Security Forces North & East Operations
Civilians are returning to government-controlled areas on a mass scale and are fleeing LTTE territory, while the main goal of the government is to wipe out LTTE from the eastern area. This is because the east was a stronghold of the LTTE and V. Prabhakaran’s dream was to make Trincomalee the capital of Eelam.
Artillery fire power has now been divided into three sectors to target the LTTE in Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Ampara. Artillery fire is being accurately positioned using mathematical systems to target LTTE camps.
This is being done by commandoes and special forces who have infiltrated LTTE areas and are communicating with gunnery points to give accurate targets of LTTE camp locations.
Despite LTTE artillery retaliation, LTTE cadres are fleeing camps and going further interior into the jungle.
Specialized jungle warfare special commandoes and infantry troops are hunting them down one by one. Tigers fled the Trinco Peraru Camps and LTTE cadres are fleeing to the Welioya region.
At the same time, Special Task Force Commandoes have entered the Karadianaru, Kockadicholai, Tharavikulum and Vavunathivu LTTE-controlled areas after the recent attack on the diplomats.
In 1952 the first guerrilla leader in the world Che Guera told Fidel Castro that if they want to have a revolution the guerrilla should never get married and they have to be committed to their cause.
V Prabhakaran had the same intention and did not allowed his cadres to marry. But later he got married and subsequently allowed senior cadres to get married. After the ceasefire he gave permission for junior cadres to get married as well. So now, for face-to-face confrontation these cadres have to think twice about their loved ones. In Welioya the LTTE have evacuated some of their bunkers due to this reason.
But soldiers are professional and they know that is their job and they are compelled to go ahead with the battle.
They also face serious setbacks after the departure of Karuna Amman.
In Jaffna the Army is getting information day-by-day about mass-scale weapon hideouts, and the army is launching a massive campaign to win the hearts and minds of the people in the Jaffna peninsula.
The Army is implementing medical clinics in rural villages and providing exercise books for Tamil students. The Jaffna security forces commander has given clear instructions that soldiers must talk politely to Tamil people and they have put up a separate Tamil language training school at the Army camp to have a clear dialogue with the Tamil civilians.
The result of this campaign is that the Army is receiving tremendous information from the civilians about weapsons and arms hideouts. Recently 698 kg of C4 explosives and TNT explosives, the biggest haul ever found in Sri Lanka, was discovered due to a civilian tip off. This week RPGs, 2 suicide bomb kits and a motorcycle tank packed with explosives were found.
When any Jaffna civilians wants to travel to Colombo by air, there are separate Tamil speaking soldiers who make background checks so as to give clearance as soon as possible.
As to whether the government should push for peace talks, whenever the LTTE is weakened by the military they always go ahead for peace talks to strengthen their manpower and logistics. Still, the president has reiterated that if the LTTE lay down arms then the govt is ready for peace talks.
As for the recent two-faced protesting about disappearances and abductions, why are there those that would choose to not stand behind the security forces and talk about abductions only when it suits them? Yet they stay silent about LTTE atrocities? An article by Bandula Jayasekera raises the same question.
“We ask the people who are trying to demoralise the Forces, WHY? WHY? Or do you like to see more of them demoralised and killed for you to earn a bit more dollars? Those who love Mother Lanka are no fools.
They can see clearly the ones who are hurting this land. They don’t need a microscope to see them. They question why they are silent in the face of LTTE atrocities?”
Regarding NGOs, the Sri Lanka government has decided to do a comprehensive investigation into INGOS and NGOS who have access to LTTE-controlled areas. Recently security forces found two identity cards possessed by two LTTE cadres in Vavuniya belonging to an INGOs.
In Ampara and Vakarai when the military operations overran LTTE camps, they found goods belonging to the INGOs but INGOs says they were either stolen or misplaced.
INGOs and NGOs have appealed that until the investigations are over that they are not accused of being LTTE supporters. So the government has agreed to this and are conducting investigations.
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Good overview of the winning hearts and minds campaign the Singhalese forces are currently running.
Unfortunately, even when we suspend reality and don’t look directly at the massive atrocities Mother Lanka’s army is committing against the Tamils, its clear the campaign isn’t aimed at the Tamil themselves but rather the IC who is threatening to withhold development aid to the Singhalese.
If the Singhalese forces wanted to help the Tamil community they would go home and let the Tamils live their lives in peace rather than holding a gun to their heads “to earn a bit more dollars”.
The LTTE who has abducted 6,200 plus children and still holds some 1,700 (UNICEF report given below) kills innocent civilians and children in buses, trains and villages, kills scholars, senior citizens, heads of state and massacres young monks are your angels and heroes?
The army investigates crimes committed by security forces and soldiers have been convicted and sent to prison.
On development aid, the reality is that funding for the next 3-4 years has been assured if the country wants it so you are talking about what you would like to believe, not reality.
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWFiles2007.nsf/FilesByRWDocUnidFilename/7E6CCF65B3C22245C1257297004EB342-Full_Report.pdf/$File/Full_Report.pdf
Amitha,
Do you really care about the plight of Tamil children? You post reminds me of the Singhalese politicians who berates the LTTE, not out of concern for the children, but to score political points.
Money aside, Why not bring the Singhalese forces home and let the Tamils live in peace?
Let me answer some of Pandoras’ questions.
Pandoras: “Why not bring the Singhalese forces home and let the Tamils live in peace?”
To rephrase that mate, why don’t the Tamils go back home (ie: Tamil Nadu) and let the Sinhalese live in peace in our country? Squatting in the East doesn’t make it your home just because you say it’s your “aspiration” to have the oil and the Trinco harbour.
Pandoras: “Do you really care about the plight of Tamil children?”
Not particularly. I care about Sinhalese children more than I do about Tamil children, and if any of them are fighting for the LTTE, I’m all for bombing them as we’ve done in Sencholai and elsewhere.
Anyway the point is that we Sinhalese care about our own children, whereas you have no qualms about using your own children in the war or as human shields. You won’t see us placing Sinhalese children around army camps in the hope that LTTE would kill them so that we could use it for PR points. This makes us a better and more civilised people.
Pandoras, I know Sinhalese people aren’t heartless and I am sure Justmal doesn’t mean he doesn’t care about Tamil children, but his reaction is what you will get from many Sinhalese people if the military is accused of waging war on civilians.
JustMal,
The Singhalese in the Eastern region of SL are there mostly as a result of state sponsored colonization, whereas the Tamils have historically inhabited the area.
Its the Tamils aspiration to have the oil and Trinco harbour? Is not an aspiration but a right to them, as well as to the other ethnic groups living alongside them. The resources and access to trade belong to the people living in the area. Why should control go the GOSL who selectively distributes goods and services based on whether you are Singhalese or not?
Your attitude towards Tamils is why we have ethnic war in the first place. What options do Tamils have, but to fight back?
Des,
I know that many Singhalese people are not heartless but the fact remains that collectively they believe they have the right to abuse and take away the lives, lands, resources, food, water, and education of the Tamil people.
The gross violations the Singhalese forces are committing to bring the Tamil people under their boot must stop.
Hi Pandoras,
Collectively Sinhalese people don’t believe they are abusing anyone. While I can see reasons why you might not believe that, such as comments above, knowing many Sinhala people and being one of them, I know the mentality well.
Instead if you can picture a need for protection, you will be closer to what they are thinking. What I mean is that, Sinhalese people are well aware that Tamilians are a majority in absolute numbers in the world (140 million?), while Sinhalese are restricted to the 15 million or so. Given their pride in their culture and Buddhism they feel a serious threat from both LTTE and western influences and a western presence they see as diluting traditional lifestyle and values.
If that sounds illogical to you, I don’t have to tell you that logic doesn’t play a big role in choices about life and safety.
Hence the common repartee that Tamilians need to go to Tamil Nadu.
The commonly held belief among Sinhalese people, though it may or may not reach your ears all the time, is that if there is a separate state in the north and east pretty soon there would be an invasion to wipe out the Sinhalese from the rest of the island.
This is the deepest fear that Sinhalese people have, and is also tied up in perception about Buddhism being threatened from all fronts and needing active protection.
You might be surprised at how often this argument is mentioned.
Given Prabhakaran’s ability for belligerence, I am not surprised that many people think that a separate state is not an option and soon after a separate state, with the support of Tamilians from Tamil Nadu, an invasion would wipe out the Sinhalese – sooner or later.
My wish is that more people will try to understand the mindset of the Sinhalese people, as I think it might bring the country one step closer to ending this conflict. Similar issues were mentioned by Chamath in
http://www.groundviews.org/2006/12/27/thoughts-for-discussion/
best regds
Hi Des,
Sorry for the late reply,
I appreciate that Singhalese want to preserve their culture and religion. They can do so without excluding that of others. There are many countries that have been able to do so; Singapore is one that comes to mind.
When you ask me to picture their (Singhalese) need for protection my mind conjures images of Nazi Germany where Hitler used the same language to justify the extermination of the Jews.
In your opinion are the Singhalese collectively ready to accept that Tamils have the right to self determination?
Lastly, I am all for understanding Singhalese people. If you have any recommended books you’d like to share I do my best to work my way through the list.
Regards,