MEDIA
RELEASE
December 26, 2005
Tamil Tiger Terrorists Wage
an Undeclared War in Sri Lanka
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) made a pretence of seeking a peaceful resolution of the ongoing conflict following the strong anti-terrorist climate prevailing after September 11, 2001. They have by their actions clearly demonstrated that they have no interest in peace even though they committed themselves to a Ceasefire Accord in February 2002. They have violated the CFA on innumerable occasions with no regard to the voices of the major powers in the international community who function as co-chairs of the Sri Lanka Peace Process.
In the spate of recent
attacks, it has been observed that the LTTE resorts to cowardly means of
intimidating civilians to form a human shield for them to unleash their deadly
weapons on security check points, military installations and routine
peacekeeping patrols, in order to invite retaliation by the security forces
which would result in civilian casualties.
The security forces have shown utmost restraint despite these provocative
acts and loss of several members of their units, to prevent a serious breakdown
of the CFA. The LTTE and the Tamil
civilians who are compelled to confront the security forces should be warned
that there are limits to patience, and that they risk retaliatory fire which
could lead to a hostile atmosphere and a fresh war which they most likely would
not wish to face.
In the last three weeks of
December 2005, the LTTE has carried out 31 separate attacks using claymore
mines, rocket propelled grenades, small arms fire and even machetes to attack
members of the Sri Lankan Security Forces and ordinary civilians in the north
and east of the island. Summary of
the resulting deaths, injuries and abductions are given
below:
Attacks Carried Out
Against
Killed
Injured
Abducted
1. Sri Lankan Army
Personnel
17
21
-
2. Sri Lankan Navy
Personnel
18 20
2
3. Sri Lankan Police
Personnel
1
27 3
4. Ordinary Civilians 23
19 3
Total for Period Dec 2-25,
2005
59
87
8
A Sri Lanka Airforce
Helicopter proceeding to ferry Italy’s Deputy Foreign Minister visiting tsunami
victims in the east was struck by gunfire, but safely landed without a serious
mishap.
( Contd./2)
-
2 –
The total violations on the part of the Tamil Tiger Terrorists based on the reports of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission made up of Scandinavian personnel and UNICEF would exceed 7,000 during the past 3 years and 10 months that the CFA has been in place, whilst the violations on the part of the government side number roughly 150 which are mainly alleged incidents of harassment of persons at security check points. The LTTE’s violations cover every conceivable aspect including the killing of over 450 political dissidents, the shocking assassination of the much respected foreign minister, the late
Hon. Lakshman Kadirgamar,
abduction and forcible conscription of over 3,500 children, assaults,
intimidation, extortion. and denial of civic rights such as the right to vote
and free movement. There is even
reports of torture of persons in dungeon prisons in the un-cleared areas of the
Vanni.
The international media has
recently reported the large scale extortion of funds from members of the Tamil
Diaspora including in Canada for what they term the final phase of the war to
establish their mono-ethnic separate Tamil state of “Eelam” encompassing the
north and east of Sri Lanka, extending up to 1/3rd of the land and
2/3rd of the coastline and territorial waters, for resident Tamils
numbering less than 5 percent of the island’s population.
A major part of the blame
for the present situation lies with the partiality of Norwegian peace
facilitator that put in place a lopsided MOU and CFA with the power hungry UNF
government, which allowed the LTTE access to all areas permitting them to move
their suicide bombers, assassins and armed cadres into every region, whilst
debarring others from entry into the un-cleared areas held by the LTTE. Furthermore, they have provided large
sums of money and gifted high powered communications equipment to the LTTE. The SLMM too has been ineffective in
investigating violations and bringing pressure on the offending Tamil Tiger
Terrorists, with some instances of the monitors tipping off the LTTE in respect
of measures to apprehend illegal arms shipments from being smuggled in. We have also had the comical conclusions
on the part of the SLMM blaming unknown third parties for offences emanating
from the LTTE, including the case of the sinking of the Chinese cargo vessel
operating off Sri Lanka’s east coast.
Key members of the
international community such as the EU and Canada have also contributed to the
lack of progress towards a negotiated peace in Sri Lanka, as they have turned a
blind eye to fundraising by the LTTE front organizations within their
jurisdictions. They have even
permitted the pro-LTTE groups to operate radio and television stations for
propaganda purposes including the glorification of terrorism, for the sake of
Tamil votes which these fronts offer to deliver to the party in power to prop up
their electoral strength, in contravention of their obligations in terms of the
‘ UN resolution on the suppression of financing of
terrorism’.
( Contd./3)
- 3 -
The international community
may have been fooled by the LTTE’s declaration in Oslo in 2002 to explore a
negotiated peace based on a federal structure within a united Sri Lanka. The LTTE’s chief negotiator, Anton
Balasingham has subsequently stated that they were not serious about a federal
solution. They refused to renounce
violence and terrorism, and have used the peace process to buy time to establish
a parallel administration in the un-cleared areas of the Vanni presently
controlled by them. They have also
continued to build up their fighting forces through child conscription and
abductions, smuggle in weapons to pursue the very same goal of an ethnically
based separate state. They kept
away from the Tokyo peace talks in June 2003 which would have required them to
commit themselves to a human rights code, and avoided further talks
thereafter. They have now indicated
their willingness to discuss changes to the CFA at a European location,
obviously to flout the EU travel ban, and not with any genuine desire to work
out a peaceful resolution.
The LTTE’s most brutal and
vicious past where they ruthlessly massacred other Tamil groups and their
continuing to kill political dissidents to adorn the self declared title of
‘sole representative of the Tamil community’, appears to have created other
virulent and determined splinter groups that are challenging the LTTE’s fascist
dictatorship. The Christmas day
murder of the pro-LTTE parliamentarian, Joseph Pararajasingham of the TNA inside
a church in Batticaloa could well be the act of such a
group.
If the international
community stays the present course in not applying their anti-terrorism laws
uniformly, and continues to exempt the LTTE from such laws without any
legitimate grounds, it is time that Sri Lanka ignored these foreign powers that
are playing dangerous games, and took all necessary measures to safeguard her
sovereignty and territorial integrity which must be defended at all costs. Sri Lanka should proceed to build up her
defensive capabilities and act before the LTTE launches its threatened
destructive plans. There is no need
to wait for the LTTE to come to their senses for the purpose of discussing a
peace accord, as that day would never dawn. Sri Lanka should take steps to dismantle
the merger of the northern and eastern provinces which lacks constitutional or
legal justification, and commence discussions with all parties that are within
the democratic fold to work out an acceptable solution which should be
implemented with or without the terrorist LTTE participating in that decision
making process.
Yours very truly,
Mahinda
Gunasekera
Honorary President