ProTEG News Letter
P.O.Box 782, Egmore, Chennai 600 008, India.
ISSUE
145
AUGUST 2004
The
Centre for State and International Studies (CSIS) has said that international
and domestic facilitators must ensure that negotiations take place in a climate
of equality, transparency and security. Outlining the obstacles to the peace
process in Ceylon, it said the Government of Sri Lanka must “promote the
benefits of peace in order to bring an end to the country’s conflict.” The
report “Security Peace An Action Strategy for Sri Lanka” was prepared by the
Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton
University, and a synopsis was provided by the CSIS.
“The
Government of Sri Lanka has taken only minimal steps to ensure short term
economic gains and has had a weak voice in articulating actual and potential
dividends of peace,” says the report. It says the LTTE rhetoric “indicates
concern for improving the economic welfare of Tamils thereby securing the
backing of those who may not otherwise support them. Without connecting the
peace process to tangible benefits for individual citizens, Sri Lankans will
continue to feel frustrated by stagnant economic growth and may become
disillusioned with the peace process. Where ethnic violence persists, the
competition for “scare jobs” will fuel ethnic tensions.”
LTTE’s
former Eastern military leader V. Muralitharan (‘Col.’ Karuna) has a role in
the mainstream democratic politics in Ceylon, says Douglas Devananda, Minister
for Agricultural Marketing Development and Hindu Affairs in the United People’s
Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government. The leader of the Eelam People’s Democratic
Party (EPDP), a fierce critic of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE),
told “The Hindu” newspaper in that he has been in touch with Col. Karuna over
the telephone. Devananda said; “We cannot solve the ethnic conflict through
war. Even the LTTE acknowledges that Col. Karuna had a major role in their
military victories. Now even he wishes to join the democratic politics,” said
the Minister reacting to reports in the Sri Lankan media that he has asked
Karuna to join politics.
ABSOLUTE
DISREGARD FOR POPULATION THE LTTE CLAIMS TO REPRESENT SAYS HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH
A
top Norwegian envoy Solheim began meetings with Sri Lankan leaders in a bid to
salvage the island’s faltering peace whilst the Tamil Tigers came under fresh
criticism over recruitment of child soldiers. A similar mission by Solheim
failed last month amidst dispute over the scope of the agenda for future
negotiations. The latest peace initiative came as Human rights Watch issued a
report accusing the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) of “stealing
children from their homes to put them on the firing line.”
“Despite
all their promises, they are demonstrating absolute disregard for the most
vulnerable part of the population it claims to represent,” the New York. Based
group said. Human Rights Watch urged the Sri Lankan government to declare an
amnesty for all child soldiers who have returned home. “An amnesty would enable
this vulnerable population to seek government protection and move freely in the
country, away from areas of LTTE control,; the rights group said. The Tigers
have pledged not to recruit child fighters but have denied allegations of
running a “baby brigade,” saying that impoverished young people volunteer for
LTTE administrative work. Reports of the new recruitment have sparked fears the
guerrillas may be preparing for fighting amid new strains in the
Norwegians-brokered cease-fire in place since February 2002. The LTTE has
announced a boycott of truce monitoring meetings with the Sri Lankan military
until government forces stop harbouring breakaway rebel leader Karuna.
SUICIDE ATTACK ON MINISTER FOILED
A
suspected LTTE woman suicide bomber struck in the heart of Colombo on the 7th
July killing herself and four police officers at a police station next to the
Sri Lankan Prime Minister’s official residence. According to security sources,
at least 22 others were injured in the explosion, which jolted two years of
relative calm in the island. The suicide bomber was apparently on a mission to
assassinate the cabinet Minister, Douglas Devananda, a fierce critic of the
Tigers who publicly encouraged the LTTE’s rebellious military commander, Karuna
to enter mainstream politics. The Minister’s aides named the suicide bomber as
“Jeyarani”, based on an identity card found among the remains of her blown up
body.
“She
tried to enter my room on the pretext of seeking a job, but declined to be
frisked. She was later nabbed by police and blew herself up during
interrogation,” Mr. Devananda told “The Hindu.” The LTTE has neither claimed
nor denied involvement. The Government did not name the Tigers, but condemned
the “attempted assassination” as one that showed “callous disregard for human
lives” by “the perpetrators of he act” who were “reverting to violence as a
means of settling disputes.” After ‘Jeyarani’ was refused entry into Mr. Devananda’s room, she was
questioned at the nearby Kollupitiya
police station, which shares a compound wall with Temple Trees, the
Prime Minister’s official residence. Around 12.30 p.m., she blew herself up,
bringing her failed mission to a blood-splattered end, but reopening scars of
the LTTE’s urban bombing campaigns in the past. Though Mr. Devananda is “always
a target, his recent open support for ‘Col’ Karuna is another provocation,” the
analyst said. Mr. Devananda, who last survived an attack on him in June 1998,
however, was unfazed: “It is not new, surprising or something that one is
afraid of,” he said. Despite its failure, the explosion marks an ominous start
to Sri Lanka’s most-dreaded month of “Black July”, when the Tigers, in the
past, carried out either individual assassinations or attacks on economic and
military installations to mark the anti-Tamil pogrom of 1983. The Kollupitiya
station was scene of destruction, with a blood-splattered wall and shattered
windowpanes bearing a tragic testimony to the renewed mayhem.
Meanwhile
a woman accomplice of the suicide bomber was arrested and remanded. Earlier the
suicide bomber had been already identified as Thiagarajah Jeyarani (29) a
resident of Manipay, Jaffna. According to an earlier report, the female suicide
cadre Jeyarani was accompanied by another woman and entered the second floor
where Douglas Devananda’s office was located. The police has now arrested the
so called “another woman” alleged to be Sathya Leela Selvakumar (29) of Jaffna,
who was earlier in the employ of Douglas Devananda until April this year. The
statement made by Sathya Leela, the accomplice of the LTTE woman suicide bomber
implicates Liberation Tigers Tamil Eelam’s deep involvement in the
suicide-bombing attempt to kill Douglas Devananda, the Leader of the Eelam
People’s Democratic Party who is also a government minister with cabinet
status. Sathya Leela in her statement to the Police said that she had been
earlier in the employ of Douglas Devananda, and was paid Rs.7,000 per month but
the EPDP leader terminated her employment in April this year.
ARMY
COMMITTED TO PEACE BUT READY FOR ANY EVENTUALITY WARNS NEW ARMY COMMANDER
Lt.
Gen Shantha Kottegoda who assumed duties as the 17th commander of
the Sri Lanka Army stressed the need for dialogue with the LTTE at various
command levels. The army, he said, had to mend fences with the LTTE as what he
termed the Karuna episode had eroded the trust LTTE had in the army. “This
embarrassing to us,” he said. “Unless this is done, the peace process was
likely to suffer”. Addressing the media he said that the army was prepared for
any eventuality should the peace collapse and the LTTE returns to war, “I have
nothing to start anew. We have been training our soldiers and they are geared
to face any challenges with the kind of training imparted by battle-hardened
soldiers of the calibre of Major Gen. Sarath Fonseka, who is the Deputy Chief
of Staff,” he said.
AUSTRALIA WILL NOT
LIFT THE BAN ON LTTE
Australia’s
Foreign Minister, Alexander Downer told federal parliament that the Australian
government would continue to ban the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) as
a terrorist organization in the country.
The Australian Foreign Minister was replying to John Murphy, a pro-LTTE
labor Member of Parliament who asked the Minister whether the Australian
government would lift the proscription of the Sri Lankan rebel outfit after the mandate given by the Tamil people
of the Northern and Eastern Provinces to show the international community that
they were supporting the LTTE and the Interim Self Governing Authority, the
Foreign Minister of Australia said the TNA won 20 out of 31 seats in the
Northern and Eastern Provinces and the “International election observers
reported that due to intimidation by the LTTE, other parties were either
entirely unable or severely restricted to
campaign in these areas.”.
The
Foreign Minister of Australia said that his government supported the
negotiations for a durable settlement that promoted and protected the rights of
all people of Ceylon within a united country. The Australian government did not
take a position on the precise nature on that settlement nor the steps in the
process towards achieving it, he said. These are matters for the parties to
determine between them he said. John Murphy referring to the Ranil
Wickremesinghe government asked the Foreign Minister whether he knew that the
government of Sri Lanka recognised the LTTE as the legitimate representative of
the Tamil people and lifted the ban imposed on the organisation on September 4
2002 and commenced peace talks with the LTTE. Replying to him the Australian
Foreign Minister said the Sri Lankan
government lifted the ban in order to facilitate the peace talks.
ONLY A SNAKE UNDERSTANDS A SNAKE
The
former Tamil Tiger military commander Karuna accused Velupillai Prabhakaran of perfidy, saying the guerrila leader was
all along preparing for war in Ceylon while professing love for peace. Karuna
in a telephonic interview from an undisclosed location in Ceylon said that
Tamils were “sick and tired “ of the unending ethnic conflict and passionately
desired peace. Karuna, who was the longest serving regional commander in the
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) until he led in March a daring split in
what is reputedly the world’s most well-knit insurgent group, said he knew very
well what Prabhakaran stood for.
“They
say only a snake understands a snake,” Karuna said over the telephone, speaking
in Tamil. “He has always been preparing to resume the war. His commitment to
peace is a farce “But the reality is that Tamil people want peace total peace.
They want to live in peace. Thee don’t want to return, war’’ he said, in his
first interaction with the Indian media. Karuna, who claimed to be speaking
from the eastern district of Batticaloa, also announced that he realized the
various dangerous situation he was in vis-a vis LTTE but was determined to form
a political party.
BLAST
BEARS HALLMARKS OF AN LTTE ATTACK SAYS US GOVERNMENT
The
United States of America has strongly condemned the suicide bombing at
Kollupitiya that took place on Wednesday 7th July and has extended
condolences to the families of the victims of the “senseless attack”. In a
press release issued on the 9th July the US Embassy said that though
no one has claimed responsibility for the attack it bears the hallmarks of an
LTTE attack. The press release said: “The United States strongly condemns the
suicide bombing at Kollupitiya police station. We extend our condolences to the
families of the victims of this senseless attack. Although no one has claimed
responsibility for the bombing, the incident bears the hallmarks of an LTTE
attack. The United States has consistently called on the Tigers to renounce
terrorism and cease terrorist acts including political assassinations, and to
comply with the terms of the cease-fire agreement they signed. The United
States also calls upon the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE to take all
possible steps to halt the recent violence in Eastern Sri Lanka”.
CEYLON NEEDS MORE
TAMIL OFFICERS IN FORCES
Former
DGP of Punjab and India’s top anti- terrorist expert, KPS Gill feels that
Ceylon should have more Tamils in its police and army, if it wants to tackle Tamil terrorism successfully. “When I
went to Lanka in 2004, I saw that there were very few officers, which was a
disadvantage. To have terrorist inputs, you need to know the language,” said
Gill, who was invited to Ceylon to advise the government on VVIP security. The
Sri Lankan security forces are almost completely drawn from the majority
Sinhala community. They, however, have auxiliary units drawn from renegade
Tamil militant groups and other Tamil militants who have entered mainstream
politics to help them with intelligence gathering. Gill feels that the absence
of Tamil speakers is a major lacuna in the Sri Lankan government’s strategy to
fight terrorism. The ‘Super Cop’ said that it was difficult for the government
to be a step ahead of the terrorists due to the problem of space. “ In Sri
Lanka there is a problem of space. When a terror group travels from one place
to another it doesn’t take very long, interception becomes a problem. That
enables the terrorists to have an upper hand,” Gill said in an interview to
Hindustan Times. He also said that Ceylon needed a “ National policy” on the
ethnic issue that had been disturbing the nation for decades.
“Accept
the situation of a suspended conflict,” says the man who flushed out terrorism
from Punjab. He stressed that the IPKF was not a sour experience. “Had the IPKF
stayed on for six more months, the situation would have been normal in Lanka, “
he said. However, the force was called back in March 1990, even before it
completed its task. Gill, who presently runs the Institute of Conflict
Management, says it’s important to involve the local people in resolving the
problem. “You just cannot fight terrorism with military might. Iraq is a fine
example of this.” When asked whether there were any similarities between
Punjab, when militancy was at its peak there, and the situation in Ceylon now,
Gill said that the separatist movement in Ceylon was stronger than that of
Punjab.
DISCUSSIONS ON ISGA
PROPOSALS SHOULD BE IN THE CONTEXT OF A FINAL SETTLEMENT SAYS UNP
The
UNP has said it firmly believed that any interim administrative structure for
the Northeast shouldn’t be in conflict with the laws of the country. “We are
committed to the peace process and appreciate ongoing Norwegian-led efforts to
re-start the peace process,’’ a party spokesman told the Sunday Island. He
welcomed President Kumaratunga’s readiness to discuss the Interim
self-governing Authority (ISGA) proposals submitted by the LTTE in October last
year to the then government. But he expressed concern over what he described as
sharp differences between the president and the JVP on this issue. JVP frontliner
Wimal Weerawansa, MP, said the ISGA proposals shouldn’t be considered. “Whether
these proposals can be implemented within or outside our laws is immaterial.
Whatever the proposals they should be discussed in the context of a final
settlement to the national issue,’’ he said
EU
CONDEMNS POLITICAL VIOLENCE, BOMBING IN CEYLON
The
Presidency of the European Union is concerned about the recent increase in
political violence in Ceylon, including the political killings in the East and
elsewhere and the suicide bomb attack on 7 July, the first since the cease-fire
began. The EU condemns all from of political violence. There is no excuse for
such violence, which can never resolve the internal differences in Ceylon. The
vast majority of the people- from all communities simply desire peace for
themselves and for their children. The political violence we have seen recently
will make it more difficult to restart substantive negotiations towards peace
and to deliver on the simple demand from the majority of the citizens for peace
and security.
The
Presidency of the European Union calls all parties to prevent further violent
incidents and welcomes that all sides continue to respect the ceasefire. We
urge all parties to continue to work towards the restart of substantive talks.
Only through dialogue can a negotiated settlement be found to the conflict. We
reaffirm the EU’s support for a solution, which meets the aspirations of all
communities in Ceylon, including the protection of human rights.
INDIA
CAN NEVER ACCEPT A TAMIL EELAM STATE IN ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD
The
Indian government has told Norway that it will not dilute its demand for the
extradition of LTTE leader V. Prabhakaran but assured that it will also back
the Oslo-brokered peace process in Ceylon: The Indian government promised that
it would not allow its call for extradition “to jeopardize the truce in Sri
Lanka.”
Indian
leaders made this comment when they held talks with visiting Norwegian Foreign
Minister Jan Peterson. Indian news agencies quoting a senior Indian Official
said,” We basically told the Norwegians that we stand for continuing our
existing policy on Ceylon. At the same time, we have made it very, very clear
that we are opposed to any break-up of Ceylon. In other words, we can never
accept a Tamil Eelam state in our neighborhood. We also said that while we will
continue our hands-off policy vis-à-vis Sri Lanka, we should be in the picture
if and when the contours of a final solution emerge. That is very important,’
the official also said.
INCLUDE TOTAL ANTI-MINE CLAUSE IN PEACE TALKS
The former Secretary to the Prime Minister,
Bradman Weerakoon wants Norway’s peace broker, the government and the LTTE to
include “ stopping the use of anti personal land mines” in the talk’s agenda.
Weerakoon who also served in the former Prime Minister’s office as Commissioner
General for the Co-ordination of Relief, Rehabilitation (CGC-RRR) told media
men that several other stake holders including the Sri Lankan Army were urging
the government and the LTTE to implement rules and regulations regarding anti
personal mines. “Even amidst a war there should be humanitarian regulations
Weerakoon said. The mines affected only one part of the country the North.
There are no mines in the South. If there were mines in the south the Sri
Lankan media, legislators and even parliamentarians would be more concerned,”
he said. Weerakoon claimed that most mine victims were women and children. Nearly
30% of anti personnel land mine victims in Sri Lanka are children.
The
ambassador of Switzerland, Bernardino Regazzani and the ambassador of
Netherlands, Susan Blankhart who spoke on the donor perspective pointed out
that it would be difficult to continue funding programmes without an agreement
to guarantee that neither said (the government and the LTTE) would lay more
anti-personal landmines in the future. Over 15 percent of mines have been
cleared since a ceasefire was signed in February 2002. The press conference,
which was held by the Landmine Ban Forum (LBAF), was based on “A Sri Lanka free
of landmines act now- ban landmines.” Since 1995 there have been 200 deaths and
1000 injuries. However the numbers have decreased this year to around five to
ten per month.
COMPENSATION
FOR CEYLON TAMIL VICTIMS OF 1983 POGROM
The Sri Lankan
Government announced a compensation package of Rs.72.3 million for the victims
of the island nation’s worst anti-Tamil pogrom, which took place 22 years ago.
The first installment on the
compensation was handed over personally to 230 victims identified by a
Presidential Truth Commission on Ethnic Violence are to be compensated before
the end of August, the President’s office said.
The
commission, which submitted its findings and recommendations to Ms. Kumaratunge
on September 30, 2002, wanted “victims, targeted by gangs of attackers armed
with knives and sickles to be compensated as a matter of charity.” The
compensation was given to the 30 victims on the eve of the 22nd anniversary
of the July 1983 state-backed anti-Tamil pogrom, which shook the island between
July 24 and July 28, 1983. During those fours days, which earned the month the
epithet black July.” Tamils in Colombo and other parts of the island outside
the Tamil majority northern and eastern districts were targeted by gangs of
attackers armed with knives and sickles. This triggered an exodus of Tamils
from the island, drew international condemnation and considerably escalated the
island’s Tamil militancy.
According
to media reports from Ceylon five German MPs, who came to Ceylon along with
their Foreign Minister, visited the Parliament on 19.07.2004. They also met
their Sri Lankan counterparts. During this meeting, Minister Douglas Devenanda
challenged TNA-MP Mavai Senathiraja, when he tried to speak on behalf of the
Tamils saying the TNA had used fraudulent means to get elected at the
elections. When the EPDP leader cited the Election Monitor’s reports,
particularly the report of the European Union, in support of his statement,
Mavai Senathiraja could not withstand the argument and had slowly moved out of
the place.
India
and Ceylon agreed to expedite the proposed Defence cooperation agreement and
expand economic cooperation. “Both sides agreed to expedite the (Defence)
agreement,” Sri Lankan sources said following talks between Indian Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh and his Sri Lankan counterpart Mahinda Rajapakse, who
was on a three-day visit to India. After the talks, Manmohan Singh hosted a
luncheon in honour of the visiting dignitary at his official resident at 7
racecourse Road. The Defence cooperation agreement and the security situation
in Ceylon figured prominently in their discussions. It envisages training of
Ceylon’s military personnel at Indian Defence establishments and supply of
military equipment to the island. Ceylon’s separatist Liberation Tigers of
Tamil Eelam (LTTE) guerrillas has opposed the proposed pact on grounds that it
would disturb the tenuous peace process between them and Colombo. “ A military
pact with India would encourage the Sinhala political leadership to a
hard-line, belligerent attitude towards the Tamils and eventually destroy the
mutual trust between the estranged communities, a crucial factor necessary for
the consolidation and promotion of peace,” the LTTE’s ideologue Anton
Balasingham had announced early this year.
TALKS FIRST, ISGA SECOND SAYS WORLD BANK
The
World Bank denied a pro- LTTE Tamil Net report that its top representatives in
Colombo Peter Harrold had acknowledged the necessity for the institutionalizing
the Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA) in the northern and the eastern
provinces. The Tamil Net had claimed the World Bank Country Director had told
LTTE political Wing leader S.P Thamilselvan that he was aware of the necessity
for the institutionalising of the ISGA. According to the report, this assertion
was made when they met in Killinochi on July 19. Media persons contacted the World
Bank’s office in Colombo to verify the accuracy of the report. Denying the
Tamil Net report the Country Director of the World Bank said that in his
meeting with S.P. Thamilselvan, he endorsed the view that peace negotiations
should be institutionalised to facilitate the resumption of the Oslo- brokered
talks. Harrold had refered to the Tokyo Declarations which states “assistance
be closely linked to sustained and parallel progress in the peace
process.”
FRAUDULENT
ISSUE OF NATIONAL IDENTITY CARDS ASSISTED SUICIDE BOMBER
The
criminal Investigation Department (CID)
probing the recent suicide blast at Kollupitiya has blown the lid off the
fraudulent issuance of NIC’s at the Department of Registration of Persons
(DRP), where a high ranking official had fraudulently issued one hundred
national identity cards per day at Rs. 5,000 to 8,000 each. His arrest is
imminent according to sources. After sharing the loot with his accomplices, the
official used to get Rs. 2 lakhs daily, sources said adding that he has thus
earned about Rs. 200,000 a day for a number of years. The police believe that
many other LTTE suicide cadres in the city too could be in possession of these
identity cards. All precaution had been taken to prevent this officer from
leaving the country and a special police team had been deployed to track down
his accomplices, sources said. “The real danger in the whole thing is,” a
senior police officer said, “that the police can’t tell such identity cards
from the genuine ones as they are all issued by the Department.” Four officials
attached to the DRP have, so far been arrested over the identity card issued to
the Kollupitiya bomber and files containing vitals documents related to that
case had disappeared from the DRP and the high ranking official concerned,
appears to have got them removed to eliminate documentary evidence, sources
said.
THE DISPLACED TO BE
RELOCATED IN VAVUNIYA
Over 1,000 internally displaced persons,
taking refuge in welfare centres, will be relocated, within the next few weeks,
in the Vauniya district, a spokesman for the Ministry of Rehabilitation and
Reconciliation said Most of these people were those who were formally squatting
on state owned lands and who were forced to vacate them with the onset of the
conflict in the North and East. he pointed out that they would be resettled at
“Menik Farm Village, in the Vavuniya District.
The
spokesman said that these IDPs would be given assistance for shelter and
connected facilities. For this particular project, 38 million rupees would be
allocated he said. “However it is hoped that the United Nations High
Commissioner for refugees (UNHCR) would assist them in putting up these huts,”
he said. Another 100 families will be relocated in Allipalai Village,” in the
Killinochchi District. The total cost for the relocation of these IDPs would
amount to Rs. 30 million, while they too would be given funds for both projects
by World Bank, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and several NGOs “The President
requested the MRRR to resettle and relocate at least 6,000 individuals,” he
pointed out claiming that these were the first steps taken towards achieving
the goal.
EACH IDP FAMILY GETS
Rs.25, 000
Around
78,000 internally displaced persons, who have resettled themselves in the North
and East, received livelihood assistance from the Ministry of Relief
Rehabilitation and Reconciliation. A spokesman for the Ministry of
Rehabilitation and Reconciliation. (RRR) said that over Rs. 1.8 billion had
been given to the MRRR by the World Bank and the Netherlands government as
livelihood assistance for these resettlers. The MRRR in turn has paid at the
rate of Rs. 25, 000 each to these families. He pointed out that IDPs and
refugees who are to resettle in state owned land in the Northern Peninsula too
would be entitled to a like amount. The spokesman pointed out that around
125,000 families were eligible for livelihood assistance. The European Union
(EU) has given Rs. 35 million to the Sri Lankan government to enable them to pay
livelihood assistance to another 32,000 families.
Meanwhile
the Senior spokesman for the Ministry of RRR expressed concern regarding this
issue. Advisor and secretary to the National Steering Committee on Mine Action
(NSCMA) Dr. A.S.Kunasingham when contacted said the survey carried out by the
former Ministry of Rehabilitation Resettlement and Refugees (MRRR) in 2002 had
indicated that there were 227, 000 IDP families as well as another 65,000
refugees in Tamil Nadu, South of India. Though a few of them have returned with
assistance from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees still the
situation is not conductive for large-scale repatriation. UNHCR has planned on
bringing 3,000 refugees but there were also large numbers of refugees returning
illegally across the Palk Straits. The spokesman for the Ministry of RR
expressed concern regarding this issue.
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