COLOMBO (Reuters) - The Tamil Tigers declared on Monday they now saw no other option than to push for an independent state in what analysts said was notice to Sri Lanka's government that renewed civil war will deepen.
Shadowy Tiger leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, who had earlier been pushing for a separate homeland for minority Tamils -- short of outright independence -- said Tamils had been cheated by successive majority Sinhalese governments and would be fooled no more. "The uncompromising stance of Sinhala chauvinism has left us with no other option but an independent state for the people of Tamil Eelam," Prabhakaran said in his annual address, emailed by the rebels to Reuters.
"It is now crystal clear that the Sinhala leaders will never put forward a just resolution to the Tamil national question. Therefore, we are not prepared to place our trust in the impossible and walk along the same old futile path," he added.
The Tigers spent much of their two-decade insurgency battling for independence, but scaled down their demand to a separate homeland within Sri Lanka after a 2002 ceasefire, now lying in ruins but which both sides argue still holds on paper.
"We, therefore, ask the international community and the countries of the world that respect justice to recognize our freedom struggle," Prabhakaran added.
President Mahinda Rajapakse has ruled out a separate homeland, but says he is willing to consider widespread devolution of power within a united Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka's two-decade civil has killed more than 67,000 civilians, troops and rebel fighters since 1983, around 3,000 of those so far this year alone.
Iqbal Athas, an analyst with Janes' Defense Weekly, said Prabhakaran's words meant the island should brace for more war.
"He is putting the government on notice of war," Athas said. "By saying that they want an independent state, it is clearly getting away from the peace process."
From financial markets to shopkeepers, diplomats to weary refugees displaced by air raids and battles, all eyes were on the shadowy leader's speech.
Last year, Prabhakaran -- who is revered within the rebel group as "National Leader" -- gave the government a year to find a political solution to the war or face renewed struggle.
In Colombo, troops tightened security and checked cars and shops on Monday amid fears of renewed attacks on the capital during Prabhakaran's Heroes' Day speech to commemorate more than 18,700 slain rebel fighters.
Witnesses in Tiger territory said roads had been decked out with red Tiger flags emblazoned with roaring golden tigers and crossed rifles and pictures of Prabhakaran in characteristic Tiger-striped fatigues and cap, sidearm at the ready.
A new round of peace talks broke down a month ago, and many fear that a war that has killed more than 67,000 people since 1983 will escalate and punish the $23 billion economy. In the northern army-held Jaffna peninsula where 500,000 residents, almost all of them Tamils, are cut off from the rest of the island by rebel lines and survive on rations brought in by sea, many residents fear they will be displaced yet again.
"We have gone back to the pre-2002 (ceasefire) era," said 42-year-old Pragash Shunmuganathan, who had to close his video and television repair shop in Jaffna for lack of customers as economic hardships in the besieged peninsula bite.
"Today we are starving. There is no food, no employment," he added. "War seems to be the only remedy."
(Additional reporting by Ranga Sirilal)
Monday, November 27, 2006
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Thousands of people protest Sri Lankan president's visit to India
Associated Press, Sun November 26, 2006 08:18 EST . They also accused Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse of depriving Tamils of food and other necessities in the rebel-controlled territories in Sri Lanka - 's north and east, the Press Trust of India news agency said. On Sunday, Rajapakse repeated his demand asking India to conduct joint patrols with Sri Lanka - of the narrow Palk Straits which divides the two countries to prevent cross-border terrorism.
``We want joint patrolling with India in the sea because not only arms are being smuggled into our country but drugs are also coming,'' PTI quoted Rajapakse as saying after laying the foundation stone of an Indo-Sri Lankan Human Rights Center in Dehradun, nearly 250 kilometers (150 miles) northeast of New Delhi.
``If Tigers get stronger, that will be a threat not only to Sri Lanka - but also to the world,'' Rajapakse said.
An escalation in fighting between Sri Lankan forces and the Liberation of Tamil Tigers Eelam since August has left more than 3,000 people dead in some of the bloodiest clashes since the two sides signed a 2002 cease-fire.
The political groups which participated in Sunday's protest meetings in Madras, the capital of Tamil Nadu state, and various district headquarters included the Pattali Makkal Katchi, the Dalit Panthers of India, the Tamil Nationalist Movement and the Tamil Nadu Nationalist Congress party, PTI said.
India's Tamil Nadu state is home to nearly 56 million Tamils, many with close family ties to ethnic Tamils in Sri Lanka - .
India has been reluctant to become too involved in Sri Lanka - after a disastrous military intervention in the 1980s resulted in former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's assassination by a Tamil Tiger suicide bomber.
The Tigers have been battling the government for over 20 years for a separate state for the island nation's 3.2 million ethnic Tamils who suffered decades of discrimination by the majority Sinhalese.
``We want joint patrolling with India in the sea because not only arms are being smuggled into our country but drugs are also coming,'' PTI quoted Rajapakse as saying after laying the foundation stone of an Indo-Sri Lankan Human Rights Center in Dehradun, nearly 250 kilometers (150 miles) northeast of New Delhi.
``If Tigers get stronger, that will be a threat not only to Sri Lanka - but also to the world,'' Rajapakse said.
An escalation in fighting between Sri Lankan forces and the Liberation of Tamil Tigers Eelam since August has left more than 3,000 people dead in some of the bloodiest clashes since the two sides signed a 2002 cease-fire.
The political groups which participated in Sunday's protest meetings in Madras, the capital of Tamil Nadu state, and various district headquarters included the Pattali Makkal Katchi, the Dalit Panthers of India, the Tamil Nationalist Movement and the Tamil Nadu Nationalist Congress party, PTI said.
India's Tamil Nadu state is home to nearly 56 million Tamils, many with close family ties to ethnic Tamils in Sri Lanka - .
India has been reluctant to become too involved in Sri Lanka - after a disastrous military intervention in the 1980s resulted in former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's assassination by a Tamil Tiger suicide bomber.
The Tigers have been battling the government for over 20 years for a separate state for the island nation's 3.2 million ethnic Tamils who suffered decades of discrimination by the majority Sinhalese.
Sri Lankan military says it killed 21 rebels in separate attacks
Associated Press, Sun November 26, 2006 04:52 COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - (AP) Sri Lankan troops killed 21 Tamil rebels in separate clashes in the east, the military said Sunday, as government forces and the guerrillas exchanged mortar and artillery fire. The government controls the main towns of the Jaffna peninsula, considered the heartland of Sri Lanka - 's minority ethnic Tamils, while the Tigers operate from the area's villages and jungles.
Fighting along the same line since August has left hundreds of combatants dead in some of the bloodiest clashes since the government and rebels signed a 2002 cease-fire that temporarily halted two decades of civil war.
On Saturday, the military said its warplanes attacked a camp housing Tamil Tiger rebel suicide bombers in the country's north. The rebels dismissed the claim.
The camp was located at Iranamadu, near the rebel stronghold of Kilinochchi, Rajapakse said. The camp suffered ``heavy damage.''
Rebels denied that any camp was attacked, but said that two air force planes bombed a jungle area in Iranamadu, and that no casualties were reported.
Rebel spokesman Daya Master said the government's airstrikes were meant to spread fear among the Tamil people and disrupt ``Martyrs' Day'' celebrations on Monday.
Many fear that near-daily attacks and killings will drive Sri Lanka - back to full-scale war, although the government and Tigers say they are committed to the 2002 truce.
The truce had reduced the violence for some time, but since last December more than 3,200 fighters and civilians have been killed in escalating airstrikes, mine attacks, assassinations and heavy arms fire.
The rebels began fighting in 1983 for a separate homeland for minority ethnic Tamils in Sri Lanka - 's north and east, citing discrimination by the Sinhalese majority.
Sri Lankan troops, rebels exchange artillery, mortar fire
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) _ Sri Lankan troops and Tamil Tiger separatists exchanged mortar and artillery fire Sunday, the military said, a day after air force planes bombed rebel territory.
The Tigers fired artillery and mortars at troops along the line separating government and rebel forces in the Jaffna peninsula at dawn Sunday, a Defense Ministry official said on condition of anonymity, saying he was not authorized to speak to the media. He said army troops had repulsed the insurgents' attack. No casualties were reported.
The government controls the main towns of the Jaffna peninsula, considered the heartland of Sri Lanka's minority ethnic Tamils, while the Tigers operate from the area's villages and jungles.
Fighting along the same line since August has left hundreds of combatants dead in some of the bloodiest clashes since the government and rebels signed a 2002 cease-fire that temporarily halted two decades of civil war.
On Saturday, the military said its warplanes attacked a camp housing Tamil Tiger rebel suicide bombers in the country's north. The rebels dismissed the claim.
The camp was located at Iranamadu, near the rebel stronghold of Kilinochchi, said military spokesman Maj. Upali Rajapakse. The camp suffered ``heavy damage,'' but exact details were not available, Rajapakse said.
Rebels denied that any camp was attacked, but said that two air force planes bombed a jungle area in Iranamadu, and that no casualties were reported.
Rebel spokesman Daya Master said the government's airstrikes were meant to spread fear among the Tamil people as the guerrillas prepare to celebrate ``Martyrs' Day'' on Monday, when reclusive leader Velupillai Prabhakaran delivers his annual speech.
Many fear that near-daily attacks and killings will drive Sri Lanka back to full-scale war, although the government and Tigers say they are committed to the 2002 truce.
The truce had reduced the violence for some time, but since last December more than 3,200 fighters and civilians have been killed in escalating airstrikes, mine attacks, assassinations and heavy arms fire.
The rebels began fighting in 1983 for a separate homeland for minority ethnic Tamils in Sri Lanka's north and east, citing discrimination by the Sinhalese majority
Top Tamil guerilla leader honors fallen rebels, opponents stone his image
Associated Press, Sun November 26, 2006 08:56 EST . COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) _ The Tamil Tigers' reclusive leader led commemorative events for fallen guerrillas in Sri Lanka's rebel-held north, as his opponents on Sunday threw stones and tomatoes at his portrait in the Sinhalese-majority south.
The pro-rebel TamilNet Web site reported that Velupillai Prabhakaran took part in the memorial events at an undisclosed location in rebel territory on Saturday, as bereaved relatives and supporters garlanded portraits and offered flowers along roadsides. The Web site said 18,742 rebel fighters have died in their separatist campaign against the Sri Lankan government. This includes 818 deaths during the past year in an undeclared civil war.
Every year, rebels celebrate ``Martyrs' Day'' on Nov. 27 remembering the death of ``Lt. Shankar,'' the first Tamil guerrilla to be killed by government troops. Prabhakaran makes a highly anticipated annual policy speech on this day.
In capital Colombo, a group of Sinhalese calling itself the ``campaign to stone the devil'' hurled stones and tomatoes at a life-size portrait of Prabhakaran, who celebrated his 52nd birthday on Sunday.
``He is a terrorist leader who killed thousands of innocent and unarmed people,'' said Nishantha Warnasinghe, one of the organizers.
``This day should be condemned by all, we don't have arms and we are expressing our protest in a peaceful manner against this murderous group,'' he added.
Prabhakaran formed his guerrilla outfit in 1972 and named it the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in 1976, to fight for a separate homeland for the country's Tamil minority citing decades of discrimination by the majority Sinhalese.
The campaign flared up into a full-scale civil war in 1983 and killed 65,000 people until the rebels and government signed a 2002 cease-fire.
Prabhakaran built up his outfit as a conventional army over the years with modern weaponry and perfected suicide bombing before any other group employed the tactic.
Escalating violence has killed some 3,200 people in the past year.
Many fear that near-daily attacks and killings will drive Sri Lanka back to full-scale war, although the government and Tigers say they are committed to the cease-fire.
Fighting along the same line since August has left hundreds of combatants dead in some of the bloodiest clashes since the government and rebels signed a 2002 cease-fire that temporarily halted two decades of civil war.
On Saturday, the military said its warplanes attacked a camp housing Tamil Tiger rebel suicide bombers in the country's north. The rebels dismissed the claim.
The camp was located at Iranamadu, near the rebel stronghold of Kilinochchi, Rajapakse said. The camp suffered ``heavy damage.''
Rebels denied that any camp was attacked, but said that two air force planes bombed a jungle area in Iranamadu, and that no casualties were reported.
Rebel spokesman Daya Master said the government's airstrikes were meant to spread fear among the Tamil people and disrupt ``Martyrs' Day'' celebrations on Monday.
Many fear that near-daily attacks and killings will drive Sri Lanka - back to full-scale war, although the government and Tigers say they are committed to the 2002 truce.
The truce had reduced the violence for some time, but since last December more than 3,200 fighters and civilians have been killed in escalating airstrikes, mine attacks, assassinations and heavy arms fire.
The rebels began fighting in 1983 for a separate homeland for minority ethnic Tamils in Sri Lanka - 's north and east, citing discrimination by the Sinhalese majority.
Sri Lankan troops, rebels exchange artillery, mortar fire
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) _ Sri Lankan troops and Tamil Tiger separatists exchanged mortar and artillery fire Sunday, the military said, a day after air force planes bombed rebel territory.
The Tigers fired artillery and mortars at troops along the line separating government and rebel forces in the Jaffna peninsula at dawn Sunday, a Defense Ministry official said on condition of anonymity, saying he was not authorized to speak to the media. He said army troops had repulsed the insurgents' attack. No casualties were reported.
The government controls the main towns of the Jaffna peninsula, considered the heartland of Sri Lanka's minority ethnic Tamils, while the Tigers operate from the area's villages and jungles.
Fighting along the same line since August has left hundreds of combatants dead in some of the bloodiest clashes since the government and rebels signed a 2002 cease-fire that temporarily halted two decades of civil war.
On Saturday, the military said its warplanes attacked a camp housing Tamil Tiger rebel suicide bombers in the country's north. The rebels dismissed the claim.
The camp was located at Iranamadu, near the rebel stronghold of Kilinochchi, said military spokesman Maj. Upali Rajapakse. The camp suffered ``heavy damage,'' but exact details were not available, Rajapakse said.
Rebels denied that any camp was attacked, but said that two air force planes bombed a jungle area in Iranamadu, and that no casualties were reported.
Rebel spokesman Daya Master said the government's airstrikes were meant to spread fear among the Tamil people as the guerrillas prepare to celebrate ``Martyrs' Day'' on Monday, when reclusive leader Velupillai Prabhakaran delivers his annual speech.
Many fear that near-daily attacks and killings will drive Sri Lanka back to full-scale war, although the government and Tigers say they are committed to the 2002 truce.
The truce had reduced the violence for some time, but since last December more than 3,200 fighters and civilians have been killed in escalating airstrikes, mine attacks, assassinations and heavy arms fire.
The rebels began fighting in 1983 for a separate homeland for minority ethnic Tamils in Sri Lanka's north and east, citing discrimination by the Sinhalese majority
Top Tamil guerilla leader honors fallen rebels, opponents stone his image
Associated Press, Sun November 26, 2006 08:56 EST . COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) _ The Tamil Tigers' reclusive leader led commemorative events for fallen guerrillas in Sri Lanka's rebel-held north, as his opponents on Sunday threw stones and tomatoes at his portrait in the Sinhalese-majority south.
The pro-rebel TamilNet Web site reported that Velupillai Prabhakaran took part in the memorial events at an undisclosed location in rebel territory on Saturday, as bereaved relatives and supporters garlanded portraits and offered flowers along roadsides. The Web site said 18,742 rebel fighters have died in their separatist campaign against the Sri Lankan government. This includes 818 deaths during the past year in an undeclared civil war.
Every year, rebels celebrate ``Martyrs' Day'' on Nov. 27 remembering the death of ``Lt. Shankar,'' the first Tamil guerrilla to be killed by government troops. Prabhakaran makes a highly anticipated annual policy speech on this day.
In capital Colombo, a group of Sinhalese calling itself the ``campaign to stone the devil'' hurled stones and tomatoes at a life-size portrait of Prabhakaran, who celebrated his 52nd birthday on Sunday.
``He is a terrorist leader who killed thousands of innocent and unarmed people,'' said Nishantha Warnasinghe, one of the organizers.
``This day should be condemned by all, we don't have arms and we are expressing our protest in a peaceful manner against this murderous group,'' he added.
Prabhakaran formed his guerrilla outfit in 1972 and named it the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in 1976, to fight for a separate homeland for the country's Tamil minority citing decades of discrimination by the majority Sinhalese.
The campaign flared up into a full-scale civil war in 1983 and killed 65,000 people until the rebels and government signed a 2002 cease-fire.
Prabhakaran built up his outfit as a conventional army over the years with modern weaponry and perfected suicide bombing before any other group employed the tactic.
Escalating violence has killed some 3,200 people in the past year.
Many fear that near-daily attacks and killings will drive Sri Lanka back to full-scale war, although the government and Tigers say they are committed to the cease-fire.
Friday, November 24, 2006
Sri Lanka violence leaves 30 dead: Army
Colombo, Nov 24: Renewed fighting in Sri Lanka's embattled northern and eastern regions has left at least 30 people dead, according to defence ministry figures.
Security forces killed 19 Tamil Tiger rebels in two clashes on Thursday in the eastern district of Batticaloa where four policemen also died, the ministry said.
It said the guerrillas had also shot dead two civilians in the east on the same day and five Tiger guerrillas were shot dead in a confrontation in the northern Vavuniya district.
The rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said they lost only one combatant in the island's east on Thursday and accused the military of killing a student and wounding five others.
No independent verification of casualty claims was possible amid ongoing clashes between the two sides.
The LTTE and the Sri Lankan government have escalated fighting in the past year in tit-for-tat battles that have claimed over 3,400 lives despite a 2002 ceasefire agreement.
The bitter ethnic conflict has claimed at least 60,000 lives since it began in 1972.
Security forces killed 19 Tamil Tiger rebels in two clashes on Thursday in the eastern district of Batticaloa where four policemen also died, the ministry said.
It said the guerrillas had also shot dead two civilians in the east on the same day and five Tiger guerrillas were shot dead in a confrontation in the northern Vavuniya district.
The rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said they lost only one combatant in the island's east on Thursday and accused the military of killing a student and wounding five others.
No independent verification of casualty claims was possible amid ongoing clashes between the two sides.
The LTTE and the Sri Lankan government have escalated fighting in the past year in tit-for-tat battles that have claimed over 3,400 lives despite a 2002 ceasefire agreement.
The bitter ethnic conflict has claimed at least 60,000 lives since it began in 1972.
Mosquito-borne fever hits Sri Lanka ; fear closes a school
Associated Press, Fri November 24, 2006 08:40 COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) _ Sri Lanka's health officials on Friday confirmed an outbreak of chikungunya, a mosquito-borne fever.
Blood samples sent to Thai and Indian research institutes and three local laboratories tested positive for chikungunya, the Health Ministry's epidemiologist Nihal Abeysinghe said, adding that at least 50 people have been found to be carrying the illness.
Chikungunya _ like dengue _ is spread by female aedes mosquitoes, and symptoms include high fever, severe joint pains, headache and vomiting. There is no known cure for either disease.
Eighty-one people were reported dead after contracting chikungunya in South India in the past month, but health experts say the disease only weakens the immune system, allowing people to succumb to other ailments.
While the government has asked people not to panic, the independent Daily Mirror newspaper reported on Friday that a school in northwestern Kalpitiya was closed after many students and teachers were found with high fever.
Sri Lanka's Health Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva, meanwhile, asked public to prevent the spread of both the diseases by cleaning up areas where mosquitoes breed.
Mosquito-borne diseases usually spread with annual monsoons as the rains leave puddles of stagnant water for the insects to breed in.
``With the ongoing rains, such diseases could reach an epidemic proportion by next month unless drastic measures are taken to clean the environment,'' said Pradeep Kariyawasam, who heads the capital Colombo's health department
Blood samples sent to Thai and Indian research institutes and three local laboratories tested positive for chikungunya, the Health Ministry's epidemiologist Nihal Abeysinghe said, adding that at least 50 people have been found to be carrying the illness.
Chikungunya _ like dengue _ is spread by female aedes mosquitoes, and symptoms include high fever, severe joint pains, headache and vomiting. There is no known cure for either disease.
Eighty-one people were reported dead after contracting chikungunya in South India in the past month, but health experts say the disease only weakens the immune system, allowing people to succumb to other ailments.
While the government has asked people not to panic, the independent Daily Mirror newspaper reported on Friday that a school in northwestern Kalpitiya was closed after many students and teachers were found with high fever.
Sri Lanka's Health Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva, meanwhile, asked public to prevent the spread of both the diseases by cleaning up areas where mosquitoes breed.
Mosquito-borne diseases usually spread with annual monsoons as the rains leave puddles of stagnant water for the insects to breed in.
``With the ongoing rains, such diseases could reach an epidemic proportion by next month unless drastic measures are taken to clean the environment,'' said Pradeep Kariyawasam, who heads the capital Colombo's health department
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Air force jets bomb Tamil rebels in eastern Sri Lanka , other violence kills 3
Associated Press, Thu November 23, 2006 01:35 EST . COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - (AP) Air force jets bombed Tamil Tiger positions in eastern Sri Lanka - Thursday to help repel an attack on army troops, while the rebels killed three government security guards in a raid in the north, the military said.
An official at the Media Center for National Security said the Tamil Tigers had moved closer to government-held areas in eastern Batticaloa district late Wednesday and started attacking government troops positions early Thursday with artillery.
Military troops retaliated with artillery and later called in air support, said the official, who cannot be named due to army regulations.
The rebels, however, accused the military of launching the offensive to try and take back insurgent-held territory.
``The military has started a big operation to capture territory, they have moved closer to our forward defense lines,'' the rebels' military spokesman Rasiah Ilanthirayan said from the rebels' de facto capital of Kilinochchi.
No other details were immediately available.
Batticaloa has been home to a breakaway faction of the mainstream rebels since a powerful eastern commander split in 2004 with 6,000 fighters. The uprising was suppressed by the northern-based rebels, though the renegades enjoy influence in the area a hotbed of recent violence.
Separately, rebels raided a north central security camp at Kabithigollewa at 2:30 a.m. Thursday, killing three government ``home guards'' pro-government civilian residents who have weapons training and help security forces, an official at the national security media center said. Five soldiers were wounded in separate attacks further north in Jaffna peninsula.
The presence of home guards all of whom are ethnic Sinhalese was stepped up in the area, about 285 kilometers (185 miles) north of the capital, Colombo, after a bus bombing in June blamed on the Tigers that killed 64 people, mostly Sinhalese civilians.
The Tigers have been fighting for over two decades for a separate homeland for the country's minority ethnic Tamils, citing discrimination by the Sinhalese majority. A 2002 cease-fire stopped the civil war.
But since last December, airstrikes, mine attacks, assassinations and regular exchanges of heavy arms fire have killed more than 3,200 fighters and civilians. Both sides insist they have not withdrawn from the truce.
With peace talks stalled, the government and the rebels refuse to budge from their positions. The rebels want a separate homeland, while the government says regional autonomy is the maximum it will give.
Associated Press Writer, Krishan Francis, contributed to the report
An official at the Media Center for National Security said the Tamil Tigers had moved closer to government-held areas in eastern Batticaloa district late Wednesday and started attacking government troops positions early Thursday with artillery.
Military troops retaliated with artillery and later called in air support, said the official, who cannot be named due to army regulations.
The rebels, however, accused the military of launching the offensive to try and take back insurgent-held territory.
``The military has started a big operation to capture territory, they have moved closer to our forward defense lines,'' the rebels' military spokesman Rasiah Ilanthirayan said from the rebels' de facto capital of Kilinochchi.
No other details were immediately available.
Batticaloa has been home to a breakaway faction of the mainstream rebels since a powerful eastern commander split in 2004 with 6,000 fighters. The uprising was suppressed by the northern-based rebels, though the renegades enjoy influence in the area a hotbed of recent violence.
Separately, rebels raided a north central security camp at Kabithigollewa at 2:30 a.m. Thursday, killing three government ``home guards'' pro-government civilian residents who have weapons training and help security forces, an official at the national security media center said. Five soldiers were wounded in separate attacks further north in Jaffna peninsula.
The presence of home guards all of whom are ethnic Sinhalese was stepped up in the area, about 285 kilometers (185 miles) north of the capital, Colombo, after a bus bombing in June blamed on the Tigers that killed 64 people, mostly Sinhalese civilians.
The Tigers have been fighting for over two decades for a separate homeland for the country's minority ethnic Tamils, citing discrimination by the Sinhalese majority. A 2002 cease-fire stopped the civil war.
But since last December, airstrikes, mine attacks, assassinations and regular exchanges of heavy arms fire have killed more than 3,200 fighters and civilians. Both sides insist they have not withdrawn from the truce.
With peace talks stalled, the government and the rebels refuse to budge from their positions. The rebels want a separate homeland, while the government says regional autonomy is the maximum it will give.
Associated Press Writer, Krishan Francis, contributed to the report
Tamil Tiger rebels, military battle for territory in eastern Sri Lanka
Associated Press, Thu November 23, 2006 08:31 EST . COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - (AP) The Sri Lankan military, backed by tanks and war planes, battled Tamil Tiger rebels for over three hours on Thursday for control of territory in the east, a military spokesman said. The rebels said they killed seven government commandoes. Air force planes bombed an identified Sea Tiger base in Mullaithivu district of northern Sri Lanka - on Thursday, an official at the national security media center said. There were no reports on the casualties.
Separately, rebels raided a security camp in northern Kabithigollewa before dawn Thursday, killing three government ``home guards'' pro-government civilian residents who have weapons training and help security forces the media center said.
Also Thursday, three policemen and a security guard, providing security for ethnic Sinhalese farmers working in their fields, were killed by suspected Tamil Tigers in eastern Ampara, the official said.
The Tigers have been fighting for over two decades for a separate homeland for the country's ethnic Tamil minority, citing discrimination by the Sinhalese majority. A 2002 cease-fire temporarily took the steam out of the bloody civil war, but since last December, airstrikes, mine attacks, assassinations and heavy arms fire have killed more than 3,200 fighters and civilians.
Both sides insist they have not withdrawn from the truce, but peace talks to try to salvage the accord held in Switzerland in October failed to bring about any progress.
With peace talks stalled, the government and the rebels refuse to budge from their positions. The rebels want a separate homeland, while the government says regional autonomy is the maximum it will give.
Associated Press writers Krishan Francis and Bharatha Mallawarachi, contributed to the report.
Separately, rebels raided a security camp in northern Kabithigollewa before dawn Thursday, killing three government ``home guards'' pro-government civilian residents who have weapons training and help security forces the media center said.
Also Thursday, three policemen and a security guard, providing security for ethnic Sinhalese farmers working in their fields, were killed by suspected Tamil Tigers in eastern Ampara, the official said.
The Tigers have been fighting for over two decades for a separate homeland for the country's ethnic Tamil minority, citing discrimination by the Sinhalese majority. A 2002 cease-fire temporarily took the steam out of the bloody civil war, but since last December, airstrikes, mine attacks, assassinations and heavy arms fire have killed more than 3,200 fighters and civilians.
Both sides insist they have not withdrawn from the truce, but peace talks to try to salvage the accord held in Switzerland in October failed to bring about any progress.
With peace talks stalled, the government and the rebels refuse to budge from their positions. The rebels want a separate homeland, while the government says regional autonomy is the maximum it will give.
Associated Press writers Krishan Francis and Bharatha Mallawarachi, contributed to the report.
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Sri Lanka gov't asks UN envoy for evidence on accusations
The Sri Lankan government said Wednesday it had asked the UN special advisor Allan Rock to provide credible evidence to support his accusations against the government security forces.
Keheliya Rambukwella, minister of Policy Planning and the government defense spokesman, told reporters that "the government has asked him to provide evidence so that we can deal with it."
Rock, the special advisor to the United Nations Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, had charged that the military of working hand in glove with the child recruitment carried out by the renegade faction of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels led by Karuna alias Vinayagamurthi Muralitharan.
Rock in his statement issued on Nov. 13 here at the end of his 10-day mission said he had evidence that security forces travel to villages and photograph Tamil children who are later forcibly recruited by the Karuna faction.
Rock said Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse had promised him a full investigation into the allegations.
The government also accuses Rock of being a sympathizer of Tamil Tiger rebels. "He has attended a LTTE fund raising event in Canada," Rambukwella said.
The local press had taken Rock to the task for leveling accusations against government forces as the condemnation on child recruitment is usually associated with the LTTE rebels.
The military was quick to deny Rock's accusations and the president's office said the press had misreported Rock's comments.
S.Lanka says donors misled by U.N. envoy, monitors
COLOMBO, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Nordic truce monitors and a U.N. envoy have misled Sri Lanka's main financial donors about ceasefire violations by the military, the government said on Wednesday.
Hours earlier, the United States, Japan, the European Union and Norway condemned the government and Tamil Tiger rebels for "systematic ceasefire violations".
President Mahinda Rajapakse's government has repeatedly rejected allegations by international truce monitors of troop involvement in extrajudicial killings during a surge in violence this year.
United Nations envoy Allan Rock has also accused elements of the military of helping to abduct children to turn them into soldiers for a renegade rebel faction.
"The co-chairs would have been influenced by Allan Rock and the SLMM (Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission) and that is misleading," government defence spokesman and cabinet minister Keheliya Rambukwella told Reuters hours after the donors issued their damning statement.
Rambukwella said neither Rock nor the SLMM -- who have both been vilified by government officials and state-run media -- had provided the government with proof of troop involvement in abuses, despite requests.
While the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have violated a battered truce thousands of times since it was hammered out in 2002, monitors cite an alarming rise in violations by the military this year.
"Obviously on the basis of national security, we have to react on certain issues. That can be ... systematic erosion or violation of the ceasefire," Rambukwella added. "But this becomes inevitable unless the LTTE change their stance of terror."
More than 3,000 civilians, troops and rebel fighters have been killed in military clashes, naval battles, ambushes, aerial bombings this year.
Many ordinary Sri Lankans fear a conflict that has killed more than 67,000 people since 1983 could escalate and spread across the island.
So far, most of the violence is confined to the northeast, where the Tigers run a de facto state they want recognised as a separate homeland for minority ethnic Tamils.
"The co-chairs view with alarm the rising level of violence in Sri Lanka that has led to significant loss of life and widespread human rights violations," the donors said in a statement issued out of Washington overnight.
"The co-chairs condemn the continued and systematic ceasefire violations by government of Sri Lanka and LTTE," it added.
"The co-chairs particularly condemn the LTTE for initiating hostilities from heavily populated areas and the government of Sri Lanka for firing into such vulnerable areas and killing and wounding innocent civilians."
The government and the rebels have ignored international pleas to halt violence that has forced tens of thousands of civilians from their homes and into camps.
The donors also called on both sides to set up demilitarised zones to protect civilians.
They also appealed to the government to reopen the main north-south highway that runs through rebel territory to the northern army-held Jaffna peninsula.
The government has offered to reopen the A9 highway for a one-off aid convoy to drive to Jaffna, but the Tigers say that is not good enough and want the road -- seen as a key revenue source thanks to levies charged -- reopened permanently.
Keheliya Rambukwella, minister of Policy Planning and the government defense spokesman, told reporters that "the government has asked him to provide evidence so that we can deal with it."
Rock, the special advisor to the United Nations Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, had charged that the military of working hand in glove with the child recruitment carried out by the renegade faction of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels led by Karuna alias Vinayagamurthi Muralitharan.
Rock in his statement issued on Nov. 13 here at the end of his 10-day mission said he had evidence that security forces travel to villages and photograph Tamil children who are later forcibly recruited by the Karuna faction.
Rock said Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse had promised him a full investigation into the allegations.
The government also accuses Rock of being a sympathizer of Tamil Tiger rebels. "He has attended a LTTE fund raising event in Canada," Rambukwella said.
The local press had taken Rock to the task for leveling accusations against government forces as the condemnation on child recruitment is usually associated with the LTTE rebels.
The military was quick to deny Rock's accusations and the president's office said the press had misreported Rock's comments.
S.Lanka says donors misled by U.N. envoy, monitors
COLOMBO, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Nordic truce monitors and a U.N. envoy have misled Sri Lanka's main financial donors about ceasefire violations by the military, the government said on Wednesday.
Hours earlier, the United States, Japan, the European Union and Norway condemned the government and Tamil Tiger rebels for "systematic ceasefire violations".
President Mahinda Rajapakse's government has repeatedly rejected allegations by international truce monitors of troop involvement in extrajudicial killings during a surge in violence this year.
United Nations envoy Allan Rock has also accused elements of the military of helping to abduct children to turn them into soldiers for a renegade rebel faction.
"The co-chairs would have been influenced by Allan Rock and the SLMM (Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission) and that is misleading," government defence spokesman and cabinet minister Keheliya Rambukwella told Reuters hours after the donors issued their damning statement.
Rambukwella said neither Rock nor the SLMM -- who have both been vilified by government officials and state-run media -- had provided the government with proof of troop involvement in abuses, despite requests.
While the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have violated a battered truce thousands of times since it was hammered out in 2002, monitors cite an alarming rise in violations by the military this year.
"Obviously on the basis of national security, we have to react on certain issues. That can be ... systematic erosion or violation of the ceasefire," Rambukwella added. "But this becomes inevitable unless the LTTE change their stance of terror."
More than 3,000 civilians, troops and rebel fighters have been killed in military clashes, naval battles, ambushes, aerial bombings this year.
Many ordinary Sri Lankans fear a conflict that has killed more than 67,000 people since 1983 could escalate and spread across the island.
So far, most of the violence is confined to the northeast, where the Tigers run a de facto state they want recognised as a separate homeland for minority ethnic Tamils.
"The co-chairs view with alarm the rising level of violence in Sri Lanka that has led to significant loss of life and widespread human rights violations," the donors said in a statement issued out of Washington overnight.
"The co-chairs condemn the continued and systematic ceasefire violations by government of Sri Lanka and LTTE," it added.
"The co-chairs particularly condemn the LTTE for initiating hostilities from heavily populated areas and the government of Sri Lanka for firing into such vulnerable areas and killing and wounding innocent civilians."
The government and the rebels have ignored international pleas to halt violence that has forced tens of thousands of civilians from their homes and into camps.
The donors also called on both sides to set up demilitarised zones to protect civilians.
They also appealed to the government to reopen the main north-south highway that runs through rebel territory to the northern army-held Jaffna peninsula.
The government has offered to reopen the A9 highway for a one-off aid convoy to drive to Jaffna, but the Tigers say that is not good enough and want the road -- seen as a key revenue source thanks to levies charged -- reopened permanently.
Sri Lanka says it wants to resume peace talks with Tamil rebels immediately
Associated Press, Wed November 22, 2006 00:06 EST COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - (AP) The Sri Lankan government said Wednesday it was willing to immediately resume stalled peace talks with Tamil rebels, but accused the insurgents of not cooperating. Representatives from the United States, Japan, the European Union and Norway gathered Tuesday at the U.S. State Department for two days of talks aimed at forming new strategies for encouraging peace in Sri Lanka - .
They warned warring parties that they risk future financial aid if they do not abandon violence.
``There is simply no way that the international community can impose peace in Sri Lanka - . It must be homegrown'' by the rebels and the government, Norwegian Aid Minister Erik Solheim, who brokered the truce, told reporters after the meeting in Washington. ``Then we can all assist them.''
As the international parties met, violence continued to wrack the nation of 19 million, threatening a 2002 cease-fire that temporarily halted two decades of a civil war that killed as many as 65,000 people.
Solheim said officials were ``very much impatient'' with cease-fire violations. In Colombo, foreign cease-fire monitors have blamed both sides of the conflict for violations.
Since last December, airstrikes, mine attacks, assassinations and regular exchanges of heavy arms fire have killed more than 3,200 fighters and civilians. Both sides insist they have not withdrawn from the truce.
The last round of talks held in Geneva in October broke down when the government rejected a rebel demand that a highway that links the Tamil-majority north with the mainland be reopened immediately. The road was closed in August after the rebels mounted an attack on a military checkpoint that controls traffic and checks movement of people. The government says the rebels use the road to transport weapons, move fighters and collect taxes.
The government said earlier this week it will reopen the highway for a one-time run to build a buffer stock, allowing the flow of essential supplies to half a million civilians trapped by fighting for the first time in four months.
But the rebels reacted sharply, saying the action was politically motivated and wanted the government to reopen the road permanently.
``We can discuss all these issues at face-to-face talks,'' said Rambukwella, the government spokesman.
In Washington, U.S. Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns noted that the United States is not a neutral observer: it believes the Tigers are a terror organization responsible for innocent deaths, and the government has a right to maintain its territorial integrity. The EU and Sri Lanka - join the United States in designating the Tigers, also called the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, a terrorist organization
They warned warring parties that they risk future financial aid if they do not abandon violence.
``There is simply no way that the international community can impose peace in Sri Lanka - . It must be homegrown'' by the rebels and the government, Norwegian Aid Minister Erik Solheim, who brokered the truce, told reporters after the meeting in Washington. ``Then we can all assist them.''
As the international parties met, violence continued to wrack the nation of 19 million, threatening a 2002 cease-fire that temporarily halted two decades of a civil war that killed as many as 65,000 people.
Solheim said officials were ``very much impatient'' with cease-fire violations. In Colombo, foreign cease-fire monitors have blamed both sides of the conflict for violations.
Since last December, airstrikes, mine attacks, assassinations and regular exchanges of heavy arms fire have killed more than 3,200 fighters and civilians. Both sides insist they have not withdrawn from the truce.
The last round of talks held in Geneva in October broke down when the government rejected a rebel demand that a highway that links the Tamil-majority north with the mainland be reopened immediately. The road was closed in August after the rebels mounted an attack on a military checkpoint that controls traffic and checks movement of people. The government says the rebels use the road to transport weapons, move fighters and collect taxes.
The government said earlier this week it will reopen the highway for a one-time run to build a buffer stock, allowing the flow of essential supplies to half a million civilians trapped by fighting for the first time in four months.
But the rebels reacted sharply, saying the action was politically motivated and wanted the government to reopen the road permanently.
``We can discuss all these issues at face-to-face talks,'' said Rambukwella, the government spokesman.
In Washington, U.S. Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns noted that the United States is not a neutral observer: it believes the Tigers are a terror organization responsible for innocent deaths, and the government has a right to maintain its territorial integrity. The EU and Sri Lanka - join the United States in designating the Tigers, also called the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, a terrorist organization
Monday, November 13, 2006
Security heightened in Sri Lankan capital ahead of march for slain lawmaker
Associated Press, Sun November 12, 2006 23:12 EST . DILIP GANGULY - Associated Press Writer - COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - (AP) Security was tightened in the Sri Lankan capital Monday ahead of a planned march with the body of a slain Tamil lawmaker who was gunned down last week by unidentified assailants outside his home.
The National Anti-War Front a coalition of 120 civic groups, human rights organizations and opposition political parties also called for a shutdown of
``We are closing several roads and there is increased security in the city,'' police spokesman Rienzie Perera told The Associated Press.
Nadaraja Raviraj, a Tamil lawmaker from the pro-rebel Tamil National Alliance party, was assassinated and his bodyguard also killed in
March organizers said the procession with Raviraj's body will culminate in a mass gathering at a popular city park.
Many fear that near-daily attacks and killings are driving the country back toward full-scale war, though the government and Tamil Tigers both say a 2002 cease-fire, which had halted two decades of civil war, is still in place.
Military spokesman Brig. Prasad Samarasinghe said the army was aiding police with security preparations ahead of the march. ``The military is also standing by and will be deployed if there is an emergency,'' Samarasinghe said.
The family of the slain lawmaker and the pro-rebel party want the government to open the key A-9 highway so Raviraj's body can be driven to his hometown of Chavakachcheri, in the Tamil-dominated
The government has refused to reopen the vital artery that links the country's south to the rebel-controlled north, saying it would allow the guerrillas to freely transport weapons and fighters. The government closed down the highway on Aug. 11 after rebels attacked a military checkpoint.
``Interested parties should not make the opening of the A-9 road an issue for narrow political gain,'' said chief government spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella.
The government has said it was willing to fly Raviraj's body to
The failure of talks on reopening the key road led to the collapse of peace talks in
The Tamil Tigers began fighting in 1983 in a bid to carve out a separate homeland in the country's north and east for the minority Tamils, who cite discrimination by the ethnic Sinhalese majority.
British official to visit Sri Lanka to share Northern Ireland peace experience
Associated Press, Mon November 13, 2006 04:42 EST . COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - (AP) A former British Cabinet minister who was closely associated with the Northern Ireland peace process will visit Sri Lanka - this week to share his experiences in peace-building, the British High Commission said in a statement Monday. ``While in Sri Lanka - Mr. Murphy will meet a range of key participants in the Sri Lankan peace process and share his experiences of building peace in Northern Ireland,'' the statement said, adding that the visit follows a meeting between British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse in August on ways in which Britain could support a Norwegian-facilitated peace process.
The Norwegian peace efforts that led to a cease-fire in 2002 between the government and the Tamil Tiger rebels face huge hurdles. Increasing violence has all but shattered the truce with near-daily killings.
Both sides maintain their stands: the rebels want a separate homeland for the ethnic Tamil minority, while the government says regional autonomy is the maximum it will give.
Murphy, who is currently the chairman of the British Intelligence and Security Committee, will be accompanied by Christopher MacCabe, the British joint secretary of the British-Irish Intergovernmental Secretariat.
The team will begin its visit on Tuesday and leave
Saturday, November 11, 2006
Slain TNA MP gets highest LTTE award
The LTTE Supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran on Friday conferred on the slain Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP, Nadarajah Raviraj, the highest award of his organisation - "Maamanithar" or "Great Man."
In his eulogy, which carried the announcement of the award, Prabhakaran said that the killing of the young parliamentarian and Tamil freedom fighter had the "impact of an earthquake" on his organisation.
"It shook the soul of the Tamil nation," he said.
Prabhakaran said that Raviraj was not a slave to the pursuit of wealth, but dedicated himself to the cause of the Tamils' liberation and identified himself fully and whole- heartedly with the LTTE and its objectives.
He helped advance the cause of the Tamils' liberation in a variety of ways, by upholding it in parliament and other forums. He used his knowledge and linguistic abilities to clearly convey the feelings of the Tamils to the majority Sinhalas.
And he did this sitting in
He did it in the face of constant intimidation from the Sinhala armed forces and other armed groups, showing extraordinary courage.
Describing the 44-year-old Raviraj as an "unusual and extraordinary" man, Prabhakaran said that he was awarding the highest title of "Maamanithar" on him "with pride".
Bid to take body to
The TNA's plan to take Raviraj's body through the A9 highway to his constituency of
The assassination of Raviraj has given a fillip to the anti-war movement in the Sinhala speaking south Sri Lanjka.
The Anti-War Front, which is a multi-ethnic grouping of artists, human rights workers, politicians and intellectuals, will be taking the body of Raviraj in a procession through the main streets of
Foreign diplomats would be invited to join the procession, said TNA MP Suresh Premachandran.
Group threatens attacks on
11 Nov 2006 10:18:07 GMT
Sri Lankan government soldiers arrive to secure Vignashpuram village in Batticaloa,
Sri Lankan government soldiers arrive to secure Vignashpuram village in Batticaloa,
Sri Lankan government soldiers arrive to secure Vignashpuram village in Batticaloa,
Sri Lankan government soldiers arrive to secure Vignashpuram village in Batticaloa,
The family of Nadarajah Raviraj, a prominent member of the Tamil National Alliance who was assassinated the previous day, pay their respects over his body in
The family of Nadarajah Raviraj, a prominent member of the Tamil National Alliance who was assassinated the previous day, pay their respects over his body in
Mangalaeswary Nadaraja, mother of Nadarajah Raviraj, a prominent member of the Tamil National Alliance who was assassinated the previous day, mourns over Raviraj's body in
Mangalaeswary Nadaraja, mother of Nadarajah Raviraj, a prominent member of the Tamil National Alliance who was assassinated the previous day, mourns over Raviraj's body in
COLOMBO, Nov 11 (Reuters) - A suspected front for Tamil Tiger rebels vowed on Saturday to kill majority Sinhalese civilians in southern Sri Lanka in retaliation for the army bombing of a refugee camp this week that killed dozens of minority Tamils.
The High Security Zone Residents' Liberation Force, which has claimed responsibility for a rash of deadly attacks on troops, made its threat a day after a pro-rebel Tamil MP was slain in the capital.
"Ultimately it would be the Sinhala people who will pay the price for the actions of their sons and daughters occupying the Tamil motherland," the group, which claims to represent Tamils displaced by army high security zones in the northern army-held Jaffna peninsula, said in a statement faxed to Reuters.
"On several occasions we had warned of every action having an equal and opposite reaction. We regret the retaliatory measures that have been forced upon us, and extend our early condolences to the victims."
The group has also previously threatened to hit hospitals and infrastructure in the south.
Tamil Tiger rebels say 47 people were killed in Wednesday's attack on the camp, set up in a school in rebel-held territory in the eastern district of Batticaloa. Nordic truce monitors counted 23 corpses, but do not rule out a higher figure.
The international community has voiced outrage at the shelling, and called on the government and the rebels to respect human rights and safeguard thousands of civilians caught in the middle of the two-decade conflict.
Survivors say the rebels provoked the attack by firing heavy guns from near the camp, and the foes accuse each other of using civilians as human shields.
Aid workers and truce monitors say around 30,000-35,000 civilians - most of whom were displaced from their homes further north when fighting flared in August -- are trapped in the area.
Foreign nations form the United States to India to peace mediator Norway have called on both sides to halt violence threatening to plunge the island into a full-blown return to a conflict that has killed more than 65,000 people since 1983.
They condemned the assassination of Nadarajah Raviraj, a prominent human rights lawyer and MP for the Tamil National Alliance -- widely seen as the Tigers' proxy in parliament -- who was gunned down in
That attack in turn came hours after naval clashes off the north and east coasts in which the military said it sank a total of 24 rebel boats - a claim rejected by the Tigers.
President Mahinda Rajapakse, under increasing international pressure to solve a rash of extrajudicial killings, massacres and abductions blamed on both sides, has called for Scotland Yard to investigate Raviraj's murder.
The TNA has accused government forces or forces aligned to it for the killing.
"The president told us that he invited a London-based investigation team, but I don't know it has materialised or not. We are not satisfied," said fellow TNA MP Mavai Senadhirajah.
The government flatly rejects the Tigers' demand for a separate homeland for minority Tamils in the island's north and east, where they already run a de facto state, and any meaningful peace deal is seen years off at best.
Friday, November 10, 2006
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