Tiger violence brewing in Vavuniya

During the past several months of President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga's tenure, the Tigers gradually stepped up violence against the security forces. It began with hit and run attacks and grenades being hurled against the army and police posts in the town and soldiers on routine patrol duties.

This was part of a greater strategy, which was to restrict the freedom of movement of security forces. Had the Tigers succeeded in their plan, it could, on short term, have created "No Go Zones" for the security forces, where the Tigers would find a adequate room for mobilization of its underground cadres, sleepers and civilian sympathizers.

In the long term, it could have wrest the control of Jaffna peninsula with the LTTE.

Indeed, it was through a tactic of gradual strangulation that the Tigers took control of Jaffna Peninsula in the mid 80s.

The Tigers succeeded in confining soldiers to the Jaffna Fort and later, when it was abandoned to the Palali Security Forces Headquarters.

When the same strategy was tried in late 2005, the Tiger almost succeed in its first phase. Undercover, Tiger cadres could even abduct and later kill Senior Superintendent of Police Charlce Wijewardene.

Immediately after the electoral win of the President Mahinda Rajapaksa, the Tigers stepped up violence in an unprecedented level, which was not withered since the signing of the truce agreement.

Several convoys of security forces personnel were caught up in claymore mine explosions. Undercover LTTE cadres and the newly trained civilian militia directed daily grenade attacks against the security forces posts.

This forced military planners to act against an emerging intifada in the Jaffna peninsula.

Tough counter- insurgency measures were set in place and troops had green light to retaliate to Tiger attacks.

Cordon and search operation were conducted and extra-precautions were taken with regard to the security of security forces convoys, especially of the security forces personnel going home on leave.

These measures turned to be a success and reversed the rising trend of attacks against the security forces.

The increasing trend of violence in Vavuniya is indicative that the same strategy at work in Vavuniya. But with a different objective - the objective being to divert the attention of the security forces from the Eastern theatre. There is also evidence to suggest that the LTTE had succeeded in smuggling a large number of claymore mines to Vavuniya.

On Wednesday, the security forces and police in a combined search operation found 12 claymore mines in Ganeshpuram. Another claymore mine weighting 15 kg was found in Kuwankulam, Vavuniya, same day.

Other than diverting the attention of security forces from its Eastern theatre, the LTTE could succeed disrupting the civilian life in Vavuniya.

Already, Sinhalese civilian in Vavuniya have avoided visiting adjacent Tamil villages due to the fear of reprisal attacks by the Tigers.

The other side of the story, 43 civilians, mostly Tamils have been abducted during the past two months.

In the backdrop of rising violence in the Wanni, Commander of the Army, Lt. Gen Sarath Fonseka last week visited Vavuniya to study the security situation. He met Security Forces commander Wanni Major Gen. W. U. Edirisinghe as well as divisional and brigade commanders. During the discussion, the Army Commander drew a special attention to the increasing number of LTTE attacks on the Security Forces in Vavuniya.

In the face of the loss of Vakarai - and added with it is the huge loss of cadres and material- the Tigers would like to step up covert attacks against the security forces. This is a growing possibility in the wake of LTTE's failure to offer a resistance in the form of conventional warfare.

Though the general temptation in the South is to describe these as "desperate" tactics in the face of the set back in the battle front, such covert missions have always been part of LTTE strategy, immaterial whether it was strong or weak.

Very idea of such tactics is to disrupt the military mechanism and restrict the freedom of movement of security forces. In such a scenario, the LTTE would find its cadres are at ease in operating, which would help a gradual destabilization of the civilian life as well as the security forces' control in the area.

A convoy of four buses transporting security forces and police personnel left Batticaloa just before the Wednesday noon. The four Colombo bound buses, two transporting soldiers, and two others Airforce and police personnel travelled 18 km to reach Valachchenai, Varathanamulla, where the soldiers and policemen met with their fate.

The alleged killer waited inside the Peoples' Bank building located in the Eastern University premises.

With his mobile phone, he detonated a claymore mine, which blew up the police bus, which was the third in the row. The rest of the convoy escaped the blast miraculously.

Eight policemen, two soldiers and a civilian was killed in the explosion while 13 others were injured.

Police later quizzed over sixty people and many of them were subsequently released, barring 13 suspects, three are employees of the university.

According to the police, a road clearance patrol was conducted before the passage of the convoy. That is generally a routine precautionary measure. In this context, it is not clear how the assassins succeeded in planting the bomb. The police, later in a search operation found several empty T 56 bullets inside the university.

Meanwhile, the possibility of a security forces operation in the remote pockets of west of Batticaloa and the jungles of Thoppigala looms large following the concentration of a several hundred of LTTE cadres in Thoppigala. At least 200 LTTE cadres, earlier based in Vakarai succeeded in fleeing to jungles of Thoppigala, according to intelligence reports. They include Nagesh who commanded the Tiger cadres in Vakarai. The security forces continued to target suspected LTTE positions in the jungle areas of Thoppigala based on directions provided by the Special Force Commandos.

As the possibility of a military showdown loomed large, nearly 3,000 civilians have fled the uncleared areas of west of Batticaloa to the government controlled areas of Siththandi, Chenkalay and Valachchenai.

Meanwhile, senior Security Forces commanders have expressed optimism that resettlement activities in Vakarai, Kathiraveli and Palchenai could began in four weeks. By that time, mine clearance activities in the area are expected to complete.

According to the plan, resettlement would be conducted in three phases.At the initial stage, civilians would be resettled in their villages in Vakarai, Kathiraveli and Palchanai, which account for nearly three quarter of the displaced population.

Security forces officials described the mine threat in these areas were particularly low, partly because the LTTE made a rash retreat from the area in the face of the advancing security forces.

The villages of Kirimichchiya and Madurankerny come under the second stage. However, the resettlement in Panichchankerny, located next to the Tiger defence line would be delayed owning to the increased threat of Anti Personnel Mines (APM).

Several soldiers have been wounded in anti- personal mine explosions. On Friday, a soldier engaged in mine clearing mission was killed and another wounded when an APM exploded.

Meanwhile, Eastern Province Governor Rear Admiral Mohan Wijewickrema has assigned separate teams of officials to assist each sector of resetlment. This include to rebuild local infrastructure, public transport, restore electricity, health care in order to facilitate the resettlement activities.

Batticaloa Government Agent and a delegation from the Ministry of Resettlement visited Vakarai last week to discuss the resettlement activities. A police station was declared open in Vakarai on Friday.

As fighting in Vakarai ceased, the Norwegian peace facilitators and ceasefire monitors visited the Wanni.

Norwegian Ambassador Hans Brattskar met LTTE political leader S. P. Thamilselvan on Thursday. The Norwegian Embassy spokesman Tom Knappskog described the meeting as a routine and that "nothing extraordinary happened in the meeting".

The meeting came a day after the Chief of Mission of the Scandinavian Truce Monitors, Lars Johan Solvberg made a visit to Kilinochchi.

During the meeting, the LTTE leadership has assured the security of the truce monitors.

Foreign Secretary and the Head of the Government's Peace Secretariat Dr. Palitha Kohona, who was touring with the Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama in Berlin told the Sunday Observer that the Government was prepared to resume peace talks, but the LTTE's intransigence stood in the way.

Asked whether the Norwegians carried any particular message from the Government to the LTTE, he replied in the negative.

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Chronology of violence

Feb 2: LTTE cadres lobbed two hand grenades at a police post in Pandarikulam, Vavuniya. One grenade exploded wounding two policemen. A claymore mine was recovered in Punthottam.

Feb 1: An army foot patrol was caught in a claymore mine explosion in Marambakulam, Puntotam. A soldier was killed.

31 January: 15 kg claymore mine was recovered in Kuwankulam, Vavuniya 12 claymore mines recovered in Ganeshpuram.

29 January: LTTE lobbed hand grenade at police post, Ambasi Garage, Vavuniya.

28 January: Body of a Sinhalese civilian found with bullet wounds, allegedly shot dead by the LTTE.

27 January: Two unidentified bodies found. A Soldier was shot dead in Vavuniya, Special Task Force on a road patrol came under LTTE attack. The Police Commandos returned fire killing an LTTE cadre.

26 January: Two claymore mines were recovered in Vavuniya.

24 January: Security Forces retaliated to an LTTE attack killing three LTTE cadres in Kokkuduvolu.

Troops killed an LTTE cadre in Vavuniya, T56 assault rifle was recovered and two LTTE cadres were arrested and on interrogation a haul of weapons found.

January 23: LTTE cadres attacked a vehicle belonging to the Road Development Authority, killing a civilian and wounding four. The Security Forces recovered a claymore mine.

January 22: suspected LTTE cadres killed two youth near Vairawa Kovil, Vavuniya. Security Forces recovered a haul of weapons.

January 21: LTTE cadres abducted a policeman and later killed him in Hettilulam, Sunduvedrakulam.

A Police Constable was killed and another injured in Kalmadu.