Current peace process: Initial idealism is lacking By Champika Liyanaarachchi

The second anniversary of the grand opening of the peace talks at Sattahip, Thailand between the previous United National Front (UNF) government and the LTTE falls tomorrow.

At the end of the first round, in his concluding speech, LTTE chief negotiator Anton Balasingham noted that, "as far as the engagement here in Thailand is concerned, the LTTE is very happy. I think we have reached a remarkable success in establishing a very cordial relationship and the discussions were very constructive and we have taken a few decisions and this process is going to continue".

Of all Tiger seniors, Balasingham, who was at the epicentre of peace talks at that time, understandably has been the most optimistic about the peace process.

One may recall how, on March 13 this year, immediately after a meeting with the Norwegian facilitators, the same Balasingham said that Norway would announce the date of the next round of talks in "two or three days time".

Four months have passed and we are yet to hear anything about the dates for the next round of talks.

Two years into the first round of talks, the 'process' that Balasingham referred to is being fortunately continued to date. And whatever mishaps, this indeed is an achievement.

However, the 'relationship' between the two main players (now the Freedom Alliance government and the LTTE) is strained, peace dynamics dislodged and talks proper have come to an abrupt halt. Eighteen months have passed since the sixth round of talks held in Hakone, and jump-starting the talks is still very much a challenge, despite the reluctance by both parties to go back to war.

The months that passed under the UPFA has brought the maximum negative impact on the peace process, shifting the vibes between the government and the LTTE from tepid to icy cold.

However, given that most new structures in this country have had long gestation periods, the unsteady steps towards an interim arrangement, or for that matter a final settlement in the form of a new Constitution, is not something totally unexpected.

And the facilitators and the peace promoters continue to harp that what is more important is the fact that both parties remain engaged in discussions at least on a lower level, though talks-proper are yet to resume.

To quote G.L. Peiris at Sattahip, "whatever difficulties may arise, we have to hold fast to our cause of political negotiations".

While the vibes have been not all that healthy, any second thoughts by the LTTE to stray away from the course and muster support for legitimacy for Tamil Eelam through military means, got one of its biggest set-backs following the hard-hitting comments by the US State Department Co-ordinator for Counter-terrorism, J. Cofer Black, last week.

The fact that the declaration by Black had hit a raw nerve of the Tigers was evident by the LTTE move to get its proxy, the TNA, to issue a statement on Monday, commenting on Blacks' observations.

"The Tamil people would like to convey that the failure to adopt an even handed approach could cause immense harm to the peace process and we would appeal that a more balanced approach be adopted in the cause of peace, which Ambassador Black asserts he is committed to uphold." the TNA statement says.

The carefully-worded, long statement by the TNA, which states that Black's views have "caused much concern to a wide section of the Tamil people", speaks of the LTTE's dilemma.

It shows that the Tigers which had so far criticized the United States openly, have been forced to make a strategic move to issue such responses under the TNA's name, having realized that with the ever-hardening stance of the United States and the international community as regards terrorism, the LTTE will be forced to change gear.

By using its proxy, a political party, the LTTE could conveniently avoid responding to the charges levelled by Black - of its links with other terrorist organizations, equipping them and disseminating information on how to conduct acts of terrorism.

The Tigers are mindful that they need to handle the international community with tact, rather than rub them on the wrong side, if they were to win their demands even at the negotiating table, particularly with regard to the issue of fiscal control for the North and the East, in the event a separate interim administration is set up. While this being the case, however the failure of the South to reach a consensus continues to place the LTTE in an advantageous position.

The latest move by President Chandrika Kumaratunga to appoint an all-party consultative committee, with the Prime Minister and the Opposition Leader as co-chairs, has failed to receive the desired response, with the UNP viewing the invitation as one aimed at dragging them also to the quagmire in the event the UPFA-sponsored peace talks and the process falls apart.

The invitation which was made in the backdrop of mischievous and irresponsible statements made by the likes of Minister Mangala Samaraweera, that the UNP was the enemy of the government, and the measures taken to hunt down UNP seniors, have made it difficult for even the die-hard pro-national government supporters within the UNP to entertain any sanguine thoughts about the President's move.

What we witness even today is the continuation of the tragedy of the Sri Lankan polity, with the two Southern principal parties bent on trying confidence building measures with the LTTE when they are in power, and failing to adopt a similar approach towards the key opposition and treating the other with an enemy perception.

If the President is keen on reaching a southern consensus, what she could have done first was to take steps to heal the wounds by trying to win the lost confidence of the UNP members.

Any move towards a consensus without adopting such measures is sure to be doomed as there is a major dent in the credibility of the President, in the eyes of a majority of the members in the Opposition, right now.

Therefore, the outright rejection by the Opposition, as part of political manoeuvring, if not manipulation, came as no surprise as the President had not done her home work before extending the invitation.

If the President was genuine in her exercise, she and her government had six months to strike a rapport with the Opposition.

She indeed had several options and the revival of the Mano-Malik talks would certainly have been one. Then there was also the set of proposals for by-partisanship, proposed by the Opposition Leader and sent through Rukman Senanayake, lying on the President's table since May, 2004 awaiting a response.

But none of these were tried even during the time the UPFA remained a minority government. Instead, they opted for the traditional vote-buying moves rather than looking at the larger picture - the need for a two-thirds majority in parliament to take any constructive step towards resolving the conflict.

Striking a rapport and sustaining a relationship with the opposition parties is something that our politicians still find difficult to do when in power, though banking on Opposition support is something they cannot do without to reach a negotiated settlement to the North-East conflict.

Therefore, even the tirade against the anti-peace elements by the President, on Monday, in Mahiyangana and statements made on the importance of a national consensus in the recent past, will do nothing to convince the opposition parties of the genuineness of the President's latest attempt and instead will be taken as those guided by self interest.

Two years have lapsed since peace talks opened but some of the fundamental catalysts vital for pushing the peace process are still not in place, and the failure to garner a southern consensus is just one of them.

The mandatory preparation of the constituency for the changes to be made to the structures, by warding off their unfounded fears, is something that both the UNF and the UPFA failed to accomplish.

While the UNP, to a certain extent, managed to win the confidence of the minorities, there are no signs that the UPFA is taking steps to assuage their grievances and both the Tamils and the Muslims harbour suspicions about the agendas of the new government.

This is in addition to the steady decline in the confidence the Sinhala electorate has on the government's performance, as regards carrying forward the peace process.

Unfortunately, peace is a product one cannot sell without marketing it properly, with whatever risks there is. If this is not done properly, the UPFA would soon have to face a similar fate as that faced by the previous UNF government.

(http://www.dailymirror.lk/2004/09/15/news/1.asp)

A second look at US assistance to Lanka against terrorism By Taraki

Sinhala Buddhist nationalists do not count their blessings. They keep complaining that the world is not helping them in any concrete way to crush the LTTE. One of them recently asked the US, "Where's the beef?" (Though it is unbecoming of a Sinhala Buddhist nationalist to ask for beef even metaphorically, the perceptive writer makes a well-reasoned, cogent argument for bringing about a happy confluence of American and Sri Lankan strategic interests against the LTTE)

We often read articulate Sinhala Buddhist patriots who urge the US to match its words with deeds against the Tigers. That the world's sole super power is not bringing down its mailed fist hard on the LTTE's head irks some of them. America is hence scolded for its alleged double standard on the war on terrorism.

Sinhala Buddhist nationalists should pause to study what the US has actually done to help them fight the LTTE and how US strategic interests in Sri Lanka are decidedly against Tamil aspirations, before they gripe further about the US not providing them "the beef".

The reaction of the Tamil National Alliance to the comments of Ambassador Cofer Black, the senior US Counter Terrorism official who visited Colombo recently, should make it amply clear to all that the Americans are solidly and sincerely behind Sinhala nationalists in their quest to wipe out the LTTE from the face of the earth and to eventually preserve Sri Lanka's sacred unitary character.

And in the past, just one instance would suffice to demonstrate the US military's commitment to tilt the island's strategic balance in favour of the Sri Lankan state. Well-informed politicians, academics and opinion makers in the south continue to believe that the Tigers came for talks because successful operations by the Sri Lanka Army's Long Range Reconnaissance Patrols (LRRP) scared the wits out of them. The only way the LTTE could stop the LRRP danger was to sue for peace, according those who subscribe to this line of thinking. In this sense LRRP operations achieved what the massive Op. Riviresa, Op. Jaya Sikurui and Op. Agni Khiela could not do, they say.

But how many Sinhala nationalists, who grumble that the US is not doing enough to bash the LTTE, know about the US Special Forces' role in training the LRRP teams that penetrated deep into the Vanni and killed very senior Tigers?

One could list many other instances where Special Forces, Navy Seals and other elite arms of the US Army helped the Sri Lanka Army improve its fighting and planning capabilities immensely during the height of the war from May 1997 to April 2002.

But let us look at what the US is currently doing to stabilise the Sri Lankan state.

The Tokyo Declaration by donor nations was primarily designed to use aid as a carrot to persuade/coerce the Sinhala polity to fundamentally restructure the unitary Sri Lankan state into a federal form of government.

The architects of the Tokyo Declaration, particularly some member countries of the European Union, appear to have assumed that squeezing the flow of aid could hit the Sinhala polity below the belt and thereby make it compromise the unitary state.

Today officials of some EU countries lament that the US has sent the wrong signals to the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) by announcing that it is eligible for the Millennium Account facility. The GOSL would no longer be under any strong pressure to restart negotiations with the LTTE, they say. US ally Japan and the Asian Development Bank have followed suit in removing the 'coercive aid factor' from Sri Lanka's peace equation.

Therefore, given US commitment to keep the LTTE on the list of foreign terrorist groups and in the absence of the 'coercive aid factor' there is nothing today to compel the Sinhala polity to radically restructure the unitary Sri Lankan state.

Sinhala nationalists can now rest assured that they can totally trash the ISGA proposal and indefinitely postpone talks with the Tigers without having to fear any effective external coercion.

Of course, some EU countries and India appear to think that the US move to neutralise the 'coercive aid factor' would create conditions that can precipitate another war.

Also, the apprehensions of some Sinhala nationalists, when the US speaks of a negotiated settlement to the ethnic conflict along federal lines, are unfounded.
Very obviously, the US strategic and political interests here are squarely behind the Sri Lankan state.

By keeping the LTTE on the Foreign Terrorist Groups (FTA) list and thereby insisting that it should give up violence as a means to achieving political ends in "word and deed", the US has created a singular advantage for the GOSL. This advantage totally obviates the need for restructuring the Sri Lankan state as a federation. How?

On the one hand, let us assume that the LTTE, terrified by America's might (!), agrees to give up violence in "word and deed". Then the Tigers will have to accept Sri Lanka's sovereignty in every part of the northeast and there won't be any need at all for the GOSL to change the constitution. Perhaps the LTTE could stage a Satyagraha in Jaffna demanding federalism - provided they get permission from the Police!

On the other hand let us assume that the LTTE tells the world's sole super power and its Sinhala nationalist allies to go fly a kite, then the GOSL would have full US backing to wage war on the Tigers if negotiations fail.

Either way there is absolutely no way that the US formula on the LTTE would permit a federal solution. The manner in which the US has formulated its stand on the LTTE is clearly designed to preserve the unitary Sinhala Buddhist state.

America, of course has to, as a matter of routine, pay lip service to a negotiated settlement. Sinhala nationalists should understand this when they lament that the US is talking about a negotiating a federal solution to the conflict.

This fact about the US approach to the conflict in Sri Lanka would become obvious to all as the days go by and as the peace process stagnates indefinitely.

In this context the desire to crush the LTTE militarily would inexorably come to the fore in the Sinhala polity. And then the strategic objectives of Sinhala Buddhist nationalists and the US may achieve a sweet confluence whether India likes it or not.
And what of the Tigers? They are used to standing on their own feet.

ISGA negotiable, says LTTE From Kesara Abeywardena in Kilinochchi

The LTTE said yesterday its ISGA proposals were not rigid or final and it was ready to negotiate the issue but it saw the lack of clarity on the part of the government as the main stumbling block, for the resumption of peace talks.

LTTE political wing leader S. P. Thamilselvan told the Daily Mirror at his office in Kilinochchi that the government should speak in one voice and have a clear stance on how the peace process should move forward.

"The President says one thing in the morning, another by day and a completely different thing in the night. Apart from that, the JVP is saying things completely contrary. The government and the south should speak in one voice. Otherwise, we cannot take forward the peace process," he said.

Asked whether the ISGA proposals were rigid and non-negotiable, Mr. Thamilselvan said the proposals were not rigid or final and should be discussed at the negotiating table. However, he said that the government should not put forward counter proposals before resuming the negotiations and insisted that the ISGA proposals should be the basis for the talks to begin.

"We want an interim structure that would enable the benefits of the ceasefire to go to the people and to provide humanitarian assistance. We felt the proposals given by the former government on an interim structure to address these issues did not have sufficient powers. Then the government and the international community requested us to put forward our proposals. We consulted a lot of people and put forward these ISGA proposals as a basis on which the peace talks could resume. The former government accepted the proposals as a basis for negotiations," Mr. Thamilselvan said.

He said it was at this stage that President Kumaratunga took over three key ministries and various consequences followed. "Now the situation is complicated. If we look throughout history, this has happened. When a government wants to solve the problem, some others upset it," he said.

Mr. Thamilselvan said the Tamil people who had been fighting for a separate state had now come to the discussion table and put forward their alternate proposals for an interim structure.

When asked about the LTTE's response to the stance of the JVP, Mr. Thamilselvan said his movement’s view was that the JVP was against peace talks even before the ISGA proposals were put forward. He said the LTTE hoped it could come to the South and take its message to the people there from some platform but could not do so due the present circumstances. "We want to come to the South and from a platform directly take our message to the people. We are different from the JVP," he said.

Mr. Thamilselvan said the LTTE was ready to have discussions with any group about the conflict and would welcome anyone who wished to have a dialogue with it.

(http://www.dailymirror.lk/2004/09/15/front/1.asp)

Grace period to surrender unauthorised fire arms from Oct. 1 to Nov. 30 by Ananda Pathiraja

People possessing unauthorised firearms will be given a grace period from October 1 to November 30 this year to surrender them to the government, said Tilak Ranaviraja, Secretary, Ministry of Public Security, Law and Order.

Those found guilty of possessing any firearms without a valid permit after the lapse of this grace period will be severely dealt with in terms of section 22 of the Firearms Act No. 33 which was amended by Act No. 22 of 1996, he said.

Mr. Ranaviraja however said that no legal action will be taken against persons who make use of this grace period to surrender their illegal weapons. He said anyone possessing an illegal gun, revolver, pistol or automatic weapon could

surrender such weapons during this grace period to the nearest police station or the District Secretariat of the relevant district where such person is residing.

Once weapons are surrendered action will be taken to return them with a valid permit to the deserving previous owners after a careful examination. Application forms for the issue of permits could be obtained from the respective police stations or the District Secretariats, he said.

(http://www.dailynews.lk/2004/09/15/new23.html)

Ambassador Black’s visit - a missed opportunity by K. Godage

The State Department’s coordinator for counter terrorism visited Sri Lanka recently .Ambassador Cofer Black had met selected members of the press at a round table discussion He would have no doubt gone away pleased as it appears that the selected friendly journalists present had not pinned him down and had him reconfirm the statement of Christina Rocca, Assistant Secretary, who has gone on record at a Congress Hearing, as having stated that the ISGA was a blue print for the establishment of a separate state. We need also to have the views of the US government on the blackmail being indulged in by the LTTE which is demanding that the government negotiate only on the basis of their proposal to establish an ISGA -and that if the government does not agree, they will not be prepared to recommence peace talks. The US government which has proscribed the LTTE as a terrorist organization and considers them to be Fascist, should surely have a position both on the ISGA and also on this demand of the LTTE?

A former Foreign Service colleague Jayanath Rajapakse has in a recent article on the missed opportunity set out the following questions and stated that they were what should have been asked by the selected Journalists,

1 The LTTE insists that the talks should commence with the ISGA proposals as the basis, does the Ambassador consider this to be in good faith?

2 Expert opinion here is widely agreed that these ISGA proposals are a framework for a separate state. Us Assistant Secretary Christina Rocca took up much the same position, so does the Ambassador agree or has the US changed its position in this regard?

3) In the course of Rocca’s testimony before Congress listed the following LTTE actions that needed to be stopped, if they were to have been deemed to have renounced violence —— abducting children to serve the LTTE - securing arms from abroad - killing of political opponents

Does Ambassador Black too include these as being requirements when he refers to the LTTE "renouncing terrorism in word and deed?"

4) If the Ambassador’s answers point to lack of ‘good faith’ on the part of the LTTE what pressures could the US exert on the LTTE to make them mend their ways?

5) If the LTTE is in bad faith, then what is the purpose in the donor group exerting pressure on the government publicly to recommence negotiation, especially when they were broken off by the LTTE?

Yes, a ‘Statement ‘from the US covering these points would be more than useful to take the peace process forward. As stated earlier this was indeed the opportunity for the US to have made a categorical statement on the ISGA. Most unfortunately for this country the country does NOT come first with our two major political parties. The government changed in April and it has taken six months for two leaders to meet and that too does not appear to have been productive and we proudly boast that we are a working Democracy - many in the UNP are so completely opposed to the President personally that they let this hate get the better of their judgment; there is also the inner party rivalry within the UNP and the people of this country pay dearly because of their animosities. How could the international community help us if we are not prepared to help ourselves?

As for ‘Statements’ from the international community , none of them has been effective in reining in the LTTE, some have in fact been counter-productive, as far as we were concerned, (unless of course those who issued these ‘Statements’ wished to dignify the LTTE -by equating the government of Sri Lanka with an insurgent group (I have it from authority that Solheim demanded this of the Thais -the reader would recall how the Norwegian FM referred to Balasingham as "His Excellency Mr. Balasingham", I recall the reaction of a friend which bears recording "imagine the liberties these monkeys take with us".

The recent statements indicated either that those who issued them suffered from some acute form of Amnesia or were being diabolical. They were, by implication assisting the LTTE to slip out of the signed commitment they made at Oslo for a ‘Federal structure within a united Sri Lanka’. Prabhakaran is known to have hauled Balasingham over the coals over this -for he has only a one point agenda, which is Eelam. There is little doubt that the western donor group are allowing Solheim, the champion of Eelam, to call the tune for nowhere in any recent statement has this group referred to the ISGA -they conveniently keep calling upon us to commence Talks well aware that the LTTE has said that they would talk with the GOSL only on the basis of the ISGA. They are exerting maximum pressure on, nay blackmailing, the cash strapped government by stating that the 4.5 billion USD pledged at Tokyo (the aggregate of the amounts that would have been pledged at the annual ‘Development Forum’ meeting organized by the World Bank over the next four year period), would become available only if we resume negotiations - no pressure at all on the LTTE which pulled out on the 21st of April of last year on a flimsy excuse that nothing was happening on the ground to ameliorate the conditions of the Tamil people, well aware that there were over 640 projects in the pipe line and work was about to commence on them through the Sub Committee that was set up to address the immediate humanitarian needs in the North and East and the Triple R programme. When one considers the unreasonableness of the demand of the international community that we commence negotiations despite the LTTE’s conditions if development aid is to flow, one wonders as to whether there is some conspiracy against us, the price we pay for being divided and weak even in the face of a threat to our very existence as a single country. Ambassador Black has stated that his government +strongly supports the current peace process. He called upon the LTTE to resume peace talks (they are of course prepared but only on their own terms); Ambassador Black has stated that the LTTE would not be removed from their list of proscribed terrorist organizations until they renounce violence by word and deed As for the US strategy to counter terrorism he stated that they would "utilize all elements of state craft - commencing with Diplomacy and ending in a military response if all other methods fail; there is no question of where we stand, there will be no compromise, there will be no wavering" .He also stated "We support the government in its efforts to create peace". Yes, we could have peace tomorrow, if we agree to the ISGA - is this the ‘peace’ that the US and the other members of the donor community wish? No there can never be ‘peace’ on such terms. A just and lasting peace can be established only if the LTTE learn to compromise - and the LTTE does not know the meaning of that word for they have never ever compromised on anything.

There is only one language that the LTTE understands and that is force - not necessarily military force and this is where the international community, if their objective is to establish real peace in this country can play a role. Then they must change the road map. They must read the ‘Riot Act’ to the LTTE and call them to order. India and the donor community should factor in the threat to international peace and security that would stem from the sale of their perverse technology, their huge arms stock which includes double barrel rocket launchers and other sophisticated weapons systems, their extensive network for arms procurement and the use of their shipping networks for other than commercial purposes. As it is there is as serious threat to the security of the Indian Ocean region from the trafficking in and proliferation of small arms, from Piracy, from drug trafficking, trans-border terrorism, ethno-religious strife, insurgencies that receive support from external sources. The existence of these threats was recognized at the recently concluded BIMSTEC meeting in Bangkok and a working committee appointed to study the situation and suggest measures against terrorism in the region. Ambassador Black would of course have heard of the Sea Tigers of the LTTE, their demand for an exclusive zone in the Indian Ocean and how India considers them to be a serious threat to the security of the Ocean. Let us hope that the State Department’s coordinator for counter terrorism, Ambassador Black understands the situation well. There cannot be any more pussy-footing.

Let us, the people ask the donor group to make a categorical statement on what their position is on the ISGA do they think that it conforms to what was agreed to at Oslo? Do they agree with Secretary Rocca on what the ISGA is all about? Statements or pledges such as supporting Sri Lanka strongly, ring hollow unless something tangible is done. At the risk of seeming to be presumptuous may I suggest that India as the regional power take the initiative along with the US, Norway and the EU and summon a peace conference to which the main political parties in Sri Lanka and the LTTE should be requested to attend, recall the agreement at Oslo —a Federal structure within a united Sri Lanka which he LTTE signed up for. The Conference could examine the LTTE’s ISGA proposal; the previous governments counter proposal and the proposals of the present government. And the proposals of the Muslim community in the East and last but not least a Referendum MUST be held under international supervision to determine the status of the Eastern province, this is a democratic right of the people of the Eastern province and must be respected by the international community. A real peace would then emerge if India and the international community have the political will to ensure an end this conflict which has taken 60 000 lives and could take another 60 or more thousand lives, if left to the adversaries to resolve.

(http://www.island.lk/2004/09/15/features2.html)

Indian navy seeks new areas of cooperation with Lanka by PK Balachanddran

Chief of Staff of the Indian Navy, Admiral Arun Prakash, has said that he is seeking "new areas of cooperation" with the Sri Lankan Navy and the Sri Lankan Armed Forces to promote good neighbourly relations between India and Sri Lanka.

On a visit to Colombo and the naval base of Trincomalee, Admiral Prakash said that the Indian Navy would give "full cooperation" to the Sri Lankan Navy and the Armed Forces.

He was interacting with newspersons on Monday at the Ministry of Defense, where he met the Deputy Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayake.

Admiral Prakash met President Chandrika Kumaratunga, who is also the Minister of Defense. He is to fly to Trincomalee on Tuesday, the first by any Indian chief of naval staff to the naval base on the island's eastern coast.

Trincomalee is a strategic place for India as it has the 99 oil tanks, which were given over to the Indian Oil Corporation to be used jointly with the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation. The giant World War II vintage tanks are to be refurbished and used for storage of kerosene.

But Trincomalee is under threat from the LTTE, which has proclaimed it as the putative capital of the Tamil Eelam. Its harbour is located very close to the LTTE's artillery and mortar gun positions.

(The Hindustan Times)

(http://www.island.lk/2004/09/15/news4.html)

Hakeem calls for 'united front' at peace talks By Uditha Jayasinghe

Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) Leader, Rauf Hakeem yesterday called on all Muslim parliamentary representatives to present a "united front" at the peace talks.

He made this appeal while meeting Norwegian peace envoy, Eric Solheim at his residence yesterday.

During the discussion he reiterated the stance of the SLMC to present a united front to have more weight in gaining the rights of the Muslim community and not to dilute the effect by representing them in individual capacities.

"We are told that there is no likelihood of an immediate resumption of peace talks but the SLMC will be discussing with other Muslim parties in the event we are summoned for peace talks. Even the President has expressed interest in considering the views of other parties before resuming peace talks. Therefore we will continue to hold meetings with the other parties and fulfil the people's mandate together," he said.

He also criticized the media for "blowing out of proportion" incidents in predominantly Muslim areas as the work of "Muslim extremists" and called the international community not to fall prey to such "sinister moves".

"This is the work of certain interested parties who wish to divert the sympathetic view of the international community towards other negative issues. Thus these sporadic events are exaggerated and blown out of proportion.

Given the prevailing international atmosphere, the local incidents are not of much significance but they are damaging for the political dimension. Moreover our status as Muslims suffer because of these reports," he said.

Mr. Hakeem then focused attention on the handover of cultivation lands by the LTTE to Muslim farmers and expressed concern over the apparent "slowing down" of the process.

"One positive result of our previous talks with the LTTE was that we were able to persuade the LTTE to help Muslim farmers to cultivate their lands un-harassed. However that situation has lately been deteriorating to the extent of forcibly retaking farming land. Especially incidents in the East have become disturbing. We hope that the LTTE resumes the dialogue soon so that these issues can be addressed," he said.

The SLMC Leader noted that Eric Solheim had expressed relief that no serious disruptions had occurred to disrupt the peace process and that this was a routine visit to gain the different views of all the parties involved.

Defence Ministry not interested in swap by Sunimalee Dias

The Defence Ministry announced that it was not interested in a swap to accommodate the release of the two home guards held in LTTE custody since end August, and that no official intimation regarding such a swap was made by the LTTE.

"We have been communicating with the LTTE through the SLMM but have not received a favourable reply. The LTTE is biding time to drag on this issue and are aiming at obtaining the release of two of their cadres. Right now, as far as the Ministry of defence is concerned the military has not shown any interest in going in for a swap with the LTTE," said Military spokesman Col. Sumedha Perera.

Meanwhile, the SLMM has suggested to the LTTE to inform the government if they want to go in for a swap, its spokesman Oskar Solnes told the Daily Mirror.

Mr. Solnes pointed out that the SLMM is willing to facilitate with the two parties in this regard, but firstly it was up to the LTTE to make known their intention to the government.

The two homeguards held in LTTE custody at Sampur are D. Sarath Bandara and Chandana Piyasiri.

In the meantime, the LTTE is said to produce the two homeguards before a Tiger court on Wednesday, for "trespassing and poaching" within the LTTE-controlled territory.


(http://www.dailymirror.lk/2004/09/15/news/7.asp)

Velu, it’s your turn next

All dictators in history were blood thirsty maniacs. In contemporary times, Adolf Hitler occupies the top slot. Nazi Germany under him brought half of Europe’s sovereign states under his ruthless rule. Hitler with Crack Divisions, mighty Navy and all powerful Air Force finally met his Waterloo, although he maintained the most powerful and efficient military machine. Now did this most feared man die? An ignoble death in a bunker. Here in Asia, Pol Pot of Cambodia, Murderer of Millions, died an agonising death. The media reported recently the last moments of another barbaric bastard, Didi Amin of Uganda lying in a coma.

When they were at their height of power, thoughts never crossed their minds that one day, they too were to suffer and die lingering deaths. Benito Mussolini who raped Abbisinia was finally hanged upside down for all his gruesome deeds.

Closer home, time is ticking for another ruthless Terror King. His sin list plus his hit list against his opponent are blood stained, some among them the massacre of innocent pilgrims at the sacred Bo - Tree, Anuradhapura in 1985. His brand of two-legged tigers killed Sinhala people in every village in border areas.

The killing of Buddhist monks at Arantalawa and attack on Dalada Maligawa. The horrendous murder of 600 policemen, killing of Muslims at prayer. It is not a list but a never ending gory volume. The million dollar question is, why Prebakaran decided to destroy only Buddhists and Buddhist places of worship? No Christian Churches were torched. The suspicion that the church is behind Velu is the common thought among Sinhalese Buddhists.

The day is not far away for Nemesis to overtake Velu. This cowardly serial mass killer will not be saved by his guards. He will have no time to bite the cyanide. It will happen swiftly and quickly at a surprise moment. He even in his dreams never thought that one day Karuna will be his foe. Velu, your time is closing on you. All the Don Juan Dharmapalas, all the church Bishops will not be able to save you. You just wait. The patriotic Sinhalese Buddhists and the ever vigilant Buddhist clergy will never allow this country to be divided.

Anthony Silva,
Panadura.

(http://www.island.lk/2004/09/15/opinion5.html)

Poaching of Indian fishing vessels into Sri Lankan territorial waters

A conflicting situation has arisen in north-western seas of Sri Lanka off Palk strait. This situation has been created due to the poaching of Indian fishing vessels into the Sri Lankan territorial waters for fishing. To be specific the exact area is the place between port of Ramaneshwaran in Southern India and Bay of Mannar in Northern Sri Lanka. Due to the Ceasefire Agreement which is in force at present Sri Lanka Navy does not patrol the sea in this area and does not restrict fishermen’s access to the seas.

However the relaxation of restrictions by the Sri Lankan Navy (because of the Ceasefire Agreement and non existence of fighting) now resulted in penetration of Indian fishermen into Sri Lankan seas. Earlier when this part of the Sri Lankan territorial waters had been declared a restricted area no fishermen from Sri Lanka or India entered it.

In the absence of Sri Lankan Navy, at present Indian fishermen come in numbers - hundreds and deprive Sri Lankan fishermen of any fishing in these waters of the island, when they are present.

Not only that Indian fishermen attack any Sri Lankan fishermen whom they sight by throwing acid, and stabbing them with knives. Thereafter they steal the fishing gear belonging to the Sri Lankan fishermen and escape to Indian waters.

In many occasions when Sri Lankan fishermen are found to be fishing in territorial waters of Sri Lanka in this area Indian fishermen push them to the sea and drag their boats to Indian waters. Sometimes Sri Lankan fishermen’s fishing nets are dragged by the Indian fishermen and move away to Indian waters.

Most of the fishermen from the Northern Province of Sri Lanka and North Western Province of Sri Lanka are innocent rural folk who take up fishing due to non availability of any other trade for them. These people are scared of Indian fishermen and now the situation is such that Sri Lankan fishermen do not go to seas in the above area if they sight Indian fishermen in their boats in the seas, because they know that they are bound to lose their boats and other fishing gear. On the other hand, Indian fishermen come in larger boats and Sri Lankan fishermen who have only small fishing boats are no match to them. Also Sri Lankan fishermen say that they do not wish to resort to the ways used by Indian fishermen to attack them, at all.

At present, Sri Lanka lacks a good Coast Guard service and functions of coast guards are performed by Sri Lankan Navy whenever necessary. However due to the fact that Sri Lankan Navy from time to time has other duties/functions due to the tense situation in the island, what they can do in this regard is limited.

Establishing a strong Sri Lanka Coast Guard

The Indian Coast Guard vessels do not interfere in the above situations and due to this, the Indian fishermen who poach into Sri Lankan waters have a free run over Sri Lankan fishermen. The best way to handle this situation is by establishing a strong, well-equipped Sri Lanka Coast Guard, taking into account that Sri Lanka is an island.

Since India and Sri Lanka are two historical nations having very strong bonds, this issue should not be allowed to be a strain on the bilateral and people to people relations as existed for thousands of years.

Rohan Wickremasinghe,
Colombo 09.

(http://www.island.lk/2004/09/15/opinion4.html)

A second look at US assistance to Lanka against terrorism By Taraki

Sinhala Buddhist nationalists do not count their blessings. They keep complaining that the world is not helping them in any concrete way to crush the LTTE. One of them recently asked the US, "Where's the beef?" (Though it is unbecoming of a Sinhala Buddhist nationalist to ask for beef even metaphorically, the perceptive writer makes a well-reasoned, cogent argument for bringing about a happy confluence of American and Sri Lankan strategic interests against the LTTE)

We often read articulate Sinhala Buddhist patriots who urge the US to match its words with deeds against the Tigers. That the world's sole super power is not bringing down its mailed fist hard on the LTTE's head irks some of them. America is hence scolded for its alleged double standard on the war on terrorism.

Sinhala Buddhist nationalists should pause to study what the US has actually done to help them fight the LTTE and how US strategic interests in Sri Lanka are decidedly against Tamil aspirations, before they gripe further about the US not providing them "the beef".

The reaction of the Tamil National Alliance to the comments of Ambassador Cofer Black, the senior US Counter Terrorism official who visited Colombo recently, should make it amply clear to all that the Americans are solidly and sincerely behind Sinhala nationalists in their quest to wipe out the LTTE from the face of the earth and to eventually preserve Sri Lanka's sacred unitary character.

And in the past, just one instance would suffice to demonstrate the US military's commitment to tilt the island's strategic balance in favour of the Sri Lankan state. Well-informed politicians, academics and opinion makers in the south continue to believe that the Tigers came for talks because successful operations by the Sri Lanka Army's Long Range Reconnaissance Patrols (LRRP) scared the wits out of them. The only way the LTTE could stop the LRRP danger was to sue for peace, according those who subscribe to this line of thinking. In this sense LRRP operations achieved what the massive Op. Riviresa, Op. Jaya Sikurui and Op. Agni Khiela could not do, they say.

But how many Sinhala nationalists, who grumble that the US is not doing enough to bash the LTTE, know about the US Special Forces' role in training the LRRP teams that penetrated deep into the Vanni and killed very senior Tigers?

One could list many other instances where Special Forces, Navy Seals and other elite arms of the US Army helped the Sri Lanka Army improve its fighting and planning capabilities immensely during the height of the war from May 1997 to April 2002.

But let us look at what the US is currently doing to stabilise the Sri Lankan state.

The Tokyo Declaration by donor nations was primarily designed to use aid as a carrot to persuade/coerce the Sinhala polity to fundamentally restructure the unitary Sri Lankan state into a federal form of government.

The architects of the Tokyo Declaration, particularly some member countries of the European Union, appear to have assumed that squeezing the flow of aid could hit the Sinhala polity below the belt and thereby make it compromise the unitary state.

Today officials of some EU countries lament that the US has sent the wrong signals to the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) by announcing that it is eligible for the Millennium Account facility. The GOSL would no longer be under any strong pressure to restart negotiations with the LTTE, they say. US ally Japan and the Asian Development Bank have followed suit in removing the 'coercive aid factor' from Sri Lanka's peace equation.

Therefore, given US commitment to keep the LTTE on the list of foreign terrorist groups and in the absence of the 'coercive aid factor' there is nothing today to compel the Sinhala polity to radically restructure the unitary Sri Lankan state.

Sinhala nationalists can now rest assured that they can totally trash the ISGA proposal and indefinitely postpone talks with the Tigers without having to fear any effective external coercion.

Of course, some EU countries and India appear to think that the US move to neutralise the 'coercive aid factor' would create conditions that can precipitate another war.

Also, the apprehensions of some Sinhala nationalists, when the US speaks of a negotiated settlement to the ethnic conflict along federal lines, are unfounded.
Very obviously, the US strategic and political interests here are squarely behind the Sri Lankan state.

By keeping the LTTE on the Foreign Terrorist Groups (FTA) list and thereby insisting that it should give up violence as a means to achieving political ends in "word and deed", the US has created a singular advantage for the GOSL. This advantage totally obviates the need for restructuring the Sri Lankan state as a federation. How?

On the one hand, let us assume that the LTTE, terrified by America's might (!), agrees to give up violence in "word and deed". Then the Tigers will have to accept Sri Lanka's sovereignty in every part of the northeast and there won't be any need at all for the GOSL to change the constitution. Perhaps the LTTE could stage a Satyagraha in Jaffna demanding federalism - provided they get permission from the Police!

On the other hand let us assume that the LTTE tells the world's sole super power and its Sinhala nationalist allies to go fly a kite, then the GOSL would have full US backing to wage war on the Tigers if negotiations fail.

Either way there is absolutely no way that the US formula on the LTTE would permit a federal solution. The manner in which the US has formulated its stand on the LTTE is clearly designed to preserve the unitary Sinhala Buddhist state.

America, of course has to, as a matter of routine, pay lip service to a negotiated settlement. Sinhala nationalists should understand this when they lament that the US is talking about a negotiating a federal solution to the conflict.

This fact about the US approach to the conflict in Sri Lanka would become obvious to all as the days go by and as the peace process stagnates indefinitely.

In this context the desire to crush the LTTE militarily would inexorably come to the fore in the Sinhala polity. And then the strategic objectives of Sinhala Buddhist nationalists and the US may achieve a sweet confluence whether India likes it or not.
And what of the Tigers? They are used to standing on their own feet.

(http://www.dailymirror.lk/2004/09/15/opinion/1.asp)

SLA Lieutenant arrested for attempted arms robbery [TamilNet, September 14, 2004 05:43 GMT]

2nd. Lieutenant Mr.Sameera Mangalaratne attached to Soorankal Sri Lanka Army (SLA) detachment was identified as the person who was killed in the fire-fight with home guards in Mullipottan in the Kanalai police division on Monday, Police said. Another army lieutenant has been arrested and three other soldiers are evading arrest, the police added.

Initial investigations revealed that the fire fight erupted when the SLA official and four other soldiers attempted to rob arms from a police-home guard checkpoint at Vendarasanpura in Mullipottana, Kantalai Police added.

Home guard of the Kantalai Police, Mr.Chaminda Kumara, was seriously injured and has been admitted at the Kurunagala hospital, medical sources said.

Police investigation conducted revealed that a group of soldiers from Soorankal camp had left in a vehicle Sunday night, had parked the vehicle some distance away and had walked into the police-home guard checkpoint. The firefight that ensued during the attempt to robbery, one SLA officer was killed and a home guard was injured. Thereafter the four soldiers had fled in the vehicle leaving the dead, the police said.

Police recovered the vehicle, which was abandoned in the premises of the Sarvodhaya office in the area.

The Police and SLA are jointly conducting further investigations into the incident, Police said.

Underworld gang member shot dead in Mullipottana [TamilNet, September 13, 2004 10:36 GMT]

A member of underworld gang was shot dead by home guards Monday early morning around 1.30 a.m at Mullipottana home guard sentry point which is located on Trincomalee-Kandy highway, about 34 km off Trincomalee town, police said.

The gang, which came in a vehicle had entered into the home guard sentry point and attempted to grab arms from them. In the melee home guards in the opposite side of the check point fired at them killing one. Other members of the gang had fled following the shooting. Initial investigation revealed that dead member was a soldier in the Sri Lanka Army at the time of incident. The name of the dead is not yet released, police sources said.

The Police have taken steps to locate the vehicle and other members of the gang, security sources said.

Artillery fire repulsed SLA offensive - Tigers [TamilNet, September 14, 1999 15:39 GMT]

More than 75 Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were killed in heavy fighting in the Mannar district on Sunday, the Liberation Tigers said today in a statement issued from their London offices. The LTTE said the SLA "suffered a serious military debacle" when the Tigers used artillery and mortar fire on advancing troops.

The LTTE said their armed units had forced the Sri Lankan troops "to withdraw in total disarray" and said they lost 27 fighters, including 12 women.

Earlier the SLA said it had suffered 50 killed and about 650 wounded, and estimated over 100 Tigers had died.

The SLA had launched a two pronged offensive in the early hours on Sunday in the Pallamadu and Periamadu areas, with aerial and artillery support, the LTTE statement said.

The LTTE had "put up heavy resistance unleashing waves of artillery and mortar fire on the advancing troops," the statement said further.

"Confronted with ferocious resistance and heavy casualties, Sri Lankan troops withdrew to their original positions leaving some of their dead soldiers and heavy weaponry in the battlefield," the statement added.

LTTE ambush kills one [TamilNet, September 14, 1999 10:03 GMT]

A soldier was killed and another wounded when the Liberation Tigers ambushed a Sri Lanka Army (SLA) patrol at Kathiraveli, 79 km. north of Batticaloa around 6.30 p.m. yesterday said sources.

The SLA soldiers at Vaakarai retaliated by firing shells towards Kathiraveli.

The SLA moved in to this coastal hamlet, 15 km. north of Vaakarai during an operation two weeks ago.

27 Tiger casualties - radio [TamilNet, September 14, 1999 09:12 GMT]

The Voice of Tigers (VoT) radio said this morning that 27 Liberation Tigers, including 12 women fighters, died during the fierce fighting in the western coastal area of Mannar on Sunday.

The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) claimed over one hundred Tigers were killed in the fighting.

According to Sri Lanka defence sources, at least 50 SLA soldiers were killed and over 700 wounded in the fighting.

The VoT said the Tigers have recovered the bodies of 23 Sri Lanka Army soldiers, and added arrangement are being made to hand over 15 bodies which are in good condition through the ICRC today. The other bodies have been cremated, the radio added.

According to the radio, the Tigers have recovered a large haul of weapons, including several T56-type assault riffles, Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPG), Light Machine Guns, mortars, grenade launchers, and claymore mines, and ammunition.

The radio also gave the names of three Tigers killed in the fighting. They are: Lt.Shanthini (Thurairasa Ruganthini of Jaffna) Lt.Nanthaa (Sinniha Vicky of Trincomalee) and Lt.Ranjini (Shankar Indrani of Nedunkerni).

SLA soldier killed near Chenkalady [TamilNet, September 14, 1998 07:42 GMT]

Five soldiers were wounded and one was killed when an SLA convoy from Batticaloa town to Polannaruwa was hit by a claymore mine blast this morning around 10.40 a.m. near Chenkalady, 16 kilometers north of the eastern town.

Unconfirmed reports said that more soldiers could have been killed.

The wounded soldiers were rushed to the Batticaloa hospital while the dead soldier has been taken to Polannaruwa said sources.

Ex-Tamil militants operating with the SLA said that it is now difficult to determine the number of SLA personnel who are killed in such attacks because their bodies are immediately removed to Polannaruwa, 95 kilometers northwest of Batticaloa.

The claymore hit an army bus while it was less than 400 meters from the Kommathurai SLA base by the Chenkalady junction they said.

The attack took place in a high security zone defended and patrolled by the SLA, military trained Police and heavily armed cadres of the PLOTE, TELO and the Razeek group.

An armed cadre of a TELO night patrol was killed last Friday near this spot.

Para-military shot dead [TamilNet, September 11, 1998 18:19 GMT]

Suspected members of the Liberation Tigers shot dead a member of the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation, a Tamil para-military group operating with the Sri Lankan army. The incident occurred last night in Chenkalady,16 kilometers north of Batticaloa, while the TELO cadre was on patrol duty.

The TELO cadre was identified as Sinnathamby Thilakanathan alias Kannan,22. Sources said that he was formerly a supporter of the LTTE and that he was arrested in early 1997 by the SLA and had served a term in the Bandarawela Rehabilitation centre for Tiger suspects. He had joined the Razeek group soon after his release in May this year. Recently, he left Razeek and attached himself to the TELO camp at Chenkalady which functions under the directions of the Kommathurai SLA base nearby.

In his evidence at the inquest into the death of kannan held this morning before Batticaloa coroner K.Weerakutty, Muththupillai Muthurajah of the Chenkalady TELO camp said that deceased had gone on a routine night patrol with a group of armed TELO cadres under the command of S.Velmaran around 10 p.m last night. Kannan, according to the witness, had been walking ahead of the group which was about 500 yards from the camp when shots had been fired. The TELO group had returned fire and retreated. Later when they had gone back to the spot they had found Kannan dead on the gravel road to the local Periyathambiran temple, the witness Muthurajah said.

The Ervavur hospital medical officer Dr.S. Sukumar who examined Kannan's body said that he had been shot at very close quarters in the mouth and chin. Informed sources in Chenkalady, however, said that the TELO group had taken to its heels when the shots were fired and had later returned to the spot with the SLA to recover Kannan's body.

Police tighten net on Jakarta bomb truck militants JAKARTA, Monday (AFP)

Investigators hunting extremists who are believed to be plotting more attacks after bombing the Australian embassy in Jakarta said Monday they were closing in on owners of a truck used to deliver the bomb.

The national police chief in Australia, which has sent forensic teams to probe Thursday's blast, said detectives have identified the chassis number of the truck, a clue that should help track those behind the attack.

Federal Police Commissioner Mick Keelty also said latest estimates showed 10 people had died in the blast, including seven men and two women, all of whom had been identified as Indonesians.

More than 180 people were hurt. He said it was possible the 10th person was the suicide bomber, which meant there was only one attacker and not two or more as originally thought. Indonesian police said the toll remained at nine but one survivor remained in critical condition.

"But the difficulty with this sort of investigation is we need DNA samples from the body parts, to be graphic about it, so final confirmation of that 10th person may not come for some time yet," Keelty said.

Keelty said that as long as two top suspects - Malaysian explosives experts Azahari Husin and Noordin Mohammad Top - were at large, there was always the potential for more attacks both in Indonesia and inside Australia.

Detectives have identified the vehicle used in the attack as a white Daihatsu box pickup and have pinpointed its chassis number.

Keelty said similar information about a vehicle used in an October 2002 bombing of a nightclub strip in Bali proved vital in catching those who carried out the attack which killed 202 people, 88 of them Australian.

"In the last few days the chassis number of the vehicle used in the bombings has been discovered," Keelty said on Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio.

"People might recall that that was one of the early leads in the Bali bombing that led to the identification of those responsible, so we are hoping that that will be the case on this occasion," he said.

TNA comments on Ambassador Black's round table

The round table discussion, which the U.S. State Department Co-ordinator for Counter Terrorism, Ambassador J. Cofer Black had with a group of Sri Lankan media representatives, recently, in Colombo, has caused much concern to wide sections of the Tamil people.

R. Sampanthan parliament group alliance of Tamil parties in a press release states. Ambassador Black has stated that "The object is Peace, to protect individuals on all sides and that's what we strive to do, that's our objective." Ambassador Black has further emphasized "The politicians sit down like real adults and negotiate solutions for the ages to protect people. The first element of this is the protection of innocent men, women and children".

"There can be no dispute that Ambassador Black's overall objective is praiseworthy. "Most unfortunately however, Ambassador Black's tirade is only against the LTTE and assumes that the LTTE is the root cause of all evil that prevails in Sri Lanka. The Tamil people do not agree with this assessment and there is a need to ensure that the interests of the Tamil people are not harmed.

More innocent Tamil men, women and children have lacked protection through the decades since independence, more than any other people in Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan State sought to subjugate the Tamil people through racial pogroms and genocidal attacks, because it could not keep the commitments made to moderate Tamil political leadership. This was where violence commenced in post independent Sri Lanka.

The LTTE was the manifestation of the failure to accommodate the legitimate political aspirations of the Tamil people and the unleashing of State sponsored terrorism against the Tamil people.

The Tamil people are deeply conscious of the immense sufferings they have experienced and are offended when statements by important functionaries do not reflect this reality.

The statements of Ambassador Black do not reflect the deep divisions within the Government, nor the lack of a bi-partisan approach, and the deeply entrenched political rivalry, between the main political parties, which are serious impediments to the furtherance of the Peace process.

The statements do not refer to the virulent campaigns being conducted against the peace process by extreme elements within the majority people, including vehement opposition to Norway's facilitatory role. The burning of Norwegian flag has become a regular event at such demonstrations. The statements do not reflect the adverse impact the aforesaid matters have on the furtherance of the peace process and the urgent need for corrective action in regard to these matters.

The Tamil people have been the worst victims of violence, and do not subscribe to the continuance of violences. The current violence cannot be isolated from the disruptions that have taken place to the peace process, and the efforts by forces working within and with the Government to further destabilize the peace process.

The LTTE which fought a bloody war against an oppressive state military apparatus for more than two decades and which has entered into a ceasefire agreement, participated in talks, and submitted in writing proposals for an Interim Self-Governing Authority, and called for dates to be fixed for the commencement of talks on the said proposals to reach agreement, is not being encouraged to accept without reservation, that the Sinhala political establishment is committed to the peaceful resolution of the Tamil question. The Tamil people who are deeply committed to the success of the peace process sincerely regret that this situation continue.

Statements which condemn one side and which do not objectively address the several causes that impede the furtherance of the peace process only tend to encourage the forces determined to disrupt the peace process.

The Tamil people would like to convey that the failure to adopt an even handed approach could cause immense harm to the peace process and would appeal that a more balanced approach be adopted in the cause of Peace, which Ambassador Black asserts he is committed to uphold".

(http://www.dailynews.lk/2004/09/14/pol05.html)