Sunday, June 10, 2007

Thoppigala capture is done without Karuna’s help

Sri Lanka Army and the Special task Force has come to the conclusion that it is useless to wait any longer for Karuna’s men to make a forward thrust in the Thopigala jungle terrain and to follow it up with a large contingent of regular armed forces to flush out the remaining Tiger cadres in the East.

After the split more than 850 armed cadres left Karuna and joined Pillaiyan in Trincomalee. Karuna was left with a balance of 300 cadres out of which a majority of them are underage recruits who have been forcefully recruited by Jeeventhiran and Thileepan.

Subsequently It is learnt as Karuna was unable to undertake the campaign with his baby brigade and he has asked initially for a 10-day time to regroup and begin the operation. It was unfortunate Karuna who has already expended his usefulness has failed to live up to his words. Later he asked for a second and third grace period for them to regroup to start the operation in the Thoppigala jungle area.

On last Friday (08 June) Karuna dispatched his field commanders Makilan, Jeeventhiran, Mangalan and Sinnathamby to meet Ranavanna, Special Commander for Batti/Amparai district and other STF higher-ups at Karaithievu.

At the meeting STF officials have reminded Karuna’s commanders about the Thoppigala operations and told that the flushing up operation of the remaining cadres in the East is unnecessarily delayed due to procrastination of Karuna.

“Asian Tribune” learnt that STF officials have told that they have no alternative, but will allow cadres from Trincomalee to do the operation as planned. Cadres from Trincomalee mean those cadres loyal to Pilliayian the estranged commander of the Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal.

As the field commanders were unable to convince the STF officials, they contacted Karuna and explained the situation to him.

Accordingly after listening to his field commanders, Karuna instructed them to ask for another 10 days time for regrouping to march into the remaining areas controlled by the Tigers in the Thoppigala region.

Even though cadres conveyed Karuna’s message it seems the STF officials were not convinced at the procrastination of Karuna.

In the meantime in some battles described as that could possibly become the last military conflicts to take over the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) enclave of Thoppigala in the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka the infantry and commando units of the Sri Lanka Army overran four rebel camps.

"I think this might be the last battle in Thoppigala. We estimate troops killed 30 Tigers, plus three Tigers committed suicide in front of our troops”, said a military spokesman at the media Center for National Security.

Defence sources said The Army has successfully conducted operations in Pankudaveli North, and Narakamulla South in the Thoppigala area during June 9 Saturday.

Ibbanvila, Veppanveli, Akkarativu, and Mavediodai have been identified as the LTTE camps that fell due the Army onslaught of infantry and commando units supported by artillery and mortar fire.

The three insurgents of the LTTE have committed suicide by swallowing cyanide capsules hanging from their necks.

Army said one of their soldiers was killed and 17 others were injured in these intense jungle battles.

The army said eight bodies they were able to pick up after the jungle battle had been handed over to the ICRC through the Police.

Army sources said their radio eavesdroppers have heard frantic calls by the rebel camps for reinforcements from the Wanni leadership but no such help visibly came nor did they receive any positive response.

The army said they have so far recovered heavy weapons including six Medium Purpose Machine Guns and four Rocket Propelled Grenade Launchers , Twenty one T - 56 assault rifles and large quantities of live ammunition of all varieties including GPMG ammunition , Anti – personnel mines, explosive devices and military hardware.

(http://www.asiantribune.com/index.php?q=node/6109)

Karuna continues to threaten Editor, Asian Tribune

Once again a member of Karuna’s group rang the Editor of the Asian Tribune yesterday and delivered an ultimatum demanding that the Asian Tribune should

1) not publish news items about the recruitment of underage children

2) not publish reports about fratricidal warfare launched within the TMVP after 04 May and

3) not write about his cadres threatening, intimidating and abducting innocent people for ransom.

The anonymous caller promised that though the Editor, “Asian Tribune” lives in Europe, it would not be difficult to organize a contract to kill him.

K. T. Rajasingham, a veteran journalist, started his career with now defunct Independent Newspapers Ltd 1965 (Dawasa Group of papers) in the year 1965.

When Karuna broke away from the Tiger terrorist group “Asian Tribune” welcomed his initiative to enter the democratic stream abandoning violence. But Karuna continues to follow the terrorist streak on which he grew up when he was with Velupillai Prabhakran.

Daily Mirror

In the meantime, Champika Liyanaarachchi, Editor, “Daily Mirror” in an e-mail communication wrote: “With reference to the “Asian Tribune “ story titled 'Death Threat to Editor, Asian Tribune' the Daily Mirror Editor says there is an erroneous reference in the same story to a threatening call made by Karuna to Editor – “Daily Mirror “as well. The “Daily Mirror “ Editor says that at no point she got such a call from Karuna." Erroneous reference is regretted –Editor, “Asian Tribune.”

(http://www.asiantribune.com/index.php?q=node/6113)

Evictions leave many a heart bleeding

“Fundamental Rights - the freedom of movement – and of choosing his residence within Sri Lanka…” - Article 14 (h), Constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka

The comedy of errors that was enacted in Colombo last week was a dark one, which exposed the ugly malignancies of racial discrimination that poison our nation.
As the trauma of the lodger eviction unfolded, an opposition parliamentarian moved some 600 Tamil lodge residents into Kovils in Wellawatte and Pettah to prevent them from being forcibly sent back to the north east. MP T. Maheswaran who tore his shirt in parliament in a show of solidarity with the evicted lodges, moved in swiftly to alleviate the circumstances of more than 300 Tamil lodge inmates whom the government decided to ‘remove’ from Colombo, a move that was roundly condemned within hours.
Tamil civilians were evicted from lodges in Colombo being cited as threats to national security. They were carted to temporary shelters in the north only to be brought back on the orders of the President 24 hours later. The police evictions resulted in an unprecedented outcry which was in dire contrast to the indifferent reactions seen in the face of human rights violations in the recent past.
However, the judiciary seemed to have reacted swiftly against the blatant discrimination targeted at one segment of Sri Lankan citizenry with the Supreme Court ordering an immediate halt to the evictions. President Mahinda Rajapaksa too has called for a report from Inspector General of Police as to the circumstances that led to the forceful evictions of Tamils from Colombo. In the aftermath of the overwhelming condemnation from the international community, led by the United States, civil society organisations and the media, the Rajapaksa regime seemed, at least for the moment, listened to saner council on not to further jeopardise its already stained position in the eyes of the international community and its own people.
Meanwhile it has been reliably learned that the evictions were carried out on the orders of a defence advisor whose name had surfaced with regard to the murder of five Tamil students in Trincomalee in January 2006. The latest drama began on Thursday June 7 when police escorted over 350 Tamils residing in lodges in the Pettah and Wellawatte areas. According to the Police these individuals had failed to prove their identity and also not been able to provide a valid reason to remain in Colombo. They were herded to five buses and sent off to Vavuniya and Trincomalee. The IGP has sort to justify this action by stating that these people were posing a security threat to the capital and that most of them had in fact volunteered to go back to their home towns in the north and east.
The lodge owner of Uthaya Rest in Wellawatte said 12 Tamil lodgers were taken away from his lodge out of which six people returned later. “When the police came and said that they had orders to remove people who are overstaying in Colombo without any valid reason we couldn’t do anything, except to let the police do their job. They didn’t force anyone, but when the police told them to go what else can they do but to leave. What happened was sad, but more than that it was terrifying.” said the lodge owner.
On Thursday when the police evicted over three hundred Tamils from Colombo, they came in search of “unauthorised” residents to Wellawatte too. At Uthaya Rest a family of four were evicted and sent to the north. The breadwinner of this family had worked at the Jaffna Municipal Council before coming to Colombo with his wife and daughter in search of his son who was taken in to custody. The son had come to Colombo about a month ago to get married to his fiancĂ© who is in Canada. She was expected arrive in Colombo. The family had attempted to get their son released from custody but when, on Thursday, the police arrived they were not able to produce any documents to validate their stay. Therefore they were ordered to leave Colombo. They came back on Saturday, when they were told that they could return. They also received the news that the bride was waiting in earnest for the wedding to take place.
A 67 year old woman, who is suffering from high blood pressure, staying in Ideal Guest Inn in Wallawata said, “I came to Colombo to go abroad. I have two sons. One is in Canada and he said that he would sponsor me and told me to come there. And when the police came I asked them to let me be. I said that I had the immigration letters to go to Canada but they didn’t listen or look at any of my documents. I fainted in Vavuniya because I’m sick and the Vavuniya police said that I could sleep in the bus. At least they were kind enough to do that”.
Another lodger, a 46 year old man, who has come to Colombo with his son, with the intention of sending him abroad, was taken to Vavuniya. The tragedy of this story is that he was sick and was only discharged from hospital a few days ago. He said, “I contacted Chikungunya and was hospitalised. I had to pay a bill amounting to Rs, 34,000. I came to Colombo to send my son abroad because at present, in Sri Lanka, it is very hard for a Tamil boy to find a job. I showed my medical reports, but they didn’t listen. We were taken away. We don’t know where exactly it was. First we were told it was Jaffna, then Trincomalee and finally ended up in Vavuniya.”
The evictions however, brought about an unprecedented outcry from all segments of the political divide except from the government. Even the JVP, ardent supporters of the government’s military campaign against the LTTE, was clear with their position. JVP MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake stated in parliament that the JVP’s support for the government was to fight terror and not to harass innocent Tamil civilians.
The Government Spokesman once again compounded the situation by arguing to justify the evictions which were in fact halted by Supreme Court. Government Spokesman Minister Keheliya Rambukkwella told the press, “during the last 10 years 90 percent of the LTTE attacks that took place in Colombo were planned and carried out from lodges”. He added that the security forces had no choice but to evict those who did not have a valid reason to stay in Colombo and those who failed to prove their identity. The President later asked for a report from IGP Victor Perera on the evictions and also ordered those sent off to the North and East be brought back to Colombo.
Meanwhile Supreme Court issued an injunction to the Police to stop the evacuation of residents staying in Colombo lodges. A fundamental rights petition was filled by the Center for Policy Alternatives requesting that the evictions be stopped.
The Secretary to the Ministry of Defence Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, Inspector General of Police Victor Perera, Army Commander Sarath Fonseka and the OICs of the Wellawatta, Kotahena, Pettah and Wattala police stations have been named as respondents in the petition.

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Respondents to be sent notice tomorrow

By Stanley Samarasinghe
Necessary steps will be taken to send notice to all respondents on Monday (11) through the Supreme Court, in the case filed against the eviction of Tamils from Lodges in Colombo, the instructing attorney M. Balendran told The Nation.
Inspector General of Police Victor Perera, OIC Wellawatte police OIC Pattaha, OIC Kotahena, OIC, Wattala, Army Commander Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka, Air Force Commander Air Vice Marshal Rohan Gunatilaka, Navy Commander Wasantha Karanagoda, Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, Attorney General have been named as respondents in the case.
All the respondents were ordered by Supreme Court to be present in court on June 22. The court also restrained them from taking any steps to prevent Tamil citizens, living in Colombo 01, from living in any part of Colombo.
The Court comprised Justices N. E. Disanayake N. G. Amaratunga and Andrew Somawansa. The Centre for Policy Alternatives and its Executive Director Paikiyasothy Saravanamuttu filed this fundamental rights application seeking effective redress in respect of infringement of the Fundamental Rights of Tamil citizens in Sri Lankan Society.
Mr. M.A. Sumandiran supporting this application told the Court that all citizens have a right to visit, enjoy and stay in the capital of the country to which they belong. He added that the respondents had denied these facilities to Tamil citizens since the police were not able to distinguish between ordinary Tamil citizens and members of the LTTE.
The court granted the petitioner leave to proceed with the case and also decided to hear the case on June 22.

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Worse than 1983 says Maheshwaran

UNP MP, T. Maheshwaran defined the eviction of the Tamil lodge dwellers as a serious violation of human rights by the government and likened the action to being worse than 1983.
“A Sri Lankan can live in any part of the island. This is a totally wrong act. Even the IGPs, know that this is wrong. However, they had to do it because it was an order from the higher authorities. What Keheliya Rambukwella said in Parliament and the IGP’s statement to the media that the lodgers went willingly were lies. We will prove that very soon.”
Referring to the incident Maheshwaran said that the eviction had been brought to his notice through phone calls by the lodgers themselves. He said that he had promptly made arrangements for over 600 lodgers to spend the night in six kovils in Colombo” Maheshwaran said.
He added that the next morning, at around 6 a.m. he had contacted the Defence Secretary and with his approval, asked those who were taking shelter in the kovils to go back to the lodges. “They were all scared. Some people were sent to relatives’ places. Yesterday (June 8) I went to Vavuniya and brought everyone back to Colombo. Today (June 9) they were sent back to their lodges from the Wellawatta Police,” he added.
He also said that the evicted Tamils had suffered many hardships till they reached Vauniya. Many children had even relieved themselves on the bus in the absence of toilet facilities.
Except for Hela Urumaya everyone in parliament had stood by the fact that the eviction was wrong, Maheshwaran said. “Nimal Siripala de Silva, Dinesh Gunewardene, Rauf Hakeem, some of them even personally spoke to us and said this was wrong.”

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“Eviction not without reason” - JHU

The eviction of hundreds of Tamil civilians from the lodges in Colombo during the last couple of weeks has been met with diverse opinions. While some, especially those in the government, assured that this activity was carried out with the full cooperation of the community that was evicted; others saw far-reaching consequences that could arise from this event.
Hardcore Sinhala nationalist party, Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) was of the belief that although this move could further antagonise Tamil people against the government, it was not without reason that the event took place.
“There are two ways of looking at this issue,” JHU Parliamentarian Athuraliye Rathana Thera said.
He said on the one hand there was the threat of 1000 kilos of explosives being brought to Colombo and claymores exploding, killing civilians and security force personnel, on regular basis.
“Some of the people in the lodges cannot prove their identities. Therefore it is certain that they are from Kilinochchi. This is according to the government defence spokesperson,” Rathana Thera added.
On the other hand, he said, these activities should not be carried out in a way that violates the rights of the Tamil people.
“The government cannot cause distress to the Tamil community,” he said.
Regarding the comment that has been voiced to the effect that this issue brought to mind the memories of July 1983, Rathana Thera said, he disagreed with this completely.

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Rambukwella’s embarrassment

When the eviction orders were carried out in lodges around Colombo, government ministers engaging in parliament sessions found themselves in a precarious position, facing embarrassment of unprecedented proportions.
Some 300 Tamils, who were temporarily seeking shelter in lodges in Colombo, were taken by force and dumped in Vavuniya on Thursday.
The following day the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) demanded an explanation from the government.
As the TNA protests continued, the government members left their benches, unable to respond to queries or face the accusations.
Defence Spokesman and cabinet minister Keheliya Rambukwella immediately telephoned President Mahinda Rajapakse and sought advice as to how he should now defend the government.
Rambukwella informed the President that government members had been too embarrassed to face the Tamil as well as opposition parliamentarians and that he had been left to answer the queries.
The President had been severely perturbed and requested the Minister to say something that would mitigate the circumstances.
Rambukwella told the President that it was the first time in his political life that he had found himself ‘speechless’. He added that it was also the first time that he was asked to make a speech against his conscience.
The President had remained silent.
Subsequently when the President had met the minister at Army Commander Sarath Fonseka’s daughter’s wedding in Colombo the same day, he had told the minister that he had no idea why such a thing had taken place.

(http://www.nation.lk/2007/06/10/newsfe4.htm)

Crouching Tiger pounces on army in Vavuniya

Toppigala: Four Tiger camps fall like nine pins

With the East almost secured and a showdown expected at Toppigala- the last bastion of the Tigers holed up there- the military began its forays into the North via Vavuniya and Mannar during the past several months. The security forces had advanced more than five kilometers into the LTTE-controlled areas.
Small teams of seek-and-destroy Special Forces penetrated the deep jungles and were threatening to eventually push through the LTTE’s forward defence lines (FDL) in the Wanni.
Omanthai, entry/exit point to the Wanni, has been in the news for several weeks. There were skirmishes between the two sides in the area, forcing the entry/exit point to be shut and re-opened, only to close again, with the International Committee of the Red Cross pulling out after one of its huts were fired at by the Tigers. After assurances of security and to enable passage of the sick, the Omanthai checkpoint was re-opened yet again.
That the crouching Tiger was ready to pounce to stall the forward thrust of the security forces, was expected. They were expected to obstruct the security forces advance into Periyamadu, Palampidi and several areas west of Omanthai, which is heavily populated. The LTTE used civilians in Periyamadu, Kidachuri, Vilaththikulam and Madhu areas as human shields.
While the security forces kept making headway, they had to keep guessing as to the timing and the next move of the Tigers.
It was in this backdrop that Army Commander Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka visited Vavuniya on Saturday, June 2, where he met senior officers who pointed out a major Tiger buildup in the area. General Fonseka was told that the Tigers were preparing for a massive attack, possibly that very night.
After issuing instructions, the army chief returned to Colombo.
Around 7:30 p.m., hours after General Fonseka left Vavuniya, the 57 Brigade at Kalmadu army camp, came under LTTE artillery fire for more than half-an-hour. Two soldiers were killed instantly and 10 others injured in the attack. The 57 Division was created several months back by General Fonseka, who handpicked Brigadier Sumith Manawadu to head it. It was created with the Mannar operations in mind. Colonel Ravipriya was the other senior officer strategically placed there.
An hour after the first attack on the Kalmadu camp, the military base of the 16th Battalion of the Artillery Regiment at Pompaimadu west of Vavuniya came under attack.
Artillery shells fired from 130 mm artillery guns damaged one of the barracks of the soldiers, while an ammunition dump in the vicinity also exploded.
Commanding Officer Major W.A. Rohan immediately took precautionary measures to prevent the explosion of the other two nearby ammunition dumps. Artillery fire was halted for a while until it was ensured that these dumps were safeguarded.
The Tigers, simultaneously, targeted the FDLs of the security forces at Pokkarvanni, west of Omanthai.
A group of Tigers, numbering more than a couple of hundreds, broke out of their FDLs in the Wanni and captured a mortar base at Pokkarawanni, after soldiers from the 9th Gemunu and 4th Sinha regiments retreated to safer locations. There was a communication breakdown in the process. In the meantime, the Tigers seized two mortar launchers belonging to the security forces.
Reminiscent of the October 11 Muhamalai debacle, the Tigers sprang a surprise on the security forces. In the Vakarai operation too, the forces moved into an abandoned Tiger camp, only to be booby trapped. In Muhamalai, armoured personnel carriers crashed into pits that were dug up and camouflaged with grass.
This time around at Pokkarawanni, a group of Tigers, dressed in army uniform and speaking fluent Sinhala, beckoned an army officer and his soldiers of the Gajaba Regiment, to come forward.
As the unsuspecting officer obliged- believing the call came from scattered soldiers, the Tigers opened fire killing the Lieutenant. The soldiers realizing they had walked into a trap, immediately returned fire and fled the area. In another incident, Tigers spoke in Sinhala, as they flagged a military vehicle carrying injured soldiers and plundered the vehicle.
Involved in the latest operation was self styled Col. Bhanu, a former military commander in the East, and Swarnam, under whose command Sampur was lost and so was Vakarai. Vannakkili Master was put in charge of Tiger heavy weaponry.
Fighting went on till late Saturday night but, the services of the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) were obtained only the following morning. While identified LTTE targets came under attack by the SLAF, the army chief ordered the Special Forces to launch an attack on the LTTE, to recover the lost mortars. Dozens of Tigers died and several more injured in the many air raids this week.
According to the army, the Tigers fled from the area, in the face of the surprise operation, leaving the seized mortar launchers behind. The Security Forces consolidated their positions.
In the battle at Pokkarawanni, at least three dozen security forces personnel, including two Lieutenants, went missing and the ensuing search operation was not much of a success. The Media Centre for National Security maintained that only15 soldiers were killed and another13 missing, while there were 62 Tiger casualties. The Tigers, who conceded a dozen-and-a-half casualties, however, claimed that at least 30 soldiers were killed. In one of the fiercest battles after Muhamalai, nearly a 100 soldiers were wounded.
Prior to this battle, as a diversionary tactic, the Tigers claimed the military was on the verge of commencing a fresh offensive in Muhamalai.
The army yesterday overran four Tiger camps- Ibbanvila, Akkarathivu, Mawadi-ode, and Veppanveli- in Pankudaweli North, and Naarakmulla South.
Military spokesman Brigadier Prasad Samarasinghe claimed that 30 LTTE cadres were killed during the battle yesterday and eight dead bodies were found and were likely to be handed over to the ICRC, as this edition went to press. It is a matter of weeks if not days before Toppigala falls, but the battles north will be crucial for the two sides in the weeks ahead.

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Govt ‘deports’ Tamils to their NE ‘homeland’

Even as the Government team on Tuesday was defending Human Rights (HR) in Sri Lanka, at the second Public Hearing by the European Parliament in Brussels, the establishment took an ill-timed security decision to evict Tamils from lodges in Colombo.
The very next day (Wednesday), after Sri Lanka got away at the Brussels hearing on HR and the LTTE got nailed there, UNP MP Laxman Seneviratne dropped a bombshell in Parliament,
claiming that Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, Colombo DIG Rohan Abeywardane and former Air Force squadron leader Nishantha Gajanayake were behind the current killings, abductions and disappearances within the country.
During the emergency debate, the chief opposition UNP and JVP MPs took the Government to task, urging it to bring the situation under control immediately, suggesting that democracy was at work. The Legislature- one arm of government- was keeping the Executive- another arm of government- at bay, at least in Parliament.
MP Seneviratne went into great detail, listing out abductions and how they were carried out with Government consent and security forces backing.
The disclosure in Parliament came hot on the heels of the Brussels HR success and days before President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s visit to Geneva, to attend sessions at the International Labour Organisation headquarters.
However, ahead of this meeting, Tamils were evicted from lodges in Colombo on Thursday, in a pre-dawn crackdown that was not only ill-timed but, poorly advised.
The Constitutional right to freedom of movement of individuals of one community, was violated by this executive action, by people obviously ignorant of the provisions of the supreme law of the land.
All the good work done by the team in Brussels was negated by this crass move to send Tamils back to their places of origin.
Successive governments, including that of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, have fought shy to even consider the North and East as the homeland of the Tamils. They have rightly maintained that the entire country is the homeland of all communities.
With one order, this government has recognized the North and East as the homeland of the Tamils.
Police Chief Victor Perera, barely a week ago, warned that “those loitering in Colombo will be sent home.” He was acting on the orders of a ‘higher authority’, and, as the whole exercise boomeranged on the Government, President Rajapaksa asked the police chief to submit an immediate report on the matter. A total of 376 Tamil persons, including 85 women, were asked to leave for their homes in Vavuniya, Batticaloa, Jaffna and Trincomalee, as they could not provide “valid reasons” for being in Colombo.
Some were indeed running away from the LTTE waiting to conscript them; some, perhaps, wanted to slip out of the theatre of war, owing to the split in the ‘Karuna’ group; yet, others wanted to avoid becoming victims of the security forces, and still others, did not want to become part of collateral damage or, simply get caught in the crossfire. For the benefit of all communities, any Tiger suspect must be singled out and charged in courts. However, hauling up all Tamils- whether from lodges or houses- is a crass act of inequality before the law, prejudice and racial profiling.
In the 18-month regime of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, this executive action was simply the worst discriminatory action towards a community by the Government. As some pointed out, the racial riots of 1983 and previously, were a reaction by mobs, while the government of the day dragged its feet to curb the violence.
While the decision and action was an indictment on one arm of Government- the Executive, the action by the Supreme Court, another arm of government, on Friday, to immediately stop this blatant violation of Fundamental Rights (FR) of a community, goes to show that Sri Lanka is not a failed State, as some would like to make out.
The court action, if anything, only underscored the importance of the doctrine of separation of powers.
The importance of civil society was also underscored, as the Supreme Court acted only after being petitioned. In this case the head of the Centre for Policy Alternatives, Dr. Pakiasothy Saravanamuttu, filed the FR petition. Not only was leave to proceed granted but also, an interim relief given to stop further eviction and allow Tamils forcibly moved to the North and East, to return.
“Nothing could be more inflammatory within Sri Lanka’s polarized climate than identifying people by ethnicity and kicking them out of the capital,” said Asia Director, Human Rights Watch (HRW) Brad Adams.
“The Tamil Tigers have carried out terrorist acts in Colombo and elsewhere,” said Adams, but cautioned that theG had no “right to engage in collective punishment.”
“The Government has every right to take action against individuals reasonably suspected of committing a crime, and to take security measures, when there are threats to the public. However, that doesn’t mean it can arbitrarily discriminate against a whole group of people,” said Adams.
The United States Government and the Norwegian Embassy issued statements strongly condemning this action.
Sri Lanka is a signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which guarantees freedom of movement and choice of residence to all citizens within a State.
In the second public hearing on HR abuses in Sri Lanka, organized by the Development Committee of the European Parliament, Geoffrey Van Orden (EPP-ED) said the “the prime target of the LTTE is the Tamils themselves.” In the same breath, he, however, called on the Government to prosecute those who killed 17 aid workers in August 2006.
The diplomatic community is appalled by the failure of the Government to apportion blame on a single military officer allegedly involved in killings, since the beginning of the undeclared war. Such a failure may only suggest that the higher-ups within Government, want to keep the lid on such mystery killings.
François Danel for ACF, asked Parliament, at a plenary session, to urgently consider the issue of HR in Sri Lanka. Certain members of the European Parliament identified terrorism as the root cause of the prevailing situation and highlighted the complete denial of HR of civilians in LTTE -controlled areas. Max Van den Berg noted that “the logic of destroying your enemy, does not achieve anything” as illustrated by the situations in Northern Ireland and Spain.”
Robert Evans said, “I don’t believe a military solution is possible”.
Nirj Devadittiya another MEP asked “Why can’t the LTTE come to the negotiating table and discuss peace? The Government can’t talk to itself,” noted Devadittha.
Deputy Solicitor General Shavindra Fernando defended the Government, while Jeevan Thiagarajah, head of the consortium for humanitarian agencies, an umbrella organization for many NGOs operating in Sri Lanka, spoke of the humanitarian crisis in Sri Lanka, on account of the war.

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Kanthan connection: Deeper than cell phone links

The name Kuthupdeen- does it ring a bell? Of course it should, perhaps, alarm bells. He was the person implicated in the famous VAT scam amounting to a loss of billions of rupees to the country. However, not much progress has been made in the case after Kuthupdeen fled the country and is believed to be residing in Dubhai.
Another person to flee to Dubhai is Emil Kanthan, against whom there is an indictment on charges of attempted murder, pending in the Kalutara High Court. An open warrant is to be issued for his arrest and Interpol is being informed.
However, in the case of Kuthupdeen, no open warrant has been issued for his arrest. Kuthupdeen is learnt to have sold a vehicle to businessman Tiran Alles for Rs 52 million, and has reportedly given Rs. 100 million to purchase a property at Rosmead Place, for a group of companies, of which Alles was the Chairman. A person by the name of Muslin was the go-between in a deal where one of the companies- Communication and Business Equipment (Private) Limited- was to be a sub dealer for Dialog mobile phones in the North and East.
During the time Mangala Samaraweera held the Ports and Aviation portfolio, Alles was made the Chairman of Airport Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) Limited (AASL) while Kuthupdeen was pursuing the possibility of starting a dry port.
A consignment of LTTE propaganda material is still lying in the port uncleared despite a business partner of Alles, Dushantha Basnayake standing surety for the consignment.
Sleuths from the Terrorist Investigations Division (TID) stumbled upon a major fraud involving the transfer of monies out of the country from the airport when Alles was the Chairman AASL.
The modus operandi was that certain passengers in the transit lounge were allegedly given large sums of foreign currency in brief cases, to be taken abroad.
The authorities maintain that when this racket was brought to the notice of Alles, he had not done anything about it.
In one case involving an Indian Muslim by the name of Mohamed Ali and Sri Lankan Muslims including Mugi, Naina Mohamed and Zainulabdeen, a sum of Rs. 80 million in foreign currency was about to be slipped out of the country, when the detection was made at the transit lounge. The flight was Chennai-Colombo-Singapore, with transit at Katunayake.
Alles was asked to resign his position in February this year and accordingly vacated it on February 12, three days after Aviation Minister Mangala Samaraweera was removed from the Cabinet. Chandima Rasaputra succeeded Alles as Chairman and the Sri Lanka Air Force was put in charge of overall security of the airport.
Judging by the sequence of events played out in public, it suggests that Alles was targeted after Samaraweera was removed. However, the reality is otherwise, where even Basnayake had indirectly admitted so in an affidavit last year, stating their accounts were frozen last year.
On March 14, 2007, a month after Samaraweera was removed from the Cabinet, four companies- Standard Newspapers (Private) Ltd, Standard Printers (Private) Ltd, Communication and Business Equipment (Private) Ltd and CBE Security (Private) Ltd- as separate petitioners, filed Fundamental Rights Applications S.C. F/R No. 89/2007, 90/2007, 91/ 2007 and 92/2007 in the Supreme Court. The four respondents in all these four cases were The Monetary Board of the Central Bank, Governor of the Central Bank, Ajith Nivard Cabral, Chief Executive Officer, Finance Intelligence Unit (FIU), George N. Fernando and the Attorney General. The first two petitioners withdrew their FR cases, as the freeze orders on their accounts were allowed to lapse.
The investigation into terrorist financing began way back in mid 2006, after the FIU was set up on June 2, 2006. Officers of the TID had gone to a particular bank to obtain certain information of suspicious transactions of companies. They had the wrong account numbers and as a result the banks refused to divulge details. However, that very day the CBE had been tipped off and tried to withdraw nearly Rs. 60 million, raising the suspicions of the bank. In terms of the new laws, banks are expected to report to the FIU any suspicious transactions or, any transaction over Rs 500,000 threshold. (The Money Laundering Act was passed in Parliament in 2006). The police moved the High Court to freeze more than 30 accounts of these four companies. A further extension of the freeze order for eight more weeks in respect of 12 of the 30 accounts was sought. The rest was allowed to lapse. Now another extension of the freeze order, in respect of only two more accounts, has been obtained, while the rest of the accounts could be operated and in fact, have been operated.
The Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation accounts were also frozen last year, in keeping with the new laws.
Meanwhile, CBE came under a cloud last year when arrested Tiger cadres had admitted that they were given mobile phones by the Tiger leaders. These mobile connections were granted by the sub contractor CBE operating in the North and East. The sub contractor was learnt to have been paid a substantial percentage of each bill by the parent company, in terms of the legal agreement.
It is also learnt that Emil Kanthan had run up bills of four mobile phones up to Rs. 3 million and CBE had requested the parent mobile company to increase the credit limit, undertaking responsibility.
Kanthan’s list of telephone calls are being probed by sleuths who have come up with valuable information.
The CBE has also paid up to nearly Rs. 20 million for both the purchase of land in Pita Kotte and later building upon it for Emil Kanthan’s mother. The transaction was done by the company’s Finance Director Dushantha Basnayake who was also arrested. Some 30 vehicles, including many luxury types, such as Benz and Volvo, were also bought on lease agreements by the TNJ Company, allegedly set up by Alles in Kanthan’s name. UNP MP Dr. Jayalath Jayawardena stood surety for these agreements. However, the bank was compelled to write off these as bad debts, after reports that most of these vehicles had found their way to the uncleared areas. (Kanthan’s driver was supposed to have owned or used one of these luxury vehicles).
Emil Kanthan, who was placed in the Kalutara prison, on suspected terrorism charges, had assaulted Douglas Devananda in 2001, when the latter visited the prison, and an indictment in the Kalutara High Court, for attempted murder, is pending. A previous indictment in the High Court of Vavuniya, for terrorist activities, was dismissed, as the confession did not hold. The confessions had to be made to an ASP or a police officer above that rank.
The authorities claim they have the option of charging suspects under the Terrorist Financing Laws for actions in the past year or, under the Prevention of Terrorism Act or, the normal criminal law.
In a separate case S.C. F/R application No. 93/2007, CBE as a petitioner cited the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka, its director general Kanchana Ratwatte, Defence Secretary, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, Dialog Telecom Limited and the AG as respondents.
Leave to proceed in this and the cases not withdrawn was granted by the Supreme Court, which however failed to grant interim relief and allowed the Attorney General to file objections before July 13.
Romesh De Silva P.C. along with Sugath Caldera and Eraj de Silva appeared for the petitioner while Additional Solicitor General Satya Hettige, P.C., appeared for the Attorney General along with Deputy Solicitor General Dias Wickremesinghe and State Counsel Shaheed Barrie. In the other two cases Deputy Solicitors General Buweneka Aluwihare and D.P.J. Aluwihare appeared for the AG and other respondents.
In the case 93/2007, the bench queried as to how the Defence Secretary could issue orders to stop call off the service. The relevant Emergency provisions were also looked into but the court was not satisfied but allowed the AG to file objections on Wednesday.
The petitioner Alles, who has been arrested, has given an affidavit that is in safe keeping, to the effect that several key government personalities had dealings with Emil Kanthan and it would be interesting to see how these developments have an effect on the larger probe that began with the setting up of the FIU long before the former Minister Mangala Samaraweera and his confidants fell out with the government.

(http://www.nation.lk/2007/06/10/newsfe5.htm)

Cordon and search operation by STF

he Special Task Force (STF) last week conducted a cordon and search operation in the recently captured Kanjikudichchiaru area where they recovered a quantity of arms, ammunition, communication equipment, solar powered batteries kitchen utensils, and dry rations the Media Centre for National Security said Friday.
The police commandos pentrating the jungles in the area discovered that the Tigers had grown acres of Canabis and they had engaged in the felling of valuable trees for timer.
"The jungle had been cleared for the construction of houses for the Tiger cadres families and families of the LTTE cadres who were killed in fighting the security forces.
"The Commandos stumblied upon skulls, bones and antlers of sambur, deer and other species of wild life.
The terrorists had even killed elephants and bear the MCNS said.
After the launch of the "Victory Assured" operation the STF has captured around 10 key bases of the LTTE in the area. The bases were named Stanley, Ram, Madurakavi, Haridevan, Nayadi, Jeewan, Paramananda, Diana, Janak and Ilanthian.
This paved the way for the re-settlement of the inhabitants in these areas who had fled their homes.

(http://www.southasianmedia.net/cnn.cfm?id=395976&category=Security&Country=SRI%20LANKA)

Karuna takes pro-Pillaiyan cadres hostage

COLOMBO: The Karuna-Pillaiyan crisis has reached new heights with Karuna cadres running riot in Batticaloa and Ampara harassing pro-Pillaiyan cadres and their families.
Sources based in the East speaking on condition of anonymity claimed that more than 75 cadres who support Pillaiyan have been held hostage in camps under extremely deplorable conditions in Ampara and Batticaloa.
Most of the pro-Pillaiyan cadres were ‘detained’ and taken hostage when they were on their way to join Pillaiyan in Trincomalee. Pillaiyan was Karuna’s deputy before the break up.
“Karuna’s cadres have also taken hostage some 30 females, who are mothers or wives of pro-Pillaiyan cadres who have left Karuna and are now with Pillaiyan in Trincomalee,” the sources said.
The motive is to ‘get back’ Pillaiyan’s cadres who are now considered ‘traitors’ in the eyes of Karuna Amman who is also the leader of the Tamil Eela Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP), a registered political party in Sri Lanka.
The wife of Seelan, a close confidant of Pillaiyan, his one year old baby and mother-in-law are also held hostage. Karuna’s cadres have maintained that Seelan’s family will be released only if Seelan returns to Batticaloa and surrender himself to Karuna.
Seelan, broke ranks with Karuna following the split, but continued to support Pillaiyan and joined him in Trincomalee from where they now operate. The pro-cadres are currently kept hostage in three camps located at Govindan Road in Batticaloa, Akkaraipattu and Vakarai. Majority of the renegade cadres are held in the Vakarai camp.

(http://www.nation.lk/2007/06/03/news4.htm)

Tigers join Jihadis in global narcotic trade: terrorism must be eradicated with or without external support –Dr. Kohona

Addressing the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Dr Palitha Kohona, Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka, argued that there should not be any difference between "corrigible and incorrigible terrorists".

Dismissing the semantics of terrorism he said:”The incorrigible terrorists are dealt with militarily with no space for negotiations and the others with the carrot and stick approach, mostly with carrots. It is ironic that whilst all civilized societies abhor violence and the use of it to achieve political objectives, that we still engage in the semantics of terrorism. This is misleading; it assesses the validity of the cause when terrorism is an act. One can have a perfectly valid cause and yet if one commits terrorist acts it is terrorism regardless.”

Here is the full text of his speech:

“Combating the LTTE at home and overseas – engaging the international community “

Excellencies

Ladies and Gentlemen:

There is an attempt in today’s world to distinguish between corrigible and incorrigible terrorists. In the first category are sometimes listed groups that use violence allegedly to force political change, whilst the incorrigible ones are those extremists that for ideological reasons dare to challenge the big power centres of the world by unleashing violence. The incorrigible terrorists are dealt with militarily with no space for negotiations and the others with the carrot and stick approach, mostly with carrots. It is ironic that whilst all civilized societies abhor violence and the use of it to achieve political objectives, that we still engage in the semantics of terrorism. This is misleading; it assesses the validity of the cause when terrorism is an act. One can have a perfectly valid cause and yet if one commits terrorist acts it is terrorism regardless. We must not forget that the UN, reflecting the common will of mankind, has adopted 13 conventions against different aspects of terrorism. A comprehensive convention against terrorism is under negotiation. The world has expressed its abhorrence of terrorism through a raft of UNGA and UNSC resolutions.

In attempting to combat the LTTE at home and overseas we have to ask its misguided sympathizers not to miss the wood for the trees. The grievances of the Tamil community in Sri Lanka must, have and will continue to be addressed by the Sri Lankan Government in the same way the grievances of all other communities in our heterogeneous Sri Lankan society have been and are being addressed.

Sri Lanka as you all know is a functioning democracy with a multi party system. Our official languages are Sinhala and Tamil. We have a system of proportional representation that is very accommodative of minorities. Successive governments have devolved power with a view to allowing people in different parts of the country to take the initiative in managing their local areas. Since 1987, a Provincial Council system has been in place and the All Party Conference set up by the Government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa is currently seeking a southern consensus to offer more extensive devolution. These proposals too are likely to be finalized soon. Though over 74% of our people are Buddhists, our Constitution guarantees freedom to all citizens to practice a religion of their choice.

But the LTTE has shown to be incorrigible. It claims it is fighting for a separate state and demands one third of the land mass of Sri Lanka as the Tamil homeland; Tamils comprise, according to available statistics, about 12% of the population. The LTTE has never proposed an alternative to a separate state notwithstanding the stated position of the Sri Lanka Government, the Indian Government and the international community on the unacceptability of the separate state demand. The LTTE claims to be the sole representative of the Tamil community and attempts to silence dissenting Tamil voices with the barrel of the gun. Scores of moderate Tamil politicians from the Mayor of Jaffna, Alfred Duraippah, to the leader of the TULF Appapillai Amirthalingam, Dr Neelan Thiruchelvam, leading constitutional lawyer, my deputy Ketheesh Loganathan and our late Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar were silenced by the LTTE. During the last parliamentary elections the LTTE prevented the Tamil population in some parts of the north & the east from exercising their franchise. The LTTE has exercised dictatorial control over the Tamil population whilst launching violent attacks against Govt security forces and civilians in other parts of the country. They have conscripted over 18,000 children and use ceasefires to re-arm, re-group and re-launch military strikes.

The LTTE’s well oiled propaganda machine succeeds in persuading the international community to believe that Tamil people are being persecuted mainly by the Sri Lankan authorities. What they don’t tell the world is that 54% of the Tamil population in Sri Lanka live in the south of the country alongside the other communities and that the Sinhala and Tamil communities have lived together in harmony for thousands of years; that major Hindu festivals are national holidays in Sri Lanka, that Tamil people hold positions of responsibility in government and private sector; that Tamil political parties are well represented in parliament and that successive governments have redressed grievances of the Tamil community; 39% of Colombo is Tamil. The LTTE has graduated from a guerrilla force to being capable of engaging in conventional warfare, largely as a result of the 2002 ceasefire, it has developed a brown water naval wing and acquired some air capability. As highlighted by the Indian National Security Adviser at the Munich Conference on Security recently, the LTTE is in alliance with Jihadi movements in the international narcotics trade, it is engaged in money laundering, credit card fraud, people smuggling and arms smuggling. The LTTE now sustains this conflict for commercial gain causing untold suffering to the very Tamil community it claims to solely represent.

Our government’s approach has been on one hand to leave the door open to negotiations. To remain willing to have unconditional talks with a view to discussing a final solution that will bring much desired peace to the north of Sri Lanka. For this reason alone we have suspended the proscription on the LTTE and have sought the assistance of the Royal Norwegian government to facilitate such negotiations. But we reserve the right to safeguard our people from being used as human shields by the LTTE and we reserve the right to safeguard the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Sri Lanka. The government’s recent military operations in the east were carried out with these objectives. Today the armed forces have cleared the LTTE out of the eastern province and confined them largely to two districts in the Northern Province. A greater part of the Northern Province, including Jaffna, remains within government control.

However all our efforts to combat the LTTE at home and bring peace to Sri Lanka remain thwarted as long as the international community remains insensitive to the fact that the LTTE’s fundraising abroad contributes to the instability in Sri Lanka. Some countries are not too concerned about allowing terror organizations to establish front offices, lobby groups and charities based on the premise of democracy and if those activities do not impinge on their own national security.

By this they have demonstrated insensitivity and indifference to the fact that terror at the national level is inextricably inter-linked to terror at the international level. Since the problem of terrorism is global, any measures to effectively counter this menace require inter-state bilateral cooperation. For instance to discharge obligations clearly imposed on states under international law and the elimination of all activities within a territory of one state which are of terrorist leanings and are directed towards the carrying out of terrorist activity in other states, bilateral cooperation in this area is vital.

This obligation also covers acts which though seemingly legitimate are clearly directed towards sustaining terrorist activity in other states such as fundraising, which are ultimately channeled for the purpose of purchasing of arms etc. The obligation under international law is emphasized in unequivocal terms in the UN Declaration on measures to prevent international terrorism in a series of declarations.

“States guided by the purposes and the principles of the Charter of the United Nations and other relevant rules of international law, must refrain from organizing, instigating, assisting or participating in terrorist acts in territories of other States or acquiescing in or encouraging activities within their territories directed towards the commission of such acts”.

The LTTE’s capacity to engage in terrorist activities in Sri Lanka is mainly due to the continued flow of funds to the LTTE war chest from overseas, through which the procurement and smuggling of illicit arms have been sustained.

Expectedly, funds collected by the LTTE overseas continue to have a de-stabilizing effect on Sri Lanka and is a drain on the economic development of the country. This is manifest both in terms of supporting terrorist activities in Sri Lanka and precipitating the displacement of people internally and externally. The people so displaced who go abroad continue to be exploited by the LTTE to extort money, creating a vicious and self-supporting cycle of intimidation, arms smuggling and terrorism. In addition the LTTE raises funds through money laundering, credit card fraud, money transfer through couriers and a range of other illegal activities. Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has described terrorist groups which capitalize on the nexus between drug trafficking and gun running as representing a supra-national subversive threat to peace and security within and among nations.

There is also a clearly evident relationship between collection of funds in foreign countries and the promotion by the LTTE of the outflow of asylum seekers into western countries. The LTTE needs a considerable population of asylum seekers abroad in order generate sufficient funds through extortion. There are several examples cited in the Human Rights Watch report titled “Funding the Final War” on the manner in which funds are collected in the UK and Canada. There is no difficulty in finding evidence of these activities as this report and recent television documentaries have shown.

What is new and significant in this is the fact that the fundraisers now openly list the LTTE as one of the organizations through which funds can be channeled for humanitarian purposes. It is significant to note that none of the fundraisers ask the donors to channel their contributions to any of the recognized humanitarian organizations such as the ICRC and other respected INGOs. They always request donations to be channelled to LTTE fronts like the TRO, White Pigeon, etc. Most often the governments and foreigners who contribute to these organizations have no substantial proof as to how these funds are used. Our recent military operations in the east reveal that none of the funds given by donor governments to the LTTE have been utilized for the intended purposes and have instead been used to build sophisticated bunkers, develop suicide boat technology and build air fields. Some internet providers have circulated more direct and serious messages “urgent appeal for money for missiles – contribute generously to LTTE”. This openly acknowledges what the fundraising is for, with community radio and TV stations, places of religious worship are also being used openly for propaganda purposes in Europe.

Continued fundraising abroad through which terrorist activities in Sri Lanka are being sustained by the LTTE, has become a major factor militating against government’s search for a political solution on the basis of extensive devolution of power to address the grievances of all groups comprising the country’s citizenry. The activities of the LTTE abroad have also received considerable publicity in Sri Lanka. There is a growing public opinion against the impunity with which the LTTE conducts its fundraising activities and their propaganda work directed at sustaining terrorism in Sri Lanka. Public opinion in Sri Lanka demands that the government should take the strongest possible measures to eradicate terrorism with or without external support.

As we are aware post nine eleven, the LTTE was listed as a terrorist organization both in the UK, USA and subsequently in 2006 by the European Union. It is also listed by India, Canada, Malaysia etc as a terrorist group. However there has not been any significant decline in the fundraising and blatantly flagrant propaganda activities. This leads us to the conclusion that proscription like any other domestic law has to be implemented. Firstly by enacting national laws and then through their application, for which purpose considerable resources need to be allocated by states on whose soil the LTTE operates openly and freely. There has also got to be above all the will to prioritize such action.

The international community in this instance must translate their goodwill shown towards Sri Lanka into practical action rather than spin rhetoric. Like poverty, terrorism anywhere is a threat to humanity everywhere. It should be defeated if democracies are to survive.

Therefore we hope to continue in our efforts to persuade the international community not to fall prey to the propaganda of the LTTE as indeed some British Parliamentarians have demonstrated recently. The international community must clearly distinguish between the grievances of the Tamil community and the violence perpetrated allegedly in its name by the LTTE led by a fascist dictator who has been found guilty by the Supreme Court of India for the assassination of their former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

It is regrettable that some sections of the international opinion remain less engaged in helping Sri Lanka to combat LTTE terrorism and are more involved in spinning rhetoric. Several countries have actively cracked down on the LTTE’s fundraising activities. There is an urgent need to implement the LTTE proscription in many major centres of fundraising and to ensure that pressure is brought on the LTTE thereby to step down from its position of intransigence and transform itself.

(http://www.asiantribune.com/index.php?q=node/6099)

Death Threat to Editor , "Asian Tribune" by Karuna and his crony Iniyabarathi



Asian Tribune Editor has received death threat from V.Muralitharan alias l Karuna Amman through his alleged crony I. Iniyabarathi yesterday morning.

Iniyabarathi, the man involved in the fratricidal


Beware Karuna & his crony Iniyabarathi

killings telephoned K.T.Rajasingham, Editor Asian Tribune and threatened to kill the Editor. In his abusive harangue he revealed that his leader Colonel Karuna will not tolerate at cost , any "Yarlapani "(Man from Jaffna) - a regional slur -- reporting anything adversely either about him or about his cadres.

Iniyabarathi in an arrogant tone conveyed the message of Karuna that the Editor Asian Tribune should stop publishing adverse reports about Karuna and Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal. He threateningly added “Karuna will not tolerate any adverse comments and he will see that you are removed from the face of this earth.”

Iniyabarathi said “Karuna Amman our leader wanted you to stop this adverse campaign forthwith or be ready to meet your death.”

“Asian Tribune”, since 04 May, after the split within the rank and files of TMVP, between Karuna and Pillaiyan, reported the killing of Sinthujan and also his old age father Johnson and few others.

“Asian Tribune” vehemently condemned the fratricidal killings let loose by Karuna within the outfit and also exposed that there are more than 190 underage children forcibly recruited by Thileepan and Jeeventiran.

“Asian Tribune” has opposed recruitment of underage children forcefully by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam as well as by the TMVP led by Karuna.

Karuna personally gave an undertaking to Asian Tribune that he will visit all his bases and chase away if there are any underage children in their camps.

Unfortunately Karuna failed to live up to his words and encouraged and tolerated Thileepan and Jeeventiran recruiting underage children even after this issue was taken up in the UN Security Council.

Asian Tribune reliably learnt that Karuna has two days ago given special permission to Inniyabarathi , commander of TMVPs’s Amparai district to ‘recruit more cadres’ in the Amparai district.

Recruiting more cadres is an indirect terminology which amounts to giving permission to Iniyabarathi to forcefully recruit underage children.

Karuna, a former renegade leader of the LTTE following the footsteps of his former leader Velupillai Prabakran is the newest Warlord in the East trying to have his way by threat and intimidation of the media personnel.

Even earlier Kruna telephoned and threatened Champika Liyanaraachchi, editor of Daily Mirror and he called the Editor and apologized and assured that he as well as his cadres will not harm her.

Subsequently, “Asian Tribune” learnt Inniyabarathi called ‘Daily Mirror’ editorial staff and warned that he will send killer squad to kill the person who reports adverse news items about his leader Karuna, and TMVP. According to information Iniyabarathi threatened the Daily Mirror staff in a conference call with an interpreter who translated his death threat in the English language.