Pell-mel CFA grinds to a halt!

Over 10,000 CFA violations by LTTE

By Dhaneshi Yatawara

Sri Lankan Government, on the second of January, announced that they will be withdrawing from the CFA due to its 'ghastly' operational status. Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama officially handed over the letter of termination of the Cease Fire Agreement to the Norwegian Ambassador to Sri Lanka last Thursday.

The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) stated on the following day, January 3, "The Government of Sri Lanka has decided to abrogate the Ceasefire Agreement of 2002 between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam effective as of 16 January 2008. Thus the SLMM will terminate its current operational activities in Sri Lanka effective 16 January at 1900 hrs"

"Accordingly, the Status of Mission Agreement (SOMA) on the Establishment and the Management of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) dated 18th March 2002 between the Royal Norwegian Government and the Government of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka will also stand terminated with effect from 16th January 2008," the Foreign Minister announced in his statement released last Friday.

This crucial decision to terminate the Ceasefire Agreement, the Government states, was taken after very careful consideration of all relevant facts.

The Sri Lankan crisis between the Government and the Liberation of Tamil Tigers or better known as the LTTE is variously described depending on the point of view it is being looked at. As John Gooneratne, a former Secretary General of the SCOPP says in his book "Negotiating With The Tigers" a view from the second row, it runs the full gamut from a problem of terrorism, to an ethnic conflict, a civil war, to a national liberation struggle and may be it shares a bit of all those characteristics.

First session of Peace Talks in 16 September 2002 in Thailand

(L-R) Mr. Anton Balasingham, Mr. Vidar Helgesen, Mr.Urs Ziswiler, Mr.Nimal Siripala de Silva, Mr. Eric Solheim at the Geneva Peace Talks

There were many hard endeavours tried for a political solution from 'Thimpu Talks' in 1985, talks between President Ranasinghe Premadasa and LTTE that lasted from 1989 to 1990, and Talks between President Chandrika Kumaratunga and LTTE in 1994 till 1995' and Talks between the United National Front where the CFA was signed in 2002, and thereafter talks between President Kumaratunga and LTTE again, from April 2004 and since November 2005 President Mahinda Rajapaksa's Government is trying to bring the Tigers to Talks.

The Sri Lankan Government was dealing with an organisation specialised in the art of death that sharpened the method of brutal suicide attacks being an exemplar among many top listed terrorist organisations. The LTTErs all carry a small pendant like glass vial with a deadly dose of cyanide that would reach their blood stream piercing the skin of his or her mouth when the glass is bitten and broken, killing them in seven seconds death is better than capture. LTTE is an organisation led by an introvert leader around a personality cult.

Over 10,000 cases of Ceasefire violations by the LTTE since February, 2002 till April 2007, have been reported.

Negotiations coming in to play

The agreement on a Ceasefire between the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and the LTTE, signed by both parties came into effect on 23rd February 2002. The Ceasefire Agreement came as an aftermath to the unilateral ceasefire that was declared during December 2001 by the then United National Front regime and the LTTE. On 27th December 2001 the then Premier Ranil Wickramasinghe in a telephone conversation with his Norwegian counterpart Kjell Magne Bondevik officially requested the Royal Norwegian Government to recommence its facilitator role with a view to bring about negotiations and later to be followed up with a letter. (Negotiating With The Tigers. A view from the second row by John Gooneratne).

On 2nd January 2002 the pro-LTTE TamilNet website reported that LTTE leadership had requested the Norwegian Government to be the facilitator between the LTTE and the GOSL.

The Sri Lankan Government, the LTTE and the Norwegian Government worked at a pell mel speed to get the peace process moving. And within two months a ceasefire agreement was hastily and successfully arranged.

Since the initiation of negotiations LTTE have been engaged in a high level of hostilities tantamount to a war, including firing artillery on civilian settlements, sea and air bombing, that resulted in a large scale displacement of people and violations of human rights.

Not even during the first six rounds of peace talks from September 2002 to March 2003 the Tigers were willing to come in to a permanent political solution. On the contrary, under the cover of the CFA, the LTTE continued to take undue advantage on the ground as they had been in all previous peace processes.

"It must be noted that it is during this period that the LTTE most brazenly assassinated, among others, the serving Foreign Minister and moderate Tamil Member of Parliament, Lakshman Kadirgamar on 12th August 2005 and eliminated many of Sri Lanka's intelligence officers in Kiribathgoda, Dehiwala, Bambalapitiya as well as in Jaffna," Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama stated last Friday addressing the media at a briefing.

The Ceasefire Agreement, which comprises a preamble and four articles, states, the two parties undertook not to engage in offensive military operations, including air and naval operations.

"There was no reduction in hostilities, to say the least during the CFA time period", commenting about the CFA abolition Government Defence Spokesman Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said. "During the latter part of signing process the CFA at that time Prabhakaran 'withdrew' from it," Rambukwella added. The LTTE unilaterally pulled out of the peace process since April 2003.

Belief in political solution

The LTTE launched a wave of attacks on the Sri Lanka Security Forces just two weeks after President Mahinda Rajapaksa assumed duties in November 2005. Despite this fact, the Government continued to engage in political negotiations with the terrorists.

"The Government have not given up in its efforts to find a long standing political solution", Minister Rambukwella stressed, talking to the Sunday Observer.

Two rounds of talks held in Geneva and the technical talks scheduled in Oslo. In Oslo, the LTTE delegation having arrived in the city, refused to show up for negotiations, once again underlying its lack of commitment to the Peace Process. The LTTE spurned all opportunities at discussing the core issues aimed at arriving at a political settlement, and continued its duplicitous action of escalating the violations of the CFA.

"Hence it was apparent that all our efforts were in rain", the Defence Spokesperson added further stating that Government have still kept the doors open for negotiations even in this backdrop, though it may sound an impossible task.

"Some can argue that this will have bad implications on the image of the country at international level. Yet, we believe our country's sovereignty is in the hands of our people. The Government, elected by the people, holds a responsibility to protect national security. Even if the CFA holds detrimental facts against country's and its people's national security, the Government has to take the necessary steps", Rambukwella highlighted.

In addition to the extensive list of Ceasefire violations the LTTE meanwhile had developed an air-wing and child recruitment under the cloak of the CFA.

In this milieu the Government believes that talking to LTTE will all be in vain, the Cabinet Spokesman Media and Information Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa said on Thursday. He emphasised that if the scenario changes positively, towards a lasting solution and if the LTTE is prepared to lay down their arms and start talks with the Government, then Government would respond accordingly.

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