The Situation Report

29th March 1998

Danger everywhere

By Iqbal Athas

New Regulations

Security forces will have to contend with LTTE threats in the east, the hill country, the City and the suburbs.

Even if there was a temporary respite in the fierce fighting that has been going on in the Wanni early this month, it did not recede on the television screens.

Sri Lankans last week saw scenes of pitched battles. Gunfire crackled as troops fired their way through. Casualties were evacuated from the area.

An eager Deputy Minister of Defence, General Anuruddha Ratwatte, was there, right in the battlefield witnessing what was going on.

What the TV commentators failed to say when these "fierce confrontations" went on made all the difference. This was not one of those occasions when the enemy, the Tiger guerrillas, were getting a bad battering.

It was a demonstration near Kanakarayankulam, an area re-captured late last year. Security forces were showing their battlefield skills and determination. That was how they would fight their way through in the weeks or months to come.

As the demonstration went on, mortars were also fired. One fell near a troop position wounding two soldiers. They were admitted to the Anuradhapura Hospital where one of them succumbed to his injuries. It was a case of a blue on blue as they called it in military parlance or simply friendly fire.

The demonstration came as the security forces took advantage of the respite to consolidate and prepare themselves for a fresh thrust to complete the long awaited link up between Vavuniya and Kilinochchi.

"Operation Jaya Sikurui" (or Victory Assured) is now on its eleventh month. It began on May 13, last year, and will complete one year next month.

Senior military leaders who were preparing for the next phase last week heaved a sigh of relief that they would no longer have political deadlines to follow - a feature which forced them to hurry their efforts and incur heavy casualties and losses.

As they examined their impending moves, they were beset with a few problems. Army Commander, Lt. Gen. Rohan de S. Daluwatte, flew to the Wanni on Thursday for a meeting with his senior field commanders where many of the issues were discussed.

For obvious reasons, one cannot discuss impending moves. However, one known factor, which has been well publicised, is the manpower requirements.

Military officials insist that desertion by soldiers was not a serious problem for "Operation Jaya Sikurui" . But they say, as the troops advanced, the need for men to establish stronger defensive positions has become imperative. This is particularly in view of the high level of infiltration into the re-captured areas.

However, they do concede the return of deserters would have helped the situation. They point out that the recurring level of desertions has been mostly from soldiers serving in the northern areas. They say, this again has been caused by logistical problems like leave and air transport to the stations they serve.

Last week, I reported in these columns that the last amnesty that ended on February 25 midnight led to the return of 3930 deserters. This is from a total of 19,000 who are now at large. Last week there were reports that over 1,500 of those who had returned had deserted again.

Military Police teams have spread countrywide to arrest them. They were rounding up an average of ten soldiers every day.

Measures to overcome the manpower problem, military sources say, are very much on hand.

They say it would be resolved in the coming week or two by which time even other services would have geared themselves with their new acquisitions.

The Sri Lanka Navy has just acquired a fleet of fast attack craft from the People's Republic of China. A top level Chinese delegation is now in Sri Lanka training Navy personnel and conducting trials on the vessels.

The Navy is also to further increase its capability by acquiring more vessels. A top level delegation has just returned to Colombo from Pakistan after examining the type of vessels available in that country.

The team was led by Rear Admiral D.W.K. Sandagiri, Commander Northern Naval Area, Captain Sarath Weerasekera and two other Captains. Rear Admiral Sandagiri has just been named as the Navy's new Chief of Staff.

The security establishment has not been unmindful about efforts now being made by the LTTE to trigger off incidents outside the theatre of conflict, particularly in the east. There has also been reports that 200 LTTE men and women cadres, which intelligence sources describe as suicide cadres, have left the east for various destinations including the City and suburbs.

The move has led to the intensification of search operations and tighter security controls in the City. Last week, in Kotahena and adjoining areas, over 1,500 youth were rounded up for questioning. A further 300 were taken in from Wellawatte and Bambalapitiya areas. Police were interrogating them to ascertain whether they had LTTE links.

These developments come in the backdrop of tough new Emergency Regulations the Government has promulgated in the aftermath of imposing a ban on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

Moderate Tamil political parties have branded the new Regulations as "very dangerous." They argue that full powers have been placed in the hands of one person (the Minister of Defence) with no provision made for recourse to any court of law.

They point out that civilians in large numbers were being forced to part with their money under coercion by the LTTE. They claimed that in terms of the new provisions, all of them would be deemed to be helping the LTTE.

Even tougher were provisions relating to the media. Senior Editors believe these provisions to be a "permanent censorship" and plan to raise issue with the Government. The full text of these Regulations appear in a box story on this page.

Despite the lull and uneasy calm, the coming weeks will undoubtedly be crucial. More so with the security forces and Police having to contend with threats in the east, the hill country, the City and the suburbs.

New Regulations

Whilst proscribing the LTTE, the Government has introduced tough, new Emergency Regulations, conferring sweeping powers on the Minister of Defence.

These regulations under the Public Security Ordinance came into effect on January 27. But the gazette extraordinary containing the promulgation became public only last week.

Here is the full text of the regulation:

1. These regulations may be cited as the Emergency (Proscribing of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) Regulations No. 1 of 1998.

2. (1) The organisation styled as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam is hereby proscribed.

(2) The provisions of this regulation, shall also apply to every other organisation and to every body or group of persons engaged in activities substantially similar to those carried on, or formerly carried on, by the organisation styled as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (hereinafter referred to as the "proscribed organisation) in like manner as though it, or they, were also the proscribed organisation.

3. Any person who -

(a) wears any uniform, dress, symbol or other emblem which signifies or indicates any association with, or membership of, or adherence to, the proscribed organisation; or

(b) summons or attends a meeting of such proscribed organisation, or participates or engages in any activity, of, or connected with, or related to, such proscribed organisation: or

(c) supports such proscribed organisation by inviting or exhorting persons to be enrolled as members, contributing or collecting funds, or furnishing information or securing other assistance to such proscribed organisation: or

(d) harbours, conceals or in any other manner assists, any member of such proscribed organisation with intent thereby to prevent, hinder or interfere with the apprehension, trial or punishment of such member, or

(e) makes, prints, distributes or publishes in any way concerned in the making, printing, distribution or publication, of any writing or printed matter which is or purports to be published by or on behalf of such proscribed organisation or by any member thereof: or

(f) communicates or attempts to communicate to any other person in any manner any order, decision, declaration or exhortation made or purported to have been made by such proscribed organisation by any member thereof or any information relating thereto for the purpose of advancing the objectives of such Proscribed organisation shall be guilty of an offence under these regulations and shall on conviction be liable to imprisonment for a period not less than seven years and not exceeding fifteen years.

4. (1) Where the Minister is satisfied, after such inquiry as he may think fit, that any person has custody of any moneys, securities or credit which are being used, or are intended to be used, for the purposes of the proscribed organisation, the Minister may, by order in writing, declare that such moneys, securities or credits are in the custody of such person or any moneys, securities or credits which may come into his custody after the making of such order and any other moveable and immovable property belonging to such organization, shall be forfeited to the State.

(2) The decision of the Minister under subsection (1) shall be final and conclusive and shall not be called in question in any court of law by way of writ or otherwise.

5. For the avoidance of doubts it is hereby declared that the provisions of these regulations will not in any way affect the right of any international organisation which has entered into an agreement with the Government of Sri Lanka, and which is specified by the Secretary to the Ministry of the Minister in charge of the subject of Defence, from time to time, to engage in any activity connected with the rendering of humanitarian assistance.