Monday, February 25, 2013
Jaffna::The High Commissioner of India, Ashok K. Kantha Saturday paid tribute to the IPKF Memorial located at Palaly in Jaffna.
Senior officers from the Sri Lankan Army also participated in the ceremony and Security Forces Commander, Jaffna Major General Mahinda Hathurusinghe also laid a wreath at the Memorial.
The IPKF Memorial at Palaly is in memory of the soldiers of the 10 Para Regiment of Indian Army who lost their lives during the IPKF (Indian Peace Keeping Force) operation in Northern Province between 1987 and 1989. The Memorial consists of seven structures and has the names of 33 soldiers engraved.
Later the High Commissioner Kantha formally inaugurated the 'India Corner' at the Consulate General of India premises in Jaffna. Afterwards he symbolically gifted books, CDs and other school supplies to school children in 200 primary schools in the Province. During his visit to the North, Kantha will lay the foundation stone for the first phase of the Rehabilitation of the Atchchuvely Industrial Estate.
Minister of Traditional Industries and Small Enterprise Development Douglas Devananda and Governor of Northern Province G.A. Chandrasiri also participated in these events.
High Commissioner Kantha also visited Vavuniya Saturday to inspect the progress made in the construction of the 200-bed Ward Complex at District Hospital, Vavuniya.
High Commissioner Kantha will attend the annual feast of revered St Antony’s church at Katchatheevu on the early morning of Sunday...
Forgotten IPKF memorial rediscovered in Palaly!
A long-forgotten memorial to soldiers of the Indian Peace Keeping Force inside the Palaly high security zone has been re-discovered.
“The memorial was found late last year,” Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Ashok K. Kantha told The Hindu. After Jaffna Consul General V. Mahalingam and a team verified the structure, the High Commission requested the Sri Lankan government’s support in sprucing up the memorial befitting martyrs.
“The Sri Lankan government was very cooperative and we thank it for its support,” Mr. Kantha said.
Mr. Mahalingam said: “Some people found it, and they informed us. Initially, we were not sure. But they took a few pictures and sent them to us.”
Commander of Jaffna security forces Mahinda Hathurusinghe and his team helped clear the wild growth and assisted reclaiming the memorial.
On Wednesday, Mr. Kantha, Mr. Mahalingam and others paid floral tributes at the place.
The memorial pays homage to 33 men of the Indian elite special forces, the 10 Para Regiment, who were cremated there. It comprises seven structures and has the names of all the soldiers. A release said the lives were lost in IPKF operations in the Northern Province between 1987 and 1989.
The regiment suffered significant casualties in one of its first battles. A company of 10 Para Commando, was heli-landed into the Jaffna Fort to raid the LTTE headquarters in the opening stages of the campaign on October 12, 1987.
The LTTE greeted the commandos with a hail of gunfire. It is not clear if all those buried in Palaly are from the first battle or from multiple battles.
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