Re-settlement proceeds amidst adverse reports
The Government will take a further step ahead tomorrow in the East
with initiating the process of resettling the displaced civilians in the
West of Batticaloa and South of Batticaloa amidst confronting massive
challenges specially due to adverse reports about the situation and
attempts to belittle the victories of the Security Forces.
The resettlement, according to authorities, will first commence in
Vellaveli, Porathivu, Mandur and Vavunathivu located West of Batticaloa
with the completion of the process of issuing special identity cards for
the people returning to their villages.
This will be a significant victory for the Government, in the face of
major criticism levelled against the Government by certain groups who
had not even, trod their feet in the district of Batticaloa after the
escalation of violence in the East in the middle of last year.
The Government too, lifted the travel restriction imposed on envoys
and diplomats visiting the Eastern Province last week with Security
Forces given assurance that the situation in the East is totally under
the control of the Forces and the Police.
The diplomats who had totally depended on media reports and other
sources to brief their respective Governments now have the chance of
visiting the area to observe the situation with their own eyes.
Humanitarian mission
The decision to advise diplomatic heads to seek prior approval from
the Foreign Ministry when travelling to Batticaloa, Trincomalee and
Ampara was taken two months ago follows an LTTE mortar attack targeting
a group of diplomats in Batticaloa on a humanitarian mission.
The group accompanied by the Human Rights Minister Mahinda
Samarasinghe came under attack soon after arrival at the Batticaloa
airbase.
Therefore the clearance given for the diplomats by the Foreign
Ministry will be a great opportunity for the diplomats based in Colombo
to observe the situation and compare how effectively the Security Forces
have reacted to a crisis of this nature despite some lapses due to
logistic and administrative problems.
As one senior Military official in the Eastern theatre suggested, the
Security Forces in the East handle the overflowing number of displaced
people, first from Vakarai and secondly from West and South of
Batticaloa more effectively than the US authorities handled the
situation when they were hit by Hurricane, Katrina.
Therefore, the Security Forces should be commended for handling this
situation effectively, amidst facing the terror threats of the LTTE.
However, they are now poised to see and an end to their almost one year
long task in the Eastern theatre commencing from the noble task Mavilaru
of to restore water supply for more than 30,000 people South of
Trincomalee.
According to Security Forces, the process of resettling more than
60,000 to 65,000 will be completed by the end of next month as the
Police Special Task Forces has taken steps to establish civil
administration in the West and South of Batticaloa by establishing
Police stations and removing booby traps and mines that will hamper the
process of resettling people in the area.
The STF has also taken steps to strengthen the security along the
Chenkaladi - Maha Oya A-5 road that was taken fully under their control
on April 11 to be open to the general public very soon.
With these developments the overflowing number of displaced civilians
in the Batticaloa district will be decreased drastically in the coming
months as the resettlement of 17,000 people in Vakarai has already been
completed.
Resettlement process in the South will soon be completed once the
civilians displaced from South of Trincomalee are also resettled in
their villages and also in alternative places.
With these developments taking place with regard to resettlement of
displaced civilians, troops in Batticaloa are now engaged in their final
battle to defeat the last batch of Tiger cadres, in the Thoppigala
jungles surrounding the jungle and confining their activities only to
that territory.
Desperate calls
The Security Forces, this week heard the desperate calls by the Tiger
cadres, to LTTE leadership in Kilinochchi appealing for help as they are
running short of ammunition to face the Security Forces.
The Kilinochchi LTTE leadership has responded to this appeal that
anyhow they will rescue them either by sea or by using their aircraft,
they would rescue the remaining leaders in Thoppigala jungles.
Whatever, the remarks made by the LTTE leadership in Kilinochchi, it
has to be noted that even Sea Tiger leader Soosai failed in his effort
to transfer a number of Tiger leaders escaping from various parts of the
East failed to transfer them to Mullaitivu having deployed 25 boats due
to heavy resistance form the Navy.
Therefore, it would be a dream for the Tiger leaders to escape
Thoppigala jungles to escape by air using their light aircraft which can
carry only two people at a time. Under these circumstances, the Security
Forces in the East have to be in much more vigilance to avert the
movement of Tiger cadres from East to the North.
The Security Forces and the Police in Batticaloa and Ampara have been
instructed to strengthen the security in the two districts since there
is a possibility for the desperate Tiger cadres who are now mingling
with the civilian population to create problematic situation making use
of the explosives and suicide jackets hidden at various parts of the
East.
Though some civilians were unhappy about the increased security
situation in the Ampara district, the Police had to take these measures
in view of a possible LTTE attack targeting the civilians. If the Tiger
cadres are allowed to do make such a calamity in the East the entire
efforts made by the Security Forces with greater commitment will go in
waste, as such incidents can easily change the public opinion on the
situation thus demoralizing the troops.
Desperate acts
Any such possibility cannot be ruled out considering the desperate
acts done by the LTTE by exploding several bombs in Batticaloa and also
exploding a bomb inside a civilian bus in Kondawattuwan in Ampara when
their bastions in West and South of Batticaloa were about to fall to the
hands of the Security Forces.
Though not connected to the resettlement of people the incident took
place yesterday in Marandamadu in the Ampara Kalamunai road in which two
power transformers were blasted by the LTTE using explosive devices was
a clear indication to say that the Tiger outfit would resort to such
desperate acts to sabotage the process of resettlement of people. The
Tiger outfit resorted such desperate acts when Security Forces wera
making arrangements to resettle the displaced civilians in Vakarai too.
However, Special Task Force (STF) taking control of the newly
liberated in the West and South of Batticaloa areas making all efforts
to ensure a better environment for the displaced civilians to return to
their villages. Now it is obvious that the Tiger outfit has been
completely disturbed due to these developments as they are only talking
about the heroic acts they have done using their light aircraft.
As pointed out by this column few weeks back the LTTE air wing has
now become a boomerang for the Tiger outfit as they are running cover of
the air attacks of the LTTE desperately to protect their air
capabilities which were very proudly shown to the world as their latest
assets to increase their fund raising campaigns and for their
recruitment drives.
The Government now has expedited the process of enhancing the air
defence capabilities of the Air Force with increased number of radars
been fitted to detect suspicious air movements and to modify the
available aircraft as interceptors.
The Air Defence System which had not taken any root until 2005
despite intelligence reports about the Tiger air capabilities since
1998, now taking roots in the country with the assistance of the Indian
Government and the efforts made by Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa
with the assistance of the three Forces Commanders.
The Air Force will soon be equipped with state-of-the-art equipment
to counter the air threats of the LTTE more effectively than expected by
the common masses of this country. Even under the increased alertness by
the Security Forces and also by the public the LTTE is not in a position
even to take off their aircraft to the air for any mission.
If any such act will be detrimental to the LTTE of losing not only
their aircraft but also their pilots.According to the assessments by the
Security Forces, though they expected suicide mission using the light
aircraft available with them, targeting sensitive economic centres or
Presidential palace, the LTTE has abandoned such a mission as it is
extremely difficult for them to acquire such air assets due to current
trends which are extremely hostile to the organisation.
The other factor contributing towards this, is their inability to
train pilots for such a task, in the same way they train suicide cadres
to target VVIPs in the South. On the other hand the Tiger outfit cannot
keep such well trained Tiger cadres within their organisation as
becoming a pilot is not as easy as becoming a suicide cadre.
Therefore, the remaining pilots who had trained in South Africa will
also have to face the same destiny, as of a suicide cadre if they
continue with this dangerous game anymore.
That was why the Tiger outfit is now making desperate attempts to
influence the international community's attention towards the North East
conflict to come out of this disadvantageous position as they are not
sure even about their strongholds in Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu as
troops are going ahead with the noble task of liberating the Tamil
civilians in Wanni from the Tiger grip.
The only tool they may use against the Government is the human rights
situation as they are aware that was the only tool that can bring
international pressures on the Government to stop the ongoing military
operations against them in the North East.
However, President Mahinda Rajapaksa made the Government position
clear to the US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher pointing
out the necessity on the part of the Government to be vigilant in the
interests of national security whilst explaining the security situation
in the country.
He also explained the measures and efforts taken by the Government to
ensure a better human rights situation in the country despite the
challenges posed by terror acts of the LTTE.
Effort to fight...
However, Richard Boucher ensured the Government right to neutralise
the air capabilities of the LTTE and assure US Government support
towards its effort to fight terrorism in the country.
According to diplomatic sources, many countries are happy with the
manner the Government is tackling terrorism in the country, despite
their concerns about fewer number of human rights violations taking
place. The extent of international support towards curbing fund raising
activities of the LTTE was apparent during the past few weeks many LTTE
activists engaged in fund raising activities in Europe, Australia and
the US were brought to book.
Such assistance by foreign nations will definitely help the
Government in its effort to get rid of terrorism of the LTTE in the
country and to give just solution for the Tamil people in the country
without dragging the feet of the Government which is about to reach
results of its efforts of eradicating LTTE terror in the country. |