SCOPP says SLMM head shot his mouth off on aid workers

“The Head of SLMM has based his ruling on 'speculation' and 'innuendo' in an unfortunate attempt to bring disrepute to the Sri Lankan Security Forces, said members of the legal fraternity commenting in the media on the recent ruling by SLMM on the killing of 17 Aid Workers attached to Action Against Hunger (ACF) in Muttur ’’ a Sri Lanka Peace Secretariat release states.

The further text of the statement is as follows: Given the international engagements of the President at the time, the selective timing of the SLMM ruling and its motives are extremely questionable.

In their comments the Lawyers have established clearly the facts relating to the incident, which in their view have been grossly distorted by Major General (Retd) Henricsson. The Lawyers have highlighted the following factual circumstances that have been ignored in the SLMM ruling.

a) The Judicial Medical Officer who performed the post-mortem examinations on the deceased has indicated the probable time of death to be between the night of 3 August and 4 August 2006. According to the ACF office in Trincomalee which had maintained radio contact with the ACF Muttur Office every 30 minutes from 1 August, the last contact was at 06:10 hrs on the morning of Friday 4 August. ACF had stated that after 06:10 hrs on the morning of Friday 4 August all attempts to contact the Muttur Office by radio, mobile phone and satellite phone failed. Thereby the estimated time of the incident can be placed between 06:10 a.m. and 06:40 a.m. on Friday 4 August.

b) According to TamilNet, the LTTE had infiltrated areas of Muttur Town from around 02:35 GMT (i.e. about 9.00 p.m.) on 1 August until midnight on Friday 4 August (see TamilNet news item of 02:35 GMT on 2.8.06; 19:18 hrs on 2.8.06 and 11:04 GMT on 5.8.06). Indeed TamilNet (August 5, 2006 11:04 GMT) states "the Military Spokesman of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Irasaiah Ilanthiayan, told TamilNet that the LTTE troops by midnight Friday, returned to their original positions as per February 22, 2002 Ceasefire Agreement”. The Security Forces were able to completely secure Muttur Town only in the course of 5 August 2006. This shows that the LTTE had infiltrated Muttur Town and had access to the ACF office between 06:10 hrs and 06:40 hrs on the morning of Friday 4 August when most likely the incident took place.

c) TamilNet in its bulletin datelined 14:28 GMT on Saturday 5 August states that the Sri Lanka Army had killed 15 Tamil Aid Workers. However, the bulletin datelined 07:26 GMT on 8 August 2006 states that the bodies of these unfortunate people were found by the Consortium of Humanitarian Agencies (CHA) on Sunday, namely 6 August 2006. How could the LTTE have been aware of these murders more than one day before the discovery of the bodies.

d) Regarding the contention that the SLMM was denied access to Muttur by the Armed Forces on both 5 and 6 August 2006 while journalists were taken to Muttur.

It is a manifest and undeniable fact that journalists reporting armed conflicts willingly take risks of their own accord as a part of their professional duties to report such conflicts. The fact that journalists were permitted to travel to Muttur clearly establishes that the Security Forces were positively disposed to such a situation. The Government however, by the Ceasefire Agreement, undertook responsibility for the safety and security of members of the SLMM. In accordance with that duty the Government could not possibly have taken members of the SLMM to this scene of fierce fighting on the day its forces completely secured Muttur or on the following day.

Moreover Muttur was at that time, approachable only by sea. The Navy was then stretched to the maximum and its vessels sailing to Muttur were always at risk of being attacked from Sampur. The advisory by the Security Forces regarding travel to Muttur was to ensure the safety of the SLMM members.

It is extremely irresponsible that a pre-emptive ruling of this nature was issued while a judicial inquiry with international assistance was in progress. This action has significantly undermined the proper judicial process.

The Lawyers point out that when considering the above facts the ruling given by Maj. Gen. (Retd) Ulf Henricsson is baseless and lacks any real evidence to apportion responsibility to the Security Forces for these killings.

LTTE attackers routed in Point Pedro battle

The Sri Lankan navy successfully repulsed a twilight to dawn attack on its craft by the LTTE yesterday, using suicide boats off the seas of Point Pedro, in a bid to infiltrate Jaffna via the sea route.

Thirty LTTE boats were involved in the attack, but at the end of the pitched sea battle, eight including five carrying suicide cadres exploded.

Five LTTE vessels were sunk and the rest were seen retreating, some in heavily damaged condition.

The defending Navy had two of its boats slightly damaged. Three naval personnel were injured.

The motive for the attack was to open a sea route -- and it was launched in three separate pincher movements.

This was the second time that the Navy repulsed aggressive attacks on its craft since the LTTE decided to dishonour the ceasefire. In earlier attacks aimed at vessels carrying over 800 naval personnel, the LTTE retreated similarly with very heavy casualties.

Wounded girl confirms Sencholai was LTTE training camp

Three escapees have now confessed to the security forces that Sencholai was a LTTE military training camp, in a dramatic turn of events over the controversy on the so called LTTE orphanage at Sencholai.

Sripathi Kasthuri (18) and two of her friends now in security forces custody after they were wounded following the air strikes on this camp on August 14 had told the police that they were trained in the use of AK 47 rifles and military tactics in that camp.

Contrary to these views, the SLMM and UNICEF earlier claimed that the Air Force bombed a school in Sencholai where 61 students were reportedly killed and another 152 wounded. Confirming it was the location, they were trained, the 18 year old girl accompanied by her mother Ms Sripathi Kumudu told the media that the LTTE forcibly took them to this camp on August 10.

“In the first week of the August, Mayuran of the LTTE and Ivan of the Mullaitivu Education office came to our school and instructed us to participated in a training program at their Sencholai camp,” Kasturi said.

“They also threatened us saying that if we did not turn up it would be the end of our school career,” she added.

Three girls, Kasturi, Thambimuttu Dayalini (20), Balasingham Sunethra (19) who were wounded in the air strikes were brought to the Vavuniya Hospital by the ICRC. They were later transferred to the Kandy Hospital. They had been given military training in the Sencholai camp by the LTTE female cadre named Venthila akka.

“She also taught us first aid and on how to evade security forces during an encounter,” she added.

Kasturi said two LTTE members working in the Mullaitivu Educational Divisional Office named Arul Master and Mayuran, Venthila Akka and Kalai Aral Akka were the course supervisors. She said they were in their fourth day of training when the Air Force fighter jets bombed the camp in the morning of August 14.

Following air strikes, Kasturi was rushed to the Kilinochchi Hospital, from where she was transferred to the Vavuniya Hospital.