Canadian Tamil Diaspora meets Dr Palitha Kohona

An exclusive meeting with Sri Lanka Foreign Secretary Dr. Palitha Kohona was arranged by the Canadian Democratic Tamil Cultural Association at Scarborough Civic Centre. President of the Association, Dr. Rajendran, in his welcome speech, made reference to the problems of the Tamil Diaspora, which has been threatened and intimidated by the LTTE.

He also brought out that the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) needs to address the problems of Tamils living in Sri Lanka and to find a solution acceptable to all communities living in Sri Lanka, within the framework of the Sri Lankan Constitution.

Dr. Kohona in his brief addres, said that the GoSL very clearly understands the plight of Sri Lankan Tamils and is taking all appropriate steps to find a amicable settlement to the Tamil issue. He also pointed out that we should also take account of this sensitive issue which has to get an approval from the majority community, so that it can be settled smoothly.

Dr. Kohona also said that the process for a settlement is on, and one should understand it needs time to settle a conflict that has been existing for 25 years. While referring to the Army’s advancement in the north, he said that the GoSL has taken every possible measure to avoid civilian causalities, which is also one of the reasons our military advance is so slow, just for the simple reason to safeguard its citizens.

He also noted that the Government followed the very same step in the Eastern province too and said that most of the displaced people in the East have returned and the rehabilitation process is in full swing.

After his speech, some of the participant raised questions about the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, to which Dr. Kohona said that it was already in the Constitution and was only a matter of implementation.

He also said that very soon the north will be also cleared of terrorists, so that the people of the north will be able to enjoy the same freedom and democracy which their eastern and southern brothers and sisters enjoy now. Consulate General of Sri Lanka in Toronto Bandula Jayasekara also participated in the event.

Last Week Security.....

This week saw one of the most ferocious battles since the security forces started their campaign to regain the Wanni around mid last year.
The LTTE’s much anticipated counter strike was launched along their newly built trench line from the western coastal town Nachchikudah to the deep interior region Akkarayankulam, a fair distance of 18-20 km in length.

This trench line, which is mainly an earth bund of around 7-15 feet at certain places, was built in recent times with heavy machinery cutting across shrub jungles.

In a series of waves, the LTTE attacked personnel of the Army’s 58 and 57 Divisions last Wednesday in a battle that lasted 36 hours. The LTTE claimed to have killed up to 100 military personnel, while the military initially claimed that only nine soldiers were killed. However, with the LTTE claiming that they had recovered the bodies of 29 soldiers and posted pictures of the dead on pro-LTTE websites, the Army said that several soldiers had gone missing in the fierce confrontation.

It is likely that the LTTE used their most elite forces in the counter strike, in the form of the Imran Padiyan and Charles Anthony Brigades, reflecting the significance the Tigers have attached to this particular trench line. These two elite forces have not been utilised to their full capacity in previous battles with the Army, even in Mannar and Northern Vavuniya regions.

The Nachchikudah-Akkarayankulam trench line, though not impressive in any measure, compared to the more established forward defence lines (FDLs) of the LTTE in places like Omanthai and Muhamalai, has however proven to be a formidable barrier against the progress of the military. It has quite literally become a ‘last ditch’ effort by the LTTE to stall the Army juggernaut moving north into their heartland.
The Army’s 58 and 57 divisions, which are now entrenched mainly along this line, have two strategic choices, which the LTTE understands all too well.

One of the main overall objectives of the current military operation in the Wanni is to open up a supply route to the besieged Jaffna Peninsula, which has been cut off from the rest of the country since 1990 due to the Wanni being dominated by the LTTE.
Operation Jayasikuru, launched in May 1997 saw the security forces moving along the A-9 Road from Omanthai and after two years of fighting could only reach Mankulam before being called off.

This time around, the security forces have come within a matter of a couple of dozen kilometres of reaching that important objective – that is opening up a land route to Jaffna. One of the choices the military has, once it clears the LTTE’s Nachchikudah-Akkarayankulan defence line, is to move north along the A32 Road to Pooneryn. This would, for the first time in nearly two decades, open up a main supply route to Jaffna through the Sangupidy causeway. This maybe facilitated by another thrust from the security forces in Jaffna who have the option of taking the Pooneryn Peninsula through an amphibious landing.

As the Army found out the hard way in 1993, Pooneryn is not easily defended against a well-planned amphibious assault. On that occasion the LTTE overran the Army’s main base at Pooneryn killing over 1,000 soldiers and a Navy detachment in the Kilali Lagoon.

A total calamity was evaded only by reinforcements being landed on the northern tip of the Pooneryn Peninsula. What the Army did to save its men and bases in 1993 can be repeated to capture the important stretch of land this time around.

Though the above option of completely securing the A32 Road as a main supply route to Jaffna is most definitely on the minds of military planners, recent fighting has indicated that Kilinochchi, the de facto capital of the LTTE seems to be on the agenda as an immediate objective. Therefore, the second option available for the Army, if it manages to overpower the LTTE defence line from Nachchikudah to Akkarayankulam is to move north-east towards Kilinochchi.

This week also saw the 57 Division moving into the village Murikandi, just four kilometres south of Akkarayankulama Tank on September 4. Consolidation of this area will bring in vital LTTE installations in the Iranamadu and Kilinochchi regions well within artillery and in some cases even mortar range. Heading towards north-east from Akkarayankulam towards Kilinochchi will make the eventual march towards Pooneryn along the western coast easier, with the LTTE’s supply lines being disrupted.

Meanwhile, the Army has been making slow but steady progress along the Vellankulam-Mullaitivu Road. This artery cuts across the Wanni in a near perfect straight line, dissecting the region. This week the Army moved into the town of Mallavi, situated 12 km from the all important Mankulam Junction.

Troops attached to the 57 Division completely captured the Mallavi Town by Tuesday afternoon. It was last Sunday that troops attached to Seventh Sinha Regiment, under the command of Lt. Colonel Kithsiri Liyanage moved into Mallavi Town from the South of Mallavi, after reaching Mankulam-Vellankulam Road from the ninth mile post.

With the fall of Mallavi, defending Mankulam has become even more difficult for the LTTE. It was at Mankulam that the tables were turned against the Army by the Tigers in 1999 in the failed Jayasikuru operation, marking the northernmost point the Army had reached along the A9 in their quest to link up with Kilinochchi, which at the time, was under military control.

Both the Army and the LTTE know the importance of Mankulam. What needs to be seen is whether the Army will march head on to Mankulam along the Vellankulam-Mullaitivu Road or strategically manoeuvre around the town as it did on several occasions in the recent fighting when capturing well defended areas such as Vedithalativu and Thunukai.

However, at least for the moment, all eyes are focused further north on the Nachchikudah-Akkarayankulam trench line. Whether the Army will be able to smash through what is considered the last true outer perimeter defence line of Kilinochchi or whether the LTTE will be able to hold off the Army entering their de facto capital, we should be able to find out in the coming days and weeks.

75 deserters have surrendered

About 75 deserters have surrendered themselves each day over the past week, according to the military.
Military Spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara told The Nation yesterday that, over 3,000 deserters had returned voluntarily, since the crackdown began a fortnight ago and that, they expected the remainder of 5,000-6,000 to return in the coming weeks.

Already, soldiers who have left the Army without leave, have been warned to surrender themselves to the nearest police station to avoid court martial. “If they are arrested, they can be given prison sentences ranging from one year and three months to one year and six months. Presently, 305 deserters who were presented in court, have been sentenced and 700 more cases are pending.” The surrendering time has no deadline and the deserters can continue to present themselves at their respective Regiments.

The arrests are being carried out under joint teams of Military and regular Police assisted by the Regional divisions. Even though deserters who surrender will not be court-martialed, they will, nonetheless, be meted “small punishments, once they return to their units, with rank holders being demoted.” Brigadier Nanayakkara insisted that the deserters do not smuggle their weapons out of barracks and, as such, there is no possibility that arms can filter to the underworld.

However, he emphasised that the return of deserters would not reduce the number of recruits and that the Stage Three Recruitment Drive that commenced in July and due to be completed at the end of this month, would see an addition of 8,000 troops into the Army. He stated that, currently, around 6,000 youths have been selected and interviews are ongoing for the remainder.

Terror strikes Delhi

New Delhi (PTI): Terror struck the national capital on Saturday evening leaving at least seven people killed and over 50 injured in six near simultaneous blasts in a span of 17 minutes in three crowded market places.

Indian Mujahideen, shadow amalgam of banned SIMI and Lashker-e-Taiba, claimed responsibility for the serial blasts through an email sent to news organisations at almost same time when the blasts took place.

The first explosion rocked Gaffar market area of Karol Bagh in Central Delhi at 6.15 pm. The explosive was kept near a Maruti car. The impact of the blast was so severe that an auto was thrown up several feet.

This was followed by three blasts in Connaught Place area and two in Greater Kailash in South Delhi.

An unexploded explosive device was found at India Gate.

In Barakhamba Road, one of the bombs was suspected to be placed near Nirmal tower. The second blast in the CP took place near Gopal Das Bhavan. Both the buildings house private offices and banks. The third blast took place in central park.

In the GK-I blast, more than a dozen people were injured and ten shops were damaged in the explosion that took place at around 6:40 pm. The bombs were hidden in a dust bin.

Prelimnary examination of the blast site said that low intensity ammonium nitrate tied to integrated circuit had been used in almost all the serial blasts in the national capital.

LTTE and Big Brother

According to news reports of the 10th of September 2008, our air force has said that the lack of 3D radar has put the country in jeopardy and they are bitter about India forcing us to install their 2D radar that cannot see the height of the aircraft above the ground. They bitterly complain that if they had 3D radar that the Chinese were willing to provide, but was vetoed by India they could have easily destroyed the LTTE aircraft after it landed at the end of its bombing mission. On the basis of the comments of the air force the only conclusion we can come to is that India was protecting the LTTE. That is what she did when our men were marooned in Jaffna and India refused to help us with multi-barrel rocket launchers. It was Pakistan who supplied us with the hardware that enabled our forces to regain their foothold in Jaffna so that we could eventually liquidate the LTTE.

Let me remind Mr. Narayanan that it was India that created the LTTE with the object of getting it to destabilize our country so that India could invade and at a convenient moment annex our country by proclamation but what Velupillai Prabakaran was made to understand was that India would invade, create Eelam and then go back. We will never forget the arrogant behavior of the Indians living in the West towards the Sri Lankans virtually telling us that we have been reduced to the level of colonial subjects of India.

The sudden make-believe realization that India had catapulted itself to the level of a colonial master intoxicated them and they treated Prabakaran with contempt after having made use of him. For that India paid the most humiliating price in front of the world when Prabakaran single handed defeated the third largest army in the world. Not satisfied with that, he went further and got the Indian Prime Minister killed. With all that India is still backing Prabakaran in the hope that one day in the future he will destabilize Sri Lanka and India will have another opportunity for another IPKF. India can live in eternal hope. We have no problems with that.

Mr. Narayanan should brace himself to the fact that our defence forces will soon disobey his orders and install Chinese 3D radar and dismantle the Indian radar. Without ordering us to buy Indian military hardware it may be an idea for India also to buy the superior Chinese 3D radar to defend herself not only against Pakistan but against China herself.

INGO-LTTE unholy axis?

The response of several international Non Governmental Organizations (INGOs) to the request made by the government of Sri Lanka to cease all operations and remove all personnel from the LTTE controlled part of the Vanni has raised several questions. While some of the NGOs and INGOs followed suit after the decision made by the United Nations agencies to withdraw from Vanni, some INGOs, reportedly making very suspicious excuses regarding their resources.

These INGOs and NGOs say that the LTTE has ordered them to leave all their belongings when they depart from the area. In other words, the LTTE wants to use all the vehicles, transmission equipment and other properties of the INGOs for the battle against the advancing Sri Lankan forces.

This raises the 64 million dollar question whether there is a secret deal between these INGOs and the LTTE? There were many instances of INGO employees supplying various banned items to LTTE in the past. This has lead the Government to order all the INGOs to provide a list of vehicles and equipment in their officer in LTTE controlled areas to ensure that some items will not be handed over to the LTTE terrorists.

There are very strong allegations that the INGOs inside Tiger territory have given vehicles and various equipments to the LTTE. Now the question arises if the INGOs have already supplied some items to the LTTE and in order to cover up these nefarious activities, now they might inform the government that LTTE had ordered them to leave all their belongings behind?

Last week the first time United Nations has appealed to the LTTE to allow civilians to move out of the conflict zone and move into relief camps in government-controlled areas and allow free movement of the people wherever they wish to go. This is a clear endorsement of the UN that the ordinary Tamils are much safer and freer under the Government controlled areas than under LTTE.

"Any displaced person is entitled to freedom of movement according to international principles; they can move where and when they want, in search of safety and assistance" Neil Buhne, the UN Resident representative said in a public statement.

Despite UN’s appeal LTTE is stopping the innocent Tamil civilians trapped in Killinochchi from free movement with the sole intention to use them as cannon fodder when it comes to the final assault.

The terrorists also want to save the lives of the top LTTE hierarchy and they would like to keep the civilians with them until the last moment so that they could flee with the civilian exodus.

Terrorists also would like to get a few civilians killed by the army in the cross fire so that they can trumpet to the still gullible countries of international community, INGO’s and local NGO’s that Sri Lankan Government forces are killing innocent Tamil civilians and make a last desperate attempt to enforce a ceasefire.

The INGOs and NGOs have very close links with the LTTE activists and they always come to their defence. The moment some Tamil civilians die, the AI, HRW, INGO’s and NGO’s would shout from tree tops that innocent civilians are being killed. In any battle against terrorists, innocents too suffer and the international community is well aware of this. In Afghanistan on 22 August 2008 when the allied western forces bombed a village where Taliban forces were hiding, 78 innocent Afghanistan villagers were killed.

The INGOs and NGOs are yet to issue statements of condemnation of the latest killings of innocent civilians in hundreds in Afghanistan. But the moment a Tamil civilian is killed, they are sure to issue press releases and protest statements.

As the Government Spokesman Anura Yapa said on Thursday, the Government has treated its people, many who are forcibly kept in LTTE controlled areas, as citizens and it provided them with normal government services. He also assured that their safety is the responsibility of the government. This is the time the INGOs and NGOs should assist the government to look after the people in Vanni instead of assisting the LTTE by leaving their belongings for the terrorists to use against the military which is trying to rescue the civilians from the grip of the LTTE.