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Govt watches, LTTE regaining East So much so, President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, last week asked the armed forces chiefs to visit the area. The idea was to make an on-the-spot assessment and take remedial measures. Chief of Defence Staff and Commander of the Navy Vice Admiral Daya Sandagiri, Commander of the Army Lt. Gen. Shantha Kottegoda and Commander of the Air Force Air Marshal Donald Perera visited one of the most troubled areas in the East - the Batticaloa district. More troops had been poured into the area only a month ago in a bid to curb violence, particularly the internecine killings. Days after the visit Security Forces Commander (East) Major General Gamini Hettiaratchchi, had set in motion additional security measures. This included the setting up of a road block at the 23rd mile post at Sandiweli along the Batticaloa-Valachchenai main supply route. On May 9 Tiger guerrillas masterminded a public protest. Some two hours after it was launched, crowds turned violent. Security forces and Police opened fire. Two civilians were injured. One of them succumbed to his injuries at the Eravur Hospital. The next day hartals in the eastern districts of Batticaloa and Trincomalee brought life to a standstill. In the Batticaloa district, unruly mobs placed tyres on the rail tracks and burnt them. This was in Mylambaweli and Eravur. During the hartal in Trincomalee, there were explosions in the town area. Police said the guerrillas had detonated dynamite at Third Cross Street, Central Road and Thirumal Road. Maj. Gen. Hettiaratchi ordered the immediate dismantling of the roadblock at the 23rd milepost in Sandiweli. Clearly one of the security precautions taken to prevent the escalation of violence was abandoned. The Army's move was prompted by their desire not to allow tensions to aggravate and thus mar the peace process. But the incident and the subsequent developments underscored a more significant reality - after more than a year of internecine warfare with the rival Karuna faction, still continuing in some pockets, Tiger guerrillas are gaining the upper hand in the East once again. This is whilst a Government and its security establishment remain helpless in the backdrop of a three-year-long ceasefire. If the protests they engineered forced the security forces and police to react against an unruly mob, they later succeeded in having the roadblock removed. Furthermore they brought life to a virtual standstill by staging hartals in the districts of Trincomalee and Batticaloa, moves that appeared impossible soon after Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan alias Karuna reneged. Those were the times when the Karuna faction held crowded demonstrations. Even an effigy of LTTE leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran was burnt in Valachchenai, for the first time during the so called Eelam struggle, by protesting crowds, the epitome of the hate campaign against the Wanni leadership. Wanni cadres then found the lack of public support in the area as one of the main causes for their inability to re-establish control. The advance and assaults they carried out across the Verugal River in April last year were dramatic. They crossed from the Trincomalee district to Batticaloa district. Some arrived by road ably escorted by the security forces. Karuna's men who at one time out numbered the Wanni cadres retreated. They abandoned village after village. Verugal, Vakarai, Mankerni and areas surrounding the Army camp at Cadjuwatte fell. Mr Prabhakaran's Good Friday assault last year was disastrous for Karuna and his men. He had to withdraw from most parts of northern Batticaloa including the banks of the Verugal River. But for a while, from a location south of Batticaloa, he continued to offer resistance until he fled the area. This denied to Wanni cadres full control in the district. Small groups from the Karuna faction who operated from areas close to security forces installations kept a constant check. Many Wanni cadres including some leaders were shot dead. But all this seems to be changing though groups of the Karuna faction are still offering resistance. On May 2 unidentified persons, suspected to be from the Karuna faction, hurled grenades at the LTTE Political Office in Valachchenai. Troops who were called in to probe the incident conducted a search. They reported to Army Headquarters that they found two Chinese-built T-56 assault rifles, four hand held communication sets, cyanide capsules, ammunition cases and levers for hand grenades. The recovery, senior Army officials charge, is clear proof that the guerrillas were using their political offices as operational bases for their military cadres. On the same day guerrilla cadres shot and wounded 55-year-old M. Arumugam and his 25-year-old son Thavayogarajan, suspected to be Karuna loyalists. The incident occurred in the village of Kudapokuna. Retaliatory attacks by Karuna faction also continue. On May 6, two Wanni cadres were shot dead in Rasaratenna. Yesterday guerrillas shot dead a colleague who had come to the Black Bridge area in Batticaloa from Wanni. This was after he failed to heed orders to surrender after he had fled Wanni. Security forces believe attempts are also being made by the guerrillas to provoke them - a matter which the Joint Operations Headquarters (JOH) wants to raise with the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) in the coming week. In one incident on May 7, over 350 rounds had been fired from a T-56 assault rifle at the Kattaiparichchan Army detachment. It is located in the Trincomalee district and is a short distance away from the Mutur jetty. The shots had hit the roofs of buildings and nearby trees. In another incident on May 9, Tiger guerrilla cadres had lobbed two hand grenades and fired nearly 20 rounds from an assault rifle at a security forces static point near a Hindu temple in Sittandy in the Batticaloa district. A Sri Lanka National Guard soldier - Private A. Vipulasiri was injured. Chief of Defence Staff (and Navy Commander) Vice Admiral Daya Sandagiri believes the attacks on security forces positions were aimed at provoking them to retaliate. In the light of this, troops have been under orders to act with restraint. Intelligence sources say that whilst on the road to successfully gaining control of the East, Tiger guerrillas had already made plans to put into place their own administrative machinery. This is in areas where they are re-gaining control. Tax collection mechanisms, they say, have already come into place. These developments are taking place not only because the security forces and the police have taken a back seat for fear of being accused of spoiling the peace process. More importantly it is taking place with the assistance albeit backing of the Government. It was only on Friday that the Government placed a Sri Lanka Air Force helicopter at the disposal of the LTTE. This was to transfer some of they key military wing leaders in the Batticaloa district to Kilinochchi for meetings with their leadership. Those airlifted were. Banu, the military wing leader of the district, Janarthan, leader of the LTTE's "much celebrated" Jeyanthan Brigade, Keerthi, intelligence leader of the district and another military cadre Ram. It seems a strange paradox. On the one hand the Government is unable to stop the mounting internecine violence, particularly in the Batticaloa district. On the other, leave alone preventing the LTTE from gaining full control of the East without which their claim for Eelam is hollow, it is helping them to expedite it. That is by its inaction and making available helicopters for theatre-to-theatre transfer of military wing leaders. The more they fly to consult the leadership in Kilinochchi, the more quick is their process to gain full military and political superiority in the East. Sayura
at big military show in Singapore It will take part in the IMDEX Asia 2005 exhibition where over 94 military suppliers are exhibiting their ware. The four-day event begins on May 17 and is being held in Singapore's Changi Naval Base. Chief of Navy of Singapore Rear Admiral Ronnie Tay who extended a personal invitation to Chief of Defence Staff (and Commander of the Navy), Vice Admiral Daya Sandagiri also asked him to send one or two warships to participate in the display segment of IMDEX Asia. Vice Admiral Sandagiri who heads a Navy delegation will fly to Singapore tonight. The invitation has been channelled through the Sri Lanka High Commission in Singapore. Among the countries which are sending warships for this event in Singapore is India. It is despatching three from its Naval fleet - INS Mysore, INS Tarasa and CGS Sagar. Others who are sending one vessel each are Thailand, France, Canada, South Korea, New Zealand, Australia and the United States. Malaysia will send two ships. The IMDEX Asia series comprising an exhibition, conference and visiting warships has, since its launch in 1997, achieved an enviable reputation in its short history as the premier Maritime Defence Show in the Asia Pacific Region, according to the Government of Singapore. LTTE
air capability: Govt taking counter measures Defence Secretary Maj. Gen. (retd.) Asoka Jayawardena this week discussed the issue with the Commander of the Air Force, Air Marshal Donald Perera. It came amidst counter measures that are under way to cope with the threats posed by the air capability. The move followed disclosures made in The Sunday Times (Situation Report) last week. An Air Force Bell 212 helicopter returning to Vavuniya after dropping Soosaipillai Anthonydas or "Colonel Sornam," the LTTE "Military Commander" for Trincomalee district in Kilinochchi, found its counter missile system activated. This happened when the helicopter was flying close to the guerrilla's newly-built 1.2 kilometre long runway south west of the Iranamadu irrigation tank near Kilinochchi. Within seconds 60 flares in the system located on the left side of the helicopter were exhausted. As revealed in the report, this is the third occasion when such an incident occurred. The first two occasions came when the helicopter was on its way to Kilinochchi and was later returning on February 10. Also as revealed in last week's The Sunday Times (Situation Report city edition) was the fact that the Government of India became the first to express public concern about information that the LTTE had acquired aircraft. Foreign Minister Kanwar Natwar Singh told THE HINDU newspaper, "We are concerned about LTTE having built an airstrip and having two aeroplanes and there's news about more coming," he was quoted as saying. India was the first country to respond after the Government had handed over a dossier to a number of nations on the LTTE's acquisition of air capability. The Government charged that the LTTE had violated the Ceasefire Agreement in constructing a new airstrip and acquiring aircraft thus posing a serious threat to countries in the South Asian region. Among the other countries to which the dossier was given were the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, Norway and Indonesia. The Indian Foreign Minister's expression of concern has drawn a response from the LTTE. Its Political Wing leader S.P. Thamilselvan has declared that "any capability acquired by the Liberation Tigers is solely for the protection of the Tamil people and not a threat to India or any other country." This was both in respect of a naval force and air capability. Though his contention that such capabilities are not a threat to India is strongly arguable, significant enough, Mr. Thamilselvan had admitted the acquisition of air capability. Firstly, India has consistently opposed the emergence of a Navy in the Indian Ocean region from a non-state player. They are worried particularly about the role of such an entity in the Palk Straits, the thin stretch of Indian ocean that divides the two countries. The guerrilla airstrip as well as the acquisition of aircraft has raised serious concerns in India in view of the threats it may pose to a number of vital installations in the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu. This includes nuclear installations as well as oil and natural gas sites. There are also concerns about the safety of Indian civil aircraft flying to Sri Lanka after the guerrillas are known to have acquired missiles as well as air defence systems. Mr. Thamilselvam's remarks, made to the BBC's Tamil service, Tamil Osai were reproduced by the Tamilnet website. This is what it says:"Any capability acquired by the Liberation Tigers is solely for the protection of the Tamil people and not a threat to India or any other country, the head of the LTTE's Political Wing, Mr. S.P. Thamilselvan, said this week in response to concern expressed by Indian officials over the movement's naval force and reports it had acquired aircraft. "In comments made to the BBC's Tamil service and reproduced by Tamil news media, Mr. Thamilselvan said: All our organisation's structures and efforts are aimed at protecting our people. This is not in any way a threat to any other country in general, particularly India. Our military efforts are aimed at combating the threat to our people, and not aimed at disrupting democracy or establishing a military regime, Mr. Thamilselvan said” 'India or the Indian people indeed any other people certainly need not fear this. I wish to state that this is purely for the self protection of our people and the defence of our homeland,' he said. "The surprise and concern voiced by India surprises us, Thamilselvan said in response to Indian External Affairs Minister K. Natwar Singh's comments Saturday. "Mr Singh was quoted in the Indian press reports as saying 'we are concerned about the LTTE having built an airstrip and having two aeroplanes, and there's more coming. "The Indian Home Ministry's annual report this year was strongly critical of the LTTE, describing it as an 'extremely potent, most lethal and well organised terrorist force. The report also said that the LTTE's insistence on recognition of Sea Tigers, its naval win 'poses yet another threat to Indian security.' "Mr. Thamilselvan said the LTTE was a product of Sri Lanka state's protracted and violent repression of the island's Tamil community and as such it was a liberation movement. The rightful fight of our people, who have faced over 50 years of ethnic killings, displacement and large disasters, has grown today. "Today we have an administration in our own land and a large part of our homeland has been freed from military domination, he said. Our people's situation is thus improving, he said." |
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Copyright © 2001 Wijeya Newspapers
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Sri
Lanka Navy's prized acquisition from India, the advanced offshore
patrol vessel (AOPV), SLNS Sayura, has sailed with its full compliment
of officers and sailors to Singapore - the first overseas mission
since it was acquired for deep sea patrolling operations. 
