(SRI LANKA IN FOCUS)

2008-01-15T14:54:00.000-08:00

Folks !

We are moving !

new blogspot site :

http://srilankainfocus.blogspot.com

3 suspected Tigers held in Delhi

2008-01-15T14:43:00.000-08:00

NEW DELHI: Three Sri Lankan nationals suspected to have links with the LTTE have been arrested by the crime branch of Delhi Police. The three men, who are being questioned by a joint team of Delhi Police and Intelligence Bureau, were found carrying forged Indian passports.

Delhi Police has written to the ministry of external affairs for verifying their antecedents with the Interpol and Sri Lankan government. All three were arrested from a hotel at Paharganj by the newly formed special operation squad (SOS) of the crime branch.

The three Sri Lankans, all residents of Jaffna, were identified as Francis Jansan (29), Thisaveera Singham Ranjith (28) and Jon Mary Agashtan (22). The police also arrested another man, Ayyakannu, a resident of Chennai who was accompanying them. All four have been remanded to police custody.

The Sri Lankans have told the police that they had fled from their country and they were on their way to France.

Source: Times of India

Sri Lanka ceasefire formally ends

2008-01-15T10:16:00.000-08:00

By Roland Buerk
BBC News, Colombo

The ceasefire between Sri Lanka's government and the Tamil Tigers formally comes to an end on Wednesday.

The government gave notice two weeks ago it was pulling out of the agreement which was brokered by Norway in 2002.

Fighting has been going on in the north and east of the island for around two years despite the truce.

Tamil Tiger rebels said on Thursday they were "shocked and disappointed" that the ceasefire was ending, but pledged fully to defend themselves.

'Severe casualties'

As the ceasefire came to an end fighting continued along the frontlines that surround territory held by the Tamil Tigers in northern Sri Lanka.

The government says the rebels, who want an independent state in the north and east, used the peace pact signed in 2002 to rearm and regroup. It now aims to crush them by the end of this year.

But speaking from the north the head of the Tigers' political wing B Nadesan said they would fight back.

"For last 30 years they are making these type of statements but it will never happen," he said.

"We are in a strong position, our cadres... have the strength to defend this military offensive.

"Definitely if they try to launch a major offensive against our forces the Sri Lankan forces will face severe casualties."

Doubts

The government now says it will produce within weeks a long delayed package of devolution proposals.

It is seeking to sideline the separatist Tigers and resolve with other groups the complaints of the Tamil minority that they have been marginalised for decades by Sinhalese-dominated governments.

But there are serious doubts over whether the scheme can work.

As the last hours of the ceasefire ticked away the Japanese peace envoy, Yasushi Akashi, held meetings with government officials in Colombo.

Japan is a major donor to Sri Lanka and has hinted it might reconsider its aid package, warning of the dire humanitarian consequences of an intensified war.

Source: BBC NEWS

DefenceWire : Falsifications Galore

2008-01-15T10:13:00.000-08:00

Describing the killing of LTTE’s Military Intelligence Leader Charles, a prominent civilian defence columnist writing for an English Weekly has claimed that a Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol (LRRP) of the Special Forces ‘shot him dead’ while he was assisting Sea Tiger Leader Soosei fortify Veduthalthivu base. We wish to announce to our readers that this report is completely inaccurate.

Charles was killed by a 15kg Claymore Mine (side charger) specially made for him by the LRRP. He was killed while traveling along the Mannar-Pooneryn road on Sunday January 5th. Two of his key lieutenants were also killed in the attack. Charles was the overall coordinator of all intelligence and strike teams operating in government controlled areas. He was traveling towards Mannar to plan another attack in government areas, not to beef-up security to Veduthalthivu.

LTTE Leader Pripaharan was a noted absentee in Charles’ funeral. He has been exercising extreme caution regarding his movements. Poddu Ammaan, the stealthiest among the LTTE, was present. Even other mid-level leaders like Banu and Jeyam have started using motorcycles when moving around LTTE areas. This all came after the shocking assassination of the highly secretive and intelligent operative, Charles, who was responsible for coordinating and personally directing attacks on key military bases and political and military leaders from Colombo, Batticaloa and Kilinochchi.

Meanwhile, Tiger Television NTT, followed by other web-based sites claimed that 30 SLA were killed in Parappakandal on Monday and that one body was captured. We wish to inform our readers that this report is also a complete fabrication. A senior military official regading this report, told DefenceWire that the Tigers are fabricating these reports ‘while on the run’.

The Sri Lanka Army is now in close proximity to the sacred Madhu Shrine. SLA has no immediate desire to capture the Church. Task Force I under Maj. Gen. Jagath Jayasuriya has deployed offensive formations to strike specific locations in enemy territory. Troops numbering 1000-1500 are deployed in several formations with a specific objective to achieve for each formation. These operations maximize the use of SLA’s resources while creating a split in the LTTE’s defensive formations by stretching them beyond capacity.

Source: Defencewire

http://defencewire.blogspot.com/

Defencenet: "1983-2008: 4 Ceasefires, 4 Eelam Wars"

2008-01-15T10:00:00.000-08:00

In a few more hours, on the 16th of January, the cease-fire agreement signed between the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) will become invalid and the 4th Eelam War will officially begin. In the three decade long war, there has been four major cease-fire agreements between the warring parties. Each and every one of such agreements has ended without lasting peace for the island nation.

The first official ceasefire between LTTE and GOSL was signed back in 1987. However this only lasted for a few months. In October 1987, the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) arrested 17 sea tigers who were transporting arms using a large vessel from India to Point Pedro in Sri Lanka. Repeated LTTE requests to release the prisoners were turned down by then Defense Minister late Mr. Lalith Athulathmudali. The issue reached its climax when 12 of the arrested LTTE cadres committed suicide by consuming cyanide while they were being transported to a prison in Colombo. LTTE retaliated by torturing and killing 8 Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers who were under their captivity. Mutilated bodies of the slain soldiers were publicly displayed in the city of Jaffna. This incident marked the end of the ceasefire and the 1st Eelam War commenced soon afterwards.

Next CFA was signed between the government and LTTE in 1990. LTTE operatives were brought to Colombo via SLAF helicopters for peace talks with the then president late Mr. Ranasinghe Premadasa. However peace did not last long. LTTE officially pulled out of the CFA on 11th of June 1990, alleging that a group of SLA soldiers assaulted a tailor (who was also a member of the LTTE) in the eastern town of Batticaloa. Immediately after their withdrawal from CFA, LTTE fighters under the command of Karuna Amman launched multiple raids on police posts in Batticaloa, massacring over 600 policemen. This incident officially declared the start of second Eelam War.

In 1994, 2nd Eelam war temporarily ended when Chandrika Bandaranayake invited the LTTE for peace talks shortly after her victory in the presidential election. Several rounds of peace talks were held but progress in devising a solution that could bring lasting peace for the island was was extremely slow. On the 15th of April, LTTE launched dual suicide attacks on Sri Lanka Navy warships SLNS Sooraya and SLNS Ranasuru anchored in Trincomalee harbor. Both the ships were critically damaged in the incident. 3rd Eelam War which commenced soon afterwards saw some of the bloodiest battles in the conflict's history.

War raged on for seven years until the current CFA was signed in February 2002. Although it continued to hold on paper, tension between the two parties has been high since late 2002. Army's military intelligence wing suffered a setback during this period when 81 of its operatives were assassinated by LTTE pistol gang operatives. The LTTE also suffered a major setback in this period when one of its senior cadres, Colonel Karuna, separated along with 4000 cadres and military equipment. The Sri Lanka Air Force began flying tit-for-tat sorties on LTTE positions on the day the rebels attempted to assassinate the country's military commander using a suicide bomber.

Army launched its first offensive since 2002 when a key waterway which supplied water to 30000 farmers, was blocked by LTTE units in the area. The drawn out offensive eventually captured the Mavil Aru anicut. LTTE's next move was unprecedented; they launched a military operation into Muttur (eastern province) and surrounding army bases (August 2006). Muttur was in LTTE hands for over a day till the army fought its way back and took it under complete control. Another attack was simultaneously launched on Jaffna defense lines. By this time Jaffna was isolated from all MSR (Main Supply Routes) with Trincomalee harbor and Palaly airbase rendered useless due to heavy LTTE artillery shelling. On the first day of fighting in Jaffna, LTTE units broke through army defenses and advanced nearly a kilometer into SLA held territory. Later the army's U.S. trained 53rd division inflicted heavy casualties on LTTE forcing them to abandon the offensive. Army's counterattack not only recaptured areas that were lost but overran the 1st LTTE defense line at Muhamalai in September 2006. Later the military launched fresh offensives to capture all major LTTE bases in the eastern province. These operations were largely successful and saw the fall of eastern tiger enclaves such as Sampoor, Vakarai and Thoppigala.

Now, by 2008, the army has opened three fronts near entry points to Wanni LTTE heartland. 57th, 58th and 59th offensive divisions have made inroads to Wanni from Mannar, Vavuniya and Weli Oya respectively while the elite 53rd division and 55th division have kept pressure on LTTE formations from the north. Military commander has just declared that the operation to overrun LTTE bases in Wanni has officially begun. LTTE has expressed its willingness to commit to the CFA but at the same time some its senior commanders have vowed to crush the army. With all these new developments, the cease fire agreement ends tomorrow (16th) and the undeclared 4th Eelam War will officially commence. Major battles are on the horizon and they will decide what the future holds for Sri Lanka and Liberation Tigers and Tamil Eelam.

Source: Defencenet

http://defencenet.blogspot.com

Sri Lanka celebrates Thai Pongal

2008-01-15T09:41:00.000-08:00

Jan 15, Colombo: Sri Lankan Tamils joining the Hindus all over the world celebrated the Thai Pongal day this morning at a grand scale.

Businessmen in Colombo were seen boiling milk in front of their shops and cooking milk rice. Large number of fire crackers was lighted in Colombo and suburbs.

It has been reported that catholic churches in the East and Muslim businessmen in the Vavuniya town also joined the celebration this morning.

Hindus, celebrate the Thai Pongal after the collection of harvest to express their gratitude to the sun, rain and the farm animals. The celebration dates back to the 9th century when the Chola emperors ruled the southern India.

Source: Colombopage

(Pictures:AP/Gemunu Amarasinghe)

Sri Lanka crisis set to worsen : Al Jazeera

2008-01-15T09:26:00.000-08:00

By M.R. Narayan Swamy

The Sri Lankan government's decision to dump the Norwegian-brokered and internationally-backed Cease-fire Agreement (CFA) with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) can only result in more bloodshed in a country where ethnic strife has raged for 25 years.

A formal declaration of war, if and when it happens, will lead to more misery as the fighting is bound to be more intense.

Although the CFA of February 2002 had more or less collapsed in recent years, the reluctance of the two parties to formally jettison it gave rise to hope that there was still something left to build on.

But the Sri Lankan military's success last year in driving away the LTTE from the country's eastern province, after a gap of some 15 years, gave the government new-found confidence.

Dominant sections in the administration of Mahinda Rajapaksa, the Sri Lankan president, concluded that it was a matter of time before they could choke the LTTE in its long-established stronghold in the island’s north.

And they did not want the CFA and its provisions aimed at preventing war to stand in the way.

Axing the CFA

However, vanquishing the LTTE is not going to be easy. The LTTE – which remains one of the best organised insurgent groups in the world despite its recent military reverses – has always displayed a remarkable ability to bounce back from the brink of defeat.

Although it is now facing one of its bleakest moments, there are no indications so far that says the LTTE is about to give up.

In axing the CFA, Sri Lanka has seriously dented the Western support it enjoyed in the war against the Tamil Tigers.

Although there was considerable dismay over the massive human rights violations blamed on the military and anti-LTTE Tamil groups allied to it, the world at large remained largely sympathetic to Colombo.

Sri Lanka was further emboldened by the fact that since 2005, the LTTE had been banned in Canada as well as the 27-nation European Union, in addition to earlier bans in India, the US, Britain and Malaysia.

The Tigers, who maintain overt and covert presence almost all over the world, are also under watch in countries where they have not been formally declared a terrorist organisation.

International disapproval of Colombo's move is already evident.

The US has pledged to end its military backing although some Sri Lankan officials say critical supplies will not cease.

Canada, home to the largest Tamil population outside of Sri Lanka, has voiced distress. So has the European Union. The Nordic countries, which at one time provided monitors to oversee the CFA, have warned of dark days ahead.

India, Sri Lanka's biggest and most important neighbour, made mildly critical remarks, reiterating that there can be no military solution to the conflict in which over 65,000 were killed and hundreds of thousands displaced since 1983.

Intractable

Sri Lanka today has become as intractable as the Middle East. But sans the oil, it receives much less international attention. A once simple, although bloody Tamil-Sinhala fight, with only India taking a keen interest, has now assumed menacing proportions and involves several domestic and foreign actors.

The government remains locked in conflict against the LTTE, while the latter is engaged in a vicious war against a faction that broke away in 2004. The breakaway outfit (whose leader is now in custody in Britain) has further split in two, each trying to outdo the other with the gun.

In the country's multi-racial eastern province, there is growing radicalisation among sections of Muslims, who speak Tamil but consider themselves a distinct minority.

The two dominant political parties – President Rajapaksa’s Sri Lanka Freedom Party and the main opposition United National Party – refuse to engage one another to build a pan-Sinhala consensus so vital to prepare a nationally acceptable power sharing formula to placate the minorities.

And to make things more difficult, some Sinhalese Buddhist groups remain opposed to any federal form of governance that non-LTTE Tamils clamour for.

Decades of war has begun to take a toll on the country's social fabric. International mediators, who in 2002 thought they would be able to bring peace, have realised what India knew long ago: If the conflict gets easily resolved, it will indeed be a miracle.

Elusive reconciliation

Why does peace elude Sri Lanka? Why did the killer tsunami that helped end a raging conflict in Indonesia’s Ache province fail in this Indian Ocean island country? Why does and how long can the LTTE keep fighting? Can they survive the government’s determined bid to eliminate it?

Surprisingly, the answers are not hard to seek. Ever since the Tamil campaign for an independent state comprising Sri Lanka’s northeast began to gather force in 1983, the LTTE believed it could win – one day.

Once it became the dominant player by decimating other Tamil groups and then taking on the Indian peace keeping troops deployed in the northeast, it became the de facto ruler of the region, particularly Jaffna, the Tamil heartland.

After Sri Lanka seized Jaffna in December 1995, the LTTE hit back viciously, handing the military one setback after another until the government brought in Norway as a facilitator to hold talks with the Tigers. This led to the CFA.

Contrary to public knowledge, the Indian establishment played a key role in the drafting of the agreement. This is a key reason India remained solidly supportive of Norway’s role in Sri Lanka.

Détente

The ceasefire years undoubtedly brought unprecedented peace to a region ravaged by war, but at a cost. Its biggest success was that it halted fighting between the government and the LTTE, saving an estimated 10,000 lives in the first three years at least. But in the very nature of the agreement's birth lay the seeds that ultimately tore it apart.

The truce justified the LTTE's de facto control of large parts of the northeast even as the Tigers hunted down rival Tamils and, later, members of the Sri Lankan intelligence establishment.

Norway's failure to take into confidence Chandrika Kumaratunga, the then president, led her to undermine Ranil Wickremesinghe, the prime minister who had signed the pact. The yawning gap between the LTTE and Colombo over the way forward could not be narrowed by the peace talks the two sides held in foreign countries, with Norway playing the referee.

Three significant developments took place in 2003-04 that sealed the CFA's fate. First, the LTTE walked out of the peace talks process, citing Washington's refusal to invite it to an international donors meet on Sri Lanka.

LTTE divide

In March 2004, an unprecedented split took place in the LTTE when Karuna, its eastern regional commander, broke away along with thousands of guerrillas. The next month, Wickremesinghe lost power after elections and the new government began to team up with the Karuna faction to snipe at the LTTE.

The LTTE's assassination of Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar in August 2005 after one of its senior commanders was similarly killed blew the fuse. Norway, which by then was being accused of favouring the LTTE, took up the matter with Velupillai Prabhakaran, the LTTE's chief.

In November, Rajapaksa, seen as a hardliner belonging to the majority Sinhalese community, was elected president. After giving the new president an year's time to resolve the ethnic crisis, the LTTE began to target Sri Lankan troops.

The LTTE attempted in 2006 to assassinate two high profile targets, Sarath Fonseka, the army chief, and Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, the defence secretary and the president’s younger brother who was spearheading the war against the LTTE.

The government was furious. It pounded LTTE areas with relentless air and artillery attacks, effectively preventing the group from converging in large numbers.

The military and anti-LTTE Tamil groups were also given the carte blanche to kill LTTE spies. In much of 2006, abductions and random killings of Tamils became commonplace, raising concerns in many capitals.

Using valuable help provided by the Karuna faction, Sri Lankan forces seized one LTTE base after another in the eastern province. Although the LTTE responded by unveiling its nascent air wing that hit some vital targets and injected a new element to the conflict, Colombo persisted.

In November 2007, it killed S.P.Tamilchelvan, a Prabhakaran confidante and chief of the LTTE's political wing. And early this month, it killed "Colonel" Charles, its military intelligence chief. Rajapaksa, the defence secretary, vowed to kill Prabhakaran too.

No middle ground

There is no meeting ground as of today between the LTTE and the Sri Lankan state.

The government now wants to take on the LTTE in the north, where they have held sway for decades. Colombo believes it has had enough of Western homilies on human rights and that the time has finally come to give a knockout blow to the LTTE. It also thinks that talking to the group will not help.

Sinhalese nationalists within the government and outside are also against giving any concessions to the LTTE and the Tamils that would weaken the state's unitary character.

Although the LTTE is cornered, it is far from finished. It may have lost territory in the east and closed down its offices in the north to escape aerial bombings, but it remains a potent military force.

If Sri Lankan forces storm LTTE areas in the north, they are sure to encounter stiff resistance. And if the forces recapture territory, spread over four of the north's five districts, the Tigers will take to guerrilla war.

In any case, the LTTE is not interested in any negotiated settlement. Having waged war for a quarter century for a Tamil state, it will be near impossible for Prabhakaran to settle for anything less unless there is an attractive alternative package.

Colombo, on its part, is least interested in satisfying the LTTE. It is more interested in killing Prabhakaran.

That will not be easy though. There is no credible evidence that Prabhakaran was seriously injured or killed by the Sri Lankan air force in November last year. A man who has seen many dramatic ups and downs since he fled his home in 1973 while in his teens is not going to give up, having come thus far.

For sure, the year ahead would be an eventful one for Sri Lanka.

M.R. Narayan Swamy is Deputy Editor at IANS news agency based in New Delhi. He is the author of two books on the Tamil separatist fighting and writes regularly on Sri Lanka.

Source: Al Jazeera

40 militants killed in clashes, Japanese envoy issues warning

2008-01-15T07:32:00.000-08:00

At least 40 Tamil Tiger militants and two soldiers were killed in clashes in Sri Lanka's embattled north, as the visiting Japanese peace envoy hinted that Tokyo may withold aid to Colombo if violence escalates.

At least 200 militants and six armymen have been killed since the decision to scrap the six year-old Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) was taken by the government on January 2, a military spokesman said.

Sporadic clashes broke out in Parappakandal at the North-western Mannar defences yesterday, resulting in the death of at least 22 militants, the army said.

In Jaffna, at least 10 militants were killed in continuing ground battles with the army in Muhamalai and Nagarkovil areas yesterday.

Another eight Tamil Tigers were killed during clashes at Periyapantdivirichchan, Vilathikulama, Kattikkulama, Palaikkulai and Kokkuthuduvai defences in Vavuniya front.

Two soldiers also lost their lives and 24 other were wounded in the various confrontations which took place in the north yesterday, the military said.

This include a few soldiers who were injured in an IED explosion at Muhamalai yesterday, they said.

With the possibility of an all-out war breaking out in the wake of scrapping of the CFA, Japan, the largest donor to Sri Lanka, today indicated that it may block aid to the Island nation if violence escalates.

Japanese Peace envoy Yasushi Akashi, who was sent to Sri Lanka before the end of the CFA tomorrow, said "We will closely monitor the situation here before taking further action,".

Source: outlookindia.com

Sri Lanka to Eliminate Rebels

2008-01-15T07:13:00.000-08:00

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Jan 15--The Sri Lankan military wants to destroy the Tamil rebels and conclude 25 years of civil war on the South Asian Island by force after the ceasefire ends Wednesday, a military spokesman said Tuesday.

Udaya Nanayakkara told reporters in Colombo that the military was already putting pressure on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) at various fronts in the North, which is partly controlled by the rebels.

"If we continue like this we will be able to defeat the LTTE," he said.

Japan, Sri Lanka's largest bilateral source of funding on Tuesday warned of "fatal humanitarian consequences."

The ceasefire terminated by the government is officially due to expire on Wednesday, when the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) is also to withdraw its observers.

The two warring parties have largely ignored the agreement negotiated by Norway during the past two years.

Observers meanwhile fear a marked increase in violence after the six-year-old agreement officially ends and foreign SLMM observers withdraw.

According to earlier statements, the military leadership is hoping for a victory over the LTTE this year.

The Japanese special envoy for Sri Lanka, Yasushi Akashi, said Tuesday in Colombo that Tokyo would only decide on the extend of future aid after observing the situation in the country more closely.

Akashi also warned of an increase in the number of civilian civil-war victims, saying he had informed President Mahinda Rayapakse of his government's "serious concern."

"The conflict between the Sri Lankan military and the LTTE rebels would have to be resolved by political means," he said.

The German aid organization Deutsche Welthungerhilfe also said it feared the numbers of refugees in the country's north might increase after the ceasefire.

"The termination of the ceasefire is sending the wrong signal," regional coordinator in Colombo Dirk Altweck said. He warned of an escalation of the fighting as civilians in the north had only little chance of escaping the war.

The Sri Lankan civil war has claimed more than 75,000 lives since 1983.

Norway mediated the ceasefire agreement signed in February 2002.

Source:Alalam News

'200 Tigers killed since CFA scrapped'

2008-01-15T07:05:00.000-08:00

More than 200 Tamil Tigers have been killed since the Sri Lankan government decided to scrap the Norwegian-brokered ceasefire agreement with the LTTE two weeks ago.

The six-year-old Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) would formally end on Wednesday following the culmination of the notice period. "We are bracing for any kind of attack from the LTTE and have already killed 200 tiger militants ever since the decision to abroagte the CFA was taken," military spokesman Udaya Nanayakkara said.

According to official figures as many as six army troops lost their life in clashes during the last 14 days when the decision to terminate the CFA was taken. In intense clashes on Monday at least 22 militants were killed in sporadic clashes in Parappakandal at the North-western Mannar defences, security sources said.

Clashes occurred as troops forced into LTTE territory in Northern Sri Lanka in a multi-pronged offensive using heavy artillery, mortars and multi-barrel rocket fire, the defence ministry said quoting the security sources.

While nine militants were killed in Parappakandal, as many as 13 of them were gunned down in Paraiyanalkkulam in the region. Meanwhile, the Pro-LTTE website Tamilnet said the LTTE operations command in Mannar had claimed that the tigers thwarted a major push by Sri Lankan Army in Parappakandal on Monday.

The LTTE claimed that at least 30 Sri Lankan soldiers were killed and more than 100 wounded in yesterday's clash at Mannar, the Tamilnet said.

Source: hindustantimes

Japan 'reviews' aid to Sri Lanka

2008-01-15T07:01:00.001-08:00

The Japanese peace envoy to Sri Lanka, Yasushi Akashi, has said that the breakdown of the ceasefire may make it necessary to review Tokyo's aid.

Mr Akashi said he was worried that the end of the ceasefire may lead to more violence and more civilian casualties.

He arrived in Sri Lanka over the weekend and met President Rajapaksa.

Japan is Sri Lanka's largest foreign donor, giving about $9bn in grants, loans and aid since 1985, including around $400m in 2007.

'Continuous review'

"The termination of the ceasefire agreement may prompt the pursuit of a military solution of the conflict, with dire humanitarian consequences," Mr Akashi said.

"A devolution package on which the government of Sri Lanka had been exerting considerable efforts must be drafted as soon as possible and be offered to the relevant parties, including the Tamil Tigers."

The Japanese envoy - who has visited Sri Lanka 15 times in an effort to end the conflict - said that his government was "gravely concerned" over Colombo's decision formally to scrap the six-year ceasefire with the rebels.

He was speaking at the end of a two-day visit marked by fierce fighting in the north.

Mr Akashi said that the future of Japanese aid would be taken "on the basis of very close monitoring and observation of the situation" which he said would be the subject of "continuous review".

"What the government does, does not do, will be important considerations," he said.

All-out war

Japan has so far not pledged any aid for this year, but it has also not halted any existing aid.

The government will formally annul the ceasefire on Wednesday, a move which has concerned the international community because of the possibility of a return to all-out war and the breakdown of peace talks.

President Rajapaksa's government argues the rebels used the peace pact as a means to regroup and rearm. It has accused them of not being sincere about talking peace.

The government now says that it is intent on defeating the rebels militarily, while at the same time promising to finalise a long-delayed political devolution proposal within weeks.

The military says it has killed about 250 insurgents since the announcement a fortnight ago that it was formally scrapping the pact.

Both sides are accused of exaggerating the casualties they inflict in the fighting.

In the latest fighting, the army on Tuesday said that government it had killed 22 rebels in the north.

Correspondents say that over 5,000 people have been killed since early 2006 in daily air raids, land and sea battles, ambushes and bombings.

Source: BBC NEWS

India helped countering LTTE: Sri Lanka

2008-01-15T06:59:00.000-08:00

Sri Lanka's Navy has praised India for its help in countering the LTTE, and said the militant group's ''backbone has been broken'' after the destruction of several rebel vessels.

''Co-operation with India has been extremely successful in countering the LTTE. Every year, the Indian Navy with the Indian Coast Guard and the Sri Lankan Navy holds four bilateral discussions. We are conducting coordinated patrols with the Indian Navy as well,'' Navy Chief Wasantha Karannagoda said.

''We have broken their backbone by destroying their supply vessels and floating warehouses, several war-like materials which would have allowed the Tigers to sustain this conflict,'' Karannagoda told the 'Colombo Post' newspaper.

The Navy chief asserted that the LTTE was not strong enough to sustain its fight against the government for long and that the outfit's naval power was badly weakened after several losses.

''The Navy has destroyed almost all LTTE vessels that could have assisted the Tigers in attacking the armed forces,'' he said adding, ''Within one year we have destroyed eight floating warehouses, which had carried more than 10,000 tons of war-like material''.

This included artillery, mortar, dismantled parts of three aircraft, bulletproof vehicles, underwater delivery vehicles, scuba diving sets and radar, among other things, he said.

On its part, the Sri Lankan Navy has acquired new ships and boats and is also building indigenous vessels to counter the LTTE threat, Karannagoda said.

Earlier, the LTTE warehouses were stationed off the island's coast and whenever the need arose they came up to about 300 kms from land and transferred the arms cargo on to trawlers, which brings them ashore, the Navy chief said.

He said the Navy had successfully put an end to this type of arms smuggling, severely weakening the LTTE.

Source: NDTV

Sri Lanka clashes kill at least 34

2008-01-14T09:36:00.000-08:00

A wave of pitched battles, bombings and an airstrike killed at least 34 people across northern Sri Lanka, the military said, as a Japanese envoy met with officials to try to stop the raging civil war.

In the latest attack, soldiers pushed into rebel territory in northern Mannar district and captured nine bunkers, killing nine insurgents, said military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara.

Two soldiers also died in the fighting and 15 more were wounded, he said.

Earlier, a roadside bomb hit a van in the Vavuniya region, just south of the front lines separating government forces from the Tamil Tiger rebels' de facto state in the north, Nanayakkara said.

The passengers, civilian workers with a military escort, were returning from an army base after collecting explosives for use in civilian metal mining, he said.

The civilian driver and two soldiers were killed, while three other soldiers and a civilian were wounded, the military said. The explosives inside the van did not detonate, Nanayakkara said.

In hopes of reviving the shattered peace process, Japanese mediator Yasushi Akashi met with Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama and President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Monday during the envoy's three-day visit to the Indian Ocean island nation.

"Mr Akashi asked the president for the reasons for the abrogation of the cease-fire agreement, and the president explained that from the beginning it did not deliver the intended results," Foreign Secretary Palitha Kohona told the Associated Press.

Rajapaksa told Akashi that the rebels used the cease-fire only to build up their military strength, Kohona said.

Akashi also promised continued economic assistance to Sri Lanka and support to the government's efforts to evolve a power-sharing deal with minority Tamils, he added.

Source: Press Association

Sri Lanka says no immediate ban on Tamil Tigers

2008-01-14T09:26:00.000-08:00

Jan 14, 2008 (LBO) – The Sri Lankan government Monday told a visiting Japanese peace envoy that there was no immediate need to proscribe the Tamil Tigers.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement the government was going ahead with its plans to present peace proposals despite its withdrawal from a ceasefire with the Tigers.

It said the government's position was made clear by Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama to visiting Japanese Special Envoy Yasushi Akashi during talks between the two.

Akashi is on a three-day visit to the island in an effort to seek an end to the bloodshed.

"Responding to a query, the Foreign Minister expressed the view that there was no need to proscribe the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) at the present time as there was sufficient legal infrastructure already in place," the statement said.

It did not specify the legal infrastructure it was referring to.

Japan, the biggest bilateral donor to Sri Lanka, has said foreign aid could be withheld if violence keeps escalating.

The ministry statement quoted Bogollagama as telling Akashi that despite its withdrawal from the truce signed in 2002, the government "continued to make every effort to realize the goals of de-escalation of violence in spite of the atrocities and serious violations committed by the (Tigers)."

Akashi briefed the government on Japan's concerns regarding the termination of the truce and the need to seek a sustainable peace through dialogue and negotiation, the statement said.

Bogollagama said the government's peace proposals offering devolution of power to minority Tamils would be released by January 23.

Bogollagama noted that Japan's economic assistance continued to be vital to Sri Lanka's development.

"The Minister also cautioned against any international action that could jeopardize the government's initiatives in the peace process and would only strengthen LTTE's intransigence and trigger increased violence in the country."

The government's withdrawal from the truce on the grounds that it was being violated by the Tigers led to reports that it was considering re-imposing a ban on the Tigers.

Source: LBO

LTTE front organisations running riot in UK

2008-01-14T09:19:00.000-08:00

LONDON: Sri Lanka has alleged that millions of dollars are still being raised in the UK and mainland Europe by thinly-disguised front organizations for the LTTE, even as it argues for the British government to ban an active UK-based charity it claims to be supported by several southern Indian film stars.

A spokesman for the Sri Lankan High Commission said on Monday that the charity called 'White Pigeon' held a big-ticket in London over the weekend. This was followed by two shows in Paris. All were billed as mega-star events and were advertised as fronted by "South Indian musician Shiyam, senior Tamil actor Sathyaraj, his actor son and heart throb Sibi, actress Sri Lekha, actor Jeeva, actor Nanda, actress Mathumitha, Kerala actress who also plays leading roles in Tamil films Bhavana, male singer Karthik, male singer Krish, female singer Vinaya, and male singer Mano".

The Paris shows were expected to raise at least two million pounds.

According to some reports, White Pigeon is the successor to the US and UK-banned Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO), which has allegedly raised millions of dollars across Western capitals to funnel arms to the LTTE.

Sri Lankan sources claim the LTTE is using 'White Pigeon' "openly to fund raise, for the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) in Paris, banned in many countries for pumping money to the coffers of the Tamil Tigers".

Walter Jayawardhana, information minister at the Sri Lanka High Commission said "unchecked fundraising in Western capitals undoubtedly affects the effort to fight terrorism".

Unconfirmed reports said at least six of the 11 advertised Indian artistes did not show up at the European shows because they were refused British visas. This meant only 2,000 British Tamils attended the London show, leaving the 10,000-capacity venue relatively forlorn.

It's understood that the Sri Lankan authorities asked the British and French governments a few weeks ago to crack down on 'White Pigeon' and are still waiting for action.

The weekend Tamil shows come just weeks after the Sri Lankan government complained about the attendance of three high-profile MPs of Britain's governing Labour Party at a several-thousand-strong expatriate Tamil event here.

On Monday, the Sri Lankan government reiterated that the expat Tamil event "openly violated anti-terrorism laws. The police have sent evidence about the violators to the crown prosecutor's unit for the culprits to be charged."

The Sri Lankan authorities claim that even though 'White Pigeon' had agreed with the London Metropolitan Police not to violate Britain's strict Anti-Terrorism laws and only fund-raise for charity, rather than the LTTE, "in the past all such assurances by the fronts of the LTTE were futile that finally resulted in the banning of the TRO."

Sources reiterated that the United States government, on November 15 designated TRO "as a fundraising front organization for the terrorist group LTTE and the TRO's offices in 18 countries, including the one in Cumberland, Maryland USA were also designated".

They said that "immediately, after the US ban, the United Kingdom followed suit. Australian investigations revealed that millions collected from Australians to aid victims of the Tsunami disaster in Sri Lanka have been used by the TRO to the procurement of arms for the LTTE. Sri Lanka froze assets of the TRO first and confiscated them later".

Source: Times of India

Jaya, Vaiko target Lankan navy

2008-01-13T12:16:00.000-08:00

Statesman News Service
Chennai, Jan. 13: A few days after the BJP opposed the Centre’s military aid to the Sri Lankan government, AIADMK supremo Ms Jayalalitha and her ally MDMK leader Mr Vaiko sought action to end the Sri Lankan navy’s continuing attacks on Tamil Nadu fishermen.
Mr Sekar(38) was injured when the Sri Lankan navy surrounded the fishermen and fired at them near Dhanuskodi in the Indian waters.
Describing the firing on Tamil Nadu fishermen yesterday, in which one of them from Rameswaram was seriously injured, as "a cowardly attack” by the Sri Lankan navy, Ms Jayalalitha said: “We cannot allow continuous attacks on Tamil Nadu fishermen by the Sri Lankan navy as this would destroy their livelihood.”
In a statement here, she alleged that the actions of the Sri Lankan navy were exceeding the limit. Mr Vaiko, in a letter to Prime Minister Dr Manm-ohan Singh, referred to the statement by Commodore PE Van Haltren, naval officer-in-charge of Tamil Nadu, who defended the Sri Lankan navy's attacks on Tamil Nadu fishermen, said:
Echoing the views of state BJP president Mr L Ganesan, who termed the involvement of India in the island's conflict as “anti-Tamil,” Mr Vaiko said the UPA government was giving logistic support and supplying arms to "Sri Lanka's racist government to enable it to perpetrate its bloodthirsty attacks against the Tamils, with the sole aim to liquidate the Tamil race on the island”.
Because of this condemnable attitude and action of the Indian government, the Tamil Nadu fishermen were attacked and killed by the Sri Lankan navy, he charged.

Source: thestatesman.net

India upgrades coastal security to face Tiger threats

2008-01-13T11:47:00.000-08:00

India is planning to replace and upgrade its coastal security scheme with stricter measures to prevent infiltration by Tigers.

Indian security agencies want to check the smuggling of explosives and contraband by terrorist outfits, Indian defence sources said.

India’s security authorities have urged the Government to revamp coastal security mechanisms in the wake of the escalation of fighting between Security Forces and the LTTE as fleeing Tigers could be trying to enter India by sea and its sympathisers could be attempting to smuggle weapons to the Sri Lanka’s North.

Tamil Nadu Police have made a series of arrests of LTTE suspects, both Indian and Sri Lankan, recently.

Terrorists have been using gaps in India’s coastline that connect it to Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Maldives, all of which have seen rising terrorist activities. India’s maritime boundaries have also become a haven for insurgents to infiltrate and smuggle in arms and explosives, the defence sources said.

India’s 4,350-mile coastline is spread over 11 states. Its maritime boundaries have been prone to illegal cross-border activities, including smuggling of explosives and infiltration by terrorists.

The Federal Interior Ministry has, following the recommendation of Cabinet Committee on Security, decided to review coastal security and put implement a comprehensive and more strict scheme to prevent illegal cross-border activities, including infiltration by terrorists, they added.

The decision to upgrade security has been taken at a recent meeting of top-level ministry officials presided over by Interior Secretary Madhukar Gupta.

“The Government should give main thrust to specialised maritime police stations. These would deal specially with the maritime offenses,” said A.B. Mahapatra, executive director of the Centre for Asian Strategic Studies told news agencies.

The Federal Interior Ministry has helped coastal states to set up 73 coastal police stations, 97 check posts, 58 outposts and 30 barracks.

The coastal police stations will be equipped with 204 boats, 149 jeeps, 312 motorcycles for increasing mobility of the police personnel on the coasts and coastal waters once the comprehensive review is completed.

The CCS, which undertook an initial review of the scheme, asked the Interior Ministry to take measures to strengthen joint coastal patrolling off the coasts of Gujarat and Maharashtra, as intelligence agencies have voiced security concerns.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh admitted the need for bolstering maritime security, adding the Federal Government has been paying greater attention to this issue.

“I do believe that in the past, we have neglected our maritime economy, as well as our maritime security,” he said. “Our Government has been paying greater attention to both these.”

“We have increased investment in our coast guard and the Indian Navy. We are proud of our Navy. It is one of the best navies in the world and today offers maritime security in the waters around our subcontinent,” he said.

The Indian Navy and Army are engaged in military exercises with various countries in the Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal.

“Navies of the world are reaching out to engage the Indian navy and work with us to ensure the security of sea-lanes of communication,” Singh said.

India has signed an agreement with the Royal Navy of Thailand for joint patrolling to protect the maritime areas in the two countries.

Source: Daily news

Chandrasekaran: India should involve itself

2008-01-13T11:20:00.000-08:00

CHENNAI: P. Chandrasekaran, Sri Lankan Minister of Community Development and Social Inequity Eradication, said on Sunday that it was time for India to reconsider its position on the Sri Lankan ethnic issue.

Instead of remaining a mere observer, it should involve itself in the matter, Mr. Chandrasekaran told The Hindu.

Referring to the Sri Lankan government’s declaration on January 2 that it would regard as invalid the Norwegian-brokered ceasefire with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, Mr. Chandrasekaran, also the president of the Up Country Peoples Front and Worker’s Front, said India, like many other nations, was for a political solution, not a military solution. “Then, why should not India evince interest?” he asked.

He said when Pakistan and China were keen on cooperation with Sri Lanka on the economic and military fronts, there was no need for India to keep away.

He said the Indian government should view the ethnic problem as one concerning the denial of basic human rights to people of Indian origin.

India has the right

The Minister said India being the nearest neighbour had both the resources and the right to intervene. It was for this purpose that in the last few days, he met different leaders of Tamil Nadu including S. Ramadoss of the Pattali Makkal Katchi, K. Veeramani of the Dravidar Kazhagam, R. Sarathkumar of the All-India Samathuva Makkal Katchi and Thol. Thirumavalavan of the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal.

He wanted the leaders to impress upon the Centre to change its approach. He also sought audience with Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi and the All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam general secretary, Jayalalithaa.

LTTE should agree for talks

A couple of months ago, Mr. Chandrasekaran held talks with representatives of the LTTE and told them that India would keep away if the LTTE insisted on Tamil Eelam.

Besides, the LTTE should make an open and unqualified apology for the assassination of the former Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi. The LTTE’s response was that it was for a federal system and the Rajiv assassination was a thing of the past and there was no point in raking it up.

Source: The Hindu

36 LTTE fighters, one soldier killed in Sri Lanka: Army

2008-01-13T06:31:00.000-08:00

At least 36 fighters of the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and an army personnel were killed in fierce clashes in the restive northern Sri Lanka, the military said here today.

"Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam communication intercepts confirmed that four LTTE militants were killed in a confrontation at Pulipankayarkulam yesterday," the Media Centre for National Security (MCNS) said, adding one soldier was also killed in the incident.

In another incident, troops killed an activists of the Tamil Tigers at Venkalaveedikulam in Vavuniya on Saturday, it said. In Ilamaranthankulam, at least two militants were killed in a separate clashes with troops, the MCNS said.

In northeastern Welioya in Vavuniya, a militant was gunned down at Kokkuthuduwai yesterday, the army said. Four militants were killed at Thalikulam in Vavuniya in clashes with security forces yesterday, it said.

Meanwhile, troops killed 15 militants and injured many in the LTTE-held Palaikkuli general area in north of mannar following a fierce clash yesterday, the defence ministry said in a statement today. In another incident at Koviyathottam, Gurunagar in Jaffna, one Tamil Tiger activist committed suicide to escape arrest by the security forces.

Meanwhile, at Vilathikulam yesterday, troops recovered two bodies of LTTE fighters during a search operation, the MCNS said. A soldier was reportedly killed in LTTE small arms fire at general area in Narikkulam in Mannar.

"Army troops in three separate incidents, moved forward and destroyed three LTTE bunkers in the general areas of Muhalmale, Nagarkovil and Kilaly in Jaffna around 9.30 pm yesterday and killed six militants," the military said, adding two soldiers were also injured in the incident.

Source: outlookindia.com

Japan Peace Envoy Hints Aid For Sri Lanka May Be Denied -AFP

2008-01-13T06:26:00.000-08:00

COLOMBO (AFP)--Japan's peace envoy opened talks in Sri Lanka on Sunday, hinting international donors may hold back much-needed foreign aid if the island's decades-long ethnic conflict escalates, officials said.

Yasushi Akashi, who arrived in Sri Lanka for three days of crucial talks on Sunday, met the Marxist JVP, the main left party, for an hour-long discussion, the party said in a statement.

"While Japan and other international donors give a lot of aid to Sri Lanka, Mr Akashi indicated that donors may call off aid, given the current ground situation," the JVP said.

Tokyo is the biggest bilateral aid giver to Sri Lanka, which is battling a 36- year-old Tamil separatist conflict that has claimed more than 60,000 lives since 1972.

Finance ministry figures here show that Japan gave nearly $200 million to Sri Lanka between January and September last year.

Akashi's visit comes amidst mounting bloodshed since the government decided this month to pull out of a tattered Norway-brokered 2002 truce with the Tamil Tiger rebels.

The envoy will not travel to the rebel-held areas in the north for talks with the guerillas, but will meet with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse and other government officials, the Japanese embassy here said.

Ahead of his visit, Sri Lanka's army beefed up security in cities across the island, deploying troops in public places including in the capital Colombo, which has been rocked by several deadly blasts this month.

"We have given special attention to security in schools and public places where more people tend to gather," military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said.

Police have also imported $33,000 worth of explosive detectors to be deployed at check points and busy public areas, police chief Victor Perera said Sunday.

He said police were looking at installing closed circuit television systems at key points in Colombo.

Heavy fighting across Sri Lanka's northern frontier continued, leaving at least 29 rebels dead over the weekend, the military said Sunday, placing their own losses at two soldiers killed and eight injured.

Some 361 rebels and 13 troops have been killed so far this month, according to military figures.

Tokyo and the island's other major donors on Saturday voiced concern over Colombo's decision to scrap the truce, saying they feared it would lead to more bloodshed and stall peace efforts.

The financial backers, who include the U.S., the E.U. and Norway, also sought access to meet the Tigers in their rebel-held territories in the north and urged Colombo to allow a U.N. presence to monitor rights abuses.

There was no immediate comment from the government. Sri Lanka has repeatedly rejected previous calls for a U.N. rights mission here.

In Saturday's joint statement, the donor quartet urged warring parties to protect civilians and allow humanitarian agencies access to people in need.

Sri Lanka announced it would formally pull out of the six-year truce on Jan. 16, saying the guerrillas had used the ceasefire as a cover to rearm, recruit and attack troops.

However, the Tamil Tigers said last week that it was "shocked and disappointed" by the Sri Lankan government's decision and appealed to Norway, which brokered the truce, to remain engaged.

Source:NASDAQ/AFP

The Sunday times : Situation Report by By Iqbal Athas

2008-01-12T16:32:00.000-08:00

Charles: LTTE's prince of faceless terror

Shattering blow to Tigers as LRRP gets prize target
Small bombs cause panic, but big questions remain over security

By Iqbal Athas

Almost 17 years ago, the assassination of then Deputy Minister of Defence, Ranjan Wijeratne, highlights the detailed planning by Tiger guerrillas to target VIPs.

He lived in a house in Colombo's Havelock Road, opposite the Burgher Recreation Club (BRC) and Pedris Park. When he travelled to office or for other engagements in the City, he dissuaded his security detail from taking devious routes to his destination. After exiting home and coming on to Havelock Road, he preferred to proceed direct to Bambalapitiya junction. It is from here that his motorcade branched out to wherever they were heading.

Taking Dickman's Road or the Thimbirigasyaya Road was taboo. There were occasions when the security detail took those routes and were ordered to fall back to Havelock Road. The only exception was when he travelled in a southerly direction along Havelock Road, particularly to Deraniyagala. He planned to contest from this electorate, which he was nursing.

None was aware that a Tiger guerrilla leader had deployed his men to mount surveillance on the late Mr. Wijeratne. Over a period of time, they constructed a full picture of his routine. At the time of his departure, Police patrol cars would be near BRC premises and at the Dickman's Road junction. Down the road, at Thimbirigasyaya Junction, a Police security detail was present. Further away was the Police Field Force headquarters. Thus, an area that appeared not secured was outside the University Hostel, across the road from the entrance to Police Park.

On March 3, 1991, Tiger guerrillas exploded a powerful bomb there killing Mr. Wijeratne. Since then, over the years the same guerrilla leader masterminded several attacks. After he planned and executed the attack on the Central Bank on January 31, 1996, LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, reports said, bestowed a Pajero vehicle upon him. In that attack, guerrillas rammed a truck loaded with explosives killing 91 people. Other attacks he directed in the past years, almost all of them in the City of Colombo, are too many to catalogue.

On Saturday (January 5), a team from the Army's Long Range Reconnaisance Patrol (LRRP) caught up with this guerrilla leader. Moving stealthily behind the guerrilla lines at Pallamadu in Mannar, they shot him dead. How they boldly executed this task cannot be described in detail for that would expose their operational procedures.

Even the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) admitted that it was a great loss to them. Shanmuganathan Ravi Shankar alias Ravichandran alias Ravi alias "Colonel" Charles was head of "Liberation Tigers Military Intelligence" (LTMI). He caught up with his death whilst assisting Sea Tiger leader Soosai (Thillaiampalam Sivanesan). Intelligence sources said his task in the recent weeks was to fortify the Sea Tiger base at Viduthaltivu. The LTTE fears the Army's ongoing offensives in the area include plans to capture this base.

The attack on "Col." Charles is indeed a very significant one for the Army, the security and defence establishment. How important he was can be gauged by remarks made by Soosai at the funeral last Sunday. Speaking at a ceremony at the sprawling LTTE "Heroes" cemetery in Puthukudiyiruppu, Tamilnet website quoted Soosai as saying:

"Col. Charles was known only to a few but the enemy knew his identity. "When the enemy occupied Jaffna peninsula and was roaming around freely, it was difficult for our cadres to find accommodation and meals. It was during that difficult time Col. Charles functioning under the leadership of Captain Morris, who was in charge of Point Pedro area, faced the military offensives of the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF). He was later sent to Manalaru (Weli Oya) where he coordinated a number of attacks. A short while later he returned to Jaffna peninsula and continued his activities together with LTTE Intelligence Unit Head Pottu Amman.

"In 1990 Col. Charles who was in charge of Vadamaraadchi area up to that time of withdrawal of IPKF was identified by Pottu Ammaan, Head of our Intelligence Unit, as the ideal candidate to prepare a base in the South to stage attacks from there. Stationing himself in the South Col. Charles staged a series of successful attacks.

"He successfully led a number of daring attacks but once he sensed that he was being wanted by the enemy he quickly changed his place of operation to Batticaloa from where he continued to launch many more successful attacks against the enemy. "During 2001 Katunayake Air Port attack which was flawlessly executed making sure none of the civilian passengers including foreigners were not hurt, this great hero Charles who led the attack proved to the world how effectively he trained the Black Tigers under the guidance of Pottu Amman and also showed to the world community the great power of and discipline of our fighters.

"But for our people he was a faceless commander. During the early stages of his involvement in our movement, Charles functioned under me. At that time while executing his own responsibilities he created a team of Black Tigers to function incognito for attacks to be staged not only in the North and East but also on certain targets in the South. According to my request, Charles created this incognito Black Sea Tiger Unit for attacks in the South……..

"He was not only an expert in staging military offensives but he also had a talent of freely mixing with each and everyone. He developed a cordial relationship with our national leader. He did not restrict his unique style of attacks to the south but making use of the cadres of the newly created Liberation Tigers Military Intelligence (MI) he led attacks in Mukamaalai smashing the Forward Defence Lines (FDLs)……"

Unlike many others in the armed forces including their units, whose heroic deeds can be made public, the bravery and valour of the men of the LRRP units, who make a great sacrifices cannot be divulged. In this instance, their mission to penetrate deep into guerrilla-dominated territory overcoming all odds to accomplish targets is not only remarkable but also very significant. Their actions are quite different from other military missions where sometimes opportunity targets are unexpectedly accomplished. They are assigned to dedicated targets on the basis of verified intelligence.

Questions are being raised in Colombo's intelligence community as to why LTTE leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran, did not visit his slain military intelligence leader's home in Kilinochchi to pay his respects. A few believed this was because he was injured during the recent Air Force bomb attack and could not travel. However, other well-informed sections said this was purely on grounds of personal security. One of them who did not wish to be identified declared, "The fear of LRRP teams lurking around is causing a big worry for LTTE leaders in the Wanni. So the guerrilla leader will not take a chance to move around." The assault on Charles in the

Mannar area came as the Army continued their advance north of the general area in the past several days. There has been a string of sporadic skirmishes with Tiger guerrillas in the recent days. Constraints prevent me from giving details except to add that a senior Army official told a top-level conference he was confident the Madhu church area would be under their control within the next two weeks. He said the troops were within six to seven kilometres from the Church area. The military campaign to gain control of this area and its environs began in July, last year. Efforts by seven battalions in Muhamalai in November, last year, to march southwards in the direction of Kilinochchi met with stiff resistance. Troops were forced to pull back.

Whilst the thrust continues, troops also engaged guerrilla positions south of the defended localities at Muhamalai - the gateway to the Jaffna peninsula. The troops want to seize guerrilla-dominated territory in the area. Highly placed Army sources say troops have also opened a new front in a location north of the Weli Oya sector. These sources declined to give details saying it was "premature" but added that troops have advanced considerably in the direction of guerrilla-dominated territory somewhere near the north eastern coast.

The stepped up campaign comes in the light of Government's declared objective of defeating the Tiger guerrillas before the end of this year. Army Commander Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka told his annual media dinner at General's House in the heavily guarded Bauddhaloka Mawatha on Friday night that he would not leave the battle against the guerrillas to a successor. He said he would finish the war within this year.

The New Year's eve pronouncement of stepping up the military campaign appears to have drawn its own response from the guerrillas. Their latest victim in a claymore mine attack was Puttalam district Parliamentarian and non-Cabinet rank Minister for Nation Building, D.M. Dassanayake. He was on his way to Parliament when his vehicle was hit by the mine at Ja-ela. The incident occurred near the statue of the late film idol Rukmani Devi. He succumbed to his injuries at the Ragama hospital. One of his bodyguards also died later.

On the day of the incident, the Terrorism Investigation Division had warned a member of the household of Jeyaraj Fernandopulle, Minister of Highways, Road Development and Chief Government Whip, about a guerrilla cadre moving around in that area. They informed the Police and the suspect was arrested near the Minister's house. He was to later confess that he had been asked by guerrilla intelligence leaders in the Wanni to conduct reconnaissance on Mr. Fernandopulle's house and about his movements.

The claymore mine attack in Ja-ela prompted Defence Secretary, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, to telephone Police Chief, Victor Perera in Colombo. He discussed immediate measures to deploy a large strength of Police and Home Guards in the Greater Colombo area to strengthen security. Part of these measures, including the induction of more Police Special Task Force (STF) commandos, has already come into effect. Last Wednesday Mr. Perera gave the National Security Council a briefing on recent incidents in the City, the prevailing security situation and measures taken by the Police.

Two explosions in the City - one on Tuesday - on a phone booth along the end of Sir Chittampalam Gardiner Mawatha caused a loud explosion heard a few miles away. The phone booth was badly damaged and window panes of some apartments at Regent Flats were shattered. A Navy sailor travelling in a three wheeler scooter taxi and the driver of a courier service van suffered shock and were treated at the Colombo National Hospital.

The second explosion occurred on Friday night inside the Fort Railway Station. One passenger sustained minor injuries. The bomb, concealed inside a parcel, had been placed on a stairway. Security authorities are confused by these two bombs. They were packed with explosives (without steel balls) and both were exploded through a timing mechanism. "If it was done by the LTTE," an intelligence source said, "it may be only to cause panic but not to lead to casualties. But we cannot conclusively say that until the investigations are complete."

If indeed Tiger guerrillas were responsible, one of the aims would be to create fear and panic. It is easy to create both if one is to look at the aftermath. Reports circulated worldwide, not to mention within Sri Lanka, that bombs were exploding in rapid succession in the capital Colombo. Foreign Governments were re-examining travel advisories to their respective citizens. Tour operators were examining how safe it was to send tourists to Sri Lanka. Corporate bodies overseas were assessing the threats to their own business interests in Sri Lanka in the light of an uncertain security situation.

The explosions came as Government was readying to ban the LTTE after the Ceasefire Agreement ends on January 16. The explosion may also lead to major search operations in various parts of the City of Colombo by the security forces and the Police. In the light of the stepped up military offensives on Tiger guerrillas, the Ministry of Defence is taking steps to ensure all equipment and other military needs are met. Last week, an Air Force transport plane flying in defence supplies made a stop over in an Asian country. Its takeoff had been delayed after one of the pilots was not available. An inquiry is now under way to ascertain the circumstance. Some reports said he had adjourned to a restaurant for refreshments. Unidentified persons had drugged him there and escaped with his money leaving behind only his identity card. Air Force officials remained tight lipped about the incident.

As tougher security measures are falling into place in Colombo, the public, no doubt will have to gear themselves to cope with them. With the return of the checkpoints coupled together with searches, greater vigilance becomes inevitable. The guerrillas will continue to try to make them ineffective.

Source: SUNDAY TIMES-Columns - Situation Report By Iqbal Athas

lakbimanews.lk:APRC — NO CONSENSUS, JUST “MAJORITY VIEWS”

2008-01-12T13:08:00.000-08:00

by Ranga Jayasuriya

Despite the assertions by the government that the All Party Representative Committee will present a political package on January 23, the proposed devolution package of the APRC will leave a number of political issues undecided. An inside source of the APRC told the LAKBIMAnEWS that a number of key issues remain undecided and the tug of war between the ultra nationalist constituent parties of the government and a combination of minority parties and the Old left have made a consensus virtually impossible.

“We will most likely produce a set of proposals and highlight the topics where disagreements still persist,” he said.
He said APRC would notify in its submission the stance of the majority of the Committee members over each of the contentious topics, where the committee has failed to reach a consensus. “This will however leave a large grey area in the proposals,” he said.
He said there are disagreements over the nature of the State, powers to be devolved to the provinces, unit of devolution and electoral reforms.
“We will outline where the majority decision prevails in all of these issues,” he said.
He however said the APRC had agreed to recommend the full implementation of the 13th amendment as a prelude to a substantial devolution of powers.
He said the proposal backed by the EPDP leader Douglas Devananda was taken up by the APRC which decided that the issue does not need further deliberation as the implementation of the 13th amendment could be done well within the existing constitutional parameters.
Minister Devananda has pushed for an Interim Council for the North-East. The President can appoint an Interim Council for the North East under the 13th amendment to the Constitution.

Source

Sunday Island:Current VIP security systems are flawed admits IGP

2008-01-12T12:58:00.000-08:00

Strategy must be re-thought as LTTE threat mounts

by Shamindra Ferdinando

IGP Victor Perera yesterday acknowledged that the current focus on VVIP and VIP security was flawed and a re-thinking of the strategy was needed to meet the growing threat posed by the LTTE.

The current approach was at the expense of the ordinary people, he admitted. Due to the deployment of a sizeable force on VVIP and VIP security duties as well as providing security to vital installations, the police was finding it extremely difficult to meet the growing manpower requirement to meet other challenges.

Armed forces and the Special Task Force (STF) too have contributed a significant number of personnel for VIP protection with President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa receiving highest priority.

The police chief, under fire by UNP-led Opposition for reducing UNP parliamentarian T. Maheswaran’s security shortly before his assassination on January 1 said that the need was to enhance security in the City and its suburbs without being distracted by various other factors.

Addressing a special press conference at Police Headquarters, Perera who once functioned as the DIG in charge of the Presidential Security Division (PSD) during Chandrika Kumaratunga’s tenure as the president (he requested that he be relieved of these duties following the LTTE attempt on Kumaratunga’s life in December 1999), claimed that the current focus on individuals was detrimental to what he called overall security environment in the city and its suburbs.

He expressed the belief that it would be better to provide adequate security to an area rather than protecting ‘individual targets’.

According to him, police deployed for security in the city and its suburbs was boosted with an additional 800 personnel a few days ago. But that wouldn’t be enough, he said, acknowledging the growing challenge amidst stepped up LTTE attacks.

The government last week brought DIG Nimal Lewke, the Commandant of the elite STF into what the IGP called the ``Colombo security apparatus.’’ Lewke would work with DIG Nimal Mediwaka, in charge of Colombo.

Responding to a question whether Anura Bandaranaike’s security was raised again after he pledged to back President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s government, Perera claimed that the decision was made by the Defence Ministry subsequent to a request made by the MP.

The government reduced the number of policemen assigned to Bandaranaike from 72 to two after he switched allegiance to the Opposition shortly before the final Dec. 3 vote on the Budget but agreed to reverse the decision following a meeting the former National Heritage Minister had with President Rajapaksa on Jan 5.

He asserted that the threat on an individual would depend to some extent on his or her public statements. He said that Colombo would come under increased pressure as security forces stepped up offensive action in the Vanni.

Referring to the recent decision to increase the number of police personnel assigned for protection of MPs, he said that everything possible would be done to enhance their security.

At a meeting attended by Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake and Speaker W.J.M. Lokubandara last week, the IGP agreed to increase the number of policemen assigned to each MP from two to four. Perera said that two men will be in uniform.

He admitted that enhanced security will not prevent an LTTE attack. A case in point was the recent assassination of Nation Building Minister D. M. Dassanayake at Ja-ela as he was on his way to attend Parliament, he said.

Source

The Hindu: Co-Chairs ask Colombo to finalise devolution plan

2008-01-12T11:21:00.000-08:00

COLOMBO: The Tokyo Co-Chairs (Norway, Japan, U.S. and E.U.) of Sri Lanka on Saturday jointly expressed their strong concerns about the termination of the 2002 Ceasefire Agreement by the government of Sri Lanka and urged it to finalise the “politically sustainable devolution plan” amid claims by the military that at least 81 cadres of the LTTE were killed in clashes in the north.

A statement issued here said that the Co-Chairs articulated their concerns in individual statements. “The Co-Chairs support a continued Norwegian role as facilitator. The Co-Chairs emphasise their belief that there is no military solution to the conflict in Sri Lanka, and reiterate their support for a negotiated settlement.

“Thus, they urge the government of Sri Lanka to finalise a politically sustainable devolution plan; urge all parties to comply with their obligations under international law to protect civilians and allow access by humanitarian aid agencies to populations in need; express deep concern about the human rights situation and protection of civilians in Sri Lanka, and call for continued monitoring of the human rights situation by such means as to assure an appropriate role for the U.N. and request the government of Sri Lanka provide access to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in Kilinochchi for representatives of the Co-Chairs and the facilitator.”

Source

No military solution to Lankan conflict: Co-chairs

2008-01-12T09:53:00.000-08:00

Jan 12: Expressing concerns for Sri Lanka's decision to unilateral abrogation of the 2002 February Ceasefire Agreement with the Tamil Tiger rebels, Sri Lanka's donor co-chairs today stressed that there was no military solution to the island's bloody ethnic crisis.

The Co-Chairs emphasised their belief that there was no military solution to the conflict in the country, and reiterated their support for a negotiated settlement. They urged the Sri Lanka government to finalise a politically sustainable devolution plan, the Co-chairs such as the US, the EU, Norway and Japan said in a joint statement.

Throwing their full weight for a continued Norwegian role as facilitator, the Co-Chairs expressed deep concern about the human rights situation and protection of civilians in the country, and called for continued monitoring of the human rights situation.

Urging all parties to comply with their obligations under the international law to protect civilians and allow access by humanitarian aid agencies to populations in need, the Co-chairs also requested the country to provide access to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in Kilinochchi for representatives of the Co-Chairs and the facilitator.

The statement, issued by the Norwegian embassy on behalf of the co-chairs, has come a day before the arrival of Japanese special peace envoy to Sri Lanka Yasushi Akashi.

During this two-day visit here, Mr Akashi is scheduled to discuss with the government the current situation of the peace process.

Source: newkerala.com

Tamilnet:Paramilitary opens fire on Muslim worshippers at Mosque in Kaaththaankudi

2008-01-12T08:27:00.000-08:00

Paramilitary gunmen from Pillayaan Group opened fire on Muslims who were emerging from a Mosque in Karbala village in Aaraiyampathi Saturday at 7:55 p.m. Three persons were wounded, two of them were in critical state, eyewitnesses told TamilNet. Tension prevails in the village with settlement dispute between the Tamil and Muslim communities. Shops were closed and additional police and military forces have been rushed to the village.

The attack comes following the killing of a Tamil trader in Kaaththaankudi Friday night.

Source

lankadissent.com:24-hour search operations in several roads

2008-01-12T07:34:00.000-08:00

Security forces have decided to launch 24-hour search operations in several main roads that are frequently used by ministers and parliamentarians, defence sources said today (Jan. 12th). These roads include the Baseline Road, the Colombo-Negombo main road, the Galle Road and the Parliament Road.

Also, road blocks are to be set up in these roads, which will be subjected to round the clock search operations.

Around 10,000 Civil Defence Force personnel are expected to be summoned to Colombo for this purpose, reports say.

The Civil Defence Force Director, Admiral Sarath Weerasekera confirmed that additional numbers of CDF guards posted in the LTTE threatened border villages will be summoned to Colombo.

In addition to the CDF guards, Army soldiers as well as Navy and Air Force personnel will also be deployed as necessary, the source adds.

Source

The Hindu: Fisherman seriously hurt in firing by Lankan Navy

2008-01-12T07:26:00.000-08:00

Rameswaram (PTI): A fisherman was seriously injured and his boat damaged when Sri Lankan naval personnel fired 'indiscriminately' at Indian boats fishing between between Talaimannar and Dhanushkodi on Saturday morning, official sources said.

The fishermen suffered serious bullet injures in his shoulder. Three others who went with him managed to escape by ducking in the boat. They later brought the man to shore and got him admitted to the Ramanathapauram government hospital.

Top officials, including the Fisheries Assistant Director Velpandi have been informed about the incident.

Source

NDTV: Fierce clashes kill 81 in Sri Lanka

2008-01-12T07:13:00.000-08:00

At least 80 Tamil Tigers were killed in fierce fighting with Sri Lankan troops in the island's embattled north, the military said on Saturday, as clashes intensified after the government last week decided to pull out of a six-year-old ceasefire with the rebels.

At least one soldier was killed and 27 others sustained injuries in the fighting, which came even as a Japanese peace envoy's headed for the island to discuss the situation after the scrapping of the 2002 truce.

The military said at least 80 Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels were killed in a series of gun battles with the security forces in the restive northern parts of the country, with most of the casualties occurring in clashes in Vavuniya and Mannar fronts.

In Muhamalai in Jaffna peninsula, troops on Friday ran into LTTE bunker defences, killing three rebels, the Defence Ministry said.

While one soldier suffered injuries in a clash at Nagarkovil defences in Jaffna, on the Kilaly front, three soldiers were injured when the militants opened fire at the security forces' defence on Friday morning.

On the Vavuniya front, troops clashed with LTTE at several locations north of Vilathikulama area, killing 16 Tigers and injuring 10 others, the Ministry said.

In the general area south of Madhu in Vavuniya, Army infantrymen ambushed militants' reinforcement on Friday afternoon, the Army said adding, ground sources have confirmed that 10 rebels lost their lives.

Source

Ceasefire abrogation a violation of human rights:Chandrasekaran

2008-01-12T07:06:00.000-08:00

Terming the Sri Lankan government's decision to call off the ceasefire agreement with the LTTE as a violation of human rights, a Sri Lankan Tamil minister today said only India could help find a solution to the vexed ethnic issue in the island nation.

The Sri Lankan Minister for Community Development P Chandrasekaran said the island president Mahinda Rajapakse's decision to call off the ceasefire was an "act against human rights".

"India is the only country which has the strength and opportunity to end the problem in Sri Lanka," Chandrasekaran, representing India tea plantation Tamils of Indian origin, said after calling on the PMK founder S Ramadoss here.

He said he had sought an appointment with the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi to apprise him of the latest developments in Sri Lanka.

Source: outlookindia.com

Sri Lanka has a right to take action against terrorists: Pranab

2008-01-12T04:50:00.000-08:00

New Delhi, Jan 12: Sri Lanka is well within its right to take action against terrorists, but the government should also continue efforts to arrive at a solution to the problem of ethnic minorities, including the Tamils, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee has said.

Mukherjee has refused to criticise Sri Lanka for abrogating the ceasefire pact with the LTTE, saying that India was "not party to it (the ceasefire agreement)".

Answering a query on the abrogation of the ceasefire on Karan Thapar's "Devil's Advocate" programme for CNN-IBN to be telecast Sunday, Mukherjee said: "We shall have to see what impact it has."

"Of late the clashes between Sri Lankan forces and LTTE terrorists have increased. So far as the terrorism is concerned, our position is that India's position is zero tolerance. So any country that takes action against terrorists are free to do so within their legal system," he said.

On the issue of ethnic minorities, Mukherjee said, "So far as the solution to the problem of ethnic minorities, including the Tamilians, is concerned, so that their legitimate aspirations are fulfilled within the Sri Lankan system, that part should not be lax and efforts must continue to arrive at a solution."

On the invitation to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to attend Sri Lanka's 60th Independence anniversary celebrations, Mukherjee said that no decision has been taken yet. "As and when it will be decided we will let you know but no decision has yet been taken".

He added that the prime minister will attend the Saarc summit to take place in Colombo later this year.

Source: newkerala.com

LTTE will be defeated by year-end: Sri Lanka Army chief

2008-01-12T04:42:00.000-08:00

By P.K. Balachandran, Colombo , Jan 12: The Sri Lankan Army Commander, Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka, has said that the Tamil Tiger rebels will be militarily defeated before he retires from service at the end of this year.

"I do not want to leave this problem to the next army commander," the general, who would be retiring in December, told newspersons here Friday.

"We (the armed forces) are doing very well. And at the rate we are going, there will be major changes in the coming six to seven months. You will see a different LTTE then," he said.

Indeed, political and military circles in Colombo are already seeing a change in the LTTE.

They see the LTTE's wanting to stick to the ceasefire agreement, even after the Sri Lankan government had unilaterally annulled it Jan 3, as a sign of weakness and desperation.

According to Gen. Fonseka, the LTTE has been losing its fighting cadres rapidly.

In the last two years, they had lost 2,300 cadres in the east and about 1,500 in the north, which had reduced their strength to about 4,500 cadres, he claimed.

"That they have been weakened is evident in the fact that they do not carry away their battlefield dead the way they used to. Earlier, our troops would not be able to see LTTE bodies, now they do."

"Secondly, with dwindling cadre strength, they are throwing young girls into battle. In the recent attack on their bunker lines in Mannar, we recovered bodies of 16-year-old girls," Gen. Fonseka said.

Hinting at dissensions within the LTTE, the Sri Lankan army commander said that it was possible that the fighting units of the LTTE were not obeying the orders of chief Velupillai Prabhakaran.

When asked why Prabhakaran had not made an appearance at any ceremony held to mark the killing of his military intelligence chief, Col. Charles, General Fonseka said that Prabhakaran might be having a problem.

But he did not specify whether Prabhakaran's problem had anything to do with the injury the guerrilla leader had suffered in an air raid Nov 26 last year.

The LTTE, Gen. Fonseka said, were good fighters and were highly committed, but it was necessary to remember that most of their fighters had been forcibly recruited.

"Only 30 percent of the Tiger fighting cadres are volunteers. They rest had been forcibly recruited. These are sent to the front lines and forced to fight to the finish by others standing behind them with guns pointed at them," he said.

Asked how long it would take for the Sri Lankan armed forces to take the northern districts, collectively known as the 'Wanni', and where the Tigers were holed up, the General said: "We are not in a hurry."

"We want to reduce their strength through our operations. It is a war of attrition," he explained.

Giving reasons for the successes scored by the army in the last two years as compared to the past, Gen. Fonseka said that postings and commands were now being given purely on merit and not on seniority.

"I am sending the 15th on the line to do a job instead of the 5th, if the former is more competent," he said.

The intelligence that the armed forces are getting now is also better.

According to the general, this is so because he has asked the infantry in the field to collect the ground intelligence.

And such hard intelligence was being shared with the other services to good effect, he added.

The air force had hit targets, both on land and sea, based on army ground intelligence. Except for the last four ships, those sunk were taken up on the basis of army intelligence, the general claimed.

Above all, there was "very good" coordination between the armed forces and the country's political leadership, he stressed.

Asked if he believed in a military solution to the ethnic conflict, the general said that he did not believe in a military solution.

"Ultimately, any solution will have to be political. But there can be a political solution only after the LTTE had laid down arms," he clarified.

And it was the task of the Sri Lankan armed forces to break the LTTE militarily and thus pave the way for a political solution, he said.

"Once the LTTE is out of the way, the country's political leaders can discuss devolution of power with Tamil parties and groups which are in the democratic stream," the general said.

Source: newkerala.com

defence.lk : Fleeing Tigers will not be allowed shelter in India says Defence Minister A.K.Antony

2008-01-12T04:36:00.000-08:00

(By : Walter JAYAWARDHANA)

India's Defence Minister A.K. Antony has assured that no fleeing Tamil Tiger terrorists escaping from the onslaught of the Sri Lanka armed forces will be allowed to take shelter in the coastal areas of India.

"There will be no compromise on the safety of the country", he said addressing the DRDO Golden Jubilee celebrations in India, referring to India's fear that Tamil Tigers would once again become a trouble in India harming Indian citizens. In the past a Tamil Tiger woman assassin, entered India and killed Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, and scores of other Indian citizens near Chennai by exploding herself. Earlier, there had been many more violent crimes perpetrated by the Tamil Tigers on the soil of India.

Defence Minister A.K. Antony further stated that, the Indian Navy was keeping a close watch on the coastal waters to prevent any LTTE cadres moving into Indian territory in the prevailing situation in Sri Lanka.

He added that all necessary steps have been taken to protect the coastal areas and there would be no compromise on the safety of Sri Lanka's neighbouring giant India.

Fears have been expressed over last week-end, especially in South India that with the abrogation of the cease-fire agreement between the LTTE and the Sri Lankan Government, and the stepping up of action against the terrorist in the northern region, armed Tamil terrorists might take shelter in the coastal areas of India.

India's defence web further reporting on Antony's statements said that he was also asked about the possibility of Pakistan nuclear weapons falling into the hands of Jehadi elements in that country. He said that Pakistan has taken measures to safeguard its nuclear weapons and prevent them falling into the hands of Jehadi forces in that country. We have feedback concerning this, he said.

Source

AFP: Sri Lanka fighting claims 67 ahead of peace envoy trip: army

2008-01-12T04:22:00.000-08:00

COLOMBO (AFP) - Thirty-six hours of intense fighting across Sri Lanka's north left at least 66 rebels and one soldier dead by midday Saturday, the military said, a day ahead of a visit by a Japanese peace envoy.

Japan, Sri Lanka's top aid donor, has voiced deep concern over Colombo's recent decision to formally scrap its 2002 truce with Tamil rebels, saying it feared the move would further stall peace efforts and worsen the conflict.

Yasushi Akashi was to arrive in Colombo on Sunday for talks with President Mahinda Rajapakse and government officials on "the current situation of the peace process and its future," Japan's embassy said here in a statement.

Analysts said Akashi's three-day mission might prove fruitless.

"The government is hell-bent on pursuing its military plans" to crush the rebels before entering into any peace talks," said Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, head of the Centre for Policy Alternatives, a Colombo think-tank.

"Japan has serious economic clout in Sri Lanka and it will be interesting to see what his message to the government is," said Saravanamuttu.

The envoy's trip follows an escalation by security forces of attacks along rebel-held areas in Jaffna and the slaying of a cabinet minister in a suspected guerrilla bomb attack on Tuesday.

Some 258 rebels have been killed so far this month while 10 troops have been killed in the same period, the military says.

The president said the killing of D. M. Dassanayake, the 51-year-old minister for nation building, who was due to be given a state funeral late on Saturday, marked a need "to redouble our efforts to rid our country of terrorism."

The government uses the word "terrorism" to describe rebel activities.

Fighting in the north of the country has been rising with government forces claiming they now have the upper hand in the decades-old war.

"Terrorists have suffered a heavy beating as security forces continue their thrust into the LTTE-dominated Wanni region (rebel-held areas)," the defence ministry said, referring to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, the Tigers' full name.

There was no comment on the military's latest casualty claims by the rebels, who are fighting for an independent Tamil nation in the majority Sinhalese island.

LINK

Lanka turmoil: Threat to India's soft underbelly by Colonel Anil Athale (retd)

2008-01-11T13:40:00.000-08:00

Ever since Mahinda Rajapaksa took over as Sri Lankan president in 2005, there was apprehension that the hardliner would opt for a military solution to the four-decade-old Tamil problem. This year Sri Lanka has abrogated the ceasefire agreement with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and fighting has broken out. There is real danger of the island turning into another trouble spot in the Indian subcontinent.

While many Tamils disagree with the means used by the Tigers and its fascist outlook, they nevertheless regard them as saviours in face of Sinhala chauvinism. This is the greatest strength of the Tigers and makes it possible for them to survive. There is no military solution to the underlying political problem, a fact well understood in India.

The Indian Ocean is a unique area in as much as for an ocean it has very few littoral countries. As a consequence most of its vast expanse consists of open or international sea. It is reputed to be very rich in minerals and future as resources on land are exhausted, a race for seabed exploitation is a distinct possibility. The Chinese naval expansion at 13 percent per annum as well as its attempts to build a base at Coco Island in Mynmar and a port in Gawadar, Pakistan, portends an Indian Ocean rivalry. India can ill afford to lose control of this area, vital for its security. Located at the apex of Indian Ocean, a friendly and peaceful Sri Lanka is essential for India's defence.

The future domination of the Indian Ocean by China poses a threat to the vital interests of Japan as well as the United States. It is a well known secret that the Indian intervention in Sri Lanka (the Indian Peace Keeping Force interlude of 1987) was prompted by the fear of the Trincomalee harbour falling into hostile hands. Logically, today the interests of India, Japan and the US seem to coincide in having peace in Sri Lanka.

Basic facts

The Tamil-Sinhala rivalry is 'mother of old conflicts'. The two sides trace their animosities to the battle between Tamil King Ellara (after whom Eelam is named) and Sinhalese King Duttagamini in 167 (or 145) BC! Obviously it was not a continuing conflict and there were many periods of peace. But it must be understood that in the perception of ordinary Tamils and Sinhalas, the conflict is as old. This in itself becomes an obstacle to a solution.

Since the Buddhist revival of 1956-1957, Sri Lanka has become a 'Buddhist' State, much on the lines of many Islamic states. But even worse, the law of the land denies equal opportunities to non-Sinhala citizens. Many, specially Indian commentators, have flippantly 'advised' Tamils to accept Sri Lankan unity without realising that Sri Lanka is not a secular State like India nor is it a 'fair State' like the UK in terms of rule of law. Thus there is a fundamental problem in the nature of the Sri Lankan State at the root of this conflict.

Wider implications

Geography dictates that any conflict in the countries of the Indian subcontinent affects India as she is at the centre and her borders touch every country. Common borders, race, religion and history make India and Sri Lanka one of the closest neighbors in the region with the possible exception of Nepal. But mere cultural similarities or even common religion or race do not necessarily lead to peaceful relations.

Sri Lanka is a plural society and multi-ethnic country. Like other developing countries, the process of economic development as well as nation building has often led to clashes between various groups. India has experienced this and so has Sri Lanka. In the late 19th century conflicts took place mainly between the Buddhists, Catholics and Muslims. The most serious riots against the Catholics took place in 1883 and 1903. Major anti-Muslim riots took place in 1915. But since 1958, the focus of Sinhala violence has shifted to the Tamils. Major anti-Tamil riots took place in 1958, 1977 and 1981-83. This antagonism has led to a feeling of insecurity amongst the Tamils and the movement for Tamil Eelam or homeland was born out of this cauldron of hate.

The people of Tamil Nadu have historical and blood relations with the Tamils of Sri Lanka. They will not remain inactive and watch the genocidal tactics of the Sri Lanka army against their brethren. The rise of Dravidian parties has ensured a competitive backing for the rights of the Sri Lanka Tamils. The late Tamil Nadu chief minister M G Ramachandran went a step further and linked Tamil survival with Indian nationalism.

Indian support to the Tamil militants was good politics, both regionally as well as nationally. India intervened in Sri Lanka in 1987 initially with the sole aim of saving the Tamils. That subsequently it ended up fighting the Tamils themselves was the result of naivete of the top Indian leaders, bungling of an egotist diplomat and the shrewdness the then Sri Lanka leadership.

Contours of a possible solution

Tamil Eelam is no solution. The new State cannot be in peace with Sri Lanka as the Eastern province claimed by the LTTE has a mixed population, the boundary is not well defined and is 600 km long. Perpetual bloodshed is predetermined in case of that outcome.

On the other hand most Sri Lankan Tamils would be quite satisfied with an Indian type federal structure. The first step in the direction has to be taken by the Sinhlas by recognising that Sri Lanka is a multi-ethnic State not a Buddhist one. The Sinhalas have to give up their insistence on a unitary State and accept federalism.

A federal structure with a Kashmir-like arrangement where with Article 370, the Kashmiri identity is preserved. A three-language formula could solve the language issue. Sri Lanka needs to ensure equality before law for all citizens and no Sinhala bias. There should be open negotiations and a ceasefire. India could guarantee this accord.

Conclusion

Unfortunately, with our capital located in Delhi, the ruling establishment is often oblivious to the Indian Ocean.

Before an ideological dispute can be solved it needs to be converted into a tangible dispute over territory or rights. The Middle East process only got off the ground once the Palestinians recognised Israel's right to exist and Israel in turn accepted the demand for a Palestinian state. Once the ideological hurdle is crossed can there be give and take over territory. Till such time this happens, there is very little chance of peace. World and major powers like the US and Japan have to convince or coerce the Sri Lankans into abandoning the path of military solution. India has to act and realise that between inaction and military intervention, there are many tools available to it.

The dialogue must be open and the world at large told of the issues involved. But the first step for the process to begin is for both sides to accept that they are in a no win situation. If the world and India fails to convince the Sri Lankans, then we are looking at a fire next door with China gleefully fishing in troubled waters!

Colonel Anil Athale (retd) is the coordinator of Initiative for Peace and Disarmament, a Pune-based think-tank.

Sources: REDIFF

TAMILNET

Akashi off to seek peace in Sri Lanka

2008-01-11T13:07:00.000-08:00

Kyodo News

Japan expressed concern Friday that the Sri Lankan conflict will escalate and said it will send special peace envoy Yasushi Akashi to the country Sunday to call for continuing dialogue.

"We are very worried that Sri Lanka's decision (to withdraw from a ceasefire agreement with rebels there) will lead to further conflict," Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura told reporters in announcing Akashi's three-day trip.

"Japan would like to call on the Sri Lankan government to continue efforts toward a political resolution through dialogue," Komura said.

Akashi is scheduled to meet Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse and other senior officials during his visit, the Foreign Ministry said.

LINK

Lanka to hand over Prabhakaran to India if arrested:Rajapakse

2008-01-11T11:32:00.000-08:00

NEW DELHI, JAN 11 (PTI)

Sri Lanka would hand over LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran to India if he was apprehended if New Delhi made such a request, President Mahinda Rajapakse has said.

"If they ask for him, I will send him there. ... Why not? He has killed so many people. If India wants him, certainly I will send him to India," the Sri Lankan President told NDTV's 'Walk the Talk' programme.

"On request from them (Indian authorities), I will do whatever they want," Rajapakse said.

He maintained that Prabhakaran, who is accused of being behind the assassination of former Premier Rajiv Gandhi, would not be granted pardon by India.

He said LTTE would not agree to any compromise for a peaceful resolution of the ethnic issue afflicting Sri Lanka.

LINK

Ms Prabhakaran's 'visit' turns rumour

2008-01-11T11:28:00.000-08:00

Rameswaram, Jan 9 (UNI) Anxious moments prevailed at Sri Lankan Tamil refugee camp at Mandapam here today as rumours of LTTE Supremo V Prabhakaran's wife P Mathivathani's visit to the camp spread.

It was speculated that Ms Mathivathani, who had 'arrived' from Sri Lanka, would visit the camp.

As the news spread wild, newspersons thronged the camp.

However, when contacted by UNI, a police official rubbished it as 'just a rumour'.

Police in mufti were monitoring the development, he added.

LINK