To serve our own people

By Dhaneshi YATAWARA

[email protected]
 

By the end of last week Sri Lanka security forces have narrowed the distance to Kilinochchi to twelve kilometres with the capture of Thunukkai, the second most important administrative hub of the Tigers. With the rapid achievements of our valiant soldiers, the dream of the Tiger supremo to create a separate land for him is collapsing inevitably. And definitely the pressure increases making the Tigers fiercer.

The more the snooze tightens, the Tigers become more and more frustrated. Trying to get additional manpower into their cadre stream, the LTTE has accelerated the forced conscription of civilians, the military stated according to their confirmed references.

Life must be hard for these people. The innocent civilians, who never knew the outside world other than the dictatorship of the LTTE would definitely fear the world they have never seen. The people of the Eastern Province faced the same tragedy a year and a half ago, and the Sri Lanka Army arrived in time to rescue these innocent civilians.

The possibility of the LTTE cadres to move into cleared areas disguised as displaced people is a big threat to the Security Forces.

Amidst such uncertainties they, with the mammoth support from the Government, are ready to welcome the people fleeing from Tiger - held Vanni areas. It seems we need a different definition for our ‘war’. This is not using arms against Tamil people, but it is solely to destroy the menace of Tiger’s terrorism.

Though the LTTE call themselves as the ‘sole representatives’ of the Tamil community, it is part of their ‘modus operandi’ to use humans as their shield. According to military reports flowing into Colombo more and more hurriedly picked terrorist reinforcements have been sent to Thunukkai and Nachchikuda areas, pulling out most of them from Puthukkudiyirippu and Kilinochchi areas, including the Tigers police traffic”. Men and women, have begun to mobilize Wanni civilians to be used as *”human shields”* since their manpower resources are fast thinning out.

In a recent release by the Sri Lanka Army based on their intelligence sources, it was stated that hundreds of civilians, resident in areas such as Nedunkerny, Chemmalai, Alampil, Nayaru between Puliyankulam and Mankulam and also in Vallaipadu, Jayapuram and Kiranchi areas were reportedly fleeing towards Oddusudan, Puthukkudiyiruppu and Akkarayan areas respectively, though many of those trapped civilians insisted on entering cleared areas under government control.

Who would not want to live in peace? Will these people ever dream the ‘Shangri-la’ the LTTE pledged to them? All this have become a shattered dream.

A week before, the Government decided to facilitate the civilians who were coming into cleared areas of the Vanni theatre. Some would flee from Mullaithivu and re-emerge from Mannar! Imagine the struggle these people have been going through.

That life is not a bed of roses was proven to them in front of their own eyes in the hardest possible way.

LTTE barrier

According to Vavuniya District Secretary S. Shanmugam three locations have been selected with the assistance of the Sri Lanka Army, under the command of Vanni Headquarters to relocate the displaced.

According to the GA, the main obstacle the people are facing at the moment is the LTTE barrier. The Tigers would not let the people to come to safe areas. Tigers are reportedly busy simultaneously enlisting civilians as well as LTTE prisoners, convicted for minor offence, for fresh deployment, as other LTTE deserters who were kept detained after arrests, are also being moved to Welioya area after issuing “do or die” threats on them.

It is said that daily meetings addressed by Tigers are now a routine for trapped civilians. The LTTE strictly advise them to undergo military training in hideouts where LTTE political leaders go on brainwashing those trapped civilians, sources in the Wanni sector confirmed.

“According to another report on Wednesday (20), a Tamil mother from Vattakachchiya village has committed suicide taking poison over the loss of her two daughters within a period of three weeks while fighting against the troops. The moving story further revealed that one of her daughters was to go abroad for higher studies, but Tigers took her away for training by force. The mother who has been working as a labourer, committed suicide,” a release by the Army reveals.

One more episode of a different nature has also been reported from Piramandankulam, an area under Tiger control. A defiant young man who resisted forced LTTE conscription following his abduction from home has reportedly assaulted his LTTE abductors. Fearing reprisals, the youth has committed suicide by taking poison.

Keeping fingers crossed

“If people move into to the cleared areas I will not face any problems as I can directly get the required food, medicine etc for them. But we are continuing with the supply of essential items to uncleared areas under the approval of the Commissioner General of Essential Services,” Shanmugam added.

“We cannot consider each and every Tamil an LTTEer. That is unfair.

They are humans and they also need food for hunger, a shelter to protect themselves and similar things and anyone of us would need for our survival,” was the comment made by the Commissioner General of Essential Services S.B. Divaratne when inquired about the current supplies to the Vanni uncleared areas.

According to the available information, Kilinochchi has a population of 195,812 (as at 30 January 2008) while in Vavuniya 192,695 people are living.

Accordingly 224,327 people are living in Mullaitivu district as at 30 June 2008. This number would definitely vary since the people are moving in all directions to safeguard their lives as they are tightly held by the LTTE to use as their shield.

We have not stopped the supply of any of the items we were sending to those people in the uncleared areas, Divaratne added. According to him at the moment Mullaitivu, Kilinochchi and North of Vavuniya are the only areas the CGES office is concerned with. “After liberating the Mannar district by the Army we need not worry about transportation to Mannar as it is secured,” he said.

The food distribution is done through Cooperative shops in the uncleared areas as the LTTE won’t let the private traders to engage in business.

According to CGES there are two categories of IDPs. People who have arrived prior to 2006 and after 2006. The Ministry of Disaster Relief Services provides dry rations while a special supplementary food called ‘Corn Soya Blend’ through the World Food Program under the Ministry of Nation Building will also be given.

In addition fertilizer, animal feed are also sent to these areas to help the farmers. “They have a rich harvest which we do not know whether the civilians are able to use totally,” Commissioner General added.

With regard to the supply of cement, it was a fact proven beyond doubt that it is being used by the LTTE totally to build their bunkers. The fuel supply has been maintained. Even with severe limitations and restrictions the Commissioner General has been able to send the required amount of fuel to the uncleared areas. “There is no shortage in kerosene supply,” he added.

At the moment the World Food Program keeps a buffer stock in Vavuniya, ready to be sent to the uncleared areas when necessary. It includes 3000 metric tons of wheat flour and pulses. “And we have requested the UNDP also to keep their stocks of shelter material, nets etc in Vavuniya,” Divaratne explained.

It has been revealed at a recent meeting on this new development on welfare to people fleeing from uncleared Vanni areas that the hospitals are supplying with enough medicine stocks. Officials from the Medical Supplies Division of the Ministry of Health have confirmed it. The Ministry of Human Rights and Disaster Management also assists the process.

To end terror

As they unsuccessfully tried in Vakarai in the east of Sri Lanka several months back, Tigers expect to turn Wanni into a ‘humanitarian catastrophe’ of unprecedented degree with a view to harnessing international media attention. A self-explanatory press statement issued by LTTE political wing early this week revealed the realities of their plight. By that statement the LTTE has requested deserters to report back immediately to the their headquarters.

Tiger terrorists are busy changing their area leaders in a rapid manner in the past few weeks and appear to be hell bent on retaining as many Wanni civilians as possible in their territories.