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The monitors in motion: It’s a hell’uva helicopter ride
By Rajpal Abeynayke
Even in the Western world, helicopter landings are the stuff of theatre.
That’s why they appear somewhere in most Hollywood thrillers, accompanied with dashing stars trying to duck -- with a certain familiar panache -- the undertow from the whirring rotors as the machines land and disgorge their passengers…..

But even for helicopter landings, last Thursday landing of the SLMM delegation in Killinochichi was a particularly theatrical one. The Tigers prepared for this one with precision. Their police arrived at the scene -- a playground close to the Tiger political headquarters -- hours before to prepare for the landing.

Traffic -- whatever little of it in this remote part of Killinochichi - - was neatly redirected to make the landing area and the road to the political office nice and clear for the walk of the SLMM chief and his retinue into the premises.
The Sri Lanka Air Force helicopter arrived only a little past schedule. This was not Hollywood, but the cameras kept whirring anyway. The LTTE was recording the event.

The SLMM spokesperson Helen Ollofsdottir had a ten-gallon smile for Pulidevan who received the delegation. That smile’s wattage almost reduced the status of the SLMM chief Hagrup Haukland --- for a moment – to that of also ran….
The delegation looking fresh, safari suited, and in Hatari like consonance and dissonance (all at the same time..) with the surroundings, strode past the gaggle of thosai-fed reporters.

The first thing, they got on a bus, but not for the ride. For a moment we thought, from a swank helicopter, with Hollywood chutzpah, and into a ramshackle bus painted with names of Tamil girls?

No this bus was certainly not for the ride, it was there as part of the display. The LTTE conducted the delegation right into the bus. Its glass had been shattered in places, and Chief Haukland seemed upset,. He gave a wan smile, which could be seen through one of the damaged windows.

Some LTTE cadres travelling in this bus had a close thing last week -- they were caught up in a landmine explosion that was real -- no Hollywood special effects. The bus stood there, and looked stunted and worn, with half its windows gone. The SLMM chief looked stunned.

The delegation sat down for the now customary photo op with the LTTE – across a low table, with everything neatly arranged on it. If this was a complaint, it was a very long one. The LTTE first complained separately to the Deputy Ambassador and his officials.

He was joined later by the SLMM chief -- who trooped out with two of his men and his spokesperson, until the Deputy Ambassador was done with his chat.
The LTTE’s complaint was in the form an ultimatum, if not a threat. “In two weeks, we will make our own travel arrangements if there is no response from the forces with regard to safe travel’’ the LTTE delegation said.
What’s the response that they can get? That there will be no landmines spoiling future bus rides??

It’s probably the response that they wanted. But look at the other side of it. Making their own travel arrangements means just one thing: the LTTE is saying in future that it’s going to travel armed. That means only one thing in turn: violation of the ceasefire, as the ceasefire does not allow the entry of armed Tiger cadres into government controlled territory.

So, the LTTE’s talk with the SLMM translated simply is this: the three year ceasefire is off, if you do not in future transport us after having checked the roads for landmines -- that’s if you hadn’t planted those mines yourself. (See separate interview with Tamil Tiger political wing chief on page 6.)
Espying the SLMM chief was outside the LTTE political office, we moseyed upto him and introduced ourselves as journalists.

Mr Haukland was at his Norwegian cheeriest best, and we told him we would like to ask him some questions. A great many issues were talked about -- ceasefire violations, the Welikanda blast, etc etc., At the end of it all Mr Haukland said ‘’this is all off the record, you were just wasting your time.’’
Wasting our time?

We didn’t even protest about the “off-the-record’’ warning, even though Mr Haukland seemed a little crestfallen that we didn’t. We said “well if you say so.’’ The spokesperson, when asked, said her comments were off the record too. “You can call me at my office,’’ she said.

I asked her for her card. Or her number. She has neither she said!
My friend and colleague said he has a number for her. Apparently this is a spokesperson who does not speak -- or if she does, she only speaks from her office, if you are lucky enough to find her number that is…

“I was only having a friendly chat with you,’’ said Hagrup Haukland
Right. He was having a friendly chat to us about landmines, about killings, about abductions, about ceasefire violations, about witnesses --- a very grisly friendly chat. It was all off the record though, very friendly and off -- as off the record as a chat with pressmen could get.

I am more used to having friendly chats too, after that. You can call me at 2328889, and I will tell you, everything that Mr. Haukland told us, off the record of course. Suffice to say that after that interview about deaths, ceasefire violations, abduction and the whole lot -- and the SLMM’s mandate and performance of course added in - - we left with more questions than answers, in fact with more questions than we had to begin with….
That’s transparency, courtesy the Norwegians, and it’s all very friendly you bet.

Mr Haukland had a very long chat thereafter with the LTTE delegation, and was whisked away for lunch. We were told that the menu usually has lobster, but that’s an irrelevant detail because they always have lobster for VIPs in that part of the world.

It was a quick lunch. Before we were out of there, the delegation was whisked back, they were back in the Air Force helicopter, and the noise of the rotor blades drowned out our voices. We were asking Mr. Thamilselvan, on the record, what he told the SLMM chief.

Will the LTTE call off the ceasefire? Not likely, but its their way of putting it that seems so very understated. We will have to make our own travel arrangements, they say. Without army escorts, will they be asked for their car chassis numbers, and the original copies of their car registrations?
Well we were asked these documents, and we were kept two hours – being journalists, Sri Lankan citizens from the south. A WPC told us curtly ‘we can even send you back.’’

We do not have the luxury that the LTTE enjoys: an armed escort by the Sri Lankan army. Now the LTTE says “either that, or we will make our own travel arrangements.’’ We for our part can’t see the LTTE being reduced to our status - - hapless Sri Lankan citizens, waiting two hours to negotiate leaving our own country to get into a part of our own country. I don’t know about that, but at least that’s what the soldiers and the woman PC told us: “we are fighting for part of our own country.’’

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