Killings continue as Mahinda unveils manifesto
Norway's Ambassador Hans Brattskar told Colombo-based diplomats last week that his Government had issued the strongest ever warning on October 6 to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to desist from violence and invite more trouble.

That was when he met S.P. Thamilselvan, their Political Wing leader in Kilinochchi. They were told to immediately call a halt to all killings, desist from recruiting child soldiers and demonstrate their commitment to the Ceasefire Agreement and the peace process. He said he also told the LTTE that the killing of Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar was a horrendous act.

And this week Mr. Brattskar was off to Oslo. Today and tomorrow the newly elected leaders of the Government of Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg and his officials will hear their country's envoys from different parts of the world brief them on the peace processes they are engaged in. Mr. Brattskar will outline the latest developments in Sri Lanka.

On Thursday leaders of Mr. Stoltenberg's three-party coalition presented their political platform, a document of 70 pages, after almost three weeks of negotiations. It is clearly changing direction of Norwegian politics from right to left, rejecting privatisation of public services, strengthening environmental policies to a remarkable degree and changing foreign policy on important North-South issues from World Bank to United Nations, changing Norwegian positions in the present WTO negotiations, more emphasis on Africa and civil society etc.

However, the new Government has already made clear there would be no change in Norway's facilitator role in the Sri Lankan peace process. A former leader of the Left Socialists, Erik Solheim, a Special Envoy to this process, is likely to be named the new Minister of Development Co-operation. The full composition of the Cabinet will be known tomorrow.
Judging by the developments that followed the Brattskar-Thamilselvan meeting, Norway's strongest ever warning appears to have had little effect on the LTTE. If that was bad enough, what was worse is the fact that the violence was continuing despite the presence of a Norwegian special envoy to discuss the strengthening of the Ceasefire Agreement. Retired Maj. Gen. Trond Furuhovde, a former Head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), held talks with LTTE and Government leaders in this regard.

Another visitor was Ian Martin, internationally renowned human rights specialist who was working on a human rights declaration between the Government and the LTTE. Even here, the positions of the two sides have been deadlocked. The LTTE insists that talks to strengthen the Ceasefire should take priority whilst the Government says the declaration should not be subjugated to other issues.

Be that as it may, Tiger guerrilla-backed violence continued in the week. Tiger guerrilla gunmen shot at two policemen outside the Nelliady police station, 25 kilometres north east of Jaffna, around 9.45 p.m. on Friday. One of them died on admission to the Military Hospital in Palaly. The incident occurred opposite a restaurant located along the Jaffna-Point Pedro road.

It was only on Tuesday guerrilla gunmen shot dead N. Sivakadadcham (59), Principal of Christian College, Kopay. According to the Army, he was in his house with his wife and eight-year-old daughter when guerrilla gunmen stormed his house and shot him at point blank range around 8.30 p.m. However, the LTTE accused cadres of the Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP) and the Army of collaborating in the murder - a charge that both denied.

In what appeared to be a retaliatory strike, the next day (Wednesday) guerrilla gunmen shot at K. Rajadurai (58), Principal of Jaffna Central College in front of the Veerasingham Hall in the Jaffna town. The principal had been on his way to a cultural festival when the incident occurred. He died upon admission to the intensive care unit of the Jaffna hospital. The deceased had been a strong opponent of child conscription by the LTTE. He was a former member of the Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF). The late Mr. Rajadurai had objected to children being taken from his school for the Pongu Thamil ceremonies in Jaffna on September 30. It was only on September 16 this year guerrillas shot dead his sister in Vavuniya for her links with the EPRLF.

The incidents triggered off student protests against the LTTE. Students of Central College burnt tyres, placed logs and barrels across the road. All schools in the peninsula were forced to shut down and are due to open only on Tuesday. The Vice Principals of the two schools received warnings from the LTTE not to allow their students to take part in any more protests. Police said leaflets giving the reasons why Mr. Rajadurai was killed had been distributed by guerrilla cadres.

Last Sunday, Rev. Rajkumar Swamigal (34) of Sri Gayathri Kamakodi Pedam Hindu Ashram (monastery) in Meesalai, 19 kilometres east of Jaffna was abducted by a group of masked guerrillas. They had earlier demanded a ransom of Rs 1.5 million from him. They had claimed that EPDP leader Douglas Devananda had helped obtain Rs 1.8 million from the Ministry of Rehabilitation for renovation work to his monastery. He had been tortured, his limbs broken and the priest had been dumped in a state of unconsciousness at Inuvil. Civilians in the area had later despatched him to the Jaffna hospital from where he had been airlifted to Colombo for treatment. The Army said his monastery had been set on fire by the Tiger guerrillas.

Proof that the guerrillas had intensified their recruitment drive came when a youth who escaped from custody surrendered to the Police at Muhamalai. He told Police he had been kidnapped by two guerrilla cadres and was to be taken to Kilinochchi. He had been confined to a lonely house in Kokkuvil but had escaped when he was being taken in a motor cycle.

The mounting incidents in the Jaffna peninsula have caused concerns for a State intelligence agency. It has warned that an estimated 3,000 cadres were moving around in the Jaffna peninsula. They had recourse to arms but the agency was unable to pin point the aim of these cadres except to warn that plans were clearly afoot to further destabilise the peninsula. The warning said both the security forces and the police were acting with extreme restraint and caution but added that continued activity may lead to a collapse. This also prompted Minister of Public Security, Law and Peace and Deputy Minister of Defence, Ratnasiri Wickremanayake to issue a veiled warning to the LTTE. See story on below.

If these are the dangers highlighted by the intelligence agency in the North, in the East things have not been different. Tiger guerrilla violence continues. However, renewed activity by remaining factions of the renegade Karuna group was posing a problem for the guerrillas too. This is said to be the main reason for their repeated demand to meet Government representatives on a priority basis to discuss the strengthening of the Ceasefire Agreement. The guerrillas claim the Government had not disbanded, in accordance with provisions of the CFA, the paramilitary groups.

But a senior Government official denied the charge.
Speaking on grounds of anonymity he said when the rift occurred in the LTTE with Karuna alias Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan going his way, the guerrillas had at first declared it was an internal problem. They had said they could sort it out and no outside intervention was necessary. "It is only when they found they could not defeat the Karuna cadres that they began branding them as another paramilitary group," the official pointed out.

Amidst the rise in violence in the East, the LTTE continued its plans to hold a Pongu Thamil rally in Trincomalee on October 22. One of the main thrust of this event would be to demand that the European Union withdraw the travel ban on LTTE cadres visiting member countries. According to reports from Brussels, security chiefs of European Union countries who studied the travel ban had discussed further measures to be adopted. This is to curb fund raising and other activity in their countries. They are learnt to have endorsed proposals to place a ban on the LTTE but acknowledged that a decision would have to be made by their political leaders.

It was only last Monday Sivalingam Villavarasa (35), a farmer from Uppuveli, was shot dead at close quarters by guerrilla gunmen. The Army said Villavarasa, a father of four children was returning home around 10.30 p.m. when members of a pistol gang ambushed and opened fire on him. He died on the spot.

Last Thursday guerrilla gunmen hurled grenades at a boat landing point in Santhiveli, 20 kilometres North West of Batticaloa. The incident at 8.45 p.m. left Private D.M. Dilanga Dissanayake dead . After hurling the grenade, they had also opened fire at the already wounded soldier. His colleagues returned fire but the guerrillas had fled by that time.

In Ampara, the chief organiser for the EPDP Abubakar Sahabdeen (43) was shot dead by guerrilla gunmen. A father of seven children, Shahabdeen had been at a tea boutique near Pottuvil when a gunman opened fire on Monday. Muslims staged a protest in the town the next day bringing life to a standstill. Shops and offices were closed, transport services came to a standstill and schools recorded very poor attendance.

The Army said about 30 guerrillas in black uniform armed with Chinese built T-56 assault rifles had made their presence some 800 metres outside the Security Forces /Police (Entry/Exit) check-point last Wednesday afternoon. They had moved in immediately after an incident where members of the renegade Karuna faction had ambushed Wanni cadres travelling in a tractor in the nearby Mylavettuwan area. Troops had seen the guerrilla group firing into the air and clearing the road. They continued their show of strength for well over two hours before withdrawing from the area.

The rapid rise in violence comes in the backdrop of the presidential elections on November 17. The LTTE is yet to make a formal announcement on its position vis-à-vis the two main contenders - United National Party's Ranil Wickremesinghe and Sri Lanka Freedom Party's Mahinda Rajapakse.

Mr. Wickremesinghe's manifesto, which spells out the UNP policy, is already released. He speaks of a federal solution to the ethnic conflict. He also offers to modernise the armed forces by establishing six fully equipped brigades. Details of how he proposes to do this are still sketchy and it is not clear what will happen to the 42 brigades that now exist in the Army. Of course, Mr. Wickremesinghe has made clear most of the existing brigades are under staffed and ill equipped.

As for Prime Minister, Mahinda Rajapakse, his manifesto will be publicly announced on Tuesday at a ceremony at the BMICH. Today, copies of this manifesto are to be handed over to leaders of political parties supporting his candidacy. Like all others, the LTTE is also awaiting his policy declarations. Here is what Premier Rajapakse has to say about the ethnic conflict:

AN UNDIVIDED COUNTRY, CONSENSUS OF THE MAJORITY AND PEACE WITH DIGNITY
"I have decided that a new approach should be followed to resolve the crisis in the north and east. In the past what has happened during the conflict and the peace talks has aggravated. It has spread throughout the country, without being confined to the north and east. It has spread over the region and even internationally. The interference of outsiders has complicated the issue.

"Mainly due to the UNP's action to enter into a Ceasefire agreement without farsightedness there has been several problems created. All democratic institutions in the north have been destroyed. The Sinhalaese, Muslims and Tamils have been put into difficulty. The security forces have been weakened. The agreement had been reached without the consensus of the people of the country. Attempts were made to forcibly put this agreement on the public, but the LTTE themselves have broken away from this agreement. Attempts are being made to continue from the failures.

The end result will be that persons who have been following democratic policies also may take to arms, instead of achieving long standing peace.
"I hope to follow a new approach considering the good and the bad from what has been done in the past. For that path I hope to follow the theme of undivided country, consensus of the majority and peace with dignity.
"As soon as I am elected I will hold discussions with all democratic parties in parliament based on the above principles. I will open discussions with parties which are not represented in Parliament . I will also hold discussions with the Buddhist clergy, other religious dignitaries, members of the civil society, particularly with Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim organizations in the north and east.

"I will complete these discussions within three months. I will differentiate problems where consensus could be reached and reach national consensus where consensus could not be reached.

I will recognize the fact that Sri Lanka's independence, territorial integrity, unitary status, the national identity and peaceful co-existence is protected under such a consensus.

"My prime objective is to have a peaceful political solution empowering all communities, without being tied up in the concept of the traditional homeland, self determination etc. I hope to provide measures to strengthen the rights of the people. By strengthening the rights of the people, I believe that we can find a solution to the national issue.

"I will believe in the consensus of the people, than acting on my own. As soon as we reach national consensus I will put forward such consensus to the people through a referendum. While the above process continues I will open direct talks with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). I hope to meet its leader.

The national consensus reached will be openly put forward to the LTTE.
"In this process the interests of the Muslims will be protected and I will ensure their representation. The UNP's peace discussions during 2002- 2004 without a plan, without a future, without a time frame has proved futile in the attempt to gain peace with dignity. Therefore I will take a different path. I will give the LTTE a specific time frame and a specific agenda. In that process I will have an open agenda on the following;
Ending separatism
Disarming
Entering the democratic process
Final solution and its implementation
"I believe that the intervention of foreign countries into our problems have been unnecessarily created due to the UNP which came into power in 1977 without a proper foreign policy. That was the past. Even in the present the UNF has been doing the same. I will have a balanced foreign policy.
"I will open discussions with neighbouring India on a priority basis on this issue. I will reach consensus on regional security and peace with them. I will also strengthen relations with China, Russia and Pakistan. I will also have open discussions with the co-chairs US, EU, Japan and Norway.

"If all these discussions are successful I will appoint a Constituent Assembly to draft a new constitution. I will get the opposition also involved in it. The new constitution will be put forward for a Referendum. If the majority accepts it, I will immediately implement it.
"While these discussions are on I will have a special development programme for the North and East.

"I will readjust (review) the CFA in a manner that terrorist activities have no place. I will take remedial action after reviewing the CFA monitoring process. For this too I will get regional co-operation.

"For the resettlement of the displaced without any discrimination I will have a new authority known as the 'Jathika Saviya'. For each family for the resettlement I will provide Rs. 150,000 each and for permanent housing Rs. 250,000 will be provided. Donations made by local foreign organizations will be made use of.

"There will be a national plan to rebuild tsunami-affected areas. Priority will be given to rebuild the north and eastern provinces. The P-TOMS will not be implemented. I will have a new programme known as 'Jaya Lanka' to rebuild the north and east with representatives of people from these areas and people's organizations.

Protecting the nation; National Security and Security Forces
"I will have a new national policy on Defence to protect the country's independence and national integrity.

"I will build the security forces in a manner their morale is high, they will be well trained and well disciplined. Necessary practical and theoretical training will be given. A University of Defence studies will be setup.
"Unlike in the public service 22 years will be the period soldiers and non-commissined officers should compulsorily be retired. They will be entitled to full pension.

"Under the Ranaviru Gammana concept 50,000 houses will be set up for soldiers. A high-powered committee will be appointed to look into their problems."

From Tuesday, the public at large will be fully aware of what the two main contenders for the country's fifth Presidency stand for.

That no doubt will see the birth of a number of political alignments and re-alignments. It will be no easy task for the security forces and the police who will have to cope with polls violence and a fresh campaign of murder and mayhem by the LTTE.

Ratnasiri speaks out against terrorism

Rear Admiral C.N. Thuduwewatte, Commandant of the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence Academy hands over a memento to Minister of Public Security, Law and Peace and Deputy Minister of Defence, Ratnasiri Wickremanayake. The occasion was the issue of a five-rupee stamp and first day cover to mark the 25th anniversary of the Academy on October 11. In the centre (left) is Major General (retired) Denis Perera, Vice Chancellor of the KDA and (right) Maj. Gen. (retired) Asoka Jayawardena, Defence Secaretary.

In a society that has been brought up with discipline, in an era where humanity reigns, if they do not come to the negotiating table, it is not necessary to direct the armed forces to take decisions on their own.
They have so far got away from terrorism, got away from taking decisions, got away from the philosophy of killing persons, to look for other alternatives.

The warning was sounded by Ratnasiri Wickremanayake, Minister of Public Security, Law and Peace, and Deputy Minister Defence and one-time Prime Minister. Though he did not identify the LTTE, the reference was obvious. The remarks came when the Philatelic Bureau of the Department of Posts issued a new five-rupee stamp and a first day cover on October 11 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence Academy in Ratmalana.

Wickremanayake in a speech delivered in Sinhala said, "I have chosen the words carefully. There are media persons here. Report what I said in the same way."

He added: "People who are sleeping should not be provoked. We have to act with responsibility. We have to protect the country. We have to speak out. We cannot keep our thinking away from the people. We can think of various solutions. But if they do not work, the solution is in the words which I mentioned above indirectly.

"If they do not come for negotiations, if they do not send alternative proposals what is the solution? Even today we tell them not to come for confrontation, but to come for negotiations. Come without pre-conditions. We are ready to discuss things at the negotiating table. That is the quality of a good society. This has been the experience worldwide. Groups that have been fighting for many years gave up arms and came to the negotiating table. There can be problems but those can be solved. It is a human quality to discuss things. Why are they scared to come for discussions?

"Terrorism has become a major threat to all countries. We just heard in a speech that lives of the security forces are always at risk. Even our lives are the same. Terrorism is increasing day by day. It is the trend to disrupt normal life. That is why security forces and people in the administration take various steps to counter that. We cannot just stay away because of a threat. They do not hesitate to kill their own leaders, their own brethren. They do not respect humanity. Their aim is to look for prey. If we do not protect our country from terrorism we do not have a future."

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