DID A DEEP PENETRATION UNIT KILL FOUR LTTE MEN IN THEIR TERRITORY OR THE LTTE RENEGADE KARUNA KILL THEM? by Walter Jayawardhana

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) charged that Sri Lanka Army troop has penetrated deeply into their territory and killed a Lt. Colonel, two captains and a private of their guerilla army in ambush at night.

The Sri Lanka Army has denied any of their troops had penetrated into the LTTE territory to kill, as alleged.

Under the ceasefire agreement signed by former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and Velupillai Prabhakaran, the government of Sri Lanka territory and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam territory are demarcated.

No army of both sides could enter each other’s territory. But LTTE guerillas could enter the Sri Lanka territory unarmed for political purposes. But in many reported incidents the LTTE entered Sri Lanka territory armed and for illegal child kidnapping purposes. During the past few months armed LTTE men entered Lanka government territory and exploded claymore bombs and ambushed Sri Lanka Army troops who were on road clearing duty. They also entered those territories to assassinate their political enemies from organizations like EPDP and PLOTE and Sri Lankan intelligence men.

The ceasefire agreement was signed when the LTTE was at the risk of losing some of their most important people in their guerilla separatist army by attacks of the deep penetration unit of the Sri Lanka army. For instance Thamilselvam, escaped death by the skin of his teeth. So, it was important for the LTTE to sabotage the deep penetration unit. As soon as the Ranil Wickremesinghe government came into power the police raided the Millennium housing scheme hide out of the deep penetration unit and exposed many combatants of the unit by the pro-UNP media. Some of them have been assassinated by the LTTE since then.

Analysts asked whether the army’s deep penetration unit has been revived or whether it was Karuna who was attacking the LTTE in ambush now. According to the statement issued by the LTTE, the terrorists are very much alarmed about what is happening deep inside their own territory.
The LTTE said the four guerillas were killed in ambush about 9 p.m. July 12 (Wednesday) at a place called Kadawanaikulam in Thampalakamam division in Trincomalee district. The attackers have been waiting in ambush at night. The Tamil Net said the attackers had penetrated into the LTTE held area Kadawanaikulam along Trincomalee-Kandy highway located about 20 kilometers off the South West of Trincomale.

According to the LTTE statement the following LTTE guerillas have been killed by the party in ambush: Lt.Colonel Eesan (Muthulingam Kalaiarasan of Eachantivu-Alankerni), Captain Theepan (Nagarajah Venthan, of Pattithidal-Muttur), Captain Thanushan (Venthan of Batticaloa) and Veeravengai Karuna (Thangavel Karunakaran of Mullipottanai-Thampalakamam).
Whether the attacks were done by a deep penetration unit or by the Karuna faction the incident has made it extremely dangerous for any LTTE troop to be engaged in any night movements now.

(http://www.lankaweb.com/)

Sinhala DPU resumes offensive in Vavuniya

Three members of the Tamil Eelam Auxiliary Force were injured at around 12pm on Thursday when the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Deep Penetration Unit (DPU) exploded a claymore mine in Semamadu, Vavuniya.

DPU activities in Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) administered Vavuniya region died down after the assassination of Major-General Parami Kulatunga in June 2006.

The Auxiliary Force members were engaged in a regular road clearing operation when the mine exploded, LTTE sources said. Earlier in the year, SLA DPU had killed several civilians traveling on roads in the region.

(http://www.sibernews.com/)

Vahaneri incident brings an end to paramilitary politics

English version of the editorial comment in LTTE’s official monthly “Viduthalaippulikal", June – July 2006

The Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) has adamantly maintained that the Sri Lankan Army (SLA) is not involved in the shadow war conducted against the Tamil people and the LTTE since December 2005. It has held fast to its position that this shadow war is a clash between the LTTE and other Tamil paramilitary groups.

The attempted attack by a large SLA battalion that had penetrated into the LTTE area of Vahaneri in Batticaloa must be tested against the above stance of the GoSL. Twelve bodies of SLA soldiers were captured after this attack and SLMM has confirmed that the location of the attack was in fact an LTTE area.

Does this mean that the GoSL has rejected the CFA signed by the two parties and endorsed by the international community?

The GoSL has been attempting in several ways to break the CFA and force another war on the Tamils. The GoSL also wants the LTTE to be blamed for restarting the war. It has therefore continued to provoke the LTTE with its attacks on the LTTE and extrajudicial killings of Tamil civilians.

Although the LTTE has not continued to take part in direct talks, it has exercised patience and flexibility to protect the CFA environment thus avoiding a full scale war. It is to break this patience of the LTTE that the GoSL has ordered the large scale attack at Vahaneri. Had the GoSL forces succeeded in the attack and had all its members escaped back to GoSL controlled area, then the GoSL would have claimed that it had no involvement in that attack. At Vahaneri, the SLA, that had so far penetrated into the LTTE areas in small groups of four and five, had moved in with dozens of members for the attack.

The GoSL has flatly rejected the call to remove the paramilitary groups from the Northeast as agreed upon in the CFA and called for by the international community. Even the Secretary General of the GoSL Peace Secretariat has ascertained this position of the GoSL.

The GoSL believes that removing the paramilitary groups is detrimental to its interests. If the paramilitary groups are removed then the GoSL will lose its convenient scapegoat to blame its military attacks.

Exploiting the paramilitary phenomenon and staging elaborate dramas to posture as seeking a resolution to the conflict are not new for the Sinhala governments. These tactics have been used by previous Sinhala leadership as well. Tamil people have understood these tactics of the Sinhala side through long experience. It is this realization that is creating a huge upsurge among Tamils.

The GoSL still continues with these dramas in an attempt to dupe the international community. It is the hope of the LTTE that the international community will see through these deceptions of the GoSL.

The removal of the paramilitary group is not the only CFA clause that the GoSL has rejected. Other political and economical issues have also been rejected by the GoSL. The ban on fishing along the Northeast coast is continued by the Sri Lankan Navy. The SLA is restricting the transport of fuel and building materials into LTTE areas. Many humanitarian projects undertaken by the INGOs have been interrupted by the restriction on building materials.

The truth is that the Tamil people have not enjoyed the fruits of the four and a half years of peace. Tamil people have continued to face destruction of life and property, displacement, and refugee life.

The present ground reality is that it is only the military strength of the Tamils that will deliver them a peaceful life and dependable livelihood and respectability. The need of the time is for the Tamils to come together to defeat the Sinhala military schemes to gain their freedom. It is only the Tamil unity and the Tamil military strength that will determine the fate of the Tamils.

(http://www.sibernews.com/)

Humanitarian workers injured in SLA attack

The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Deep Penetration Unit (DPU) exploded a claymore mine at around 3pm today, injuring four workers of North-East Irrigated Agriculture Project (NEIAP), deep within the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) administered region of Mannar district.

"The DPU may have targeted the NEIAP vehicle in the believe that LTTE cadres were traveling in it," speculated reports from Colombo.

However, a civilian from Mannar said: "NEIAP vehicles are clearly marked on all sides, including the roof. The occupation forces are targeting humanitarian agencies so that they will flee, and we would be left to starve to death."

Indeed the latter speculation from the civilian in Mannar appears to be confirmed by a pattern of attacks by the SLA on humanitarian agencies working in the Tamil Homeland.

Workers of Tamils Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) and CARE International have been targeted in the past.

(http://www.sibernews.com/)

The Significance of the Vakeneri Incident

In the Vakaneri incident a posse of over 100 SL soldiers went across the border of the de facto Eelaam on July 16 2006. They were immediately confronted by the LTTE and in the ensuing fight 12 SL soldiers were killed, one captured, and the rest beat a hasty retrueat. The bodies of killed soldiers were uncermoniously dumped into a truck, paraded aroud, surrounded by gleeful LTTE cadres (as shown in the photo). This was adding insult to injury. The bodies were subsequently handed over to GOSL. In a way this was the "Thank you note" for the "humanitarianism" shown ny MahindaR to Daya Master.

did not show much respect for the dead either. The bodies were simply handed to the next-of-kin. The MR government even placed the blame for the incident on the SL soldiers for straying into Eelaam territory. Few Governments would have treated their own soldiers in such disrespect. But this is the usual Hela style. Meanwhile the MR government immediately proclaimed its readiness to continue the cease-fire, in case anyone had any doubts about this. Of course the LTTE does not observe any cease-fire.

The reason for the behaviour of MR is not hard to find. It is that he has no policy for countering the terrorism of the LTTE. There has never been any example of this kind of cringing subservience to a terrorist group in any part of the world. Indeed it is only possible with the Helas of SL. The blame for this should not only be laid on the corrupt political leaders of the country. It is also shared by the hordes of Hela MR devotees, especially in the Hela expatriate groups.

This incident shows the growing recognition of Eelaam as a reality in Sri Lanka. It is now well on the way to de jure recognition. When one-seventh of the country has been given over to a terrorist, and GOSL dare not trespass into his territory, the cries of "Heladiva" and "Sinhaleh" of the Hela "patriots" must sound hollow.

Meanwhile the Hela patriots have maintained a stony silence. They are more interested in SL "maids" slaving for Arabs in Lebanon and earning foreign exchange for the corrup Helas at home, than in their own soldiers killed by the LTTE. Of course they have missed the lesson of Lebanon entirely. This is that Israel is prepared to attack of sovering country to defeat terrrorism. In SL the terrorists are treated with honour and even given a large chunk of the country. Of course the LTTE have killed more than the Hizbollah.

(http://www.lankaweb.com/)

Eastern camps of Wanni Tigers will be attacked – Karuna faction

Karuna faction has vowed to attack all Wanni Tiger camps housed in the Eastern Province. Sources said that Karuna faction has demanded the release all captives by the Wanni Tigers, who said all camps in the East will come under attack in the future.

Karuna faction has stated that not only the civilians in the East but also in the North should be freed from the Wanni Tiger harassment which has been their demand for over the past few years.

It further states that all taxes collected from the civilians should be stopped. It has emphasized that all arrangements have been made to influence the Wanni Tigers on this with the assistance of the civilians in the East in the near future.

(http://www.lankatruth.com/full_story/2006/july/21/20060721_8.htm)