'Outsiders' try to create a mercy impasse

LTTE on its last legs in Wanni

As the Security Forces are focusing the attention towards Wanni, the last territory the LTTE have been left with for their survival; moves are now under way to stop the Security Forces from their mission, both locally and internationally.

It is patently clear that these moves, in the form of pressures on the Government both locally and internationally are clear indications that the LTTE is sure of their defeat in the Wanni if Security Forces move ahead with their plans to liberate the suppressed people.

The local pressures in the form of political pressures threatening, to destabilise the Government and pushing it towards an election is a clear indication to say that it was purely on the ground to stop the efforts of the Government to liberate Wanni in its effort to eliminate LTTE terrorism, hundred per cent from the Sri Lankan soils.

Change of Governments is a frequently used tactic of the LTTE once their territories were threatened at the hands of the Security Forces.

They have always been shrewd enough to take the main Opposition for a ride to get the ulterior motives achieved using the southern political parties as their cat's paw.

But they tend to drop these political parties after they reach their objective as it happened at the 1988 Presidential elections, 1994 General Elections and the Presidential elections and again at the 2001 general elections.

The same trend is now emerging in the South with various political parties including the United National Party headed by Ranil Wickremesinghe is making efforts to destabilise the Government at this crucial juncture, in which Security Forces achieved their huge successes in the three-decades long conflict in the North and East.

One thing that has to be remembered by these political parties engaged in covert operations to destabilise the Government at this crucial juncture is that they are not only placing the Government at a risk but also pushing the country again towards a backward trend from solving the North East conflict once and for all.

The other important thing that has to be remembered is that they are demoralising the Security Forces by disregarding the sacrifices they made in safeguarding the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country defeating the LTTE terrorism.

However, that does not mean that the Government is going to solve the issue only through military means.

It has shown its commitment to solve the North East conflict through a political solution through the ongoing deliberations at the All Party Representative Committee.

Therefore, it is essential on the part of the southern polity to strength the hands of Government, rather the Security Forces in its endeavour to defeat terrorism from the Sri Lankan soils.

The international community too has begun the usual pattern expressing views on the North East conflict with the ulterior objective of stopping the Security Forces from defeating the LTTE from its last bastion in the Wanni.

Flimsy excuses

They are coming out with the flimsy excuses and warnings in justifying their arguments. But none of these arguments are valid taking the present context of the North East conflict.

One such warning they are giving is about the looming humanitarian crisis, if the Security Forces march towards Wanni in their bid to liberate the people from the clutches of the LTTE.

The imaginary humanitarian crisis they are now trying to highlight in their bid to stop the Forces from their mission is baseless taking into account the efficient way the Government had handled the resettlement of displaced civilians in the Eastern Province and also after the tsunami tragedy, the biggest catastrophe the country had faced in its recent history.

Even the so-called developed world has not been able to set examples in the process of managing the displaced civilians following natural disasters and armed conflicts in par with the progress shown by the Sri Lankan authorities.

The Government has completed the process of resettling more than 100,000 displaced civilians in the Eastern province. Only 10 per cent are yet to be resettled, first by providing them with houses.

The issue of displaced civilians in the Eastern province was highlighted with all the displaced civilians arriving in Batticaloa district due to pressures from the LTTE quarter. If the Government authorities managed to keep the displaced civilians from the Trincomalee district itself the authorities would have easily managed them at welfare camps and also in the process of resettling them.

Wanni situation will not be that worse, as the estimated number of civilian population in the Wanni is around 350,000 to 400,000 though the LTTE claims it to be 600,000.

In this context there won't be a major humanitarian crisis in the event of escalating fighting in the Wanni especially in Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu as there are many options available with the Security Forces in diverting civilians to safer places. They can be diverted to Mannar, Vavuniya and also towards Trincomalee.

Exemplary

By means of diverting civilians fleeing from Wanni towards different directions, the Government authorities will be able to manage the displaced civilian population effectively.

But, the strategies adopted by the Security Forces, in their defensive operations against the LTTE, least chances are available to get the civilians affected by the situation unless the LTTE try to make use of these civilians as a shield from the advancing troops as had happened in the Vakarai operation.

The point that has to be highlighted is that troops were able to complete the Vakarai operation with zero civilian casualties who were trapped in Vakarai, despite attempts made by the LTTE to use them as a shield.

This is an exemplary situation by our forces compared to the military operations conducted by the so-called Western nations against terror organisations.

Even at Silavathurai, in the South of Mannar the Security Forces, captured the territory without firing a single shot with no casualties in the civilian population.

The only place that will affect the civilians is when LTTE use claymore mines against the Security Forces in civilian populated areas. But, international community should be concerned about the forcible recruitment of civilians for their military strategies by making use of them to attack Security Forces and brand them as civilians when these people get killed in retaliatory attacks.

The only possibility for a development of a humanitarian crisis in the Wanni will arise if civilians try to flee towards South India. That situation will definitely lead to a humanitarian crisis with India getting entangled.

But Security Forces have adopted a military strategy to seal off the North Western coast depriving the LTTE of taking the advantage of pressurizing the civilians to flee towards South India across the Gulf of Mannar.

At the early stages the LTTE adopted this strategy to get the Indian politicians to pressurize the Sri Lankan Government to stop any military to advance towards Wanni since the refugee problem is the only worrying factor for the Indian authorities, in Sri Lankan Government's bid to resolve the North East conflict.

The strategy adopted by the Security Forces to capture the areas along the North Western coast has also become a vital factor to stop the flow of arms and ammunition to the LTTE across the Indian border, as it is the only channel available with them to replenish their cadres in the Wanni.

There is yet another attempt on the part of media to spoil the attempts made by the Security Forces to advance towards Wanni, with their exaggerated casualty figures on the side of the Security Forces.

The fact that has to be remembered is that the Security Forces are now facing the LTTE in their home ground.

Therefore, they will have to face the toughest resistance from the LTTE side, in their bid to move into the Wanni to capture their strongholds which have never been exposed to the outside world for more than two decades.

Therefore, the Security Forces have adopted a methodology to create maximum damage to the LTTE prior to any advancement into their territory.

The fighter jets of the Sri Lanka Air Force and also the small infantry teams operating ahead of the FDL West of Omanthai are now engaged in this task effectively destroying the strongholds of the LTTE, which may pose a threat to the Security Forces. These efforts have become fruitful with many of their training bases, Sea Tiger bases, and also their hideouts coming under air attacks recently in the Wanni.

According to confirmed intelligence reports, hundreds of Tiger cadres including a senior level leaders have perished in those air attacks though the LTTE keeps mum on the situation, according to the military.

The infantry troops also make their endeavours to stop the LTTE infiltration into Government controlled areas breaching the FDLs of the Security Forces. These efforts are made by despite the heavy monsoon rains which have commenced lashing Wanni.

Terrain

Heavy casualties have reported among the Tiger cadres during the sporadic attacks that continued during the past few weeks.

On October 12, Security Forces engaged LTTE cadres at three different locations, killing at least nine of them.

Two soldiers were also killed while four others suffered injuries during the engagements.

On October 12 clashes erupted in Thiruketheeshwaram, in the West of Mannar, when SL army soldiers tracked down a group of four LTTE terrorists just ahead of the own defence line.

The terrorists are believed to have come to infiltrate Army defence, exploiting the extreme weather conditions and the jungle terrain.

However, highly professional combat trackers of SL Army were able to lead their infantrymen to the terrorists' hideouts.

Troops engaged the group of terrorists killing all four of them. Two soldiers sacrificed their lives in the incident.

During the subsequent search, troops have found the four bodies of slain LTTE cadres along with three T-56 riffles, one radio communication set, few hand grenades and military packs filled with dry rations.

Elsewhere, troops killed at least two more LTTE terrorists who had opened fire at the troops clearing ahead of their defence line in Thampanai in the morning hours on Friday.

Troops also encountered small arms fire from the terrorists hiding behind the woods.

Soldiers responded immediately to the attack and secured the area causing the terrorists to runaway with their casualties. Ground sources have confirmed that two terrorists were killed in the incident.

Sporadic fighting reported in Thampanai, Periyathampanai, Pokkaravani, areas too in the Security Forces bid to neutralize the LTTE strong points.

Though the situation is extremely conducive for the Security Forces, with the successful operation carried out by the Navy destroying the last floating warehouse of the LTTE in the deep seas some 1700 Km off Dondra Head, the ongoing campaigns locally and internationally will hinder their efforts badly.

Though, the LTTE should not be taken lightly, they are now in a dire straits with larger number of their cadres killed when confronting the Security Forces and also due to the destruction of their arms smuggling vessels.

The real fighting strength with the LTTE has now reduced to 6,000.

But the LTTE have the capability to turn the situation in their favour by strengthening their fighting capability by converting the civilian population into military force.

The alarming situation arise when LTTE make such attempt to turn the civilian population into military force by giving them weapon training overnight to be deployed them in the front lines in the battles in the Wanni.

That is the only way the LTTE can survive from a humiliating defeat at the hand of the Security Forces. Therefore, what international community and the local politicians dancing to the tune of the LTTE should do is to save the lives of the innocent lives of these civilians from the iron grip of the LTTE.

Those who are highly emotional over the Human Rights situation in the country should be alerted not about the humanitarian crisis that may created due to the action of the Security Forces but due to the inhumane acts of the LTTE who rule the innocent Tamil population in Wanni violating basic norms of humanity.