'U dun it' - 'No U dun it' - grrrr

Light Refractions by Lucien Rajakarunanayake

For the Director of the LTTE's "Peace Secretariat" the minor Tiger deity or Pulidevan, sounds much too naive for words when he says the claymore mine blast that killed 62 and injured even more at Kebitigollewa recently was the work of the Government.

It is obvious the Tigers are fast running out of excuses for its moves to intensify the intensity of the war they wage, not winning many new believers in their cause, and raising doubts even in the minds of many who once believed they were true liberators of the Tamil people.

It's strange how these tigers can be so adept at twisting their tales, in the belief of fooling everyone, other than those who have gladly swallowed their bait such as those in the National Peace Council and fellow thinkers.

After the whole world has come to identify the terror driven Tigers of Sri Lanka as those most ready and adept at targeting others with claymore mines, here comes the Tiger's Peace Secretariat, headed by Pulidevan saying the Kebitigollewa blast was caused by forces operated by the Government of Sri Lanka.

Say that to the Marines, one is easily tempted to say, but with the US Marines being named regarding so much bloody news today, better dismiss the accusation as the old Sinhalese would have, by asking them to tell it to Konday bendapu Cheennu or the Chinese with plaited hair, a long lost breed over here.

This refrain of accusing the Government security forces of claymore skill is of recent origin, making a marked inroad into Tiger disinformation just after they scuttled the scheduled talks at Oslo so crudely, leaving even the most ardent or well-paid supporters of the LTTE with their jaws hanging low.

The LTTE's "War & Peace" Secretariat at Kilinochchi began this particular tale twisting exercise in earnest with their statement of June 12 headlined "Sharp increase in SLA attacks inside LTTE areas since Oslo meeting".

Let's ignore the fact that there was no meeting in Oslo, as we know it, but for the LTTE's later meetings with the Norwegians and the SLMM too, the latter persons if refused to meet earlier as they came from EU countries. The Tigers don't bother with such details of misinformation. They go for the big stuff.

According to this statement seven out of 11 recent attacks that took place in LTTE controlled areas, have been carried out by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA), all within six days, killing 21 and injuring 20 others. It appears the LTTE is trying hard to wipe out its identification with the claymore mine. It is not much more than cheap litanies to rub off well-proven impressions.

Pulidevan and his fellows in feline disinformation appear to have forgotten how they told the world not so long ago, especially at Geneva 1 (and only, as they must hope), how the people of Jaffna were using claymore mines to target the security forces and people they suspected were helping the forces.

They never explained how the ordinary people of Jaffna suddenly became experts at handling and detonating these mines, as well as throwing live grenades even at moving targets. The cat (sorry, no pun intended) came out of the bag as it were, when concluding that Geneva round 1 they agreed to speak to the people of Jaffna and tell them to go slow, in their use of claymore mines.

We all knew these "people" were none other than Tiger cadres who began mingling with the people of Jaffna, after the total freedom of movement afforded them by the Ceasefire Agreement, the supposed crowning glory of Prabhakaran and Ranil Wickremesinghe.

At the rate the Tigers were killing with claymore mines before Geneva 1 and even after, no one could have been faulted for believing they owned the entire stock of claymore mines in the world. But after its torpedo of the Oslo talks, the Tigers have suddenly discovered that the SLA too has claymore mines that it uses liberally inside LTTE controlled areas.

If it were true it is quite an admission of the weakness of the LTTE's defences. To make things worse it has even said that some of these attacks had been carried out by the Deep Penetration Unit of the SLA.

Pulidevan, and his striped fellows have forgotten how Ranil Wickremesinghe's government helped put an end to the Deep Penetration Unit, that did score many a good hit when it was in operation, soon after that Government was elected. If anyone wants he or she is free to ask Long John the Interior, who ensured media penetration into the safe house of the DPU at Aturugiriya.

It is with unbelievable naivete that the Kilinochchi "War & Peace" Secretariat reports that on June 12, at Vavuniya, "a vehicle belonging to the Assistant Government Agent (AGA) for Nedunkerni came under claymore attack by the SLA deep penetration unit". It must be a whole new chapter in deep penetration fighting that such a unit is used to target a civilian AGA. There is certainly more need for finesse in the story telling of the Tigers today.

It is as bad as the various excuses they trotted out for not being able to go to Geneva 2 - a series of logistical problems of their leading cadres in two areas under their control meeting, for a tiger claw sharpening session before attending the meeting, if they finally had to. At one stage a frustrated officer of the genuine Peace Secretariat in Colombo said the next demand would be for imported horses to ride for the meeting of fellows in terror, escorted by a new cavalry unit of - yes, of the much despised or feared SLA.

They think the world was fooled over that one, as with the help of TamilNet they tried a twist on what really happened at Oslo - "that the government refused to meet with a similar LTTE delegation of non-Cabinet rank". They can tell that to Erik Solheim, and even he would not swallow it.

This is the stuff of disinformation that made the LTTE's "War & Peace" Secretariat say the savage claymore blast at Kebitigollewa was "the work of Government forces and a mindless use of civilian life for a political end". We don't really have to tell the world who uses civilian lives for political ends. Those who want details are free to ask us.

There would be some credibility for the tale if it was just said that Claymore did it, as Claymore did it earlier too, and no doubt will do it again.