Operation Pacific Angels

By Manekshaw-2016-08-20

Northern Province Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran descending from the steps of a mammoth C-130 transport plane of the US Air Force attired in a black suit at Palaly Airport, in Jaffna last week reminded of a scene from The Living Daylights, in which Timothy Dalton who played the role of James Bond 007 descending from a similar C-130 cargo plane in the movie.

Chief Minister Wigneswaran accompanied by US Ambassador in Sri Lanka Atul Keshap and Minister of National Dialogue Mano Ganesan flew in the US Air Force plane from Katunayake to Palaly to be part of a medical volunteer work code named 'Operation Pacific Angels' which is jointly carried out by the American and Sri Lankan Air Force personnel.
US Ambassador Atul Keshap in his introductory message on 'Operation Pacific Angels' mentioned about the historic ties between Jaffna and the United States of America which date back to the 19th century.

Atul Keshap while pointing at the visit of US Secretary of State John Kerry to Sri Lanka after the formation of the present government in January 2015, mentioned about the American connection with Jaffna with the arrival of the Christian missionaries who had pioneered in setting up schools in the peninsula in 1813.
The US Envoy in his message to inaugurate Operation Pacific Angels mentioned about his country's historic ties with Jaffna; however, it is interesting to remember that in the year 1936 the ship builders of Velvettithurai (VVT) in Jaffna even created history by sailing from VVT to Gloucester in America in a sail ship built entirely by them.

Velvettithurai in the past three decades of the war was popularly known as the birthplace of LTTE Leader Velupillai Prabhakaran. But the name Velvettithurai is derived from velvet as the coastal hamlet remained a popular transit point for the sail ships of the velvet traders from the Far-East and Arab countries.
An American millionaire Albert Robinson purchased the sail ship 'Annapoorani Ammal' built by the VVT ship builders in 1936 and he began his voyage from Velvettithurai to America with six men who built the ship. According to historians the voyage was arduous as it was cruising through several oceans.

Two years later in 1938 the sail ship from VVT reached Gloucester, America creating history as well as highlighting the maritime expertise of the Jaffna men.
Kidnapping of American engineer
As far as the recent history of the war in the North is concerned, America had a bitter experience with regard to the kidnapping of American engineer Stanley Allen (35) and his wife Mary (29) by the Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF) in May 1984.
The EPRLF's military wing People's Liberation Army (PLA) which was led by Douglas Devananda, who is now a key political figure in Sri Lankan politics with his cadres kidnapped Stanley Allen who was an engineer engaged in a water project of the US Agency for International Development in Jaffna. Allen and his wife Mary were kidnapped by the EPRLF militants and they were in the custody of the militants who had demanded the release of twenty of their cadres who were in the custody of the Sri Lankan Forces and a ransom of 2 million US Dollars.

At that time the US President was Ronald Reagan and the US Government coordinated more with the Indian Government to release the Allen couple as India was handling the Sri Lankan Tamil militants who had their training camps in India.
Five days after the kidnapping following pressure from India, the EPRLF gave up all its demands and were compelled to release the American couple. Soon after release the American couple was airlifted immediately from Palaly in a Sri Lankan Air Force plane to Colombo from where they were safely despatched to America.

When the American couple was kidnapped three decades ago in Jaffna with the beginning of the Tamil militancy, the people in the peninsula even seriously expected an American military operation to take place to rescue the kidnapped couple as that era where the people were still talking about the dare devil operation carried out successfully by Israeli soldiers to rescue its citizens from a highjack drama staged by Palestine militants at the Entebbe Airport in Uganda.

However, nearly after three decades a US Air Force C-130 transport plane had landed in Jaffna taking the Northern Chief Minister as well the US Ambassador on a humanitarian mission code named Operation Pacific Angels.
Leader of the Opposition and Tamil National Alliance Leader R. Sampanthan along with other Jaffna District TNA Parliamentarians and Provincial Councillors gave a warm welcome to the US Ambassador Atul Keshap and to the personnel of the Operation Pacific Angels.
In his message to kick off 'Operation Pacific Angels' in Jaffna, the US Ambassador mentioned about the historic links between Jaffna and America. Of course those links still remain firm with the educational institutions started by the American Missionaries in the North.

The people in the North while appreciating the historic links with America particularly in the field of education which had paved way for them to enhance their educational activities, the present generation of Jaffna people strongly believe, America which had expressed its concerns over fulfilling the political aspirations of the North and the East and on bringing justice to those who were affected by the war by spearheading the UNHRC resolution should stand by its commitments instead of living in the past.
So the expectations of the Northerners were conveyed to Keshap when he met the Northern Provincial Councillors who had emphasized that America should stand firm by its commitments towards the implementation of the UNHRC resolution of October 2015 for a constructive and meaningful peace and reconciliation in the island.