First time in 30 yrs,a Lankan President in Kilinochchi

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Thursday paid a surprise visit to the LTTEs captured political headquarters of Kilinochchi...

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Thursday paid a surprise visit to the LTTEs captured political headquarters of Kilinochchi,the first trip by a head of the state to the embattled north of the island nation in nearly three decades.

During his visit,Rajapaksa,who is also the Commander-in-Chief of the Sri Lankan armed forces,attended a ceremony organised by the army,which handed over a report to the President on the war situation.

The President made this goodwill visit during the traditional Sinhala and Hindu New Year period to meet with the troops stationed there as well as with the displaced and other civilians, an official statement said.

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Kilinochchi,which lies 350 km north of Colombo,was brought under the control of the Sri Lankan Army on January 2 this year after fierce clashes with the Tamil Tigers,ending the LTTEs domination of the region. The LTTE,which had for over the past one decade used Kilinochchi town as its administrative and political capital,was now confined to 14 sq km of coastal strip in Mullaitivu district.

The President went to Kilinochchi in the morning and was there for about four to five hours, military spokesman Udaya Nanayakkara said. Besides having discussions with senior army officers,Rajapaksa interacted with the troops,Nanayakkara said. Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa,Army Chief Sarath Fonseka and the Service Commanders accompanied the President to Kilinochchi.