the determined Commanders of\nthis dignified force transform what was described as “Exhausted and a\nLosing Army” into a \u2018Wining and a Victorious Army\u2019.  To achieve this, Commanders at different\nlevels worked together, to develop the overwhelming capability of our Army. An\narmy, which especially during the final phase of the conflict, demonstrated\nsuch versatility and braveness all round. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gallage named those who made that task\npossible. “Men like (Late) Maj Gen Vijaya Wimalaratne, (Late) Gen Denzil\nKobbekaduwa, (Late) Maj Gen Janaka Perera, Col (rtd) Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Maj\nGen Sathis Jayasundara, (Late) Maj Gen Gamini Gunasekara, Col (rtd) Nimal\nRatnayake, Maj Gen (rtd) G.V. Chandrasiri, Maj Gen (rtd) Gamini Hettiarachchi,\nBrig (rtd) Nimal Jayasuriya, Lt Gen (rtd) Jagath Jayasuriya,  Gen\n(rtd) Seewali Wanigasekara, Lt Gen (rtd) Mendaka Samarasinghe, Maj Gen (rtd)\nJagath Ramubukpotha, Lt Gen (rtd) Jagath Dias, Brig (rtd) Hiran Halangoda, Col\n(rtd) Jayavi Fernando, Maj Gen (rtd) Srinath Rajapakse, Brig (rtd) Bahar\nMorsath, Maj Gen (rtd) Lalith Daulagala, Brig (rtd) Roshan Silva, Late Col Shantha\nWijesinghe, Maj Gen (rtd) Kamal Gunaratne, Maj Gen (rtd) Amal Karunasekara and\nGen (rtd) Udaya Perera (who was my deputy Snr Subaltern) Maj Gen (rtd) Jagath\nAlwis  (who inspired me to join the Army)\nAnd last, but not the least, Field Marshall Sarath Fonseka (who led our forces\nas the Commander of the Army.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gallege  \nthen thanked Maj Gen Ralph Nugera, Maj Gen Aruna Wanniarachchi, Maj Gen\nAthula Kodippily and Col Mahendra Fernando and their magnificent ladies. They\nwere my esteemed assets, as my deputies, facilitators and shadows, at times\nreferees, in challenging tenures in combat and otherwise. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

My highest regards also, said Chagie, to\nSpecial Task Force led by DIG (rtd) Chandrasiri Ranawana and DIG Ruwaiz Lathiff\nfor their unstinted support and assistance beyond the call of duty. Chagie also thanked \u2018our comrades in sister\nservices Air Force and Navy for risking their lives, [to help us win the war.]\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He concluded his speech by thanking\nthose engaged in the task of\nmaking a Healthy Army (Consultant Dr) Maj Gen Sanjeewa Munasinghe, (Consultant\nDr) Brig Maurine Wijegunawardene, (Consultant Dr) Brig Nimalka Ariyaratne and\n(Consultant Dr) Col Roshan Monaragala. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Col. Fazly Laphir<\/strong> (d.1996) was <\/strong>the Commanding Officer of the\nFirst Special Forces Regiment Colonel Laphir was one of the founding members of\nthe  Sri Lanka Army Special Forces Regiment<\/a>. He  played a key role in developing it into a\nformidable unit which specialized in \nrange of specialized operations. He played a crucial role in the growth\nof the SF from the very beginning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When \nMajor Gamini Hettiarachhi was struggling to start the Special Forces\nregiment there were very few senior officers who supported him, said Kamal\nGunaratne . His requests for  additional troops,\nweapons and equipment for operations \nwere met with lukewarm response from HQ,. But Fazly Laphir always gave\nhim the strength and courage to continue. The two of them  considered the development  of the SF as their prime responsibility, over\nand above their personal lives, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He was a very\ncreative, committed and dedicated officer. He had a knack for details. Before\nhe joined the SF he has served as an intelligence officer in Jaffna and was one\nof the best SF officers powered with his language skills and intelligence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Col. Lafir\nwas  close to us. He was keen in\nreceiving results at every mission. He always insisted on and motivated us to\ndestroy the LTTE. He wanted us to use what we learnt effectively in destroying\nthe LTTE\u201d,  they said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a true SF\nofficer he went out looking for information and opportunities to start an\noperation and many he did on his own initiative,\u201d  said one speaker, explaining about the luck\nCol. Lafir always had. It was known in the Special Forces that where ever he\nwent he and his troops were able to destroy and cause damage to the enemy.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once Colonel\nLafir disguised himself as a mudalali and we were his golayas (supporters) and\nwent in search of LTTE cadres that were operating in Vavuniya and the suburbs.\nAt times we went in lorries with cadjans or husks pretending as traders,\u201d his\nsubordinates recalled. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the\nlast stages of   the abortive 1990 Jaffna\nfort campaign meals were cooked at Mandativu and transported across Jaffna\nlagoon to the soldiers in the Fort. The task of transporting  was given to Fazly Laphir then  a major in the SF unit. The soldiers stood neck\ndeep in water, forming a line across the lagoon and passed the food along. They\nhad no cover at all , unlike on land. They were \nsitting ducks for  LTTE . There were casualties but the food\narrived.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Colonel Fazly\nLafir is one of the rare characters who is lovingly remembered not only by his\nfamily but also by all his colleagues, soldiers and even by new recruits who\nhave never worked with him. To the entire SF Col. Lafir is the symbol of true\nleadership, dedication and courage. He was striking\nleader who gave priority to his soldiers welfare at all times. Men were willing\nto follow Colonel Laphir even at the risk of their lives, said his\nsubordinates.  <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In July\n1996,  Mullaitivu Army Camp was attacked\nby LTTE . Rescue operation was launched to relieve the besieged base .Col.\nLafir, who was the Commanding Officer of 1 SF, took the challenge without\nhesitation. He and his team were heli-dropped under heavy fire. Personally\nleading the attack under heavy fire, showing brilliance and courage.. Lafir was\nwounded by severe gunshot injuries, yet continued to lead his men until he was\nkilled by shrapnel from a nearby explosion. His men recovered his body and\ntransported it back in a SLAF<\/a> helicopter that had landed the second batch of commandos. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

His\ncourageous act on that day to save the lives of 1500 comrades, he was awarded\nthe Parama Weera Vibhushanaya\u201d, the highest award for valour in Sri Lanka and\nposthumously promoted to the rank of Colonel.  The new auditorium at Diyatalawa\nMilitary Academy was named after Colonel Fazly Laphir  in 2014. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Major General\nKamal Gunaratne, writing in his book Road to Nandikadal\u201d had this to say about\nFazly. He dedicated his life to the Army and he derived great satisfaction\nfrom the pursuit of and the elimination of terrorism. He was the Commanding\nOfficer of the first regiment of the Special Forces (1SF) at the time he was\ncalled to serve in the rescue mission of Mullaitivu and undertook the task with\npassion, despite the lack of preparedness. He was the epitome of\nprofessionalism and courage, lending inspirational leadership to his beloved\ntroops and ultimately sacrificed his life in an endeavour to rescue his\ncomrades from the jaws of death\u201d.We lost one of the greatest sons of\nMotherland that day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second\nAnnual Lecture of the Institute of National Security Studies Sri Lanka (INSSSL)\ndelivered by Brigadier HP Ranasinghe in 2019  \nwas on Fazly Laphir. It was \ntitled Epic of a War Hero Colonel AF Laphir PWV RWP RSP\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The speaker said,\nthe\noccasion for this tribute is the 14th death anniversary of that hero, Colonel\nAzlam Fazly Laphir, He was posthumously awarded ‘Parama Weera Vibhushana Medal’\n\u2013 the highest military honour in Sri Lanka for battle-field gallantry. He, it\nshould be noted, is the senior most officer of the Sri Lanka army to be so\nhonoured, and one of the very few commanding officers to die while leading his\nmen in the battle-field. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the very outset, his army career was\nfeatured by dedication, skill and exceptional overall competence. He was one of\nthe pioneering officers in the first Gajaba Regiment. When Lt. Col. Vijaya\nWimalaratne inaugurated the ‘Special forces squadrons’ scheme to counter the\nintensifying threat posed by the guerrilla war tactics of the LTTE, Fazly was\nappointed the officer in charge of the first such unit which had several\nskirmishes with the fledgling militant groups in the north among which the most\nsuccessful was the operation in Ambuweli in 1983. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He was a founder member of the ‘Thirty-Five\nGang’\/’Combat Tracker Team’ formed in 1985. He was a member of the “Rapid\nDeployment Force” formed in the nineteen eighties. As a pioneer member of\nthe First Regiment of the ‘Special Forces’, Fazly’s involvement extended to all\nits aspects including even the design of the cap, badge and the insignia. His\nreputation for physical courage earned him from his colleagues the affectionate\nnickname of “suicide express”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 One of\nthe memorable demonstrations of his willingness to risk his life against almost\ninsurmountable odds is found in the annals of the rescue mission he took part\nin across the Jaffna lagoon to reach the troops besieged in Jaffna Fort. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Over\ntime, he acquired a mastery of the ‘military geography’ of Jaffna peninsula.\nThis, according to well informed sources, turned out to be invaluable in the\nre-establishment of government control over that region in 1995. Meanwhile, he\nwas also involved in strengthening the army camp at Mullaitivu which was mainly\nintended to control the LTTE smuggling operations along the north-east coast. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

His fateful day came when the Sri Lanka army\ncamp at Mullaitivu was surrounded by the terrorists on 18 July 1996. Mullaitivu\nwas of strategic significance to the Tigers because of its central location\nalong the north-eastern seaboard. Although a massive SL army garrison had been\nplaced in its command area of 8.5 kms, the camp was vulnerable to enemy attack,\nbeing relatively isolated \u2013 the nearest main SL army camps being at Weli oya 35\nkms to its south and Elephant Pass 55 kms to its north across hostile forested\nterrain. The Tiger forces surrounded the camp and started their attack at 1.30\na.m. An operation code-named “Thrivida Pahara” launched by the SL\nArmy to defend Mullaitivu was severely handicapped by the fact that no\nreinforcements could be dispatched to Mullaitivu either by land or by the sea\nbecause of the impenetrable blockade by a larger number of Tiger battalions\narmed with heavy artillery and a large Sea Tiger force. It was in this\nsituation of total despair that Lt.Col. Fazly Laphir volunteered to lead a\n“do-or-die” air-borne rescue mission manned by 275 combatants of the\n“Special Forces” under his command. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fazly was stationed at that time at the Maduru\nOya camp. From there he and his men were conveyed by helicopter via Trincomalee\nto Alampil (5kms south to the Mullaitivu base) around 4.30 p.m. on the same\nday. As expected, they encountered stiff resistance from the guerrilla forces.\nEarlier reinforcement operations by the Sri Lanka Air Force and the Navy had\nbeen thwarted, the resulting damage included damage to two helicopters and the\ngun-boat ‘SLN Ranaviru\u2019 which was blown up with its entire crew of thirty-six. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Some of\nthe most fierce fighting of the entire ‘Eelam War’ were witnessed over the next\nfew hours. Since helicopter landing on open beaches was excessively risky,\nFazly and his troops had to descend to the ground along ropes amidst heavy\nfiring. Both in the hazardous task of descending and re-grouping as well as in\nthe deadly close-encounter combat against several thousands of well armed\nTigers, Fazly is reported to have displayed such extraordinary leadership\nskills that his men persisted with their task, achieving a fairly degree of\nsuccess and causing heavy losses to the LTTE forces. They advanced amidst fierce\nmortar fire but lost communication with the rear. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fazly at their vanguard was fatally wounded by\na shrapnel that pierced his brain in the morning of 19 July. Though receiving\nno medical care, he went on fighting until, later that morning, he succumbed to\nhis injuries. His body was evacuated three days later. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This\nappreciation, focused as it is on Col. Fazly Laphir, does not imply that in the\nannals of the Eelam Wars his heroism was unique. There were others, probably of\nall ranks, who, in times of impending peril, acted with the same courage and\ncommitment that Fazly showed at the battle of Mullaitivu. We moan the fact that\nmany among them were not destined to enjoy with us the fruits of victory. The\nleast we must therefore do is to accord to them an everlasting place in our\ncollective memory, and, where appropriate, help the loved ones they have left\nbehind. (Continued)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KAMALIKA PIERIS Revised 15.2.20 The Eelam war threw up many dedicated military leaders. The best known is the late General Denzil Kobbekaduwa followed by late Maj. Gen. Vijay Wimalaratne. Kamal Gunaratne said of them \u201dI firstly pay tribute to the late General Denzil Kobbekaduwa, the most charismatic battle-field commander we had because he always understood […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[104],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-98231","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-kamalika-pieris"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98231","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=98231"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98231\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=98231"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=98231"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=98231"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}