FOR a quarter of a century, Sri Lanka’s bloody ethnic conflict between the majority Sinhalese and minority Tamils has sputtered on, with periods of all-out war and low-intensity insurgency, ill-observed ceasefires and frequent terrorist atrocities.
It had become conventional wisdom that there was no military solution. The government could not be ousted and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, which had brutally monopolised the Tamil struggle, could not be defeated.
That is still conventional wisdom outside Sri Lanka. But in Colombo, the scent of victory is in the air. The outside world’s efforts to persuade the government to pursue a peaceful solution are floundering.
Indeed, so confident is the government that its foreign minister, Rohitha Bogollagama, this week gave a speech in London entitled “Post-conflict development: Efforts of a democracy”.
He was talking mainly about the east of the country, where the Tigers have been routed, thanks to a split in their own ranks. The holding of local elections in the area in March for the first time in 14 years was a fillip for the government’s self-confidence.
These elections let the government show that it was possible to “reintegrate” one part of the Tigers into mainstream Sri Lankan politics; the party formed by the breakaway Tigers, the TMVP, did quite well.
Mr Bohollagama was able to point to this as a model for the continuing conflict in the north, where the Tigers still control two of Sri Lanka’s 25 districts.
He stressed that his government was committed to a political process. But it has abrogated the ceasefire it signed with the Tigers in 2002 (which had admittedly become a largely meaningless cover for an intensifying conflict).
And he quoted approvingly the words of Britain’s foreign secretary, David Miliband, that “military victories never provide solutions, but they can provide the space for political and economic solutions to be found. And without military power, the result can be more bloodshed.”
Yet this is somewhat to misrepresent the position of Britain and most other countries on Sri Lanka. They tend to emphasise the first bit of Mr Milliband’s aphorism: that there can be no military solution.
And many are not convinced that the government of Sri Lanka is doing enough to pursue a political settlement. But they are finding it hard to influence it.
They do not want to do anything to give comfort to the Tigers, with its appalling record of murder, terrorism and extortion. So India, for example, helps the Sri Lankan army with some training and equipment.
So does America, despite having earned the wrath of Sri Lanka’s government for the State Department’s annual human-rights report, which this year highlighted the failure to curb assassinations, abductions and disappearances.
In the search for a lever over the Sri Lankan government’s policy, many eyes have lighted on an unlikely instrument: Sri Lanka’s clothing exports.
The European Union gives Sri Lanka preferential tariff treatment under a scheme known as “GSP Plus”. Largely as a result, Sri Lankan garment exports are booming: they make up half of all Sri Lanka’s exports, 67% of its industrial production and 10% its of GDP, employing 270,000 people directly and 700,000 indirectly. The EU accounts for 45% of Sri Lanka’s garment exports.
The scheme comes up for renewal this year and Sri Lanka is engaged in a campaign to ensure that the war does not get in the way.
It has even taken the initiative with a “Garments without Guilt” campaign, advertising itself as an ethical and green producer (if not necessarily the lowest-cost) without child or bonded labour, discrimination or pollution.
Loss of the tariff privileges might not have the disastrous impact the industry claims. But the battle to keep them may at least bring some benefits to those working in the industry—if not to those being killed and injured in Sri Lanka’s war.
(http://www.economist.com)
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Nedumaran, supporters held for supporting Tamil Tigers
Tamil nationalist leader Pazha Nedumaran and at least 164 members of his outfit were held here Saturday for staging a demonstration in support of the Tamil Tigers and against the Sri Lankan and Indian governments.
They were released at night. Nedumaran and members of his Tamil Desiya Iyakkam (Tamil nationalist movement) including a dozen women, had raised slogans in favour of the banned Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and for a "Tamil eelam" (Tamil nation).
Police said several "pro-Lankan Tamil groups", including Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK-Dalit Panther) supporters, tried to stage a demonstration at the Memorial Hall near the railway station without permission.
The groups were also protesting the "sale of arms by India to Sri Lanka". They also condemned firing by Sri Lanka's navy on fishermen from Tamil Nadu.
Visiting Sri Lankan Minister for Highways Jayaraj Fernando, meanwhile, maintained that the frequent attacks on Indian fishermen were carried out by the LTTE and not by the Sri Lankan navy.
They were released at night. Nedumaran and members of his Tamil Desiya Iyakkam (Tamil nationalist movement) including a dozen women, had raised slogans in favour of the banned Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and for a "Tamil eelam" (Tamil nation).
Police said several "pro-Lankan Tamil groups", including Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK-Dalit Panther) supporters, tried to stage a demonstration at the Memorial Hall near the railway station without permission.
The groups were also protesting the "sale of arms by India to Sri Lanka". They also condemned firing by Sri Lanka's navy on fishermen from Tamil Nadu.
Visiting Sri Lankan Minister for Highways Jayaraj Fernando, meanwhile, maintained that the frequent attacks on Indian fishermen were carried out by the LTTE and not by the Sri Lankan navy.
LTTE attack destroys navy craft: ten missing
Ten Navy personnel were reported missing yesterday morning after one of the Navy’s Fast Attack Craft (FAC) was caught in what is believed to be an LTTE sea mine explosion off Nayaru, Mullaitivu, a Navy spokesman said. He said six sailors were rescued and a search operation was going on for the missing sailors.
The spokesman said this was the first time a navy craft was hit by such a sea mine explosion though such undersea mines had been detected earlier off Mullaitivu. However the LTTE claimed that it had mounted a suicide attack on the Navy’s Dvora killing 14 sailors and losing three Black Sea Tigers in the attack. But, the Navy disputed the LTTE version. (See Situation Report by Iqbal Athas on Page 5 for more details.)
Meanwhile heavy clashes erupted between the Army and the LTTE in Pirmanalankulam in the Mannar district. The military said they killed 15 LTTE cadres and lost two soldiers while capturing one square kilometre in the area. At least 11 soldiers were also injured. Meanwhile heavy clashes erupted between the Army and the LTTE in areas southeast of Adampan, Mannar.
A military spokesman said last night 22 LTTE cadres and four soldiers were killed in the clashes. At least 26 LTTE cadres and 16 soldiers were also injured in the clahses, he said. He said the troops overran eight LTTE bunker defences in the area.
A multi-pronged assault on LTTE territory was launched at 4.45 a.m. yesterday morning with the advancing troops directing heavy artillery and mortar fire at LTTE positions, the military spokesman said. He said LTTE cadres had run back to their defence lines in the Wanni. Reports from the Nagarkovil area last night said heavy fighting was taking place in the area with both sides firing heavy artillery.
Earlier in the day, the Defence Ministry said seven LTTE cadres were killed in clashes with the troops in the Muhamalai and Nagarkoivl areas. The security forces suffered no casualties, the ministry said.
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FAC under sea mine attack
A locally built Fast Attack Craft (FAC) of the Navy came under a sea mine attack off Kokilai in the North-Eastern waters around 2.25 a.m. yesterday, Navy spokesperson Commander D. K. P. Dassanayake said.
Commander Dassanayake told the Sunday Observer that the Fast Attack Craft was caught in a LTTE sea mine while it was engaged in a routine sea patrol along with another FAC off Kokilai in the North-Eastern waters around 2.25 a.m. yesterday.
"The second FAC which was in the vicinity rushed to the scene and rescued six sailors including the skipper of the vessel when the explosion occurred. Sixteen sailors were on board at the time the FAC came under attack.
A search for the other ten sailors is being carried out by Navy vessels," Commander Dassanayake said.
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Locally built fast Attack Craft caught in an explosion
One locally built fast Attack craft out the two on routine patrol off Nayaru caught in an explosion in the wee hours today early morning around 2.00am, Sri Lanka Navy sources said.
According to the Navy, “the boat being caught in the explosion started to take in water making it difficult for the crew to manoeuvre it to safe area. The impending consequence was unavoidable peril leaving the crew with no alternative other than abandoning the craft. Then they got onto life rafts and started drifting. Six members of the crew have thereafter been rescued by other boats. A search operation is still underway.”
It is suspected that LTTE had unscrupulously laid sea mines in a bid of avenge due repeated losses in the recent past.
Meanwhile, fleeing from un-liberated area in Vedithalthievu, a family of five members consisting of 35 years old father, 32 years old mother, 12 years old eldest son, 05 year old son and the 01 year old youngest son sought refuge of the Navy by arriving at the Fishing Marshalling point at Pallimunai in Mannar, around 7.00 AM today (22Mrach), according to Navy sources.
The family, in desperate hopes of living condition in the un-cleared areas due to atrocities perpetrated by LTTE cadres and forced conscription, arrived on locally made boat known as Wallam fitted with 9.9 horse power outboard motor, even risking their lives.
(Lankaguardian)
The spokesman said this was the first time a navy craft was hit by such a sea mine explosion though such undersea mines had been detected earlier off Mullaitivu. However the LTTE claimed that it had mounted a suicide attack on the Navy’s Dvora killing 14 sailors and losing three Black Sea Tigers in the attack. But, the Navy disputed the LTTE version. (See Situation Report by Iqbal Athas on Page 5 for more details.)
Meanwhile heavy clashes erupted between the Army and the LTTE in Pirmanalankulam in the Mannar district. The military said they killed 15 LTTE cadres and lost two soldiers while capturing one square kilometre in the area. At least 11 soldiers were also injured. Meanwhile heavy clashes erupted between the Army and the LTTE in areas southeast of Adampan, Mannar.
A military spokesman said last night 22 LTTE cadres and four soldiers were killed in the clashes. At least 26 LTTE cadres and 16 soldiers were also injured in the clahses, he said. He said the troops overran eight LTTE bunker defences in the area.
A multi-pronged assault on LTTE territory was launched at 4.45 a.m. yesterday morning with the advancing troops directing heavy artillery and mortar fire at LTTE positions, the military spokesman said. He said LTTE cadres had run back to their defence lines in the Wanni. Reports from the Nagarkovil area last night said heavy fighting was taking place in the area with both sides firing heavy artillery.
Earlier in the day, the Defence Ministry said seven LTTE cadres were killed in clashes with the troops in the Muhamalai and Nagarkoivl areas. The security forces suffered no casualties, the ministry said.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FAC under sea mine attack
A locally built Fast Attack Craft (FAC) of the Navy came under a sea mine attack off Kokilai in the North-Eastern waters around 2.25 a.m. yesterday, Navy spokesperson Commander D. K. P. Dassanayake said.
Commander Dassanayake told the Sunday Observer that the Fast Attack Craft was caught in a LTTE sea mine while it was engaged in a routine sea patrol along with another FAC off Kokilai in the North-Eastern waters around 2.25 a.m. yesterday.
"The second FAC which was in the vicinity rushed to the scene and rescued six sailors including the skipper of the vessel when the explosion occurred. Sixteen sailors were on board at the time the FAC came under attack.
A search for the other ten sailors is being carried out by Navy vessels," Commander Dassanayake said.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Locally built fast Attack Craft caught in an explosion
One locally built fast Attack craft out the two on routine patrol off Nayaru caught in an explosion in the wee hours today early morning around 2.00am, Sri Lanka Navy sources said.
According to the Navy, “the boat being caught in the explosion started to take in water making it difficult for the crew to manoeuvre it to safe area. The impending consequence was unavoidable peril leaving the crew with no alternative other than abandoning the craft. Then they got onto life rafts and started drifting. Six members of the crew have thereafter been rescued by other boats. A search operation is still underway.”
It is suspected that LTTE had unscrupulously laid sea mines in a bid of avenge due repeated losses in the recent past.
Meanwhile, fleeing from un-liberated area in Vedithalthievu, a family of five members consisting of 35 years old father, 32 years old mother, 12 years old eldest son, 05 year old son and the 01 year old youngest son sought refuge of the Navy by arriving at the Fishing Marshalling point at Pallimunai in Mannar, around 7.00 AM today (22Mrach), according to Navy sources.
The family, in desperate hopes of living condition in the un-cleared areas due to atrocities perpetrated by LTTE cadres and forced conscription, arrived on locally made boat known as Wallam fitted with 9.9 horse power outboard motor, even risking their lives.
(Lankaguardian)
SOUTHERN DISCOMFORT
BANGKOK'S HUNT FOR MILITANTS HAS LOCAL MUSLIMS LIVID
Last week Sayant Khongton locked up his small grocery store for the last time. An unknown man on a motorcycle gunned down Khongton, who was also a local police officer, as he walked out the front door of his shop in the southern Thai town of Yala. He became the latest victim in a shadowy six-week campaign of murderous attacks against soldiers, police officers and other symbols of authority in Thailand's underdeveloped, Muslim-dominated south. No one seems to know who's behind it. "Take your pick," says one police intelligence official. "Disgruntled Muslims, separatists, foreign Islamic terrorists--you could make a case against any of them."
Thaksin Shinawatra, Thailand's uber-confident prime minister, took office three years ago promising to resolve decades of anger and perceived injustice among the south's 1.8 million Muslims within his first three months in office. But since the violence erupted on Jan. 4, when dozens of gunmen simultaneously attacked a military camp and torched three police posts and 17 local schools in Narathiwat province, it's clear the situation in the south has gone from bad to worse. Not only have the attacks on police and military units continued, but there now appear to be retribution killings of Muslims as well. And Thaksin's heavy-handed pursuit of the perpetrators has many southerners feeling like targets.
Within hours of the Jan. 4 attacks, parts of Narathiwat and the majority-Muslim provinces of Yala and Pattani were under martial law. Thousands of Army soldiers and special forces have poured into the region. Authorities have arrested Muslim clerics on suspicion of murder, while soldiers have raided Islamic schools looking for weapons and suspects.
Thai intelligence sources say that a separatist group--or groups--numbering no more than a few hundred people is probably responsible for the death and destruction, which has claimed at least 15 lives. Clearly the Muslim community could be a vital ally in Bangkok's hunt for the militants. But so far all Thaksin's dragnet seems to be doing is alienating them. "Could going into [Islamic] schools with [trained] dogs, not taking off your shoes and arresting teachers be counterproductive?" one Western diplomat asks rhetorically. "Yes."
It's no surprise that Thailand's southern Muslims view the government's troops with some resentment. The Muslim community believes that it has been neglected for decades by a succession of Thai governments, which at most have taken a half-hearted interest in the southern provinces' economic development. The monthly household income in Narathiwat is half the national average and infant mortality rates in the three southern provinces are as much as 40 percent higher than the rest of the country's. "Without real human-resource development, these people will not have real opportunities," says Surin Pitsuwan, a former foreign minister and prominent Muslim figure. "They have to feel they belong."
If anything, the military's brute force may be fueling sympathy for the militants. Instead of denouncing the attacks on soldiers, Muslim leaders are decrying Bangkok's jackboot tactics. They also claim that the Thai government bears responsibility for the spate of retribution murders and kidnappings of Muslims--crimes that authorities allegedly aren't pursuing with equal vigor. "The local people are living in fear," says Nimur Makache, deputy head of the Islamic Yala Council. Their anger runs so deep that last week the Yala council, as well as its sister Islamic committees in Pattani and Narathiwat, temporarily broke off communication with the central government. "[The government] needs to be very careful," warns Pitsuwan.
But Thaksin, who took direct control over the southern operations from his deputy last week, must also move quickly. Thai intelligence sources say that both homegrown and foreign terrorist groups have seriously stepped up their recruitment of young Thais. Their pitch: it's far more honorable to work toward the creation of a Muslim state than to be loyal to a government that never cared for you in the first place. In response, the Thai Army is considering running a mandatory "patriotic youth" program for young Muslim men to promote nationalism. "We respect Islam," says Lt. Gen. Jhumpol Munmhy, director of the National Intelligence Agency, "but we must say to them that... you can't think about separatism." It won't matter what the message is, though, if the audience doesn't trust the messenger.
(http://www.newsweek.com/id/53151)
Last week Sayant Khongton locked up his small grocery store for the last time. An unknown man on a motorcycle gunned down Khongton, who was also a local police officer, as he walked out the front door of his shop in the southern Thai town of Yala. He became the latest victim in a shadowy six-week campaign of murderous attacks against soldiers, police officers and other symbols of authority in Thailand's underdeveloped, Muslim-dominated south. No one seems to know who's behind it. "Take your pick," says one police intelligence official. "Disgruntled Muslims, separatists, foreign Islamic terrorists--you could make a case against any of them."
Thaksin Shinawatra, Thailand's uber-confident prime minister, took office three years ago promising to resolve decades of anger and perceived injustice among the south's 1.8 million Muslims within his first three months in office. But since the violence erupted on Jan. 4, when dozens of gunmen simultaneously attacked a military camp and torched three police posts and 17 local schools in Narathiwat province, it's clear the situation in the south has gone from bad to worse. Not only have the attacks on police and military units continued, but there now appear to be retribution killings of Muslims as well. And Thaksin's heavy-handed pursuit of the perpetrators has many southerners feeling like targets.
Within hours of the Jan. 4 attacks, parts of Narathiwat and the majority-Muslim provinces of Yala and Pattani were under martial law. Thousands of Army soldiers and special forces have poured into the region. Authorities have arrested Muslim clerics on suspicion of murder, while soldiers have raided Islamic schools looking for weapons and suspects.
Thai intelligence sources say that a separatist group--or groups--numbering no more than a few hundred people is probably responsible for the death and destruction, which has claimed at least 15 lives. Clearly the Muslim community could be a vital ally in Bangkok's hunt for the militants. But so far all Thaksin's dragnet seems to be doing is alienating them. "Could going into [Islamic] schools with [trained] dogs, not taking off your shoes and arresting teachers be counterproductive?" one Western diplomat asks rhetorically. "Yes."
It's no surprise that Thailand's southern Muslims view the government's troops with some resentment. The Muslim community believes that it has been neglected for decades by a succession of Thai governments, which at most have taken a half-hearted interest in the southern provinces' economic development. The monthly household income in Narathiwat is half the national average and infant mortality rates in the three southern provinces are as much as 40 percent higher than the rest of the country's. "Without real human-resource development, these people will not have real opportunities," says Surin Pitsuwan, a former foreign minister and prominent Muslim figure. "They have to feel they belong."
If anything, the military's brute force may be fueling sympathy for the militants. Instead of denouncing the attacks on soldiers, Muslim leaders are decrying Bangkok's jackboot tactics. They also claim that the Thai government bears responsibility for the spate of retribution murders and kidnappings of Muslims--crimes that authorities allegedly aren't pursuing with equal vigor. "The local people are living in fear," says Nimur Makache, deputy head of the Islamic Yala Council. Their anger runs so deep that last week the Yala council, as well as its sister Islamic committees in Pattani and Narathiwat, temporarily broke off communication with the central government. "[The government] needs to be very careful," warns Pitsuwan.
But Thaksin, who took direct control over the southern operations from his deputy last week, must also move quickly. Thai intelligence sources say that both homegrown and foreign terrorist groups have seriously stepped up their recruitment of young Thais. Their pitch: it's far more honorable to work toward the creation of a Muslim state than to be loyal to a government that never cared for you in the first place. In response, the Thai Army is considering running a mandatory "patriotic youth" program for young Muslim men to promote nationalism. "We respect Islam," says Lt. Gen. Jhumpol Munmhy, director of the National Intelligence Agency, "but we must say to them that... you can't think about separatism." It won't matter what the message is, though, if the audience doesn't trust the messenger.
(http://www.newsweek.com/id/53151)
A move on Pooneryn? Assault from the sea?
Pooneryn defence complex until November 1993 overlooked the Jaffna/Kilaly lagoon and proved to be the nemesis for Tamil Tigers' free movement/logistics activities. It also proved to be a hindrance for Tamil Tiger radio traffic between Wanni mainland and the Jaffna peninsula which, barring the PALAY/KKS HSZ, was under complete control of the Tamil Tigers. This was the primary reason for Operation Thavalai (frog) to take place to overwhelm this isolated defence complex. The secondary reason was to use the same T-59I 130mm howitzers the SLA used to shell the Tamil Tiger dominated Jaffna peninsula, for their own targets, i.e PALALY/KKS HSZ and any other target that falls within in its range spectrum.
Since the fall of the base the Tamil Tigers have put this sector to good use. The POONERYN sector has been used as a crucial launching pad for its sea tigers during its many assaults on Jaffna islets and during its failed Jaffna offensive of 2006. It is also being used as pointed out above to disrupt air traffic of PALAY base and for possible decapitation strikes against SLA top brass.
Out of these, intermittent shelling disrupting the vital air bridge and possible decapitation strikes against military top rungs are the main concerns springing from this sector for the SLA. There is much debate over over how to neutralise the howitzers in this sector especially among the lay public.
The first option is to use air recon and vector in the Kfir/MIG27 for air interdiction. During the Tamil Tigers' failed 2006 Jaffna offensive, heavy 130mm barrages were directed at the PALAY and KKS bases to cut off the air and naval bridge linking the Jaffna peninsula to the Southern mainland. During this period an AN32B transporter was used as bait to lure the Tamil Tigers to fire the two 130mm howitzers positioned at K-point while Beech B200T SIGINT was on a recon mission loitering above. Soon as the firing began the Beech picked up the heat signature through its FLIR sensors. Two Kfirs were scrambled on the 19th of August 2006 and successfully destroyed the two howitzers. Since this strike the Tamil Tigers have used their remaining howitzers sparingly and intermittently using a network of underground bunkers/tunnels to avoid detection. This is quite a similar tactic employed by Lieutenant General Tadamichi Kuribayashi's Japanese during its siege of Iwo Jima during WWII. It was Iwo Jima that Japanese heavy artillery were concealed in massive chambers reinforced by steel doors built inside Mount Suribachi, to keep off projectiles from American bombardment.
The second option is to occupy the land and push back/capture the howitzers putting PALAY /KKS beyond its 27Km range. With troops currently operating in and around the Mannar rice bowl 54Kms South, the sole option for occupying the land is to insert troops in via the sea or air. With the POONERYN sector's geography being a mirror of the MUHAMALE/NAGARKOVIL/PALLAI sector the same reasons I explained earlier on should SLA make a move on EPS applies here.
The land again is open and barren with little or no cover for any troops that would have landed in attempting to secure the beach head. The open stretch of land further necessitates the need for the armoured cavalry, which again needs to be brought in from mechanized landers. For it to be successful at least 100 such units are necessary and the deployment has to be in real quick time (Bear in mind that landing crafts of SLN can achieve only a max of 20 knots) to drive home the element of surprise and to ensure the beach head remains out of Tamil Tiger mortar range. Also worth to note is that the Tamil Tigers had positioned cadres loyal to its former political head specifically to defend this sector. Which means one should expect significant amount of defence along this coast making the need for armour ever more important since it involves breaking a fortified line.
However, what can be done is to reduce the defence in depth the Tamil Tigers possess in this sector. A small example:
The independent brigade led by late Brigadier (then Colonel) Percy Fernando landing at the Eastern coast of Jaffna to capture the jetty during Riviresa II. This landing took place while 532 brigade was moving from the ground towards Jaffna East and Air Mobile brigade had landed to secure the Jaffna fort. In this instance the Tamil Tigers were deprived the defence in depth for the simple fact that their defences was thinned out and just weren’t able to muster any anti-amphibious defences.
It is very easy to fall into the trap when planning an assault from sea. It is not just a case of getting troops to a coastal belt but also getting the troops to cross the shoreline and enter the hinterland. It is no good performing an assault via sea merely based on maritime supremacy. You need to break out and achieve the overall objective that led to the assault in the first place.
The battle planners must be 100% certain why the landing is being undertaken and what the immediate aims are. They must know what troops will face, not just enemy's strengths and possible reinforcements, but also the terrain of the target area and local factors such as tides, beach conditions and mud flats which might impact on the landings. The importance of such intelligence was magnified during the successful landing of Incheon during the Korean war when "Trudy Jackson" led by Eugene Clark relayed detailed intelligence on enemy defences, sea tide ranges, whether the beach could hold assault vehicles back to General Macarthur. On the other end stands the battle of Dieppe where the lack of intelligence led to the allied armour being stuck on the soft pebbled beach.
After having sufficient intelligence the landing takes place followed by the lodgement phase to secure the beach head for swift reinforcements and supplies.
Once the intelligence is in place they must consider the approach to the target beach head. The sea crossing could be just a few miles from surrounding islets or all the way from KKS with full naval supremacy in place. Prior to the landing the enemy defence must be softened up and breached. Troops must have the right equipment to proceed from sea to land while under fire. Subsequent to the landing lodgement phase begins to secure the beach head against counter attack and to ensure vital reinforcements and supplies start flowing swiftly and smoothly. Finally the troops must break out from the beach head and begin the next stage of the overall battleplan. It is critical to remember that assault from sea is rarely a battleplan just in itself. It is intended to be part of a larger military campaign.
Soon after lodgement troops need to break out to move to the next stage of the battleplan to avoid being pinned down.
To conclude, the failed operation Thrivida Pahara to relieve a besieged MULATIVU base in July 1996 can be brought up to show the importance of achieving the aforementioned objectives during a coastal assault battleplan. A coastal assault was the only way to reinforce the besieged base since it lies in close proximity to the shoreline. Special forces were airlifted from Trincomalee under the leadership of Lt. Col Fazly Laphir to secure a suitable beach head for troops that were just dispatched from KKS. These troops were also carrying vital supplies and were 20 miles away from the target shoreline. Due to heavy guerilla resistance the Special forces team were forced to make a landing 5Km South of MULATIVU at ALAMPIL. From there the team had to track North amidst heavy resistance. The all important naval supremacy for the reinforcing troops failed to exist due to Tamil Tiger sea wing and its homicide wing. One of the homicide boats managed to ram itself against the Shanghai class FGB SLNS Ranaviru killing 36 sailors on board. Due to heavy resistance the naval task force managed their landing only 3 days later and reached the base 7 days later since the raid, which by then the time frame to achieve the overall objective - relieving the siege on MULATIVU with vital supplies - had long gone.
Like General Macarthur General Holland Smith, and Lt. Gen Kobbekaduwa (Operation Balavegaya), get the tricky coastal assault right and you secure a stepping stone to ultimate victory. Get it wrong and you achieve massive loss of life, political and military disaster.
This is by no means to say the Pooneryn sector is not earmarked. The A32 is a very good prospect and is ideal as a MSR from ILLUPAIKADUWAI, POONERYN to Jaffna across the Sangupiddy ferry till the A9 is liberated from OMANTHAI to MUHAMALE. Unlike the A9 the A32 route needs to be defended from only one flank (East), which is a major advantage.
Only time will tell...
(http://sf-3.blogspot.com/)
Since the fall of the base the Tamil Tigers have put this sector to good use. The POONERYN sector has been used as a crucial launching pad for its sea tigers during its many assaults on Jaffna islets and during its failed Jaffna offensive of 2006. It is also being used as pointed out above to disrupt air traffic of PALAY base and for possible decapitation strikes against SLA top brass.
Out of these, intermittent shelling disrupting the vital air bridge and possible decapitation strikes against military top rungs are the main concerns springing from this sector for the SLA. There is much debate over over how to neutralise the howitzers in this sector especially among the lay public.
The first option is to use air recon and vector in the Kfir/MIG27 for air interdiction. During the Tamil Tigers' failed 2006 Jaffna offensive, heavy 130mm barrages were directed at the PALAY and KKS bases to cut off the air and naval bridge linking the Jaffna peninsula to the Southern mainland. During this period an AN32B transporter was used as bait to lure the Tamil Tigers to fire the two 130mm howitzers positioned at K-point while Beech B200T SIGINT was on a recon mission loitering above. Soon as the firing began the Beech picked up the heat signature through its FLIR sensors. Two Kfirs were scrambled on the 19th of August 2006 and successfully destroyed the two howitzers. Since this strike the Tamil Tigers have used their remaining howitzers sparingly and intermittently using a network of underground bunkers/tunnels to avoid detection. This is quite a similar tactic employed by Lieutenant General Tadamichi Kuribayashi's Japanese during its siege of Iwo Jima during WWII. It was Iwo Jima that Japanese heavy artillery were concealed in massive chambers reinforced by steel doors built inside Mount Suribachi, to keep off projectiles from American bombardment.
The second option is to occupy the land and push back/capture the howitzers putting PALAY /KKS beyond its 27Km range. With troops currently operating in and around the Mannar rice bowl 54Kms South, the sole option for occupying the land is to insert troops in via the sea or air. With the POONERYN sector's geography being a mirror of the MUHAMALE/NAGARKOVIL/PALLAI sector the same reasons I explained earlier on should SLA make a move on EPS applies here.
The land again is open and barren with little or no cover for any troops that would have landed in attempting to secure the beach head. The open stretch of land further necessitates the need for the armoured cavalry, which again needs to be brought in from mechanized landers. For it to be successful at least 100 such units are necessary and the deployment has to be in real quick time (Bear in mind that landing crafts of SLN can achieve only a max of 20 knots) to drive home the element of surprise and to ensure the beach head remains out of Tamil Tiger mortar range. Also worth to note is that the Tamil Tigers had positioned cadres loyal to its former political head specifically to defend this sector. Which means one should expect significant amount of defence along this coast making the need for armour ever more important since it involves breaking a fortified line.
However, what can be done is to reduce the defence in depth the Tamil Tigers possess in this sector. A small example:
The independent brigade led by late Brigadier (then Colonel) Percy Fernando landing at the Eastern coast of Jaffna to capture the jetty during Riviresa II. This landing took place while 532 brigade was moving from the ground towards Jaffna East and Air Mobile brigade had landed to secure the Jaffna fort. In this instance the Tamil Tigers were deprived the defence in depth for the simple fact that their defences was thinned out and just weren’t able to muster any anti-amphibious defences.
It is very easy to fall into the trap when planning an assault from sea. It is not just a case of getting troops to a coastal belt but also getting the troops to cross the shoreline and enter the hinterland. It is no good performing an assault via sea merely based on maritime supremacy. You need to break out and achieve the overall objective that led to the assault in the first place.
The battle planners must be 100% certain why the landing is being undertaken and what the immediate aims are. They must know what troops will face, not just enemy's strengths and possible reinforcements, but also the terrain of the target area and local factors such as tides, beach conditions and mud flats which might impact on the landings. The importance of such intelligence was magnified during the successful landing of Incheon during the Korean war when "Trudy Jackson" led by Eugene Clark relayed detailed intelligence on enemy defences, sea tide ranges, whether the beach could hold assault vehicles back to General Macarthur. On the other end stands the battle of Dieppe where the lack of intelligence led to the allied armour being stuck on the soft pebbled beach.
After having sufficient intelligence the landing takes place followed by the lodgement phase to secure the beach head for swift reinforcements and supplies.
Once the intelligence is in place they must consider the approach to the target beach head. The sea crossing could be just a few miles from surrounding islets or all the way from KKS with full naval supremacy in place. Prior to the landing the enemy defence must be softened up and breached. Troops must have the right equipment to proceed from sea to land while under fire. Subsequent to the landing lodgement phase begins to secure the beach head against counter attack and to ensure vital reinforcements and supplies start flowing swiftly and smoothly. Finally the troops must break out from the beach head and begin the next stage of the overall battleplan. It is critical to remember that assault from sea is rarely a battleplan just in itself. It is intended to be part of a larger military campaign.
Soon after lodgement troops need to break out to move to the next stage of the battleplan to avoid being pinned down.
To conclude, the failed operation Thrivida Pahara to relieve a besieged MULATIVU base in July 1996 can be brought up to show the importance of achieving the aforementioned objectives during a coastal assault battleplan. A coastal assault was the only way to reinforce the besieged base since it lies in close proximity to the shoreline. Special forces were airlifted from Trincomalee under the leadership of Lt. Col Fazly Laphir to secure a suitable beach head for troops that were just dispatched from KKS. These troops were also carrying vital supplies and were 20 miles away from the target shoreline. Due to heavy guerilla resistance the Special forces team were forced to make a landing 5Km South of MULATIVU at ALAMPIL. From there the team had to track North amidst heavy resistance. The all important naval supremacy for the reinforcing troops failed to exist due to Tamil Tiger sea wing and its homicide wing. One of the homicide boats managed to ram itself against the Shanghai class FGB SLNS Ranaviru killing 36 sailors on board. Due to heavy resistance the naval task force managed their landing only 3 days later and reached the base 7 days later since the raid, which by then the time frame to achieve the overall objective - relieving the siege on MULATIVU with vital supplies - had long gone.
Like General Macarthur General Holland Smith, and Lt. Gen Kobbekaduwa (Operation Balavegaya), get the tricky coastal assault right and you secure a stepping stone to ultimate victory. Get it wrong and you achieve massive loss of life, political and military disaster.
This is by no means to say the Pooneryn sector is not earmarked. The A32 is a very good prospect and is ideal as a MSR from ILLUPAIKADUWAI, POONERYN to Jaffna across the Sangupiddy ferry till the A9 is liberated from OMANTHAI to MUHAMALE. Unlike the A9 the A32 route needs to be defended from only one flank (East), which is a major advantage.
Only time will tell...
(http://sf-3.blogspot.com/)
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Sri Lanka’s Underwater Defence Systems- Killing two birds with a single stone? by Commodore RS Vasan IN Retd
"Under water defence systems obviously is another nomenclature for mines of different description. During the height of cold war the underwater defence systems also included deep-sea moored sensors that could track submarines and other movements to be relayed to the receiving stations. Some of them were equipped to even release a homing torpedoes on the ICBM armed nuclear submarines that were proceeding to patrol stations."
The news paper reports on 23rd January 2008 about the installation of the “Underwater defence systems” in Sri Lankan waters is indeed an interesting phase in the fight against the Sea tigers soon after the abrogation of the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA). As reported in the press, Sri Lankan authorities/Navy have informed their counterparts about the measures to safeguard their interests as well as to prevent large-scale movement of the Sea tigers who are starved of essentials. The Naval Officer in Charge (NOIC) of Tamil Nadu has apparently informed the Chief Secretary of the State that it would indeed be now even more dangerous for our fishermen who routinely cross over to the Sri Lankan waters for fishing around Kachativu Island. This paper aims to examine some of the related issues in the background of sensitivity that is associated with fishing and security in these troubled waters.
Fishing Issues. Most of the issues related to fishing and security have been covered in my previous papers. However with out having to refer to those papers suffice to say that this has been the most contentious issue between the fishermen of Tamil Nadu and their Sri Lankan counter parts both civilian and military. It has been over three decades since the demarcation of the International Maritime Boundary Line (IBML). The maritime agreement of 1974 gave away the Kachativu and the rich fishing grounds around it to Sri Lanka. While New Delhi went to the extent of saying that Kachativu is just a barren Island, the Government in Tamil Nadu did not make much noise as borne out by facts/records.
With the dwindling of fishing stocks on our side of the IMBL and the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka that was equally intense on the sea front, the Tamil Nadu fishermen capitalised on the fishing ban that was imposed by the SL Navy during the intense phase of the struggle. On lifting of the ban on fishing the fishing communities of the two countries came in to conflict. The fishermen from Tamil Nadu who were sympathetic to the cause of Eelam and those who wanted to make a quick buck were also involved in illegal transportation of goods for sustaining the war effort of LTTE. The liberal subsidies by the Government for fishermen for Diesel encouraged some of the fishermen to trade in diesel and other essentials.
The transgression of the IMBL by our fishermen was also used to their advantage by the LTTE. When convenient, the LTTE chose to fire on our innocent fishermen and made out that it was the act of the Sri Lankan Navy. This invariably caused a furore in Tamil Nadu with political parties immediately getting in to the act at most times even with out any verification. The involvement of LTTE in the shooting and killing of our fishermen was conclusively proved in the case of the missing boat Krishna from Tamil Nadu, which was hijacked. This boat was subsequently sunk in Maldivian waters. Any arrest made by the SL Navy of our fishermen immediately compelled the State Government to request the Centre for intervention for the release of fishermen. Sri Lanka has been more than tolerant of this nuisance that has been going on for decades though legally Sri Lanka has every right to apprehend the erring fishermen and prosecute them under the law of the land.
Legality of the installation of underwater defence systems. Various provisions of the relevant laws on mining at sea during conflict as recognised by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) are appended at the end of the article. After the successes of the Sri Lankan armed forces on both land and on water particularly since the assumption of office by Mahinda Rajapakha, The Sri Lankan leadership was encouraged to pursue the military option to weaken the LTTE fully. The abrogation of the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) therefore is a turning point from a military and strategic point of view. There are divided opinions about the wisdom of abrogating the CFA. With or with out the CFA the war was never suspended and both the parties continued to violate the CFA at will to try and score military success in the chosen theatre. However with out the abrogation of the CFA Sri Lanka would not have been justified in laying sea mines in its own areas of operation. (Note that the land mines were laid even when the CFA was in force) The Sri Lankan military scored notable successes in all the medium of land, air and water thus weakening the LTTE. The successful targeting of LTTE leadership that resulted in the death of Mr Tamilchelvam and many other leaders has dealt a severe blow to both the capabilities and the intentions of the LTTE. However the abrogation of the CFA, which was signed in 2002, has paved the way for going all out in the maritime arena the control of which is so crucial for the LTTE. Mine warfare has been acknowledged in the annals of naval history as one of the most important methods of sea denial. Whether it is offensive or defensive or even psychological, it has the ability to achieve the objective due to the nature of devastating threat posed by mines. Even if the mines were not physically deployed, the notification or promulgation that mines have been laid would be enough to keep the areas clear of unwanted vessels. Such a ploy is always a considered option by naval commanders.
Underwater Defence Systems/Mining. Under water defence systems obviously is another nomenclature for mines of different description. During the height of cold war the underwater defence systems also included deep-sea moored sensors that could track submarines and other movements to be relayed to the receiving stations. Some of them were equipped to even release a homing torpedoes on the ICBM armed nuclear submarines that were proceeding to patrol stations. While the clay more mines over land has made it difficult for both the SL Forces and the LTTE over the land the use of sea mines now makes it very difficult for vessels to use areas which have been identified for sea denial and thus mined.
The modern mines come with many sensors that can trigger the explosive device onboard. It could be a contact mine which detonates on contact, or an acoustic mine that could be set to detonate on picking up of propeller or hull noise above or below a set threshold value. It could also be a pressure sensor that could sense the pressure of the water column over it as the target passes over it thus triggering the detonator and the consequent explosion. Even from the world war times, the ship count mechanism (SCM) has been effectively used to choose the target in a formation depending on its location and its likely sequence of passing over the minefield. At sea Mines are most devastating in terms of damage caused even to large ships.
LTTE Response. It would be interesting to see how the LTTE responds to the mining threat. With its suicide squads (black tigers) in place, even at the risk of losing some of its cadres, it may venture out to see what kind of vessels could be used in the areas with out activating the mines. With the shallow depths in the areas however, it would be difficult to find a vessel that can navigate in these waters safely. The LTTE has no mine clearance vessels as of now. The LTTE however would like to find some novel methods to clear the mines in areas that are crucial for landing of military stores.
The attempts by the LTTE to illegally cross over to Tamil Nadu for various illegal activities would also become that more difficult due to the mines in the waters through which the infiltrators are required to transit. The intense patrolling along the coastline by both the Navy and the Coast Guard has already rendered the task of illegal entry in the Tamil Nadu difficult.
Indian Response. Having been officially informed about the use of underwater defence systems, India is obliged to ensure the safety of its fishermen by not allowing them to cross the IMBL. Sri Lanka has every right to protect its waters and deny the illegitimate use of the seas by the LTTE. The LTTE has failed time and again in landing its war like material on shores controlled by it. The sinking of over a dozen Flags of Convenience ships owned by the LTTE by the Sri Lankan Navy at thousands of kilometres from its shore has dealt a severe blow to the capability in all the three medium. The squeeze applied by the International community has not helped the LTTE either.
There are no doubts that some of the political parties and sympathisers of the LTTE in India would protest the mining of the Sri Lankan waters. The Tamil Nadu fishermen and their lobby would likewise make a lot of noise on being denied the unlawful fishing in some one else’s waters. The only correct option for India is to ensure that mechanisms are put in place to prevent tragedies at sea due to exercising of obstinate intentions by our fishing community. The Navy, the Coast Guard and the Police have a tough task on hand to ensure that the situation does not go out of hand both on land and at sea. Measures required for weaning away our fishermen by providing alternate means of livelihood have been made in earlier quoted my earlier papers and thus are not being repeated.
According to some police sources it appeared that they were happy with the mining, as it would minimise the incursions by the LTTE cadres to TN through the sea routes.
The hawks on the Indian side would say that the abrogation of the CFA is being used by the Island nation to settle scores with the erring Indian fishermen who habitually cross over to the Sri Lankan waters using the excuse of preventing the LTTE from using the seas for clandestine activities. The fact of the matter is that Sri Lanka is entitled to exercise all its options including mining as allowed by the international conventions even if it is killing two birds with the same stone.
(Commodore R.S. Vasan IN Retd has a distinguished military service of over 34 years .His shore assignments include command of two naval air stations, maritime air squadron, Air Crew Examiner, member of the faculty at the College of Naval warfare and Chief Staff Officer of the Southern Naval Command at Kochin, India.)
* Appendix
* Excerpts Prepared by International Lawyers and Naval Experts convened by the International Institute of Humanitarian Law. Adopted in June 1994 taken from San Remo Manual on International Law Applicable to Armed Conflicts at Sea. Only relevant sections 80 to 92 are quoted below .It may be noted that not all the provisions may be applicable in this case.
………..
80. Mines may only be used for legitimate military purposes including the denial of sea areas to the enemy.
81. Without prejudice to the rules set out in paragraph 82, the parties to the conflict shall not lay mines unless effective neutralization occurs when they have become detached or control over them is otherwise lost.
82. It is forbidden to use free-floating mines unless:
(a) they are directed against a military objective; and
(b) they become harmless within an hour after loss of control over them.
83. The laying of armed mines or the arming of pre-laid mines must be notified unless the mines can only detonate against vessels, which are military objectives.
84. Belligerents shall record the locations where they have laid mines.
85. Mining operations in the internal waters, territorial sea or archipelagic waters of a belligerent State should provide, when the mining is first executed, for free exit of shipping of neutral States.
86. Mining of neutral waters by a belligerent is prohibited.
87. Mining shall not have the practical effect of preventing passage between neutral waters and international waters.
88. The mine laying States shall pay due regard to the legitimate uses of the high seas by, inter alia, providing safe alternative routes for shipping of neutral States.
89. Transit passage through international straits and passage through waters subject to the right of archipelagic sea-lanes passage shall not be impeded unless safe and convenient alternative routes are provided.
90. After the cessation of active hostilities, parties to the conflict shall do their utmost to remove or render harmless the mines they have laid, each party removing its own mines. With regard to mines laid in the territorial seas of the enemy, each party shall notify their position and shall proceed with the least possible delay to remove the mines in its territorial sea or otherwise render the territorial sea safe for navigation.
91. In addition to their obligations under paragraph 90, parties to the conflict shall endeavour to reach agreement, both among themselves and, where appropriate, with other States and with international organizations, on the provision of information and technical and material assistance, including in appropriate circumstances joint operations, necessary to remove minefields or otherwise render them harmless.
92. Neutral States do not commit an act inconsistent with the laws of neutrality by clearing mines laid in violation of international law.
The news paper reports on 23rd January 2008 about the installation of the “Underwater defence systems” in Sri Lankan waters is indeed an interesting phase in the fight against the Sea tigers soon after the abrogation of the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA). As reported in the press, Sri Lankan authorities/Navy have informed their counterparts about the measures to safeguard their interests as well as to prevent large-scale movement of the Sea tigers who are starved of essentials. The Naval Officer in Charge (NOIC) of Tamil Nadu has apparently informed the Chief Secretary of the State that it would indeed be now even more dangerous for our fishermen who routinely cross over to the Sri Lankan waters for fishing around Kachativu Island. This paper aims to examine some of the related issues in the background of sensitivity that is associated with fishing and security in these troubled waters.
Fishing Issues. Most of the issues related to fishing and security have been covered in my previous papers. However with out having to refer to those papers suffice to say that this has been the most contentious issue between the fishermen of Tamil Nadu and their Sri Lankan counter parts both civilian and military. It has been over three decades since the demarcation of the International Maritime Boundary Line (IBML). The maritime agreement of 1974 gave away the Kachativu and the rich fishing grounds around it to Sri Lanka. While New Delhi went to the extent of saying that Kachativu is just a barren Island, the Government in Tamil Nadu did not make much noise as borne out by facts/records.
With the dwindling of fishing stocks on our side of the IMBL and the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka that was equally intense on the sea front, the Tamil Nadu fishermen capitalised on the fishing ban that was imposed by the SL Navy during the intense phase of the struggle. On lifting of the ban on fishing the fishing communities of the two countries came in to conflict. The fishermen from Tamil Nadu who were sympathetic to the cause of Eelam and those who wanted to make a quick buck were also involved in illegal transportation of goods for sustaining the war effort of LTTE. The liberal subsidies by the Government for fishermen for Diesel encouraged some of the fishermen to trade in diesel and other essentials.
The transgression of the IMBL by our fishermen was also used to their advantage by the LTTE. When convenient, the LTTE chose to fire on our innocent fishermen and made out that it was the act of the Sri Lankan Navy. This invariably caused a furore in Tamil Nadu with political parties immediately getting in to the act at most times even with out any verification. The involvement of LTTE in the shooting and killing of our fishermen was conclusively proved in the case of the missing boat Krishna from Tamil Nadu, which was hijacked. This boat was subsequently sunk in Maldivian waters. Any arrest made by the SL Navy of our fishermen immediately compelled the State Government to request the Centre for intervention for the release of fishermen. Sri Lanka has been more than tolerant of this nuisance that has been going on for decades though legally Sri Lanka has every right to apprehend the erring fishermen and prosecute them under the law of the land.
Legality of the installation of underwater defence systems. Various provisions of the relevant laws on mining at sea during conflict as recognised by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) are appended at the end of the article. After the successes of the Sri Lankan armed forces on both land and on water particularly since the assumption of office by Mahinda Rajapakha, The Sri Lankan leadership was encouraged to pursue the military option to weaken the LTTE fully. The abrogation of the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) therefore is a turning point from a military and strategic point of view. There are divided opinions about the wisdom of abrogating the CFA. With or with out the CFA the war was never suspended and both the parties continued to violate the CFA at will to try and score military success in the chosen theatre. However with out the abrogation of the CFA Sri Lanka would not have been justified in laying sea mines in its own areas of operation. (Note that the land mines were laid even when the CFA was in force) The Sri Lankan military scored notable successes in all the medium of land, air and water thus weakening the LTTE. The successful targeting of LTTE leadership that resulted in the death of Mr Tamilchelvam and many other leaders has dealt a severe blow to both the capabilities and the intentions of the LTTE. However the abrogation of the CFA, which was signed in 2002, has paved the way for going all out in the maritime arena the control of which is so crucial for the LTTE. Mine warfare has been acknowledged in the annals of naval history as one of the most important methods of sea denial. Whether it is offensive or defensive or even psychological, it has the ability to achieve the objective due to the nature of devastating threat posed by mines. Even if the mines were not physically deployed, the notification or promulgation that mines have been laid would be enough to keep the areas clear of unwanted vessels. Such a ploy is always a considered option by naval commanders.
Underwater Defence Systems/Mining. Under water defence systems obviously is another nomenclature for mines of different description. During the height of cold war the underwater defence systems also included deep-sea moored sensors that could track submarines and other movements to be relayed to the receiving stations. Some of them were equipped to even release a homing torpedoes on the ICBM armed nuclear submarines that were proceeding to patrol stations. While the clay more mines over land has made it difficult for both the SL Forces and the LTTE over the land the use of sea mines now makes it very difficult for vessels to use areas which have been identified for sea denial and thus mined.
The modern mines come with many sensors that can trigger the explosive device onboard. It could be a contact mine which detonates on contact, or an acoustic mine that could be set to detonate on picking up of propeller or hull noise above or below a set threshold value. It could also be a pressure sensor that could sense the pressure of the water column over it as the target passes over it thus triggering the detonator and the consequent explosion. Even from the world war times, the ship count mechanism (SCM) has been effectively used to choose the target in a formation depending on its location and its likely sequence of passing over the minefield. At sea Mines are most devastating in terms of damage caused even to large ships.
LTTE Response. It would be interesting to see how the LTTE responds to the mining threat. With its suicide squads (black tigers) in place, even at the risk of losing some of its cadres, it may venture out to see what kind of vessels could be used in the areas with out activating the mines. With the shallow depths in the areas however, it would be difficult to find a vessel that can navigate in these waters safely. The LTTE has no mine clearance vessels as of now. The LTTE however would like to find some novel methods to clear the mines in areas that are crucial for landing of military stores.
The attempts by the LTTE to illegally cross over to Tamil Nadu for various illegal activities would also become that more difficult due to the mines in the waters through which the infiltrators are required to transit. The intense patrolling along the coastline by both the Navy and the Coast Guard has already rendered the task of illegal entry in the Tamil Nadu difficult.
Indian Response. Having been officially informed about the use of underwater defence systems, India is obliged to ensure the safety of its fishermen by not allowing them to cross the IMBL. Sri Lanka has every right to protect its waters and deny the illegitimate use of the seas by the LTTE. The LTTE has failed time and again in landing its war like material on shores controlled by it. The sinking of over a dozen Flags of Convenience ships owned by the LTTE by the Sri Lankan Navy at thousands of kilometres from its shore has dealt a severe blow to the capability in all the three medium. The squeeze applied by the International community has not helped the LTTE either.
There are no doubts that some of the political parties and sympathisers of the LTTE in India would protest the mining of the Sri Lankan waters. The Tamil Nadu fishermen and their lobby would likewise make a lot of noise on being denied the unlawful fishing in some one else’s waters. The only correct option for India is to ensure that mechanisms are put in place to prevent tragedies at sea due to exercising of obstinate intentions by our fishing community. The Navy, the Coast Guard and the Police have a tough task on hand to ensure that the situation does not go out of hand both on land and at sea. Measures required for weaning away our fishermen by providing alternate means of livelihood have been made in earlier quoted my earlier papers and thus are not being repeated.
According to some police sources it appeared that they were happy with the mining, as it would minimise the incursions by the LTTE cadres to TN through the sea routes.
The hawks on the Indian side would say that the abrogation of the CFA is being used by the Island nation to settle scores with the erring Indian fishermen who habitually cross over to the Sri Lankan waters using the excuse of preventing the LTTE from using the seas for clandestine activities. The fact of the matter is that Sri Lanka is entitled to exercise all its options including mining as allowed by the international conventions even if it is killing two birds with the same stone.
(Commodore R.S. Vasan IN Retd has a distinguished military service of over 34 years .His shore assignments include command of two naval air stations, maritime air squadron, Air Crew Examiner, member of the faculty at the College of Naval warfare and Chief Staff Officer of the Southern Naval Command at Kochin, India.)
* Appendix
* Excerpts Prepared by International Lawyers and Naval Experts convened by the International Institute of Humanitarian Law. Adopted in June 1994 taken from San Remo Manual on International Law Applicable to Armed Conflicts at Sea. Only relevant sections 80 to 92 are quoted below .It may be noted that not all the provisions may be applicable in this case.
………..
80. Mines may only be used for legitimate military purposes including the denial of sea areas to the enemy.
81. Without prejudice to the rules set out in paragraph 82, the parties to the conflict shall not lay mines unless effective neutralization occurs when they have become detached or control over them is otherwise lost.
82. It is forbidden to use free-floating mines unless:
(a) they are directed against a military objective; and
(b) they become harmless within an hour after loss of control over them.
83. The laying of armed mines or the arming of pre-laid mines must be notified unless the mines can only detonate against vessels, which are military objectives.
84. Belligerents shall record the locations where they have laid mines.
85. Mining operations in the internal waters, territorial sea or archipelagic waters of a belligerent State should provide, when the mining is first executed, for free exit of shipping of neutral States.
86. Mining of neutral waters by a belligerent is prohibited.
87. Mining shall not have the practical effect of preventing passage between neutral waters and international waters.
88. The mine laying States shall pay due regard to the legitimate uses of the high seas by, inter alia, providing safe alternative routes for shipping of neutral States.
89. Transit passage through international straits and passage through waters subject to the right of archipelagic sea-lanes passage shall not be impeded unless safe and convenient alternative routes are provided.
90. After the cessation of active hostilities, parties to the conflict shall do their utmost to remove or render harmless the mines they have laid, each party removing its own mines. With regard to mines laid in the territorial seas of the enemy, each party shall notify their position and shall proceed with the least possible delay to remove the mines in its territorial sea or otherwise render the territorial sea safe for navigation.
91. In addition to their obligations under paragraph 90, parties to the conflict shall endeavour to reach agreement, both among themselves and, where appropriate, with other States and with international organizations, on the provision of information and technical and material assistance, including in appropriate circumstances joint operations, necessary to remove minefields or otherwise render them harmless.
92. Neutral States do not commit an act inconsistent with the laws of neutrality by clearing mines laid in violation of international law.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Army advances ahead of Parappakandal
Fighting was reported along the Wanni defense lines for the past week where Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) fiercely resisted several SLA advances into their territory. Heaviest of these battles was reported in the general area of Parappakandal in Mannar district. After overrunning the LTTE frontline in this area one week ago, troops have been trying to move further into LTTE held territory towards Wanni heartland. Even though these attempts were met with heavy resistance, SLA was able to break through several LTTE defensive positions in this area after prolonged firefights. 5 soldiers have been killed in these battles and another 14 have been wounded. At least 15 LTTE cadres are confirmed to be killed and another 30 more are wounded. By yesterday, security forces had advanced as much as one kilometer into LTTE territory ahead of Parappakandal. Troops consolidating defenses in newly captured areas came under heavy LTTE artillery fire yesterday (09th) night. 6 soldiers were injured in this incident and were rushed to the hospital.
Pro LTTE media once again stated that the army offensive was "repulsed". This is completely false. Although there were occasions where the operations were temporarily halted due to heavy resistance, they were later resumed after regrouping and employing different strategies which best suited the situation. And it must be said that all these "offensives" are small group based attacks. So far there has not been any mass troop movement into Wanni.
Even though fighting has been going on for several months, both sides have not yet unleashed their full strength. LTTE has not largely exposed their hard core cadres to battle. According to military intelligence, their elite formations have not been seriously affected by the fighting and are largely intact. However it has been a different story for LTTE's mainstream units; they have undoubtedly suffered at the hands of the army. SLA too has several weapons they have still not used. Units of the Mechanized Infantry Division, which is the latest addition to the elite 53rd division, are yet to enter the battlefield. Newly raised 59th division is undergoing special training in the Weli-Oya sector. In addition to these, 3rd commando regiment too is now being retrained with long range surveillance (LRS) capabilities. In the meantime SLA has started yet another recruitment campaign; the first in year 2008. This time the goal is 15000 new recruits. If this goal is met, it would bring the army's total manpower close to 200000. Latest recruitment drive follows a a successful campaign last year (2007) in which more than 30000 personnel joined the army.
All above statistics point to one direction; heaviest battles of the 4th Eelam War are yet to be fought.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fighting continues in Parappakandal
Heavy fighting was reported in areas ahead of Parappakandal for the third consecutive day where Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) launched a counterattack to regain lost territory in last week's battles. A group of SLA soldiers setting up defenses in newly captured areas came under an LTTE attack at around 1.30PM today (11th). The attack, which involved between 30-40 LTTE cadres, was successfully defended by the army. Two SLA personnel were killed and four more were injured in the incident while 8 LTTE cadres who took part in the counterattack have been killed.
LTTE has been repeatedly launching attacks on troops deployed in this area with the intention of recapturing lost ground. Although these operations have had little success in regaining territory, they have helped slow down (but not halt) the army advance into LTTE held territory in Mannar.
(http://defencenet.blogspot.com)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Advances, Assassinations and Beef-ups
Troops advancing ahead of the Forward Defence Line in North Mannar have captured an area of about one square kilometer north of Parappakandal. Around 10 LTTE cadres have been killed in this fight. The SLA is not keen on holding this ground and may maintain a light presence in the area. A counter attack launched by the LTTE using mortars was successfully repulsed with own artillery. Five soldiers were killed in the fight. The LTTE uses mainly mortar shells in this sector due to a shortage of ample artillery shells.
In a separate incident, Special Task Force Commados have killed an LTTE Military Wing Leader in Batticaloa at Eravur today. Police Commandos claim that the suspect, who was being trailed for sometime, had launched a grenade attack at troops lying in ambush prompting a counterfire killing the suspect on the spot. Commandos claim they recovered a Mico Pistol and a Handgrenade from his possession. The suspect was not wearing a suicide capsule or jacket at the time.
Meanwhile the Security Council which met today has decided to increase security to all MPs following the assassination of the Nation Building Minister D.M. Dassanayake yesterday. The Speaker and the Prime Minister have requested the Inspector General of Police to increase security to all MPs despite a contrary Gazette Notification issued several weeks ago. Several Tamil MPs had complained of a drastic reduction in their security, which may have resulted in the January 1st assassination of MP T. Maheswaran. However, Minister Dassanayake's assassination indicates that all MPs, regardless of their race or paygrade, have been equally affected by security lapses.
(http://defencewire.blogspot.com)
Pro LTTE media once again stated that the army offensive was "repulsed". This is completely false. Although there were occasions where the operations were temporarily halted due to heavy resistance, they were later resumed after regrouping and employing different strategies which best suited the situation. And it must be said that all these "offensives" are small group based attacks. So far there has not been any mass troop movement into Wanni.
Even though fighting has been going on for several months, both sides have not yet unleashed their full strength. LTTE has not largely exposed their hard core cadres to battle. According to military intelligence, their elite formations have not been seriously affected by the fighting and are largely intact. However it has been a different story for LTTE's mainstream units; they have undoubtedly suffered at the hands of the army. SLA too has several weapons they have still not used. Units of the Mechanized Infantry Division, which is the latest addition to the elite 53rd division, are yet to enter the battlefield. Newly raised 59th division is undergoing special training in the Weli-Oya sector. In addition to these, 3rd commando regiment too is now being retrained with long range surveillance (LRS) capabilities. In the meantime SLA has started yet another recruitment campaign; the first in year 2008. This time the goal is 15000 new recruits. If this goal is met, it would bring the army's total manpower close to 200000. Latest recruitment drive follows a a successful campaign last year (2007) in which more than 30000 personnel joined the army.
All above statistics point to one direction; heaviest battles of the 4th Eelam War are yet to be fought.
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Fighting continues in Parappakandal
Heavy fighting was reported in areas ahead of Parappakandal for the third consecutive day where Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) launched a counterattack to regain lost territory in last week's battles. A group of SLA soldiers setting up defenses in newly captured areas came under an LTTE attack at around 1.30PM today (11th). The attack, which involved between 30-40 LTTE cadres, was successfully defended by the army. Two SLA personnel were killed and four more were injured in the incident while 8 LTTE cadres who took part in the counterattack have been killed.
LTTE has been repeatedly launching attacks on troops deployed in this area with the intention of recapturing lost ground. Although these operations have had little success in regaining territory, they have helped slow down (but not halt) the army advance into LTTE held territory in Mannar.
(http://defencenet.blogspot.com)
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Advances, Assassinations and Beef-ups
Troops advancing ahead of the Forward Defence Line in North Mannar have captured an area of about one square kilometer north of Parappakandal. Around 10 LTTE cadres have been killed in this fight. The SLA is not keen on holding this ground and may maintain a light presence in the area. A counter attack launched by the LTTE using mortars was successfully repulsed with own artillery. Five soldiers were killed in the fight. The LTTE uses mainly mortar shells in this sector due to a shortage of ample artillery shells.
In a separate incident, Special Task Force Commados have killed an LTTE Military Wing Leader in Batticaloa at Eravur today. Police Commandos claim that the suspect, who was being trailed for sometime, had launched a grenade attack at troops lying in ambush prompting a counterfire killing the suspect on the spot. Commandos claim they recovered a Mico Pistol and a Handgrenade from his possession. The suspect was not wearing a suicide capsule or jacket at the time.
Meanwhile the Security Council which met today has decided to increase security to all MPs following the assassination of the Nation Building Minister D.M. Dassanayake yesterday. The Speaker and the Prime Minister have requested the Inspector General of Police to increase security to all MPs despite a contrary Gazette Notification issued several weeks ago. Several Tamil MPs had complained of a drastic reduction in their security, which may have resulted in the January 1st assassination of MP T. Maheswaran. However, Minister Dassanayake's assassination indicates that all MPs, regardless of their race or paygrade, have been equally affected by security lapses.
(http://defencewire.blogspot.com)
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Forget peace talks: S.Lanka militant-turned-minister
Holding talks with the Tamil Tigers' shadowy leader would be a blunder and there will be no peace unless he is killed, Sri Lankan militant-turned-minister Douglas Devananda has warned.
Social Services and Welfare Minister Devananda, a minority Tamil vehemently opposed to the Tigers, says he has escaped more than a dozen assassination attempts.
The last was on Nov. 28, when a female bomber officials say was sent by Tiger supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran made her way into his ministry in central Colombo.
Devananda was watching closed-circuit TV footage of visitors in the ministry's offices and hallways when the woman blew herself up, killing one of his aides.
"Prabhakaran ... is anti-human," Devananda told Sri Lanka's Foreign Correspondent's Association late on Thursday, after showing journalists a recording of the attack. "You have to compare (him) with Pol Pot or Hitler ... He has to die."
"As long as Prabhakaran is alive, he won't allow anyone to solve the problem (conflict) amicably," he added. "If the president goes again for talks, it's a blunder."
Prabhakaran is infamous for his use of suicide attackers as part of his campaign to create a separate state for Tamils in the island's north and east.
Devananda himself took up arms against the state with other militant groups in the late 1970s and 1980s. He remains at the top of the Tigers' hit list.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa says the door is open to peace talks with the rebels, but his government has also vowed to wipe out the Tigers military.
Thousands have died in renewed fighting since early last year after a 2002 ceasefire pact broke down. The last round of a series of abortive peace talk initiatives fell apart last year.
Since 1983, about 70,000 people have died in the two-decade civil war and many hundreds of thousands have been displaced.
FUTURE CHIEF MINISTER IN NORTHEAST?
Devananda heads the Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP) and analysts say he has close ties with a renegade former Tiger commander who analysts say helped the government drive the mainstream rebels from their eastern strongholds.
He wants to be the future chief minister for north and east Sri Lanka.
"I have the right to be the chief minister of the north and east," Devananda said.
He also wants the government and other political parties to decentralise power to provincial councils, rather than wait for divided parties to try to reach an elusive consensus on devolution.
"The Tamil people have grievances. They should be dealt with with a political package," he said.
Devananda, who adopted the alias Douglas because it was his karate teacher's name, laughs as he recalls a series of attempts on his life.
He was once forced to dive into the Palk Strait separating Sri Lanka from India in 1996 to escape a rebel attack and spent the whole night in the sea.
The minister, who founded the militant Eelam People's Revolutionary Front (EPRLF), which later morphed into his political party, has no regrets about his own violent past.
He says killings he was responsible for were in self-defence. He also jokes about his former militancy and rivalry with the Tigers in the 1980s, when they were both fighting the state -- and often each other.
"If the LTTE killed anyone from my organisation, I balanced that when I was in EPRLF," he laughed.
Ironically, it is precisely through agreeing to peace talks that Prabhakaran could torpedo his foe Devananda.
"If tomorrow Prabhakaran comes genuinely for negotiations, I will give up politics and go, because I don't want to be an obstacle," he said.
"But the reality is Prabhakaran won't come, and I won't go."
Social Services and Welfare Minister Devananda, a minority Tamil vehemently opposed to the Tigers, says he has escaped more than a dozen assassination attempts.
The last was on Nov. 28, when a female bomber officials say was sent by Tiger supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran made her way into his ministry in central Colombo.
Devananda was watching closed-circuit TV footage of visitors in the ministry's offices and hallways when the woman blew herself up, killing one of his aides.
"Prabhakaran ... is anti-human," Devananda told Sri Lanka's Foreign Correspondent's Association late on Thursday, after showing journalists a recording of the attack. "You have to compare (him) with Pol Pot or Hitler ... He has to die."
"As long as Prabhakaran is alive, he won't allow anyone to solve the problem (conflict) amicably," he added. "If the president goes again for talks, it's a blunder."
Prabhakaran is infamous for his use of suicide attackers as part of his campaign to create a separate state for Tamils in the island's north and east.
Devananda himself took up arms against the state with other militant groups in the late 1970s and 1980s. He remains at the top of the Tigers' hit list.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa says the door is open to peace talks with the rebels, but his government has also vowed to wipe out the Tigers military.
Thousands have died in renewed fighting since early last year after a 2002 ceasefire pact broke down. The last round of a series of abortive peace talk initiatives fell apart last year.
Since 1983, about 70,000 people have died in the two-decade civil war and many hundreds of thousands have been displaced.
FUTURE CHIEF MINISTER IN NORTHEAST?
Devananda heads the Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP) and analysts say he has close ties with a renegade former Tiger commander who analysts say helped the government drive the mainstream rebels from their eastern strongholds.
He wants to be the future chief minister for north and east Sri Lanka.
"I have the right to be the chief minister of the north and east," Devananda said.
He also wants the government and other political parties to decentralise power to provincial councils, rather than wait for divided parties to try to reach an elusive consensus on devolution.
"The Tamil people have grievances. They should be dealt with with a political package," he said.
Devananda, who adopted the alias Douglas because it was his karate teacher's name, laughs as he recalls a series of attempts on his life.
He was once forced to dive into the Palk Strait separating Sri Lanka from India in 1996 to escape a rebel attack and spent the whole night in the sea.
The minister, who founded the militant Eelam People's Revolutionary Front (EPRLF), which later morphed into his political party, has no regrets about his own violent past.
He says killings he was responsible for were in self-defence. He also jokes about his former militancy and rivalry with the Tigers in the 1980s, when they were both fighting the state -- and often each other.
"If the LTTE killed anyone from my organisation, I balanced that when I was in EPRLF," he laughed.
Ironically, it is precisely through agreeing to peace talks that Prabhakaran could torpedo his foe Devananda.
"If tomorrow Prabhakaran comes genuinely for negotiations, I will give up politics and go, because I don't want to be an obstacle," he said.
"But the reality is Prabhakaran won't come, and I won't go."
Sri Lanka says 13 rebels killed in ongoing heavy fighting
A Sri Lankan soldier stands guard at a checkpoint in Jaffna, on November 28. At least 13 Tamil Tiger rebels were killed on Christmas Eve in heavy clashes with Sri Lankan security forces in northern Sri Lanka.
At least 13 Tamil Tiger rebels were killed on Christmas Eve in heavy clashes with Sri Lankan security forces in northern Sri Lanka, the defence ministry said.
Six members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) were killed in a confrontation in the district of Mannar on Monday while another five were killed in three separate clashes, the ministry said.
Two more Tigers were shot dead on the same day in the Jaffna peninsula along a de facto border separating rebel-held territory, the ministry said.
The ministry also raised the estimate for the number of guerrillas killed in a clash three days ago to 22 from an earlier estimate of eight.
The claim of more rebel casualties brings the number of Tamil fighters killed since December 1 to at least 412, according to the defence ministry.
This compares with a handful of government troops reported dead.
Both sides make sharply differing claims about casualties and independent verification is rarely possible, because the press is barred from front-line and rebel-held areas.
Tens of thousands of people have died on both sides since the LTTE launched its armed struggle for a Tamil homeland in the majority Sinhalese nation in 1972. A Norwegian-brokered 2002 truce began to unravel in December 2005.
Time to chisel our own destiny
A journey from elsewhere into Wanni gives one an extremely different experience. Especially for someone who travels from Colombo, the capital city of Sri Lanka can easily realize the contrasting atmosphere, lifestyle and the difficulties. I do not know if I should say that I was happy to be there or I had to leave the place with a heavy heart wondering ‘Oh there is a lot of ways in which these people have to be helped out. Here, I share with you my personal experiences I endured during my recent visit to the land of our own – Tamil Eelam. My few days there were just enough for me to imagine decades of sufferings the nation is undergoing. Indeed I appreciated their perseverance amidst all their difficulties.
Entry into the land of sufferings
At Omanthai, the main Checkpoint before entering Wanni, there were so many lorries with goods. People in Wanni still have to live with certain restrictions imposed on many goods and commodities. What is enjoyed in one part of the country is restricted for another part. No matter what the reason may be but certainly it places one section of the people as privileged against the other. They have to wait there for two – three days when they could be checked and allowed to proceed. Only certain items are allowed in and every single item from the lorry has to be unloaded and opened and then packed and again loaded. That was so strenuous. The weather will be extremely hot or will be raining and muddy. There are no basic facilities for anyone to stay overnight. Still they got to manage everything. As for the people passing thorough the checkpoint, no vehicles are allowed beyond the point till the next checkpoint of the LTTE at Puliyangkulam. Hence they have to carry all their goods and walk the distance.
This certainly is a difficult task for those who have most probably traveled a long way and waited in queues at the checkpoints and are already tired of the proceedings at every checkpoint. As mine was along journey that took almost three days at a stretch I was dead tired and to take out the bags at every checkpoint and open it and letting it to be checked and proceeding was awful. Even the batteries that were in the camera were not allowed to be taken into Wanni as they are one of the prohibited items. Again there is a checkpoint at Puliyangkulam as well. At last when I learnt that I have no more checking I let go off a sigh of relief.
Waking up-to daily shelling
But the relief at that point doesn’t mean that the life is going to be of peace and luxury. I realized it during my stay over there. The people in Wanni live and have learnt to live in a place where their days are opened up either with the sound of the artillery shelling or Kfir’s bombing. I wondered how these people who woke up at the sound of the temple bells and singing of birds could live amidst these disastrous noise. The thunderous blows of the shells come in all directions, from the north of Wanni, from Mannar, Killali. Poonagari, Muhamaalai and Naagarkovil and bang the boarders. It sounds as if to push the land. The blows would be like pounding ones chest. At the beginning I would be shaken out of a sudden thud. But when I felt that it is almost a daily routine for people to live with it. I realized that everyone has to learn to live with it. I wondered if one who is far away from the places of shelling is affected so much by the sound itself how far those who are facing it and the people closer to it will be feeling! People become displaced as a result and the suffering as a result is immense. If not for those who are guarding day and night at these boarders the people in Wanni will have no peace of mind. They will not be going on with their daily activities. They are there day and night amidst rain and heat amidst animals and snakes that swarm throughout the forests. Thanks in first place to those souls, who are really, really, great.
A land of joy becomes a land of cries
The land however,by nature’s bliss is a lovely place to live and the people are hardworking to make it prosperous. The days I was in Wanni had a mild weather and I didn’t have to face the heat. The weather was fine. You wouldn’t like to huddle in the bed a few more minutes- a few more minutes - to escape the cold and chill in the morning as you do in Canada: You would love to run into the lawn to enjoy the nature’s bliss that is showered early in the morning. It would send you into the happiest feelings to start a fresh day. The birds singing, the flowers blooming in different hues, the breeze that embraces you and the joy of seeing people actively starting the day with much hope and enthusiasm. You would just like to absorb all the happiness into every nerve of your body.
What was agony - Then and now
In the blink of an eye you are robbed off of all the happiness and turned out to be a panicky poor soul who would have not even a second to think if you are going to be alive or dead. In my childhood, while I was in our land of pride many more years ago, I have enjoyed the scene when a hen would take its recently hatched chicken out in the lawn at the dawn of the day. Scratching the soil with its claws, to reveal some kind of food buried in the soil for the chicks to eat. The lovely little chicken would make their way towards the spot to feast on their mother’s venture. So happy they are – that one would love to think, how nice it will be to be like them. But this won’t last long.
All of a sudden the hen becomes panicky and gives a signal fluttering its wings. The tiny chicken, whom we thought are just brainless little souls run towards their mother to find shelter under its wings. All happens in a jiffy. The hen and the chicken under the hen’s wings lie motionless under the shade of some foliage. There in the sky you see the hungry devilish eagle circling the spot ready to plunge on the innocent chicken. It is not always that the chickens escape the demonic eyes of the eagle and the hen could protect its babies. The eagle is at times quicker and lucky to carry away a chick. The mother hen cries loud, sounds its inability, runs after the eagle and al the other chicks would run about helplessly. I would just run after the eagle shouting out ‘choo choo’- all just efforts to save the chick if the eagle by accident let the chick go off its claws. But even if it happens the poor chick wouldn’t live long in my hands. The ultimate feelings however are to realize that one is desperate and can do nothing about it.
Those were the days we felt for the chicken. But now in Wanni- in the area of Tamils of Tamil Eelam it is far, far, far more a tragedy to see human suffering the same.
Kfir – Daily Messengers of Death
What a difference! In place of the eagle that took the lives of the chicks there is the Man operated Kfir. I couldn’t conclude if the man or the Kfir is the messenger of death. But certainly the man has his role as well. Kfir is a man-made huge iron air vessel that carries the dangerous poisonous thing called bombs that are shifted into its belly using cranes. They are so huge and heavy. The iron structure called as the Israeli-made Kfir flies from Colombo, the capital city of Sri Lanka in just ten minutes. It comes with the sole purpose of taking the lives of Tamils that have become so cheap in the eyes of the Sri Lankan government- a democratic government said to be adhering to the noble truths of Lord Buddha who preached against the killings of lives in whatever form. The eagle as said above stick to no moral rules neither it has the capacity to think. But the government that sends the killer in the form of a Kfir and the man behind the wheels are capable of thinking. They do think- in terms of killing Tamils. Let it be anybody - children, elderly, or sick, they are Tamils and they should be killed.
I happened to feel a piece of the outer covering of the bomb which at the blast was thrown to a distance of about 500 meters. It was about ten inches in length, sharp at all sides, uneven and weighed more than two kilos. That was enough to take the life of someone if it fell on some ill-fated person. It is made up of some poisonous metal. The bomb itself is more that a ton heavy and if that happened to be targeted on the people how worse the effect can be? Have men become so heartless to think about it or are they rather obsessed with killing people? Can anyone ever find pleasure in such merciless killings? I got no answer.
Even a small child in Tamil Eelam knows about a Kfir. It is the deadly dragon that comes to prey on them. It has become a daily exercise for the people to be prepared to protect themselves at the sound of a Kfir. In whatever activities they may be engaged they should be ready to abandon it at once and seek protection. There is always the tension and fear. Still they have to go on with their daily activities. They have learned to live a life with all the fear and tension- worries and sorrow. It is just because of this they are able to save themselves and not because of any kind of mercy shown towards them. Everybody including the elderly, sick, mothers with new-born babies, school children and the invalid have to run for shelter. Although no shelter guarantees safety that is their maximum effort to save themselves.
In the eye of the storm
It was the 25th of November 2007. I was sitting at the door-steps of the house, relaxing and enjoying the outside view -the garden and the flowers and the unpolluted atmosphere that refreshes anyone both mentally and physically. There were some children playing in the opposite compound playing and giggling and shouting in their natural carefree childhood innocence. I enjoyed it very much. But this didn’t last long.
All of a sudden there was the sound of the Kfir approaching. Before I could gather my senses the children took to their heels and fled somewhere and I too was called out to run away. There wasn’t time to run. I could just go to the backdoor of the house and there was the deadly noise of the bomb being dropped and the blast of it from all sides, the banging of the doors and windows and the people running and shouting out in panic. I heard as if a heap of daggers are being dashed simultaneously. I felt it close–so close that they rang in my ears. I shut my ears, closed my eyes and pressed myself against a wall and stood motionless. All what I could think was that I cannot do anything other than accepting whatever fate decides for me. My throat was parched; I lost the capacity to think anymore and everything was beyond my control. When all is over and there was absolute silence I couldn’t even think that I am saved. There was smoke everywhere. The unpolluted atmosphere I just enjoyed got surrounded with poisonous gaseous elements from the bomb. A silence that predicted the death of some innocent lives prevailed in the neighbourhood. People were running helter-skelter. They were running to see what had happened and who is left dead and injured. At once they started acting and rushed to the spot for help. All in a moment depicting how unpredictable is life in Tamil Eelam. What can we do to help these people? The question always absorbed my thoughts.
Again the following day I had a worse experience. In the nick of the time I heard the sound, the Kfir was there preparing itself to drop the bomb. I was neither in the house nor in a place to protect myself. I couldn’t run any further for the Kfir was almost ready to drop the bomb. The only alternative left was to lie on the floor and see if I survive or not. Your life is not yours – it is all I could feel. But I survived again.
Then came the worst of all days. It was November 27th. The whole of Wanni was decorated with red and yellow flags and posters of the Martyrs were everywhere, roads were cleaned and it was a commemorative day for Eelam Tamils to visit the martyrs who laid their lives in the freedom fight. People were going towards the memorial with garlands of flowers in their hands to pay respect to their loved ones. The roads were full of people of all ages. The land was so beautiful that the people never would have had the intention to think about the danger to their lives. Although they knew that the enemy is heartless they were fully absorbed in the thoughts of the loved ones to whom they were going to pay homage. But the cruel enemy did come on their way in the demonic Kfir to take the lives of some more.
Silenced Voice of Tamils
Voice of Tigers is the radio that currently brings the news in Tamil Eelam to the people around the world. The whole world was anxiously waiting to listen to the speech made by the national leader Mr. Velupppillai Pirabahararn. The time was 6pm. Just before the time the messenger of death assisted with a MIG aircraft entered the land of Wanni. It had the specific place of target. The Voice of Tigers radio station is right on the A9 highway and they had no strain in locating the place. It plunged on the building smashing the place with repeated bombing. The whole of Kilinochchi came to a standstill. Although most of the workers from the radio station expected such a disaster and escaped to safer place three of them including an engineer and a worker who is a mother of three got killed at the spot. The pedestrians on their way to the memorial fields were no exemption. Eleven civilians were killed and 15 were wounded. 17 of the nearby houses were also attacked. A person inside the house who was trying to switch on the TV to listen to the leader's speech got his head severed and died on the spot. An International non-governmental organization ‘Forut’ was also severely affected.
On the same day 11were killed in a claymore attack carried out by the Deep Penetration Unit of the SriLankan army. This included seven schoolgirls and three male volunteers and the driver. It was just 50 meters from the place of attack that the children have alighted into a minibus to volunteer at the memorial celebrations. With all this, the speech was let on the air at the scheduled time using a clandestine transmitter. After a while I had the opportunity to see the radio station and the affected area. They were in shambles and remained a proof for a war torn area. That was not the only disaster on that day. There were still more bombings in other areas of Wanni as well.
All these were news in the international media. But did anyone help us out? No one could do anything. Is this the fate of Tamils? I became tired of thinking. ‘No choice’ is what makes the people go about with their daily routine with all the pain they experience throughout. But still you can never- never reject the impact of these, which are to affect the lives of the people permanently. Is ‘trauma’ the only word to express the suffering of these people? Will the elite group of people who enjoy the message of such disaster ever realize their pain?
Life on the run
I met a boy of 17years whom I asked which area of Tamil Eelam he is from. He answered, “Amma I had been running since I was three. I have lived under the trees. Slept in open places. Eating whatever is available and my mother has told me that she even had to quench my thirst with the water running in a canal that carried dirty water. I haven’t attended schools regularly. I was in several schools. I couldn’t concentrate in my studies for I didn’t know where I will go next.†He is not the only youth with such a story. There are many such people. Their agony doesn’t end there. They have seen people being killed due to the bombing and shelling. They have seen the distorted bodies; helped to clean them up. There live so many people who lost their limbs and eye-sight. The worry, the memories and the impact is too much to bear with.
Everyday news from the north of Wanni- the Jaffna peninsula stands out as a proof for our mere helplessness. It is a silent process. There are arrests, disappearances and extra judicial killings in the area, which is claimed to have been freed. Every single day there is no dawn without a killing of a youth. Yet we could do nothing. Nothing to help our people. Are we that incapable even in lands where at least our cries are heard?
Eelam – a clarion call
We know for sure there is no mercy we can expect from the Sri Lankan governments. However loud the expatriate Tamil community try to bring this into the attention of the foreign governments, they too keep silent as they believe only what the Sri Lankan government announces- because that is said to be the ethics of the governments. Where are we to turn for help? Even those who try to voice for the Tamils are branded as Tiger supporters and neglected and even pushed aside. All the atrocities against the Tamils have to be stopped. We have to work relentlessly until it is stopped. The international community definitely has the power to take control of the deadly activities of the Sri Lankan Government. They just don’t have to interfere in the domestic affairs but can definitely stop supporting and encouraging.
The situation as of now is such, it is only the expatriate Tamils who got to think of the plight of those in Tamil Eelam. We do know that and it is because of this that we always keep an eye on the news from Tamil Eelam.
Hence we do not fail to see the daily news. We sit in a cozy place and read the news either in a computer or sit in a comfort of a sofa and watch TV or read the newspapers. We do feel sorry for the Eelam Tamils and express our feelings in several ways and try to help the suffering of the people in Eelam. With that we forget everything and turn our attention towards various activities – working for our survival in the countries of refuge, caring to our families here and at home, and partying, and amusing us in whatever possible ways. But what we got to keep in mind is that we still have a lot to do. The dying nation has its fullest faith in us – the expatriate Tamils. Are we doing enough? The answer is ‘NO’, not enough. We got to act vigorously. This is what I personally felt during my recent visit to the land of our own. We are a nation full of capabilities. We have the strength. We have the resources. We are successful people with lots of talents. We should feel that nothing is impossible. It is possible!
(http://www.tamilcanadian.com)
Entry into the land of sufferings
At Omanthai, the main Checkpoint before entering Wanni, there were so many lorries with goods. People in Wanni still have to live with certain restrictions imposed on many goods and commodities. What is enjoyed in one part of the country is restricted for another part. No matter what the reason may be but certainly it places one section of the people as privileged against the other. They have to wait there for two – three days when they could be checked and allowed to proceed. Only certain items are allowed in and every single item from the lorry has to be unloaded and opened and then packed and again loaded. That was so strenuous. The weather will be extremely hot or will be raining and muddy. There are no basic facilities for anyone to stay overnight. Still they got to manage everything. As for the people passing thorough the checkpoint, no vehicles are allowed beyond the point till the next checkpoint of the LTTE at Puliyangkulam. Hence they have to carry all their goods and walk the distance.
This certainly is a difficult task for those who have most probably traveled a long way and waited in queues at the checkpoints and are already tired of the proceedings at every checkpoint. As mine was along journey that took almost three days at a stretch I was dead tired and to take out the bags at every checkpoint and open it and letting it to be checked and proceeding was awful. Even the batteries that were in the camera were not allowed to be taken into Wanni as they are one of the prohibited items. Again there is a checkpoint at Puliyangkulam as well. At last when I learnt that I have no more checking I let go off a sigh of relief.
Waking up-to daily shelling
But the relief at that point doesn’t mean that the life is going to be of peace and luxury. I realized it during my stay over there. The people in Wanni live and have learnt to live in a place where their days are opened up either with the sound of the artillery shelling or Kfir’s bombing. I wondered how these people who woke up at the sound of the temple bells and singing of birds could live amidst these disastrous noise. The thunderous blows of the shells come in all directions, from the north of Wanni, from Mannar, Killali. Poonagari, Muhamaalai and Naagarkovil and bang the boarders. It sounds as if to push the land. The blows would be like pounding ones chest. At the beginning I would be shaken out of a sudden thud. But when I felt that it is almost a daily routine for people to live with it. I realized that everyone has to learn to live with it. I wondered if one who is far away from the places of shelling is affected so much by the sound itself how far those who are facing it and the people closer to it will be feeling! People become displaced as a result and the suffering as a result is immense. If not for those who are guarding day and night at these boarders the people in Wanni will have no peace of mind. They will not be going on with their daily activities. They are there day and night amidst rain and heat amidst animals and snakes that swarm throughout the forests. Thanks in first place to those souls, who are really, really, great.
A land of joy becomes a land of cries
The land however,by nature’s bliss is a lovely place to live and the people are hardworking to make it prosperous. The days I was in Wanni had a mild weather and I didn’t have to face the heat. The weather was fine. You wouldn’t like to huddle in the bed a few more minutes- a few more minutes - to escape the cold and chill in the morning as you do in Canada: You would love to run into the lawn to enjoy the nature’s bliss that is showered early in the morning. It would send you into the happiest feelings to start a fresh day. The birds singing, the flowers blooming in different hues, the breeze that embraces you and the joy of seeing people actively starting the day with much hope and enthusiasm. You would just like to absorb all the happiness into every nerve of your body.
What was agony - Then and now
In the blink of an eye you are robbed off of all the happiness and turned out to be a panicky poor soul who would have not even a second to think if you are going to be alive or dead. In my childhood, while I was in our land of pride many more years ago, I have enjoyed the scene when a hen would take its recently hatched chicken out in the lawn at the dawn of the day. Scratching the soil with its claws, to reveal some kind of food buried in the soil for the chicks to eat. The lovely little chicken would make their way towards the spot to feast on their mother’s venture. So happy they are – that one would love to think, how nice it will be to be like them. But this won’t last long.
All of a sudden the hen becomes panicky and gives a signal fluttering its wings. The tiny chicken, whom we thought are just brainless little souls run towards their mother to find shelter under its wings. All happens in a jiffy. The hen and the chicken under the hen’s wings lie motionless under the shade of some foliage. There in the sky you see the hungry devilish eagle circling the spot ready to plunge on the innocent chicken. It is not always that the chickens escape the demonic eyes of the eagle and the hen could protect its babies. The eagle is at times quicker and lucky to carry away a chick. The mother hen cries loud, sounds its inability, runs after the eagle and al the other chicks would run about helplessly. I would just run after the eagle shouting out ‘choo choo’- all just efforts to save the chick if the eagle by accident let the chick go off its claws. But even if it happens the poor chick wouldn’t live long in my hands. The ultimate feelings however are to realize that one is desperate and can do nothing about it.
Those were the days we felt for the chicken. But now in Wanni- in the area of Tamils of Tamil Eelam it is far, far, far more a tragedy to see human suffering the same.
Kfir – Daily Messengers of Death
What a difference! In place of the eagle that took the lives of the chicks there is the Man operated Kfir. I couldn’t conclude if the man or the Kfir is the messenger of death. But certainly the man has his role as well. Kfir is a man-made huge iron air vessel that carries the dangerous poisonous thing called bombs that are shifted into its belly using cranes. They are so huge and heavy. The iron structure called as the Israeli-made Kfir flies from Colombo, the capital city of Sri Lanka in just ten minutes. It comes with the sole purpose of taking the lives of Tamils that have become so cheap in the eyes of the Sri Lankan government- a democratic government said to be adhering to the noble truths of Lord Buddha who preached against the killings of lives in whatever form. The eagle as said above stick to no moral rules neither it has the capacity to think. But the government that sends the killer in the form of a Kfir and the man behind the wheels are capable of thinking. They do think- in terms of killing Tamils. Let it be anybody - children, elderly, or sick, they are Tamils and they should be killed.
I happened to feel a piece of the outer covering of the bomb which at the blast was thrown to a distance of about 500 meters. It was about ten inches in length, sharp at all sides, uneven and weighed more than two kilos. That was enough to take the life of someone if it fell on some ill-fated person. It is made up of some poisonous metal. The bomb itself is more that a ton heavy and if that happened to be targeted on the people how worse the effect can be? Have men become so heartless to think about it or are they rather obsessed with killing people? Can anyone ever find pleasure in such merciless killings? I got no answer.
Even a small child in Tamil Eelam knows about a Kfir. It is the deadly dragon that comes to prey on them. It has become a daily exercise for the people to be prepared to protect themselves at the sound of a Kfir. In whatever activities they may be engaged they should be ready to abandon it at once and seek protection. There is always the tension and fear. Still they have to go on with their daily activities. They have learned to live a life with all the fear and tension- worries and sorrow. It is just because of this they are able to save themselves and not because of any kind of mercy shown towards them. Everybody including the elderly, sick, mothers with new-born babies, school children and the invalid have to run for shelter. Although no shelter guarantees safety that is their maximum effort to save themselves.
In the eye of the storm
It was the 25th of November 2007. I was sitting at the door-steps of the house, relaxing and enjoying the outside view -the garden and the flowers and the unpolluted atmosphere that refreshes anyone both mentally and physically. There were some children playing in the opposite compound playing and giggling and shouting in their natural carefree childhood innocence. I enjoyed it very much. But this didn’t last long.
All of a sudden there was the sound of the Kfir approaching. Before I could gather my senses the children took to their heels and fled somewhere and I too was called out to run away. There wasn’t time to run. I could just go to the backdoor of the house and there was the deadly noise of the bomb being dropped and the blast of it from all sides, the banging of the doors and windows and the people running and shouting out in panic. I heard as if a heap of daggers are being dashed simultaneously. I felt it close–so close that they rang in my ears. I shut my ears, closed my eyes and pressed myself against a wall and stood motionless. All what I could think was that I cannot do anything other than accepting whatever fate decides for me. My throat was parched; I lost the capacity to think anymore and everything was beyond my control. When all is over and there was absolute silence I couldn’t even think that I am saved. There was smoke everywhere. The unpolluted atmosphere I just enjoyed got surrounded with poisonous gaseous elements from the bomb. A silence that predicted the death of some innocent lives prevailed in the neighbourhood. People were running helter-skelter. They were running to see what had happened and who is left dead and injured. At once they started acting and rushed to the spot for help. All in a moment depicting how unpredictable is life in Tamil Eelam. What can we do to help these people? The question always absorbed my thoughts.
Again the following day I had a worse experience. In the nick of the time I heard the sound, the Kfir was there preparing itself to drop the bomb. I was neither in the house nor in a place to protect myself. I couldn’t run any further for the Kfir was almost ready to drop the bomb. The only alternative left was to lie on the floor and see if I survive or not. Your life is not yours – it is all I could feel. But I survived again.
Then came the worst of all days. It was November 27th. The whole of Wanni was decorated with red and yellow flags and posters of the Martyrs were everywhere, roads were cleaned and it was a commemorative day for Eelam Tamils to visit the martyrs who laid their lives in the freedom fight. People were going towards the memorial with garlands of flowers in their hands to pay respect to their loved ones. The roads were full of people of all ages. The land was so beautiful that the people never would have had the intention to think about the danger to their lives. Although they knew that the enemy is heartless they were fully absorbed in the thoughts of the loved ones to whom they were going to pay homage. But the cruel enemy did come on their way in the demonic Kfir to take the lives of some more.
Silenced Voice of Tamils
Voice of Tigers is the radio that currently brings the news in Tamil Eelam to the people around the world. The whole world was anxiously waiting to listen to the speech made by the national leader Mr. Velupppillai Pirabahararn. The time was 6pm. Just before the time the messenger of death assisted with a MIG aircraft entered the land of Wanni. It had the specific place of target. The Voice of Tigers radio station is right on the A9 highway and they had no strain in locating the place. It plunged on the building smashing the place with repeated bombing. The whole of Kilinochchi came to a standstill. Although most of the workers from the radio station expected such a disaster and escaped to safer place three of them including an engineer and a worker who is a mother of three got killed at the spot. The pedestrians on their way to the memorial fields were no exemption. Eleven civilians were killed and 15 were wounded. 17 of the nearby houses were also attacked. A person inside the house who was trying to switch on the TV to listen to the leader's speech got his head severed and died on the spot. An International non-governmental organization ‘Forut’ was also severely affected.
On the same day 11were killed in a claymore attack carried out by the Deep Penetration Unit of the SriLankan army. This included seven schoolgirls and three male volunteers and the driver. It was just 50 meters from the place of attack that the children have alighted into a minibus to volunteer at the memorial celebrations. With all this, the speech was let on the air at the scheduled time using a clandestine transmitter. After a while I had the opportunity to see the radio station and the affected area. They were in shambles and remained a proof for a war torn area. That was not the only disaster on that day. There were still more bombings in other areas of Wanni as well.
All these were news in the international media. But did anyone help us out? No one could do anything. Is this the fate of Tamils? I became tired of thinking. ‘No choice’ is what makes the people go about with their daily routine with all the pain they experience throughout. But still you can never- never reject the impact of these, which are to affect the lives of the people permanently. Is ‘trauma’ the only word to express the suffering of these people? Will the elite group of people who enjoy the message of such disaster ever realize their pain?
Life on the run
I met a boy of 17years whom I asked which area of Tamil Eelam he is from. He answered, “Amma I had been running since I was three. I have lived under the trees. Slept in open places. Eating whatever is available and my mother has told me that she even had to quench my thirst with the water running in a canal that carried dirty water. I haven’t attended schools regularly. I was in several schools. I couldn’t concentrate in my studies for I didn’t know where I will go next.†He is not the only youth with such a story. There are many such people. Their agony doesn’t end there. They have seen people being killed due to the bombing and shelling. They have seen the distorted bodies; helped to clean them up. There live so many people who lost their limbs and eye-sight. The worry, the memories and the impact is too much to bear with.
Everyday news from the north of Wanni- the Jaffna peninsula stands out as a proof for our mere helplessness. It is a silent process. There are arrests, disappearances and extra judicial killings in the area, which is claimed to have been freed. Every single day there is no dawn without a killing of a youth. Yet we could do nothing. Nothing to help our people. Are we that incapable even in lands where at least our cries are heard?
Eelam – a clarion call
We know for sure there is no mercy we can expect from the Sri Lankan governments. However loud the expatriate Tamil community try to bring this into the attention of the foreign governments, they too keep silent as they believe only what the Sri Lankan government announces- because that is said to be the ethics of the governments. Where are we to turn for help? Even those who try to voice for the Tamils are branded as Tiger supporters and neglected and even pushed aside. All the atrocities against the Tamils have to be stopped. We have to work relentlessly until it is stopped. The international community definitely has the power to take control of the deadly activities of the Sri Lankan Government. They just don’t have to interfere in the domestic affairs but can definitely stop supporting and encouraging.
The situation as of now is such, it is only the expatriate Tamils who got to think of the plight of those in Tamil Eelam. We do know that and it is because of this that we always keep an eye on the news from Tamil Eelam.
Hence we do not fail to see the daily news. We sit in a cozy place and read the news either in a computer or sit in a comfort of a sofa and watch TV or read the newspapers. We do feel sorry for the Eelam Tamils and express our feelings in several ways and try to help the suffering of the people in Eelam. With that we forget everything and turn our attention towards various activities – working for our survival in the countries of refuge, caring to our families here and at home, and partying, and amusing us in whatever possible ways. But what we got to keep in mind is that we still have a lot to do. The dying nation has its fullest faith in us – the expatriate Tamils. Are we doing enough? The answer is ‘NO’, not enough. We got to act vigorously. This is what I personally felt during my recent visit to the land of our own. We are a nation full of capabilities. We have the strength. We have the resources. We are successful people with lots of talents. We should feel that nothing is impossible. It is possible!
(http://www.tamilcanadian.com)
Skirmishes Continue in Vanni
An average of 10 LTTE cadres a day or more are being killed by the Security Forces in limited offensives ahead of the Vanni FDLs each day. An average of 2 Security Forces personnel a day are also sacrificing their lives. These offensive operations from Mannar to Kokkuthuduwai and Kilali to Muhamalai is forcing a separation of LTTE ground forces. More experienced cadres from Charles Anthony Regiment are forcing less experienced cadres into the front to face SLA advances.
Meanwhile a team of instructors from The United States Marine Corp is to arrive in the island shortly to train the Sri Lanka Army's 2nd Regiment Special Forces and the Special Boat Squadron of the Sri Lanka Navy at Trincomalee, Tangalle and Maduru Oya.
(http://defencewire.blogspot.com)
Meanwhile a team of instructors from The United States Marine Corp is to arrive in the island shortly to train the Sri Lanka Army's 2nd Regiment Special Forces and the Special Boat Squadron of the Sri Lanka Navy at Trincomalee, Tangalle and Maduru Oya.
(http://defencewire.blogspot.com)
Troops overrun LTTE's 'VIETNAM base'
During the recent military advance into non-liberated territory ahead of Wanni defences, security forces overran what was identified to be LTTE's 'VIETNAM Base' located at general area Periyapunichankulama, security sources said.
Security forces met with minimum resistance during the advance as demoralized terrorists were on the flight with acute shortage of will and man power, defence sources said.
The LTTE strategic base stretching approximately 400m and 300m in breath consists with 18 to 20 overhead bunkers, ground sources said. Eight to ten cadjan roofed huts and a kitchen were inside the terrorist camp. Troops also located a 150m long tunnel (2 m width and 2 m height) forming a clandestine exit route from the camp.
"Few chairs were also found inside a building and the word "VIETNAM" was written on them", military reported citing field sources.
Security forces met with minimum resistance during the advance as demoralized terrorists were on the flight with acute shortage of will and man power, defence sources said.
The LTTE strategic base stretching approximately 400m and 300m in breath consists with 18 to 20 overhead bunkers, ground sources said. Eight to ten cadjan roofed huts and a kitchen were inside the terrorist camp. Troops also located a 150m long tunnel (2 m width and 2 m height) forming a clandestine exit route from the camp.
"Few chairs were also found inside a building and the word "VIETNAM" was written on them", military reported citing field sources.
LTTE prevents opening up of A-9 road – Rajiv Wijesingha
In a rejoinder, Rajiv Wijesingha, Secretary General of Sri Lanka’s Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process has revealed, because in the North, and in particular at Muhumalai, the LTTE has continued with planned attacks on Government forces, regularly causing death and injury and It was precisely for that reason that the government is unable to open the A-9 road there.
While contradicting statement by Ms Selvy, LTTE Spokesperson for Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs regarding Jaffna civilians and the transport of Sri Lanka military to and from Jaffna, Rajiv Wijesingha, in a statement wrote, “Anyway, by October 2006 there was another reason for withdrawal from talks, namely the closure of the A9. Ms Selvy does not however mention why the A9 was closed southward from Jaffna. To put it quite bluntly, this happened after a massive artillery and mortar attack launched by the LTTE on the government forces on August 11th 2006, an attack which was the gravest threat in years to the security of the Jaffna peninsula, and which also destroyed the entire infrastructure built by the government at Muhamalai to facilitate the movement of people and goods.”
Rajiv Wijesingha pointed out in his note contradicting Ms. Selvy’s statement said that when the Government agreed at Geneva to discuss the issue further, in trying to seek guarantees that national security will not be compromised by opening up this route, the LTTE remained intransigent.
While further blaming the intransigence of the LTTE he added, purpose of the LTTE after all was not the well being of the citizens of Jaffna, but rather the propaganda use it could make of the closure. Hence its determination to prevent civilian shipping, he said.
He further pointed out that LTTE threats forced the ICRC to stop its initial positive response to the government request ‘to facilitate the movement of goods and people from and to Jaffna by sea.’
“And still the failure to provide the security guarantees necessary for the ICRC to act continues. Indeed, after the attack on a civilian transport in November 2006, there was also an attack on a food ship, which contributed to shortages in Jaffna, though concerted efforts by the Commissioner General for Essential Services rapidly reduced the shortages and prices” Rajiv Wijesingha underlined in his statement.
Given below a statement made by Rajiva Wijesinha, Secretary General, Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process on a statement made by Ms Selvy, LTTE Spokesperson for Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs regarding Jaffna civilians and the transport of Sri Lanka military to and from Jaffna,
LTTE abuse of Tamils and the Truth
Further disinformation by educated LTTE leaders
The attention of the Peace Secretariat was recently drawn to a statement by theLTTE Spokesperson for Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs regarding Jaffna civilians and the transport of Sri Lanka military to and from Jaffna.
The writer, Ms N Selvy, and the Development Spokesperson to whom she had initially sent the statement, Mr V Bavan, are – especially the latter - amongst the brighter sparks in the LTTE. They were comparatively good students in the heady days of optimism, when Bradford University and the Social Scientists Association ran a Conflict Resolution Course up in Kilinochchi. If and when the present intransigent blight in the LTTE is lifted, such educated individuals will we hope be part of a cohesive Sri Lanka.
The present statement however shows a startling ignorance or perhaps ignoring of the need for consistency and evidence for pronouncements. It claims that the ‘Geneva II talks in October 2006, between the LTTE and the Government of Sri Lanka, broke down because the Government of Sri Lanka refused to open the A9 route to allow Jaffna civilians land access to the rest of the island and the world. Prior to the permanent closure of this A9 route, it served as a life line to the people of Jaffna as well as Vanni. Seriously ill medical cases from Vanni were taken in ambulances to the Jaffna hospital. Every day ambulances plied seven to eight times a day, carrying around six patients in each trip. This is necessitated by the poor medical resources in Vanni. Even the Jaffna hospital resources are very poor in comparison to what is available in the south of island. Many very seriously ill patients were taken to Colombo for treatment through the A9 route.’
There are several problems with these assertions. Firstly, talks between the government and the LTTE have broken down on several occasions simply because the LTTE decided they would break down. Shakespeare’s rather unfair characterization of women – I have none other but a woman’s reason. I think him so because I think him so – would have been far more appropriate for the LTTE, even if Ms Selvy is the specific exponent of this school of non-thought in this instance. In short, the particular pretext advanced by the LTTE at any stage is not the reason for anything because, as we have often seen, the reason changes each time.
In 2003 the LTTE withdrew for the reasons given in Mr Balasingham’s long letter. In June 2006 they did not even start talking, for reasons which are not clear, except perhaps in the revelation of the Norwegian Ambassador that Mr Thamilselvam ‘had insisted that the issue of child recruitment does not fall within the parameters of the CFA’. The Norwegian Ambassador had very properly disagreed with this and pointed out that the CFA did mention abductions, and also that ‘continued recruitment was extremely damaging to the image of the LTTE at the international level’. The LTTE may have finally understood this, when Ms Radhika Coomaraswamy spoke up boldly against their violation of national and international laws. Having run circles round the last UNICEF Head in Sri Lanka, they have finally said that ‘by the end of this year LTTE will announce that there are no more under-18 persons in the organization’.
Prevarications regarding child soldiers
Entertainingly, according to the LTTE, ‘The UNICEF Head said that his visit was an introductory meeting with the Political Head. Among the topics discussed were the work of United Nations in general in the Tamil homeland and the program of releasing under-18 persons in the LTTE….Pointing to the delay by UNICEF in completing its part in this program, Nadeson called on the UNICEF Head to ensure that UNICEF carry out its part in verifying the under-18 persons released by the LTTE and also in doing its part to reunite the released children with their families….UNICEF must be ready to do its part to complete its role in this program so that it too can remain in sync in its statement. The children being killed and injured by the aerial bombing and claymore attacks of the Sri Lanka were also discussed at the meeting.’
Such a release by the LTTE is understandable, though it is sad that the UN has not as yet seen fit to dissociate itself with the claim that there is ‘work of United Nations in general in the Tamil homeland’ or ‘claymore attacks of the Sri Lanka’. But perhaps the UN has even now realized how serious is the issue of child soldiers and, in welcoming the declaration that the excuses offered to the previous UNICEF head will now cease, perhaps it has forgotten all its other obligations.
LTTE resumption of large scale hostilities and destruction of the A 9 route
Anyway, by October 2006 there was another reason for withdrawal from talks, namely the closure of the A9. Ms Selvy does not however mention why the A9 was closed southward from Jaffna. To put it quite bluntly, this happened after a massive artillery and mortar attack launched by the LTTE on the government forces on August 11th 2006, an attack which was the gravest threat in years to the security of the Jaffna peninsula, and which also destroyed the entire infrastructure built by the government at Muhamalai to facilitate the movement of people and goods.
It is now forgotten that that attack, following hard on the massive attack on Muttur at the beginning of the month, represented the culmination of LTTE violations of the 2002 Ceasefire. And, while the 3000 odd violations before that could have been characterized as individual incursions, not part of a tactical plan (though undoubtedly part of a sustained strategy of attrition), the two attacks of August 2006 were designed to wrench control of the North and East from the government. Sadly, given the oafish antics of Gen Henricsson, diverted from intelligent analysis by his emotional response to restrictions on his movements in Muttur, the SLMM failed signally to monitor and report on the conceptual change represented by these LTTE attacks.
Perhaps because the attacks were repulsed so successfully, and the strategy fell into abeyance, the SLMM, the Norwegians and the rest of the international community have failed to register that that was the culmination of the subtle and not so subtle campaign of murder, abduction and intimidation (to say nothing of purchase and importation of heavy and lethal weaponry) that the LTTE had carried on sustainedly from the day the Ceasefire was signed.
In short, the actions of the Defence forces in August 2006 should have met with Churchillian gratitude, instead of the relentless attacks on them and the government that have ensured, by liars such as General Henricsson and Nicholas Howen of the International Commission of Jurists (who had the temerity to accuse the government of tampering with evidence). In the East, disregarding the continuing sniping, by the LTTE and by other votaries of falsehood, the forces have ensured that such sudden attacks can no longer occur. However, in the North, and in particular at Muhumalai, the LTTE has continued with planned attacks on Government forces, regularly causing death and injury. It is precisely for that reason that the government is unable to open the road there.
LTTE refusal in Geneva to discuss modalities of opening the A 9 or providing supplies and transport by sea
However, when the government agreed at Geneva to discuss the issue further, in trying to seek guarantees that national security will not be compromised by opening up this route, the LTTE remained intransigent. Its purpose after all was not the well being of the citizens of Jaffna, but rather the propaganda use it could make of the closure. Hence its determination to prevent civilian shipping. As reported even in the ‘Leader’, LTTE threats forced the ICRC to stop its initial positive response to the government request ‘to facilitate the movement of goods and people from and to Jaffna by sea.’ And still the failure to provide the security guarantees necessary for the ICRC to act continues. Indeed, after the attack on a civilian transport in November 2006, there was also an attack on a food ship, which contributed to shortages in Jaffna, though concerted efforts by the Commissioner General for Essential Services rapidly reduced the shortages and prices.
Meanwhile, assuming the LTTE wants to continue to keep the navy occupied in guarding the movement of civilians and supplies on the longer routes, Civil Society, led by the Bishops as well as genuinely concerned Tamil politicians such as Douglas Devananda, has requested the commencement of short haul services, from Mannar to the Jaffna islands. This would provide a much cheaper service for people wishing to travel from Jaffna, and for goods for sale. However, though the ICRC has now been twice requested to facilitate such a service, the required security guarantees have not been forthcoming.
The reasons for LTTE hostility to sea routes are suggested by Ms Selvy’s statement, in that generally when a particularly outrageous claim is made, it is because that sort of behaviour is characteristic of the complainant. She claims that ‘It is a well known truth that each time this "civilian passenger" ship plies to and from Jaffna and Trincomalee, invariably the Sri Lankan military personal traveling in the ship is many times more than the number of civilians in the ship. It is also well known to the Jaffna population the difficulties one must go through to first obtain a pass from the military to travel and then obtain a seat in the ship. Reports of the Sri Lanka military demanding every civilian wishing to get a seat in the ship to give the military a name of an LTTE supporter in Jaffna have surfaced many times.’
Unsurprisingly, these reports have surfaced nowhere except in Ms Selvy’s fertile mind, not even in those of the NGOs that joined together with LTTE NGOs to denigrate the Sri Lankan forces. And even if Ms Selvy believes her own fictions, the remedy is very easy, namely to allow the ICRC to resume supervision of such shipping.
But no, the point is that the sea route cannot be allowed to be successful, however much Tamils may want it, because what the LTTE seeks is fuel with which to set the Sri Lankan state on fire.
Firstly, it hopes to rouse hostility against the government.
Secondly, it wants the A 9 reopened so it could resume its practice of taxing those who use it, taking ruthless advantage of those who need to travel.
Numerous studies, the most detailed perhaps being by the essentially Tamil think tank, the 'Point Pedro Research Institute,' have made clear the enormity of Tiger taxation, which has been levied even on aid projects. Needless to say, the money raised by such taxes was used in the past to buy up and transport weaponry.
Humanitarian support provided by government to the people of Jaffna and the Vanni
Ms Selvy’s desperation to criticize is apparent too in the inconsistencies of her attack. She claims that people in the Vanni have no access to good medical treatment because the road from there to Jaffna is closed. This begs the question of the good medical facilities now available in the Vanni itself, services which the government continues to fund, while it recently ensured the development of the Kilinochchi hospital into one of the better equipped in the country. But it also ignores the fact that the government had throughout kept the route southward from the Vanni open.
Indeed the government wanted this open all week, and it was only because of the LTTE that for some time it was open only for three days. With regard to this too the government made several requests to the ICRC before the required security guarantees were obtained. A mark of LTTE duplicity is that it had insisted – and several British parliamentarians were foolish or cunning enough to believe this – that it was the government that wanted the road closed, and it even convinced the SLMM initially that it was because of an LTTE request that the road was opened for a longer period from a couple of months back.
The SLMM was however soon disabused, though SCOPP said it had no objection to the LTTE also being given credit for this. This failed however to win a similar concession regarding sea routes. Meanwhile the SLMM confirms regularly, since SCOPP as opposed to the LTTE is genuinely concerned about food supplies to the Vanni, that these are not a major problem.
So, despite Ms Selvy’s crocodile tears, those in the Vanni are able to get to the south for treatment if the recently modernized hospital in Kilinochchi cannot help them. Why they would therefore want to get to Jaffna should then be a conundrum to Ms Selvy, given how contemptuous she is of the situation and the services there. But the people of Jaffna disagree, as is clear from the use they make of the health services government provides, and obviously the people of the Vanni must agree, if the closure of the Muhumalai checkpoint is as great a blow as Ms Selvy suggests. But, just in case there are shortfalls, there is provision to move people by air or sea, to Colombo or Trincomalee, and the navy even provides transport on special requests if the regular ferry is not available. It should be noted that the ICRC also assists as necessary with regard to air transport, though as mentioned it cannot help as far as sea travel is concerned since it has not received the required guarantees.
But the hypocrisy continues. The LTTE and its agents still go on about starvation in Jaffna, despite the steady supplies government sends, despite the latest UN report claiming that even those in the Welfare Centres find basic needs both readily available and affordable. That report makes clear that government not only continues to provide education to almost all children in these centres, it has even supplied uniforms to the vast majority of them. Health and education are also freely supplied to the citizens in the Vanni, bitterly circumscribed as they are otherwise by the LTTE impositions, which even the United Nations has begun to talk about, in finally drawing the attention of international media to the habit of forced conscription.
Support of the military for civilians
Finally, Ms Selvy exceeds herself in her conclusion, which is that ‘Transporting military personnel using civilians, especially the ill, is also a violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention.’ She has evidently forgotten that it is the Sri Lankan government that now protects all transport (much of it, incidentally, owned by Tamil businessmen), since the ICRC has been in effect debarred, despite its initial helpful intervention in August soon after the LTTE assaults led to the closure of Muhumalai. Far from the government using civilians – unlike the LTTE, which launched its attack when a busload of apparent civilians turned their guns on the soldiers at the checkpoint – it provides services for civilians at the cost of several man hours of protection duty by our much malighed servicemen.
Indeed, it was pointed out that SCOPP could not expect the LTTE to allow the ICRC to look after civilian and food transport between Jaffna and Trincomalee / Colombo, because the poor ICRC might then be accused of freeing up navy personnel to perform their primary duty, that of fighting terrorism. However, at least on humanitarian grounds the LTTE could allow ICRC to run short haul transport, since that would be no advantage to the navy which is not doing that now.
But humanitarian grounds do not matter to the LTTE, not even to its spokesperson on humanitarian issues and human rights. By withdrawing poor Mr Thamilselvam from peace talks, and forcing him into military fatigues – including at the attack on Muhumalai – the LTTE exploded the myth of a political wing. By making the LTTE Peace Secretariat glorify suicide cadres on the eve of their (self)-destructive mission, the LTTE exploded the myth of an institution concerned with peace. And now, by making poor Ms Selvi issue self-contradictory statements regarding the closure of the road that resulted from its brutal assault last year and its categorical refusal at Geneva to discuss modalities of reopening it, the LTTE has exploded the myth of at least one person more concerned with humanitarian issues rather than militaristic propaganda.
But all this, we must hope, is simply due to the continuing intransigence of the leadership. Ms Selvy showed intelligence once, and awareness of at least some of the realities of the world outside. For her sake, and that of the suffering thousands still in the Vanni, we must hope that at least some elements in the leadership will ensure a sea change (in every sense) in the near future.
Rajiva Wijesinha,
Secretary General,
Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process.
While contradicting statement by Ms Selvy, LTTE Spokesperson for Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs regarding Jaffna civilians and the transport of Sri Lanka military to and from Jaffna, Rajiv Wijesingha, in a statement wrote, “Anyway, by October 2006 there was another reason for withdrawal from talks, namely the closure of the A9. Ms Selvy does not however mention why the A9 was closed southward from Jaffna. To put it quite bluntly, this happened after a massive artillery and mortar attack launched by the LTTE on the government forces on August 11th 2006, an attack which was the gravest threat in years to the security of the Jaffna peninsula, and which also destroyed the entire infrastructure built by the government at Muhamalai to facilitate the movement of people and goods.”
Rajiv Wijesingha pointed out in his note contradicting Ms. Selvy’s statement said that when the Government agreed at Geneva to discuss the issue further, in trying to seek guarantees that national security will not be compromised by opening up this route, the LTTE remained intransigent.
While further blaming the intransigence of the LTTE he added, purpose of the LTTE after all was not the well being of the citizens of Jaffna, but rather the propaganda use it could make of the closure. Hence its determination to prevent civilian shipping, he said.
He further pointed out that LTTE threats forced the ICRC to stop its initial positive response to the government request ‘to facilitate the movement of goods and people from and to Jaffna by sea.’
“And still the failure to provide the security guarantees necessary for the ICRC to act continues. Indeed, after the attack on a civilian transport in November 2006, there was also an attack on a food ship, which contributed to shortages in Jaffna, though concerted efforts by the Commissioner General for Essential Services rapidly reduced the shortages and prices” Rajiv Wijesingha underlined in his statement.
Given below a statement made by Rajiva Wijesinha, Secretary General, Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process on a statement made by Ms Selvy, LTTE Spokesperson for Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs regarding Jaffna civilians and the transport of Sri Lanka military to and from Jaffna,
LTTE abuse of Tamils and the Truth
Further disinformation by educated LTTE leaders
The attention of the Peace Secretariat was recently drawn to a statement by theLTTE Spokesperson for Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs regarding Jaffna civilians and the transport of Sri Lanka military to and from Jaffna.
The writer, Ms N Selvy, and the Development Spokesperson to whom she had initially sent the statement, Mr V Bavan, are – especially the latter - amongst the brighter sparks in the LTTE. They were comparatively good students in the heady days of optimism, when Bradford University and the Social Scientists Association ran a Conflict Resolution Course up in Kilinochchi. If and when the present intransigent blight in the LTTE is lifted, such educated individuals will we hope be part of a cohesive Sri Lanka.
The present statement however shows a startling ignorance or perhaps ignoring of the need for consistency and evidence for pronouncements. It claims that the ‘Geneva II talks in October 2006, between the LTTE and the Government of Sri Lanka, broke down because the Government of Sri Lanka refused to open the A9 route to allow Jaffna civilians land access to the rest of the island and the world. Prior to the permanent closure of this A9 route, it served as a life line to the people of Jaffna as well as Vanni. Seriously ill medical cases from Vanni were taken in ambulances to the Jaffna hospital. Every day ambulances plied seven to eight times a day, carrying around six patients in each trip. This is necessitated by the poor medical resources in Vanni. Even the Jaffna hospital resources are very poor in comparison to what is available in the south of island. Many very seriously ill patients were taken to Colombo for treatment through the A9 route.’
There are several problems with these assertions. Firstly, talks between the government and the LTTE have broken down on several occasions simply because the LTTE decided they would break down. Shakespeare’s rather unfair characterization of women – I have none other but a woman’s reason. I think him so because I think him so – would have been far more appropriate for the LTTE, even if Ms Selvy is the specific exponent of this school of non-thought in this instance. In short, the particular pretext advanced by the LTTE at any stage is not the reason for anything because, as we have often seen, the reason changes each time.
In 2003 the LTTE withdrew for the reasons given in Mr Balasingham’s long letter. In June 2006 they did not even start talking, for reasons which are not clear, except perhaps in the revelation of the Norwegian Ambassador that Mr Thamilselvam ‘had insisted that the issue of child recruitment does not fall within the parameters of the CFA’. The Norwegian Ambassador had very properly disagreed with this and pointed out that the CFA did mention abductions, and also that ‘continued recruitment was extremely damaging to the image of the LTTE at the international level’. The LTTE may have finally understood this, when Ms Radhika Coomaraswamy spoke up boldly against their violation of national and international laws. Having run circles round the last UNICEF Head in Sri Lanka, they have finally said that ‘by the end of this year LTTE will announce that there are no more under-18 persons in the organization’.
Prevarications regarding child soldiers
Entertainingly, according to the LTTE, ‘The UNICEF Head said that his visit was an introductory meeting with the Political Head. Among the topics discussed were the work of United Nations in general in the Tamil homeland and the program of releasing under-18 persons in the LTTE….Pointing to the delay by UNICEF in completing its part in this program, Nadeson called on the UNICEF Head to ensure that UNICEF carry out its part in verifying the under-18 persons released by the LTTE and also in doing its part to reunite the released children with their families….UNICEF must be ready to do its part to complete its role in this program so that it too can remain in sync in its statement. The children being killed and injured by the aerial bombing and claymore attacks of the Sri Lanka were also discussed at the meeting.’
Such a release by the LTTE is understandable, though it is sad that the UN has not as yet seen fit to dissociate itself with the claim that there is ‘work of United Nations in general in the Tamil homeland’ or ‘claymore attacks of the Sri Lanka’. But perhaps the UN has even now realized how serious is the issue of child soldiers and, in welcoming the declaration that the excuses offered to the previous UNICEF head will now cease, perhaps it has forgotten all its other obligations.
LTTE resumption of large scale hostilities and destruction of the A 9 route
Anyway, by October 2006 there was another reason for withdrawal from talks, namely the closure of the A9. Ms Selvy does not however mention why the A9 was closed southward from Jaffna. To put it quite bluntly, this happened after a massive artillery and mortar attack launched by the LTTE on the government forces on August 11th 2006, an attack which was the gravest threat in years to the security of the Jaffna peninsula, and which also destroyed the entire infrastructure built by the government at Muhamalai to facilitate the movement of people and goods.
It is now forgotten that that attack, following hard on the massive attack on Muttur at the beginning of the month, represented the culmination of LTTE violations of the 2002 Ceasefire. And, while the 3000 odd violations before that could have been characterized as individual incursions, not part of a tactical plan (though undoubtedly part of a sustained strategy of attrition), the two attacks of August 2006 were designed to wrench control of the North and East from the government. Sadly, given the oafish antics of Gen Henricsson, diverted from intelligent analysis by his emotional response to restrictions on his movements in Muttur, the SLMM failed signally to monitor and report on the conceptual change represented by these LTTE attacks.
Perhaps because the attacks were repulsed so successfully, and the strategy fell into abeyance, the SLMM, the Norwegians and the rest of the international community have failed to register that that was the culmination of the subtle and not so subtle campaign of murder, abduction and intimidation (to say nothing of purchase and importation of heavy and lethal weaponry) that the LTTE had carried on sustainedly from the day the Ceasefire was signed.
In short, the actions of the Defence forces in August 2006 should have met with Churchillian gratitude, instead of the relentless attacks on them and the government that have ensured, by liars such as General Henricsson and Nicholas Howen of the International Commission of Jurists (who had the temerity to accuse the government of tampering with evidence). In the East, disregarding the continuing sniping, by the LTTE and by other votaries of falsehood, the forces have ensured that such sudden attacks can no longer occur. However, in the North, and in particular at Muhumalai, the LTTE has continued with planned attacks on Government forces, regularly causing death and injury. It is precisely for that reason that the government is unable to open the road there.
LTTE refusal in Geneva to discuss modalities of opening the A 9 or providing supplies and transport by sea
However, when the government agreed at Geneva to discuss the issue further, in trying to seek guarantees that national security will not be compromised by opening up this route, the LTTE remained intransigent. Its purpose after all was not the well being of the citizens of Jaffna, but rather the propaganda use it could make of the closure. Hence its determination to prevent civilian shipping. As reported even in the ‘Leader’, LTTE threats forced the ICRC to stop its initial positive response to the government request ‘to facilitate the movement of goods and people from and to Jaffna by sea.’ And still the failure to provide the security guarantees necessary for the ICRC to act continues. Indeed, after the attack on a civilian transport in November 2006, there was also an attack on a food ship, which contributed to shortages in Jaffna, though concerted efforts by the Commissioner General for Essential Services rapidly reduced the shortages and prices.
Meanwhile, assuming the LTTE wants to continue to keep the navy occupied in guarding the movement of civilians and supplies on the longer routes, Civil Society, led by the Bishops as well as genuinely concerned Tamil politicians such as Douglas Devananda, has requested the commencement of short haul services, from Mannar to the Jaffna islands. This would provide a much cheaper service for people wishing to travel from Jaffna, and for goods for sale. However, though the ICRC has now been twice requested to facilitate such a service, the required security guarantees have not been forthcoming.
The reasons for LTTE hostility to sea routes are suggested by Ms Selvy’s statement, in that generally when a particularly outrageous claim is made, it is because that sort of behaviour is characteristic of the complainant. She claims that ‘It is a well known truth that each time this "civilian passenger" ship plies to and from Jaffna and Trincomalee, invariably the Sri Lankan military personal traveling in the ship is many times more than the number of civilians in the ship. It is also well known to the Jaffna population the difficulties one must go through to first obtain a pass from the military to travel and then obtain a seat in the ship. Reports of the Sri Lanka military demanding every civilian wishing to get a seat in the ship to give the military a name of an LTTE supporter in Jaffna have surfaced many times.’
Unsurprisingly, these reports have surfaced nowhere except in Ms Selvy’s fertile mind, not even in those of the NGOs that joined together with LTTE NGOs to denigrate the Sri Lankan forces. And even if Ms Selvy believes her own fictions, the remedy is very easy, namely to allow the ICRC to resume supervision of such shipping.
But no, the point is that the sea route cannot be allowed to be successful, however much Tamils may want it, because what the LTTE seeks is fuel with which to set the Sri Lankan state on fire.
Firstly, it hopes to rouse hostility against the government.
Secondly, it wants the A 9 reopened so it could resume its practice of taxing those who use it, taking ruthless advantage of those who need to travel.
Numerous studies, the most detailed perhaps being by the essentially Tamil think tank, the 'Point Pedro Research Institute,' have made clear the enormity of Tiger taxation, which has been levied even on aid projects. Needless to say, the money raised by such taxes was used in the past to buy up and transport weaponry.
Humanitarian support provided by government to the people of Jaffna and the Vanni
Ms Selvy’s desperation to criticize is apparent too in the inconsistencies of her attack. She claims that people in the Vanni have no access to good medical treatment because the road from there to Jaffna is closed. This begs the question of the good medical facilities now available in the Vanni itself, services which the government continues to fund, while it recently ensured the development of the Kilinochchi hospital into one of the better equipped in the country. But it also ignores the fact that the government had throughout kept the route southward from the Vanni open.
Indeed the government wanted this open all week, and it was only because of the LTTE that for some time it was open only for three days. With regard to this too the government made several requests to the ICRC before the required security guarantees were obtained. A mark of LTTE duplicity is that it had insisted – and several British parliamentarians were foolish or cunning enough to believe this – that it was the government that wanted the road closed, and it even convinced the SLMM initially that it was because of an LTTE request that the road was opened for a longer period from a couple of months back.
The SLMM was however soon disabused, though SCOPP said it had no objection to the LTTE also being given credit for this. This failed however to win a similar concession regarding sea routes. Meanwhile the SLMM confirms regularly, since SCOPP as opposed to the LTTE is genuinely concerned about food supplies to the Vanni, that these are not a major problem.
So, despite Ms Selvy’s crocodile tears, those in the Vanni are able to get to the south for treatment if the recently modernized hospital in Kilinochchi cannot help them. Why they would therefore want to get to Jaffna should then be a conundrum to Ms Selvy, given how contemptuous she is of the situation and the services there. But the people of Jaffna disagree, as is clear from the use they make of the health services government provides, and obviously the people of the Vanni must agree, if the closure of the Muhumalai checkpoint is as great a blow as Ms Selvy suggests. But, just in case there are shortfalls, there is provision to move people by air or sea, to Colombo or Trincomalee, and the navy even provides transport on special requests if the regular ferry is not available. It should be noted that the ICRC also assists as necessary with regard to air transport, though as mentioned it cannot help as far as sea travel is concerned since it has not received the required guarantees.
But the hypocrisy continues. The LTTE and its agents still go on about starvation in Jaffna, despite the steady supplies government sends, despite the latest UN report claiming that even those in the Welfare Centres find basic needs both readily available and affordable. That report makes clear that government not only continues to provide education to almost all children in these centres, it has even supplied uniforms to the vast majority of them. Health and education are also freely supplied to the citizens in the Vanni, bitterly circumscribed as they are otherwise by the LTTE impositions, which even the United Nations has begun to talk about, in finally drawing the attention of international media to the habit of forced conscription.
Support of the military for civilians
Finally, Ms Selvy exceeds herself in her conclusion, which is that ‘Transporting military personnel using civilians, especially the ill, is also a violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention.’ She has evidently forgotten that it is the Sri Lankan government that now protects all transport (much of it, incidentally, owned by Tamil businessmen), since the ICRC has been in effect debarred, despite its initial helpful intervention in August soon after the LTTE assaults led to the closure of Muhumalai. Far from the government using civilians – unlike the LTTE, which launched its attack when a busload of apparent civilians turned their guns on the soldiers at the checkpoint – it provides services for civilians at the cost of several man hours of protection duty by our much malighed servicemen.
Indeed, it was pointed out that SCOPP could not expect the LTTE to allow the ICRC to look after civilian and food transport between Jaffna and Trincomalee / Colombo, because the poor ICRC might then be accused of freeing up navy personnel to perform their primary duty, that of fighting terrorism. However, at least on humanitarian grounds the LTTE could allow ICRC to run short haul transport, since that would be no advantage to the navy which is not doing that now.
But humanitarian grounds do not matter to the LTTE, not even to its spokesperson on humanitarian issues and human rights. By withdrawing poor Mr Thamilselvam from peace talks, and forcing him into military fatigues – including at the attack on Muhumalai – the LTTE exploded the myth of a political wing. By making the LTTE Peace Secretariat glorify suicide cadres on the eve of their (self)-destructive mission, the LTTE exploded the myth of an institution concerned with peace. And now, by making poor Ms Selvi issue self-contradictory statements regarding the closure of the road that resulted from its brutal assault last year and its categorical refusal at Geneva to discuss modalities of reopening it, the LTTE has exploded the myth of at least one person more concerned with humanitarian issues rather than militaristic propaganda.
But all this, we must hope, is simply due to the continuing intransigence of the leadership. Ms Selvy showed intelligence once, and awareness of at least some of the realities of the world outside. For her sake, and that of the suffering thousands still in the Vanni, we must hope that at least some elements in the leadership will ensure a sea change (in every sense) in the near future.
Rajiva Wijesinha,
Secretary General,
Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process.
Tamils left out in Lanka's tsunami rehab plans
Sri Lanka's recovery from the devastating tsunami of December 2004 has been uneven. Rehabilitation work has notched up significant successes in the Sinhalese-dominated and more peaceful south, but it has suffered greatly in the war-torn northeast, which has a preponderance of the minority Tamils and Muslims.
And it was the northeast, which took the brunt of the killer waves on Boxing Day, which destroyed about 1,21,000 houses and killed over 30,000 in the island.
Cabinet spokesperson Anura Priyadharshana Yapa said that 99,497 permanent houses had been built and that work on 19,791 units was in progress. Rebuilding has been 100 per cent in the south, especially Humbantota district, which is the home of President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
In fact, in Humbantota, nearly 3,200 excess houses were built, and these are now occupied by those not affected by the tsunami.
"The northern province still requires completion of more than 9,000 houses and the eastern province more than 12,000 houses," Jeevan Thiagarajah of the Confederation of Humanitarian Agencies told IANS.
"Not even 12 per cent of fully damaged houses in the north have been rebuilt, and only 26 percent in the east," says NGO Action Aid in its report titled 'Voice from the Field'. This is so even though 60 per cent of the damage wrought by the tsunami was in the east, especially Amparai district in the southeast.
Rehabilitation work in the north and east was hampered by the outbreak of hostilities between the Tamil Tiger rebels and government forces in December 2005.
The war has so far claimed 4,500 lives and displaced about 3,00,000 people. It had added another category of displaced, who also had to be housed, looked after and rehabilitated. Scarce government resources had to be diverted from tsunami-related rehabilitation to the rehabilitation of the war-affected.
Military operations had meant restrictions on physical movement of men and material.
"Access to some construction sites is restricted and transportation of material difficult or impossible," said a two-year assessment report of the International Federation of the Red Cross. World Vision had to abandon a plan to build 200 houses in Ichchilampattu in Trincomalee district because of military operations.
Government had also put restrictions on the movement of strategic goods like fuel and building material to the areas controlled by the Tamil Tigers, thinking that these would be misappropriated by the rebels. This affected rebuilding greatly.
The ILO reported that in the south 90 per cent of the affected people had returned to work, but in Jaffna district, isolated from the rest of the island, only 55 per cent had. The rest were relying on income from other sources.
As regards the restoration of livelihood, the all-island figures are impressive. About 2,00,000 persons had lost their jobs due to the tsunami. But according to Thiagarajah, 95 per cent of the men, and 84 per cent of the women, have started earning again. The Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry had given 1,96,913 grants, and assisted 8,447 micro, small and medium enterprises between 2005 and 2006.
Again, while this is impressive, the schemes have been operative only or mainly in the south, and to some extent in the southeast. The north has been more of less ignored, thanks to the war, which threatens to continue through 2008.
Money has never been a problem. Sri Lanka has received $1.7 billion of the $3.1 billion pledged by the international community for post-tsunami work. More money can be got if the Sri Lankan government is serious about the development of the tsunami-affected areas. But, as in other cases of foreign assistance, the government has tended to drag its feet on submitting suitable proposals. In fact, indications are that post-tsunami work is winding up.
And it was the northeast, which took the brunt of the killer waves on Boxing Day, which destroyed about 1,21,000 houses and killed over 30,000 in the island.
Cabinet spokesperson Anura Priyadharshana Yapa said that 99,497 permanent houses had been built and that work on 19,791 units was in progress. Rebuilding has been 100 per cent in the south, especially Humbantota district, which is the home of President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
In fact, in Humbantota, nearly 3,200 excess houses were built, and these are now occupied by those not affected by the tsunami.
"The northern province still requires completion of more than 9,000 houses and the eastern province more than 12,000 houses," Jeevan Thiagarajah of the Confederation of Humanitarian Agencies told IANS.
"Not even 12 per cent of fully damaged houses in the north have been rebuilt, and only 26 percent in the east," says NGO Action Aid in its report titled 'Voice from the Field'. This is so even though 60 per cent of the damage wrought by the tsunami was in the east, especially Amparai district in the southeast.
Rehabilitation work in the north and east was hampered by the outbreak of hostilities between the Tamil Tiger rebels and government forces in December 2005.
The war has so far claimed 4,500 lives and displaced about 3,00,000 people. It had added another category of displaced, who also had to be housed, looked after and rehabilitated. Scarce government resources had to be diverted from tsunami-related rehabilitation to the rehabilitation of the war-affected.
Military operations had meant restrictions on physical movement of men and material.
"Access to some construction sites is restricted and transportation of material difficult or impossible," said a two-year assessment report of the International Federation of the Red Cross. World Vision had to abandon a plan to build 200 houses in Ichchilampattu in Trincomalee district because of military operations.
Government had also put restrictions on the movement of strategic goods like fuel and building material to the areas controlled by the Tamil Tigers, thinking that these would be misappropriated by the rebels. This affected rebuilding greatly.
The ILO reported that in the south 90 per cent of the affected people had returned to work, but in Jaffna district, isolated from the rest of the island, only 55 per cent had. The rest were relying on income from other sources.
As regards the restoration of livelihood, the all-island figures are impressive. About 2,00,000 persons had lost their jobs due to the tsunami. But according to Thiagarajah, 95 per cent of the men, and 84 per cent of the women, have started earning again. The Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry had given 1,96,913 grants, and assisted 8,447 micro, small and medium enterprises between 2005 and 2006.
Again, while this is impressive, the schemes have been operative only or mainly in the south, and to some extent in the southeast. The north has been more of less ignored, thanks to the war, which threatens to continue through 2008.
Money has never been a problem. Sri Lanka has received $1.7 billion of the $3.1 billion pledged by the international community for post-tsunami work. More money can be got if the Sri Lankan government is serious about the development of the tsunami-affected areas. But, as in other cases of foreign assistance, the government has tended to drag its feet on submitting suitable proposals. In fact, indications are that post-tsunami work is winding up.
Coast Guard plans to set up air-station
In the wake of LTTE carrying out air raids in Sri Lanka recently, the Indian Coast Guard is planning to set up an Air-Station in Tamil Nadu or Puducherry to deal with any threat from the militant outfit, a top coastguard officer said here on Tuesday.
After reviewing the coastal security in the Gulf of Mannar and Palk straits from the Coast Guard Liner base here following reports of LTTE activities, he said negotiations were going on with air force station officials at Thanjavur and other officials at Puducherry and Tuticorin.
Once permission was granted to establish the station, the Coast Guard would deploy its aircraft, Dornier or the like, Inspector General and Commander Coast Guard, Eastern Region, Rajendra Singh told reporters.
"We are still in the stage of identifying an ideal location," he said.
Coast Guard had submitted prospective plan for 2007-08, and for 15 years from 2007-22,in which it had requested the Centre to establish two coast guard stations, one in Tamil Nadu and the other in Orissa, he said.
"We will choose either Nagapattinam or Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu and Gopalpur has been chosen for Orissa," he said. They had requested the state government to provide land for the facility,he said.
The full-fledged station would help coast guard operate bigger ships,interceptor vessels and others.A Communication centre would also form part of the Station.
The Commander said five acres of land would be required for the establishment of the Station.
After reviewing the coastal security in the Gulf of Mannar and Palk straits from the Coast Guard Liner base here following reports of LTTE activities, he said negotiations were going on with air force station officials at Thanjavur and other officials at Puducherry and Tuticorin.
Once permission was granted to establish the station, the Coast Guard would deploy its aircraft, Dornier or the like, Inspector General and Commander Coast Guard, Eastern Region, Rajendra Singh told reporters.
"We are still in the stage of identifying an ideal location," he said.
Coast Guard had submitted prospective plan for 2007-08, and for 15 years from 2007-22,in which it had requested the Centre to establish two coast guard stations, one in Tamil Nadu and the other in Orissa, he said.
"We will choose either Nagapattinam or Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu and Gopalpur has been chosen for Orissa," he said. They had requested the state government to provide land for the facility,he said.
The full-fledged station would help coast guard operate bigger ships,interceptor vessels and others.A Communication centre would also form part of the Station.
The Commander said five acres of land would be required for the establishment of the Station.
LTTE terrorism must be wiped out, says Nepal’s Prachanda
Maoist leader Prachanda has said that all South Asian and Asian countries must help to Sri Lanka to wipe out the LTTE terrorism.
Prachanda conveyed this view during a meeting with Sri Lanka’s visiting Health Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva.
The meeting, which took place on Sunday at the Maoist office in Katmandu, also focussed on the LTTE’s lack of success in realising its dream of a separate Tamil nation in Sri Lanka.
Prachanda urged LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran to stop his suicide bomb attacks on politicians and members of civil society.
De Silva said that Prabhakaran’s end was near if he did not join the democratic flow.
Sri Lankan High Commissioner in Nepal Sumith Nakandala and the Country Director of the WHO in Nepal, Dr. Kan Tung, also took part in the meeting.
Prachanda conveyed this view during a meeting with Sri Lanka’s visiting Health Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva.
The meeting, which took place on Sunday at the Maoist office in Katmandu, also focussed on the LTTE’s lack of success in realising its dream of a separate Tamil nation in Sri Lanka.
Prachanda urged LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran to stop his suicide bomb attacks on politicians and members of civil society.
De Silva said that Prabhakaran’s end was near if he did not join the democratic flow.
Sri Lankan High Commissioner in Nepal Sumith Nakandala and the Country Director of the WHO in Nepal, Dr. Kan Tung, also took part in the meeting.
Chiefs to testify against Tamils
SRI Lanka's most senior military figures will give evidence against three Melbourne Tamils accused of raising money in Australia to fund a terrorism campaign in their homeland.
The trio - Aruran Vinayagamoorthy, Sivarajah Yathavan and Arumugam Rajeevan - have been committed to stand trial in the Victorian Supreme Court next year. They have pleaded not guilty.
The men, who were accused of being members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam group, entered their pleas last week after about six weeks of sporadic hearings, which began in September in Melbourne Magistrates Court.
They faced charges of being members of a terrorist organisation between July 1, 2004, and their arrest this year, providing resources to a terrorist organisation between July 6, 2002, and 2007, and making available an asset to a proscribed entity.
Mr Vinayagamoorthy and Mr Yathavan have also pleaded not guilty to intentionally providing support or resources to a terrorist organisation. Mr Vinayagamoorthy pleaded not guilty to an additional charge of making available an asset, namely boat design software and radio transmitters, to a proscribed entity.
Maximum penalties for the charges range between five and 25 years' imprisonment.
Central to the Australian Federal Police case against the men is the accusation that they collectively raised $1.9 million in charitable donations from the Australian Tamil diaspora, most of it collected after the 2004 tsunami.
The AFP alleged the men channelled the funds to Sri Lanka, via Malaysia, and using international money transfers in denominations too small to raise a red flag through the AUSTRAC reporting system.
The committal hearing was told that Mr Vinayagamoorthy was overheard discussing "the movement" and saying: "As for me, I have carried arms. I don't have any worry about anything. I will do anything, whatever the movement asks me. I will do them all."
The court heard that police seized photographs of Mr Rajeevan meeting with the head of the LTTE in Sri Lanka, Velupillai Prabhakaran, and raising the LTTE flag.
The committal hearing heard evidence from the head of the Sri Lankan army, Gardhihewa Sarath Chandralal Fonseka, and the Asian nation's naval chief, Wasantha Karannagoda.
Both men were subject to extensive cross-examination by defence lawyers who alleged Sri Lankan authorities committed extrajudicial killings, torture and gross human rights abuses against the Tamil population.
The case has proceeded despite the LTTE not having been proscribed a terrorist organisation by Australian authorities. Whether the LTTE is a terrorist organisation, or a separatist group engaged in a civil war, will be central to whether a jury finds the men guilty of the charges. Mr Rajeevan, Mr Vinayagamoorthy and Mr Yathavan are on bail.
The trio - Aruran Vinayagamoorthy, Sivarajah Yathavan and Arumugam Rajeevan - have been committed to stand trial in the Victorian Supreme Court next year. They have pleaded not guilty.
The men, who were accused of being members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam group, entered their pleas last week after about six weeks of sporadic hearings, which began in September in Melbourne Magistrates Court.
They faced charges of being members of a terrorist organisation between July 1, 2004, and their arrest this year, providing resources to a terrorist organisation between July 6, 2002, and 2007, and making available an asset to a proscribed entity.
Mr Vinayagamoorthy and Mr Yathavan have also pleaded not guilty to intentionally providing support or resources to a terrorist organisation. Mr Vinayagamoorthy pleaded not guilty to an additional charge of making available an asset, namely boat design software and radio transmitters, to a proscribed entity.
Maximum penalties for the charges range between five and 25 years' imprisonment.
Central to the Australian Federal Police case against the men is the accusation that they collectively raised $1.9 million in charitable donations from the Australian Tamil diaspora, most of it collected after the 2004 tsunami.
The AFP alleged the men channelled the funds to Sri Lanka, via Malaysia, and using international money transfers in denominations too small to raise a red flag through the AUSTRAC reporting system.
The committal hearing was told that Mr Vinayagamoorthy was overheard discussing "the movement" and saying: "As for me, I have carried arms. I don't have any worry about anything. I will do anything, whatever the movement asks me. I will do them all."
The court heard that police seized photographs of Mr Rajeevan meeting with the head of the LTTE in Sri Lanka, Velupillai Prabhakaran, and raising the LTTE flag.
The committal hearing heard evidence from the head of the Sri Lankan army, Gardhihewa Sarath Chandralal Fonseka, and the Asian nation's naval chief, Wasantha Karannagoda.
Both men were subject to extensive cross-examination by defence lawyers who alleged Sri Lankan authorities committed extrajudicial killings, torture and gross human rights abuses against the Tamil population.
The case has proceeded despite the LTTE not having been proscribed a terrorist organisation by Australian authorities. Whether the LTTE is a terrorist organisation, or a separatist group engaged in a civil war, will be central to whether a jury finds the men guilty of the charges. Mr Rajeevan, Mr Vinayagamoorthy and Mr Yathavan are on bail.
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