ENB230108

20 January, 2008 - Published 14:48 GMT
Eradicate terrorism 'very soon' -MR-20 Jan, 2008
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I did not want to push MY troops into rebel-held territory to defeat the guerrillas.MR- 22 Jan 2008
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Mahinda Rajapaksa, has vowed to wipe out terrorism from the country 'as soon as possible'.
The President has make the remarks as he attended the funerals of the civilians recently killed in the south.
Director of the Presidential Media Unit, Sudath Silva, told BBC Sandeshaya that the relatives of those killed and the villagers gathered appealed Mr. Rajapaksa to
take measures to eradicate terrorism.
37 civilians killed
"The President highly praised their patience and commitment towards peace. He urged them to be vigilant to prevent any such attacks," Sudath Silva told BBC
Sinhala.com.
Tamil Tigers are accused of killing scores of civilians in the south within three days, last week.
At least ten people were shot dead in Thanamalwila, Moneragala district, allegedly by the LTTE on Thursday night.
Two brothers, 24 and 18 year old, are among the victims in Midddeniya, Kudagal Ara, Mr. Silva said.
There was hardly any space as two bodies were laid in the small house as President visited, he added.
Bomb attack on a bus
On Wednesday, 27 passengers were killed and more than 60 sustained injuries as suspected LTTE launched a claymore mine attack on a passenger bus in Buttala.
Eyewitnesses told BBC Sandeshaya that the attackers, clad in black, had shot at them and fired in the air after the attack.
President Rajapaksa who made a surprise visit to the village has also expressed his anger that "some people are helping the attackers".
"He said the terrorists are helped by some to find their way to these areas," Sudath Silva said.
Sri Lanka Army Commander, Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka, has earlier accused 'various Sinhala groups supporting the LTTE cause' of attacking civilians and the armed
forces in the south.

Tamil Tigers strike back in the south; three policemen killed in Thanamalwila Monday, January 21, 2008, 18:17 GMT, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
Jan 21, Thanamalwila: Tamil Tigers have killed three policemen in a shooting incident at Kitulkotei, on the Monaragala- Thanamlwila road around 8.p.m., defense
sources said. According to the sources a group of Tamil Tigers have opened fire at a picket laid by the policemen from Kudaoya towards Thanamalwila. A search
operation is underway, the sources added.
With this incident the death toll in terrorists’ attacks in the Monaragala and Thanamlwila area has risen to 47. The defence authorities so far, have not been able to
trace the group of Tamil Tigers who have been massacring civilians in Buttala and Thanmalwila areas since last week.
UNP parliamentarian for Hambantota , Sajith Premadasa toady urged the government to arrest the situation as soon as possible as the situation has severely crippled
the civilian life in the area. In a statement to media he said, many civilians have lost their living since they cannot engage in Chena or Paddy cultivation due to the
dangerous situation prevailing in the area.

16 SLA troops killed, 38 injured in Mannaar- LTTE
TamilNet, Monday, 21 January 2008, 21:22 GMT]
A Sri Lanka Army (SLA) officer and 12 troopers of an SLA commando unit were killed, and 29 soldiers injured in a clash with Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
(LTTE) Sunday in Paalaikuzhi area in Mannaar. Two LTTE fighters were killed in the clash, Mannaar LTTE operation command said. Meanwhile, in a separate
confrontation Sunday morning at Mu'l'liku'lam in Manaar, 3 SLA troops were killed and 9 soldiers were injured, according to the LTTE.
The clash in Paalaikuzhi erupted when SLA troops tried to enter Tiger territory with the support of artillery, mortar and Mutli Barrel Rocket fire. Fierce fighting which
began Sunday from 5:30 a.m and lasted until 6:00 p.m.
SLA troops tried again to advance around 7:00 p.m but were foiled in their attempts at breakthrough until midnight. SLA troops retreated back to their positions
taking the wounded and dead.
Remains of badly disintegrated bodies lay scattered at the site of the battle, according to LTTE sources.
Meanwhile, LTTE fighters killed three SLA troops and injured nine in the clash at Mu'li'liku'lam in Manaar district Sunday around 8:00 a.m.
The SLA troops advancing into LTTE area with support fire were driven back to their positions by the LTTE forces in a fight which lasted for more than four hours.
SLA troops withdrew to their original positions carrying the dead and injured troops.

LTTE beats back SLA troops in 2 separate fronts in Mannaar
[TamilNet, Monday, 21 January 2008, 21:28 GMT]

Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) launched an attack and beat back the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops Monday around 10:30 a.m at Vilaaththiku'lam area in
Mannaaar district, and in a similar clash at Pa'ndivirichchaan in Mannaar district Monday around 7:30 a.m fought back an SLA unit which attempted to advance into
LTTE territory supported with artillery, mortar, and multi-barrel rocket fire, Mannaar Tiger operations command said.
In the Vi'laaththiku'lam clash, a SLA deep penetration unit (DPU) had tried to enter LTTE territory with the intention of setting up claymore mines.
The DPU troops when confronted by the LTTE, fled back leaving explosives and other military accessories which had been recovered by LTTE.
The clash at Pa'ndivirichchaan Monday morning which began around 7:30 a.m lasted until 11:20 a.m.

Violence by para-military groups, claim Muslims
Tuesday, 22 January 2008 The Federation of Kattankudy Mosques and Muslim Institutions (FKMMI) have appealed to President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the government, with copies to all
security forces and political party heads and the media, for enhanced protection of the Muslims in the Eastern Province.
The group claims that para-military groups are intimidating them and that the Muslim population is undergoing severe hardships before and after the abrogation of the
ceasefire.
"It is deplorable to note that the Muslim community of the Eastern Province has been suffering due to various problems by Tamil militants for a long time. The
incidents committed by the Tamil militants against the Muslim have deepened the mental agony and the latest shooting of innocent Muslims has added fuel to the fury.
The Muslims now in the east have become a neglected entity.
"The Muslim community of Kattankudy and its adjoining hamlets lodged several complaints at the Kattankudy Police pertaining to the incidents perpetrated by this
armed groups. We, the Federation of Mosques and Muslim Institutions representing the Muslim population of Kattankudy and its adjoining villages would like to
draw your urgent attention towards the following incidents which has brought the routine activities of the people to a standstill position.
"On 12th January around 19:45 hrs an armed group belonging to Pillayan/Karuna faction had gone to the Karbala Village and opened indiscriminate fire on three
Muslim civilians who were chatting after the performance of the Isha night prayer. One of them was seriously injured while the two other injured were rushed to the
Batticaloa Teaching Hospital. This barbarous and cruel act has caused panic and fear in the minds of the civilians of Muslim villages including Kattankudy.
"In the aftermath of the incidents, all the shops put up shutters and panic rose in Muslim areas. Further, Muslim civilians living in the village of Le Karbala immediately
vacated their homes to the interior of Kattankudy. The FKMMI convened an urgent gathering and decided to calm the situation in both Tamil and Muslim villages to
protect the civilians of both communities. "To mark the protest the civilians in the Muslim area closed their business establishments.
"We draw your attention on this unfortunate occurrence to civilians. The area leader namely Mr. Shanthan now belonging to the Pilliyan Group had assaulted and
threatened a Muslim fish trader that they would kill four Muslims very soon. This incident has taken place while the fish trader was crossing Pillayan’s political office
located opposite the STF camp in Arayampathy.
"Against this backdrop, we would like to draw your consideration to the following:
01. To ensure the safety and security of Muslims in the above areas in particular and the whole Eastern Province in general to pave way for peaceful living.
02. To protect the properties of Muslims by extending due security to their settlements and business establishments continuously.
03. To take stern action against the armed group involved in the above incidents and arrest the culprits.
04. Take immediate steps for the safety and security of those traveling from Amparai and Polonnaruwa district.
05. To provide security to train passengers in the Tamil areas and ensure their safe return from Batticaloa.
06. To install Police Security Points in all vulnerable Muslim villages to prevent any intrusions.
"Muslims in the east have had a lot of bitter experiences during the Cease Fire Agreement. When plenty of hostile acts against the civil Muslim population were
brought to the attention of the peace monitors it only resulted in resentment and mental agony for the Muslims as the so-called monitors did not take any action to
arrest the situation.
"Now, after the termination of the CFA, the situation of the Muslims has become worse and they feel insecure due to the presence of para-military groups who roam
the Muslim areas. Hence, we the Muslims do rely for the safety and security on the GOSL forces who are always with us and are going to be our protectors from the
anti-social elements and para-military groups.
"We, therefore do make this fervent plea to your Excellency on the above occurrences and injustices being committed on the Muslims and we urgently draw your
attention to the plight of the innocent Muslims and to take speedy and pragmatic steps to quell the situation by arresting the perpetrators" states the statement.

Tigers deploy snipers to confront SLA troops in Mannaar
[TamilNet, Tuesday, 22 January 2008, 13:55 GMT]

At least 12 Sri Lanka Army soldiers were sniped and killed and 27 wounded Tuesday morning when Liberation Tigers Operations Command in Mannaar deployed
Tiger snipers to confront advancing SLA troops in Paalaikkuzhi. The SLA movement was repulsed without LTTE casualties, the LTTE command in Mannaar told
media.
The SLA ground movement launched at 6:30 a.m. towards Paalaikkuzhi was thwarted around 9:30 a.m., the Tigers said.
A heavy fighting ensued between the Tigers and the Sri Lanka Army Monday night. At least 8 SLA soldiers were wounded in the fighting that had lasted till midnight.

APRC proposals postponed again
[TamilNet, Tuesday, 22 January 2008, 13:47 GMT]

Rajitha Senaratne, the Sri Lankan minister of construction and engineering services, on Tuesday said that the proposal by the All Party Representatives Committee
(APRC), scheduled to be handed over to Sri Lankan president on Wednesday, would be delayed as the People's United Front (Mahajana Eksath Peramuna—
MEP) and the extremist all monks Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) have demanded to reduce the level of devolution of provincial power in the draft proposal.
The proposals would be delayed till the independence day of Sri Lanka on February 04.
The main opposition UNP and the extreme nationalist JVP, have already withdrawn from the APRC. As a consequence, the APRC proposals would lack two-thirds
of majority in the Sri Lankan parliament.
The MEP, led by Dinesh Gunawardene, is a nationalist party in Mahinda Rajapaksa's UPFA government.
The JVP, the extreme nationalist party, which has been opposed to the CFA and the P-TOMS, succeeded in October 2006 in getting the five-bench Sri Lankan
Supreme Court to declare the 18-year-old merger of NorthEastern Province (NEP), constituting the Northern and Eastern provinces as one unit, was invalid.
Rajapaksa government de-merged the NEP following the Supreme Court judgement.

Sri Lankan court further remands Sinhalese Tigers
Friday, January 18, 2008, 17:44 GMT, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
Jan 18, Colombo: The Colombo High Court has refused to grant bail to the 23 Sinhala persons arrested for planning and abetting LTTE attacks against Sri Lankan
citizens.
Dismissing a request made by the suspects, the Colombo Magistrate said he has no authority to grant bail and informed them to make the request from a higher court.
The suspects were further remanded until January 30.
The Police’s Terrorists Investigation Division (TID) has informed the courts that the investigations on the suspects are complete and the reports are being sent to the
Justice Department.
Earlier last year, a group of trade union activists and journalists were arrested along with a large stock of weapons following a sting operation carried out by military
intelligence.

Main suspect in abductions and extortions released on bail in Sri Lanka
Saturday, January 19, 2008, 12:42 GMT, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
Jan 19, Colombo: Former Squadron Leader of the Sri Lanka Air Force Nishantha Gajanayake, who is the main suspect in incidents of abduction and extortion of
Tamils and Muslims, was released along with three other suspects by Colombo Additional Magistrate Ravindra Premaratne yesterday.
The Magistrate freed him and three other suspects, each on a Rs.50,000 bail and on a Rs. 2.5 million cash bond by two public servants, and impounded their
passports. The police informed the court that no witnesses have come forward to give evidence.
Following a revelation in parliament by Badulla district UNP MP Lakshman Seneviratne, Gajanayake was arrested by the Colombo Crime Division and detained for
nearly eight months.

New credit line from Iran to back Sri Lanka's CPC
Friday, January 18, 2008, 17:35 GMT, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
Jan 18, Colombo: The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC), the country's largest fuel supplier, is to get finanical leverage with a new credit line provided by the
government of Iran.
The CPC has been facing a severe financial crisis due to skyrocketing fuel prices in the global market and to the selling of fuel at a loss in the local market. This was
disclosed at a joint media briefing by the CPC and Lanka Indian Oil Company (LIOC) yesterday evening in Colombo.
According to CPC sources, the corporation incurred Rs. 3 billion in losses last December alone. This loss is expected to be halved with the recent increase in fuel
prices. However, the company will still be in a tight financial position regardless of the price hike, since it has to continue its imports.
The CPC intends to ease off the pressure through the new product line that became operational last month. Under the new credit line, the government of Iran will
provide 7 months of credit, out of which four months will be interest free. The rest will be given at an interest rate of 0.5%.
According to CPC chairman Asantha de Mel, this will allow the CPC to engage in uninterrupted fuel importation for seven months on credit, which will ease off the
present financial pressure on the corporation gradually.
The new credit line was opened following President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s recent visit to Iran.
Sri Lanka signals shift in war on Tamil Tigers by Amal Jayasinghe
Sri Lanka's President signalled a shift in the war against the Tamil Tigers, saying he did not want to push his troops into rebel-held territory to defeat the guerrillas.
President Mahinda Rajapakse also said Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) may not have been behind a string of recent bombings on the island, and pointed at
the possible involvement of political and business interests.
"We will hit if we are hit," the president said of his military strategy.
"The recent operations in the north are not aimed at advancing... I don't believe in a military solution," he told reporters.
The remarks were in sharp contrast to statements from the island's military and even the president's brother -- defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse -- who have
stated their intention to seize the rebels' mini-state in the north and eliminate the guerrilla leadership.
The government had also earlier this month pulled out of a tattered Norwegian-brokered truce with the rebels, underscoring its sentiment that it has the upper hand in
the long-running conflict.
Furthermore, the defence ministry has justified the decision to return to open war by pointing to a string of bomb attacks in and around Colombo and the south of the
island -- which have claimed the lives of dozens of civilians and a government minister since the start of the year.
But the president said "other groups" may be at work in the conflict -- pointing to two blasts in Colombo that did not appear to be the work of the rebels.
"It is not like the LTTE to set off bombs to cause only a huge sound and no casualties," the president said.
"Why should they risk their men to plant these 'dumb bombs' when they are used to causing huge casualties."
Two people were slightly hurt in the two blasts. One bomb was inside a high security zone and the other was at an isolated railway platform here. Unlike the rebels'
trademark mine attacks, there were no pellets packed into the bombs.
"We have to face it. The idea of these attacks is to create panic and give the impression that Colombo is not safe... It is clear that these are not LTTE bombs. This is
what I believe. We are investigating," he said.
"There could be more incidents like this in Colombo and (the adjoining district of) Gampaha," the president warned, without giving further details.
The president's comments, however, came as fighting continued to rage in the north -- with security forces reporting 46 people killed, most of them rebels.
Since the start of this month, the Sri Lanka defence ministry has claimed it has killed 592 rebels against just 26 soldiers dead.
The military's death toll claims cannot be independently verified.

India puts Israeli spy craft in orbit
22 Jan 2008, 0237 hrs IST,Srinivas Laxman & Swati Das,TNMUMBAI/CHENNAI:

Marking a deepening of strategic ties, India on Monday launched a 300-kg Israeli spy satellite. The hush-hush liftoff to put the hi-tech Tecsar
reconnaissance satellite into orbit occurred at 9.15 am at Sriharikota.
The launch using the proven four-stage Polar Satellite Lau-nch Vehicle (PSLV) was executed under a commercial contract between the Antrix Corporation, Isro'
commercial arm, and the Israel Aircraft Industries.
Tecsar was placed in its designated orbit 1,185 seconds after lift off. At a press conference in Chennai, Antrix executive director K R Sridhara Murthi confirmed the
PSLV flight but refused to go into specifics of the satellite.
Asked to confirm it was a spy satellite, Isro chairman G Madhavan Nair said: "As far as my knowledge goes it is a radar imaging satellite that will give features day
and night through the clouds."
Apart from marking a new high in relations with Israel, the launch also puts India firmly in a lucrative and competitive satellite launch market, so far dominated by
countries like France and Russia.
Murthi said the cost of the launch was Rs 55 crore. While normal rates in the international market ranged between US$ 15,000 and 20,000 dollars per kg, Antrix
had charged more than 20,000 dollars because of the low weight and technical features of the satellite.
Originally the satellite was to have been launched in the first week of September 2007, prior to the International Astronautical Congress at Hyderabad. TOI had
reported about launch plans at that time.
Although Nair had cited "operational reasons" for the launch delay, scientists in Mumbai said the mission was put off because of pressure from some Arab countries,
with which India has always had closer political ties.
Sources told TOI the satellite was equipped with what is known as a synthetic aperture radar which will enable it to capture extremely tiny objects, putting it firmly in
the category of a spy satellite.
It combines high resolution with large area coverage using a technology known as electronic beam steering. The satellite will be controlled by the Israeli defence
ministry but some of the secret images taken by the satellite are likely to be shared with India, sources said.


Three different thrusts into rebel strongholds
Eelam War IV to be decisive as defence costs soar
Besieged guerrillas carry battle outside conflict areas 42 civilians killed within two days
By Iqbal Athas
Army soldiers on foot patrol at Hambegamuwa, one of two villages in the Tanamalwila Police area (in the Moneragala district) where Tiger guerrillas killed two
Grama Sevakas and eight civilians on Thursday. This was in the aftermath of the claymore mine attack on a bus that left 27 dead near Okkampitiya last Wednesday.
Photo: Saman Kariyawasam With the Ceasefire Agreement no more and no monitors to observe it, the Security Forces have stepped up their offensive against Tiger guerrillas. In the coming days,
weeks and months, their declared aim is to defeat the guerrillas militarily and re-capture territory they dominate in the Wanni. Paradoxical enough, the defunct CFA
carved out the terrain the troops now want to re-take. In the past nearly six years the perimeters around these areas have been fortified and the guerrillas have vowed
to defend them. Hence, the character of upcoming battles would be different and fiercer.
History has shown that when they come under heavy military pressure, the guerrillas have taken the battles outside the theatres of conflict in the North and the East. It
is no different this time. The only exception is the dastardly acts of targeting innocent civilians. Last Wednesday, they exploded a claymore mine on a bus near
Okkampitiya. When the passengers stepped out, they opened fire at them. The next day they continued their orgy of violence by killing more civilians in two villages in
the Moneragala district. These incidents have shocked the defence and security establishment who have been focusing on the Wanni since the CFA was rendered
ineffective last Wednesday.
Thus, the dreaded Eelam War IV has just begun. The Security Forces will have as their top priority the militarily weakening of guerrillas and the re-capture of their
heartland in the Wanni. This is no secret. Political leaders, Government officials and military higher-ups have publicly declared their intentions and placed the year-end
as their deadline. Almost six years in the past, the territory carved out by the Ceasefire Agreement as areas dominated by the LTTE, have been fortified with bunkers.
Weeks after the signing of the CFA, The Sunday Times (Situation Report) revealed how vast stocks of cement and steel found their way across the Omanthai
checkpoint to guerrilla-dominated Wanni. The bunkers were built using them. In the past weeks, guerrilla strength in some of these locations has been increased to
offer resistance.
This is a main reason why troops met stiff resistance since their offensive since July last year to capture the sacred Madhu Church and its environs. On the other hand,
troops have also been cautious of their advance. They have moved seizing territory bit by bit to avoid larger casualties. Now, Army sources say they are nearer their
goal and hope to secure the Madhu Church area within the next two weeks. They were only some six kilometres away. However, the guerrillas appear to have
sensed that the troops would go even beyond the church area to seize control of the Sea Tiger base at Vidutaltivu.
In the past many months, this base had assumed greater significance, particularly since troops re-captured Silavathurai. This fishing village is located south of Mannar
and was used as a landing area for supplies smuggled in across the Gulf of Mannar from Tamil Nadu. The shallow draft in the sea prevented larger Naval craft from
patrolling. That is why smaller Inshore Patrol Crafts (IPCs) are used in seas there.
The seizure of the Sea Tiger base at Vidutaltivu, military sources say, will deny guerrillas another major landing area and operational base. They say it would also
deny easy access to the Tamil Nadu coast from where military and medical supplies were smuggled in smaller quantities. The guerrillas, the sources reveal, have
established safe houses to stockpile supplies and smuggle them in smaller quantities.
The recent guerrilla pullout from the village of Periyatampanai, located southeast of the Madhu Church, the same sources said, could underscore the importance of the
Sea Tiger base. They believe this was to fortify their defences to secure the base. Yet, senior Army officials in Mannar say it was a matter of time before they gain
control of the entire area. Bolstering their confidence are two factors - a letter found in the possession of a dead female cadre. She had written it to her family but was
killed before it was delivered.
In that she had enumerated the difficulties she had in the battlefield with no food or drink. She had also spoken of her immediate seniors not caring about her welfare.
The other is the switch in guerrilla strength in the area. Older male cadres had been replaced with younger ones, mostly females. It is relevant to mention that troops
have also been braving serious odds after monsoonal rains muddied wells. Drinking water to them had to be transported all the way from Colombo.
Other details pertaining to this military thrust from Mannar, the longest in offensives against the guerrillas in recent years, cannot be disclosed in view of serious
constraints. These include casualty counts and the sacrifices made by troops on the ground. In the case of the latter, such a move would earn the ire of the seniors.
Since November 6, last year, troops along the defended localities at Muhamalai, the gateway to the Jaffna peninsula, have made attempts to advance southwards.
This is in the direction of Kilinochchi. On that day, seven battalions broke out of the defence lines astride Muhamalai at dawn. Some two hours later they were forced
to withdraw to their original positions due to heavy resistance (The Sunday Times - Situation Report November 11 2007). Since then, troops have made incursions
to attack guerrilla defences and return to their positions. Their thrust, to keep the pressure on the guerrillas, continues. Here again, constraints prevent disclosing
further details though they are matters of public interest.
The third thrust into guerrilla-dominated territory began from the eastern side of the defended localities at Vavuniya. Troops of the newly established 59 Division of
the Army have begun their advance from the defence lines at Weli Oya. As they moved past the coastal fishing area of Kokkutuduwai, the biggest obstacle has been
pressure mines planted along their path of advance. The thrust in this sector continues though the details cannot be spelt out.
Since July, last year, the Eastern province has been brought under Government control. Though small groups of guerrillas have made their presence felt there, the
guerrillas are prevented from carrying out large-scale attacks. This is in view of the concentration of troops and police. Thus the focus of the Security Forces now
remains the Wanni, with three different thrusts being made into rebel strongholds.
Supporting roles on the three-pronged ongoing assault in the Wanni are both the Navy and the Air Force. The Navy has stepped up patrols in the seas off northeast
and the Jaffna peninsula. On Friday, patrols were stepped up around the seas off the island of Delft following a warning by a foreign intelligence source of a possible
attack. In the past few days, the Air Force has stepped up attacks on targets in the Wanni. The Air Force said they had targeted Sea Tiger bases, an intelligence cell
and a bomb factory, among others.
However, the pro-LTTE Tamilnet web site posted reports with pictures that one of the raids had narrowly missed a school. Pictures included injured civilians being
taken to hospital, parents with their small children fleeing away and groups of frightened children. These events have often been widely publicised to support subtle
propaganda on attacks against civilians in the South. Officially, the LTTE has continued to deny responsibility though its modus operandi is clearly manifest.
Herein lies the dilemma for the Government that has abrogated the CFA, packed off the monitors and formally engaged in Eelam War IV. It is not fashionable and
would even be "treacherous" to discuss these aspects. Suffice to say this is why some analysts opined that the Government should have remained in the CFA and
continued their campaign to militarily weaken the Tiger guerrillas. If that happened, the Government would have had to only contend with the guerrillas. However,
now, they point out, it has also to contend with some of the world's most powerful nations whose concerns the Government has defied. Elaborating further would only
qualify for the freely distributed title of "traitor." Today, when views are expressed, it is not opinions to counter them that are aired by the high and the mighty. They
pour scorn on those who express such views.
The military pressure on the guerrillas, despite the resistance they have been offering, is telling on them. On the one hand such resistance, contrary to some
propagandists, show that the guerrilla military capability remains contrary to claims they have been totally weakened. On the other, the guerrillas are conscious that the
sustained might of the Security Forces, with a far superior fire power, could on the long run begin to cause dents in their military machine. Such dents in their
stronghold of Wanni, well fortified during the near six-year ceasefire, could become at least the beginning of the end militarily.
Hence, the move to carry the battle outside the theatre of conflict. However reprehensible it may be, this is why the guerrillas would go for civilian targets. Such acts
are no doubt unconscionable. Privately they argue the attacks are tit-for-tat. Officially they deny them. These cruel acts are important to the guerrillas. Saying this is
by no means to justify or condone them. It is purely to educate the public of the underlying reasons so they may appreciate the situation. Wednesday's massacre of
civilians in a village near the southern town of Buttala, 238.4 kilometres from Colombo, underscores these factors. First to the sequence of events that led to the
civilian massacre and subsequent events that led to the deaths of 32.
Tuesday, January 15 - A villager saw three persons in uniform crossing the road. This was at Welipara Junction, located on the road from Buttala and the gemming
town of Okkampitiya. The village is more towards the Okkampitiya end. He thought they were Army personnel. An hour later, the villager met the Grama Sevaka of
the area when he was passing by and told him about it. The villager said he was half a kilometre away from the junction when he spotted the three persons.
The Grama Sevaka had told the Officer-in-Charge of the Buttala Police. The OIC and 12 police officers had arrived at the scene later. They questioned the villager,
took him to Welpara junction and asked him to show the direction in which the suspected Army officers walked. The Police party then trekked the path for a little
distance and returned. There were no signs of the "Army" men.
Wednesday, January 16 - Around 6.45 a.m. Manel Wijesinghe, a minor employee attached to the Okkampitiya Hospital, was going to work in a bicycle. At the
Welipara junction she saw what she thought were a group of Army men. Some were standing whilst others had crouched behind trees. She alighted from her bicycle
and tried to walk towards them. One of the men in Army uniform signalled with his hand not to come closer and to go away. They gave the impression that they were
on some ambush.
According to the minor employee, one of the men in Army uniform had a communication set strapped to his back. It had a long antenna. (This makes clear that the
group of men were in radio contact with a base or individuals some distance away). They were all carrying assault rifles. When she reported to work, Manel
Wijesinghe told her colleagues at the hospital that the Army was planning to do something at the Welipara junction. She said they would soon round up some
terrorists and the news would be out thereafter.
At 7.25 a.m. A bus with some ten passengers passes the Welipara junction. Immediately thereafter, some villagers walking past Welipara junction see the same group
and believe they were Army men waiting for an ambush. The armed men signal with their hands asking the villagers to walk fast from that area. At 7.35 a.m. a packed
bus approaches the Welipara junction. A claymore mine explodes. Tiger guerrillas who had by then taken up position in a hillock nearby open fire at the passengers
who dismount the bus and try to run. Thereafter, the guerrillas descend the hill to fire at more passengers. One of them entered the bus through the front door and
shot dead those inside. It transpires that the claymore mine had only injured ten passengers. A total of 27 passengers were killed and 51 were wounded.
At 11.00 a.m., the guerrillas who fled into the neighbouring jungle had entered a Chena cultivation. Farmers were busy tilling the field. They shoot five of them dead.
At 9.55 a.m., the news of the incident had reached an Army Special Forces training camp at Galge. It is located on the road between Kataragama and Buttala. An
officer musters three soldiers and decides to rush to a neighbouring camp in a Unicorn armoured vehicle to warn troops there of the incident. A powerful claymore
mine hits the vehicle injuring three soldiers. They were rushed to the Hambantota Hospital.
Investigators suspect that this claymore mine was meant for another bus carrying passengers. The lethality of this claymore mine could be seen from how the pellets in
it penetrated from one armour plated side of the Unicorn and exited through the other armour plated side. Quite clearly, this means, armour plating passenger buses
would be of no avail unless the sheeting used is thicker. In such an event, the buses would be so heavy it would not only consume more fuel but also move slowly.
On Wednesday afternoon Army commandos entered the jungles near Welipara junction near Okkampitiya to conduct a full search. Hours later, the search operation
was to trigger off reports that they had exchanged fire with the fleeing guerrillas. There was no such incident. One of the commandos had stepped on a trap gun
accidentally. He was injured and rushed to hospital. The guerrillas had fled and the search in that area was called off.
However, that was not the end of guerrilla activity in the area. The next day, Thursday (October 17) guerrillas entered two villages, Kalaweligama and
Hambegamuwa. They are located in the Tanamalwila Police area in the Moneragala district. They shot dead two Grama Sevakas and eight civilians. In just two days,
the guerrillas had taken 42 lives, that too in the Deep South. Yesterday, the Government was examining the feasibility of appointing a DIG (Operations) for the
Moneragala District. Strongly tipped for this post is K.M. Sarathchandra, DIG who was formerly in the Special Task Force (STF) of the Police. He is now DIG
(NWP -West).
The hunt for the guerrillas by Security Forces and the Police, whose strengths were increased since guerrilla related incidents in the Yala National Park continues.
Guerrillas attacked the Army Detachment at Talgasmankada (inside the park) on October 15. Seven soldiers were killed and six were wounded in the attack. The
next day (October 16), an Army commando lost his leg when he stepped on a pressure mine. Two range officers of the Department of Wild Life Conservation were
also injured in this incident.
This week's attacks in the deep south have prompted the defence and security authorities to adopt a number of measures. Two of them, which can be revealed, are
the enhancement of security with the deployment of more Police personnel, Home Guards and arming the villagers with shotguns. The latter are to be brought under
the supervision of Home Guards. If such measures are extended to other villages, either threatened or may come under attack, it naturally spreads thin the resources
available.
That is the main rationale behind the guerrilla strategy of striking deep in the south besides sending the message that they have the capability to do so. For the same
reason the guerrillas may turn to other areas including the City of Colombo. These possibilities are being highlighted in the public interest so the people may be vigilant.
In Colombo, enhanced security measures have already been taken. Yesterday, Police Chief Victor Perera, appointed Nimal Lewke, Commandant of the Police
Special Task Force (STF), as a security co-ordinator. He will function directly under N.K. Illangakoon, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Range IV. There are
three other DIGs under Mr. Illangakoon - DIG Colombo, Nimal Mediwake, DIG Western Province (North) Sarath Jayasundera and DIG Western Province (South)
C.D. Wickremaratne.
Another major fallout from the recent guerrilla attacks is the vast amounts of additional expenditure the Government will be compelled to incur. More troops, police
and home guards will have to be recruited. They will have to be equipped. So are the villagers to whom shotguns are to be given. One of the side effects of arming
villagers, now an inevitability, will be the creation of a number of village level militias. The newer financial commitments will be besides replenishing the needs of the
Security Forces and the Police who are at war.
Thus, at a time when food and fuel prices are reaching higher levels, the cost of war is going to be enormous. It would no doubt be a heavy burden on the economy
that threatens to take a beating from repercussions in other income generating sectors like tourism, foreign investment, and exports. Therefore Eelam War IV is critical
for Sri Lankans than any of the previous phases. It will not only be intense but decisive in the wake of the Government's self-imposed deadline of finishing it this year.

US to beef up SL’s maritimesurveillance capability
Admiral Robert F. Willard
by Shamindra Ferdinando
President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s government expects the Bush administration to further enhance Sri Lanka’s maritime surveillance capability as part of US efforts to
fight global terrorism. This would include the required training provided by the US apart from small scale joint exercises undertaken with the navy, particularly its
Special Boat Squadron (SBS), an elite force.
An authoritative governmental spokesman yesterday said that the recently concluded three-day visit to Colombo by Admiral Robert F. Willard, the chief of the US
Pacific Fleet, underlined the growing US-Lanka relationship and the US commitment to support Sri Lanka’s battle against LTTE which listed as a terrorist
organization by both the US and the British.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official asserted that the US wouldn’t ignore Sri Lanka’s call for assistance to curb both arms smuggling and human
trafficking.
"In fact, we are fully confident the US wouldn’t turn its back on us as the war against the LTTE enters a decisive stage," he said.
He expressed confidence that despite efforts to internationally isolate the Sri Lankan government on the ‘human rights issue’ the world community wouldn’t let Sri
Lanka down.
The US delegation, during a visit to Trincomalee was briefed of the ongoing operations undertaken by the SLN, particularly its battle against suicide attacks.
Another official said that the October 2000 attack off Yemen on guided-missile destroyer USS Cole killing 17 personnel, wounding 39 others and leaving extensive
damages had highlighted the serious threat posed by terrorists even on the world’s solitary superpower.
The destroyer was refueling in the port city of Aden when two suicide bombers crashed their explosives laden small boat into the vessel. USS Cole was lifted aboard
the Norwegian heavy transport ship M/V Blue Marlin and towed back to the United States.
During Friday’s banquet at Navy Headquarters, Admiral Willard congratulated the SLN for operations carried out on the high seas last September and October
which caused the destruction of four LTTE ships. The US Pacific Command had monitored the action throughout the operations and there had been a lot of
excitement, the US official had acknowledged.
The banquet followed a meeting Admiral Willard had with Navy Commander, Vice Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda, at SLN headquarters where discussions
centered on bilateral relations.
The US and Sri Lanka agreed that maritime surveillance and security would be of critical importance in the battle against the LTTE, the Sri Lankan military said.
Destruction of eight LTTE ships carrying arms, ammunition and at least three fixed wing aircraft on the high seas (from September 2006 to October 2007) had
brought the LTTE under immense pressure, they said.
The success of the ongoing multi-pronged assault on the remaining LTTE strongholds in the Vanni would entirely depend on their capability to prevent fresh stocks of
ammunition from coming in, particularly through the Gulf of Mannar supply route, they said. They said that the US recently donated maritime surveillance equipment
worth USD 11 million and this would be of critical importance to this effort.

B'caloa nominations to be finalised on Jan. 26

By Dhaneshi Yatawara
Nominations for the local polls in the Batticaloa district are currently being accepted and they will be finalised on January 26.
According to security sources the police have strengthened security in the area. Once the candidates' list is finalised, each candidate will be provided with two police
officers for their security. Disturbing situations in the area are now under control, informed sources said. The police have set up checkpoints and increased the number
of policemen. The police will meet all the candidates once the list is finalised.
A meeting was held yesterday between the community leaders and the police to resolve any conflict in the area.
Steps to overcome any conflicts were also discussed. Krishnananda Lingam will function as the Deputy Elections Commissioner.
Meanwhile, twenty foreign election observers will be appointed for the elections from the 'Non Violence Peace Force' through the PAFFREL. The Non Violence
Peace Force has 48 members in Sri Lanka comprising members from Japan, Canada and Switzerland.
Displaced voters in the nine Local Authorities in the Batticaloa District, where elections are scheduled to be held, can apply to vote at another polling station in the
area where they are now resident either in refugee camps or in private dwellings, Commissioner of Elections, Dayananda Dissanayake said.

The Tamil Nadu police has sought the assistance of the Interpol
to crackdown on LTTE activities in the State and also to block financial assistance channelled to the outfit secretly from foreign countries, reports from Chennai said.
Nathan alias Thambithurai who is believed to be a LTTE spy was taken into custody with seven others by the Intelligence Unit of the Tamil Nadu police at
Medawakam in Chennai, two days ago.
The police team headed by the Deputy Commissioner of Police Shankar Pandiyan also seized materials used to make bombs at the house where the suspects were
hiding, reports added.
The investigators have found that the main suspect Nathan had arrived in Tamil Nadu on April 7 last year and registered himself with the Madipakam police station in
Chennai on April 20 as a refugee from Sri Lanka and obtained a passport under the name of Edwin Kamalanathan.
In the meantime another LTTE suspect called Karuppiah who was detained at the Madurai Central prison, also went underground when he was released on bail
recently. The police had found that he had later changed his name as Cadalfi and was involved in covert activities of collecting money for clandestine activities of the
LTTE cadres in Tamil Nadu.
The Tamil Nadu police have found that Cadalfi was the person behind all the illegal activities of the LTTE in Tamil Nadu and was responsible for handling the financial
network of the outfit internationally.
Following these startling revelations of LTTE operations in Tamil Nadu, the State police hierarchy have sought the assistance of the Interpol to put a check on the
outfit's activities in the State as well as its connections abroad.
Following the arrests of prime LTTE suspects in Chennai two days ago the camps housing Lankan refugees have come under a thorough search by the Tamil Nadu
police and security arrangements have also been beefed up in the camp areas to keep an eye on notorious ones seeking refuge, reports further added.