Politics

The mole factor

D. Sarath Bandara, Chandana Piyasiri and The wives and children of the two home guards who were abducted by the LTTE By Amantha Perera  On Thursday, October 7, telephones of several Colombo-based journalists started jingling off the hook. The news from the other side of the line was a bombshell. The military was saying that two top Tiger commanders, Sea Tiger Leader Soosai and Trincomalee Military Head Suwarnam had reneged against Velupillai Pirapaharan.

Sea Tiger Leader, Soosai

The rebellion was a result of the corruption charges against former Eastern Military Head, Ramesh. Ramesh is under investigation for misappropriating funds to the tune of Rs. 10 to 15 million. He is in the Wanni currently. And according to the leaks, the two senior commanders had expressed their disapproval of the treatment meted out to Ramesh.

The Soosai story did not hit the headlines till Saturday (9). The LTTE reacted with media coordinator Daya Master being quoted on the Tamilnet website as saying there was no basis to the story and that Soosai would be attending the following day's LTTE Women's Day celebrations in Kilinochchi.

No smoke without fire

However, Soosai did not appear and the LTTE has remained mum on the issue leading to more speculation that there can be no smoke without fire.

If the story were true, it would mean the Karuna rebellion would have been joined by other senior leaders all the way up to Mullaithivu where Soosai runs the Sea Tiger base.

By mid-last week even army sources themselves were having second thoughts about the story. On Friday, LTTE theoretician, Anton Balasingham released a statement saying the southern media was spinning stories. He said Soosai had had to seek rest following a reoccurrence of a gunshot wound suffered during fighting the IPKF.

Meanwhile, on Monday, October 11, the villagers of Nagasthanne, 11 miles from Welikanda were woken up by explosions around 2:50 a.m. Earlier in the night a group of eight men had walked in from the surrounding jungles into an abandoned house to escape the rain. The men were Karuna supporters who had been moving about in the jungles for the past two months, according to sources at the Welikanda Police.

Among the group was one named Newton, who was in effect a mole. He was responsible for the grenade attack that was the cause for the explosions. After throwing the grenade he reportedly fled to LTTE controlled areas. Two among the remaining seven were dead on admission to the Polonnaruwa Hospital. They were identified as Jude and Rajenderan.

The others injured were identified as Maradan, Nee, Sada, Rasdeel, Murthi and Wije. They were transferred to Colombo for further medical care.

The village itself lies in a government controlled area but is quite close to the line of control. Cadres loyal to Karuna have been reported to be moving in the areas north of Welikanda and east of Aralaganwilla, further south. The LTTE inducted troops from the north into these areas in an attempt to stop the attacks.

On Thursday two civilians were wounded due to gunfire near Valachchenai. One of the wounded was a former member of the LTTE who left the organisation and was running a tavern. The LTTE said it suspected Karuna supporters of being behind the shootings.

Tiger moles

The Nagasthanne attack is yet another example of the effectiveness of Tiger moles who have infiltrated the Karuna network.

Vinayagamoorthy Sivanesadurai alias Reggie was killed during an ambush at Anivilmadu near Karadiyanaru on the night of September 22 with the use of a mole the military has identified as Pushpan. He had given away the location of the team that Reggie was leading near Karadiyanaru.

On the morning of July 15, LTTE cadre Mahendran Pulidaran shot Kanapathipillai Mahendran alias Sacthi Master inside the Batticaloa jail. Pulidran too had infiltrated Sacthi Master's inner circle inside the prison. He used to give his ultimate victim head massages inside the prison and according to sources with intimate details of the murder, had used a weapon in the possession of Sacthi Master and one of his accomplices inside the jail.

On July 26, seven Karuna supporters were massacred at a safehouse in Kottawa. Soon after the attack, there were reports that said the cook who had been with the gang was a LTTE cadre who had mixed sleeping tablets with the dinner. Unconfirmed reports from the east said that he had fled to LTTE held areas in the east after the killings.

Kandiah Yogarasa alias PLOTE Mohan was assassinated on July 31 in Bambalapitiya using an impostor who was lobbying for a liquor licence.

Karuna launches political party

While the east was dominated by a killing once again last week, Karuna upped the ante by launching his much awaited political party, at least nominally. The website appeared on Tuesday night for the party; Tamileela Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (Tamileelam Liberation People's Tigers). Karuna also released a damming statement against his former leader Pirapaharan with the launching of the party.

"Tamil people are retreating from the eelam struggle by this fratricidal war. This was the chief reason for the ruining of the Tamil eelam struggle. Even today he refuses to accept this truth and Pirapaharan continues with his killing spree," he said in the statement that accused Pirapaharan of everything from murdering lovers to nepotism.

Karuna said that if not for Pirapaharan's obsession with leadership, eelam could have been achieved 15 years ago.

"While requesting those Tamils who reside in the Tamil eelam, as well as those Tamil diasporas living in foreign countries not to become scapegoat to the fallacious and malicious propaganda let loose by Pirapaharan, at the same time I appeal to give us all your help and support to make our liberation struggle victorious," he ended the statement.

The party secretary was identified as G.R. Ganaraja. Military sources in Batticaloa said that he was linked with the ill-fated EDLF. However, there was no independent confirmation.

Party address on 'NGO drive'

The address of the party was just given as Lake Road, Batticaloa. Lake Road is alternatively referred to as the 'NGO Drive.' It is along this road that most of the offices of the international agencies like UNICEF and UNHCR are located. Even the SLMM office is located along Lake Drive.

"Now that is not very good, is it?" was how an official from one of the organisations reacted when informed of the address given by Karuna on the new party website.

However Karuna and his party would not feel totally alien along Lake Drive. Some of the paramilitaries that operate out of Batticaloa too call the road home.

Karuna's chances however of registering the party any time soon are not very good, according to Assistant Elections Commissioner, K. Senanayake. Since nominations for the north east provincial council have been called, no new party would be registered till the election is concluded.

Karuna's new party was nevertheless welcomed in some quarters. "We welcome anybody who enters the democratic process," Cabinet Spokesperson, Mangala Samaraweera said last week. He stopped short of committing the government further on the Karuna issue.

The government's attention however would have been ferverntly on the east all the way down to Batticaloa from Trincomalee.

Hartal in Trincomalee

On October 13, the North East Sinhala Association that has been agitating for the release of two home guards held by the Tigers organised a hartal in Trincomalee bringing the entire town to a standstill, even disrupting buses coming from Colombo. The protestors blocked roads and attempted to prevent transport vehicles from the Prima Flour Mill and the IOC terminal both located at China Bay about 10 km from the Trincomalee town from proceeding.

The lorries and bowzers however were able to continue with the journey when police and army intervened to disperse the protestors and provide security cover. Protestors had earlier blocked the China Bay junction through which the transport vehicles have to pass through with logs.

Once the transporters get through the junction they can avoid the town and take the Kantale road. Army and police removed the logs that had been placed across the road before providing security.

Exchange

The LTTE had said the two home guards would be released in exchange for 10 LTTE cadres held in the Batticaloa remand prison on charges of possession of dangerous firearms.

The LTTErs in custody were E.P. Rajendran, Rajeeva Kumar, G. Dayanandan, S. Suthakaran, T. Muralitharan, V. Chandrakuma N. Pulithamalar, N. Manjula, V. Shyamala and S. Thirimanju.

The government had flatly refused to agree to any sort of swap. "We can not interfere with the judiciary of the country," Samaraweera said on Thursday morning during the cabinet press briefing. Ironically, while he was making the assertion, moves were already under way to release the 10 cadres on bail.

The SLMM and LTTE high-rankers in Batticaloa including Media Coordinator, S. Manoj had gathered at the Batticaloa jail where bail applications on behalf of the 10 LTTE cadres were presented on Thursday. The bail procedure however went on for a while but ultimately, bail was granted for all 10 with the Attorney General not objecting, following representations made by the government not to do so.

Each was asked to post personal bail of Rs. 50,000 and two sureties.. The next hearing is scheduled for December 13. The 10 along with the other LTTErs were escorted by the SLMM and the security forces up to Black Bridge on the Chenkaladi-Badulla Road.

The LTTErs, including three females were arrested on July 7 and 14 this year, and charged with the possession of lethal weapons. The LTTE had however maintained there were no weapons with the cadres other than ammunition.

Pressure tactics

Despite public avowals by government ranks that they will not bow to LTTE pressure tactics, by all appearances the release of the 10 is bound to open up charges that it was indeed a swap.

"If the 10 were released there wouldn't be any problem now. The LTTE would have to release the two," Samaraweera said.

Sources closely involved in the procedure said last week they were not quite sure why the bail applications were not processed earlier. They attributed the delay to bureaucracy but even if that were true, the timing would still allow accusations to swirl around.

LTTE sources in Kilinochchi reacted to the release on Thursday night saying that the two home guards would now be released. The two options being considered by the LTTE were either to hand over the two - D. Sarath Bandara and Chandana Piyasiri - directly to the SLMM or to produce them in the LTTE court. If the LTTE adopts the latter course of action, it would most certainly be tit for tat.

The two home guards were abducted by the LTTE on August 10 in the Gonabendivewa area in Trincomalee along with two T 56 weapons and a magazine.

They were apprehended by the LTTE in the deep jungles off Gomarankadawla near the Akalpathuva Tank. Though the two and their families have steadfastly maintained they were caught while fishing, others including security forces have said they might have been hunting game when the LTTErs came across them.

Samaraweera said during Thursday's briefing that the government had made efforts to bring international pressure on the LTTE to release the two guards. The Tigers have been feeling the pressure during the current trip undertaken by a high-powered political team touring Europe.

The team led by Political Wing Head, S.P. Tamilselvan has been meeting with officials. Before the trip Tamilselvan said they were looking at the possibility of implementing the ISGA. The delegation is expected in the Norwegian capital Oslo later this week.

Swiss Foreign Minister, Micheline Calmy-Rey who was in Sri Lanka last week said the LTTE delegation had indicated during talks that the ISGA proposals were not set in stone.

"It (ISGA) is not not negotiable, that's what they said," she told the media. However, she warned that the lack of confidence between the two parties was hampering any progress.

"I had the impression that the ceasefire is in danger," she warned.

Government baffled

Two days later Samaraweera said the government had done everything possible to recommence the talks and that it was baffled as to why the LTTE is not coming back to the table.

"The (government's) counter proposals are ready and waiting," he said. Samaraweera said the proposals would first be handed over to the LTTE before being made public.

However, his announcement was met with cries of no in the Wanni. The Elanathan, published in LTTE controlled Wanni said on Friday quoting LTTE sources the LTTE saw no reason to consider the counter proposals.

The newspaper said the proposals were most likely based on the August 2000 proposal forwarded by the then PA administration. Samaraweera however did not confirm or deny whether the new set would reflect the former.

Sources from inside the government said the UPFA was planning to forward the new proposals probably by the end of the month or early next month to the LTTE through the Norwegians.

They said the counter proposals were still being worked on and the government would forward them seeking the LTTE's reactions, adding "the hope is to get the negotiations started on talks on talks."