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31 March 2007 Indo-Sri lankan crisis The crisis over the killings of 8 Indian fishermen by the Sri Lankan navy seems to be getting deeper by the day. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi while expressing his strong displeasure even issued a veiled threat saying that they'd be forced to take action if the centre does not respond with adequate measures. No wonder then that the External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee has stepped in to combat a diplomatic crisis that has subsequent developed between India and Sri Lanka. Pranab's counter-part from Sri Lanka is expected to arrive in India on Saturday and the External Affairs Minister has assured that the issue of Indian fishermen being murdered on international waters will be taken up. It is to be noted that the water stretch separating the Indian mainland from Sri Lanka has for long been a conflict zone and the state of Tamil Nadu has been asking the centre to take some measure for quite some time now. Meanwhile, the Indian Navy has received an assurance from their Sri Lankan counterparts that they will not open fire at the Indian fishermen. The Naval chief's assurance is however, unlikely to calm tempers in Tamil Nadu. The centre now needs to take control and set things right. Sinhala, Tamil New Year: NPC calls for ceasefire The National Peace Council (NPC) yesterday called on the government and LTTE to declare a humanitarian ceasefire and to return to the obligations of the Ceasefire Agreement for the Sinhala and Tamil New Year.Issuing a statement, following the air attack by the LTTE on the Katunayake Air Force base, the NPC said, “The attack adjoining the country’s sole international airport, and the government's response through air bombardment of LTTE held areas, are ominous indications of the path of military escalation that lies ahead.The military developments in the conflict and the response by the combatant parties also serve to divert public attention from the human tragedies in the war-affected parts of the country.The National Peace Council calls on the Government and the LTTE to respect International Humanitarian Law and the UN’s Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement with regard to the safety and wellbeing of civilians. It is important that any practice of forced resettlement of IDPs, where conditions of instability continue to prevail, should be discontinued.Our preparation to celebrate Easter and the Sinhala and Tamil New year would be more appropriate and meaningful only if steps are taken to enable those who are displaced to live in safety and dignity. JVP stormed by hidden leader fleeing the island; several leaders out of the party It is being reported that the JVP internal committee is disturbed about the article published by 'LeN' under the heading "JVP 'Kumar Mahaththaya' flees to Australia while CID launches investigations" on the 25th of March, since the same news article was published in the Irudina newspaper over the week end.This situation has occurred due to two reasons. One is that the low level members of the party have begun to question the party hierarchy, why the party had a Tamil in an extremely supreme position. The other is that that those senior members who knew about Kumar starting to question why he was sent off the country without informing any one of them.Speaking to 'LeN' a JVP central committee member said that 10 of the central committee members were demoted from their posts including him for questioning about Kumar. It is being said that the particular group had been questioning Kumars acts on various occasions. Correcting our report on the 25th the particular member of the JVP central committee said Kumar was one of those who were detained during 88-89. According to him Kumar had studied at the Peradeniya University and held the Trincomalee leadership under the fake name "Gamunu". Our source said that the party members are still clueless how only him was freed from the camp they were held in, while all his other comrades were killed.He also says that Kumar was a pet of Brigadier Udaya Nanayakka who was in charge of the Minneriya army camp and Cornel Dhammika Weerasinghe. The JVP central committee member said Kumar had often gone on trips and vacations with several security forces officials and therefore names Kumar as a traitor who betrayed his fellow party members. The JVP central committee member said his name was attached to several women as well adding that he married a girl friend of a fellow colleague named Costa while Costa was under an arrest. He charges that Kumar was totally out of politics due to an affiliation he had with then President Premadasa and was brought back to the party secretly by former JVP MP Nandana Gunathilake, and appointed as a leader.Our source said it was because of two tongued leaders, that the JVP from time to time come up with fake patriotism not allowing the governments to carry forward with their solutions to the ethnic conflict. He said now the other leaders of the party has begun to question whether Kumar was actually feeding the needs of LTTE using the JVP. Air-strike, a warning to SLAF- Thamilchelvan More than 150,000 civilians have been made IDPs by the agenda of war by the Sri Lankan state, he added. "Colombo, mindful that a military defeat of Tigers was not possible, is keen to drag other countries to fight the inhumane war against the Tamils," Thamilchelvan said. The Sri Lankan agenda of distancing the Tigers from the International Community by projecting the LTTE as a "threat to the regional or the International players," will not work, said Thamilchelvan responding to questions from media in Kilinochchi on the pre-dawn air strike by the Tigers Monday. "The Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) as a liberation movement is championing the cause of political liberation of the Tamil people, running a responsible governing apparatus with a clear democratic mandate of the Tamil people, and has progressed to a matured state formation process. "Our military infrastructure operates in the very same way as any other conventional military infrastructure of a state," he said. "Our forces are built and trained for the purpose of achieving freedom for our motherland and to consolidate it. "Our struggle is aimed at achieving our own freedom, and we are no threat to anyone other else than the oppressive Sri Lankan state we are fighting against," he concluded When LTTE Cessna dwarfed Supersonics…Air Force ignored STF warning but listened to that of BIA? It was around 11.30 pm on March 25, Special Task Force personnel were at their forward defense line at Ganeshapuram bordering the Vavuniya and Mannar districts. Suddenly they heard an unusual sound of a motor engine which appeared to come from two objects in the sky. They had heard the same sound a few times earlier but could not confirm what the objects were.However, suddenly they saw these two unidentified objects, which had no lights or any other signal moving over their lines towards the direction of Colombo. More suspicions arose in the minds of these soldiers as the objects flew at a low altitude of not more than 200 metres above the ground. Even though they could have gunned down these flying objects, they did not do so instead they informed their Colombo Headquarters of these suspicious movements. An Assistance Superintendent of Police, who was duty at the time, informed the Sri Lanka Air Force. The reply came that they were working on it. Then the STF HQ for the second time informed the SLAF of this development but it appeared that the matter was not too seriously considered by the SLAF. However it has now been revealed that the Radar systems both in Vavuniya and the country’s main air force base, adjoining the only international air port, were not operational at that time, which could have made possible any enemy air craft to enter the Sri Lankan skies without any trouble.Around 12.45 midnight, the two flying objects had reached their destination, and were ready to make their first ever air raid against the powerful and supersonic air craft fleet parked at the Air Force Base Katunayake.Not knowing this development, the radar system of the Bandaranaike International Air Port (BIA) picked up the signal about the unusual movement of the two flying objects over the air port skies.The BIA radar branch informed the nearby SLAF base of this information , which issued an alert warning and activated what they called an ‘air defence system’.It was now clear that the two Cessna type aircraft over the area were thosebelonging to the Tiger Air Force (TAF) and they were ready to strike at any time. At least one of the air craft had dropped four bombs, which fell on two buildingsof the engineering section. Three SLAF personnel were killed and about 20 injured it was reported. Some reports said that troops on the ground not knowing of the air attack, had started to fire in all directions injuring a few airmen. Two helicopters were slightly damaged, but the authorities denied it and claimed that damage was done only to buildings and not to the aircraft fleet. However these could be repaired soon as they were considered as ‘minor’ damages.After the successful air raids by the TAF, the two light aircraft left the sky without any disruption. Meanwhile, the radar system in the Ratmalana military air port also detected the movement and monitored the departure of the two aircraft.After the air mission, the LTTE has claimed that both its planes returned safely to base, but did not specify where it was and has released a photograph of Prabakaran with theTAF crew. However analysts claim that the photographs released could not have been of the actual aircraft and it was merely an attempt by the Tigers to boost the moral of the civilians and cadres in order to get more support and funds for their purpose.Given by Indian government, the radar system of the Air Force Base is now considered relatively outdated and had been going through several repairs. As a result most of the time SLAF had used the BIA’s radar system for their work.After this latest ‘humiliating ’incident, the government has already started discussing with its main arms suppliers - China, Pakistan and India about purchasing a new radar system to counter the new threat. Soon after the pre-dawn air raids by the TAF, the government while claiming that it had successfully averted Tiger efforts to attack the SLAF, and had been able to protect all their combat air craft including the supersonic Jets, which were the primary targets of the TAF made an urgent request to the international community including India to take this incident seriously.The government does not however consider the incident as a major security lapse on their part since it continuously insists that it was able to repulse the Tigers.The main reason that the Tigers had been able to infiltrate into Sri Lankan skies was that the Sri Lanka Air Force had underestimated the air capability of the Tigers.Reports claimed that the Tigers had started to buildup their air power some nine years ago. Exactly one year ago, military intelligence in a special report had stated that the Tigers Air Force had night flying facilities. But the air force had ruled this out by claiming that even the SLAF did not have such a facility. But, the Tigers now have proved that that they can do anything against the supersonic Kfir and Mig fleets using their one-engine light air craft. The Sri Lanka government is in a dilemma, as to what should be the next step to successfully counter the Tiger air power. There is scope for the government to take this issue with the United Nations as the Tigers have violated international law by using the Sri Lankan skies without permission.The LTTE have projected its air strike as a retaliation for the repeated bombing of civilian areas by the Sri Lankan Air Force, which had caused heavy damages to the Tamil Tigers. With this development, the Tigers appear to be preparing for a conventional war with the Sri Lankan armed forces. The authorities now claim that the Sri Lankan skies are safe. They maintained the same stand even prior to the Tiger air attack and preparedness for aerial attacks still remains a challenge. LTTE air capability concerns US greatly United States Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Robert Blake said that LTTE’s successful deployment of an offensive air capability is a matter of great concern. In an interview with a Sri Lankan daily ‘Daily News’, Ambassador Blake said that the United States have worked with the Government of Sri Lanka to stop the flow of arms and terrorist financing to the LTTE since US designated the LTTE as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in 1997.The Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested 15 suspects in August 2006 for conspiring to buy surface-to-air missiles in the U.S. and trying to bribe U.S. officials to get the Tamil Tigers removed from the U.S. list of terrorist organizations. When asked whether the US has changed its travel warning, the Ambassador said there was no substantive change as they see no specific threat to Americans who intend to travel to the tourist areas in the Cultural Triangle or those in further south. The latest travel warning on Sri Lanka by the US State Department was issued in October 2006. Blake stressed that there can be no military solution to the conflict between the government and the LTTE and urged both sides to cease hostilities so talks can take place on a negotiated settlement. “The United States believes Sri Lanka now has an important opportunity to achieve peace. We very much hope that the power-sharing proposal that emerges from the APRC process will be a credible one that meets the aspirations of the Tamil, Sinhalese and Muslim people of Sri Lanka. This could then form the basis for talks leading to a negotiated settlement,” he said. The Ambassador said that the US welcomed Foreign Minister Bogollagama’s remarks during his recent visit to Washington that the government’s peace initiative is on track to seek a broad-based political consensus in the south in favor of political proposals that would lead to a sustainable peace. PNM blast India’s radar system The Patriotic National Movement (PNM) yesterday charged that the negligence on the part of the government, sub standard radar system and anti aircraft weapons given by India had prevented the air force from hitting back when the LTTE attacked the Katunayake Air Force base. PNM President Gunadasa Amarasekera told a news conference that India had prevented Sri Lanka from getting a sophisticated radar system from China. “This air strike had greatly disappointed the people,” he said. Professor Amarasekera said the government should not listen to the international community any more but should fight the LTTE.He said the government should launch an all-out offensive shifting away from the retaliation mode whenever the LTTE launched an attack.“The offensives launched with the hope of bringing Prabhakaran to the negotiating table are of no use now,” he said.Prof. Amarasekera lashed out at the UNP saying the latter had called for the resignation of Defence Secretary Gothabaya Rajapaksa. In this context he said the UNP did not have a right to make such statements as the Tigers were able to acquire aircraft because of the ceasefire agreement signed during the UNP regime. PNM ex co member Ven. Dambara Amila Thera said history appeared to be repeating itself as what took place in 2001 was happening once again. The monk stressed the need for crushing the LTTE without thinking of the consequences. “One cannot think of negative and positive aspects of war at this crucial moment,” he said. Jayalalithaa seeks emergency steps to protect TN fishermen Condemning the killing of Tamil Nadu fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy, AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa today said it was high time that the Centre and Tamil Nadu Government took emergency measures to prevent such attacks. She accused the Centre and State Governments of lack of firm commitment to prevent the attacks, and urged the governments "to be alert and firm in the issue." In a statement here,Jayalalithaa said attacks on Tamil Nadu fishermen and their arrest by the Sri Lankan Navy was continuing adding such incidents could be prevented only if the Centre had a clear approach. The AIADMK leader said nine fishermen belonging to Kanyakumari district went for fishing on March 23 and they were fired at by the Sri Lankan navy yesterday. Five fishermen Maria John, Leenise, Jeenus Das, Satish and Justin had died in the attack, she said. Another batch of 12 fishermen,who went for fishing on March six from Colachel, had also not returned, she said. Condoling the death of the fishermen, she announced Rs 25,000 solatium for each of their family members. The AIADMK would participate in the agitations called by the fishermen in Kanyakumari district on April 2, to protest the attacks by the Sri Lankan Navy, she added. MDMK supremo Vaiko, condemning the incident, said the Centre was a "mute spectator" to the killing of Tamil Nadu fishermen and described it as a betrayal of Tamil people. "Any other country will have snapped diplomatic ties with a country continuously killing its citizens," he said adding the Centre had not even issued a warning to Sri Lanka New domestic airline to be launched in Lanka The JS Group of Pakistan will be lunching a domestic airline service in Sri Lanka. The Ministry of Defence has cleared the venture.The Company has already entered into a commercial partnership with Deccan Aviation Lanka, which is already operating helicopter operations. JS Air and Deccan Aviation will initially operate flights to Palali, Trincomalee, Ampara, Weerawila, Koggala and other domestic destinations. The aircraft will also be offered to corporate clients for charter for their travel to India and regional destinations. The modern 17 seater US manufactured, fixed wing, twin engine Raytheon Beechcraft aircraft could be used for both cargo and passenger flights. It is capable of flying non-stop to Maldives or India for corporate clients, and has the unique capability of being able to use virtually all of Sri Lanka’s airfields an official of Deccan Aviation said. With the induction of the $ 3 million Beechcraft, Deccan becomes the only company to offer both helicopters and fixed wing options to customers. “It is envisaged that the new alliance will offer a ‘flying bus’ service to inbound tour operators at competitive rates from the international airport, and also for the first time offers local corporate flyers a concept that the west has long been accustomed to a deluxe private aircraft for corporate domestic or international charters.” The company announced that plans for the second quarter of the year also include the introduction of a ‘corporate jet card’ which have been very popular with corporate flyers in the US and Europe and now in India which are essentially loaded with ‘bulk flying hours’ and a choice of aircraft to choose from, depending on the application required. Deccan also announced plans to launch a service to co-ordinate ground handling arrangements for the increasing number of private aircraft visiting Sri Lanka, and whose owners tend to use Deccan services to travel internally. The induction of this aircraft will enhance our organizations presence in the growing domestic aviation market, with an expanded service and product range. The Government of Sri Lanka has always encouraged us, and the same is true in this case. We would not be here without the support of all the agencies we deal with. The $ 700 million JS Group is among the corporate heavyweights in Pakistan, with quoted and unquoted group companies playing a leading role in virtually every sector of the fast growing Pakistan economy. The agreement was signed by company officials in the presence of the Chairman of JS Air, Munawar Siddiqui and Pakistan High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Shahzad Chaudhary. Papers close to Samaraweera close down Two papers, the Sinhala daily Maubima and the English weekly Sunday Standard, both identified with the sacked Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera, have closed down on financial grounds triggering protests from the media watchdog Free Media Movement (FMM).Tiran Alles, a financier of Mangala Samaraweera, was the owner of the Standard Newspapers Group, which ran the two papers. Ruwan Ferdinands, the Private Secretary of the ex-Minister, was the CEO.Samaraweera, who fell out with President Mahinda Rajapaksa and was sacked from the cabinet and all party posts, had no formal connection with the group.But he was suspected to be the brain behind it and the unofficial author of the papers' editorial policy.Both papers had been highly critical of President Mahinda Rajapaksa's administration and taken a bourgeois liberal approach to the on going war, the worsening human rights situation and the larger Tamil question.An irate government's axe first fell on Munuswamy Parameshwari, a 22 year old Tamil journalist who wrote for Maubima highlighting the abduction of Tamils in Colombo. She was arrested for having close relations with a suspected LTTE suicide bomber and kept in jail for four months without being charged, until she was released on the orders of the Supreme Court recently.Tiran Alles was questioned by the CID, and his personal accounts and those of the Standard Newspapers were frozen subsequently.In a press release on the closing of the Standard Newspapers, the Free Media Movement (FMM) recalled that the Chief Editors of the two publications, TK Bandara and Hana Ibrahim, had written to the diplomatic missions in Colombo on March 14, saying that the "impartiality and professionalism" of their newspapers had "increasingly incurred the wrath of the incumbent government and even the President himself."The FMM said that the demise of the Standard Newspapers Group which had been raising its voice against corruption and bad governance without fear or favour "clearly marks out the serious threat to the development of free, impartial media in Sri Lanka."Recently, the police raided the offices of the Norway-funded, peace and development-oriented, Youth Asia Television (YATV) and went through all its computers.Norway and foreign funded organisations are suspect in Sri Lanka because of an alleged "pro-LTTE" thinking.In this connection, media observers were intrigued by the appearance of two extraordinary press releases in quick succession: one by the government's Information Department, justifying the raid and saying that the whole thing was very civilised and that YATV staff had fully cooperated; and the other by the US Embassy praising the work of YATV! 'LTTE' hot topic in Tamil movies Chennai: After the release of Hindi films on the World Cup, its now the turn of Tamil cinema to produce movies on a subject close to its heart. Two Tamil films on the conflict in Sri Lanka are now ready for release. They say movies reflect the society in which they are created. Perhaps this is why, the Tamil film industry is trying to get real on the reel with movies like Kuttrapathirikai and Kuppi – both inspired by the LTTE and Sri Lanka's conflict ridden history. After a fifteen-year-long tussle with the Censor Board, R K Selvamani's Kuttrapathirikai finally got released this Friday. The film traces the events that lead to Rajiv Gandhi's assassination in 1991. But the Director seems far from being happy."I didn't want to release the picture as they have released now. As a creator I have to justify, I've to tell the truth. I don't want to back only one guy," said Selvamani.Meanwhile, Kuppi, the dubbed Tamil version of the Kannada film Cyanide will also hit the theatres by early April. Kuppi chronicles the life of Rajiv Gandhi's assassins 21 days after they killed him. And the film's director A M R Ramesh insists that the film's April release is not a matter of coincidence."I feel it's the right time to release because the message itself is there in the film that let peace return to Sri Lanka and the let the gun culture not come to India," said Ramesh.A movie on LTTE is bound to have its share of drama associated with it.But after an overdose of violence, romance and family drama, movies based on real-life incidents might be a breather for the Tamil audience. 'shells fell on houses' civilians caught in crossfire Both parties accuse the other Military spokesman Prasad Samarasinghe accused the Tamil Tigers for indiscriminate shelling. He said the Taml Tigers were responsible for the killing of the civilians.Victims of the shelling were rushed to Batticaloa hospital. A twelve year old boy who was among the patients at the hospital said he was wounded while trying to escape the shelling. whole families fall victim "My aunt and the little sister who were running behind me were hit by the shells. They died immediately. The person called Usen who was there got injured in the back. My mother has a big wound in her leg. My toes are wounded".The shelling had happened unexpectedly in the evening of thursday. A woman who had come to hospital with her wounded child described how she lost some members of her family. "We were just sharing the food out, getting ready for dinner. A shell fell in to the house. My nephew was killed instantly. My daughter was hurt. We carried her to Murakkottanchenai. We stopped and ambulance on the road and took her to hospital". shells fell in the house Another woman told the BBC, how she tried to rescue her daughter from the attack. "it was about seven in the evening. The shells started falling in front of our house. It was very loud. The shrapnel began to hit us inside the house. I was looking for my child. Then I saw that she was bleeding. We took her to the army sentry point and asked for help. They asked us to go the camp. From the camp they took us in a vehicle to Eravur hospital".Many of the houses in the area were damaged by the shelling. The fighting continue in an attempt by the government to capture the Thoppigala camp, which is one of the main Tamil Tiger stronholds in the East. Sri Lanka air strikes target Tiger bases in the East Sri Lanka Air Force fighter jets launched air strikes on identified LTTE bases in Mullaitivu and Batticaloa yesterday, defense officials said. Air Force jets raided an LTTE Sea Tiger base at Chalai in Mullaitivu area yesterday morning. According to the Air Force sources the LTTE base was completely destroyed. An LTTE mortar gun position located at Karadiyanaru in Batticaloa was also targeted by the Air Force fighters yesterday afternoon destroying the targeted location completely. Another LTTE base located in the Mullaitivu area was also raided by the Air Force Thursday afternoon, officials said. 5 SLA troopers killed in claymore attack in Vavuniya Unidentified persons triggered a claymore device Friday afternoon at Parayanalankulam in Vavuniya district killing five Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troopers travelling in a tractor, military sources in Colombo said. Parayanalankulam is located 33 km from Vavuniya on Vavuniya-Manar road. UK Sivayogam Trust accounts frozen The UK Charity Commission has restricted transactions including bank accounts of the London-based Sivayogam Trust. The Sivayogam Trust, which administers the Muthumariamman Hindu Temple, located at 180-186 Upper Tooting Road, Tooting, London, sources said.Sri Lankan authorities have been working with British authorities in investigations into the Trust. There have been reports that one of the trustees has strong links to terror elements in Sri Lanka. A news release issued by the Charity Commission said they have suspended one of the Charity’s trustees pending his removal. The Charity will not be able to send funds overseas or make payments without the Commission’s approval. The Commission investigated whether the charity’s funds are being applied properly and the conduct and suitability of its trustees. This action has been taken as a result of new information that has come to light as a result of the Commission’s investigation. 30 March 2007 Flying Tigers-source The Economist PIONEERS of one lethal form of warfare—suicide-bombing—the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam have a new claim to fame: a rudimentary air force. On March 26th they used it to attack the main air-force base of the Sri Lankan government, with which they have been fighting for a quarter of a century to win an independent homeland for the Tamil minority. Tiger air power adds a dangerous new element to a war that is intensifying, despite a five-year old ceasefire that is still notionally in force.As the Tigers tell it, two of their aircraft bombed the base, which is next to Colombo's international airport. The crew, who were photographed beaming beside their reclusive, brutal leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran, returned unscathed. Three people were killed in the raid. The two sides disputed how much damage was done to aircraft parked at the base. There was outrage in the south, dominated by the Sinhalese majority, that slow-moving light aircraft could fly 400km (250 miles) up and down over government-held territory without being detected or challenged. Stung by the attack, the Sri Lankan army unleashed air raids on the Tamil-majority north-east. And, in a serious setback for the Tigers, the army on March 28th captured Kokkadicholai, its main base in the eastern district of Batticaloa. Even before the raid, Tiger-controlled areas there had suffered incessant shelling.According to the United Nations, 155,000 civilians have been displaced in the past six weeks. The government hopes to free the entire east from the Tigers' clutches before Sri Lankan new year in April. It has also opened another front in the Tiger-controlled north. According to insiders, the main aim here is to capture the Catholic shrine at Madu, and win the support of the Christian minority. Even now, government spokesmen mouth platitudes about the importance of a negotiated settlement. But officials also speak of victory within the next three years in a war that has claimed some 70,000 lives, including 4,000 since the end of 2005. The Tigers have always been hard to defeat, and able to fight on several fronts: as a guerrilla force in the east (including a little navy, “the Sea Tigers”); as a conventional army in the north; and as terrorists disrupting the Sinhalese south.Their capacity to send aircraft undetected to the south on bombing sorties gives the Tigers another way of bringing the war home to the Sinhalese. This may undermine their support for the aggressive strategy adopted by Mahinda Rajapakse, the president, which so far seems popular among most of them.The air raid also dashes any prospect—already faint—that the Tigers might return to the negotiating table in a more pliable state of mind. Nor do the government's hopes of a definitive military “solution” seem good. Regardless of the Tigers' fighting capabilities, they ignore the genuine Tamil grievances over discrimination by the Sinhalese majority, which the Tigers are masters at exploiting. In the past, army campaigns have served to drive more civilians into the Tigers' embrace. 'LTTE trying to acquire submarine' The Indian navy also plans to set up a facility at Ramanathapuram on the Tamil Nadu-Kerala border, a region where it currently has no major base.The LTTE's fledgling air force carried out a strike on a military airbase near the international airport in Colombo on Monday, killing three persons."There are very few countries in the world that can claim to have the capability to build and operate submarines," Chauhan said, adding that no non-state actors have made claims about such a capability. On operations in the Palk Bay area, Chauhan said India and Sri Lanka were conducting "coordinated patrols" to cope with emerging threats.Elaborating, he said it was not a joint or combined operation but a coordinated exercise. "The Sri Lankan navy patrols its own waters while the Coast Guard patrols Indian shores. The results have been pretty encouraging," he said.Chauhan said additional warships and patrol boats had been deployed in the waters off the southern coast and shore surveillance facilities in the zone were being manned round the clock. Mahinda 'gave money' to LTTE Government denies But the government categorically denied the allegation.Media minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa told BBC Elmo Fernando that the government had no intention of responding to "nonsense"."We shouldn't bother too much on UNP statements as the UNP is in real trouble now," he said. Minister Yapa added that the UNP has to prove their allegation as a responsible political party.Prime minister Rajapaksa won the presidential elections with a thin majority over main rival, UNP leader, Ranil Wickramasinghe. Former ministers The secret payment is yet another prove that the Rajapaksa camp had a secret deal with the LTTE, according to the UNP.Parliamentarian Karunathilake said it was Rajapaksa's own campaign manager who first raised the issue.Former Foreign Minister, Mangala Samaraweera, and Sripathi Sooriyaarachchi have called upon the speaker to appoint a parliamentary select committee to probe alleged secret deals between Rajapaksa administration and the LTTE."It is the government's responsibility to prove if the allegations are wrong," Karunathilake told bbcsinhala.com. Residents inform sighting of suspicious plane The residents of the LTTE controlled area in Mannar who observed a suspicious plane at about 11 pm on Wednesday immediately informed the Airforce emergency No.116. The security forces that inquired into the information found that it was a passenger plane enroute to Singapore. The Airforce commended the public for providing information to the security forces. Sri Lankans crack down on private planes after rebel airstrike Sri Lanka: Sri Lankan officials confiscated a privately owned light aircraft Thursday, days after the Tamil Tiger rebels' first airstrike in their two-decade conflict with the government, officials said.The air force took custody of the craft even though the owner had a license for it, said air force spokesman Group Capt. Ajantha Silva."This privately owned light aircraft was taken to the safe custody of the air force, considering the country's security situation," said Silva.Air force investigators had gone to the town of Wadduwa, about 30 kilometers (20 miles) south of the capital, Colombo after receiving a tip that an unlicensed plane was there. The aircraft, which turned out to have a proper licensed, had been disassembled but was in good condition, Silva said.While it did not immediately appear there was a link between that aircraft and the separatist Tamil rebels, who are mostly based in the country's north and east, it underscored officials' apprehension after the rebels bombed a main air force base near Colombo on Monday. At least one single-engine propeller aircraft flew up to the base next to Sri Lanka's international airport and dropped several bombs, killing three people and wounding 16 others, before escaping unchallenged.It was not immediately clear how the rebels got their plane into Sri Lanka.Sri Lanka's former air force chief, retired Air Marshall Harry Goonetilleke, said they might have taken it apart and then reassembled it.Other observers said it was more likely flown in under Sri Lanka's limited radar coverage.The rebels launched their fight in 1983 to create an independent homeland for the country's 3.1 million minority ethnic Tamils after decades of discrimination by the majority Sinhalese.The guerrillas have since pioneered the use of suicide bomb belts and built up a navy of small gunboats.Hopes for peace that followed a 2002 cease-fire have been dashed in the past 18 months as sporadic shootings and bombings have grown into all-out war in eastern and northern Sri Lanka, the Tamils' traditional homelands.An estimated 65,000 people were killed in fighting before the cease-fire, and about 4,000 fighters and civilians have died in the renewed violence. Four fishermen killed as Lankan Navy opens fire Four Indian fishermen were killed and two injured when Sri Lankan navy allegedly opened fire at them today. The six Indians were allegedly fishing in Sri Lankan waters when the naval personnel opened fire at them killing two of them on the spot, while two others drowned in the sea, officials said. The two injured were brought to Kanyakumari for treatment. The Lanka navy opened fire without giving any warning, officials claimed. The six had ventured into the sea from Chinnathurai coastal village in Kanyakumari district, officials said tonight. Another statue of the Virgin sheds tears of blood at Mannar, where civil war rages A statue of Our Lady in Sri Lanka’s war-torn Mannar district has reportedly shed tears of blood. This is the third such report to come from the north of the island since last month, following similar claims made about two statues in Jaffna District. All three statues are in places that are in the thick of Sri Lanka’s civil war. Church sources told AsiaNews that the statue, which was situated in a house of religious Sisters, has been moved to St Sebastian’s Cathedral on Mannar Island. People are flocking to see it. In Jaffna town, a statue said to have cried blood in early February was transferred to St John the Baptist Church, where it remains to this day. The other statue that reportedly shed tears of blood is an image of Our Lady of Vailankanni (a Marian shrine in southern India) in Chavakacheri, another town in Jaffna peninsula. The reports come as the war goes from bad to worse in Sri Lanka, inflicting untold suffering on civilians. Ongoing fighting between the Sri Lankan security forces and the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) is displacing hundreds of thousands of people. Meanwhile, civilians are being abducted and killed daily in the north and east and elsewhere. Others are arrested and detained for long periods without formal legal charges against them.One priest from Mannar Diocese told AsiaNews: “I think every mother in the north and east is crying blood in her heart because of the atrocities taking place here. Anyone who has a heart - and I think Blessed Mary has a big heart - will cry these days in Sri Lanka.” Anura warns of possible air attack on parliament National Heritage Minister Anura Bandaranaike yesterday warned of catastrophic consequences if the LTTE launched an air attack on Parliament during sittings or voting times and called on the Speaker to take immediate counter measures.In a letter to Speaker W.J.M. Lokubandara, Mr. Bandaranaike said that instead of wasting time on mud-slinging emergency debates, the Speaker should consult the President and the security forces chiefs to work out an immediate security plan for parliament. Mr. Bandaranaike said: “I am writing to you regarding the horrendous and unexpected air attack on the Katunayake Air force base just 4 days ago. My comments are not meant to alarm anyone but to realistically assess the situation and take necessary precautions to prevent a calamity of this nature from happening again.The stark fact is that the LTTE is the only Terrorist Organization in the world that has air power that can be used at anytime of its choice. The Tigers will select special targets and obviously parliament will be one as they have already hinted. Therefore it is imperative that we anticipate the worse scenario and take corrective action.A mere security lapse can cause bloody mayhem. If on a sitting day at voting time when most MPs are present in the chamber or in the lobbies and a powerful bomb is dropped the consequences would be unthinkable. This thought has been worrying me for the last so many years, but now it has become a reality Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe has suggested a Parliamentary debate which will be only a mud slinging campaign which is worthless with no results excepting abusing each other engaging in pointless frivolities.I suggest that you consult the President and the joint commanders and work out a security blanket on sitting days, where lives of MPs and staff are endangered. I suggest that you summon a meeting of party leaders immediately and brief us on what you intend to do.You are the Chief custodian of Parliament and responsible for the safety of all MPs, staff of parliament and even your own self. Without wasting time holding useless debates please set in motion what I have suggested, especially as a former Speaker. Please do not take it lightly.All this time we expected to be attacked by vehicular bombs and hence extensive searches of all cars entering Parliament and naval security on Diyawanna oya. This time the attacks may come from the air which has lent a deadly aspect to Terrorism. I trust you would take immediate action.” Unruly scenes in TN over Lanka issue The Tamil Nadu Assembly yesterday witnessed unruly scenes with MDMK and Congress members nearly coming to blows over the issue of Sri Lanka's Tamils.The trouble started when Congress members interrupted the speech of MDMK member Veera Ilavarasan who claimed that the Tamils were undergoing suffering at the hands of the Sri Lankan army. Surprisingly, DMK members remained mute spectators and the PMK, an ally of the state's ruling DMK and a constituent of the UPA at the Centre, strongly supported the MDMK.PMK whip Velmurugan objected to Congress member Rajasekaran's contention that the speech should not be allowed, saying Velmurugan was only explaining the sufferings of Lankan Tamils and not supporting violence.But Congress members Rajasekaran, Varadhan and C. Gnanasekaran continued their protest despite the Speaker's request that they should take their seats.When Congressmen pointed fingers at Ilavarasan and made some adverse personal remarks against MDMK supremo Vaiko, MDMK MLAs objected and members of two parties nearly came to blows. However, MDMK deputy leader Cumbum Ramakrishnan intervened and pacified his agitated party colleagues. Congress floor leader D. Sudarsanam said his party was not against the welfare of Sri Lankan Tamils.MDMK's ally, the AIADMK, also came out in support of Ilavarasan and he was finally able to finish his speech. Sri Lanka Government fails to investigate or stop Karuna group's atrocities because they are doing the government's 'dirty work', Human Rights Watch Despite promises to investigate abductions of children by the 'pro-government' Karuna group, Sri Lankan authorities have taken no effective action and abductions by the group continue unabated, the New York based Human Rights Watch (HRW) said today. The armed opposition Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) also continue to recruit children in Sri Lanka and use them as soldiers. In Sri Lanka's eastern Batticaloa district, Human Rights Watch in February witnessed children clearly under the age of 17, some armed with assault rifles, performing guard duty at various offices of the Karuna group's political party, the Thamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP). Sri Lankan soldiers and police routinely walked and drove by the children without taking any visible action. Human Rights Watch saw a child with an assault rifle guarding the TMVP office in Kiran, home town of the group's leader, V. Muralitharan, also known as Colonel Karuna. Other children, some of them armed, were seen in and around TMVP offices in the district, including in Valaichchenai and Morakkottanchenai, where the office is across the road from a Sri Lankan army base. "When government troops at a military base look across the street at children standing guard at a Karuna office and do nothing, it's hard to believe the government is taking any meaningful steps to end this abuse," said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "The Karuna group's use of child soldiers with state complicity is more blatant today than ever before." President Mahinda Rajapakse and other Sri Lankan officials have repeatedly said that the government would investigate the allegations of state complicity in Karuna abductions and hold accountable any member of the security forces found to have violated the law. To date, however, the government has taken no effective steps. According to UNICEF, there were 45 reported cases of Karuna child abductions in three months 10 in December, 24 in January, and 11 in February. Among these were three children abducted by Karuna cadres from camps for internally displaced persons in Batticaloa district. The actual number is likely to be higher because many parents are afraid to report cases, and these numbers do not reflect the forced recruitment by the Karuna group of young men over 17. The Karuna group has released at least a dozen children since December. According to UNICEF, however, at least three of the released children were subsequently re-recruited. In February, parents of one abducted child and two abducted young men told Human Rights Watch how Karuna cadre had abducted their sons in recent weeks. In the first case, Karuna group members first abducted the child in July, allowed him home for a family visit, and about one week later came and took him back. In the second, Karuna cadre abducted two young men on the A11 road between Welikanda and Valaichchenai. When relatives of the two complained at the nearby Karuna camp in Karapola, Karuna cadre told them not to report the case =96 or to say the LTTE took their sons. At the same time, the LTTE has continued to abduct and forcibly recruit children and young adults, including women and girls, Human Rights Watch said. UNICEF documented 19 cases of LTTE child recruitment in January and nine in February. The LTTE has also abducted at least four people from camps for the internally displaced. Access to LTTE-controlled areas remains difficult, but credible reports indicate that the group is increasingly recruiting and deploying girls as frontline soldiers in the East. In the recent fighting in the Thoppigala region of Batticaloa district, at least three girls fighting with the LTTE were reportedly killed. Human Rights Watch has repeatedly documented and condemned the use of child soldiers by the LTTE, and it has called on the United Nations to impose targeted sanctions on the LTTE because of its long history of recruiting children in violation of international law. "The LTTE is a notorious repeat offender of child recruitment," Adams said. "It's a shame that government forces complicit with the Karuna group are now involved in the same ugly practice." There is strong evidence that government forces are now openly cooperating with the Karuna group despite its illegal activities, Human Rights Watch said. Armed Karuna members regularly walk or ride throughout Batticaloa district in plain view of government forces. In February, Human Rights Watch saw a Karuna commander named Jeyam riding atop a Sri Lankan armored personnel vehicle outside Valaichchenai. In Batticaloa town, residents have seen Karuna cadre patrolling jointly with the police. The Karuna group maintains at least five camps in the jungle about 10 kilometers northwest of Welikanda town in the Polonnaruwa district, about 50 kilometers northwest of Batticaloa town. Welikanda is where the Sri Lankan Army's 23rd division has its base. The area is firmly under government control, as is the main A11 road from the eastern districts to the Welikanda area. The Karuna camp at Mutugalla village is near a Sri Lankan army post. Independent sources have provided detailed information on abductions and recruitment of children by the Karuna group and the LTTE. In February the UN special advisor on children and armed conflict, Allan Rock, reported to the Security Council on Karuna abductions of children with state complicity and on child recruitment by the LTTE, based on his visit to Sri Lanka in November. Human Rights Watch has provided the government with its 100-page report on Karuna abductions, "Complicit in Crime: State Collusion in Abductions and Child Recruitment by the Karuna Group," published in January. With case studies, maps and photographs, the report shows how Karuna cadres operate with impunity in government-controlled areas, abducting boys and young men, training them in camps, and deploying them for combat. "The government says it needs evidence to start an investigation, but it already has ample information," Adams said. "In addition to UN documentation and testimonies in our report, many families have made formal complaints to the police." Last year President Rajapakse created a one-man commission to look at abductions and enforced disappearances across the country. The commissioner came to Batticaloa in January, two months after canceling his first scheduled visit without warning. Families with abducted children were informed in a haphazard manner and then could not find the meeting place, which was changed at the last minute. Some of them did meet the commissioner, but his staff prevented others from providing information. In December the military summoned the mothers of some children abducted by the Karuna group to an army base and asked them to provide information abo ut their cases. The military pressured the mothers to say that their children were taken by "an unidentified group." Karuna has denied allegations that his forces are abducting or recruiting children. He told Human Rights Watch in a telephone communication on February 9 that his forces had no members under age 18, and that they would discipline any commander who tried to recruit a person under that age. In January the TMVP released regulations for its military wing, stating that 18 was the minimum age for recruitment, and specifying penalties for members who conscript children. Karuna said he was willing to discuss ways that the regulations could be improved, but said that unscheduled visits to his camps were not possible due to security concerns. On March 19, Human Rights Watch wrote to the TMVP, requesting a response to the recent allegations of continued child abductions in Batticaloa district. As of March 28, the TMVP had not replied. "The Karuna group is doing the government's dirty work," Adams said. "It's time for authorities in Colombo to stop this group from using children in its forces." 29 March 2007 Conflict escalating, political solution in Lanka must: India In the wake of the Tamil Tigers using air power for the first time in Sri Lanka, India today voiced serious concern over the escalation of violence there and said it would encourage Sri Lankans to find a political solution to the “tragic” conflict themselves.Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon said that New Delhi would be talking to all concerned in Sri Lanka over the next week or so in this regard. “We are very concerned at the escalation of violence recently and LTTE air strike is one example in this escalation of violence,” he said, referring to the Tigers using aircraft to bomb an airbase near Colombo on Monday. Menon said Indian government remained engaged with everyone in Sri Lanka, including the government, to see what it can do for resolution of the problem there. New Delhi also wants to see what it can do to ameliorate the condition of Sri Lankans caused by the conflict. “The main issue is to get a solution to the conflict. Picking an individual incident of violence does not help us to address the root cause of problem. The root cause of problem is the conflict, which is escalating,” Menon said. The escalation of violence has had humanitarian consequences, like internal displacement of over one lakh people, he said, adding, this was a worrying development. “We join our voice with all those in Sri Lanka and abroad who hope violence comes to an end soon,” he said, noting that Colombo would be raising the issue of escalation of violence at the SAARC Summit to be held here on April 3-4. Sri Lanka seizes major separatist Tamil rebel base COLOMBO, Sri Lanka: Sri Lankan troops have driven separatist Tamil rebels from a key base in eastern Sri Lanka, the Defense Ministry said Wednesday, amid calls by the United Nations to end the bloodshed.No military casualties were sustained in the assault late Tuesday on the rebels' Kokkadicholai base in Batticaloa district, military spokesman Brig. Prasad Samarasinghe said, adding the Tamil Tigers fled, leaving behind an arsenal of weapons.Meanwhile, Sri Lanka's largest neighbor India — home to 56 million ethnic Tamils — expressed concern Wednesday at the recent surge in fighting."We are very concerned at this escalation of violence over the past few weeks," Indian Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon told reporters in New Delhi.India was worried about the humanitarian situation with tens of thousands of people, almost all Tamils, having fled their homes to avoid fighting in the volatile east, he said.The Sri Lankan military has stepped up operations in the east over the past few weeks, forcing rebels to withdraw from more than a dozen bases and killing more than 140 insurgents, Samarasinghe said.Rebel spokesman Rasiah Ilanthirayan said they had abandoned the Kokkadicholai base before the attack. "There were none of our fighters there as we left that place a week ago."He also said guerrillas thwarted an attempt by paramilitaries to infiltrate a rebel-held area in Batticaloa on Wednesday, and two attackers were killed in the gunbattle.The rebels blame government troops for supporting paramilitary groups, but the government denies the accusation.Sri Lanka's government, meanwhile, renewed an offer to hold peace talks with the rebels following two days of dramatic rebel assaults, including a suicide bombing and the insurgents' first air strike in their more than two-decade campaign for a separate Tamil homeland.The attacks Monday and Tuesday killed 11 people and wounded 36, prompting the government to issue the call for peace talks. The rebels have not responded to the government's suggestion.U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged the two sides to "break this vicious cycle of attack and retaliation," and "return to the negotiating table as soon as possible, without preconditions."The rebels launched their fight for an independent homeland for the country's 3.1 million Tamils in 1983 after decades of discrimination by the majority Sinhalese. In the years since, they have pioneered the use of suicide bomb belts and slowly built up a navy of small gunboats.Hopes for peace that followed a 2002 cease-fire have been dashed in the past 18 months as sporadic shootings and bombings have grown into all-out war in eastern and northern Sri Lanka, where the Tigers want to establish their separate state.An estimated 65,000 people were killed in fighting before the cease-fire, and at least 4,000 fighters and civilians are estimated to have died in the last 18 months. SLA attempt to enter Batticaloa LTTE territory beaten-LTTE Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) forces thwartted a pre-dawn attempt by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troopers and paramilitary cadres of Karuna group from Chenkalady Black Bridge SLA camp in Batticaloa district Wednesday around 3:30 a.m, to advance into Koduvamadu area in LTTE held territory in Batticaloa, sources in Batticaloa said. LTTE recovered the bodies of two paramilitary members killed in the retaliation besides eight T-56 rifles, unconfirmed sources in Batticaloa said.The four injured paramilitary members were first rushed to Chenkalady hospital and later transferred to Batticaloa Teaching hospital.They were identified as Thutchan, Varman, Nesan and Thevikan, according to hospital sources.The SLA and the Karuna group paramilitary personnel withdrew to their camps following the failed attempt.Chenkalady is located 13 km north west from Batticaloa town. Sri Lanka says sinks 3 rebel boats Sri Lanka's navy said on Thursday it sank three Tamil Tiger boats off the island's northeast coast, killing between 15 and 18 rebel fighters.The attack late on Wednesday off the coast of the rebel-held northeastern district of Mullaithivu is the latest in a rash of land and sea battles after the resumption of a two-decade civil war that has killed around 68,000 people since 1983."A naval patrol has come across about 10 Tiger boats and our boats launched an attack, and we were able to destroy three rebel craft," said Commander Athula Senaratne, a navy spokesman. "During the attack we believe 15-18 rebel cadres were killed."The Tigers were not immediately available for comment. The attack came after the military said troops had driven the rebels from a stronghold in the island's restive east.The Tigers, who are seeking to carve out an independent state for minority Tamils in the island's northeast, have lost an estimated 600 square kilometres of terrain in the face of military offensives in the east in recent months.President Mahinda Rajapakse's ethnic Sinhalese-majority government is pushing on with a drive to destroy the Tigers militarily, despite international community calls to respect a tattered 2002 cease-fire.The Tigers have warned of a bloodbath and analysts expect a war that has killed around 4,000 people in the past 15 months alone to escalate.A Tiger suicide bomber tried to blow up an army camp in Sri Lanka on Tuesday, killing nine people. The day before, rebels carried out their first air strike in a daring attack on an air base near the capital's international airport.The government has yet to explain how the Tigers managed to fly a light aircraft over the area undetected, drop bombs and fly back to their northern stronghold without being shot down. Sri Lanka Navy Invasion off Mullaitivu Thwarted -LTTE The LTTE Sea Tigers fought a valiant battle off Mullaitivu and inflicted a heavy damage to Sri Lanka navy before the latter withdrew to Trincomalee after a three-hour battle, Thursday early morning.A bevy of 23 Dvora gun-ships belonging to Sri Lanka navy made a daring appearance on the sea off Mullaitivu around 10,00 pm Wednesday when a fleet of Seat Tiger gun-boats confronted them.The Navy move was preceded by an aerial attack on the Wanni area around 9.00pm Thursday.In the battle that ensued two Dvora boats were severely damaged and the Navy was driven back an hour past midnight, back to its Trincomalee base. Both damaged boats were towed back by the rest and the Sea Tigers gave a chase up to Trincomalee before returning to base. One Sea tiger lost his life in the three-hour battle.The coastal belt along the Alampil area in Mullaitivu is void of civilian habitation after Tsunami and for fear of occasional Navy shooting from the sea. The navy intruders had been using long-range guns during mid-night raids inflicting damage on civilian settlements. Government to send newsprint to Jaffna The Government has made arrangements to send a shipment of newsprint to Jaffna to meet the urgent shortfall faced by publishers in the peninsula, Essential Services Commissioner S. Divaratne said.He told the Daily Mirror some 50 MT of news print was being loaded onto a ship bound for Jaffna within the next few days.He said the current stock of newsprint was limited as the vessel was also carrying food supplies to Jaffna for the upcoming Sinhala and Tamil New Year. However he added that a larger stock of newsprint would be sent in the next vessel bound for the peninsula.With the closure of the A9 route at Muhamalai last August newsprint had not reached Jaffna forcing leading Tamil publications, including the Uthayan newspaper, to cut down on the number of copies printed and to resort to putting up the publications on public viewing stands in the stores. At a meting with editors on Tuesday, President Mahinda Rajapaksa assured those present that adequate stocks of newsprint would be sent to Jaffna to ease the burden faced by the publishers. In a report to the UN Human Rights Council the Free Media Movement (FMM) said the non-availability of newsprint in Jaffna and the systematic silencing of the moderate voices in the Tamil media was a grave indicator of the deterioration of freedom of expression. Satyagraha against abductions The two tongued government A group of MPs of the government have begun to oppose the attempts made to find a solution to the conflict through discussions.Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake yesterday stressed that the government will not agree to start talks with the LTTE. Meanwhile speaking to a group of foreign journalists in Colombo yesterday Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama has said that the government is ready hold talks with the LTTE even tomorrow.In his Mahinda Chinthana document the president had said that he would seek a solution to the conflict through a different approach. It said that the government would begin direct talks with the LTTE who has not entered the democratic mainstream. He also said that he was ready meet the LTTE leader for the purpose IAF sets up radars to monitor skies after LTTE air strike Indian Air Force has set up eight radars as a precautionary measure to monitor the skies in the aftermath of Tamil Tiger rebels launching their first aerial strike in Sri Lanka two days ago. The radars were fixed at Seeniappa Darga Casurina jungle near Sundaramudaiyan village in Ramanathapuram district and trials were being held, a senior IAF official told the agency.A team of 50 Air Force personnel, under a commander, would be posted there to monitor the skies, he said.There was also a plan to set up a permanent air-base near Seeniappa Dargah, the official, who wished not to be named, said.The decision to set up radars comes two days after LTTE carried out an aerial attack at a military airbase in Colombo, killing three persons and injuring 16.Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse on Tuesday warned that LTTE's airstrike capability was a threat to the entire South Asian region, particularly India and Indonesia.Meanwhile, the Indian Navy has begun round-the-clock patrolling of the seas from the Forward Observation Point (FOP) near Dhanushkodi since Tuesday.Twelve marine commandos have been posted at FOP, to which communication links have been established.The Coast Guard would also patrol the International Maritime Border in the Palk Straits, official sources said.Besides these measures, policemen manning the check-posts had been asked to inspect every vehicle passing through coastal roads, they said. Over 1400 detonators seized in TN RAMANATHAPURAM : Over 1400 detonators, meant for being smuggled to Sri Lanka, were seized during a raid at Alagathapuram near Uchipuli here on Wednesday and one person taken into custody in this connection, police said.The sources said 1425 detonators were recovered from a garden belonging to one Gopal and the raid followed a tip-off that arms and explosives were being smuggled from a point at Alagathapuram.Police were conducting raids in the coastal areas. Police said Gopal had denied that he was responsible for burying the detonators in the garden. Lankan refugees a threat to TN shores The LTTE's latest attacks, first an air strike followed by their trademark suicide mission, is likely to provoke a military response from the Sri Lankan Army which could escalate fighting in the island nation. However, a bigger threat to India are the Sri Lankan refugees who are landing in huge numbers on the barren beaches of Dhanushkodi, South Tamil Nadu. More than 75,000 have already arrived and if fighting becomes more intense in Lanka, their numbers could increase. “If there is an all out war, several thousands refugees can come in. The highest influx was in August last year (close to 6,000) and India managed it without any difficulty," S C Chandrahasan of Elam Refugee Rehab said.On one hand there is a humanitarian angle towards the treatment meted out to these refugees while on the other hand, there is fear that some of them could be LTTE cadres sent to garner LTTE's supply chain in India. Tamil Nadu police found evidence of the spreading LTTE supply-chain across south India’s shores. Explosives and detonators were found in the area last week. Police unearthed 1400 detonators on Wednesday morning buried in a village near Rameswaram, TN. Over the last few months, security agencies have seized several hazardous components used for making mines or Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). Over 45 people including Sri Lankan Tamils have been arrested. Experts fear that increased fighting in Sri Lanka would mean only increased LTTE activity in India. "Logically India is their supply base and when there's more fighting they need more supplies. They would increasingly use Indian soil," said Former Intelligence head Col R Hariharan (Retd).The LTTE's aerial attack could have raised eye brows on their abilities but the repercussions that it could have on the conflict is something India would be keenly observing. 28 March 2007 On to Tamil Eelam: From bicycle to aircraft Way back in 1983, Velupillai Prabhakaran, on the alert, rode a bicycle through Jaffna to oversee a spot near the university his colleagues had picked to ambush Sri Lankan troops. Few people knew him then, and fewer had heard of the Tamil Tigers. A quarter century later, the same man, now a legend, has made history by using Tamil ingenuity to transform two light aircraft into stealthy bombers to target the air base of his enemy right in the heart of Sri Lanka.From the humble bicycle then to the breathless display of air power in 2007 - this is the extraordinary achievement of a man who has presided over a sharp and intelligent growth of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), taking it from a band of barely 40 men in 1983 to become the world's first insurgent group to carry out an aerial attack without any external state support. A simple device, the cycle proved an ideal transport for Tamil militants in the 1970s and 80s. Young men would come riding, looking like any other cyclist, fire at their targets and coolly pedal away! A frustrated administration decided to ban the use of cycles in Jaffna, forcing a local magazine to ask: 'What will the terrorists do next? Take to tricycles? Will tricycles be banned too eventually?'Using anything and everything that could advance the cause of Tamil Eelam was something Prabhakaran learnt and began implementing a long time ago. During the years he was underground but largely unknown, he opted to use chili powder to keep policemen at bay if nothing else was available. Weapons bought second hand and stolen or snatched from security forces followed. There was of course no stopping his dreams. In 1982, while residing in Madurai town, Prabhakaran confided to Tamil Nadu politician P. Nedumaran: 'How I wish I would be able to see at least 100 LTTE armed members walk in a marching column one day!' Just a decade later, he was presiding over Jaffna peninsula at the head of a huge LTTE army, having ousted Indian troops from Sri Lanka's northeast with a blend of guerrilla tactics and cunning diplomacy.In that tumultuous decade, Prabhakaran provided the Tigers an identity as a fighting force and presided over the slow, steady and secret build up of a group that grew and grew, whatever the consequences, whatever the price. He was not worried about the methods, and he certainly did not mind doing away with real or perceived foes.What came in the beginning were a secret code, a constitution, and simple rules of discipline (not always adhered to). Then came the bigger dreams - uniforms for his men, more weapons, more modern weapons, deadlier weapons, sanctuaries, training manuals, training grounds. These too turned into reality over time. By then, cycles were no more the mainstay of the guerrillas, whose leaders, Prabhakaran included, had long grown out of their teens. They were no more just another militant group. They were the first among equals, and path breakers in technology that could kill. Motorcycles, tractors and jeeps were added to the LTTE arsenal. Deep underground bunkers were dug.Boats, speedboats, larger vessels and even bigger ships joined the Tamil Tiger assets, making it the first insurgent group in this part of the world to have a naval wing. The Tigers also brought down fighter jets. And Prabhakaran had a huge crop of suicide bombers - which were the most dangerous of weapons of all in his inventory.The LTTE, however, lacked one thing: planes. But it did not lack innovative capacity. If the Tigers used huge, improvised catapults to overwhelm the Jaffna Fort, they never stopped trying to build something that could fly. Anyone who knew the Tiger mindset was sure the planes would make their appearance one day. That they did, initially to sprinkle flowers on cemeteries of LTTE fighters in 1998. Nine years later, as the country slept, they flew to Colombo to bomb Sri Lankan air force jets. March 26 may just be the beginning of a new war front in a country that battles men and women who adamantly refuse to give up. Suicide bomb attack on Batti army camp A suicide bomb attack on the main army camp at Chenkalady yesterday morning killed six persons and disrupted traffic on the main supply road to Batticaloa. The explosion had also injured 17 others including six children.An LTTE suicide cadre had tried to ram an explosives laden truck into the main army camp at Chenkalady which is located on the main A11 highway, the military said. An alert sentry had fired at the driver and another occupant of the tractor leading to an explosion around 6.45 a.m. yesterday.A camp maintained by the EPDP right next to the army camp too suffered major damage."The army camp is located on the main road, and civilian traffic from Batticaloa has to take a detour to the right, the tractor was trying to come straight in," Military Spokesperson Brigadier Prasad Samarasinghe said. More than a dozen houses near the explosion site too had been damaged.Soon after the explosion shellfire too had been directed at the camp from Mavadivembu, north of Chenkalady. "Military sources said that troops were engaging in retaliatory fire following an LTTE mortar shell attack towards the base from Mavadivembu in the uncleared area, eight kilometers north of Chenkalady," the Defence Ministry said.More violence appeared to be on the cards with civilians in the area reporting to the ceasefire monitors that the Tigers had issued leaflets warning them to move out of Chenkalady and Sittandi.Meanwhile, the Defence Ministry said that six Tigers were believed killed and 11 others injured during shell fire at Muhamalai, south of Jaffna.Six persons, including two soldiers, two EPDP members and two civilians were killed in the Chenkalady attack, eight others including two soldiers and two policemen were injured.The two dead soldiers had tried to prevent the tractor, fixed with 200kg of explosives from approaching the camp, and among the dead in the EPDP camp was a boy named Govida Raja aged 12, who had been at the camp visiting a relative.The army said that the tractor driver had triggered the explosion when he realised that his path was blocked."The attackers blew themselves up causing a huge explosion that covered a considerable extent of the area that housed a political office of the Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP) nearby," it said.The main highway was closed at Chenkalady in the morning and remained closed in the afternoon as well. It is the only major access road available to Batticaloa where 150,000 IDPs, over 60,000 of them newcomers are scattered.Humanitarian agencies have raised concerns that a clear and effective supply route is a must for supplies to reach Batticaloa.Chenkalady has seen an increase in violence since last week. The Tigers twice launched attacks on camps in the town. On March 21 they fired shells at five army camps located just north of the town and attacked one. The army also said that around 300 cadres had tried to breach the forward defences at Black Bridge, the main crossover point to LTTE areas.The Tigers said that they had launched last week’s attacks to preempt any moves by the security forces to launch offensive forays into areas under their control.The security forces however said that they were able to gain control of the Unichchi area, that lies about 30 km southwest of Chenkalady, last week. Sri Lanka: Ban Ki-moon says parties must end escalating cycle of violence In a related development, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) launched a new media campaign yesterday to raise awareness about how to acquire Sri Lankan citizenship.Over the next five days, Tamil-language radio spots and newspaper advertisements will alert the public on the country’s citizenship laws. The campaign targets ethnic Tamils because most of Sri Lanka’s Stateless people are descendants of Indian Tamils brought to work in tea estates between 1820 and 1840 when the country was a British colony.The 1988 and 2003 Citizenship Acts were passed to resolve the problem of stateless people in the country, but some of the so-called “Hill Tamils” have not been able to the documents necessary to become Sri Lankan citizens.This latest campaign is UNHCR’s second large-scale effort, the first having occurred in 2003 and 2004, to reduce statelessness in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka briefs Donor Co-chairs over Tigers’ first ever air raid Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama yesterday evening briefed the Donor Co-chairs of the Sri Lanka peace process about the LTTE’s air raid on Monday early morning over the Katunayake Air Force Base.Minister Bogollagama also described the future action that would be taken against such attacks and claimed such type of attacks would undermine the government efforts for final settlement through a peaceful manner.Foreign Secretary, Dr. Palitha Kohona and other senior officials of the Ministry were also present at the meeting.US Ambassador Robert Blake, German Ambassador Jurgen Weerth representing the EU Presidency, EU Ambassador Julian Wilson, Norwegian Ambassador Hans Brattskar, and the Japanese Charge d' Affairs N. Ito attended at the meeting at the Ministry in Colombo Indian Navy steps up vigil in Palk Strait NEW DELHI: "They are at the most capable of dumping some rudimentary bombs from the air," said a senior IAF officer. But what is of some concern here is that an aircraft in the hands of a terrorist group can be used as a missile against high-value targets as was shown by the 9/11 strikes in US in 2001. "An aircraft loaded with explosives and being flown by a kamikaze pilot can be very deadly," said the officer. This becomes all the more worrisome in the Indian context due to the fact that there are still "many holes" in the radar network in central and peninsular India to detect intrusions by hostile aircraft, as reported earlier by TOI. "The plan to have a chain of coastal radars is still some distance away but the overall radar coverage in south India has improved in recent months. Yet, it's very difficult to cover the entire air spectrum from the ground to about 60,000 feet," said another officer. The Indian Navy and Coast Guard have already stepped up patrolling in Palk Strait and Gulf of Mannar after the interception of an explosive-laden LTTE boat off Tamil Nadu's coast on February 13. Defence minister A K Antony had said the development could well be just "the tip of the iceberg" of the threats emerging from the sea. But now, with LTTE demonstrating its air capabilities, Indian forces will have to keep a more watchful eye on the airspace in the region, apart from the heightened vigil on the maritime boundaries. Interestingly, apart from supplying arms, offshore patrol vessels and some "non-lethal" military equipment, India gave Sri Lanka two transportable Indra radars for detection of low-level aircraft last year as part of the growing bilateral military ties. New Zealand issues travel warning on SL New Zealand became the second country in as many days to issue a travel warning on Sri Lanka after Monday’s attack on the Katunayake air base. The country was categorised as a ‘high risk’ destination."In Sri Lanka, there is high risk to your security as the situation is unpredictable. We advise against tourist and non-essential travel. In the capital, Colombo, bomb attacks caused deaths and injuries on 8 and 14 August 2006. In early January 2007, there were bombs on buses between Colombo and Kandy and Colombo and Galle. You should avoid areas where there are Sri Lankan military bases and where the military is operating, e.g. convoys, patrols."Be security conscious," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said.The north east was classified as areas with ‘extreme risk.’ The New Zealand warning comes 24 hrs. after Australia issued a similar warning and Cathy Pacific airlines said that it was suspending flights till a proper assessment of the security situation was conducted."Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo was closed briefly on March 26 following an attack on the military base next to the airport," the advisory said. Sri Lanka's air force targets Tamil rebel positions in northeast: military Fighter planes bombed Tamil Tiger positions in Sri Lanka's volatile northeast Tuesday, the military said, a day after the insurgents launched their first-ever airstrike that killed three airmen. The air force targeted three Tamil Tiger guerrilla positions, but there was no information on damage or casualties, said air force spokesman Group Captain Ajantha Silva. A rebel intelligence base in Thoppigala, in war-torn eastern Batticaloa district, was a target, as was a naval base and artillery position in the north, Silva said. No immediate comment from the rebels was available East Ham boys 'terrorise' London East Ham, in London, is the home to a large Sri Lankan Tamil community.There are many Sri Lankan restaurants in East Ham and travel agents offering special deals to Colombo: even the graffiti here is in Tamil scrawl.It is also home to one of the most notorious Tamil gangs in the country: the east ham boys.Since 2000 ten people have been killed in the capital as a result of violent clashes between rival Tamil groups. Police say some members of the Tamil community are living in fear. They even set up a special task force to deal with them.Abhi has seen first hand what the gangs are capable of. Eyewitness account Four years ago a friend was shot dead at close range and in a separate incident he too was attacked. The killings have now stopped due to a series of crackdowns, police patrols and close circuit cameras on the high street. But the threats continue.They are now involved in a racket demanding cash from local businesses and residents. Those who refuse are threatened with violence. Officers believe the youngsters are working for the Tamil Tigers which is banned in Britain as a terrorist outfit. Working for LTTE Chief inspector Derek Griffiths of Newham police says the east ham boys are now running a protection racket. Despite many arrests, few gang members ever make it to court.Labour councillor Paul Sathianesan says in the past witnesses have been scared to give evidence.The police say they're clamping down on the gang by banning them from the area for five years.Community leaders however fear that other youngsters may be all too willing to take their place. LTTE'S AIR STRIKE---AN ASSESSMENT - By B.Raman The Sri Lankan Government has imposed a total black-out on the losses suffered by it from the conventional air strike launched by the Tamil Eelam Air Force (TAF) of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on the air base of the Sri Lankan Air Force (SLAF) at Katunayake outside Colombo on March 26,2007. The air base is located adjoining the international airport. The black-out is meant to hamper any damage assessment by the media and other analysts----from Sri Lanka as well as outside. One has to,therefore, depend on source reports. 2. The only information which the Government has given out is that two helicopters were damaged. It has tried to create an impression as if there was no damage to its fighter aircraft. Source reports, on the other hand, indicate that the TAF air strike has severely damaged, if not destroyed, at least a half of the aircraft holdings of the SLAF. The truth will be known only if and when the SLAF resumes its operations in the Tamil areas. If the Government's contention that there was no damage to its fighter aircraft is correct, then there would be no impact on its air operations in the Tamil areas. If the source reports' contention is correct, one would see a marked decrease in the SLAF's air operations in the days to come. 3. The TAF's air strike was well-planned and equally well-executed. It was a night operation taking advantage of the weak capability of the SLAF for night operations. It was a precision attack, which carefully avoided causing any casualty or damage in the international airport, which could have roused international ire. There were no civilian casualties----targeted or collateral. As a result, it would not be possible to characterise the attack as an act of terrorism. It was pure and simple a conventional air strike. The bombs targeted the hangar or hangars at the base inside which the aircraft of the SLAF are normally parked at night. Three SLAF personnel were killed and about 20 injured. It is not yet known whether they were the maintenance people or whether any of them were pilots. Maintenance casualties can be easily replaced, but not pilot casualties. 4.Some worrisome questions arise. Even professional pilots of a State Air Force need regular flying practice. You can't just assemble or take out an aircraft from a hide-out and fly out on a bombing mission. Where were the TAF pilots doing their flying practice? How come the Air Force intelligence set-ups of Sri Lanka as well as India missed detecting these training flights of the TAF? One needs fuel for the aircraft. From the way the LTTE has been warning of more air attacks, it seems to have an adequate reserve of fuel. Where from it got the fuel? Hopefully, not from India. Since April last year, when the Government of President Mahinda Rajapakse started using the SLAF, the latter has been claiming that it had repeatedly bombed the air strip of the TAF. When an air strip is bombed, it takes time to repair it. How did the LTTE manage to repair it without any problem? Or, does it have another air strip, which has not come to the notice of the Sri Lankan intelligence? 5. The air strike was a daring operation. The TAF aircraft were air-borne for a little over two hours.There was every danger of the aircraft being intercepted and destroyed by the SLAF. The fact that the LTTE leadership decided to face this risk speaks of a certain desperation behind the decision to launch the air strike. One could detect a similar desperation in its efforts to smuggle material required for improvised explosive devices (IEDS) from Tamil Nadu. Since November,2006, a number of consignments of ball bearings, aluminium and similar material intended for smuggling to the LTTE-controlled areas have been intercepted by the Tamil Nadu Police and the Coast Guard. "The Hindu" of March 24,2007, has reported that one of the arrested persons admitted during the interrogation that one consignment had managed to reach Sri Lanka. (see item titled " Two Held in Iron Balls Seizure Case" on Page 8). Two conclusions emerge: First, the LTTE is so desperate for replenishments from Tamil Nadu that it is prepared to face the risk of the arrest of some of its collaborators in Tamil Nadu. Second, if one consignment managed to avoid detection and interception and reach the LTTE, there is a strong possibility of more consignments having reached the LTTE. This reveals gaps in our counter-LTTE security measures. 6.This desperation has arisen from the LTTE's fears that the Sri Lankan Armed Forces were planning to launch an offensive in the Northern Province after having ejected the LTTE from nearly 85 per cent of the total territory in the Eastern Province. If the SL Armed Forces score similar successes in the Northern Province, that could deal a severe blow to the LTTE's political objectives. LTTE spokesmen have been repeatedly hinting that any offensive in the North would lead to a blood-bath in areas outside the Eastern and Northern Provinces.The Sri Lankan Armed Forces and their Foreign Office were treating these warnings casually as the dying gasp of the LTTE. Through its daring air strike, the LTTE has conveyed a credible message that it may be down, but not out. It still has a lot of daring, fight and innovative ability left in it. 7.The Sri Lankan Armed Forces would be stupid to over-estimate the significance of their successes in the Eastern Province and under-estimate the LTTE's capabilities in the Northern Province. The successes in the Eastern Province were largely due to the role played by Karuna and his men, and the ruthless use of the SLAF and the heavy artillery of Pakistani origin. Karuna is a former commander of the LTTE from the Batticaloa District of the Eastern Province, who deserted from the LTTE in March 2004 due to differences with Prabakaran. The LTTE did not consider it necessary to use the TAF to prevent the set-backs in the Eastern Province. It is facing a serious shortage of anti-aircraft weapons and ammunition, but still has some, which have been kept in the reserve for use in the North and to prevent a decapitation strike against Prabakaran. The Sri Lankan Army will have to operate in the North without the support of Karuna and his men, who are detested there as Sinhalese quislings. Moreover, the LTTE's soldiers will be fighting in their own area with which they are familiar. Any operations in the North will see the LTTE fighting ferociously----possibly making full use of its air and anti-aircraft capability. It will hit out against the Sinhalese in the rest of Sri Lanka. It is not doing so presently due to fears of a backlash against the Tamils living in the Sinhalese majority areas, but a desperate LTTE will not be inhibited by such considerations. 8. The demonstrated air attack capability of the LTTE poses immediate, short, medium and long-term threats to Sri Lanka and medium and long-term threats to India. The first immediate threat is to the security of President Rajapakse and other VIPs. The ability to use an aircraft---either conventionally or through a suicide mission--- will enable the LTTE to circumvent access control measures.Without effective access control, there is no effective VIP security. The second immediate threat is psychological---the negative impact on foreign tourists and investors. This impact will be enhanced if the TAF carries out attacks on economic targets. 9. The third immediate impact is also psychological on the minds of the Sri Lankan Tamils. Prabakaran is stated to be a voracious reader. He reads everything that is available on guerilla warfare, covert actions etc. A favourite quote of his from one of these books is:" Those, who dare, win". It is said that this quote is exhibited in all training centres of the LTTE. The TAF dared on the morning of March 26 against tremendous odds. It succeeded. There was elation among the Sri Lankan Tamils all over the world. Many champagne bottles were broken by members of the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora. An added reason for this elation is stated to be the fact that all the TAF pilots are from the diaspora. One could see a fresh flow of volunteers to join the LTTE from Sri Lanka itself as well as from the diaspora. And a fresh flow of funds. 10. To neutralise these psychological impacts, the the SLAF has to demonstrate quickly that its capability and morale have not been affected. Can it do so? It is very important. 11.The short, medium and long-term threats to Sri Lanka will arise if as a result of this demonstrated air capability of the TAF, the SLAF loses its present air superiority. If that happens, the SL Armed Forces and the LTTE will be more evenly matched on the ground than they are today. That means continuing bloodshed and the danger of Tamil Eelam becoming a reality one day.The statements of the close advisers of Rajapakse before the air raid including those of his Foreign Minister show considerable naivete. They seem to think the LTTE can be defeated militarily. The only instances in recent history where terrorist organisations have collapsed without achieving any of their stated objectives are those of the Khalistanis and of the Western ideological groups such as the German Red Army Faction. They collapsed or withered away because they had no support from the people for whose cause they claimed to be fighting. The LTTE has considerable support from the Sri Lankan Tamils---in Sri Lanka as well as abroad. Unless they are weaned away from the LTTE through appropriate political measures, a military victory is doubtful. Repeated bombing raids by the SLAF on Sri Lankan Tamils in order to intimidate them are not the way of winning over the Tamils. Barring the US, which has been heavily using air strikes against the Neo Taliban in Afghanistan and the terrorists and resistance-fighters in Iraq, without any significant success, and Israel, which did so in the Lebanon in July last year,no other country in the world uses air strikes for counter-insurgency operations in such a ruthless manner as the Rajapakse Government has been doing. At the least the US and Israel have been bombing foreign people in foreign territory, but the Rajapakse Government has been bombing from air its own people in its own territory. 12. There is no immediate security threat to India. The medium and long-term threats will arise from the likelihood of copy-cat terrorism and the LTTE one day using it against an Indian target. India has any number of terrorist and insurgent organisations active in different parts of the country. Some of them might be tempted to emulate the LTTE. Successful development and use of an independent air strike capability by a terrorist organisation is largely conditional on its having territorial control over the rural areas. Purely urban terrorist organisations would find it difficult to develop an independent air capability. In India, the Naxalites (Maoists) have effective control over large parts of rural areas. One has to be careful about them. 13. India is no stranger to air terrorism. The plane hijackings by the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front, the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen and the Khalistanis, the blowing-up of the Kanishka aircraft of Air India by the Babbar Khalsa of Canada and the clandestine air drop of weapons by a plane manned by a mercenary crew in Purulia were instances of air terrorism. In the early 1990s, a member of the Babbar Khalsa trained by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence had stated during his interrogation that the ISI had asked him to join the Mumbai Flyting Club, take a trainer aircraft up and crash it on the Bombay High Oil platform. Such instances of air terrorism can be prevented by effective physical security on the ground. 14. But when an insurgent or a terrorist organisation acquires an independent air strike capability, the task of countering it becomes much more difficult. Preventive intelligence is an effective way, but it totally failed in the case of the LTTE. It was able to hoodwink the intelligence agencies of many countries---including those of India, Sri Lanka and the European countries--- get its pilots recruited from the diaspora and trained in foreign training institutions ---like Al Qaeda did-- and smuggle the aircraft in dismantled forms to the areas controlled by it. 15. The LTTE should not be allowed to retain its TAF. The matter should be taken up in the UN Security Council under Resolution 1373 and an ultimatum issued to the LTTE to surrender its planes to observers appointed by the UNSC. If it fails do so, the bank accounts of all members of the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora suspected or known to be funding the LTTE should be frozen as a first step to make it see reason. If it continues to be defiant, other measures have to be considered like knocking them out. These measures have to be combined with pressure on the Rajapakse Government to initiate a political process towards a federal solution. Unilateral action only against the LTTE without simultaneous action against the Rajapakse Government or vice versa will prove counter-productive. Sri Lanka blackout on Air Force losses Sri Lanka’s President held an emergency meeting of the country’s security leadership Monday as the government imposed a total blackout on the Liberation Tigers' bombing raid on Katunayake, the island’s main airbase in the early hours. Whilst the government says only two helicopter gunships were slightly damaged, airmen coming off duty told reporters in Colombo that several SLAF jet bombers were put out of action by fierce fires which broke out in the hangars struck by the LTTE aircraft. Up to 40% of the SLAF’s strike capability has been knocked out, they said.Residents near the airbase which shares a runway with the island’s sole international airport said security had been greatly increased in the area.During the day Monday journalists were kept away from the airbase by heavily armed air force troops who searched surrounding areas with dogs.Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) officials who attempted to visit the Air Force base Monday to initiate inquiries into the attack were refused access to the site by top Air Force officials, an SLMM spokesman told the Daily Mirror. SLMM spokesman Thorfinur Omarsson said the monitors however managed to visit the injured at the Negombo hospital and would make another attempt to visit the air base Tuesday stressing it was important that access is granted for the monitors to rule on the incident.Meanwhile, only two propeller-driven Pucara ground attack aircraft and a seaplane took off from Katunayake all day Monday.A significant section of the SLAF’s jet bomber fleet, including several Israeli-made Kfirs are based at Katunayake.At least six Kfirs were housed in the hangers bombed by two LTTE aircraft in the early hours Monday.The LTTE bombs had triggered fires and secondary explosions in the hangars, airmen who came off duty Monday told reporters. The Sri Lankan government has played down the attack saying only two bombs dropped by the LTTE aircraft exploded.But several press reports in the early hours quoted residents being woken by at least four loud blasts followed by gunfire.Tourists in the international terminal speaking to international agencies also reported a series of loud explosions amid gunfire. In an analysis comment for rediff.com, B. Raman, a former counter-terrorism chief of India’s intelligence service, RAW, said that the LTTE airstrike had damaged or destroyed several aircraft.“Two helicopters, reportedly given by Pakistan, were badly damaged. There was also some damage to the Israeli aircraft of the Sri Lankan Air Force,” he wrote.The bombing raid by two LTTE aircraft coincided with a Gala musical function being held by Sri Pagnananda Maha Vidyalaya school, located 2 km west of the airport. Students were lighting firecrackers at the event, which was being attended by several airmen, when the bombs had struck the airbase. Indiscriminate firing by panicked security personnel in the wake of the explosions had led to a number of friendly fire incidents, with casualties, airmen also said. Faulty radar helped Tigers? Although three of the four radars promised by India are in place, there are believed to be operational problems. The fourth is likely to be installed in the northern theatre. Sri Lanka wants India to fully activate the system on a priority basis.India stepped in with an offer to establish a radar network after President Chandrika Kumaratunga’s government initiated talks with China to acquire a 3D radar system. Former Indian High Commissioner Nirupama Rao, currently New Delhi’s top envoy is believed to have initiated the move on behalf of her government as India had national security concerns. The Island learns that President Mahinda Rajapakse is likely to seek a meeting with Rao’s successor Alok Prasad in this regard. The unprecedented attack has prompted the government to review the existing counter measures on a priority basis.President Rajapakse called an urgent meeting with political party leaders to brief them of the current situation.Although the LTTE scored a huge propaganda victory, LTTE aircraft failed to hit the intended targets-Israeli built Kfirs and Ukrainian MIG 27s. SLAF headquarters said that two of the three bombs dropped by the LTTE exploded causing damages to three buildings. Pro-LTTE TamilNet quoted unnamed airmen as saying that several SLAF jet bombers were put out of action by fierce fires which broke out in the hangars struck by the LTTE aircraft. Up to 40% of the SLAF’s strike capability has been knocked out, the website reported. SLAF headquarters yesterday emphasised that the LTTE attack did not dent its strike capability. "All Kfirs and the newly acquired MIG 27s are safe," an official said. "They missed their targets," he said, adding, "We would continue to take targets depending on the requirement."Kfirs and MIG 27s launched from Katunayake engaged five LTTE targets on Monday afternoon and yesterday.Aircraft targeted LTTE positions north of Mannar, Mullaitivu, Kanagarayankulam and South of Thoppigala. The SLAF said that an LTTE intelligence base and a Sea Tiger facility were among the targets taken.A senior government official yesterday contradicted B. Raman, former head of Research and Analysis Wing who claimed that the LTTE air wing had been in existence for nine years without the Sri Lankan intelligence having the least idea about its location and capability. Raman, a former Additional Secretary of the Cabinet of India made the declaration hours after the terrorist attack. Sri Lankan sources pointed out the absurdity in Raman’s assertion. He conveniently ignored that India installed radars after Sri Lanka sought to deploy an advanced Chinese early warning system. The sources emphasized that Sri Lanka sought the Chinese help after obtaining credible information about the existence of the LTTE air wing. The sources revealed that Sri Lanka also briefed permanent members of the UN Security Council plus India of the growing threat posed by the LTTE air wing in early 2005. In fact, a comprehensive dossier which included even a short footage obtained by Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) of the ‘LTTE assets’ was made available to the big five-US, Russia, China, UK and France and India. The sources said that this was done at the highest level as Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar correctly assessed the threat. According to a senior official Sri Lanka’s action was in line with US Security Council Resolution 1373. In the wake of the 11 September 2001 Al Qaeda attack in the US, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 1373, which, among its provisions, obliges all States to criminalize assistance for terrorist activities, deny financial support and safe haven to terrorists and share information about groups planning terrorist attacks.The 15-member Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) was established at the same time to monitor implementation of the resolution. While the ultimate aim of the Committee is to increase the ability of States to fight terrorism, it is not a sanctions body nor does it maintain a list of terrorist organizations or individuals.Sri Lanka believes that LTTE is in pocession of a few aircraft possibly Pilatus PC-7, Pilatus PC-21 and Zlin Z 143. The sources said that India was the first to receive the dossier on the LTTE attempts to build an air wing. Group profile: Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Janes Defence weekly The LTTE is a model for existing and emerging insurgent groups. The international security and intelligence community generally assesses the LTTE as one of the world's most effective terrorist organisations. It is the only organisation to have assassinated two heads of government and develop a sea arm capable of countering a conventional navy. It also possesses a dedicated suicide squad, the Black Tigers. The LTTE is likely to remain a formidable force until the government of Sri Lanka either develops force structures sufficient to destroy them militarily or a negotiated settlement is reached paving the way for the entry of the LTTE into the legitimate political arena. The group maintains a very high level of readiness through effective training, the acquisition of modern equipment and, for an insurgent group, considerable capabilities for conventional war, with static naval clusters and fortified artillery positions. It is likely the LTTE has the ability to concentrate a force of several thousand to strike anywhere in northeastern Sri Lanka and that it could mount suicide and other operations that would cause immense damage, especially in Colombo. The LTTE maintains a well-equipped navy, the Sea Tigers, and Hagrup Haukland, the chief of the Norwegian-led military mission monitoring the ceasefire, stated in May 2005 that the group had constructed airstrips in the jungles of Mullaitivu and near Trincomalee and had acquired two light aircraft. Targets, tactics and methodology Battle-hardened LTTE cadres are deployed to strike heavily fortified military targets. The LTTE has vast experience in limited action against Sri Lankan forces and is highly developed in the art of mobile warfare. In response to territorial reversals in the East, the group has displayed a capacity to diversify targets, including numerous suicide attacks against army personnel and high-profile military attacks such as the attack on 25 April 2006 targeting an army headquarters compound in the capital Colombo during which Sri Lankan General Sarath Fonseka was severely injured. The group has grown in terms of unconventional and semi-conventional capability, and has sought to develop its conventional force capability. Extensive use is made of landmines or improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in defending approaches to the areas it occupies. Attacks against persons and/or on economic targets other than those in the northeast are conducted largely by the so-called Black Tiger suicide squads. These cadres depend on helpers, mostly from the local minority Tamil community, to play a supportive role in the provision of basic intelligence, safe houses, transport or acting as couriers. Sources of weapons Explosives, weapons and other supplies have come from the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, just 22 miles away and a 45-minute dash by speedboat; the Sri Lankan navy has intercepted only a fraction of this incoming arsenal. During the past decade, the LTTE has transported consignments of weapons from Bulgaria (SA 14, LAW), Ukraine (50 tonnes of TNT and 10 tonnes of RDX), Cyprus (RPGs), Cambodia (small arms), Thailand (small arms), Myanmar (small arms) and Croatia (32,400 mortars). The amount of explosives and mortars transported by the LTTE remains the largest quantity of armaments ever transported by a non-state armed group. Most armaments have been obtained by using forged or adapted end-user certificates. International efforts to curtail the supply of weaponry to terrorist groups have been at least partially successful in reducing the flow to the LTTE. The absence of a comprehensive defence pact with India has hampered naval co-operation against LTTE maritime procurement. In this context, the LTTE has been able to maintain significant procurement links and has considerably enhanced its heavy artillery supplies during the ceasefire. 27 March 2007 Air Force attack: Sri Lanka launches two inquiries Sri Lanka Yesterday launched two investigations into possible security lapses that have led Tigers to carry out its first air raid against the Sri Lanka Air Force Base, adjoining the Bandaranaike International Air Port, killing at least three airmen and injuring sixteen others.“Five member inquiry board of the Sri Lanka Air Force has been appointed to investigate into the incident, while Criminal Investigation Department also is tasked to inquiry into the incident,” government spokesman Minister Anura Priyadharsana Yapa told the media.However he declined to reveal further information until the ongoing investigation is over.Air Force Spokesman Group Captain Ajantha Silva said that when enemy air craft sighted over the Air Base sky, the Air Force personnel retaliated forcing the enemy craft to withdraw form the area. A news agency report quoting a top police source said that the police also has launched an investigation because they were the first to inform the Air Force about the sighting of two unidentified aircrafts an hour before the attack when the rebel crafts passed Ganeshapuram, in Vavuniya district.Sri Lanka government strongly condemning the attack said the unsuccessful mission is | ||
