LTTE Mortar Attack on Diplomats Including Mahinda Samarasinghe

MS Escapes Death After Falling to the Ground – US and Italian Ambassadors Seriously Injured

The Government’s Strategic Advantage in Taking the Attack to the World

Mahinda Samarasinghe Defeats Death for the Second Time

The Attack That Marked the Beginning of the LTTE’s Downfall

The “MS Doctrine” of Defending People’s Rights Beyond Division

(By Washington Wolf)

February 27, 2007 dawned with an unseen fate hanging over the life of then Disaster Management and Human Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe, widely known as MS. On that day, he travelled to Batticaloa aboard two helicopters alongside 17 others, including ambassadors from the United States, Germany, Canada, and Italy, as well as resident heads of United Nations relief agencies. Their mission was purely humanitarian — to provide relief and assistance to affected civilians.

The reason behind the visit reflected Mahinda Samarasinghe’s long-held principle of respecting fundamental human rights and treating people equally regardless of ethnicity, religion, or caste. However, just moments after Mahinda and the diplomats stepped off the helicopter and walked a few feet, mortar shells began raining down from all directions. Military personnel shouted for everyone to run toward the vehicles. While running in his sarong, Minister Mahinda stumbled and fell to the ground. Seconds later, mortar fragments struck the Italian ambassador in the head and the American ambassador in the shoulder. Mahinda survived only because he had fallen to the ground moments earlier.

Before all passengers had even fully disembarked, the helicopter pilot lifted the aircraft back into the air. Almost immediately, a mortar shell struck the exact spot where the helicopter had been stationed moments before. Security forces later concluded that an LTTE operative hidden among civilians had relayed coordinates by telephone to guide the mortar attack. The second helicopter, meanwhile, turned away and never landed at the site.

Amid the continuing shelling, the group ran toward military vehicles and was rushed to the Batticaloa Police Station, where they were temporarily sheltered inside a bunker. They were then transferred in armored vehicles through ongoing mortar fire to another military camp. Helicopters arriving there evacuated the wounded to Colombo without delay.

The Italian ambassador underwent major surgery to remove mortar fragments lodged in his head, while the severely injured American ambassador received urgent treatment for critical shoulder wounds. During the same period, soldiers had also come under attack. One emotional moment later recalled by Mahinda was meeting a soldier at the Eye Hospital whose eyesight had been severely endangered during the assault.

That attack ultimately became one of the turning points that accelerated the downfall of the LTTE. As news of the assault spread globally, the Sri Lankan government moved decisively to secure the support of powerful nations in the international campaign against LTTE terrorism.

Today, many believe that the vast national and international political experience accumulated by Mahinda Samarasinghe over more than 35 years should continue to be dedicated toward protecting Sri Lanka’s sovereignty while respecting the rights, identity, and dignity of all communities without division.