Tigers say Swaranam back in the east

Old fears return

By Amantha Perera

Five years ago its was quite different. The country was basking in the peace glow. The then Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe had sent the truce agreement through the Muhamalai crossover point through Norwegian Ambassador Jon Wesborg and LTTE Leader Velupillai Pirapaharan had duly signed it.

Wickremesinghe confidant  turned crosser-over Milinda Moragoda addressed a group of journalists at a hotel in Wadduwa, on February 23, 2002 and he was all praise of the new agreement. Five years later, he nor his colleague at the negotiating table, Prof  G. L. Peiris hardly made a  murmur.

Tigers react to statement

The truce may be five years old, but  the old fears  have returned, fears of war and suffering.

The Tigers were increasingly talking as if they were a state, nothing less. They had begun the trend  two weeks ago when they reacted to Allan Rock's statement to the Working Committee of the UN Security Council.

It kept the tone last week as well - "The  CFA was formulated with the full support of the international community, transcended the parameters of Sri Lanka's majoritarian constitution created by the Sinhala for the Sinhala people which had effectively marginalised the other communities in the island."

"It recognised Tamil Eelam's de facto existence, with its unique characteristics: a distinct population; a government comprising a defence force, a police force, a judiciary, a civil administration and other institutions for effective governance of a people, and capability of entering into agreements with other governments with a line of control reflecting the ground reality of the existence of the Tamil homeland demarcated with recognised borders. The CFA recognised the balance of power between the GOSL and the LTTE and was premised on this balance of power."

CFA's sudden slide

The CFA's sad and sudden slide to non-declared war is very clear in what the peace monitors said on February 22. The gains of three years have been lost in 15 months, with the death toll rising up 30 times. Up to December of 2005, only 130 conflict related deaths had been reported since February 22, 2002. Since January 2006 the toll is an astonishing 4000. "At the time of the five-year milestone, however; abductions,  harassments, killings,  shelling and air strikes are taking place at a war like level," the monitors now relegated to a side show    said.

As it has been the trend, the two parties blamed each other -"It is reasonable to conclude on an analysis of the atrocious record of violence maintained by the LTTE since the signing of the CFA and in particular since November 2005, that the LTTE has not kept to the main objectives of the CFA. This is also clearly reflected in the many instances in which they have refused to participate in any negotiations with the Government of Sri Lanka," the government Peace Secretariat said.

Tigers blame government

The Tigers said that it was the government that was to be blamed.   "Current Sri Lankan President, Mahinda Rajapakse assumed power in 2005. Immediately after his term of office began, the shadow war being waged against the LTTE  and the Tamil people by the Sri Lankan military intelligence wing using the paramilitary groups intensified. A dark phase has begun to unravel in the Tamil homeland; people are being terrorised by cold-blooded killings and 'disappearances," the Tigers said. Same sentiments, different villains.

The days ahead do not promise anything but a continuation of the  hostilities. The Tigers last week said that they would dig in for a fight in the Toppigala  area. The Tiger eastern military strength, or whatever is left of it now is concentrated in the area.

"Toppigala is different to Vaharai, it will require  different military applications, there are lot of jungles and hills, so it will be different," Tiger military spokesperson Rasiah Illanthirayan said.

He added that the Tigers were well supplied and even suggested that cadres were moving in and out of the areas. "Routine movement is taking place as usual."

The Karuna group, that vowed to take on the Tigers in Toppigala on the very day Vaharai fell, said that Tiger cadres had been fleeing the area. Spokesperson Azad Moulana said that at least 300 had fled to Wanni using jungle paths through the Habarana area. Illanthirayan denied any exodus.

Despite losing three of its artillery pieces, two 152 mm's and at least one 120mm damaged, possibly two according to the army, the Tigers could still possess two more pieces in Toppigala. Moualana said that they believed two 120 mm pieces that Karuna himself had captured from the security forces in Palpuknawa area in 2001 may be stationed there. "We think they have them there."

'Tigers could be flushed out'

But Moulana was sure that the Tigers could be flushed out from the Toppigala area. Illanthirayan scoffed at the thought - "Let see," he said.

The Tigers also said that Trincomalee  military head Suwarnam had returned to the east from the Wanni. Suwarnam had disappeared from the Tiger communication networks on January 14,  that was when the airforce carried out a raid on his camp, north of Vaharai. There was speculation that he may have crossed over to the Toppigala area through Punnani on January 20, the day after Vaharai was secured by the armed forced.

Confrontations on highway

That morning, confrontations broke out on the main A11 highway  when fleeing Tigers were met with heavy fire by the armed forces. More than 10 died in the confrontations. Another report said that an injured Suwarnam had reached Wanni through the sea.

Injured or otherwise, the Tigers now say that he is back in the east. "He has returned and he is there now," Illanthirayan said.

The army says that it is poised to regain  Toppigala, and there have also been concerns expressed on the situation in Vavuniya and in Jaffna, especially areas lying close to the line of command.

The Tigers suggested that it was not backing off, the government has no such intention, and along the line of control both sides are eyeing each other down. "The Sri Lankan government's ongoing war of aggression, aimed at the subjugation of the Tamil people under the guise of 'War on Terrorism,' will add to the bloodstained pages of the island's history. It has also compelled the Tamil people to resume their freedom struggle to realise their right to self - determination and to achieve statehood," they said.

Protests in Colombo

As the country watched the fifth year anniversary come and go, protests erupted in Colombo against the truce. The JVP backed Federation of National Organisations (FNO) and the National Bhikku Front (NBF) joined hands.

The two protests were to be separate events on either side of Town Hall last week, but the FNO marched up to the stage where the NBF monks were about to launch a fast unto death. . The FNO leaders appealed to the monks to give up the fast and join hands, and they did.

"We will destroy the forces that want the CFA to continue, it has sold out our nation, we will not give up now, not when the enemy is down" Ven. Damabara Amila Thero of the NBF said.