Focus

Contours of the rescue operation

The spectacular phenomenon  began unfolding during the past week.         

A great modern exodus was on.

Thousands of entrapped Tamil civilians began  fleeing from areas controlled by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) .

The flow  began on April 20 in the aftermath of a military operation by the Sri Lanka Army that was successful in breaching Tiger defences in the Karaithuraipatru AGA division in Northern Mullaithivu District.

According to official sources, besieged Tamil civilians were able to escape LTTE clutches and move towards army positions after the security forces broke through the ‘bund cum trench’ defence constructed by the Tigers in the Puthumathalan-Ambalavanpokkanai area.

There was much euphoria about the event and President Mahinda Rajapakse himself was present at the Air Force Headquarters in Colombo to see first-hand how the operation described as a ‘humanitarian rescue’ exercise was in progress.

According to official postings by the Defence Ministry on its website  more than a 100,000  Tamil civilians had fled to safety by noon on  Thursday, April 23.

The Exodus

On April 20,  39,845 civilians were rescued. On April 21 another 26,580  got out. April 22 saw a further 33,645 breaking out. At noon on April 23, 3,803 had been rescued, bringing the grand total in three and a half days to 103,873.

The 58 Division commanded by Brig. Shavendra Silva rescued  civilians along the Puthumathalan defence lines while the 55 Division led by Brig. Prasanna Silva helped free people along the Palamathalan defence line.

Thousands of people were rescued by the 53 Division near the Mullivaaikkaal front. Gen. Kamal Gunaratne leads the 53 Division.

In a separate development the Sri Lankan Navy was also involved in rescue  efforts. People  fleeing from the Tigers were escorted  by the navy to  Point Pedro in Jaffna and  Pulmoddai in the east coast.

There was however some doubt as to whether the large numbers announced were accurate. Even as the state and sections of the mainstream media gave massive publicity to the exercise calling it the world’s greatest humanitarian rescue operation, the pro-Tiger website TamilNet said that only about 8,000 civilians were “trapped” and “captured” by the army.

Temporary shelter

In a related development officials in Vavuniya were instructed to prepare to house around 20,000 civilians from Mullaithivu on April 20.

But only about 5,000 people had been brought in buses to Vavuniya by nightfall. While the injured were taken to hospitals the others were put up in schools in the Omanthai, Pankulam and Thandikulam areas. Security was tight and no one was allowed to make contact.

A high-ranking security official re-iterated that the Defence Ministry figures were correct. Speaking on condition of anonymity he said that the security forces were unable to cope with the large influx of civilians and so there was some delay in bringing all to Vavuniya.

There was also the imperative need to scrutinise the displaced persons and identify Tiger operatives and agents.

Thousands were being detained in Killinochchi where security checks were underway. Others  were temporarily housed in areas like Viswamadhu, Tharmapuram, Muthaiyankattu, Puthukkudiyiruppu  etc., to be taken to Killinochchi later.

Human rights organisations alleged that there were enforced disappearances of some youths suspected of being Tigers.

Much jubilation

There was much jubilation in many parts of Sri Lanka as the media regaled the population with images and details of the massive humanitarian rescue operation.

In a glaring omission these media sections left out news about the ‘human’ costs of this “humanitarian” operation. While there was much focus on thousands of civilians reaching safety there was practically no coverage about the hundreds of civilians killed or injured in shelling and firing by the security forces.

According to the pro-LTTE TamilNet more than 300 civilians were killed and 600 injured. The pro-Tiger Tamil website Puthinam said that 1496 civilians were killed and 3333 injured. Among those killed were 476 children, reported Puthinam.

Three medical doctors from the area, Sathiyamoorthy, Varatharajah and Shanmugarajah when interviewed by the BBC Thamilosai placed the casualty toll at a  much lower figure.

Bodies not brought

They however said that bodies of several dead persons had not been brought to the makeshift hospitals in the region. They also pointed out that severe shortage of medicine and drugs along with shortage of personnel hampered the hospitals from treating patients as required.

An urgent SOS had been sent to the ICRC to obtain assistance but they were informed that no ICRC ship would be coming on Tuesday, April 21.

The army has announced that 17 people were killed and 383 injured by the LTTE who fired at fleeing civilians. Three woman suicide bombers had also exploded themselves causing many civilian casualties.

The armed forces had evacuated many critically injured civilians by air. Other injured were taken to hospitals by road. Transport Minister Dulles Alahapperuma had provided several special buses for this purpose.

The smaller hospitals in Mullivaaikkaal and  Valaignarmadam  had to cope with large numbers due to Puthumathalan Hospital being unable to function.

Conflicting reports

Though the rescue operation was successful there are conflicting reports about the manner in which it was undertaken. According to security sources, the civilian evacuation operation had been meticulously planned and executed.

The LTTE had been deceived into thinking that the armed forces will launch a full-fledged operation in the Mullivaaikkaal area adjacent to the Nandhikadal lagoon.

The Paranthan-Mullaithivu Road known as the A-35 highway proceeds south through Puthukkudiyiruppu and then veers east near the lagoon and again turns south to reach Mullaithivu via the Vattavaagal bridge.

The 53 Division under Gen. Kamal Gunaratne and Task Force 8 led by Col. G.W. Ravipriya were placed north and west of Nanthikadal. A joint operation in two stages was conducted before and after the April New Year to take the small stretch of A-35 near the Irattaivaaikkaal Junction.

There are two roads at this point leading to Karaiyamullivaaikkaal and Vellamullivaaikkaal. The 53 and TF 8 broke through the “bund”/“trench” constructed across the A-35 and advanced close to the junction.

Further progress in this direction would have resulted in the army interdicting the littoral strip into two thus dividing the population here in two segments.

LTTE expected a third stage

The LTTE expected a third stage of this particular military push and Tiger cadres had constructed another bund and were awaiting the army. The commander of Imran-Pandiyan regiment “Col.” Velavan was in charge here with the bulk of remaining cadres.

On the night of April 19 the armed forces had conducted an artillery barrage in this area thereby making the Tigers think that another offensive was about to be launched.

But in a surprise move some soldiers of the 58 Division along with Commando and Special Forces had struck at 2 a.m. in the northern part of the Karaithuraipatru AGA division.

The 11th SL Light infantry, 9th Gemunu Watch, 9th Gajaba along with battalions from Special Forces One and two Commando regiments stormed and broke through the 2-3 km long bund cum trench constructed in the Puthumathalan-Ambalavanpokkanai area.

The bund was 8 ft. in height while the trench was 10 ft. in depth.

The 11th SLLI, 9GW, GR, SF 1 and 2CR are commanded by Lt. Colonels Kithsiri Ekanayake, Lal Chandrasiri, Chandana Wickremasinghe and Colonels Athula Kodippili and Ralph Nugera respectively.

Soldiers killed

After some Tiger resistance in which some  soldiers were killed and scores wounded the army succeeded in breaching the LTTE defences in the Pokkanai area.

A stratagem adopted by the soldiers was to take along groups of civilians with them to guide them through intricate routes.

The Special Forces  were in groups of  eight while the commandos were in groups of 12. Once this breakthrough was effected the soldiers moved into Tiger territory and began spreading out. They also moved right down to the coast, established a beachhead and bisected the Tiger controlled littoral in two.

Thereafter announcements were made asking the people to move out so that they could be rescued and evacuated. What began as a trickle soon turned into a flood.

Thousands of civilians long held in bondage by the LTTE began rushing to breathe the air of freedom. The LTTE got alarmed and tried to block the people.

According to security sources the Tigers fired upon the people trying to escape. Still the people kept on moving. When columns of civilians were walking on a causeway Tigers began firing intensely.

Suicide bombers

The people then got down into the water and started wading. At this juncture three woman suicide bombers ran towards them and exploded themselves. Many civilians were killed and injured.

There was terror-stricken  pandemonium; but soon the people rallied and began running towards the 58 Division soldiers. Some did so in neck deep water.

Meanwhile the 55 Division stationed at Challai also moved some distance to the south near Pattiaddy. Thousands of people from Palammaathalan began moving in large numbers through swampy land to reach the 55 Division soldiers.

In a separate development thousands of civilians used the disorientation within Tiger ranks due to the fighting and attempted to escape by sea.

When the Sea Tigers gave chase the Navy got into action and provided protection to the fleeing boats. The people were escorted safely by the navy to Point Pedro and Pulmoddai.

Visuals of the events provided by the Defence Ministry and state television lend credence to the government version of what happened.

The sight of Tiger sentries trying to prevent large numbers of people from moving and the sight of streaming civilians braving much hardship to reach safety conveyed the real picture to most viewers. It was indeed a harsh indictment of the LTTE.

Deception and force

Nevertheless the LTTE has its own version of what happened. TamilNet as well as several pro-Tiger Tamil media accuse the security forces of trapping and capturing thousands of people by deception and force.

According to Thavabalan, the Wanni correspondent of the pro-LTTE Australian Tamil Broadcasting Corporation (ATBC) some  people had earlier moved clandestinely to the army lines to reach safety.

The army had used them as “human shields cum guides” and moved furtively to Ambalavanpokkanai. According to Thavapalan the Tigers were unable to prevent the soldiers from moving in, due to the people being held as hostages.

The soldiers had been able to surround a cluster of tents and cottages and round up the people. They had also taken away the patients at Puthumathalan Hospital. Later on, fierce fighting broke out between the Tigers and the army. There were barrages and barrages of artillery shelling and firing.

Army withdraws

Finally the army withdrew and the LTTE has set up its defences again Thavabalan told the ATBC. He also said there were thousands of civilian casualties both dead and injured.

Most dwellings and a few buildings in places like Ambalavanpokkanai, Puthumathalan, Palammaathalan, Valainjarnadam, Idaikkaadu, Mullivaaikkaal etc., were damaged or burnt down. Even the Valainjarmadam Catholic Church was hit said Thavapalan.

Thavapalan’s account to the ATBC about the Tigers being deterred by the civilian hostages rings hollow against the backdrop of the LTTE inflicting much violence on civilians to prevent them from leaving.

It seems improbable that the LTTE facing a very difficult situation would have refrained from attacking the soldiers simply to safeguard civilians. It is more likely that the LTTE would have mowed down the civilians if they were seen as an impediment to attacking the army.

Moreover, thousands of civilians had begun fleeing towards the army in a mass exodus. The army was moving into the areas of Puthu and Palammaathalan and Ambalavanpokkanai vacated by the LTTE. Most civilians who escaped came from these places.

This state of affairs too undermines the ATBC version of events though the Tamil diaspora would opt to believe that account as being the true record of what occurred.

Refuted reports

Meanwhile LTTE political commissar Balasingham Nadesan in an interview to TamilNet denied that the LTTE was preventing civilians from moving out. He also refuted reports that three woman Tigers had blown themselves up to prevent civilians from leaving.

Nadesan charged that thousands of civilians were killed and injured. He said that many were burnt to death in their tarpaulin huts. Rescue workers could not even retrieve the charred bodies.

“Sri Lankan forces have deployed three types of internationally banned weapons such as cluster shells, napalm bombs and phosphorus bombs against civilians, causing heavy casualties among civilians” Nadesan charged.

Even as the Rajapakse regime was basking in the reflected glory of its self-styled “world’s greatest humanitarian rescue operation” an ominous foreboding of further doom was signalled by Defence Spokesperson Minister Keheliya Rambukwella.

The Minister said that a 24 hour deadline has been given to the LTTE to lay down arms and surrender. If the Tigers did not concur the security forces would intensify their operations to “rescue” the rest of entrapped civilians, warned Rambukwella.

The 24 hour deadline was to end at 12 noon on Tuesday, April 21.

Alarm bells

The new declaration of war coming in the aftermath of an operation resulting in much harm to civilians caused alarm bells to ring in sections of the international human rights community.

Desperate appeals were made to desist from such a move but the Colombo government riding the crest of a populist wave was not expected  to pay heed.

Since it is demonstrated beyond doubt that the LTTE is restraining civilians from leaving the government could  always claim to be mounting a humanitarian operation. The human costs can  be depicted as collateral damage, it was feared.

But the deadline passed and no major offensive was mounted. The large influx of civilians has given the government much confidence.

Having scented blood the armed forces are certainly going to launch a final operation with LTTE Leader Velupillai Pirapaharan as the key target. In such a situation a very large number of civilians are likely to be killed or injured.

Civilian security

Against this backdrop several  international organisations have asked Colombo to go slow and avoid bloodshed and carnage. They have called upon both sides to be mindful of civilian security and safety.

“The security of civilians trapped between Sri Lankan forces and the Tamil Tigers is paramount,” said Amnesty International’s Sri Lanka expert, Yolanda Foster. “The plight of these civilians demands that the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE take all necessary measures immediately to prevent unlawful killing of civilians and that they fully comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law.

“The LTTE and the Sri Lankan government must cease hostilities with immediate effect and agree to extend a humanitarian pause for a reasonable duration, in order to permit civilians to leave as well as the reopening of access routes for food, water and medical supplies.”

Obligation to comply

“Both parties have an obligation to comply with international humanitarian law in all circumstances. However, the government appears to have resorted to the use of heavy weapons such as artillery, which is intended for use on conventional battlefields and are not capable of pinpoint targeting. The use of artillery in densely populated areas is likely to lead to indiscriminate attacks.

“The Tamil Tigers must cease forced recruitment, the use of civilians as human shields and deliberate attacks on civilians who have tried to escape from areas under their control,” said Yolanda Foster. “They must immediately allow those civilians who wish to leave to do so,” she further said.

“The Sri Lankan authorities should allow international monitors to visit ‘reception centres,’ to help reassure both fleeing civilians and surrendered LTTE fighters that they will be treated according to international standards,” said Yolanda Foster.

“The situation is extremely bleak and calls for immediate action. Both parties must fully observe their obligations under international humanitarian law to limit civilian casualties and ensure that critical humanitarian assistance reaches families in desperate need,” said Yolanda Foster.

Steps  to be taken

The International Crisis Group urged  that the following specific steps be taken:

•          The Sri Lankan government should halt its offensive and accept a humanitarian pause monitored by the UN and the ICRC of at least two weeks to give a chance for relief supplies to get in and a humanitarian corridor to be established for civilians to get out.

• UN agencies and the ICRC should be allowed to conduct a needs assessment, and based on the actual number of those trapped in the so-called ‘No Fire Zone,’ bring in the relief supplies needed so long as civilians remain.

• UN agencies and the ICRC must be allowed full access to all areas and at all locations where either civilians or surrendered Tamil Tiger fighters might cross over into government controlled areas. Both civilians and fighters who agree to lay down their arms need stronger international guarantees of their safety. Only international supervision, unhindered by the government, can provide the necessary level of protection.

• The Tamil Tigers should immediately allow civilians to leave the area and cease forced recruitment.

• All means of influencing the Tamil Tigers must be explored, particularly stepped up restrictions on foreign financing and support for the group. The Tamil diaspora has an important role in persuading the LTTE to agree to an internationally supervised pause and allow the trapped civilians to leave the target area.

• But continuing intransigence by the Tigers should not be an excuse for delaying a humanitarian pause, or the government forces acting in a way that results in the death and maiming of their own citizens.

• It should be made very clear by relevant governments and international organisations to leaders of both the Tamil Tigers and the Sri Lankan government that they are liable to be held personally accountable for breaches of international humanitarian law.

• Sri Lanka’s development partners should make clear that continued non-emergency funding will not be available if the war ends in a bloodbath.