The government is discussing the
possibility of a snap general election with
its alliance partners with the likelihood of
parliament being dissolved in December soon
after the budget is approved.
The election is planned in an effort to
deal with mounting Indian pressure to cease
military operations in the Wanni and before
the full impact of the economic crisis hits
the country and the people with rising
prices and a credit crunch.
The government expects the economy to hit
rock bottom by June 2009.
It is learned President Mahinda Rajapakse
had informed the Indian leadership of the
possibility of going for a snap poll during
his talks last week.
The UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe is to
leave for New Delhi tomorrow where he is
expected to hold discussions with Foreign
Minister Pranab Mukherjee and National
Security Advisor M.K. Narayanan on the
political developments in Sri Lanka.
New Delhi is also keen to see both the
UNP and SLFP led alliances working together
to bring about a consensus solution to the
ethnic conflict.
The Sunday Leader learns the initial
plan was to hold elections for the Western
and Central Provincial Councils and then go
for a general election, but that strategy
has now been dropped and the likelihood of a
general election soon after the budget
debate concludes is under serious
consideration.
The two primary factors influencing the
tilt towards a general election are the slow
progress of the war and the serious economic
crisis confronting the country.
A senior minister told The Sunday
Leader the government would look to
capitalise on the present popularity due to
military successes before the pace slows
down and the economic conditions take
precedence as happened in the US
presidential election.
A senior SLFP team led by Presidential
Advisor Basil Rajapakse and comprising
Ministers Maithripala Sirisena, Nimal
Siripala de Silva and Dulles Alahapperuma
last week met several political parties
including the CWC, JHU, All Ceylon Muslim
Congress and the UNP defectors to explore
the possibility of forming a broad alliance
to contest the elections.
It is learned Rajapakse had told CWC
Leader and Minister Arumugam Thondaman his
party should contest the general election
and the Western and Central Provincial
Council elections in alliance with the SLFP.
Informed sources said Rajapakse wanted a
commitment from the CWC to contest both
elections in alliance with the SLFP at the
earliest.
It is learned Thondaman informed
Rajapakse he will have to consult his
party’s executive committee and notify their
decision.
The Sunday Leader also learns the
SLFP team met the UNP defectors who too had
indicated they will meet as a group and take
a decision on how to proceed.
The UNP defectors are also in
negotiations with the UNP with some members
expressing a willingness to return to the
party fold to contest the elections.
Meanwhile the JHU informed the SLFP at
their discussions that the party will enter
into an alliance with the SLFP for an
election only if the Mahinda Chinthana
is adopted as the policy programme for the
election manifesto.
MR asks Pirapa to lay down
arms and negotiate
Troops gain control of Pooneryn
Government
control was once again extended to strategic
Pooneryn after a lapse of 15 years when
troops from Task Force One (TF1) took
control of the town close to the southern
shores of Killali lagoon yesterday morning.
Soon after the announcement of regaining Pooneryn was made
President Mahinda Rajapakse once again
called on Tiger leader Velupillai
Pirapaharan to lay down arms.
“I inform the people in this country that
our heroic soldiers have been able to
liberate the full stretch of the A-32 road (Mannar-
Pooneryn) and the Pooneryn area this
morning. At this moment, I very clearly call
Prabhakaran of LTTE to immediately lay down
your arms and come to the negotiation
table,” the President said over state radio
yesterday morning.
Troops from TF1 began advancing north east of their last
positions at Chempankundu, on the A32
Mannar-Pooneryn highway, south of Pooneryn
early on Friday night and yesterday morning
had first gained access to Nallur, a small
village on the B69 Paranthan-Pooneryn road.
Earlier the Defence Ministry said that the
plan was to cut off Pooneryn, by denying
Tigers access to the B69. Thereafter troops
had advanced the 10 kilometres from Nallur
to Pooneryn and gained access to the town
for the first time since November 1993.
“Infantrymen of 12 Gamunu Watch (12 GW) and 10 Gajaba
Regiment (10 GR) successfully negotiated the
great marshlands south of Pooneryn last
night, and cut off the Pooneryn-Paranthan
road (B-69) close to Nallur before dawn
today. Troops then marched about 10 Km along
the B-69 and entered into the Pooneryn
town,” the Defence Ministry said.
The Army said that the TF1 had cleared the nine kilometres
on the A32 between Pooneryn and Chempankundu
as well.
Commander of the Army Lt Gen Sarath Fonseka telephoned
President Rajapakse yesterday morning to
personally inform the regaining of Pooneryn,
the Army said. The Army commander had also
called the commanding officers of the TF1
yesterday morning to congratulate them.
The Tigers had placed their long range 130 mm guns with an
effective range of 27 km at Kalmunait Point,
at the northern tip of the small Pooneryn
peninsula and used them to target
Jaffna town, Pallali air base and the high
security zone at the northern rim of the
Jaffna peninsula.
Military spokesperson Brig Udaya Nanayakkara said that
troops did not locate any Tiger artillery
pieces and said that they may have been
moved further south east. Reports from the
area in the last fortnight had indicated
that the Tigers had moved the artillery and
mortar pieces north east of Paranthan.
No casualty figures were available of the
clashes in the Pooneryn area in the last 48
hrs. There were no details reported of the
battles in pro-Tiger websites or official
Tiger outlets even late yesterday afternoon.
The Tigers might attempt to fly in arms
supplies using the airstrips in the Wanni,
leading international defence magazine
Jane’s Defence said in an article in its
latest issue.
The article titled "Flight And Fight –
The LTTE’s Air Cargo Ambitions" said
that the magazine had established that the
Tigers has made at least one attempt to fly
in a consignment of artillery shells.
"The LTTE’s priority must now be to
ensure a continued supply of arms and
ammunition to prevent further defeats," an
article investigating the Tiger air capacity
said.
"Given this situation and having suffered
heavy losses to its ocean-going smuggling
fleet, the LTTE now appears to be preparing
to fly in supplies to its stronghold in
northern Sri Lanka. Commercial satellite
imagery obtained by Jane’s confirms
that between 2004 and 2007, the rebels
constructed two airstrips that can handle
cargo aircraft capable of transporting
weapons from Central or Southeast Asia," it
said.
"While the imagery does not confirm the
airstrips are in use, the investment of
significant resources suggests the LTTE has
developed facilities that can serve air
logistics needs at a critical time in its
three-decade war with the Sri Lankan state.
Jane’s can also confirm that the LTTE
has made at least one attempt to arrange for
a consignment of artillery rounds to be
flown in," the article said.
Jane’s also said that the Tigers have
suffered a series of setbacks since the
resumption of the conflict in 2006 and were
now attempting to keep stocks of military
supplies coming in to prevent further battle
field reversals.
"Satellite imagery has revealed a number
of runways in LTTE-controlled areas of Sri
Lanka. This could either show civilian
aspirations towards statehood or a desire to
fly in weapons. Jane’s looks at the
evidence and suggests the latter is more
likely. The LTTE is losing its war for an
independent state in Sri Lanka. Since the
effective resumption of the conflict in
2006, it has lost control of the Eastern
Province and seen its forces slowly pushed
back in the north," the report states.
Pillayan rules out
LTTE hand in Ragu killing
Eastern
Province Chief Minister Sivanesathurai
Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan yesterday
ruled out Tiger involvement in the
assassination of Kumaraswamy Nandagopan
alias Ragu, his private secretary and
confidant.
Chandrakanthan who had visited the scene of
the incident last Friday said that the
shooting was carried out after proper
planning.
He said the Tigers could not be behind the attack, as they
would not be able to lay out elaborate plans
and attack in
Colombo. He added that the party was going
to take steps to stem the internal killing
spree that had hit the TMVP. “We cannot go
on like this. There have been several
attacks on TMVP offices and some of our
members have been killed and injured.
Therefore, we will be taking immediate
action to ensure the security of our party
members. We have started discussions with
the relevant persons and also the security
forces on this matter,” Pillayan told The
Sunday Leader.
Nandagopan, the Private Secretary of Pillayan was shot and
killed in Athurugiriya on November 14
morning.
Nandagopan had replaced Karuna as the
Political head of the party according to
supporters of Pillayan in mid-October when
the two fractions traded allegations in the
media. Karuna however rejected there was any
such moves in the party. Nandagopan also
known as Ragu fled the country recently and
returned only a few weeks back. He had left
the country after accusations were levelled
against him that he was an agent for a
foreign spy agency.
Kumaraswamy Nandagopan alias Ragu, the
private secretary of Eastern Province Chief
Minister Pillayan was shot and killed in
Athurugiriya on November 14 morning in the
latest among the internal killings that has
plagued the TMVP in the last month.
Nandagopan had replaced Karuna as the
political head of the party according to
supporters of Pillayan, in mid-October when
the two factions traded allegations in the
media. Karuna however rejected there was any
such moves in the party.
Nandagopan and his driver were shot dead
on their way to Colombo from Trincomalee.
Pillayan said that several cadres
belonging to the TMVP had been killed in
recent months.
He said that the party was going to take
steps to rectify the situation. "We cannot
go on like this. There have been several
attacks on TMVP offices and some of our
members have been killed and injured.
Therefore, we will be taking immediate
action in order to ensure the security of
our party members. We have already started
discussions with the relevant persons and
also the security forces with regard to the
security of the TMVP cadres," Pillayan told
The Sunday Leader.
Nandagopan also known as Ragu, prior to
his appointment as the TMVP political head
worked as an engineer in Australia and held
a Master’s Degree in engineering.
TMVP sources told The Sunday Leader
that he was close to Pillayan and acted as
one his advisors.
Nandagopan fled the country recently and
only returned a few weeks back. He had left
the country after accusations were levelled
by suspected Karuna loyalists that he was an
agent for a foreign spy agency.
LTTE Leader Velupillai Pirapaharan has
informed the Tamil National Alliance the
Tigers will strategically withdraw from
Pooneryn but deal the government a
devastating military blow within the next
three months.
This message was communicated to the TNA
through Batticaloa District MP, Senathirajah
Jeyanandamoorthy who crossed over to Tiger
territory the previous week in the company
of another Eastern Province MP, Chandra
Nehru.
It is learned only Jeyanandamoorthy had
met Pirapaharan while both MPs had met LTTE
Political Wing Leader B. Nadesan.
Informed sources said the two MPs had
briefed the TNA of the outcome of the visit
in parliament last week. Jeyanandamoorthy
had also informed several other opposition
members of his discussions in the Wanni.
It is learned the two MPs had also been
taken to the Forward Defence Lines by the
Tigers and explained the progress of the on
going war.
According to the briefing given by
Jeyanandamoorthy to the MPs, the LTTE had
said the organisation can never be defeated
militarily and that they will fight to the
last man if the government persists with the
war.
The Tigers according to the MP had also
said the people of the south will within the
next few months realise the futility of the
war effort and start attacking the
government for misleading them.
It was further said the Tigers are
prepared to discuss a federal solution if
the government places a comprehensive
proposal on the table, but added the LTTE
had ruled out the possibility of the
Rajapakse administration submitting such a
solution.
The LTTE had further said a fight to a
finish would mean a fight for the
establishment of Eelam.
Informed sources said the MPs have also
been taken to refugee camps and Kilinochchi
and shown some of the buildings damaged due
to aerial bombardment.
The Tigers have also said Kilinochchi
will never fall into government hands.
Following his visit to the Wanni,
Jeyanandamoorthy made a statement in
parliament last week that the LTTE will
surrender their weapons to facilitate a
ceasefire.
By Arthur Wamanan
Indian relief and essential items will
arrive in the country later this week,
Indian and ICRC officials said last week.
"The essential items are scheduled to
arrive during the second half of this
month," ICRC Media Coordinator, Sarasi
Wijeratne said.
India assured to send essential items to
the civilians in the Wanni following
agitations by Tamil Nadu politicians to
intervene in the country’s ethnic problem.
The Indian government had approached the
ICRC with regard to the distribution of
essential items in the Wanni.
"According to reports, the essential
items will leave India early this week and
reach Sri Lanka by the end of the week.
However, I am not aware of the exact date on
which the items are to leave," Spokesperson
for the Indian High Commission, Dinkar
Asthana said.
According to the latest report by the
ICRC, the items the Indian government has
offered include hygiene material and
clothes, and correspond to the needs of
displaced people and residents in the Wanni
that the ICRC has identified.
"This is the first time that India has
provided humanitarian aid to
conflict-affected people in Sri Lanka
through the ICRC. We have seen the relief
items and they do indeed correspond to the
needs of the displaced people we see in the
Wanni. We look forward to receiving this
relief consignment here in Colombo in the
coming days," said Paul Castella, the ICRC’s
new Head of Delegation in Sri Lanka.
The ICRC continues to be the only
international humanitarian organisation
present in the Wanni after the relocation of
UN and other agencies in September.
