Tamil community no longer tolerates LTTE demands blindly

Any organisation representing a community cannot exist once they lose the support of the community they represent. The LTTE is no exception. Though LTTE claimed that they were the liberators of the Tamil community they have now become a curse to the same community.

Under this circumstance the Tamil community is now yearning to get rid of this so-called liberator as they are sure they themselves can find the path of freedom without depending on an outfit which is ready to prey on the lives of innocent Tamil people for their own liberation.

The Tamil community, who blindly worshipped the LTTE as their saviour, have now realised the bitter truth that they can no longer keep faith on them as their liberator as it is not capable of attaining their own liberation.

Adding to these concerns of the Tamil community towards the LTTE is the suffering they had to undergo at the hands of the LTTE in the 'boiling pot' of Wanni, following the loss of entire Eastern Province to the Security Forces.

They want to come out of this pot in the Wanni as the pressures on them by the LTTE are now on a high degree.

The Tamil community is no longer tolerating the nuisance of the LTTE. They are now ready for a do or die battle, not with the Sri Lankan Government or the Government Security Forces but with the LTTE.

Open defiance

The Tamil community openly defy the orders of the LTTE when they forcibly kept the Tamil community with them to be used as a human shield to take cover from the Security Forces.

The first sign of the people's protest over the LTTE, emanated on Wednesday with the first family from heavily fortified Puthukuduiruppu in Mullaitivu dared to cross the stormy seas in a dingy boat to arrive in Trincomalee in the wee hours on Wednesday daring the LTTE guns pointed at them.

The family originally from Madalan at Puthukuddyirippu in the Mullaittivu district, had braved the choppy seas avoiding non-liberated shores till they reached safe waters under naval patrol.

The family had drifted long hours until they were attended to by naval personnel and brought ashore. The family members further said escaping from the uncleared area was the only way out.

They explained the orgy they undergo in the Tiger controlled Wanni where they have been oppressed by the LTTE to achieve their petty goals.

The family of five, father, mother and three children, now living under the protection of the Sri Lanka Navy told the media that people in Wanni were eagerly awaiting their liberation from the LTTE as it happened in the East.

According to military it was the first time the civilians had chosen the sea route in the East especially the sea belt along Mullaitivu to flee the Tiger held areas.

These civilians have chosen this path as it was extremely impossible for them to cross into government held areas via entry-eExit points at Omanthai, as LTTE has severely restricted civilian movements from Wanni.

The LTTE has restricted the movements of even patients who are in dire need to have their medicines which are not available in Wanni. A person infected with AIDS had to plead with the LTTE to cross Omanthai check point this week to arrive at a Colombo hospital.

He also revealed to the doctors that LTTE prevented him from entering government held areas for months and he was critically ill.

Not only these civilians the civilians crossing the sea in the North of Mannar to arrive in Government held areas in Mannar reconfirmed the intelligence reports received from Wanni about the plight of the civilians miserably entrapped in Wanni.

The Tiger outfit is suppressing these innocent civilians in their intense preparation to protect their strong hold in the Wanni, to avert repetition of Eastern debacle in the Wanni as they are sure that their territory will soon be overrun by the Security Forces already engaged in clear operations in West of Vavuniya.

With these developments the LTTE has demanded that at least three members from one family should join the outfit to have their required number of cadres, as the outfit now facing severe shortage of man power with the loss of their recruitment bases in the East and also in Jaffna.Earlier practice of the LTTE was to have one member from one family to join the ranks of the LTTE. But they have to highly concentrate on the forcible recruitment of youth and children to their depleted ranks as their defences in the Wanni constantly come under attack of the Security Forces to neutralize the Tiger attacks.

Therefore, Wanni has become one of the most dangerous places for children especially for teenagers who have minimum strength to hold a gun in their hand. The families fleeing the Tiger held Wanni are mainly parents with children who are young.

Demoralised cadres

The situation has emerged due to highly demoralised LTTE cadres now serving in the LTTE. They are now demoralised to the point to commit suicide detonating suicide belts hanging around their waists, the latest deadly weapon they use, to prevent them being captured by the Security Forces.

Ayanna alias Neeshan a senior LTTE leader in Pandikulam area in Vavuniya killed himself detonating a suicide belt when the troops swooped on a gang of Tiger terrorists moving in Koomankulam junction on Tuesday afternoon.

The senior Tiger leader sustained injuries following gunfire directed by rushing troops but his fellow terrorist fled on motorbike leaving the injured fellow-terrorist behind with his motorbike.

As the troops went closer, the wounded area leader blew himself up to avoid being caught by the troops. Investigations confirmed that a suicide jacket worn around his waist triggered the explosion bringing instantaneous death to him.Under these circumstances the Tiger outfit has failed to maintain discipline among the cadres resulting high degree desertions of the LTTE ranks.

This situation has compelled the Tiger leadership to forcibly deploy the civilians on guard duty to protect their military installations. With the Tamil Eelam map now reduced to Mullaitivu, Kilinochchi, and some parts of Weli Oya, Vavuniya and Mannar districts the Tiger outfit have to depend on the population living in Wanni for all their activities ranging from recruitment, taxation and to draw blood.

Therefore, the Human Rights violations have become order of the day in the Wanni with all sorts of harassments imposed on them with the sole intention of defending themselves from any offensive operation by the Security Forces.

They have been left with no other option other than going for large scale human rights violations suppressing the innocent Tamil civilians.

The pressures on the civilians in the Wanni clearly implicate how the outfit has been shaken by the losses they experienced in the Eastern theatre.

The loss of territory, man power and also large stocks of weapons to the Security Forces has brought the morale of the Tiger leadership to the lowest level in the three decade long conflict.

The international image of the LTTE has been severely affected after the loss of the East as they cannot go before any international forum for showing their illusive Eelam map as the entire world is enlightened on the fact that they have lost complete control over the Eastern province.

These circumstances have restricted the LTTE leadership from entering into negotiations with the Government as the situation is highly unfavourable to them. But the LTTE is engaged in a campaign that they have to withdraw from the negotiations due to human rights violations by the Government.

But the Tiger outfit cannot keep the Human Rights violations taking place in Wanni, a secret to the international community as Tamil civilians are openly defying the orders of the LTTE and brave the guns pointed at them to flee the Tiger held areas as it happened in Vakarai in November last year.

Therefore, a mammoth crowd of civilians are expected to break the defences of the LTTE in Wanni in the coming days as they are well aware of the fact even the LTTE itself cannot defend themselves in their stronghold in the Wanni.

The intelligence reports receiving from Wanni indicates the incident connected to the Sea Tiger leader Soosai has shaken also the people in Wanni.

It has been divulged that Sea Tiger leader Soosai is still in an unconscious state in a hospital in Puthukuduiruppu in Mullaitivu after sustaining injuries in an explosion while inspecting a Sea Tiger exercise in Nanthikadal lagoon on July 18.

The five year old son of Soosai Shankar also died in this explosion.

Now, the LTTE has turned these areas into High Security Zones fearing they be penetrated by the Security Forces.

Apart from this situation reports also suggests that the LTTE is also forcing the NGO workers serving in Wanni to channel their funds to the Tiger outfit as they running out of funds following their defeat in the East. Therefore, the area has become highly dangerous for the NGOs to continue their activities with LTTE pressurizing them to act according to their wish.

Exodus expected

Under these circumstances it is highly predictable that people will soon leave the Tiger held areas in Wanni, seeking refuge of the Security Forces as it happened in the Eastern province last year.

With these human rights violation taking place in Wanni in the aftermath of the Eastern debacle the Security Forces are now continuing their search and clear operations in the newly liberated areas in Thoppigala jungle while tracking the Tiger cadres fled from Thoppigala jungle.

Commando troops, and infantry battalions have been deployed in Kaddawana jungle in Trincomalee as troops receiving information that a group of more than 100 cadres had moved into the jungle after fleeing from Thoppigala and crossing the jungles in West of Vakarai. Troops have intensified these operations as the presence of Tiger cadres in the province would hamper the efforts taken by the Government to restore normality in the Eastern province and to expedite the development process in the province.

Apart from the operations by the Army the Police Special Task Force also now engage in clear operation to flush out Tiger cadres who had fled to Kanchikudichchiaru jungles in the Batticaloa Ampara border. The STF has been able to detect some abandoned camps inside the jungle during these operations and had found many mine fields set by the fleeing Tiger cadres to prevent them being tracked.

However, flushing out of these Tiger cadres has become compulsory given the task before the Government to develop the Eastern province to the satisfaction of the civilian population living there. It is sad to note that some are making premature remarks over the progress of the development process in the East, forgetting the fact that the East has been left out from the development process for more than two decades. Therefore, it is unfair to compare the developments taking place in the East with other districts of the country, since it was backward prior to the liberation.

But, it has to be emphasized that if the people of the Eastern province are to be kept under the control of the Government, they should be treated equally developing the area in a way that can be felt by the people.

For instance, instead of making patchwork repair to the damaged roads they should be developed to modern carpeted roads. President Mahinda Rajapaksa has also taken progressive step to strengthen the security of the government officials now serving in the Eastern province so that they can continue the development process without being affected by the terror acts of the LTTE.

Such moves will help ensuring the people not only in the Eastern province but also in the Wanni to say no to the tyrannical rule of the LTTE and to enter the path of democracy to develop their areas parallel to the development process taking place in other parts of the country.