Millennium City incident
Encyclopedia
Millennium City incident refers to an incident happened in Millennium City housing scheme, Athurugiriya, Sri Lanka
on 2 January 2002, leading to a national security crisis. Widespread media coverage resulting the incident exposed the Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol
of Sri Lanka Army, which was a top sercret
covert operations military unit, in which, the identity was known only to a few high ranking military officers and the President of Sri Lanka
.
district), Kulasiri Udugampola, broke into a safe house
maintained by Directorate of Military Intelligence (DMI) of Sri Lanka Army located at Millennium City housing scheme, addressed No.844, Kaduwela road, Athurugiriya. They did not have a court order to search the place. However, the Police team arrested five Army soldiers, including a Captain (Captain Shahul Hameed Nilam, Chief of the LRRP) and one paramilitary
member, a former cadre of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
(LTTE) under the Prevention of Terrorism Act
. They also recovered a cache of military equipment including land mine
s, light anti-tank weapons
(LAW), assault rifle
s, thermobaric weapon
s and 66 LTTE uniforms. SP Udugampola immediately invited local media and presented the Police findings.
This incidet had occurred immediately after the Parliamentary election
of December 2001, in which United National Front came into power, defeating the incumbent People's Alliance
government. The safe house was presented to media as a hide out from which, the leaders of the United National Party
, including then Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe were planned to assassinate. The allegation was first made by UNP chairman Charitha Ratwatte and vice chairman Daya Pelpola, in November 2001, prior to the election. They alleged that thermobaric weapons had been brought from the operational areas in the North to the Panaluwa Army testing range, in-order to use them at a UNP election meeting. But later, this allegation was proved to be false.
Lionel Balagalle, dispatched Director of the Directorate of Military Intelligence, Brigadier
Kapila Hendavithana, to the scene. Immediately, he also contacted the Inspector General of Police
(IGP) Lucky Kodituwakku and explained the situation. Then Brigadier Hendavithana called the IGP to clarify the situation to SP Udugampola. Inspector General asked the officer to take into consideration what the Army's intelligence chief was saying. SP Udugampola then contacted Minister of Internal Affairs, John Amaratunga
to brief him the situation. Minister the dispatched DIG Lal Ratnayake to the scene. After that, SP Udugampola took the soldiers into custody, seized the stock of weapons and drove to the Military Police
Headquarters in Narahenpita
.
Chandrika Kumaratunga
appointed a commission headed by D. Jayawickrema, a retired Judge of the Court of Appeal
to inquire into and report on the raid. The report, released in December 2003, stated that Udugampola's action "illegal and immoral". He was demoted to the rank of ASP. A Supreme Court judgement delivered in January 2004 stated that fundamental rights of the soldiers had been violated and ordered ASP Udugampola to pay a sum of Rs. 50,000 LKR
each to five of the LRRP operatives, S. H. Nilam, P. Ananda Udalagama, H. M. Nissanka Herath, I. Edirisinghe Jayamanne and H. Mohamed Hilmy. The State has been ordered to pay Rs. 750,000 each for them. A number of Sri Lanka Army officers who failed to perform their duty were punushed. Most senior officer among them, Major General
Ivan Dassanayake was ordered to retire from the service. Report further stated that the raid was "total betrayal and absolute treachery to the nation". Subsequently, ASP Udugampola was interdicted and arrested in March 2005.
and other channels, it was revealed that the safe house was none other than a top secret military establishment. But by then, vital details regarding the LRRP had been leaked to the media. It was not until 9 January, on the orders of Defence Minister Tilak Marapana, the soldiers who were held at Katugastota
Police Station were released. The arrested LTTE cardre was released only on the 11th. All of them were intensely interrogated.
Soon afterwards, the LTTE began a campaign to eliminate the members of the LRRP, and those who were suspected of assisting them. LTTE Intelligence chief, Shanmugalingam Sivashankar alias Pottu Amman travelled personally to Batticaloa to oversee the "elimination" of the "traitors". The government did not take any significant measures to stop this, and requests made by the state intelligence agencies were ignored on the basis that it will affect the ceasefire.
defence columnist Iqbal Athas
, in February 2004 revealed the names of 24 Tamil informants, those who have fallen victim. V. Vidyarnthan alias Vidya alias Nidhi alias Mike was the most important person out of them. He was abducted on 16 January 2002. He was killed after being subjected to torture and intense interrogation for four days. He dealt directly with Captain Nilam prior to the incident. It was Mike who in turn liaised with a network of operatives as well as informants, including one time guerrilla cadres, in the Batticaloa
and Ampara
districts. Most senior officer who had fallen vitim of the series of killings since then was Lieutenant Colonel
Tuan Nizam Muthaliff
. He was the Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion, Military Intelligence Corps
. He was the deputy under Captain Nilam, when the incident occurred. Kandiah Yogarasa alias PLOTE
Mohan, another key informant was shot dead by LTTE in July 2004.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
on 2 January 2002, leading to a national security crisis. Widespread media coverage resulting the incident exposed the Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol
Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol (Sri Lanka)
The Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol is a covert operation unit of the Sri Lanka Army. This unit is also known as the Deep Penetration Unit of the Sri Lanka Army and also as the Mahasohon Brigade...
of Sri Lanka Army, which was a top sercret
Classified information
Classified information is sensitive information to which access is restricted by law or regulation to particular groups of persons. A formal security clearance is required to handle classified documents or access classified data. The clearance process requires a satisfactory background investigation...
covert operations military unit, in which, the identity was known only to a few high ranking military officers and the President of Sri Lanka
President of Sri Lanka
The President of Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is the elected head of state and the head of government. The President is a dominant political figure in Sri Lanka. The office was created in 1978 but has grown so powerful there have been calls to restrict or even eliminate its power...
.
Incident
On 2 January 2002, a special team of Sri Lanka Police led by Superintendent of Police (Special Operations, KandyKandy
Kandy is a city in the center of Sri Lanka. It was the last capital of the ancient kings' era of Sri Lanka. The city lies in the midst of hills in the Kandy plateau, which crosses an area of tropical plantations, mainly tea. Kandy is one of the most scenic cities in Sri Lanka; it is both an...
district), Kulasiri Udugampola, broke into a safe house
Safe house
In the jargon of law enforcement and intelligence agencies, a safe house is a secure location, suitable for hiding witnesses, agents or other persons perceived as being in danger...
maintained by Directorate of Military Intelligence (DMI) of Sri Lanka Army located at Millennium City housing scheme, addressed No.844, Kaduwela road, Athurugiriya. They did not have a court order to search the place. However, the Police team arrested five Army soldiers, including a Captain (Captain Shahul Hameed Nilam, Chief of the LRRP) and one paramilitary
Paramilitary
A paramilitary is a force whose function and organization are similar to those of a professional military, but which is not considered part of a state's formal armed forces....
member, a former cadre of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam was a separatist militant organization formerly based in northern Sri Lanka. Founded in May 1976 by Vellupillai Prabhakaran, it waged a violent secessionist and nationalist campaign to create an independent state in the north and east of Sri Lanka for Tamil...
(LTTE) under the Prevention of Terrorism Act
Prevention of Terrorism Act (Sri Lanka)
The Prevention of Terrorism Act of 1978 is a law in Sri Lanka. It provides the police with broad powers to search, arrest, and detain suspects. It was first enacted as a temporary law in 1979, then made permanent in 1982....
. They also recovered a cache of military equipment including land mine
Land mine
A land mine is usually a weight-triggered explosive device which is intended to damage a target—either human or inanimate—by means of a blast and/or fragment impact....
s, light anti-tank weapons
M72 LAW
The M72 LAW is a portable one-shot 66 mm unguided anti-tank weapon, designed in the United States by Paul V. Choate, Charles B. Weeks, and Frank A. Spinale et al...
(LAW), assault rifle
Assault rifle
An assault rifle is a selective fire rifle that uses an intermediate cartridge and a detachable magazine. Assault rifles are the standard infantry weapons in most modern armies...
s, thermobaric weapon
Thermobaric weapon
A thermobaric weapon, which includes the type known as a "fuel-air bomb", is an explosive weapon that produces a blast wave of a significantly longer duration than those produced by condensed explosives. This is useful in military applications where its longer duration increases the numbers of...
s and 66 LTTE uniforms. SP Udugampola immediately invited local media and presented the Police findings.
This incidet had occurred immediately after the Parliamentary election
Sri Lankan parliamentary election, 2001
Parliamentary elections were held in Sri Lanka on December 6, 2001, just a little over a year after the last elections in October 2000.-Background:The People's Alliance government faced a blow when most of the SLMC MPs left the coalition...
of December 2001, in which United National Front came into power, defeating the incumbent People's Alliance
People's Alliance (Sri Lanka)
The People's Alliance is a front of political parties in Sri Lanka, formed in 1994.It comprises the following parties:* Sri Lanka Freedom Party* Lanka Sama Samaja Party* Communist Party of Sri Lanka* Sri Lanka Mahajana Party...
government. The safe house was presented to media as a hide out from which, the leaders of the United National Party
United National Party
The United National Party, often referred to as the UNP ), , is a political party in Sri Lanka. It currently is the main opposition party in Sri Lanka and is headed by Ranil Wickremesinghe...
, including then Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe were planned to assassinate. The allegation was first made by UNP chairman Charitha Ratwatte and vice chairman Daya Pelpola, in November 2001, prior to the election. They alleged that thermobaric weapons had been brought from the operational areas in the North to the Panaluwa Army testing range, in-order to use them at a UNP election meeting. But later, this allegation was proved to be false.
Efforts to avoid the situation
Soon after the raid, Sri Lanka Army CommanderCommander of the Army (Sri Lanka)
Commander of the Army is the title of the professional head of the Sri Lanka Army. The current Commander of the Army is Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya...
Lionel Balagalle, dispatched Director of the Directorate of Military Intelligence, Brigadier
Brigadier
Brigadier is a senior military rank, the meaning of which is somewhat different in different military services. The brigadier rank is generally superior to the rank of colonel, and subordinate to major general....
Kapila Hendavithana, to the scene. Immediately, he also contacted the Inspector General of Police
Inspector General of Police (Sri Lanka)
The Inspector General of Police is the professional head of the Sri Lanka Police. He is the most senior police officer in Sri Lanka and oversees all police personnel throughout the country. The IGP reports to the minister of defense, when the Police Service is under the Ministry of Defence as it...
(IGP) Lucky Kodituwakku and explained the situation. Then Brigadier Hendavithana called the IGP to clarify the situation to SP Udugampola. Inspector General asked the officer to take into consideration what the Army's intelligence chief was saying. SP Udugampola then contacted Minister of Internal Affairs, John Amaratunga
John Amaratunga
John Anthony Emmanuel Amaratunga is a Sri Lankan politician and lawyer. He is a representative of Gampaha District for the United National Party in the Parliament of Sri Lanka. He resides in Kandana.-References:...
to brief him the situation. Minister the dispatched DIG Lal Ratnayake to the scene. After that, SP Udugampola took the soldiers into custody, seized the stock of weapons and drove to the Military Police
Sri Lanka Corps of Military Police
The Sri Lanka Corps of Military Police is the branch of the Sri Lanka Army responsible for the policing of service personnel and providing a military police presence on service property, operations and exercises. It is made up of three regular regiments and with headquartered at Regiment Center...
Headquarters in Narahenpita
Narahenpita
Narahenpita is a municipal ward of Colombo city, Sri Lanka. Located at the South-Eastern corner and served by the Kelani Valley Railway Line, many government institutions including the National Blood Bank, the Survey Department, the Labor Ministry and several departments of the Health Ministry are...
.
Reactions
Reactions to this incident were mixed. Initially there was a public outcry that the military was planning to assassinate UNP leaders. However, after details about the unit were revealed, the police was accused of compromising a State secret. The military leadership was also blamed for being unable to prevent a "serious breach of national security". The LRRP team had initially been housed at the Kohuwala Army Camp, but was relocated to Athurugiriya in December 2001. Army commander Lionel Balagalla was compelled to issue a public statement revealing the true nature of this unit. PresidentPresident of Sri Lanka
The President of Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is the elected head of state and the head of government. The President is a dominant political figure in Sri Lanka. The office was created in 1978 but has grown so powerful there have been calls to restrict or even eliminate its power...
Chandrika Kumaratunga
Chandrika Kumaratunga
Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga born June 29, 1945) was the 4th Executive president of Sri Lanka, serving from November 12, 1994 to November 19, 2005. The daughter of two former Prime Ministers, she was also the leader of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party until end of 2005...
appointed a commission headed by D. Jayawickrema, a retired Judge of the Court of Appeal
Supreme Court of Sri Lanka
The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka is the highest court of the nation of Sri Lanka. The Supreme Court is the highest and final judicial instance of record and is empowered to exercise its powers, subject to the provisions of the Constitution. The Court has ultimate appellate jurisdiction in...
to inquire into and report on the raid. The report, released in December 2003, stated that Udugampola's action "illegal and immoral". He was demoted to the rank of ASP. A Supreme Court judgement delivered in January 2004 stated that fundamental rights of the soldiers had been violated and ordered ASP Udugampola to pay a sum of Rs. 50,000 LKR
Sri Lankan rupee
The rupee is the currency of Sri Lanka, divided into 100 cents. It is issued by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka and is generally written Rs. The rupee (Sinhala: රුපියල , Tamil: ரூபாய்) (sign: ₨; code: LKR) is the currency of Sri Lanka, divided into 100 cents. It is issued by the Central Bank of Sri...
each to five of the LRRP operatives, S. H. Nilam, P. Ananda Udalagama, H. M. Nissanka Herath, I. Edirisinghe Jayamanne and H. Mohamed Hilmy. The State has been ordered to pay Rs. 750,000 each for them. A number of Sri Lanka Army officers who failed to perform their duty were punushed. Most senior officer among them, Major General
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
Ivan Dassanayake was ordered to retire from the service. Report further stated that the raid was "total betrayal and absolute treachery to the nation". Subsequently, ASP Udugampola was interdicted and arrested in March 2005.
Aftermath
Immediately after the incident, through the Criminal Investigation DepartmentCriminal Investigation Department (Sri Lanka)
The Criminal Investigation Department of the Sri Lanka Police Service is responsible for carrying out investigations throughout the island into serious crimes, including murders, rape and organized crime cases of a very serious nature that require special skills and complex detection...
and other channels, it was revealed that the safe house was none other than a top secret military establishment. But by then, vital details regarding the LRRP had been leaked to the media. It was not until 9 January, on the orders of Defence Minister Tilak Marapana, the soldiers who were held at Katugastota
Katugastota
Katugastota is a village in Sri Lanka. It is located within Central Province.-External links:*...
Police Station were released. The arrested LTTE cardre was released only on the 11th. All of them were intensely interrogated.
Soon afterwards, the LTTE began a campaign to eliminate the members of the LRRP, and those who were suspected of assisting them. LTTE Intelligence chief, Shanmugalingam Sivashankar alias Pottu Amman travelled personally to Batticaloa to oversee the "elimination" of the "traitors". The government did not take any significant measures to stop this, and requests made by the state intelligence agencies were ignored on the basis that it will affect the ceasefire.
LRRP members who had fallen victim
Following the incident, Captain S. H. Nilam, the LRRP chief and his family disappeared from the country. Later, it was revealed that they were sent to the Sri Lankan Embassy in Indonesia, for his safety. In 2007, he and his family disappeared from Indonesia too. LTTE assassinated more than 80 Tamil informants and Intelligence officers of Sri Lanka Army, whose identity had been compromised, since then. The Sunday TimesThe Sunday Times (Sri Lanka)
The Sunday Times is a popular Sri Lankan Sunday broadsheet initially published by now defunct Times Group until the early 1980s, when it was taken over by Wijeya Newspapers Ltd...
defence columnist Iqbal Athas
Iqbal Athas
Iqbal Athas is a Sri Lankan journalist who sometimes contributes to CNN. Athas was the defence columnist for the Sunday Times and he also contributed to Jane's Defence Weekly...
, in February 2004 revealed the names of 24 Tamil informants, those who have fallen victim. V. Vidyarnthan alias Vidya alias Nidhi alias Mike was the most important person out of them. He was abducted on 16 January 2002. He was killed after being subjected to torture and intense interrogation for four days. He dealt directly with Captain Nilam prior to the incident. It was Mike who in turn liaised with a network of operatives as well as informants, including one time guerrilla cadres, in the Batticaloa
Batticaloa
Batticaloa is a city in the Eastern province of Sri Lanka. It is the seat of the Eastern University of Sri Lanka. It is on the east coast, south by south east of Trincomalee, and is situated on an island.-Etymology:...
and Ampara
Ampara
Ampara is a remote city on the East Coast of Sri Lanka, about 360 km from the capital city of Colombo. It belongs to the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka. It was a part of the domain of Kavantissa and was then known as "Ambaragama", which over the years changed to Ambara to Ampara...
districts. Most senior officer who had fallen vitim of the series of killings since then was Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
Tuan Nizam Muthaliff
Tuan Nizam Muthaliff
Colonel Tuan Nizam Muthaliff RWP, MI was the former Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion Military Intelligence Corps.-Background:...
. He was the Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion, Military Intelligence Corps
Military Intelligence Corps (Sri Lanka)
The Military Intelligence Corps is one of the corps of the Sri Lanka Army. It is responsible for gathering, analysing and disseminating military intelligence and also for counter-intelligence and security.-Units:...
. He was the deputy under Captain Nilam, when the incident occurred. Kandiah Yogarasa alias PLOTE
People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam
The People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam is a former Tamil militant group. It is currently a pro-government paramilitary group and political party. PLOTE's political wing is known as the Democratic People's Liberation Front.-Origins:...
Mohan, another key informant was shot dead by LTTE in July 2004.