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Bull's Eye by a Special Defence Correspondent

A few months after the 9/11 attack on New York, the LTTE declared unilateral truce pretentiously stretching their hands towards peace. For the LTTE, at that time, it was the most suitable and strategic action to elude from the aftermath of the brutal attack.

International heat on world terrorism rose to the climax with the Bush administration declaring war on terror and that crippled fund raising, weapon acquisition and recruiting schemes of many world terrorist groups including the LTTE in Sri Lanka. In this backdrop, first and foremost, Sri Lankan peace loving people should thank profusely President Bush rather than giving accolades to founders of the CFA because President Bush's act that pushed the LTTE to transform themselves temporarily thereby giving up mass scale death of civilians.

Although many people including politicians, NGOs, businessmen and other influential groups are trying to pass the credit to various individuals, the reality of the origin of the CFA is the LTTE's unilateral truce, which led to the CFA between the LTTE and Government on February 22, 2002.

The LTTE would have declared the truce as a withdrawal tactic in the face of international heat. Exposure of the LTTE's continuous secret missions against the opponents and arms smuggling to strengthen their firepower just after a few months of the CFA bore good testimony to tiger rejection of peace.

They used the peace process to mark time and to relax their fighting cadres and other war strategies instead. The LTTE determination to achieve its Eelam goal did not seem changed and being a signatory to the CFA looked a mere eyewash but not commitment.

Meanwhile, pro LTTE agencies and Tamil Diaspora have been using the CFA to gain international sympathy and other supports including smuggling of illegal weapons to enable them to regroup in Vanni.

Thus the LTTE Leader Velupillai Pirabahara strategically used the CFA to convert his separatist guerilla war against Government security forces and civilians into a shadow war where he deployed his pistol group to reach members of his hit list. Hundreds of civilians, politicians and social group leaders who criticized LTTE hegemony have become victims of the LTTE gun and many thousands are living in death's door as the CFA has paved the way for the killer cadres to move freely not only in their stronghold of Vanni but also in Government controlled areas including Colombo. They have already killed 600 persons including Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar after the CFA.

While the numbers in the LTTE hit list are reducing daily in this manner, the LTTE Sea Tigers are involved in transporting illegal weapons purchased from various destinations especially in the Far Eastern Asian bases. The provision of the CFA is fully used getting the weapons transported without hassle and they have even gone beyond the provisions of the CFA by violating it more than 5000 times.

Tsunami, as it destroyed the coastal areas around the country, made a heavy damage to the LTTE controlled areas especially Mullaitivu. Death to sea tigers and damage to many of their sea bases and equipment were obvious.

The organization prevented entry to their areas after the tsunami and as a result, outsiders were unable to assess the true damage to sea tigers. Even relief workers were stopped during the first few days, and selected groups only allowed after they managed to hide the damage.

They would have believed that the exposure of the destruction to their cadres would reduce the moral of the organization. However, security intelligence sources revealed that the sea tigers received heavy damage by the tsunami and their cadres reduced to 950. However, with new recruitment including child soldiers, the number has risen to 2000.

So, collecting modern weapons as much as possible has become a priority of the organization and the LTTE think tanks have been taxing their brains day and night working out plans in order to fill their coffers. They are perturbed with the political development of the country too, as their plans could be disturbed under a new president who may not connive at their obstinate and criminal acts. Therefore, it is recorded that the LTTE intelligent head Pottu Amman has sent a black tiger team to Colombo to reach presidential candidates at any given chance.

After the assassination of Indian Premier Rajiv Gandhi by a LTTE suicide black tigress, Governments of Western European countries realized the LTTE's struggle was not a freedom fight but terrorist act. This has proved to them with other incidents such as its unsuccessful efforts to procure light aircraft from the West in order to use them for air-borne terrorist operations in Sri Lanka as well as in other neighbouring countries when necessary.

The LTTE's acceptance of a consignment of arms and ammunition from the ISI in 1993, assisting narcotics barons based in Pakistan and Afghanistan and supporting other religious terrorist groups to smuggle weapons to the Southern Philippines, America's listing the LTTE as a terrorist group, and its banning in several other European countries including the UK put weight on the issue for these countries to consider the movement of the LTTE seriously.

The result was a blockade to the LTTE's free run in procuring weapons in these countries. Having realized this situation, the LTTE looked for an alternative destination and found South East Asian region as an unrestricted ground to carry on with the acts.

Later, they set up a secret base at Phuket in Thailand to purchase arms from battle hit Cambodia, North Korea and Laos and smuggle them to Vanni later.

From time to time, caches of illegal weapons, spare parts of submarines and sea craft were arrested by police in these countries and bi-lateral discussions in this regard failed to stop the menace may be due to lack of necessary facilities to combat such crimes and the recent statement by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, admitting that the LTTE smuggled weapons from his country to Vanni is good evidence to the LTTE weapon procurement in the region. Premier Sen made the admission during his speech at a forum of businessmen and government officials on October 16.

Just two months after signing the CFA on February 22, naval surveillance detected the LTTE smuggling a large haul of weapons to the Vanni. Following are some of the major detections confirmed by the Sri Lanka Navy after the CFA.

The Navy detected three LTTE boats including two attack crafts and one logistic one transporting a large haul of arms and ammunition off Foul Point Trincomalee on April 24, 2002. On May 1, 2002, LTTE blew themselves up in one of their two boats carrying weapons and explosives when troops got close to the boats in Vakarai Batticaloa. The other boat was also exploded later in which the debris of weapons were found.

On February 6, troops detected lethal material in a LTTE attack craft near Delft Island and the three sea tigers blew themselves up after setting fire to the craft. LTTE movements in sea, training drills and exercises, transporting suspicious goods have become a routine activity close to their bases in the Eastern and Northern seas.

It is believed that there are several major sea tiger bases in Mullaitivu and off Jaffna peninsula and the entire unit is under the command of Susai. His second in command is said to have been Mangalesh and his subordinate is Cheliyam who supervise the overall operation of the entire unit with base camps along the coastal belt in the North and East and in Mannar.

The Mullaitivu Head Quarters in land is believed to be located in Pudupudireppu while the sea base is off Wattraipalai. The main base in Elephant pass is called Kevil and Jaffna bases are believed to be at Puderippu in Chandikulam, at Naldantanni in Tenduwan, Wattapalai, and Vattuwal and in Nachchikadu in Mannar, Upparu in Trincomalee and Kadirawali between Trincomalee and Batticaloa. Other sea tiger camps are believed to be located at Kariyalwayal, Pulliamokkari, Koram Oddai, Uriyan, Champion pattu, Vettalekerni, Chundikulam, Wattarammadai, Korammattu, Potukudirreppu East and Potukudirreppu and Pattikarai (Thalai).

News related to the LTTE illegal weapon deals in Thailand and Cambodia were given wide publicity in national newspapers in those countries, mainly in the Bangkok Post. Phuket has been LTTE Terrorists' major base for arms procurement and smuggling since the late 1980's. In December 1990 the Port Authority in Penang impounded a LTTE vessel "Sun Bird" with a load of weapons and communication equipment, smuggled from Phuket and destined to Vanni.

It was also in Phuket, that Sri Lankan born Norwegian citizen Christie Reginald Lawrence was caught by the police, while building a submarine with a Norwegian Engine for sabotage missions by LTTE in Sri Lanka. The Shipyard was jointly owned by Lawrence, Thai and American nationals.

Lawrence is said to have been married to a Thai woman.

Besides Phuket, LTTE has been using several other ports in Thailand - Ranong, Krabi, Sattoship, and Haadyai and Songahla to ship weapons and military equipment to Vanni. Thailand Army photographed LTTE's transferring weapons at Kohrach, 15 kilometers from Phuket, the Bangkok Post reported on May 2000.

On 28 February 2002, Thai Police seized a cache of explosives believed to be destined for the LTTE. The munitions found in a large wooden crate hidden in a vacant land plot near Klong Khua Khiew included TNT and C-4 explosives, M-79, M46, and M67 grenades, detonators and equipment. Police said to reporters that the explosives could have come from rebels operating along the Thai-Burmese border or could have been smuggled into the country from Cambodia.

A police source yesterday said arms smuggling was rife in Ranong, especially in the Andaman Sea. Most of smuggled weapons were destined for the LTTE.

A pirate gang, led by a man known only as "Kala'' and operating in the waters between Phangnga and Ranong, was believed to be engaged in the arms smuggling business in the Andaman, the source said, Bangkok Post said on May 1, 2002.

It is believed that the LTTE procured stealth technology from North Korea to attack naval craft silently and they used to attack several Government sea crafts in the past.

Thus, even before 9/11 attack, the LTTE had experienced some difficulties in its funds and arms procurement activities in Western and Eastern Europe, but these were not of an insurmountable nature since it continued to have a free run of South-East Asia despite the increasing concerns of the countries of the region over its activities. It is in this context that one has to see the LTTE's unilateral ceasefire which led to the CFA.

The LTTE change is essentially one of their tactics and not commitment to peace. They have decided to wait for the right time and see whether it can use this truce for making a forward movement towards its strategic and determined objective of a separate state - Tamil Eelam. Their behavior in all forms well demonstrates this objective.

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