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Srisaba's 23Rd anniversary Day - 06/05/09 TAMIL UNITED DAY |
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31 May 2009 Tamil National Alliance(TELO,TULF,EPRLF,ACTC) meets Tamilnadu Chief Minister. Tamil National Alliance Parliament members were on a meeting with Tamilnadu Chief Minister M.Karunanidhi. Tamil National Alliance Parliament Committee Leader R.Sambanthan,Mawathai Senathiraraja,EPRLF Leader Suresh Premachandran and TELO Leader Selvam Adaikalanathan were together meeting the Chief Minister. After the meeting R.Sambanthan spoke to the journalists and stated the meeting comprised discussions in regard to assistance to the displaced people. He stated they requested Tamilnadu Chief Minister, political settlement is the only way to have a permanent peace and to establish this, an atmosphere should be confirmed for the safety of Tamils by granting equal rights. R.Sambanthan said the Tamilnadu Chief Minister has assured that Indian Central government and Tamilnadu government are continuously attempting to grant assistance to the Sri Lankan Tamils. Sri Lanka rules out outside probe International appeal But Mr Bogollagama, speaking during a summit of Asian defence ministers in Singapore, told Reuters: "Sri Lanka is a sovereign country with its own legal framework. "We have a very strong separation of powers (and) the judiciary is independent." The foreign minister also appealed for international help in disabling, what he described, as the Tamil Tigers' powerful political lobbies outside Sri Lanka that were seeking to resurrect the movement. "It is important for the international community to take all measures to assist the government of Sri Lanka, to track down the global network of the LTTE (Tamil Tigers)," Mr Bogollagama said. Minister Devananda invited to join SLFP Minister of Social Services and Social Welfare Dougles Devananda and the members of his EPDP have been invited by President Mahinda Rajapakse to join the SLFP. The government also has informed him that he would be made the chief organizer of the SLFP in the Northern Province if he joined the SLFP and a high post like the one given to Karuna Amman could be given to him in the party. According to sources Minister Devananda would discuss with party stalwarts before he takes a decision regarding government’s offer. However, several who joined the SLFP recently such as Karuna Amman are not satisfied with the offer made to Minister Douglas Devananda by the government say internal sources of the government. They say Karuna Amman had hoped to get a higher position in the Northern PC election and take the reins of its administration into his hands. If Mr. Devananda joins the SLFP Karuna Amman would not gain the position he had expected in the administration of the North. Devananda, a former militant leader who bears the scars of nearly a dozen assassination attempts by LTTE, has told international media that with the defeat of the LTTE organization he was ready to assume the leadership of the minority group's struggle for greater political power. "Now the path is clear, we want speedy action," said Devananda speaking to ‘CBS News.’ SLanka seeks to dismantle Tigers' global network Sri Lanka appealed for support in dismantling the Tamil Tigers' international support network after declaring victory over the rebels following the decades-long conflict.Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama told a high-level security forum in Singapore that the global organisation of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) remained "largely intact.""Many of the operatives have clearly cultivated powerful, political lobbies in certain capitals with a view to resurrecting the LTTE," he said."It is important for the international community to take all measures to assist the government of Sri Lanka to track down the global network of the LTTE," he told an annual forum of defence and military officials organised by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies.Sri Lanka's military claimed complete victory over the separatist Tamil Tigers after wiping out the guerrillas' leadership nearly two weeks ago, but has been dogged by accusations that thousands of civilians were killed in the final weeks of the campaign.The LTTE launched a campaign in 1972 to create a Tamil homeland in the Sinhalese-majority island. Much of its funding came from Tamils overseas.Bogollagama dismissed allegations that heavy weapons were used by the military in civilian areas as part of the "propaganda of genocide against the Tamil people.""This was both fictional and well-fabricated, with ulterior and sinister motives in order to discredit the armed forces as well as to embarrass the government of Sri Lanka," he added."Sri Lanka will no doubt enter the annals of history as a classic textbook example of a nation that successfully prevailed over the scourge of terrorism, whilst tenaciously upholding the cherished values of democracy and human rights that have been deeply engraved in the psyche of our people," he said."The government is firmly committed to reaching a political settlement acceptable to all," the foreign minister said.Sri Lanka's handling of the LTTE "has sent a strong signal to the international community that terror can be defeated and terrorism can be eliminated," he added.Amnesty International called Saturday for an independent probe into the number of civilians killed following a report in London's Times newspaper citing confidential UN reports that said more than 20,000 civilians were killed by Sri Lankan army shelling.Sri Lanka's Human Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe has dismissed Amnesty's call and said the organisation was being "ridiculous to keep harping on things they cannot substantiate." Top Tiger leaders in security forces net Some top Tiger guerrillas are now in the military net after they were located in camps housing internally displaced people. Among those are Karikalan (former eastern province political wing leader and subsequently in charge of the economic disivion), Yogaratnam Yogi (former spokesman of the LTTE), V. Balakumar (former EROS MP turned advisor to the LTTE), Lawrence Tilagar (a former spokesman of the LTTE, a one time head of LTTE office in Paris and later in charge of the Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation), Thangan (former Deputy political section leader), Ilamparithi (former head of the political section for Jaffna district), Elilan (former Trincomalee political wing leader), Papa (former head of the LTTE sports division), Puvannan (former head of the administrative division of the LTTE), Gannam (deputy international head).Military spokesman Udaya Nanayakkara said he could not confirm or deny reports about the presence of the senior LTTE members in the camps, saying that the process of identification was still continuing.He said he could confirm that Thamlini, head of the (Women’s) political wing was in custody.“All former LTTE members will go through the process of questioning by the army before being handed over to the police for legal action,” Brigadier Nanayakkara said. Thamilini has been brought to Colombo for further questioning, he said.Officials involved in relief and administrative work in the camps speaking on conditions of anonymity said they had spoken to some of the former LTTE members. Meanwhile Minister Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan this week visited the Menik Farm and met with the wife of former LTTE political wing leader S.P. Thamilselvan.The Sunday Times learns that Mr. Muralitharan, a former LTTE leader himself, had offered to make arrangements for Ms. Thamilselvan and her child to travel to Canada where the rest of her family members live.Mr. Muralitharan has also appealed to the remaining LTTE cadres in the Eastern Province to surrender before the security forces apprehended them. Three LTTE cadres surrendered to the army this week. Four Tamil parties reject UPFA’s polls overtures World may never know Sri Lanka death toll: UN If numbers could tell a story, then this is one will always have a question mark. The United Nations (UN) has said that it would be impossible to find out how many civilians were killed in the weeks that led to the end of the war between the Lankan armed forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The UN Under-Secretary-General John Holmes, its humanitarian operations’ chief, has said it was unclear how many died in the months before Sri Lanka declared victory over the LTTE on May 18. Holmes was referring to the final phase of the war, which experts say began after the 'no fire zone' (NFZ) was designated on the coast of Mullaitivu in February.Holmes told news agency Reuters that he disputed a death toll reported in The Times of London that cited a "UN source" to support an estimate that at least 20,000 people were killed during the months-long final siege."That figure has no status as far as we're concerned," Holmes said. "It may be right, it may be wrong, it may be far too high, it may even be too low. But we honestly don't know. We've always said an investigation would be a good idea," Holmes said. He said it was based on an unofficial and unverified UN estimate of around 7,000 civilian deaths through the end of April and added on roughly 1,000 more per day after that.Earlier, the UN in Colombo had given a figure of at least 6200 civilians dying in the final phase of the war.Independent verification of casualty figures was not possible because the government had banned journalists or observers from visiting the battle front. The only international organisation working in the zone was the International Committee for Red Cross (ICRC). The ICRC which did speak of large number of casualties never spelt out a figure.Holmes said there would likely never be a reliable death toll."I fear we may (never know), because I don't know that the government would be prepared to cooperate with any inquiry," Holmes said.But there was no doubt "several thousand" civilians had died during the siege, he added. During that siege, Holmes repeatedly criticised the government for shelling areas where civilians were trapped, warning that it could lead to a "bloodbath". Plans to light up the entire northern region of Sri Lanka The Sri Lanka government is planning to provide electricity to all areas in the northern region as soon as possible. W. D. J. Seneviratne, Minister of Power and Energy said they are planning to light up the entire North under the "Uthuru Wasanthaya" program, which was implemented by the government to develop the region. The Ceylon Electricity Board needs 50 megawatts to provide electricity to the entire north. The Power and Energy Ministry hopes to get 70 percent of the required electricity from the Chunnakam Coal Power Plant. Chunnakam power plant is currently producing 15 megawatts, and the Ministry plans to upgrade its production to 35 megawatts. 'Killing Rajiv LTTE's biggest mistake' NEW DELHI: Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has said that killing former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was the biggest mistake of the Tamil tigers which cost them the sympathy of India."To kill Rajiv Gandhi. They antagonised the whole sympathy of India. That was the biggest mistake I think they did in 30 years," Rajapaksa told NDTV.He said that when ethnic Tamil issue took root in Sri Lanka, India was sympathetic to their cause."...And finally they killed an Indian leader who was loved by all," Rajapaksa said when asked about the biggest mistake committed by the LTTE.The Sri Lankan President said that another mistake of the Tamil Tigers was to underestimate the powers of the state."They didn't gauge the powers of this soft country," he said.Asked whether Indian government put pressure on him during the final stages of the fight against the Tigers, Rajapaksa replied in the negative."No. I dont think so," he said when asked whether there was pressure from India."Among friends there cannot be pressure or persuasion," Rajapaksa said when pressed further on the issue. 'I'm only 16. They gave me a rifle Sourcr:The Guardian UK Darchiga Kuken was sheltering in a bunker in the Mullaitivu area when a group of about 20 Tamil Tiger soldiers arrived and demanded that she went with them."I was sick with chicken pox. My mother and father were screaming and crying, saying that I was sick and pleading with them not to take me," she said. The men went away. And then at 5pm on 14 March they came back. They called me to come out and then they grabbed me and put me in a jeep. I started to cry. I was shouting: 'Mother, father, help me.' " The 16-year-old is now being held in what the government describes as a "rehabilitation centre", a jungle camp built on a hillside outside the town of Ambepusse in the south of the country. Here children like her, who were forced to fight on the front line in the final stages of the war in Sri Lanka, gave the Observer compelling evidence of war crimes committed by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The camp currently houses 95 children, with another 200 on their way from internment camps around the town of Vavuniya in the north of the country. Despite international concerns over the treatment of LTTE suspects, the children appeared to be well treated and were able to speak freely when the Observer visited the camp on Thursday. The most distressing sight was a young boy howling in pain on the floor of one of the huts; his friends said that he had recently arrived and still had a piece of shrapnel lodged in his skull from the recent fighting. The accounts of these boys and girls who surrendered to the Sri Lankan army were shocking. They say they were dragged screaming from their families and sent into action with only a few days of basic training. The older members of the LTTE warned them to keep firing and advancing, or they would be shot by their own side from behind.Those who did try to escape said they were fired on by their own side. Children who were recaptured had their hair shaved off to mark them as deserters and boys were beaten.Darchiga said she was shot in the stomach by the army two days after arriving on the front line, having been forced to pick up a rifle and go forward to fight. She said LTTE cadres left her bleeding for four hours before she received any medical treatment.According to her testimony, the Tigers had warned every family that those children who could carry a weapon were expected to join up, regardless of age. Some as young as 11 and 12 had been taken, she said. "They told families that one child was enough. If they had five children, they would take four and leave just one."She was taken to a training camp at Mullaivaikal, where nine days of basic military training were interrupted by frequent air attacks. On the morning of 24 March, she was sent to the front."I was scared and thought that I would die now and would never see my parents again. They had scared us and said we shouldn't sleep because the army would come and cut our throats."She spent the first day hiding in a bunker, then she was shoved forwards because the senior Tiger cadres said they were running out of fighters. "They gave me a rifle. It was very heavy. They threatened us that we had to go forward and shoot; if we came back, they would shoot us themselves."I went a few hundred yards and hid behind a coconut tree. I saw the army coming and I was very scared and I was lying down trying to hide, but then they shot me in the stomach."I started screaming because of the pain, but the cadres told me to shut up because the army would hear me. They gave me a cloth to put on the wound. There was a lot of blood. It was four hours before they took me to the hospital at Matalan."On 13 April she escaped and ran back to her family. The Tigers were looking for deserters, she said. "If they caught them, they shaved their hair off and sent them back to the front line." Boys also received a beating.She finally managed to escape with a group of civilians, but only after the Tigers had fired on them. She was separated from her family, who were sent to the internment camps at Vavuniya, and taken to a court, which ordered her to be detained at Ambepusse for a year - the standard treatment for those who confess to LTTE membership, even if they had been coerced.Ravindram Vajeevan, 17, said he arrived at Ambepusse on 9 April after escaping from the Tigers four days earlier. He had a large scar on his left arm where he had been shot by his former comrades as he ran away.He had been taken from his family in Mullaitivu on 29 March, as fighting raged around the shrinking no-fire zone and LTTE numbers dwindled. A large group of men arrived at the house, he said, and dragged him from the bunker where he had been sheltering."They hit me and my mother was crying and I was crying, but they said I had to go to fight. My neighbours tried to stop them, but they said they would shoot. Then they fired in the air," he said.He was taken to a camp with about 70 other young boys and taught how to make a bunker, how to handle a rifle, how to escape from an ambush and how to stage an attack. They were told that if they did not fight they would be shot from behind, he said. On the fifth day, he escaped. "In the beginning, the LTTE were fighting for the Tamils, but in the end they were just fighting for themselves," he said.Thambirasa Jagadiswary, 20, and her brother Thambirasa Thisanandan, 17, were reunited at Ambepusse after the the Tigers took them from their family. Jagadiswary was taken in June 2008 and drafted into a mortar unit before being captured; her brother was dragooned in February this year. He had spent 15 days with the rebels before escaping and surrendering.Afterwards he was taken to Vavuniya with his parents. "They told us there that those who were in the LTTE should register, so I did," he said. "Then they told me they would separate us from our parents.""I was talking with my friends when they brought him in," his sister said. "All of a sudden I saw my brother and I started crying and shouting and hugging him." Their mother remains in the internment camp at Menik Farm. These teenagers' revelations come days after the UN human rights council rejected a call for an investigation into allegations of war crimes by both sides during the 26-year conflict and accepted an alternative Sri Lankan government resolution describing the conflict as a "domestic matter that doesn't warrant outside interference". The Sri Lankan military has also been accused of committing war crimes by firing on civilians. Among the traumatised and unwilling child soldiers of the Tamil Tigers, there is just a desire for normality to return. "I was one year with the LTTE and I must be one year here," said Jagadiswary. "Now I would just like to find my mother and get on with my life." EU now wants IMF loan stopped After failing to nail human rights allegations against Sri Lanka, Britain, France and Sweden are now influencing the Obama administration to block the IMF loan to Sri Lanka until Colombo agrees to accept conditions set by the western block.The European Union and western powers have now focused on attempting to stop the grant of the IMF loan to Sri Lanka.It is learnt that Britain and France have conveyed their concerns regarding the IMF loan to the US State Department.During the final phase of the war in Sri Lanka, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that “it was not the appropriate time to consider granting a massive IMF loan for Sri Lanka.’’When the LTTE was wiped out, the US government congratulated Colombo on their efforts to eliminate terrorism but was mum regarding the loan. When we contacted IMF officials who requested anonymity, they said that Sri Lanka will hopefully get the loan but significant delays could occur while Sri Lanka would have to adhere to strict conditions introduced by the US and other western member states. Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, International Crisis Group, the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect, and several INGOs are still seriously lobbying the US and other IMF member countries to block the IMF loan to Sri Lanka.Sources also said that New York based rights organizations welcome US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's decision to delay the IMF loan, and hope members of the IMF board will concur. Eastern rebel leader surrenders to Sri Lanka police China sold arms to both sides in Lankan war’ China sold arms to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) as well as the government forces during the three decadelong conflict in Sri Lanka, claimed The Island, a daily on Thursday.While being a ready, steady and a cost effective supplier of weapons to the Sri Lankan armed forces for a long time, China had supplied a “large stock” of weapons to the LTTE also, the daily reported. The supplies to the LTTE were done through “End User Certificates” from countries such as North Korea and Eritrea, The Island quoted Sri Lankan navy chief, Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda, who added that the arms supplier was a state-owned Chinese company, NORINCO.However, in recent times, the Mahinda Rajapaksa government had succeeded in blocking supplies from China to LTTE through high level and intense diplomatic efforts, The Island said. Between February and October 2007, the Sri Lankan navy had sunk six North Korean ships, carrying weapons for the LTTE, thanks to US intelligence.Both North Korean crews and Tamil Tiger terrorists were on board the ships.“The logic was that both sides in the conflict preferred to use compatible weapons. The LTTE wanted to use the types of weapons used by the Sri Lankan armed forces so that captured weapons could be put to use easily.The same held true for the Sri Lankan forces,” a diplomat said.There are reports that Beijing had increased its arms supplies to Sri Lanka significantly since 2007. In April 2007, Sri Lanka signed a classified US $ 37.6 million deal to buy Chinese ammo and ordnance for its army and navy, Jane’s Defense Weekly reported.China gave Sri Lanka, six F-7 jets, apparently free of charge, according to the Stockholm Internatonal Peace Research Institute. The small jets were needed to bring down the small Czech made Zlin-142s, which the LTTE was using to bomb targets in South Sri Lanka and were said to be eight times more successful.“China’s arms sales have been a decisive factor in ending the military stalemate in Sri Lanka,” says Brahma Chellaney of the Centre for Policy Research in New Delhi.The growing Sino-Lankan military relations irked India, especially the sale of offensive weapons to Colombo.India’s National Security Advisor M K Narayanan had told Sri Lanka that it should come to India for its military requirements and not go to China or Pakistan — a statement, which irked Sri Lankans.But as the Lankan army chief said in a recent interview, Colombo had to seek assistance from China and Pakistan because India would not sell “offensive weapons” in order not to annoy Tamil Nadu. 30 May 2009 TNA will contest Northern poll The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) will contest the forthcoming Jaffna and Vavuniya local government elections which will be held after more than a decade, Party sources confirmed yesterday. "We will definitely contest the elections in both the Jaffna Municipal Council and Vavuniya Urban Council," the sources said. He added that however the names of candidates will not be made public until the close of nominations. The party is to nominate 15 candidates for the 11 seat-Vavuniya Urban Council while 30 members will vie for 23 seats in the Jaffna Municipal Council as per requirement of the Elections Act. The sources said they hope to actively campaign in the electorates but the election campaign may consist of house to house visits rather than formal rallies due to security concerns. Meanwhile, the Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP) which is contesting the Northern elections, has still not decided whether it is going to contest the elections in Alliance. However, a decision in this regard will be taken by its Central Committee shortly, the Party said. "It is vitally important that the people's representatives should be selected through an election and the administration of the region handed over to them. In addition, we emphasize that steps need to be taken for implementation of the provisions of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution." Former LTTE media spokesperson gives confidential statement in Sri Lanka Court The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) yesterday produced the surrendered former LTTE media spokesperson Velaudhan Dayanidi alias Daya Master in court for the first time. Reportedly Daya Master gave a three hour-long confidential statement in front of only Colombo Magistrate Nishantha Hapuarachchi. Following the statement, Daya Master was taken back to CID headquarters for further investigation under the approval of the Colombo Magistrate Court. Earlier the CID had informed the Court via a report that it had begun a special investigation on Daya Master and his activities in the rebel outfit. The LTTE’s former media spokesperson surrendered to the Sri Lanka Army on April 22 with another prominent Tiger, George Master, in the Putumatalam area of Mullaitivu inside the No-Fire Zone. Rajapaksa visiting New Delhi next week Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa is expected to visit New Delhi next week India hopes to carry forward the dialogue on rehabilitation of Tamils displaced in the war between the Lankan army and LTTE, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna said on Friday. "We are expecting the Sri Lankan President to visit Delhi next week to carry the dialogue forward", he told reporters here. "The crisis has just ended. The process of rehabilitation (of displaced Tamils) has just started. It is a gigantic task of rehabilitating thousands of displaced persons, overwhelming majority of which are Tamil-speaking people", Mr. Krishna said. Mr. Krishna, who hails from Karnataka, was given a rousing reception by his supporters on his maiden visit to the city after assuming charge. Foreign Secretary Shivshanker Menon and National Security Adviser M K Narayanan had met Rajapaksa recently during which "certain assurances have been given to them", Mr. Krishna said. Mr. Krishna ruled out the need for India to take a "re-look" at its foreign policy with Nepal with which the country has strong relations. "There is no question of a re-look. We have very friendly relations with Nepal.", he said adding "our relationship with Nepal is on a very solid foundation". India is also looking forward to the visit of US State Secretary Hillary Clinton next month, Mr. Krishna said. "A number of issues will be taken on bilateral basis with the US Secretary of State", he said. Northern train to extend to Thandikulam On June 6, the Jaffna-bound Yal Dewi train will resume its journey to Thandikulam once again, 3 kilometers beyond Vavuniya on the northern track, the Transport Ministry says. According to the Ministry, the reconstruction of the northern rail track has been completed up to Thandikulam and now it is ready to resume service to Thandikulam. The Thandikulam rail station will also be ready within the next few days, the Ministry added. The Transport Ministry hopes to begin work on the next phase by laying the track up to Omanthai. At the moment, the northbound Yal Dewi travels only to Vavuniya. Transport Minister Dullas Alahaperuma expects to resume service to Kankesanthurai in Jaffna next year. FM urges Malaysia to consider banning LTTE Karunanidhi’s son appointed deputy chief minister TNA asks MPs abroad to return 29 May 2009 Times photographs expose Sri Lanka’s lie on civilian deaths at beach On Wednesday evening the Sri Lankan delegation at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva was celebrating after its victory in fending off an investigation into alleged war crimes committed by its army. Sri Lanka’s Government has consistently denied killing civilians in the battle to wipe out the Tamil Tigers and blamed the rebels for any deaths. It hailed the vote by the council as a vindication of its action. An investigation by The Times into Sri Lanka’s civilian casualties, however — which was conducted in a week-long visit to Sri Lanka — has found evidence of a civilian death toll of 20,000, almost three times that cited previously. The majority perished under government guns. Confidential UN documents, the testimony of witnesses who lived through the bombardment and expert analysis of photographs that were taken on a helicopter flight over the no-fire zone attest to the deaths of thousands of Tamils, killed while acting as unwilling human shields by the Tamil Tigers, who claimed to be their liberators. Intended as a haven for civilians, the no-fire zone became a killing field instead for the thousands trapped between the rebels and the army. Summaries of UN documents leaked this month confirmed almost 7,000 dead in the first four months of the year. More than 13,000 civilians were killed until May 19, the day after the death of Velupillai Prabakharan, the leader of the Tigers, was announced. That figure is based on the growth in the intensity of shelling in May, resulting in an average of 1,000 civilian deaths every day. “These figures are not even complete yet,” the UN source said. “It’s going to end up way more.” The Times has acquired a full set of the documents showing the previously unreleased breakdown of the weaponry that caused each death and revealing the scale of carnage from shelling which defence experts said could have come only from the army’s side. The UN figures until the end of April, which are based on death records, show that 2 per cent of deaths in January, the beginning of the final offensive, were caused by gunfire and more than 80 per cent by shelling. Many of those shot were killed by the Tamil Tigers when they opened fire on civilians to prevent them from escaping after being held as hostages in the no-fire zone. In February, 15 per cent were killed by gunfire as more civilians attempted to escape and 64 per cent were killed by shelling. The numbers killed by shelling doubled from March to April, with an average of 129 every day. Three independent defence analysts who examined photographs of army and rebel firing positions taken over the no-fire zone confirmed that the range of the rebel weaponry and the narrowness of the zone make it unlikely that rebel munitions caused significant civilian casualties. One told The Times that rebel mortars would have hit civilians only if their weapons had malfunctioned. “It’s possible that some of the mortars might have misfired causing some of the damage but this sort of occurrence is rare,” Charles Heyman, a former army officer and editor of the magazine Armed Forces of the UK, said. “It looks more likely that the firing position has been located by the Sri Lankan Army and it has then been targeted with air-burst and groundimpact mortars.” Mortars are an indiscriminate weapon employed usually to take out groups of fighters on an open battlefield. Use of imprecise weapons of this kind in densely populated civilian areas is a war crime under Common Article 3 of the 1949 Geneva Convention — to which Sri Lanka is a signatory. Mortars — the Sri Lankan Army has 81mm, 82mm and 120mm rockets — can detonate on the ground where the impact would be absorbed partially, or between 100ft and 200ft above the ground, causing a mass of shell fragments. Air-burst and ground-impact mortars can cause wide destruction and reduce trees to burnt stumps — one of the sights seen frequently in The Times photographs. According to a former Sri Lankan army officer, the Tamil Tigers did not possess air-burst mortars. Their heavy weaponry had a range of 7 to 27km, meaning that most of their fire would have fallen outside the zone. UN projections based on the last five days of April predicted an average May death rate of 341 every day, but the month was to prove bloodier. Until the end of April, the death toll was collated from the number of bodies arriving at improvised medical centres or reports from doctors, priests and humanitarian workers inside the no-fire zone. Bodies taken to the medical centres or casualties who died undergoing treatment accounted for not more than 19 per cent of the total death toll. In one day, when the names of 198 dead were collected, only 39 bodies were taken to the medical centre. In the four days leading up to and including May 13, an average of 220 bodies were taken to medical points. On the worst day, the toll reached 480. Workers were unable to collect reports of other deaths because of the intensity of the bombing. Based on the previous ratios, a conservative estimate still comes out at more than 1,000 civilian deaths each day, one UN source noted. Counting of any kind was abandoned on May 13 when the bombardment reached such an intensity that most humanitarian staff had left and others were unable to leave their bunkers. Still unaccounted for are 3,000 wounded civilians who were left in the last medical post in the no-fire zone when the remaining medical staff fled. One humanitarian worker told The Times that makeshift hospitals had been repeated targets for the Government, which claimed that rebels were hiding in them. In some cases, he said, the medical posts were bombed within hours of doctors telephoning their co-ordinates to the International Committee of the Red Cross so that the military could avoid bombing them. UN sources accused the Government of waging “a war without witnesses”. “They didn’t want anyone left to say what had happened,” one said. Three Sri Lankan doctors who reported on civilian casualties within the no-fire zone are being held on charges of spreading false information. UN sources said that their workers were trying to discover the fates of thousands more who are missing. The task is complicated by the internment of Tamil civilians in military-run camps beyond the reach of humanitarian organisations. No independent observers have been given access to the war zone. The Times was able to photograph the no-fire zone while travelling with Ban Ki Moon, the UN Secretary-General. It is the only British publication to do so. The Times has made two official visits to Manik Farm camp in the last week, during which those who had fled the no-fire zone testified to their grim experiences there. With the backing of its power ally China, there appears little prospect that the Government will be investigated for alleged war crimes. All of the Tiger leadership have been killed, leaving only middle-ranking cadre to face justice. Common Article Three of the Geneva Convention prohibits the use of indiscriminate fire against civilian areas, even when a military force is using them as a shield, as the Tigers can be seen to have been doing in the photographs. The Government’s restriction of humanitarian law may constitute a war crime. Sri Lanka’s 2006 Geneva Conventions Act purports to enshrine the conventions in its law but, according to the Rule of Law in Armed Conflict Project at the Geneva Academy of Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, it specifically excluded internal conflicts. Legal experts said, however, that the loophole, designed to exclude the war with the Tamil Tigers, did not exclude Sri Lankan commanders from international prosecution. Sri Lanka: DNA test confirms rebel leader's death Sri Lanka's military said Thursday it has proved conclusively through DNA testing that Tamil Tiger chief Velupillai Prabhakaran was killed last week, after supporters refused to believe a government video showing the leader's dead body.Military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara said lab tests compared the DNA of the man they believed to be Prabhakaran with that of his son, who was also killed in the fighting, and proved that the body was the rebel leader's.The army had determined the son's identity through photographs.The government declared last week that it won the 25-year civil war against the insurgents and announced it had killed the rebel leader and many of his top commanders. Government television showed Prabhakaran's body with a handkerchief covering a fatal head wound.But many of his supporters refused to believe the video, and an ethnic Tamil lawmaker demanded that Prabhakaran's death be proven through a DNA test.According to the United Nations, 80,000 to 100,000 people have been killed in Sri Lanka's civil war and about 280,000 people were displaced and are living in government-run camps. Tamils issue: Rajapaksa for 'homegrown political solution' Fresh from his victory against the LTTE, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has said his government will devise a "homegrown" political solution to resolve the decades-old ethnic problem in the country. He invited Indian industrialists to come and contribute to the development of Sri Lanka especially since the security atmosphere will see a radical transformation now. "The India-Lanka accord led to the 13th amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution. In that way the homegrown approach covers the position of India, too. This time, a political solution will be devised after taking every shade of Sri Lankan opinion into consideration," Mr. Rajapaksa told The Week in an interview. "Since peace is in the interest of Sri Lanka, we have to sit down and decide on its content ourselves," he said. The President said he has fought "India's war" by eliminating the LTTE militarily, which had assassinated former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi 18 years ago. "I think my war is part of the South Asian campaign against terrorism. In fact, by eliminating the LTTE militarily, I have fought India's war." Mr. Rajapaksa said the next responsibility of the troops will be to contribute to the relief and rehabilitation of the displaced people in the north and northeast and added that even during the war, they were building roads and bridges in the north. The President said "nothing is more important for me than what India thinks" and thanked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and the Indian people for the support to Sri Lanka during the war. "My victory coincided with her (Sonia's) electoral victory. I have written to her congratulating her on winning the elections. India's moral support during the war was most important," Mr. Rajapaksa said. Asked whether he wants to build bridges with politicians in Tamil Nadu, he said he was congratulated by many politicians in Tamil Nadu after the war. "Look at the fate of LTTE supporters in Tamil Nadu in the elections. All those who supported the Tigers have been routed. The people of Tamil Nadu have given these terror supporters a fitting reply," he said. He also criticised certain NGOs and other aid agencies and said "these are the elite of Tamil society who had no clue about the hardship faced by the people in the LTTE-held northern Sri Lanka." Mr. Rajapaksa said he wants to have friends all over South Asia. "I find it all right to have good ties with Pakistan also," he said when pointed out that he has engaged antagonistic parties like the Israelis and the Palestinians and India and Pakistan. On allegations of human rights abuse by Sri Lankan soldiers, he said he thinks that the human rights lobby got its timing wrong. "Where were they when the LTTE terrorised Sri Lankans all these years?" No decision on 13th Amendment in full’ Pak claims key role in win over LTTE Sri Lanka denies Pakistani pilots flew its planes The Commander of the Sri Lankan Air Force (SLAF), Air Chief Marshal Roshan Goonetilleke, has said that the bombing missions in the just concluded war against the Tamil Tiger rebels were carried out by Sri Lankan and not foreign pilots.This remark in the Sinhalese language programme ‘Thulawa’ of the state-owned ITN TV is significant in the context of rumours persistently spread by the Tamil Tigers that the Sri Lankan air force was bombing accurately this time only because its planes were flown by Pakistan Air Force pilots. Air Marshal Goonetilleke said that the SLAF had attacked 1,900 LTTE hideouts and meeting points, and destroyed 52 large Sea Tiger vessels and several Sea Tiger hideouts in the just concluded Eelam War IV. The commander clarified that the battle against the LTTE fought by Sri Lankan, and not foreign pilots, countering the LTTE propaganda that Pakistani pilots were doing the sorties as the bombing was remarkably accurate. Tigers could stage hit-and-run attacks: Army chief Canada reacts angrily to Colombo embassy attack US urges Lanka to grant full access to the region Washington: US today asked Sri Lanka to grant access to the international community and the United Nations in particular to all those areas of the Northern part of country where the three-decades of civil war has just concluded."We believe that it's important for the international community to have more accurate information about what has been happening on both sides, during and after the recent offensive in northern Sri Lanka," State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said."We urge the Government of Sri Lanka to grant the international community full access to the region and the UN and, as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has said, to better understand the facts on the ground in Sri Lanka and to review the situation," Kelly said.Welcoming the end of the fighting, Kelly said: "We look forward to helping in any way we can in building a lasting peace based on national political reconciliation and the full respect of human rights." The focus right now is getting humanitarian assistance to the people who need it most and to help the Lankan Government facilitate a political reconciliation process, Kelly said. LTTE women’s political wing leader Thmalini arrested while hiding in a welfare village KP’s local agent arrested at IDP camp The local agent of the LTTE’s notorious international arms dealer Kumaran Pathmanadan, aka KP, was arrested by Army intelligence yesterday at a welfare camp in Vavuniya. Army sources said that the man Identified as Urumaran, was well educated and KP’s direct contact in the supply of weapons to the LTTE.Initial investigations had revealed that he was fluent in English and some other European languages. He had travelled abroad on nineteen occasions.He had joined the civilians and reached a welfare camp in Vavuniya but someone who knew about him had tipped off Army intelligence yesterday morning. On being questioned Urumaran had admitted that he was the local handler of arms and ammunition that came to the LTTE from abroad mainly on sea going vessels.Once these arms vessels reached Sri Lankan waters Urumaran was the one who directed them where and when to unload the weapons. Investigations also revealed that he had been in constant touch with KP even after arriving at the welfare centre, Army sources said.The investigations were at the initial stage even by late afternoon yesterday and they believe the whereabouts of KP could be traced by questioning and monitoring the telephone calls he received on his satellite phone.Further details were not available at the time of going to press. TNA MP Jeyananthamoorthy's secretary reported missing Thavarajasingham Subash, 23, secretary to S.Jeyananthamoorthy, Batticaloa district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian has been reported missing mysteriously since Tuesday early morning around 2:15 a.m after he arrived in Katunayake from Chennai airport in Tamilnadu. Katunayake Police took into custody on his arrival from Chennai. Later it was reported that he was released. However he failed to return home thereafter, according to complaints lodged with the police by his relatives, according to media reports. Thavarajasingham Subash is the son of a sister of S. Jeyananthamoorthy and had been residing with her parents in Colombo.His mother immediately contacted the police officer in charge through Vanni district TNA parliamentarian Sivanathan Kishore. But she was asked to come to the police station and take him in charge of her. The next day morning she went to the police station, but she was told by the police station that her son had been released on the same day morning around 6:30 a.m.Relatives suspect that he has been detained by the police. LTTE is now defunct - Janes Defence Weekly The Janes Defence Weekly said all parties agreed that the LTTE as a conventional fighting force has now become defunct. The magazine quoted UN spokesman Gordon Weiss as saying, without Prabhakaran there is no LTTE. The piece written by the magazine’s Asia Pacific Editor, Trefor Moss in its latest issue of May 27 as the headline of the issue said, the defeat of the LTTE began with the formal abandonment of a Norwegian-brokered truce at the start of 2008 by President Mahinda Rajapaksa. It declared that the Sri Lanka Army has defeated the Tamil Tigers ending 26 years of civil war. Quoting Ahilan Kadirgamar, the spokesman for the Sri Lanka Democratic Forum the magazine reported him as saying that the LTTE has steadily alienated itself from the local Tamil population through its heavy handed tactics, which ranged from extortion to the forced recruitment of children. But Ahilan kadirgamar said, however the separate state concept for the Tamils remained highly popular among expatriate Tamils, outside Sri Lanka. The United Nations spokesman in Sri Lanka Gordon Weiss told the magazine there is a real chance for lasting peace on the island now. Following are some excerpts from the article: The Sri Lankan government has declared victory in its 26 year war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). President Mahinda Rajapaksa formally announced that the Armed Forces had been able to liberate the entire country from the clutches of terrorists on May 19 and confirmed that the remainder of the LTTE forces had been destroyed on a narrow strip of beach near Mullaitivu in Sri Lanka’s North East the previous day. General Sarath Fonseka, the Sri Lankan Army Chief then announced that the leader of the LTTE Velupillai Prabhakaran , had been killed, along with many of the rebel groups other senior figures. On May 21 a military spokesman said that Prabhakaran’s body had been properly identified and cremated. The Ministry of Defence also said that the Army’s 53 and 58 divisions which had converged on the last pockets of resistance had counted the bodies of 350 LTTE fighters on the battlefield. The UN’s spokesman in Sri Lanka, Gordon Weiss, told Janes that the country’s long war was very clearly over. It was now clear the senior leadership was quickly killed and it was all over after that. Weiss said the priority was now to get significant quantities of aid to the estimated 200,000 people displaced by the fighting. Weiss told Janes without Prabhakaran there is no LTTE. 28 May 2009 UN council ignores calls for Sri Lanka abuse probe Murukandi temple station to be rebuilt with youth participation The destroyed Murukandi Temple Station on the Yal Devi Train route due to the thirty-year prolonged attacks of the LTTE, will be constructed with the participation of youth, Youth Affairs Minister, Pavithra Wanniarachchi said. This project will coincide with the Uthuru Vasantha program for which the fund raising had already been allocated by the National Youth Services Council, she said. Thus, there would be four canvasing projects to raise funds with the assistance of youth Clubs from Maharagama to Saman Devalaya in Ratnapura, Seenigama devalaya on the Galle Road, Munneshwaram Kovil in Chillaw, Ethkanda Viharaya of Kurunegala for eight days. It is expected to raise Rs. five million through these campaigns, she told to the Daily News. Meanwhile, funds will also be raised by selling flags on the National Youth Day celebration for which 32 youth centres and 9,000 youth clubs throughout Sri Lanka will provide assistance. Youth Sarasaviya program will also assist in the program while they will also assist with the construction of the station. A counter will be open for 24 hours at the National Youth Services Council premises for public donations and the public could telephone 2847564 for inquiries. Members of Thamilchelvan’s family will be allowed to re-unite with relations -Karuna Prabhakaran’s parents in protective custody LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran’s parents Velupillai (76) and Parvathi (71) are in the protective custody of the Sri Lankan government.A senior government spokesman told The Island that they had surrendered to the army after reaching the army lines several days ago. He said that they had been among civilians holed up in the no fire zone on the Mullaitivu coast before the army launched the final assault.They returned to the Vanni in May 2003 after the Norway brokered ceasefire between the then Ranil Wickremesinghe government and the LTTE. At the time of the finalization of the CFA, they had been living at Tiruchirapalli.They had been accompanied by their Canada-based daughter, Vinodhini, and her husband, Rajendran.Velupillai and Parvathi were among the early batch of Sri Lankan Tamils to go to India. They settled in Tiruchi. The Velupillais initially settled down in a rented house, often closely monitored by the Indian intelligence agencies. Later they moved into their own house. Commandos kill eleven LTTErs Madhu too a sanctuary Chundikulam to be declared a bird sanctuary The newly liberated Chundikulam area in the Jaffna District will shortly be declared a bird sanctuary and Madhu will be made a sanctuary, Environment and Natural Resources Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka said at a press conference on Tuesday.He said accordingly lands would be demarcated for specific purpose like development, highways and conservation.Already a north and east reawakening programme is spelled out under the leadership of Senior Presidential Advisor Basil Rajapaksa.He said part of this programme is going to be on the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) for projects. Sri Lankan government supporters stone Canadian High Commission in Colombo Hundreds of Sri Lankans protested outside the Canadian High Commission in Colombo on Wednesday, accusing Ottawa of supporting Tamil Tiger rebels.They pelted the mission with stones, sprayed graffiti on the wall and painted over a security camera.Sri Lankans have reacted angrily to perceived international support for the rebels, especially from countries that pushed the government for a ceasefire in the final days of the war to rescue tens of thousands of civilians caught in the crossfire.The protest came a week after Sri Lanka declared victory in its quarter-century war with the Tigers.The demonstrators said they were protesting against what they called Canada's support for the insurgents and its alleged failure to protect Sri Lankans and their property from pro-rebel groups in Canada.However, many Tamil Canadians say the federal government has ignored their plight.They have protested across Canada recently, calling for government intervention in the war, which ended with the killing of the Tiger leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran.Canada, along with several other countries, lists the group as a terrorist organization. 27 May 2009 Sri Lanka must be treated as a special case: Karunanidhi CHENNAI: Tamils the world over believe that the draft resolution presented by the Sri Lankan government to the United Nations Human Rights Council is against the interests of Sri Lankan Tamils, Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi said here on Tuesday. In a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, a copy of which was released to the media, Mr. Karunanidhi said: “Though there is on one side a question of interfering in the internal affairs of a country, which would affect its sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence, Sri Lanka should be treated as a special case. It is widely believed by millions of Tamils spread across the world that the Draft Resolution now presented by the Sri Lankan Government to the United Nations Human Rights Council is largely against the interests of Sri Lankan Tamils and hence I kindly request you to take appropriate decision in this regard, having in mind the sentiments of the Sri Lankan Tamils and their future welfare.” Help the Tamils now In Britain, interfering in Sri Lanka's future is looking like a poisoned chalice. As the burning effigies of "white Tiger" David Miliband on the streets of Colombo last week demonstrated, our help is not always welcome. As an old Whitehall colleague put it to me this week, "we're damned if we do and we're damned if we don't, aren't we?"Mulling this question is not just costing lives, it is burning up goodwill in the Tamil community. Warm words from the Sri Lankan government aside, progress on the ground is slow, with horrific human cost. And more impatient protesters in Parliament Square than ever are eschewing peaceful slogans – and this time they're directed at the British government, the US and the UN.Some Tamils perceive Britain, among others, as morally expedient towards Sri Lanka – and as having contributed to 7,000 civilian deaths in recent months. Even as the UN aid chief Sir John Holmes was accused by the Sri Lankan government of being "a terrorist" in 2008, the British government sold £4.2m-worth of arms licences to Sri Lanka that year. Though Sri Lanka did not reply to any of the 12 questionnaires sent by UN special procedure mandate holders between 1 January 2004 and 31 December 2007, nor to over half of the 94 letters of allegations and urgent appeals sent by special procedures in that period, Sri Lanka was given EU trade preferences under GSP+, (for which there's supposed to be a human rights condition) worth $110m in 2007. And while the Obama and Brown administrations urged the Tamil Tigers to lay down their arms, we did not come forward to receive the rebels when they asked to surrender to the US or UK last week. For the dead political wing of the Tamil Tigers, not even the trials afforded to Saddam Hussein and Slobodan Milosevic were allowed.Sri Lanka isn't a large or powerful country. It doesn't have nuclear arms or strategic allies that would die in a ditch over its domestic affairs. The end of the war presents the Obama and Brown administrations with an almost cost-less opportunity to save lives and to differentiate themselves from policy that preceded them. We can start by stopping Sri Lanka's trade preferences and aid without hard conditions on investigating alleged war crimes and human rights abuses, announcing serious plans to resettle refugees and allowing unrestricted access to journalists and aid workers. We can, acting with the EU and US, put pressure on India and China (who are said to be in a race for Sri Lanka's support) to do the same. We can ask the UN to send a negotiators the Tamils trust, now that the impartiality of their key chief Vijay Nambiar is being questioned because his brother is a fan of the Sri Lankan army. And we can send observers and influential mediators on the ground to enable Tamil civilians in Sri Lanka to reclaim their dignity without fear.Tamils internationally are poised to play a constructive role in establishing peace. They are sending the refugees a ship full of food and are likely to repeat the efforts of many diaspora doctors and others who volunteered after the 2004 tsunami. Last night even the Tamil Tigers finally admitted their leader was dead and that the time for violence is past. But for every Tamil civilian that is now left to die from inadequate food or medicine, or from violence and brutality at the hands of the Sri Lankan army, at least one more is persuaded of the need for violence. The Tigers, despite their domestic human rights abuses, never posed much of a direct threat to the west. Unless Britain and others seize the opportunity to change what Ban Ki Moon calls "by far the most appalling scenes I have seen", we risk creating a successor that does. UNHRC DIVIDED ON SRI LANKA Members of the UN Human Rights Council remained divided on the need for a human rights probe on Sri Lanka, an idea pushed by EU-led countries, while friendly nations called the special UNHRC session ill-timed and unwarranted for. “We have serious reservations of the objectives and the usefulness of this session. Some members by forcing a special session have regrettably attempted to politicize the work of the UNHRC,” the Indian Ambassador to the UNHRC in Geneva said. “It would have been sufficient to discuss the Sri Lankan issue at the regular meeting of the UNHRC, which is a week away,” he added. Two other strong allies, China and Russia also voiced reservations about the need for a special session to discuss the Human Rights situation in Sri Lanka.They commended Sri Lanka on its victory in the war against terrorism with the Russian envoy saying that “the end of conflict was a victory not only of the people of Sri Lanka but also of the international community as a whole.” Cuba that spoke on behalf of the non-aligned countries, which constituted the largest group amongst the UNHRC member nations provided the strongest critique of the UN special session. They decried “efforts by certain colonial powers to singularize and stigmatize a small developing country.” It also berated the EU-led countries for their “lack of inclusively, double standards, pressure tactics employed in certain capitals to get signatures and the lack of transparency.” They urged the council to adopt the resolution co-sponsored by Sri Lanka without “followed a path of confrontation that divided the council closing the path for alternatives.” Pakistan voiced support for Sri Lanka on behalf of the Organization for Islamic Countries while Egypt expressed the solidarity of the African Group. Qatar, Jordan, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, Ghana Nicaragua, Saudi Arabia and South Africa made statements supporting the draft resolution co-sponsored by Sri Lanka. However, UN Human Rights Chief Navi Pillay in a statement called for an international investigation into attacks on civilians during the final stages of the civil war in Sri Lanka. "There are strong reasons to believe that both sides have grossly disregarded the fundamental principle of the inviolability of civilians," Pillay said. "An independent and credible international investigation into recent events should be dispatched to ascertain the occurrence, nature and scale of violations of international human rights and international humanitarian law, as well as specific responsibilities," she added. The Czech envoy outlining the main concerns in the resolution tabled by the EU led countries said that it condemned the LTTE’s use of civilians as human shields, but added that “the government’s disregard for civilian lives and the use of heavy weapons whilst civilians were trapped in a small zone without any means of escaping is unacceptable.” “We remain deeply concerned about the human rights situation after the conflict,” he said highlighting that concerns were raised about issues of enforced disappearances, detention and abductions, along with the lack of freedom of expression. The UK, France and Germany who supported the stance called for “an independent inquiry into all violations of humanitarian laws where appropriate.” Italy, Slovenia, Mexico, Brazil and Chili also urged for greater transparency and accountability in dealing with human rights violations in Sri Lanka to combat the culture of impunity prevalent in the country. Lanka confident of favourable outcome Disaster Management and Human Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasingha yesterday said that he was confident that the resolution co-sponsored by Sri Lanka, requesting member countries to focus on aiding post-conflict rehabilitation, would be adopted by the UN Human Rights Council. “We have already obtained 32 signatures, from 17 countries who are members of the UN HRC, and 15 non members. We are confidant that the resolution co-sponsored by Sri Lanka will be adopted as it is implementable. The Human Rights Council is seeking a constructive outcome and not seeking a rhetorical position,” he said. The minister also pointed out that the UN Human Rights Chief in her statement has not acknowledged the successes achieved by Sri Lanka by eliminating the most extreme kind of terrorism and resolving “the biggest hostage situation that the world has seen.” On the issue of providing access to UN and other aid workers to conflict zones Minister Samarasingha said that “there is no question of giving access to conflict zones when the conflict has ended.” Responding to demands for uninhibited access to IDP camps for humanitarian organizations Mr. Samarasingha said that “there is no question about giving access. We have given access to our partners and will continue to do so.” “Over 250,000 people have been rescued by our forces and are being looked after. There is a reference about starvation and malnutrition in the camps which is the furthest from the truth,” he said adding that the government has given access to 52 humanitarian agencies “to work side by side with government officials in complementing the aid efforts of the government.” “We will continue to offer access within a national framework. Our objective is to resettle all our citizens within the shortest possible time,” he added. He stressed that the government was focusing on the task of de-mining, infrastructure facilitation and providing basic services needed as precursors to resettlement. “It is not a question of taking shortcuts and succumbing to pressures from various corners. We are sick and tired of these pressures,” he said, adding that livelihood support programmes for the long-term benefit of refugees would also be put in place. “The government has never subscribed to the concept of a military solution as a final solution. The only durable and sustainable solution is a political solution that addresses the socio-economic and political aspirations of our people with a home grown solution,” he added reiterating the government’s commitment towards finding an inclusive political solution. “The international community must focus on Sri Lanka’s multi-pronged strategy for post-conflict revival this is what we must now engage and not the naming and shaming,” he said. Up to 30,000 'disabled' by Sri Lankan shells Aid workers said one in ten of the 280,000 civilian refugees who fled the Sri Lankan army's final onslaught against the Tamil Tiger rebels had either lost limbs or been so badly injured they urgently needed prosthetic limbs or wheelchairs to regain their mobility. The scale of civilian casualties who have been maimed in the war was disclosed by the award-winning French charity Handicap International, which works with the victims of war throughout the world. The charity, which has a small factory producing artificial limbs in Batticaloa in Sri Lanka's eastern province, has opened an emergency unit at one of the centres for people who fled the fighting, and is working with other suppliers to meet what it described a "huge demand". Aid workers said nearly all of the people had been the victims of relentless Sri Lankan shelling of the civilian safe zone, where the last of the Tamil Tiger leadership made its last stand before it was wiped out last week. The disclosure of thousands of severely maimed and disabled civilian victims contradicts the claims of Sri Lanka's president Mahinda Rajapaksa, who has said his army rescued 280,000 "hostages" without any civilian casualties. The injured are being held in hospitals throughout the country and camps in the north which are off-limits to journalists and open only to a small number of specialist aid workers. Handicap International's Sri Lanka director Satish Misra said the number of maimed could be "about 25,000 to 30,000 people". He said he had established an emergency centre at Vavuniya last year in anticipation of the demand, and that a team of specialist physiotherapists and occupational therapists were now working with the victims. Their work has been hampered by a government ban on refugees leaving the camp which means the wounded cannot be taken to his factory in Batticaloa, on the eastern coast, where new artificial limbs are fitted and the patients are trained in their use. "We can't start fitting the prosthetic yet because it's difficult while the people are not allowed out of the camps. The limbs must be fitting and people must be trained how to use them," he said. One aid worker who has visited the refugee camps told the Daily Telegraph he had been shocked by the number of displaced civilians who had lost limbs in the recent fighting. "We know of one person who lost his leg and his wife lost both her legs. They have an eight month old baby. They left the baby in the bunker to get food and were shelled when they came out. They are in Vavuniya camp," he said. The conditions there and at other restricted camps in the north were the worst he had seen in a 20 year career of helping refugees in war zones around the world, he said. Old people had died because they had lost their families and could not fend for themselves in the camps, while many children were alone without relatives to care for them. Many children were emaciated, he said, and skin diseases were widespread. "There are 6,000 people in Polmoddai Camp. They're destitute, arrive in just the clothes they're wearing and put in tents which are excruciatingly hot. The camp is in the jungle, and there have been five people bitten by snakes. The camps at Vavuniya have open sewers, and have become a marshy mass of excrement. "There are seriously injured people sent to camp in these unhygienic crowded conditions," he said. Meanwhile, the Tamil Tigers acknowledged for the first time that their leader had been killed by the Sri Lankan army. Velupillai Prabhakaran, 54, was reported to have died last week in a last stand by the rebels and his body was displayed by the army. Selvarasa Pathmanathan, the head of international relations for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), said in a statement released on Sunday: "We announce today with inexpressible sadness and heavy hearts that our incomparable leader, the supreme commander of the LTTE, attained martyrdom fighting the Sri Lankan government." The admission came as Father Amalraj, a Roman Catholic priest who was inside the no-fire zone until the day before the Tigers announced their surrender, gave an annount of the terror of living under the constant shelling. "The people were targets for both side", he told the Times. "There was heavy shelling from the army side. The LTTE shot people. The army were trying to capture us. The people were caught in between in the last moment for the LTTE and the crucial point in the battle for the army. I cannot say which side was crueller." People in the zone had cowered in improvised bunkers built on the beach for weeks on end to escape the shelling, he said. "The shelling was just like raining. "Within this two square kilometres, there were more than 100,000 people, packed in and shells raining down." A9 access: Still no military clearance EMERGENCY,PTA UNP WANTS IT LIFTED, GOVT.SAYS NO The prevailing Emergency regulations and the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) cannot be lifted immediately as remnants of terrorism still existed in the country, the government told parliament yesterday. Rejecting a call by oppositions parties to consider, the lifting of Emergency rule and the PTA, Leader of the House and senior minister Nimal Siripala de Silva said anti- terrorism laws had to be in place to carry out terrorist “mopping up” operations. Minister de Silva said Emergency laws and PTA were needed to nab suspected terrorists who would still be operating in the country. The Minister questioned whether the opposition wanted terrorism to lift its head again in the country by making such proposals. The Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) and Emergency Regulations will be gradually relaxed when the security situation improves in the country and does not intend doing so right now as the immediate aftermath of the war does not warrant it, the government said yesterday. Meanwhile Media Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardana responding to a request made by the main opposition UNP to lift the PTA and Emergency Regulations said though the fight against terrorism in the country was won, there was a lot to do to bring normalcy. “The government has a daunting task of rehabilitating 7,500 out of 9,100 LTTE cadres who have surrendered to the armed forces. Another 1,600 hardcore LTTE cadres who have evidence of atrocities and war crimes against them are being interrogated by the CID and the Military Intelligence. All these security measures which are vital for the return of durable peace to the country are carried out under the provisions of the PTA and Emergency Regulations. The security establishments have to carry out search operations and raids to flush out LTTE remnants and possible hideouts. Hence, it is impossible to lift these legal requirements in a week after the war,” Minister Lakshman Yapa said. “The defence authorities expect to extract vital information from LTTE cadres who were under detention and many of them have already spilled the beans,” Minister Yapa said. However, when the situation improves in the country the government will consider relaxing the regulations on the advice of the Defence Ministry, he assured. On the issue of access to IDP camps by NGOs and representatives of the international community he stressed that the government had permitted limited access. The government is not in a position to give them a free hand as it will hamper the resettlement programme. “Do not forget that this is an issue of facilitating 65,347 families or 214,348 IDPs. They are in 20 camps. If we allow these foreign and local agencies to carry out their work as they wished it will definitely affect the government rehabilitation and reconstruction programme,” he stressed.They can distribute food, clothes, medicine or any other essentials through the government. The resettlement and restoration of civil administration programme has already begun from Silawatura and continues smoothly. “The international community expressed concern on the IDPs during the conflict. Now, it is time for them to help the IDPs if they genuinely had any feeling for them. There is not a single civilian trapped or facing the barrel of the gun of the LTTE.Reiterating the government’s determination to confront negative elements within the Tamil Diaspora, Minister Lakshman Yapa said the remaining LTTE kin pin would be cornered soon with the assistance of the friendly countries. “The government will take all steps under its disposal, diplomatic and legal to silence the aggressive activities of the Tamil Diaspora in the overseas,” he emphasized. Minister Yapa also said President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and Army Commander Sarath Fonseka were subjected to a series of false allegations and insults from the UNP. “The UNP must tender an open apology to Mr. Rajapaksa and Fonseka,” the Minister said. However Opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe on Monday said he highly appreciated President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s statement that the government would formulate a political solution to the ethnic crisis and pledged to co-operate with the President to make it a reality. Commenting on pleas to lift the emergency situation, Agriculture Minister Maithripala Sirisena asked the House if the opposition made such a request with a proper understanding on the present situation. Mr. Sirisena said the country had reached a historic juncture by defeating terrorism and the time was ripe for all of us to stand together to face the present economic and political challenges,” he said. A’sangaree pleads for release of arrested doctors President of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) in a letter to President Mahinda Rajapaksa has requested that the three doctors who served in the North during the final stages of the war against the LTTE and suspected of having leaked wrong information to media be freed. Anandasanagaree speaking on behalf of the suspect doctors had said that these three doctors stayed back and served the injured people when other doctors deserted the area at the height of the war. He also said that these three doctors were compelled to take orders from the LTTE and were not in a position to defy them including interviews to media according what the LTTE dictated to them Following is the text of the letter addressed to the President by the TULF leader: "Permit me to intervene on behalf of the three Doctors named Dr. T. Sathiyamoorthy, Dr. T. Vartharajan and Dr. V. Shanmugarajah, the first two are Regional Directors of Health Services of Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu respectively and the third. Medical Superintendent of Mullaitivu.When most of the Doctors in Vanni fled, these three stayed back and worked round the clock, shifting the Hospital from place to place as the army moved forward, attending n patients, mostly injured ones. They were in large numbers very much out of proportion to the number one can handle. In one instance one of them who attended on a baby who had been fed with only tea for a number of days and dying, contacted his Sinhala professor and saved that child on the medical advice given by that professor. They worked day and night braving the weather and firing around them."They did their duty till the civil administration broke down due to heavy shelling and even the ICRC refused to bring food or take the injured for the same reason. Most of the IDPs owe their lives to these doctors. They faced all problems and worked and withdrew only when they were convinced that they could not help the people any longer. The only option they had at that time was to leave Mullivaikal and come to the welfare centres like other IDPs. They did not flee as offenders but fled to safety like others and had come to the IDP camp from whether two of them were taken and the other who was injured, entered a Hospital. The following facts should be considered in dealing with their cases: 1. They are employees of the Government and working in Vanni for a long time. 2. No employee whether in the Government Sector or Private Sector was in a position to defy the orders of the LTTE and were bound to obey their orders without questioning, including interviews to the media as directed by them. 3. If these doctors are punished for carrying out the orders of the LTTE hardly one officer who worked there will escape punishment. 4. They were so duty-conscious that they worked till the last minute and could save many numbering several thousands. 5. They should be honoured with certificate of merit for the humanitarian services rendered by them, especially for treating the injured at the most crucial time and saved the name of the Government. The Health Department should comment the services of these Doctors. I do hope that your Excellency will have them released exonerating them of the charges if any. So far not a single person who worked in Vanni had been charged for violating the Establishment Code. To my knowledge no one. I strongly feel that it will be a historical blunder to punish them in any form. UNHRC meets again today The United Nations Human Rights Council’s special session on Sri Lanka will resume today around 12.30 in Sri Lanka time, a Disaster Management and Human Rights Ministry source said. Representatives of 15 countries including China and Russia addressed the Council yesterday and the representatives of other member-countries will speak today. The Ministry sources said majority of countries in the African, Asian and Middle-East regions have already pledged their support for the resolution brought forwarded by Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan resolution calls for the UN to cooperate with the Government in providing humanitarian assistance to the civilians living in welfare camps. Legal action will be taken against pro-tiger media men – Gen. Fonseka Legal action would be taken against journalists who were in the pay roll of the LTTE said Army Commander General Sarath Fonseka sterday. Speaking further General fonseka said such journalists were traitors. He said two tiger suspects who are held by security forces have divulged the names of journalists who had worked with the LTTE.The journalists have depended on LTTE funds and have assisted the LTTE to carry out their propaganda against the state said Gen. Fonseka. He said it has been revealed that certain journalists, making use of the ceasefire agreement signed in 2002, had gone to Killinochchi and have had secret talks with terrorist leaders. A certain media institution in Colombo has taken measures to produce a film on a female suicide bomber and a person who had maintained a newspaper using LTTE funds has fled to Germany revealed Gen. Fonseka. He said measures have been taken by informing customs and CID units at the airport to prevent media men who have been accused of LTTE links fleeing the country. 26 May 2009 UN faces fierce clash over call for Sri Lanka war crimes inquiry Sri Lanka is to clash with Western powers at the United Nations Human Rights Council today in an effort to ward off any investigation into alleged war crimes committed during its military offensive against the Tamil Tigers.The country has marshalled a team of powerful allies led by China, Russia and India to fight off a European-backed resolution at today’s special session on Sri Lanka calling for an inquiry into abuses on both sides of the conflict.Observers at yesterday’s preliminary meeting in Geneva, which was described as acrimonious, said that the 47-member Council was divided over the European resolution, with 18 countries for and 18 against. The other nine are undecided.The division sets the stage for a session today that will test the very purpose of the Human Rights Council. Israel, which had an investigation into its Gaza offensive forced on to it by the Council, is furious at the prospect of Sri Lanka escaping the same fate.The European resolution that Sri Lanka is aiming to defeat has already drawn the ire of human rights groups for failing to push for an international war crimes inquiry. It calls on the Sri Lanka Government to conduct its own investigation into breaches of international law and allow unfettered access to camps where more than 200,000 displaced Tamil civilians are detained.Sri Lanka has submitted a counter-resolution, sponsored by at least 14 allies, in which it praises its own Government for liberating civilians and urges the international community to offer it more financial assistance.The two competing agendas clashed in the preliminary meeting when an Asian bloc led by India, Pakistan and Malaysia argued for today’s special session to be abandoned altogether. India, China and Egypt walked out of the meeting after this was refused.Sri Lanka goes into today’s meeting backed by powerful new allies such as China, which provided much of the military hardware for the final offensive that defeated the Tamil Tigers last week after a 25-year war. The Tigers formally acknowledged yesterday that their leader, Vellupillai Prabhakaran, was among the dead.Several undecided countries, including Chile and Mexico, are pressing for a compromise resolution incorporating elements of both drafts. Whichever resolution makes it to a vote must be passed by a simple majority. Unlike on the UN Security Council, no country can veto a resolution. Observers said that the outcome was “still in play”, due in part, to the lack of independent assessments about the situation in Sri Lanka. The Government’s decision to ban all journalists, aid workers and other independent observers from the conflict zone and restrict access to the camps where displaced Tamil civilians have been detained has meant that information about what happened has been slow to emerge. The Times was among the first small group of journalists to see the “no-fire zone” on Saturday while accompanying Ban Ki Moon, the UN Secretary-General, on a helicopter flight. Afterwards Mr Ban said that the sight was the most appalling scene he had come across in his long international career. Jaffna, Vavuniya polls in August The Jaffna Municipal Council and Vavuniya Pradesiya Sabha elections are to be held between August 4 and 17 and nominations would be received between June 17 and 24 while the relevant gazette notification was to be issued last night, the government said. “The government’s intention to hold the two local government elections is to show the international community that we are on the right track in bringing back normalcy to the North,” Local Government Minister Janaka Bandara Tennakoon said. He said the government was keen to create a situation of normalcy in the North as soon as possible and as a further means of facilitating such a situation, elections for the northern provincial council and other local bodies would be held shortly. Minister Tennakoon said the government was keen to see that democracy returned to the north now that terrorism has been eradicated and thus pave the way for speedy development,.Local Government Ministry senior assistant secretary D.P. Hettiaarachchi said elections in the north was last held in 1998 and the two local government bodies remained under a special commissioner since 2003 after their tenure of office expired in 2003. He said there were 99,439 voters were eligible to vote at the forthcoming elections to the Jaffna MC and 24,058 voters for the Vavuniya TC.Meanwhile, the main opposition UNP said the Party’s Working Committee would decide shortly on contesting the elections.“We have reservations about a free and fair election as the people in Jaffna and Vavuniya have not completely got rid of the war mentality and the feeling of insecurity. The issue of uncompleted resettlement of the displaced people is another set back,” UNP general secretary Tissa Attanayaka told Daily Mirror.The TULF leader V. Anandasagari said his party would take a decision shortly. EPDP media spokesman said the party would contest the polls for the two local government bodies. The TNA parliamentarian Sri Kantha said the party would defiantly contest. But the JVP was not available for comments. India to tread cautiously in Lanka Even while relieved at the petered out threat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the Centre has decided to tread a cautious path in the post Prabhakaran era.Confirming LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran’s death as conveyed to India by the Sri Lankan Government, Home Minister P Chidambaram on Monday asserted that he should not be maligned in his death.Replying to a query, Chidambaram, who took charge as country’s Home Minister for the second time in succession on Monday, said, “We should not speak like this about the dead. Even the dead deserve dignity.” The Minister said we should accept the statement of Sri Lankan Government (that Prabhakaran is dead) and look at the larger issue of relief and rehabilitating Tamils in Sri Lanka. “Yes, Prabhakaran’s death has been confirmed by the Sri Lankan authorities to the National Security Advisor M K Narayanan,” he said.Choosing to describe LTTE in a much milder term of ‘militants’, Chidambaram said that the Tamil Nadu Government had been sensitised about the possible entry of the militants from sea route and thus advised to maintain a vigil along the coastline.Battling against propaganda of 73 groups of Tamil Eelam supporters, Chidambaram had barely managed to scrape through from Sivaganga in the just concluded Lok Sabha elections. The groups had accused him sanctioning a loan of Rs 5,800 crore to the Sri Lankan Government to defeat the LTTE.Making it clear that both the Central and State Governments would take a liberal view on the Tamil refugees, he said, “We have a well established policy on refugees. They will be provided all the necessary help. Once the situation becomes normal (in Sri Lanka), I am sure, they will return to their homeland.” Chidambaram also gave clear indications that with the top LTTE leadership gone, cases against them would be dropped and the CBI’s Multi Disciplinary Monitoring Agency, investigating the case of former Prime Minster Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination, would be wound up. Israel in shocking move demands human rights probe on Sri Lanka Sri Lanka has thwarted an Israeli proposal to send a combined UN and WHO team to investigate the conduct of the Sri Lankan security forces during the recently concluded offensive against the LTTE. The Mahinda Rajapaksa government is expectd to take up this issue with Tel Aviv.Health Minister Nimal Siripala Silva told The Island that the move was made on May 18, the first day of the five-day meeting of the World Health Assembly held in Geneva at the WHO headquarters.He said that the Israeli delegation had called for an immediate investigation after Sri Lanka received overwhelming backing to chair the conference. The Jewish State has said that Sri Lanka, too, should be subjected to an inspection similar to the one carried out in the Gaza Strip.The Chief Government Whip said that Israel had failed to receive the backing of at least one other country.Health Ministry spokesperson Wanninayake told The Island that there had been delegations from 192 countries. Opposing the Sri Lankan Health Minister’s appointment as the Chairman of the World Health Assembly, the Israeli delegation had said that Sri Lanka should face an international investigation, he said.He said that Israel went to the extent of accusing Sri Lanka of indiscriminate military action and violations of human rights in the guise of fighting LTTE terrorism.Minister Silva told The Island that nothing could be as ridiculous as Israel’s accusations.The surprising move came hours before the Sri Lankan Army finished off what was left of the LTTE’s conventional fighting forces killing almost the entire leadership including LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran.Sri Lanka re-established diplomatic relations with Israel shortly after the LTTE overran the strategic Elephant Pass base in April 2000.A senior official told The Island that the Israeli move in Geneva surprised them all. Israel is one of the key suppliers of military hardware including Fast Attack Craft (FACs), Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), Kfir multi-role fighters and the recently introduced rockets which helped the Sri Lanka Navy to destroy many Sea Tiger craft in the northern waters. The rockets mounted on Inshore Patrol Craft (IPCs) helped the SLN to overwhelm Sea Tigers off the Mullaitivu coast. Sri Lankan security forces have been also benefited by Israeli expertise.Wanninayake said that on the day Israeli government made its move hundreds of LTTE supporters had held a violent anti-Sri Lanka protest at the WHO premises.A military official told The Island that Israel was always considered a friend. He said that successive Israeli governments had backed the military effort against the LTTE though Sri Lanka didn’t have diplomatic ties.Foreign Secretary Dr. Palitha Kohona recently dismissed a British call to haul Sri Lankan political and military leadership before an international war crimes tribunal. Sri Lanka rejects Tigers' offer Sinhalese chicken shops under attack A CHICKEN shop chain has come under attack in suspected religious hatred fueled attacks from members of the Tamil community. During the last week, Sam's Chicken Shops in Wembley Park, Willesden, Kingsbury, and Cricklewood have been attacked by masked men hurling bricks at the front windows. Sam Chandrasinghe, who owns the popular takeaway chain, says his staff are frightened to leave the stores at night. He said: “My staff are really scared, especially at night time for the girls. “Some people, all wearing masks, have come to break the glass and then run away very quickly. “At the moment we haven't closed the shops, but we are being targeted because of our nationality.” Mr Chandrasinghe is Sinhalese by birth, and he believes members of the Tamil community are attacking his businesses because of the civil war in Sri Lanka. He said: “It is happening because we are Sinhalese and they say because we are doing business in the UK, that we are supporting the Sri Lankan government. “I believe it is Tamil people who are doing this.” The attacks on the chicken shops comes after a Sinhalese Buddhist temple in Kingsbury was vandalised twice in what police are calling “faith hate crimes”. A gang of men attacked one of the members of the Sri Saddhatissa International Buddhist Temple with a copper bar, then they returned later in the night to throw bricks at the windows. Brent Police has increased patrols in the area of the temple, in Kingsbury Road, and both Harrow and Brent Police have put their officers on high alert for signs of tension between the Sinhalese and Tamil communities. Eastern Tigers want to surrender The LTTE groups which are known to have infiltrated the Eastern Province have sought the help of National Integration Minister Vinayagamurthy Muralitharan to arrange for them to surrender to the military.After the EP was liberated, these small groups were holed up in the jungle and continued to attack villages such as Moneragala and Ampara and are said to have killed a number of civilians. Minister Muralitharan who before his defection from the LTTE led its fighting cadres as eastern commander told Daily Mirror yesterday that the leaders of these groups had contacted him and asked for his support to surrender to government forces.“All the leaders except one known as Ram contacted me during the last couple of days. I took up the matter with the defence authorities. We are ready to grant them amnesty if they surrender right now,” he said.Meanwhile, Mr. Muralitharan who said there were only about 60 LTTE cadres hiding in the East, pointed out that LTTE’s international relations head Kumaran Pathmanathan alias KP had promised to rescue LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran during the final stages of the battle , but KP was not able to keep his promise.“KP did it deliberately. He wanted Prabhakaran to die on the battle field so that KP can be the next leader. The financial division of the organization is controlled by KP,” the Minister said.He said there was an international campaign launched by KP to solicit more money from the Tamil Diaspora.“I request the Tamil Diaspora not to donate anything for the LTTE. The organization is no more now. Its armed struggle was crushed. Tamil people should now organize themselves politically,” he said. 22 May 2009 Lanka ready to implement 13th Amendment – India Close on the heels of the killing of LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran and his top aides, the Sri Lankan government has assured India that it would implement the 13th Amendment introduced under the July 1987 Indo-Lanka Peace Accord.Following consultations between the visiting Indian National Security Advisor M. K. Narayanan and Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon and Sri Lankan government representatives on May 20 and 21, the urgent necessity of arriving at a lasting political settlement in Sri Lanka was emphasised. In a press statement issued at the end of the visit, India said that towards this end the government of Sri Lanka indicated that it would proceed with the implementation of the 13th Amendment, the setting up of provincial councils.Sri Lanka has also expressed confidence that the bulk of civilians accommodated at welfare centres could be resettled in six months. The following is the full text of the Indian statement: Mr. M.K. Narayanan, National Security Advisor and Mr. S. Menon, Foreign Secretary visited Sri Lanka on 20 and 21 May. They called on His Excellency President Mahinda Rajapaksa and met with senior officials, including Mr. Basil Rajapaksa, MP, Mr. Lalith Weeratunga, Secretary to President and Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa. They also interacted with a number of political parties in Sri Lanka.Both sides agreed that with the end of military operations in Sri Lanka, the time was opportune to focus attention on issues of relief, rehabilitation, resettlement and re-conciliation including a permanent political solution in Sri Lanka.Following their agreement of 26 October 2008, both sides have been co-operating in providing humanitarian relief and assistance to IDPs in Sri Lanka. This includes medical assistance in the form of a field hospital, urgently needed medicines and medical supplies as well as food, clothing and shelter material.Both sides emphasized the urgent need to resettle the IDPs in their villages and towns of habitation and to provide to them necessary basic and civic infrastructure as well means of livelihood to resume their normal lives at the earliest possible. To this end, the Government of Sri Lanka indicated that it was their intention to dismantle the relief camps at the earliest and outlined a 180 day plan to re-settle the bulk of IDPs to their original places of habitation. The Government of India committed to provide all possible assistance in the implementation of such a plan in areas such as de-mining, provision of civil infrastructure and re-construction of houses.Both sides also emphasized the urgent necessity of arriving at a lasting political settlement in Sri Lanka. Towards this end, the Government of Sri Lanka indicated that it will proceed with implementation of the 13th Amendment.Further, the Government of Sri Lanka also intends to begin a broader dialogue with all parties including, the Tamil parties in the new circumstances, for further enhancement of political arrangements to bring about lasting peace and reconciliation in Sri Lanka. Three LTTE leaders killed in East The army said that troops deployed in the Kadawana jungles in the Trincomalee District had killed ten LTTE cadres including three leaders in a confrontation between troops and the LTTE.An army official told The Island that bodies had been recovered along with seven T-56 assault rifles, one M 16 rifle, eight hand grenades, one 7 kg claymore mine and one radio set. He identified the three leaders as Sathyan Master, Nakthan and Oviyan. Clinton Urges Sri Lanka Reconciliation Satellite images of Sri Lanka conflict used in war crimes inquiry US military satellites secretly monitored Sri Lanka’s conflict zone through the latter stages of the war against the Tamil Tigers and American officials are examining images for evidence of war crimes, The Times has learnt.The images are of a higher resolution than any that are available commercially and could bolster the case for an international war crimes inquiry when the UN Human Rights Council holds a session on Sri Lanka next week.They were acquired by the National Geo-spatial Intelligence Agency (NGA), based in Bethesda, Maryland, which is part of the Department of Defence but provides services for other government agencies.Marshall Hudson, a spokesman for the NGA, told The Times that the agency had been monitoring the conflict zone and had provided images to the State Department, some of which were released to the media in April. “It’s a safe assumption that we didn’t release everything that we have,” he said. He declined to give further details.Other US officials said that the Office of War Crimes Issues was investigating Sri Lanka and that satellite images were a crucial part of the investigation because of the lack of access on the ground. Sri Lanka declared victory in its 26-year civil war on Tuesday after killing or capturing the last of the Tigers. Britain, the EU and Ban Ki Moon, the UN Secretary-General, have called for an investigation into allegations that both sides committed war crimes repeatedly, including firing on civilians.European Union states are struggling to raise more than 17 votes on the 47-member Human Rights Council, dominated by a bloc led by China and Russia that has frequently prevented inquiries into human rights.The US, which was elected to the Council last week after ending its boycott of the body, does not become a voting member until next month but is expected to speak at the meeting and could share its evidence with undecided members, diplomats said.If the UN fails to back a war crimes inquiry Washington could use the images and others from commercial sources as evidence in its investigation, according to human rights activists.This is the latest example of how satellite technology is being used to monitor conflicts and hold governments to account for their actions. Satellite imagery is valuable in the case of Sri Lanka because the Government has banned almost all independent aid workers and journalists from the front line, blocking examination of alleged war crime scenes.The State Department has already used NGA satellite images to put pressure on the Sri Lankan Government. It released two pictures to the media in April that it said showed 100,000 civilians crammed on to a beach in the conflict zone.In the same month, the UN leaked satellite images from multiple sources that appeared to prove that the Sri Lankan air force had bombed civilians there despite establishing it as a no-fire zone for them to shelter in.Sri Lanka admitted bombing the area but said that it was attacking Tiger artillery positions and that there were no civilians in the immediate area at the time. It accused the UN of spying. Human Rights Watch has used satellite images of Sri Lanka from the American Association for the Advancement of Science, which has helped to expose rights abuses in Burma, Zimbabwe, Chad and the Darfur region of Sudan.The resolution of the images does not exceed half a metre per pixel, and most do not allow night vision.“We can do a little better than that,” Mr Hudson said. The NGA uses software to recognise and analyse differences between images that could indicate damages from bombs or heavy artillery. Prabhakaran’s body cremated The military yesterday said the body of LTTE leader Vellupillai Prabhakaran was cremated in Mullaitivu on Wednesday. “His body was cremated in Mullaitivu and treated like the body of any other terrorist,” Military spokesman Udaya Nanayakkara told the Daily Mirror yesterday.The Media Centre for National Security (MCNS) Director General Lakshman Hulugalle confirmed the report saying: “His body was treated like that of any other terrorist and cremated. That is all we have been informed,” he said. However Minister Keheliya Rambukwella, the Government Spokesman for National Security and Defence on Tuesday told a news conference held to announce the identification of Prahabakaran’s body that certain legal proceedings had to be followed before disposing the bodies of leading LTTE figures like Prabhakaran, Pottu Amman, Soosai, Nadesan and others. “You don’t expect a war hero’s funeral for a barbaric terrorist like Prabhakaran,” he also said at the same event in response to a question posed by a journalist.Minister Rambukwella was not available to comment yesterday. Brigadier Nanayakkara also said there was no information about the whereabouts of the remaining members of the Prabhakaran family. “We have not found their bodies and have no information about them,” he said. Thangadorei William to replace the deceased Sri Lanka Tamil MP Thangadorei William, a member of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) is to be elected for the parliament seat left vacant by the death of the TNA parliamentarian MP Kanagasabai Pathmanathan. According to TNA sources Thangadorei William was the next highest preferential votes taker in TNA list for Ampara District at the 2004 general election. William managed to obtain a total of 1,095 preferential votes. Ampara District MP Kanagasabai Pathmanathan, a Tamil National Alliance parliamentarian has passed away early this morning at a private hospital in Chennai due to an undisclosed ailment. Tamil diaspora observes Friday as black day SL promises to give India Prabha's death certificate New Delhi. Sri Lanka has promised to issue a certificate regarding LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran's death, to close the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, National security adviser M K Narayanan said on Thursday.He said India was going by public statements from the Sri Lankan government that Prabhakaran, 54, had been killed in combat in the island's northeast earlier in the week and had no reason to doubt Colombo's announcement. Narayanan told reporters here after talks with President Mahinda Rajapaksa that the Sri Lankan government had made a public announcement on Prabhakaran's death. "We will go by that. We will of course wait for a death certificate from the government so that the Rajiv assassination case can be sort of closed," said Narayanan, who returned from Sri Lanka yesterday along with foreign secretary Shivshankar Menon."Beyond that, it is not possible for us to do anything. They have promised to give us a formal death certificate with regard to Prabhakaran," he said. Some Tamils are in fear of attacks –Mano Ganeshan We do not need KP; All LTTE leaders have been killed -Anura Yapa Was Prabakaran and his entire family Executed by the army? The Sri Lankan States version of the last moments of Prabakaran is reminiscent of the last moments of Rohana Wijeweera, leader of the JVP.Prabakaran, we are told was in an ambulance, fleeing the battlefield when it came under fire from troops, resulting in his death.Rohana Wijeweera of the JVP too died while trying to “flee”. He was captured by the Sri Lankan army and handed over to the Sri Lankan State. On the orders of Minister Ranjan Wijeratna, Wijeweera was taken to the Kanaththa Cemetery in Colombo and shot by a group commanded by a senior Police Officer. The state released a “news” item stating that Wijeweera was shot while trying to flee.It was in fact a clumsy and a crude execution by the Sri Lankan state, which likes to chant pirith from time to time and accuse the West of being hypocrites. The pot calling the kettle black.Let us look at Prabakarans case. There is now considerable photographic evidence. The New York Times published a picture of Prabakaran?s body being carried by soldiers. It was a full body photo and there are no bullet wounds or injuries apparent on the body. Other video and still photos show his face. These show a cloth covering the upper part of his head, presumably a bullet wound.Prabakarans face is frozen in a pose of surprise. There is no telltale evidence of him having swallowed cyanide.If as according to the Sri Lankan state?s version, Prabakaran was fleeing in an ambulance which came under fire by troops, one would expect bullets to have ricocheted around inside the Ambulance causing far more injuries rather than one which looks like a clean single shot to the back of the head. We were told that Prabakaran was “shot” on Monday in his “Ambulance” while trying to drive through an area blocked by a sea of canvas tents, shacks, bombed out military and other vehicles and some 50,000 Sri Lankan troops.Must have been some Ambulance driver! Quite remarkable! But all this results in undermining the credibility of the governments Ambulance story and leads one to speculate as to what could have happened.We have been told that the UAV was used to locate the fleeing ambulance, but this footage has not been released. But above the Sri Lankan UAV?s, British, American, Russian and Indian sattelites are watching the crime scene with far superior technology. As I write, they are also watching the bulldozers at work at present at the crime scene, attempting to wipe it all clean and digging mass graves to bury it all, like in Srebrenica, another massacre site. These tapes were later produced during the Yogoslav war crimes trials.On Sunday, the ICRC confirmed that the LTTE expressed its intention to surrender. Later Foreign Secretary Kohona stated that the offer of surrender came too late.The rules of war allow a protagonist to surrender at any time of engagement. There is never a “too late” or “too early” a time to surrender.Did Prabakaran and his entire family surrender to the army and were executed by them? There is another possibility. It is possible that Prabakaran ordered his family and himself to be shot by his bodyguard, realising the futility of the situation. The army having recovered the bodies may have not wanted to reward Prabakaran with any heroism in death and may have came up with the Ambulance story. This is however unlikely, because if the suicide route was taken, the Chola mindset of the Ilavars would not have left even the ashes of Prabakaran for the “Sinhala” army to parade. There is another incident, which is of immense curiosity. When Rajapakse landed at BIA from Jordan, I was at the airport on my way to London.The route to the airport had posters of Mervin Silva, advertising his triumph over the Tigers in Rome? The cab driver on seeing the posters cursed Mervin as a tyrant.On alighting from the aircraft Rajapakse kissed the tarmac. Now, this is a patented signature habit of Gods representative on Earth, the Pope. It is the Pope who normally goes around kissing tarmac. Rajapakse pays frequent visits to the Vatican and is photographed shaking the Popes hand, because no other head of state in Europe would like to be photographed shaking Rajapakse?s hand for obvious reasons. The first lady is also a Catholic. But to emulate the Pope to the extent of kissing tarmac is curious.Was this irrational and highly emotional behaviour on the part of Rajapakse due to the fact that he was aware on Sunday morning that Prabakaran?s body was in the custody of the Sri Lankan forces, either dead or alive? That would explain why he was consumed by the Pope like urge to kiss tarmac.Ending of the war and the ability of the Sri Lankan army to capture all territory was a foregone conclusion. This knowledge was clearly not tarmac kissing material.Although Rajapakse was previously promising Prabakaran to India for trial etc, these were political manoeuvrings and lacked any seriousness.Prabakaran or for than matter Wijeweera “alive” in the state?s custody would have distracted the focus of victory from the victor to the vanquished. It would have also presented the State with a security, diplomatic as well as a legal nightmare. For the Sri Lankan state, both Rohana Wijeweera and Velupillai Prabakaran being “shot dead while fleeing” is a convenient conclusion.Although Prabakaran advocated the cult of the cyanide capsule to others, he himself would never use it at the end, and died from a “Sinhala-Buddhist” bullet to the back of the head. The ultimate humiliation to the Chola mindset, which boasted that they will not even leave the ashes of Prabakaran to the Sinhala army.In Colombo the Sinhala Buddhist tribalists and teamsters waved their flags and celebrated. Their team had won and the captain had kissed tarmac.The world had witnessed a carnage in Sri Lanka. Thousands of innocents had died, a sight disturbing to the hardest of minds. There was so much misery and suffering in this land of the Buddha. So many Sri Lankan soldiers had died, especially in the past few months, that the army had stopped releasing casualty figures in the fear of a backlash in the South.There was too much death and suffering to be in a party mood, to eat kiri-bath or bring out the giant rabana?s.The achievement of the Rajapakse administration and the Sri Lankan armed forces in particular are quite extraordinary. They have achieved what many thought was the impossible. The Tamil Diaspora is lost for words. The speed and momentum of the military assault and its conclusion has been quite stunning. Little Sri Lanka had shown to whole wide world, how to deal with terrorists and it was by all accounts an innings defeat.But the human cost of it all was and continues to be gut churning. It has destroyed Sri Lanka?s image abroad with ordinary citizens of the world. It is pointless huffing and puffing at the British Secretary of State Miliband, accusing him of being a LTTE supporter, because Miliband is merely expressing the sentiments of millions of ordinary British and European citizens who have been appalled at the human carnage in Sri Lanka. Its also good to be mindful that Miliband may be a future British Prime Minister.Both my teenage children at Queenswood and Winchester boarding schools in the UK are having to face the disapproval of fellow students appalled at the carnage in Sri Lanka. Miliband represents this disapproval of the British and European citizens.Rajapakse?s speech in Jayawardhanapura Kotte was inspiring. It made the news in the West, and was welcomed. When the President said that there are those who loved this country and those who didn?t, one wondered which category the “helping Hambanthota” group that defrauded the country by millions falls into.Hambanthota has lots of brand spanking new tarmac waiting to be kissed, but then the ten commandments of democracy includes the warning, “Thou shalt be wary of politicians who kiss babies and tarmac.” India: Rajiv Gandhi remembered 20 May 2009 Top Indian officials to air-dash to Colombo today India’s ForeignMenon & Narayan Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon and National Security Advisor M.K.Narayan are scheduled to arrive in Sri Lanka today, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said. This visit is a sequel to their earlier visit to the island on April 24, and they will review the post war situation and the various implications. The resettlement and rehabilitation of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the North also expected to surface as an important topic of discussion. Narayanan and Menon are expected to meet President Mahinda Rajapaksa and convey India''s concerns on various matters to the Sri Lankan Government. Tamil diaspora seeks war crimes trial against Sri Lanka The Tamil diaspora in Canada has demanded the setting up of an international tribunal to try Sri Lankan leaders for 'war crimes against innocent civilians'.Addressing a press conference here Tuesday, Tamil leaders said Canada should back the demand by the European Union and the UN Human Rights Commission (UNHRC) for an international panel to investigate war crimes in the conflict.'We know there is enough evidence to try Sri Lankan leaders for their war crimes against innocent civilians. Isn't the bombing of hospitals a war crime? The Tamil diaspora will work with the international community to bring Sri Lankan leaders to justice,' said Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC) leader and spokesman David Poopalapillai.Despite Sri Lanka's declaration that the war is over, atrocities on Tamil civilians continue, said Canadian Tamil Congress president Sri Ranjan.'As the country with the largest Tamil diaspora outside South Asia, it is imperative that Canada take a leadership role by denouncing the government of Sri Lanka's ongoing genocide against the Tamil people and adopt a concrete humanitarian strategy for Sri Lanka,' he said.The Tamil leaders said all international aid to the victims should be routed through NGOs, not the Sri Lankan government.They pleaded with the international community to force Sri Lanka to 'disband internment camps and allow in aid groups, media and international human rights monitoring teams to report on the human rights situation'.Asked about the call by Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa to the Tamil diaspora to return, Poopalapillai said: 'How can Tamils trust the Sri Lankan killing machine? Are we crazy to even pay attention to what he says? They are broke, they want money.'Later, Canadian Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon Affairs urged Sri Lanka 'to begin to find a long-term political solution that responds to the legitimate aspirations of all the people...'The minister said: 'Canada is prepared to assist Sri Lankan efforts to find political reconciliation and a lasting peace.'He added: 'Canadians are very concerned about the aftermath of the military action in Sri Lanka and the appalling effect it has had on civilians.'The foreign minister said Sri Lanka must give the UN and other international humanitarian agencies access to internally displaced people.Cannon said the decades-long war has inflicted untold misery on the people of Sri Lanka.'The government of Canada wishes to express its concerns about civilian casualties, and to convey its condolences to the people of Sri Lanka and those around the world who have lost friends and family members in this horrific conflict,' he said.Canada is home to more than 300,000 Sri Lankan Tamils - the biggest group outside Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka on brink of catastrophe as UN aid blocked The Sri Lankan Government has blocked access to aid workers trying to help the nearly 300,000 civilians displaced by the army’s victory over the Tamil Tigers, raising the prospect of a humanitarian catastrophe. In the capital, Colombo, President Rajapakse announced the “complete defeat” of the rebels yesterday as state television showed pictures of what was said to be the corpse of Velupillai Prabhakaran, the Tigers’ leader. Mr Rajapakse vowed in an address to the nation to press ahead with a “homegrown political solution” to end ethnic divisions between the majority Sinhalese population and minority Tamils. As he spoke, an estimated 80,000 people — mostly Tamil, many of them sick, malnourished or suffering from battlefield wounds — were making their way on foot from the war zone In the north to government-run camps that are already swamped. The UN is not being allowed any access to them, The Times has learnt. Accounts of conditions inside the camps — gained from testimony recorded covertly by aid workers — and the journey to them are horrifying. Preema, a Tamil woman, arrived at the 400-hectare (990-acre) Menic farm camp on Sunday. She had left Mullaivaikal, the centre of the fighting, where the Tigers had made their final stand before being defeated, days before, after being shelled heavily. She set out with her husband, mother and two children, to wade through the Nandikadal lagoon — a waterway strewn with mines — in a desperate attempt to reach safety. There were deep craters where the lagoon had been bombed and people often drowned, she said. A man offered to carry her ten-year-old daughter. Preema never saw them again. Her husband was taken away later by government troops at a checkpoint in Oomanthai, where refugees are being forced to strip before being allowed to pass, after admitting that he had worked for the Tigers. Her mother died in the lagoon. “Everything is lost,” said Preema, holding her son, 7. “Please help me find my daughter. Not knowing anything is making me crazy.” Inside one camp, Nandani, 76, described being forced to stand for up to five hours a day queueing for food. Kala, a middle-aged woman, spoke about the constant indignities of her new life. “I do not have underwear. I am unable to use the Kotex that the Red Cross handed out,” she said, holding a packet of sanitary towels she had been given before the organisation’s access to the camp was restricted. Kothai, another woman, said: “There is a bad distribution system within the camp. Every time it is the same people that get \. Men crowd around and push the women and children aside.” Government officials did not answer requests for comment. Access for aid agencies to another 200,000 refugees already in the internment camps — which the Government call “welfare villages” — has been severely restricted since Sunday, preventing the administration of basic care. Ban Ki Moon, the UN Secretary-General, is due to travel in Sri Lanka on Friday to offer help to rebuild the ravaged northeast of the country and urge the Government to reach out to the Tamil population. “These people have endured one of the cruellest military sieges of modern times — daily shelling over several months,” an international aid worker said. “They need urgent help.” There are fears that the camp populations — especially children — will be hit by contagious diseases. Chickenpox, hepatitis A and dysentery outbreaks have been reported. Medical facilities are said to be woefully inadequate. There are also concerns that the suffering will radicalise previously moderate Tamils, especially amongst the community’s international diaspora, which had been a key source of funding for the Tigers. Most Sri Lankans are delighted by the defeat of the Tigers, a terrorist force that fought for 26 years for an independent Tamil homeland, propagating a war that left at least 70,000 dead. Many Tamils were against the rebels after they recruited child soldiers and terrorised their own people. Tamils in the camps describe being fired on by both sides in the conflict. Vavathan, 59, said that Tiger troops had forcibly recruited children as young as 15 in the conflict zone, even in the final stages when it was clear that they had lost the conflict. “The war was over, why were they still taking the children?” she asked. There were doubts over the sincerity of Mr Rajapakse’s pledge to build bridges between the Sinhalese and Tamil minority. He has seldom brooked dissent, his opponents say. Appeal to free Sri Lanka doctors Under Investigation Sri Lankan officials announced the arrest of the doctors on Monday. In an interview with the BBC Tamil service on Tuesday, Foreign Secretary Palitha Kohona said the doctors are under investigation. "Breaches of the public service regulations which forbid public servants from speaking to the media. revealing information that is confidential to the public service etc." said the foreign secretary. However, commander Sarath Fonseka told the BBC on Tuesday, that the whereabouts of the docters are unknown.The doctors, who have been named as Thangamuttu Sathiyamoorthy, Thurairajah Varatharajah and V Shanmugarajah, treated some of the tens of thousands of civilians trapped in the conflict zone as the army closed in. 'Criminal acts' They reported heavy bombardments and civilian casualties - some in the hospitals in which they were working - that were denied by the government. Amnesty International said it was concerned for the safety of the doctors and that it had received reports that Dr Sathiyamoorthy and Dr Shanmugarajah may be detained at the Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) in the capital, Colombo. 'The government will be held responsible' Dr Varatharajah was reported to be undergoing medical treatment after being seriously injured. Reporters Without Borders urged the Sri Lankan government to show clemency. "The government will be held responsible if the army's military victory is accompanied by such criminal acts of revenge against those have who have described the humanitarian tragedy," the group said. Physicians for Human Rights demanded that the doctors be released and given access to legal aid. John Holmes On Monday, UN humanitarian chief John Holmes said his organisation had not had any contact with the doctors. "I would certainly urge the government to treat them properly," he said. "These are people who performed absolutely heroically in the last few weeks and months, and deserve every praise and care." ‘LTTE offered to surrender through ICRC’ The ICRC last night said the LTTE had wanted to surrender to the Sri Lankan Government through the ICRC. ICRC spokesperson Sarasi Wijeratne told The Island the LTTE request had been passed to the relevant Sri Lankan authorities. She said the message was given to the Government before Monday’s killing of LTTE leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran. MICHAEL CLARKE: Will the Tamil Tigers rise from defeat? Tamil separatism in sri Lanka may have been beaten, but Tamil nationalism is not dead and might react by expressing itself in more violent ways, writes MICHAEL CLARKE THE Sri Lankan army is celebrating victory as its elite forces occupy the Tamil Tigers' last refuge at the Mulathive Lagoon, thanks to Chinese military aid.Since 2007, China has equipped the Sri Lankan government with all the weapons and support the rest of the world had denied it, in return for permission to build a strategic port at Hambantota in the south.For the Sri Lankan government, this bloody victory means facing down international outrage at the civilian suffering it has caused. More than 100,000 people have died in this war; at least 30,000 in the past two years alone.But Sri Lanka's government will live with that. It calculates that history will recognise a stunning military victory, after 26 years, against an insurgent force that had been a model of ruthless determination.The Tamil Tigers were unique in blending fear and terror with a successful campaign in the world's media; not to mention running their own significant navy and a small air force that was unstoppable until the Chinese gave Colombo half a dozen F7 fighters.For the Sri Lankan government, the end of an insurgency that once controlled almost a third of its territory on behalf of the Tamil fifth of the population is an end that justifies the means.This cynical calculation, however, is based on a number of assumptions that the Sri Lankan government is only guessing at. It portrays the Tigers as alienated from the Tamil population. This is not necessarily untrue -- the Tigers were cruel -- but the Sinhalese chauvinism of the majority gave the Tamils plenty to resent.And this sort of ruthless military victory always creates stories of atrocities -- the raw material for breeding new fighters. It is not clear that the government of Mahinda Rajapakse has the will or skill to break the cycle of fear and hatred that is passed down the generations.The government also assumes that the military campaign is over. But there are no convincing examples of serious insurgencies ever being eradicated by military force alone.Around half the insurgencies since 1945 have ended with the insurgent groups achieving some greater measure of autonomy. Less than a quarter of insurgencies end up in successful secession or governmental takeover.Most insurgencies make some political impact, but then get trapped within their own liberation myths, criminality and incipient violence to become like a grumbling appendix in the body politic until they burst, or history catches up with them to create a new political situation.The nearest example to the Sri Lankan victory would be the Russia campaigns in Chechnya. A second, decade-long war has ground to a halt, leaving Chechnya devastated, cowed and resentful under the control of an unstable puppet president. Moscow claims the war is over, but violence continues; that the violence isn't more intense is more to do with exhaustion than acceptance of the Moscow-dominated status quo.Successful counter-insurgency campaigns are fundamentally political rather than military. Force has an indispensable role to play if a terrorist or guerilla group is making territory ungovernable. But military force is a necessary and not a sufficient condition for victory. As David Petraeus, the successful US commander in Iraq, is fond of saying: the target of American actions is the insurgency, not the individual insurgent.So the military must be subordinate to a political authority that aims to make the insurgents irrelevant in the eyes of those people who might otherwise support them. The legitimacy and effectiveness of the government has to displace the appeal or the fear of the insurgents.This was successfully achieved by the British against a communist insurgency in then Malaya. But 10,000 insurgents required more than 40,000 Commonwealth troops, a quarter of a million local police and 12 years of painful campaigning to bring an essentially political end to that emergency in 1960.In Northern Ireland, the military had a poor start and the Irish Republican Army (IRA) set the pace. But by the late 1970s, the soldiers had learnt painful lessons and were operationally on top of the IRA. There was no more that they could do; the 1980s were a period of stalemate, waiting for a political settlement to take shape -- which exhaustion and generational change gradually achieved after the ceasefires of 1994.Fifteen years later, those ceasefires still cannot be taken for granted.Rajapakse's government should not be so confident that it has won. After a shaky peace broke down in 2005, it committed itself, partly out of exasperation, to outright offensives against the Tamil Tigers. It gave up entirely on the "hearts and minds" aspects of the problem.So the Tamil Tigers may be beaten in the audacious military guise they adopted, but Tamil nationalism is not dead, even if it is stunned by the defeat. It will not be surprising if it finds new, and probably violent, ways of expressing itself again within the next couple of years. -- The TimesThe writer is director of the Royal United Services Institute. Karu urges for political solution based on Indian model Acting UNP leader Karu Jayasuriya yesterday said that the defeat of the LTTE was a momentous occasion in the history of Sri Lanka, but it was now the duty of the government to unite all the people and find a permanent political solution to the ethnic problem based on the Indian model. "It is a most momentous occasion in the history of Sri Lanka. After three decades of war, it has ended on a happy note. It is now our responsibility to free the people of all races, Sinhala, Tamils, Muslims and Burghers from fear and suspicion and strengthen democratic institutions."We salute the Forces and the Police who made immense sacrifices including their lives, to liberate the country from the clutches of the LTTE terrorists. The parents who were responsible for bringing these heroes into this world deserve praise. Our gratitude is also due to the leaders including the President, the Government, Defence Secretary, the Commanders of the Forces and all members of the Forces.Let us not try to gain cheap political mileage through this victory. It was the desire of all that LTTE terrorism be eradicated and it was the UNP which suffered most from LTTE brutality. The LTTE did not spare anybody and respected no one. The UNP’s late President Premadasa, Presidential candidate Gamini Dissanayake, Ranjan Wijeratne, Premachandra, Weerasinghe Mallimaarachi and a number of the UNP’s prominent politicians were victims of LTTE bullets and bombs. There were also many other politicians, including the Buddhist prelate of the Dalada Maligawa who died as a result of an LTTE attack.It is no secret that every leader sought to control LTTE terrorism. The UNP government sought to control the LTTE by negotiations. But, in all cases, the LTTE showed a negative attitude. From the time of the late J. R. Jayawardena, late Ranasinghe Premadasa, Chandrika Kumaratunge and Ranil Wickremesinghe, all made a determined effort to solve the ethnic issue.After 30 years of LTTE control, the Tamils of the North are freed from their shackles. It is now our duty to attend to their woes. The government is duty bound to give adequate relief to them. There are greater challenges ahead than fighting a war. It must be ensured that terrorism does not rear its cruel head again.Indulging in mutual recriminations by parties, will take us nowhere. Rather, we must build goodwill and trust among all. It is well for the government to take measures in this direction casting aside party politics.Firstly, all sections of the population must be made to rally as Sri Lankans. Secondly, this must be strengthened by seeking international support. Thirdly, it must be ensured that this situation does not recur by finding a political solution in the same lines as India.The UNP which won independence for Sri Lanka and which has always stood by the country’s freedom, is always ready to support wholeheartedly in any steps taken by the government to protect and build a free society, rid poverty and strife. This is the steadfast, revered and cherished policy of the UNP." Sri Lanka: Cessation of Fighting –America Ian Kelly India to send special envoys to Sri Lanka: Mukherjee With Sri Lanka’s military offensive against the Tamil Tigers coming to an end, India said yesterday it would send special envoys to Colombo and is also preparing a Rs.500 crore (Rs.5 billion) package to help in the rehabilitation of Tamil civilians displaced in the fighting. External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, reacting to the news of the end of the military operation in Sri Lanka, told reporters that while “the rehabilitation of the Internally Displaced Persons” was urgently required, India was also looking at the Sri Lankan government to ensure a “political solution to fulfil the legitimate aspirations of the ethnic minorities including the Tamils”. Stating that the “the immediate task would be the rehabilitation of the IDPs”, he said: “A package of Rs.500 crore which will be required for rehabilitation is under preparation. When our special envoys will be visiting Sri Lanka shortly, they will discuss it in detail.” He pointed out that Rs.45 crore out of an earlier aid package of Rs.100 crore (Rs.1 billion) has already been spent. The Tamil Nadu government has also announced relief aid of Rs.25 crore. Mukherjee added that India has always been in favour of a “political solution” to the ethnic crisis. “Political solution includes devolution of power, participation in election and have the full rights of citizen of Sri Lanka. Of course, while maintaining the territorial integrity and within the framework of the Sri Lankan constitution,” he said. Prabhakaran's ex-aide wants to meet Gandhis Colombo: LTTE chief Prabhakaran’s closest aide of 22 years, Colonel Karuna says he wants to meet Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi to explain to them the “circumstances that led to Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination”. Col Karuna was flown to Jaffna on Tuesday to identify the body of the slain LTTE chief, who was reportedly shot dead by the Lanka Army on Tuesday. Karuna identified the body as that of Prabhakaran and told CNN-IBN that there was no doubt that it was the LTTE chief’s body. He also confirmed that the LTTE chief was killed when the Lankan army encountered him while he, along with few of his cadre, was trying to flee. Karuna, who fell out with Prabhakaran in 2004, said the LTTE made a big tactical error by keeping all its top leaders – including Prabhakaran in one place, making them vulnerable to attacks by Sri Lankan army.He said there's no one left in the LTTE to carry out guerrilla attacks anymore. Asked why Prabhakaran did not decided to bite the cyanide bullet – a practice reportedly indoctrinated in the LTTE – when the army closed in on him, Karuna said the LTTE chief and other top leaders “were not capable of it”.Karuna was the Eastern Commander of the LTTE before he defected with 5000 cadres in 2004.The 45-year-old who joined the Liberation Tigers in 1983 was once a personal bodyguard to chief Prabhakaran. He is said to have been the strategist behind the Jayanthan Force, which helped the Tigers' successful resistance of the Sri Lankan army's Operation Jayasikuru in 1997-98. Prabhakaran also made Karuna a part of the team that negotiated with the Sri Lankan government during several rounds of peace talks in Bangkok, Oslo and Tokyo. CNN-IBN: Did you see their bodies? Who all could identify? Col Karuna: I went to see only Prabhakaran's body and identified it 100 per cent. CNN-IBN: You can be sure it is him? Is there a possibility that it was not him? Col Karuna: No, there's no doubt. I was with him for 22 years. I know it's him. CNN-IBN: So there’s no doubt about it? Col Karuna: Yes, there’s no doubt. CNN-IBN: You know the LTTE military structure very well. How did the end come about? Col Karuna: The LTTE made a mistake about their military strategy. Plus all their leaders were in same area. According to ground knowledge, it was not a good thing for LTTE. That's great for government, and Lanka military however. CNN-IBN: Did Prabhakaran try to escape? There are several theories surrounding this. Col Karuna: All leaders died three days before he was killed. Prabhakaran tried to escape on Tuesday with 18 cadre, possibly his bodyguards. When they crossed the army line, they fired and early morning 6:30 am, he was killed. CNN-IBN: So there was no rocket launch etc? He was shot by the army? Col Karuna: Yes, he was shot by the Army. Karuna identifies Prabha Former LTTE deputy leader UPFA Minister Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan alias Karuna yesterday identified the body of LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran.Muralitharan visited Vellamulliwaikkal east on the Nanthikadal lagoon where troops of the 53 Division showed him the body.Muralitharan said "I am one hundred percent certain that it is the corpse of Velupillai Prabhakaran."Muralitharan quashed rumours, both here and abroad, that the terrorist leader was still at large. "He terrorized the country for 30 years. With his death the suffering of the people has also ended. We must now march towards a better Sri Lanka," he said.He hailed President Mahinda Rajapaksa as a true leader with a vision and said the President’s foresight and resolution provided the security forces the inspiration to defeat the LTTE which some people said can never be crushed. 19 May 2009 U.S. urges Sri Lanka to reach out to Tamils Britain outraged over embassy attack in Lanka EU calls for probe into alleged Sri Lanka abuses The European Union on Monday called for an independent inquiry into alleged violations of human rights in Sri Lanka, and said that the fighting there should end immediately.European foreign ministers, meeting in Brussels on Monday, were said to be appalled by the level of violence and apparent breaches of human rights in the country.“The EU calls for the alleged violations of these laws to be investigated through an independent inquiry. Those accountable must be brought to justice,” a statement said.The 27-country bloc also urged Colombo to cooperate fully with the United Nations, and help civilians trapped in the war zone. It also called for an end to restrictions on aid agencies, full access to people displaced by the fighting and for the International Committee of the Red Cross to be permitted to screen people leaving the conflict area. War crime in the massacre of LTTE officials While rejecting Colombo's claim of the killing of LTTE leader V. Pirapaharan and assuring his safety and well-being, LTTE's International Relations Head S. Pathmanathan Tuesday accused Colombo of treachery in the killing of the political wing leaders B. Nadesan and S. Puleedevan. Mr. Pathmanathan said it is a crime against humanity that needs to be investigated. Meanwhile, informed sources told TamilNet that what happened in the early hours of Monday was a well-planned massacre of several unarmed civil officers of the LTTE with the aim of annihilating its political structure. At the orders of a 'top defence figure,' an international arrangement involving ICRC, European diplomats and a Colombo government diplomat to arrange safe exit to the civil officers was defied, the sources said. Political observers compared Monday's massacre with the prison massacre of Tamil liberation fighters in 1983 and events leading to the collective death of 12 senior leaders and cadres of the LTTE in 1987.Tamil circles also commented that any surrender of the LTTE as pressed by the International Community would have seen a similar fate to its cadres, had it been heeded. The clarifications from Mr. Pathmanathan follow: Statement 1: I wish to inform the Global Tamil community distressed witnessing the final events of the war that our beloved leader Velupillai Pirapaharan is alive and safe. He will continue to lead the quest for dignity and freedom for the Tamil people. The President and the Government of Sri Lanka needing to carry on and gloat in the planned Victory Celebrations on Tuesday, had their military establishment deliberately come up with the story detailing the demise of the leader of the LTTE. We categorically reject this and wish to inform the Tamil community to be vigilant and to exercise maximum restraint whilst grieving for the loss of Tamil civilian lives in the barbaric conduct of the final chapters of this battle. The Tamil freedom struggle is a just cause and will not be quashed by the events of the last 24 hours. Truth and justice will always prevail. Statement 2: We wish to bring to the notice of the International Community the events of the last 24 hours in the so called safety zone in the war in Sri Lanka. Subsequent to our announcement that the LTTE had decided to "silence the guns" in view of the unbearable civilian carnage at the hands of the Sri Lankan military and the heavy weaponry donated to it by third parties, we were informed by some member states of the International Community that arrangements had been made with the Sri Lankan military for discussions on an orderly end to the war. We were instructed to make contact with the 58th Division of the Sri Lankan forces in the war zone, un-armed and carrying white flags. Head of our Political Wing, Mr. B. Nadesan and Mr. Puleedevan then proceeded to do so. They were un-armed and carrying white flags and were called on by the Officers of the 58th Division to come forward for discussions. When they complied they were both shot and killed. We vehemently condemn this action. The International Community needs to take this into account in its deliberations about charges of "Crimes against Humanity" against the members of the Sri Lanka Government and its military establishment. This act is even more unpalatable when one takes into account that the LTTE released as an act of goodwill, seven Sri Lankan Prisoners of War the day before totally unharmed. We appeal to the International Community to act now to ensure the safety and basic needs of the displaced people who are suffering in the prison camps of the Sri Lankan military. The onus is now on the International Community to see that further war crimes and crimes against humanity are not committed on Tamils by the Sri Lankan state and to force the Sri Lankan state to yield in to the political aspirations of the Tamil people. Protesters held in clashes Five pro-Tamil demonstrators have been arrested in clashes outside the Houses of Parliament that left at least five police officers and 11 protesters injured, police and ambulance sources said.The angry scenes took place at just after midnight as police moved demonstrators off a busy road opposite Parliament where they had been staging a sit-down protest since Monday afternoon.The London Ambulance Service said eight people were taken to hospital - three officers and five protesters, while paramedics treated a further eight - two officers and six demonstrators - at the scene for minor injuries.Protesters have been demonstrating in Parliament Square for a number of weeks to draw attention to the plight of Tamils in Sri Lanka. On Sunday, the rebel Tamil Tigers conceded defeat in their bloody 25-year conflict with Sri Lanka's Government which has claimed an estimated 70,000 lives.A Scotland Yard spokesman said five people were arrested for a variety of unspecified offences. He estimated around a dozen officers were injured during the operation.Several protesters complained of rough treatment at the hands of police, claiming they were "pushed" back into a grassy area in the Square.The protesters moved en masse at around 4pm on Monday from the grassy area in the square to occupy parts of Bridge Street and Westminster Bridge, a major thoroughfare through central London.Traffic in the area was diverted and a large police presence gathered around the protesters with police helicopters seen circling above Parliament Square.A large number of children were among the protesters on Monday afternoon. Prabhakaran's final hours Only 3 LTTE leaders, other than Prabhakaran and his wife, knew of his whereabouts. Other than his son Charles Anthony, the only other LTTE leaders who knew where he was was Poddu Ammaan, the Intelligence Chief and the head of the LTTE's Medical Unit, Reagan.The latter was taken in and detained for days until Military Intelligence got hold of him. Until then Regan had pretended he did not know Prabhakaran's whereabouts. Thanks to Reagan's information, MI officers had clearly identified Prabhakaran's lair by 16th evening/17th dawn.They uncovered an elaborate plan by Prabhakaran and gang to breach the 53 FDL. The plan was to cross the lagoon to Mullaitivu-Weli Oya Jungles, from there to reach the Eastern Province (Batticaloa/Ampara) via Trincomalee, where 'Colonel' Ram's team was waiting.Within hours of this warning, on 17th May at dawn, Tigers had started their final operation. A daring sea borne operation was launched. All Army Divisions, forewarned, reacted swiftly but the Tigers managed to breach the FDL of the 53 Division at its weakest and take-out several bunkers killing 15 SLA. They also seized an Army Ambulance.Moments later, the 53 Division retaliated. A hail of RPG HEAT/Thermobaric rockets were fired. Around 200 LTTE cadres had died in the attack. 30 bodies were reduced to ashes. Limbs of the LTTE's best were scattered all over the place. The captured ambulance was also hit in the melee and burnt swiftly. It was upon investigating the ambulance that 3 bodies, one of which resembled Prabhakaran's body structure was discovered. The body was blackened and beyond facial/physical recognition. But the Army knew it may very well be Prabhakaran. There was no other way for him to escape.Prabhakaran should have been killed either in the box-in by the Special Forces, the retaliation by the 53 or he should have died injured somewhere along the lagoon. The closest to his remains have been found only inside the charred ambulance.One of the hardcore cadres captured alive in the attack claimed Prabhakaran was shot and injured in the fight. But he had heard it from an eyewitness, another hardcore cadre who was killed.The charred bodies, including the one believed to be Prabhakaran were captured by the 53 Division, but were taken away by another Division.Some 400 bodies were captured by the Army. 1,2, and 5 Special Forces led the clearing operation. The remains may include, in future, missing leaders from the list publicized by the government such as Lawrence, Karikalan, Papa, Ilanthirayan etc.The remains of top leaders like Poddu, Bhanu and Soosei were identified. Soosei was fighting till 17th evening until the Special Forces rid him of his mysery once and for all. He and Swarnam were the last brave LTTE leaders who held their ground and fought while others were trying to flee the scene.The fate of the 'missing' tiger leaders from the publicized government list will be 'filled' in due course! 18 May 2009 Prabharan killed in combat: Sri Lankan Army COLOMBO: The Sri Lankan army on Monday said that the Tamil Tiger supremo Vellupillai Prabharan and his top commanders were gunned down by the country's armed forces and had not committed suicide. “They were all killed by the army during combat. They did not commit suicide. We are now in full control of the country,” military spokesman Brig Udaya Nanayakkara said. The Army chief Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka, who is considered to be the strategist who plotted the current military campaign against the LTTE, said: “Our armed forces have militarily defeated the LTTE and freed the nation from three decades of terror”. His spokesman Mr Nanayakkara said: “We believe Prabhakaran was amongst those 250 LTTE cadres who were killed. No DNA tests are to be carried out. We are identifying the bodies based on intelligence information we have”. Giving details of the encounter, military officials said Prabhakaran and his two top commanders Pottu Amman and sea Tiger chief Soosai drove out of their hideout in an armoured vehicle escorted by his armed cadres in an ambulance. They tried to drive through the security cordon of the Army, triggering a two-hour battle which came to an end when troops targeted the vehicle with a rocket and later took out the body for identification. The news of Prabhakaran's death sparked celebrations across the country. DNA tests on body of Prabhakaran, Sri Lankan rebel leader The body of the leader of Sri Lanka’s Tamil Tiger rebels, Velupillai Prabhakaran, is to undergo DNA and forensic tests along with the corpses of other top rebels, officials said today. Prabhakaran was killed this morning along with two of his deputies after a two hour firefight when they tried to break to freedom through advancing government troops, defence officials said. His body was badly burnt when his armour-plated van was hit by a rocket and burst into flames. State television broke into its regular programming to announce Prabhakaran’s death, and the government information department sent a text message to cell phones across the country confirming he was dead. The announcement prompted mass celebrations around the country, and people poured into the streets of Colombo dancing and singing. “We have successfully ended the war,” Gotabhaya Rajapakse, Sri Lanka’s Defence Secretary, formally told President Mahinda Rajapakse, in a nationally televised ceremony. President Rajapakse is his brother and commander-in-chief of the Sri Lankan armed forces. Officials said 40 of the 300 dead bodies found at the scene of the rebels’ last stand have been shifted to a government hospital, with the army taking special charge of Prabhakaran’s corpse. Magistrate Chamari Danansuriya asked police to arrange DNA and other forensic tests on the corpses. Autopsies will be carried out at Anuradhapura hospital in the north of the island, a court official said. As the clean-up operation began, it emerged that three Sri Lankan doctors who treated hundreds of badly wounded civilians in understaffed, makeshift hospitals in the war zone have been arrested on charges of giving false information about the casualties to the media. Troops closed in on Prabhakaran and his last remaining loyalists early this morning, according to the army. The Sri Lankan military's version of events cannot be independently verified as journalists were barred from the war zone. He and his top deputies reportedly tried to escape by driving their an armour-plated van, accompanied by a bus filled with rebel fighters, straight at approaching Sri Lankan forces, sparking a two-hour firefight. The battle only ended when troops fired a rocket at the van. Troops pulled Prabhakaran’s body out and identified it. The attack also killed Soosai, the head of the rebels’ naval wing, and Pottu Amman, the group’s feared intelligence commander, the officials said. Earlier, the military announced it had killed Prabhakaran’s son Charles Anthony, also a rebel leader. Special forces also found the bodies of Balasingham Nadesan, leader of the rebels’ political wing, Seevaratnam Puleedevan, the head of the rebels’ peace secretariat, and one of the top military leaders, known as Ramesh The chubby, mustachioed Prabhakaran turned what was little more than a street gang in the late 1970s into one of the world’s most feared insurgencies. He demanded unwavering loyalty and gave his followers vials of cyanide to wear around their necks and bite into in case of capture. Since civil war broke out in 1983 the rebels have been fighting ruthlessly for a separate state for Sri Lanka’s ethnic Tamil minority, after years of discrimination at the hands of the Sinhalese majority. At the height of his power, Prabhakaran controlled one third of Sri Lanka and commanded a force that including an infantry, backed by artillery, a significant naval wing and a nascent air force. He also controlled a suicide squad known as the Black Tigers that was blamed for scores of deadly attacks. He and Pottu Amman are still wanted for arranging the murder of Rajiv Gandhi, the Indian prime minister, and the Indian government today asked the Sri Lankan authorities for urgent confirmation of their deaths. In Colombo, which suffered countless rebel bombings, people set off fireworks, danced and sang in the streets. “Myself and most of my friends gathered here have narrowly escaped bombs set off by the Tigers. Some of our friends were not lucky,” said Lal Hettige, 47, a businessman celebrating in Colombo’s outdoor market. “We are happy today to see the end of that ruthless terrorist organisation and its heartless leader. We can live in peace after this.” The victory also prompted angry demonstrations against Britain, which has voiced concern at the plight of civilians during the last stages of the war. More than a thousand Sri Lankans protested outside the British Embassy in Colombo, pelting it with rocks and eggs and burning an effigy of David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, and throwing it inside the compound. Protesters held posters calling Miliband a “white Tiger,” and several tried to climb the embassy’s high walls. S.S. Moulana, 40, an anti-British protestor, told The Times: “The UK has pretended to be our friend, but it helps the LTTE (the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) terrorists by asking for the UN to take action against Sri Lanka. "We now know our real friends are Russia and China. And they are members of the Security Council so we don’t need the help of the West.” Sri Lankan shares and the rupee surged on the news of the deaths, the Colombo All-Share index jumping 7.14 per cent before closing 6.46 per cent firmer to a seven-month high of 2,030.90. But Suren Surendiran, a spokesman for the British Tamils’ Forum, the largest organisation for expatriate Tamils in Britain, said the community was in despair. “The people are very sombre and very saddened. But we are ever determined and resilient to continue our struggle for Eelam,” he said, referring to the name Tamils give their hoped-for independent state. “We have to win the freedom and liberation of our people.” The European Union called for an independent war crimes investigation into the actions of both sides in the final days of the conflict. EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels today said they were “appalled” by reports of high numbers of civilian casualties, including children. “The fighting must stop now,” it said in a statement which stressed the need for international humanitarian and human rights law to be respected. “The EU calls for the alleged violations of these laws to be investigated through an independent inquiry. Those accountable must be brought to justice.” The UN says 7,000 civilians were killed in the fighting between January and May 7. Health officials in the area said more than a 1,000 others were killed since then. Bodies of 18 senior LTTE leaders positively identified; clearing operations continue Armed forces officials have positively identified 18 bodies of senior LTTE cadres including that of Pottu Amman. The following is list of identified LTTE leaders found among the dead today (May 18). Pottu Amman- LTTE's Intelligence Wing Leader Bhanu - LTTE military leader Jeyam- LTTE military leader B.Nadesan- LTTE political head S.Pulidevan- Head of LTTE's Peace Secretariat Ramesh- LTTE special military leader Ilango- LTTE police chief Charles Anthony- the eldest son of LTTE chief V. Prabhakaran Sudharman - aide to LTTE leader's son Thomas- senior intelligence leader Luxman - LTTE military leader Sri Ram- senior sea tiger cadre Isei Aravi - LTTE female military leader Kapil Amman - LTTE deputy intelligence leader Ajanthi- female LTTE training in charge Wardha - LTTE mortar in charge Pudiyawan- Secretary to LTTE leader Jenarthan - Special military leader Meanwhile, defence sources on the field said that troops are now conducting search and clear operations in area. Troops have so far found over 200 bodies of LTTE cadres along with large stocks lethal weapons. Troops strongly believe that all top LTTE cadres including its chief V. Prabhakaran have been killed in today's fighting. The identification process is being continued. Ensure 'effective devolution of power: India to Sri Lanka Karunanidhi seeks Centre’s intervention to save Lankan Tamils Hours later the Sri Lankan Army claimed that it has won the final battle in a separatist conflict seen as one of the world's most intractable wars, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi on Monday sought Central Government's intervention to ensure the safety of those trapped in the conflict zone."We want the safety of the remaining Tamils and stressing this, I have spoken to Union Home minister P. Chidambaram in this regard," Karunanidhi said at a press conference here.Prabhakaran's reported death comes shortly after soldiers stumbled upon the bodies of several key LTTE leaders, including his son Charles Anthony, who headed the group''''s IT wing and was being groomed to take over his father's mantle.The deaths sparked frenzied celebrations in the capital Colombo and large parts of the Sinhalese populated central and southern provinces as people poured out of their homes, waved national flags and distributed sweets.Prabhakaran founded the LTTE in 1976 and built it into an awesome military machine that at one point controlled a third of Sri Lanka''''s land territory and two-thirds of its coastline. Top Three LTTE leaders and Prabhakaran's son killed, Sri Lanka military says Sri Lanka Army special forces soldiers have found a body suspected to be of Charles Anthony, the elder son of LTTE chief V. Prabhakaran and bodies of three other senior leaders this morning, the military said.Defence sources said a body believed to be of Charles Anthony was found in the Karayamullavaikkal area this morning. The Special Forces soldiers conducting mop operations also found the bodies of three top LTTE leaders identified as Nadeshan, Pulidevan and Ramesh.Balasingham Nadesan has been LTTE's Political Chief and Pulidevan was the chief of "LTTE Peace Secretariat." Ramesh a self-styled colonel of LTTE was sidelined after he was hit by a mortar in the battle for Kilinochchi last December.The security forces haven't found Pottu Amman, the head of the intelligence wing and the LTTE leader, Prabhakaran yet and their whereabouts are unknown.The military said according to latest battlefield reports, Army elites are now continuing the final mop-up operations at the last 100m x100m LTTE foothold, North of Vellamullivaikkal.During the rescue operation soldiers have taken about 70,000 people to safety in government controlled areas within the last 72 hours without causing any bloodshed, the military said.Meanwhile, LTTE negotiator Kumaran Padmanadan, known as KP told foreign news agencies that the LTTE has decided to lay down their arms to prevent further harm to civilians and concede the victory to the Army but the outfit would not surrender as the Sri Lankan government wanted. Sri Lanka rebels willing to surrender arms - Norway OSLO (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels are willing to surrender their arms to a third party, after having conceded defeat in a 25-year civil war, former peace mediator Norway said on Sunday."I have been in touch with the Tamil Tigers many times today," Norway's Development Aid Minister Erik Solheim told Reuters. "They have made it clear to us that they are ready to give up arms to the international community."Earlier on Sunday, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) conceded they had lost the war, after putting up heavy resistance to a final assault by government troops.The LTTE resisted earlier diplomatic pressure to lay down its weapons until it had little other choice. Sri Lanka's government had already ruled out surrender via a third party.The military says it is fighting sporadic battles to wipe out the handful of LTTE fighters remaining in less than 1 square km area."The main issue now is to get access to this area for independent verification and for evacuation of the wounded," Solheim said. "There may be many wounded."Solheim said he could provide no new information on the fate of LTTE founder-leader Vellupillai Prabhakaran. Military sources said a body believed to be his was recovered and its identity was being confirmed.He said other LTTE leaders were alive and leading the fight.Sri Lanka said it no longer recognised Norway as mediator in a moribund peace process, after LTTE supporters ransacked the Sri Lankan embassy in Oslo in April. Nambiar arrives for urgent talks Breaking News: Prabhakaran missing No sign of Prabhakaran's body, says Sri Lanka 25,000 civilians injured to death while IC watches: Soosai Sea Tiger Special Commander of the LTTE, Col. Soosai Sunday noon said that around 25,000 civilians injured in the artillery attack of Sri Lanka Army are dead and dying now without receiving medical attention. The LTTE has repeatedly requested the ICRC through Mr. Pathmanathan to evacuate the injured through Vadduvaakal or Iraddaivaaikkaal, but there was no IC response. Within a 2 square kilometre area, there are dead bodies everywhere while the remaining thousands are in bunkers amidst the use of every kind of weapon by Colombo's forces. The SLA is not even allowing the people to flee but prefers to fire at them, Soosai said. The IC has not cared for what is happening. Many more thousands in addition to the 25,000 are being injured and killed now. Acting at least now can save them. We continue to defend, as there are signs of rescue, he further said. Meanwhile, latest reports from Vanni indicate that several thousands of civilians have been captured by the SLA, but only after first firing at them at random, causing the death and injury of many. LTTE's head of international relations S. Pathmanathan in a statement Sunday, following an hour after Soosai's message, said the LTTE is prepared to silence its guns if that is what needed by the IC to save the life and dignity of the Tamil people. Soosai’s wife planned to reach UK through India Sea Tiger leader Soosai wife Satyadevi and her children had planned to reach India and then make arrange’s to reach the UK. Well informed sources said that Satyadevi, a former member of the Sea Tigers felt that she could live with her brother living in the UK. Under interrogation, she had claimed that Soosai had briefed an LTTE cadre tasked with taking her to India but she wasn’t aware of the instructions.An official told The Island that Satyadevi’s route was similar to the one taken by the then JVP politburo member Somawansa Amarasinghe to escape security forces hunting for members of the proscribed organisation in the late 80s.The navy arrested Satyadevi and ten others 2.5 nautical miles from land in the early hours of Friday (May 15).The boat carrying Soosai’s wife had been launched at about 2. 30 a.m. from a point close to the Jordanian ship Farah III which had run aground near Karayamullivaikkal in December 2006. The navy had allowed the boat, initially believed to be a suicide craft, to take a north easterly direction before firing two shots to force it to halt. The boat, powered by one 15 horse power OBM had been operated by an experienced LTTE cadre. Although the navy didn’t immediately identify Soosai wife, the officers at the scene had recognized that they were different from the ordinary civilians. Following initial checking, the group had been taken onboard a trawler and transferred to Chalai where the identification was made.Captain D. K. P. Dassanayake speaking to ‘The Island’ from Chalai said that Soosai’s wife, Satyadevi, was the sister of Shankar, one of Prabhakaran’s close associates killed at Nelliady in 1982. Dassanayake, in charge of small boat operations on the Mullaitivu theatre asserted that the boatman was making an attempt to reach Indian waters when the navy swooped down on the group.Responding to our queries, he said that they had enough fuel, a map and global positioning system to reach Indian waters. "They had enough money to secure accommodation before being taken to a previously arranged position," he said.Although Satyadevi, a former Sea Tiger cadre had initially refused to divulge her identity, once the navy produced irrefutable evidence of her identity she broke down. Under interrogation she had said that her husband was alive but flatly refused to discuss the whereabouts of Prabhakaran.Dassanayake said that among the 11 persons taken from the boat were the families of Ruban and Suda, two veteran LTTE cadres.Along with Satyadevi, the navy detained Soosai’s daughter Sivanesan Mani Arasu, son Sivanesan Sindhu, sister-in- law C Thavarasa (58), elder brother’s son Silanbarasa, and Ruban’s wife N. Sivanesan (25). The navy also recovered Rs. 575,000/ and two and a half kgs of gold. Among the items recovered from them were Toblerone chocolates.Soosai’s children had said that they hadn’t received firearms training. They had studied well and also learnt to use computers while the LTTE forcibly conscripted thousands of children to wage war, the navy said.After Satyadevi’s capture, the navy, in a message meant for LTTE cadres trapped on the Mullaitivu coast had reminded them that they were taking orders from a man who couldn’t protect his family. This followed Soosai’s directive to cadres to pierce positions held by ground forces was monitored by the navy. Tamils block railtracks at main German railway hub German-based Tamils, protesting the Sri Lankan Army's operations against Tamil Tiger rebels in the island nation, Sunday blocked the tracks at the Frankfurt Railway Station, one of Germany's main rail hubs.Federal police, charged with keeping transportation safe, said they counted 150 protesters who had descended from station platforms and were occupying several tracks, blocking rail operations.Organisers of the demonstration claimed 500 people were taking part.Neither side said anybody had been arrested. The station is a main terminus with 24 platforms that handle inter-city expresses and local trains.Hours earlier, the Sri Lankan government said it had won the war. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels announced they would lay down their arms.The Tamils charge the government with inhumanity to tens of thousands of minority Tamils in the former rebel zone. Colonel’s wife held over LTTE link Police investigating a Colonel on the payroll of the LTTE believed to be involved with Pottu Amman’s intelligence wing cadres arrested his wife over the weekend.Authoritative sources said that investigators had taken her for questioning after the Colonel revealed her involvement. According to him, an LTTE cadre had worn a suicide jacket at the officer’s residence in the presence of his wife.Under interrogation, the chief suspect had revealed that he planned to take two LTTE suicide cadres to a passing out parade at the Diyatalawa Military Academy in June, sources said. Tamils, Sinhalese clash in Westmead A LARGE brawl broke out in Sydney's west last night between Tamils protesting against the war in Sri Lanka and supporters of the Government's offensive.Several people were arrested after a punch was thrown at a police officer during the brawl involving more than 50 people, and a man was bashed by four others after he took a small Tamil flag from a car and snapped its pole in half, police said.He was taken to Westmead Hospital with bruises and a cut to his right eye.The violence occurred after a convoy of about 120 cars of young Tamils drove through Sydney's CBD waving Tamil flags yesterday afternoon.When the group returned to a Hindu temple in Westmead - where a Tamil has been on a hunger strike for the past two weeks - reports began to filter in of Tamils being attacked at Westmead railway station, the protest organiser, who wished to be known as "Vish", said.Vish and some friends went to the station and were set upon, he said. "We got out of the car, went around the corner and then there were three Sinhalese [the Buddhist ethnic majority in Sri Lanka] guys with three crowbars who came running at us."He managed to escape from the three men and call police. He then heard a large brawl had erupted at a nearby car park.When he arrived he found more than 50 Tamils and Sinhalese in a brawl involving weapons. "It was about to get worse … but then the police came," he said. A Tamil protester, already on crutches, was hit with a crowbar across the arm, Vish said.A senior member of the Sri Lankan Tamil community, Ana Pararajasingham, said he was surprised the protests, until now peaceful, had turned violent. Two LTTE armoured vehicles and 3 AAGs captured Three LTTE Anti Aircraft Guns (AAG), two of them with two barrels and two Armoured Tanks (BMT) were recovered by troops in Puthumattalan in Mulaitivu yesterday morning.Those three AAGs, popularly known as pedal guns or ZPUs are capable of firing a maximum of around 600 rounds per minute and need to be kept on a four-wheel carriage for firing. They also can cover a range of about 8,000 meters and are about 5-7 ft in height. The BMT Armoured Tank, capable of high fire-power and ability to sustain enemy fire is fitted with anti-bullet and anti-splinter armour protection. Tiger terrorists had used these Armoured Tanks to carry out devastating attacks on the troops in the past three years, army sources said. Army rescues seven POWs from LTTE grip The 59th Division troops have rescued seven servicemen held captive by the LTTE terrorists at Vellamullaivaikkal yesterday morning, Defence Ministry sources said. Among them were four sailors and three soldiers. They are Lance Corporal Thennakoon of 1st Vijayaba Regiment (VIR), Lance Corporal Weerasingha of 4th Gemunu Watch (GW) and Private Ranasinghe of 6th Sinha Regiment (SR) of the Army and Leading Mechanical Engineer (LME), P.K.I. Pitiyakumbura, Leading Seaman (S/L) G.H.C.K.Hewage, Able-body Seaman (A/B) K. M. K. H. Kumarasiri and Recruit M.G. A.P.Bambaradeniya of the Navy. The Sailors had fallen into LTTE hands after Sea Tigers rammed two Navy Dvoras (P-461 & P-416) off Point Pedro on November 09, 2006. One of the soldiers has been captured alive by LTTE in Muhamalai following clashes that took place at the early stage of the Vanni operations. Ending of war not the end of the conflict,say Tamil opinion leaders A collective of Tamil opinion leaders called The Group of Concerned Tamil Citizens of Sri Lanka (GCTCSL) yesterday said that the ending of the war would not result in the end of the conflict unless and until there was a political settlement acceptable to the people in the North East."A just and credible offer of a political package acceptable to the population of the North and East is urgently needed and central to the task of nation building," the GCTCSLsaid in a statement to the media. The statement was signed by Dr. Devanesan Nesiah, Seelan Kadirgamar, Prof. Karthigesu Sivathamby, S. Sivathasan, L.N.Balaretnaraja, S.Chinniah, S. Malavarayar, Anita Nesiah, V.Ponnambalam, Dr.Paikiasothy Saravanamuthu, S. Sumathy, Dr. Selvy Thiruchandran and R.Visagaperumal. Full text of the statement: "We are a group of Tamil citizens of Sri Lanka, deeply troubled by the unprecedented suffering that the war has brought upon the entire Tamil population of the North and East as well as many others including Muslims and Sinhalese. The nature and scale of the recent violence has exceeded that experienced in recent decades in our once peaceful island.The LTTE and the armed services of the State have suffered severe losses. However, the majority of the victims – the dead, the seriously injured and the traumatized – are unarmed Tamil civilians. We urge adversaries in this war to stop causing further harm to civilians by immediately terminating the armed conflict and to take urgent and effective steps to address the physical and psychological damage already inflicted. An estimated 50,000 to 100,000 population ( the UN estimate is 50,000; that of Mr. V. Anandasangaree is over 100,000 – vide Sunday Island of May 3 2009) caught up in the conflict zone are among those worst affected and most at risk of further injury. "These people are not only in danger from the shelling and the shooting, but they are suffering extensively due to shortages of medical supplies, food and water" (Sir John Holmes, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator as quoted in the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Situation Report #4 of April 30 2009) The two sides must urgently find a way to end the war with, if necessary, the help of a mutually acceptable third party. Humanitarian aid including food, water, medical services and shelter must reach these people without further delay. The ICRC and UN humanitarian agencies need to have free access to this area and to these people to assist and monitor this process.Apart from these 50,000 – 100,000 trapped in the conflict zone as on April 30 2009, the OCHA report records that 172,291 others had crossed over to the government controlled areas. Of these, 1,895 injured and care givers were admitted to hospitals and the others are detained in camps in Vavuniya (153,787), Mannar (52), Jaffna (11,089) and Trincomalee (5468). Very large numbers of other Internally Displaced Persons -IDPs) temporarily settled earlier are also restricted from leaving the areas in which they are located. Very many IDPs have been repeatedly displaced, have a long history of lack of food, water, medical services and shelter, and yet live under sub-standard conditions and with continuing shortages. Many of them may need to move out immediately to institutions or homes of friends or relatives to gain access to urgently needed medical or psychological therapy. Apart from lack of physical wants, their detention and lack of support from and free communication with friends, families and care givers outside is a cause of major concern to them as to their loved ones. Another major concern is the separation of family members and the lack of access to information on this matter. If a family member is dead, or in hospital with injuries, or in another camp, or in custody as an LTTE suspect, or missing, the rest of the family have a right to whatever information can be gathered. Every family needs to be kept informed and to be re-united as quickly as possible. While a large number of the elderly have been offered release from the camps, many of them are unable to leave because others of the family are yet in detention. The continued detention of pregnant women, unaccompanied children, the badly wounded and the physically and mentally handicapped is unacceptable. Though the state has repeatedly proclaimed the "liberation" of civilians detained by the LTTE as civilian shields in the military conflict, virtually all those "liberated" continue to be detained- this time by the state. It is possible that those allegedly liberated may include some LTTE cadres. The state has legitimate security concerns and it may wish to register and screen IDPs released from LTTE control with the view to identifying and pursuing action against any LTTE cadres among the civilians under due process of law. But the registration and screening should be done in a transparent manner in the presence of ICRC and UNHCR. Moreover, the screening process should be speedy so as to minimize heaping further misery on the long suffering civilian IDPs. The process should take a few days or weeks at most, not several months. As soon as the screening is over those against whom no evidence is available, presumably the over whelming majority of the IDPs, should be promptly released from detention. We are happy to note the assurance given by the state that over 80% of those released from LTTE custody will be able to go back to where they were displaced from by the end of year 2009. Those who find accommodation in homes elsewhere will also need to be provided with rations, including any prescribed medications, for a period pending rehabilitation.The recent return of 411 IDPs to Saveriyarpuram in Musali Division, Mannar district (reported in OCHR situation report # 4 of April 30 2009) and the impending return of some 3000 others to 15 villages in Musali Division over the coming weeks, though two years overdue, are most welcome. It is hoped that IDPs of other areas will also be assisted to return to the lands they vacated to re-build their homes and livelihoods. It is possible that some of these areas may be currently uninhabitable on account of war ravage including land mining. The resettlement process would take time to complete but could begin very early, with de-mining given the highest priority. The Members of Parliament and other political leaders of the region as well as the IDPs themselves need to participate in the planning and reconstruction of the areas destroyed and in the resettlement process.The manner in which the final phase of the war is worked out and the terms on which it is brought to a close are critical for the future of ethnic relations in Sri Lanka. The ending of the war will not result in the end of the conflict unless and until there is a political settlement acceptable to the people in the North East. There has been much ethnic discrimination for 6 decades, many years of civil war and many instances of ethnic cleansing Several political initiatives including the Pact of 1957 signed by Prime Minister S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike and Mr. S.J.V. Chelvanayakam, the Indo-Lanka Accord of 1987, the constitutional proposals of years 1995 and 2000 introduced by President Chandrika Bandaranaike, the negotiations initiated by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe leading to the Oslo Declaration of 2002 and the yet ongoing APRC process introduced by President Mahinda Rajapaksa have not been adequately pursued. The current war has greatly increased the sense of alienation built up over the decades among the Tamil population. A just and credible offer of a political package acceptable to the population of the North and East is urgently needed and central to the task of nation building." 17 May 2009 Is LTTE in secret, indirect talks with US to surrender? Sri Lanka's embattled Tamil Tigers may be engaged in secret though indirect talks with the United States for a face-saving formula to save its militarily-cornered leadership. It has been known that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has reached out to the new US administration, courtesy Norway, one factor why an upset Colombo stripped Oslo of its role as the peace facilitator. IANS has learnt from reliable sources that Norway - the former peace facilitator between Sri Lanka and the LTTE - is in regular touch with Tamil Tiger representatives outside the island nation. S. Pathmanathan, the newly appointed LTTE's head of International Relations department, is in touch with some Western diplomats to find out if the military onslaught in Sri Lanka can somehow be halted. Unimpeachable diplomatic sources have confirmed to IANS the LTTE's moves, but say they are not sure if Pathmanathan, widely known by his alias KP, is acting on his own or on the direction of the rebel leadership. Said one source knowledgeable about the development: "If we get information they are ready to surrender, it might be possible to arrange that. But time is very short. It is very late in the game." The aim of the LTTE representatives engaged in the exercise is to see whether an agreement can still be worked that would lead to a honourable exit of LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran from the scene. The LTTE has concluded that the only country that has the power to influence such an outcome is the US. But since the LTTE is designated a terrorist group in the US, it cannot have direct contacts with Washington. Hence it is using Western intermediaries to convey its thinking to the US. The LTTE is only expected to accelerate its diplomatic contacts in view of the danger faced by Prabhakaran, whose escape routes have been blocked, and due to developments in India where the Congress party, which has no sympathy for the Tigers, has returned to power with greater numbers after a parliamentary election in which Sri Lanka was one of the campaign themes, particularly in Tamil Nadu. The LTTE is citing the civilian deaths and suffering in the last strip of territory in northern Sri Lanka still with the Tigers to impress upon the international community to act - and act fast. On May 13, President Barack Obama urged Sri Lanka to stop "indiscriminate shelling" that kill innocents and give access to the civilians still in the conflict zone. He also asked the LTTE to surrender its arms. On Saturday, Pathmanathan - who is trying to get into the shoes of the late Anton Balasingham, the long-time international face of the LTTE - said in significant comments that the Tigers were ready to heed the call by Obama and that "at this juncture we are ready to (do) anything necessary to save the Tamil people". Equally significantly, the statement shed all pretensions of viewing Sri Lanka as a foe. It sought cooperation from Colombo and said "our people are now at the mercy of the international community" - words the LTTE have rarely ever used. "Both the Sri Lankan government and us, we together have to find a solution and a way to resolve the crisis," it said. "We are ready to cooperate and work towards peace as Obama has insisted. We heed the call by the US president and are prepared to take measures that will spare the (lives) of our people." And instead of harping on an independent Tamil Eelam, Pathmanathan, a confidant of Prabhakaran, reiterated the LTTE's commitment to an internationally mediated solution to the conflict. Pathmanathan, who has been based outside Sri Lanka for years, came out with another SOS Friday: "The Tamils of this world are begging the international community to shed its cloak of indifference and save the hapless Tamil civilians on the brink of extinction. We appeal to your kindness and values." Pathmanathan's comments come at a time when the LTTE, which only six months ago was mocking at President Mahinda Rajapaksa, has been crippled militarily. Its leaders, Prabhakaran included, are on the run, unable to stand up to the military offensive. Has Prabhakaran committed suicide? As the Sri Lankan army zeroes in on the LTTE, senior leaders of the rebel group, Swarnam and Shashi Master, were reportedly killed in fierce fighting during the last legs of confrontation with the rebels, the ministry said.Meanwhile, LTTE supremo V Prabhakaran's whereabouts remained a mystery, but unconfirmed reports said that he and top leaders of his group could have taken a decision to mass commit mass suicide as the army has surrounded him. Also, 70 rebels were killed in a confrontation with troops early Sunday morning, the military said.Troops confronted the LTTE fighters, who tried to escape from the Nandikadal lagoon in the Northeast part of the country, killing 70 Tiger rebels, it said.Six LTTE boats were also destroyed in the operation and the bodies of those killed were subsequently found, it added.As many as 24,988 Tamil civilians have crossed over from the LTTE areas to the governments controlled ones since May 14 and are camping in welfare camps, the Army said."The exodus is continuing and the rescue operation by Sri Lanka Army is in full swing," it said.Meanwhile, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa returned to the country from Jordan on Sunday where he announced his military's victory over the LTTE, even as two top Tiger leaders were among 70 killed in last legs of fighting amid unconfirmed reports of about 300 rebels committing suicide.Returning to Colombo after cutting short his visit, Rajapaksa saluted his country, which he said has been "liberated" from LTTE's terrorism, as he was welcomed by hundreds of supporters at the international airport here."Before stepping on Sri Lankan soil, Rajapaksa, who had gone to attend the G-11 summit in Jordan, paid tribute to his motherland by placing his forehead on the ground and worshiping the land he has liberated from terrorism," the Defence Ministry said.On his arrival he was welcomed by his Cabinet and was blessed by Buddhist, Catholic, Hindu and Muslim priests.Addressing the summit of G-11 nations in Jordan on Saturday, Rajapaksa had declared that the LTTE had been defeated militarily and that it would be finished by the time he gets back to the country."I will be going back to a country that has been totally freed from the barbaric acts of the LTTE," Rajapaksa had said.Rajapaksa said his government is firmly committed to seeking a "homegrown solution" acceptable to all communities living in Sri Lanka and cautioned that even after its defeat in Sri lanka the LTTE could continue to sustain itself overseas."Our timely action must ensure that the LTTE and other like-minded terrorist groups do not continue to circumvent the law by indulging in illegal operations, through various front organisations located overseas," Rajapaksa said. Fears of mass suicide as Tamil Tigers face final defeat -Source:Times UK THE satellite call came in the early hours of yesterday. The Tamil Tiger leader was desperate. For the first time in their decades-long struggle against the Sri Lankan government, the rebels were offering to lay down their weapons in return for a guarantee of safety. “Don’t say surrender,” insisted the leader, speaking calmly, despite the obvious desperation of the few survivors of the once ferocious Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), now cornered in an area roughly the size of Hyde Park with tens of thousands of civilians. It was the sound of defeat. After more than 25 years, the civil war in Sri Lanka was over. The only question was whether it would end in an ordered fashion or a bloodbath. The Colombo government was already triumphant. Just hours later the Sri Lankan president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, was claiming outright victory. “I will be going back to a country that has been totally freed from the barbaric acts of the rebels,” he announced. “My government with the total commitment of our armed forces has finally defeated the rebels militarily.” Despite his claims, shelling continued last night. So desperate have the Tamils become that they have threatened a mass suicide. Each fighter carries a cyanide pill for such circumstances. They also have a network of underground cells throughout the government-controlled parts of the country which they threatened to activate if their leadership is wiped out. Yesterday, I was given a vivid insight of what may be the final hours of the rebel leadership as they desperately tried to get a message to Washington and London. Heavy shelling in the area, which the Sri Lankan government designated as a no-fire zone, continued yesterday according to doctors and independent witnesses. The government in Colombo denied shelling the area. A doctor in the enclave said yesterday that between 2,000 and 3,000 bodies were lying unburied there, including 100 killed yesterday morning. He said a “stench of death” hung over the area. “We need a pause from the continued cannon and mortar fire to treat the wounded,” he said. “The seriously wounded are being allowed to die without medical attention.” The doctor and others fleeing the zone said families had been trapped in bunkers for all of last week, unable to get food or water. “All the people are in bunkers and there are bodies lying in the streets,” said another witness reached by satellite telephone. “The wounded are lying without care.” He said the Sri Lankan army had begun shelling at 4.30am yesterday, Sri Lankan time, and fierce bombardment continued throughout the day. Families were trapped in makeshift bunkers, little more than trenches scraped into the sand. “Please, we are saying to the world, please help us.” Military officials in Sri Lanka also appeared to be anticipating a victory. “They [the LTTE] are slowly giving up. They are blowing up whatever arms and ammunition they have,” said Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara, a military spokesman. What appears to be an imminent defeat is unlikely to bring peace to Sri Lanka. The Tamil Tigers have sleeper cells throughout the country, and are likely to return to suicide bombings and guerrilla hit-and-run tactics that they have used to devastating effect in the past. As the day went on, and evidence of a decisive government victory became clearer, the calls from Tamil leaders grew more and more desperate. In an apparently final message late yesterday, there was a sense of panic. Balasingham Nadesan, the head of the Tigers’ political wing, spoke on one of the few satellite phones left to the crushed rebel army. “We are ready to lay down our arms if the Americans or British can guarantee our safety,” he said. “There will be a tragedy if no one helps us.” Until earlier this year, the Tigers ran what was essentially a mini-state in the north of the country, with its own arsenal of tanks, small planes, ships and a civilian police force. “They said to me if they don’t have an answer within 24 hours then they will not be able to go on fighting,” said Selvarasa Pathmanathan, who is based outside Sri Lanka and was given authority by the Tamil Tigers’ leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran, to negotiate because of the difficulty of sending messages from the island. “Then they have only one way - they will take cyanide pills. They will not surrender to torture by the Sri Lankan army. That is 10,000 people - the fighters, their wives and children. Please, ask the Americans and British, please try to stop this.” Most of that weaponry, which once made the LTTE one of the most feared and disciplined insurgent groups in the world, is now gone, destroyed in the months since the breakdown of a ceasefire in January 2008. Since then the Sri Lankan army has relentlessly pursued a massive offensive that has pushed the Tamil Tigers to their tiny last redoubt and, according to United Nations figures, killed 7,000 civilians and wounded 16,700. In a pincer movement early yesterday, the 58th and 59th divisions of the Sri Lankan army battled their way from the north and south to meet at the village of Vellamullivaikkal on a beach of white sand, cutting off the Tamil Tigers from their last escape route across the Indian Ocean. It was the first time in decades - almost since the Tamil revolt began in 1983 - that the entire coast of the island, a former British colony, had been controlled by its government. Nadesan offered clear terms for an end to the fighting, acknowledging that the Tigers were coming from a position of weakness, but he insisted to me his proposals would lead to a negotiated end to this carnage-filled phase of the war and would avoid a bloodbath. The LTTE was offering to lay down its arms to a third party, possibly the United Nations, and wanted a guarantee from the Americans or British that its fighters would not be harmed. They wanted protection from the Sri Lankan army where they were, rather than seeking safe passage to another country. Tamil sources said the LTTE wanted the guarantee to cover about 50 of its leaders and about 1,000 lower level cadres who were the last foot soldiers of the once feared Tigers. Rumours flew yesterday that Prabhakaran had died or fled the country, but LTTE sources denied that, saying he was sheltering in a reinforced bunker. Later none of the top leadership could be reached, even by senior LTTE members outside the conflict zone.In that final call, there was still a message of defiance. “Any agreement must be attached to a commitment to a political process that will guarantee the human and political rights of the Tamil people,” Nadesan said. He was holed up in a bunker in the tiny corner of Mullaitivu, in the northeast of the Vanni, the LTTE’s last toehold. With the Tigers’ leaders and fighters were tens of thousands of trapped civilians - nobody yesterday knew the number, although the UN estimated civilians in the enclave numbered between 30,000 and 80,000. The Sri Lankan army said the rebels were holding the civilians as human shields, which the LTTE denied. It was impossible to verify the situation on the battlefield because journalists and international observers have been banned from the conflict zone by the Sri Lankan army. The offer to disarm was passed on to both the United States and Britain. But it may already have been too late. Vijay Nambiar, the chief of staff of the United Nations secretary-general, was in India yesterday en route to Colombo to try to stop the fighting. “My understanding is that there has already been large-scale carnage,” Nambiar said by telephone. He said he had gone to try to get access for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to the trapped civilians, but he did not hold out much hope. “I think there is an unwillingness of the Sri Lankan government to accept a surrender,” Nambiar said. “My sense is that they want to push all the way to the end. I feel persuading them to accept terms of surrender will be an uphill battle.” Last week, the ICRC, the only international aid agency allowed access to the war zone by the Sri Lankan government, tried unsuccessfully on three successive days to land a ferry with relief supplies and evacuate the wounded. The fighting was too intense to risk staff and civilians, said a member of the group. One ICRC staff member was killed last Wednesday by shell fire. Like the Tamil Tiger leadership, most of the civilians remaining in the area were hunkered down in shallow bunkers dug by families in a desperate bid for protection. The only working medical facility in the area - a school converted to a clinic, where the few doctors and nurses remaining in the area had hung intravenous lines from tree branches - closed last week when it was shelled for a third time. Men, women and children, desperate to escape, floated on tyres and makeshift rafts across a lagoon to government lines. Men waded ashore in water-soaked sarongs, women clutched children in T-shirts and shorts, and few had been able to escape with more than a threadbare pillow case or plastic bag of belongings. They were taken to internment camps set up by the Sri Lankan government. Colombo faced international criticism about the camps because civilians were not allowed visitors or to leave, and often lived in squalid conditions. Few dared to cross yesterday as the fighting was too intense. The fate of the Tamil Tigers was sealed in the past week. Since January 2008 when the peace process broke down, the Sri Lankan government decided to go for an all-out military victory over the rebels. It was something that no government had achieved since the Tamil Tigers began their military insurrection in 1983, after years of persecution of the Tamil ethnic minority. When the Tigers were encircled yesterday, they controlled only about a half square mile inland, alongside a lagoon. They were surrounded by 50,000 troops. Helicopter gunships added to the weapons hurled against them. The LTTE responded with one of its own much feared weapons, suicide bombers, against the troops. But the outcome was in little doubt. International pressure for an end to the fighting has been mounting. “We have called repeatedly for the violence to cease,” said Gordon Brown yesterday. “We are backing UN efforts to secure an orderly end to the conflict. Sri Lanka must understand that there will be consequences for its actions.” President Barack Obama said the US was ready to work to end the conflict. “Now’s the time, I believe, to put aside some of the political issues that are involved and to put the lives of the men and women and children who are innocently caught in the crossfire, to put them first,” he said. Rajapaksa, the president, was scheduled to head back to Colombo today from Jordan, claiming victory on the eve of his departure. He said he was returning as “a leader of a nation that vanquished terrorism”. The president, whose brother is the defence minister who has spearheaded the offensive, said his army “had finally defeated the LTTE militarily”. Now that their military hopes are dashed, the fear in western capitals is that the Tamil Tigers will again turn to terrorism. If the Tamil leadership goes ahead with their threats of suicide will there be anyone left to negotiate with? Sri Lanka says all civilians out of war zone The last remaining civilians trapped by the fighting in northern Sri Lanka poured out of the war zone Sunday, clearing the way for government forces to wipe out the remaining pockets of rebel resistance, the military said.Troops killed at least 70 rebels trying to escape the war zone Sunday, the military said. However the Tamil Tigers' top commanders remained at large. The military said the rebel leadership was likely still in the war zone and planning a mass suicide.Thousands of Sri Lankans poured into the streets Sunday morning, dancing and setting off celebratory fireworks, after President Mahinda Rajapaksa declared victory in the country's quarter-century civil war with the separatist rebels."We are celebrating a victory against terrorism," said Sujeewa Anthonis, a 32-year-old street hawker.As the fighting raged on in recent days, concerns mounted for the fate of the tens of thousands of civilians trapped in the war zone amid heavy shelling and intense fighting.But all 50,000 civilians fled the area over the past 72 hours, military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara said Sunday. With journalists and aid workers barred from the war zone, it was not possible to verify the assertion.Early Sunday, some insurgents tried to escape in six boats across a lagoon. But army troops thwarted the rebel attempt, killing a large number of rebels, said Nanayakkara.So far, 70 bodies of rebel fighters have been recovered, he said.The rebels, who once controlled a de facto state across much of the north, have been fighting since 1983 for a separate state for minority Tamils after decades of marginalization by the Sinhalese majority. Responsible for hundreds of suicide attacks -- including the 1991 assassination of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi -- the Tamil Tigers have been branded terrorists by the U.S., E.U. and India and shunned internationally. Brown warns Sri Lanka over conflict Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Saturday warned Sri Lanka there would be "consequences for its actions" if Colombo did not allow humanitarian agencies access to civilians and end the conflict with Tamil Tiger rebels.Brown also called for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to lay down its arms and allow trapped civilians to leave, and said he was backing United Nations efforts to end the conflict. Tamil protest clashes briefly with police Tamil protesters briefly clashed with police during a demonstration on University Avenue Friday evening, after a barricade between them and a chain of officers collapsed under pressure.The evening-long Tamil demonstration erupted when protesters broke down a police barrier in an effort to take over University Ave., near Toronto’s U.S. Consulate. A chain of armed police officers were able to keep the crowd from spilling onto the roadway and replaced the barrier.Friday’s demonstration was targeted toward the Consulate, as Toronto’s Tamil community appealed to U.S. President Barack Obama to intervene in the civil war in Sri Lanka, and brought attention to the atrocities subjected upon the country’s Tamil minority.An estimated 2,000 protesters later staged a “rolling protest,” blocking many of the city’s busiest downtown streets by marching under the watch oftactical officers. The crowd marched north on University Ave., before turning east on Dundas St. and proceeding to Yonge St., where they staged a sit-in. The majority of the crowd then returned to the U.S. Consulate by marching west along Queen St. Fall of LTTE: threat to top leaders perceived CHENNAI: With the total victory of the Sri Lankan armed forces over the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, which faces elimination as a conventional military force, Indian intelligence agencies perceive a high level of threat to VVIPs and a couple of bureaucrats in the country. Reports of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), India’s external intelligence agency, the Intelligence Bureau, and other security organisations indicate an escalated level of threat to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, National Security Adviser M.K. Narayanan, and Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon.According to an informed source in the Ministry of Home Affairs, senior LTTE leaders were of the impression that the Government of India was responsible for their outfit losing the war with the Sri Lankan Army. Some articles published in pro-LTTE websites squarely blamed India for the alleged ‘genocide’ of Tamils in the island nation. According to a recent RAW input, a LTTE functionary is in touch with some persons in Tamil Nadu to facilitate the movement of refugees into India. One more suspect based in Tamil Nadu is reportedly coordinating constantly with the LTTE and even organised mid-sea transfer of a consignment at a point less than 100 km east of Karaikal on March 19 this year. The content of the consignment was not known. This input was communicated to the Tamil Nadu police, the Navy, and the Coast Guard. After vigil was intensified along the coast, the suspect changed his modus operandi. A high-level meeting of security officials was held on March 23 to discuss the issue. Anti-India sentiments on the rise Another report from a Central intelligence agency says anti-Government of India sentiments among pro-LTTE Tamils were on the rise over the perceived inaction of the Centre to defuse the ongoing crisis. Anger among these elements has increased in recent days in the backdrop of the plight of internally displaced persons held up in the small LTTE-controlled area. This has resulted in a high level of resentment among LTTE cadres against key Indian political leaders, including Ms. Gandhi. “These threat perceptions have been conveyed to all States for providing appropriate security arrangements for the VVIPs during their visits,” a senior police official told The Hindu. Coastal security The police official said separate instructions were given to coastal security agencies in view of the threat from the seafront. They emphasised that foolproof security arrangements were imperative during the visit of VVIPs to coastal areas for the election campaign. “The Mumbai terror attack in November last year has exposed the vulnerability of our coast. The Navy and the Coast Guard have been put on alert,” the official added. DMK front wins 28 seats in Tamil Nadu CHENNAI: The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam-Congress combine won 28 seats in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry in the Lok Sabha election.While the DMK captured 18 seats, its allies, the Congress and the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi won nine and one seat respectively. As part of the Democratic Progressive Alliance, the DMK contested 22 seats, the Congress 16 constituencies and the VCK two. The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam-led front won 12 seats. Of these, the AIADMK bagged nine seats while its allies, the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, the Communist Party of India and the CPI (Marxist) netted one each. The Pattali Makkal Katchi, which switched over to the AIADMK camp in late March and contested in seven constituencies, drew a blank. The AIADMK contested 23 constituencies, the MDMK four and the two Communist parties three seats each. The Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam, led by Vijayakant, lost in all the 40 seats it contested. Though it did not finish second in any of the seats, it secured over one lakh votes in several constituencies. The Bharatiya Janata Party, which contested in 12 constituencies as part of a seven-party alliance, lost in all. Its nominee and former Union Minister Pon. Radhakrishnan finished second in the Kanyakumari constituency by a difference of about 65,700 seats. Party national secretary S. Thirunavuukarasar and State president L. Ganesan lost in the Ramanathapuram and South Chennai constituencies. While the ruling combine sought the people’s mandate once more on the plank of its performance, the Opposition AIADMK front raised a host of issues including the Sri Lankan Tamils question. M.K. Azhagiri, Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi’s son, won the Madurai constituency by a margin of about 1.4 lakh votes. Among other prominent winners in the State were Dayanidhi Maran and A. Raja (DMK), P. Chidambaram and M. Krishnasswamy (Congress), M. Thambidurai, S. Semmalai and O.S. Manian (AIADMK), A. Ganesamoorthy (MDMK) and Thol. Thirumavalavan (VCK). Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs V. Narayanasamy won from Puducherry, defeating the sitting Member of Parliament and PMK nominee M. Ramadass. Notable losers Union Ministers and Congress leaders Mani Shankar Aiyar and E.V.K.S. Elangovan, Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president K. V. Thangkabalu, MDMK general secretary Vaiko, two-time Madurai CPI (M) MP P. Mohan and CPI State secretary D. Pandian were the notable losers. Of the 18 seats won, the DMK defeated its arch-rival AIADMK in seven constituencies; the PMK in five constituencies and the MDMK, the CPI and the CPI (M) in two constituencies each. The Congress beat the AIADMK in seven constituencies and defeated the PMK and the MDMK in one seat. Sri Lanka buying Russian military helicopters – report Sri Lanka has ordered a number of military transport helicopters and other weaponry from Russia, Russia's RIA Novosti news agency said today quoting Sri Lanka's Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.The Russian state-owned news agency reported that the Defence Secretary in an exclusive interview has said that the helicopters had been already ordered."I have managed to reach an agreement with Russia on a loan to purchase military equipment, primarily helicopters for the air force, and other weaponry," Novosti quoted Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.The report said the Defence Secretary did not specify the amount of the deal or the number of helicopters. Reportedly the helicopters are for transporting the military personnel. "We will need them in the future. We are already using [Russian-made] Mi-17 and Mi-24 helicopters, and we need more," Rajapaksa was quoted.According to RIA Novosti the Sri Lankan official has indicated that Sri Lanka was willing to develop stronger military ties with Russia and to share combat experience. Defence Secretary has noted that Russia could help the mine clearing operations in the North.Russia, which has fought a separatist war against the Chechen rebels and shares the common experience of terrorism with Sri Lanka, is a valuable diplomatic partner to Sri Lanka in its war against the LTTE terrorism. Attack on TMVP office in Eastern Sri Lanka kills one At least one person was killed in an attack on the Thamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP) office in Kalkuda, Batticaloa on Thuresday night, police said. According to the details disclosed by the police, the attack was carried out by the same party members due to an internal matter. The political office of the TMVP in Kalkuda was also damaged due to the gun fire. Valachchenai police have arrested several TMVP members over the incident. 16 May 2009 LTTE senior leader Swarnam killed in battle Swarnam and International Spokes person Thileepan, two senior leaders of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels were killed in the battle with the Sri Lanka Army, Vannei sources said Saturday evening. Their deaths were confirmed by Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara, the military spokesman. The two leaders were killed at Kariyalamullavaikkal west in the northeastern Mullaithivu district. The other rebel leaders who are facing certain defeat are currently trapped in a patch of land of around 2 sq kms. Army troops are hunting for the senior rebel leaders including its founder, Velupillai Prabakaran and Pottu Amman. Their whereabouts are not known, although it is widely believed that they are being trapped in their last hold. Meanwhile more than 25,000 civilians have now crossed over from the LTTE to Government controlled sector within the last three days, an Army source stated. Army sources said the LTTE's over three-decade-old ethnic conflict has almost come to an end. More than 70,000 people fell victim to the bloody armed conflict that lasted 30 years. LTTE takes heed to Obama's call: Pathmanathan “The situation in Vanni has reached colossal proportions and what is happening there is unprecedented human carnage. At this juncture we are ready to anything that is necessary to save the Tamil people trapped in the unrelenting war that is waged on them. We heed the call by the US President and are prepared to take measures that will spare the life of our people,” said Selvarasa Pathmanathan, the LTTE’s head of International Relations, in a statement issued Saturday. "The international community now has to act with fairness and openness and should take full responsibility for the people who are being targeted with no mercy or dignity," he further said. Full text of the statement by Mr. Pathmanathan follows: "LTTE is extremely mindful of the civilian hardships and is prepared to take all necessary measures that would immediately stop the current carnage. The president’s call for stopping the humanitarian crisis has been heard by the LTTE and is willing to heed to his call. The international community now has to act with fairness and openness and should take full responsibility for the people who are being targeted with no mercy or dignity. Our people are now at the mercy of the international community and it has to take full responsibility for the future of our people. We call on the Sri Lankan Government too to take note of the President’s call and do everything possible to stop a blood bath unfolding.“The LTTE has relentlessly fought for the rights of our people for over three decades and will always do what is best for them. President Obama’s recent remarks gives us hope that at last he has taken an active interest in the plight of our people. A military solution will not end the current conflict. A lasting, respectful and equitable solution for our people can only be reached through political means. We have always shown our preparedness to enter a political process as long as all parties were willing to act faithfully to the process.“Encouraged by the hopeful words of President Obama the LTTE is again stating its categorical position to enter a political process facilitated by neutral international parties and find a meaningful solution to the ethnic crisis. It is the best option for all people living in the island of Sri Lanka. Both the Sri Lankan Government and us, we together have to find a solution and a way to resolve the crisis. An onslaught by the Government will only result in thousands more dying and will not pave a way for a dignified and respectful outcome. We are ready to cooperate and work towards peace as Mr Obama has insisted." Soosai, Pottu and Swarnam in NFZ but no sign of Prabhakaran - Brig. Shavendra Silva Last call from Prabakaran to KP Congress claims victory as UPA tops India's battle for power India's ruling Congress party claimed victory Saturday as its United Progressive Alliance (UPA) inched towards near majority in the 545-seat Lok Sabha, dealing blows to a divided opposition and proving pundits wrong.Celebrations erupted outside the Congress headquarters in the heart of the capital as counting of the millions of the votes polled in the April-May election showed that the multi-party UPA could end up with up to 250 MPs - just 22 seats short of the halfway mark needed to form a government. In a major blow to its ambitions, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which had waited for five long years to return to power, and its allies in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) suffered reverses in many places and failed to sweep some of the states they had expected. The Third Front, made up of the Communists and regional parties, took massive blows across the country, particularly in the Marxist strongholds of Kerala and West Bengal, a development that could drop the Left strength in the Lok Sabha dramatically. Science and Technology Minister and Congress spokesperson Kapil Sibal described the expected victory of the UPA as a mandate for party president Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's leadership. 'People want a stable government, they want a prime minister who thinks for the country,' he told reporters here.Election Commission officials said UPA candidates were in the lead in 232 of the 519 Lok Sabha seats and those of NDA in 156 constituencies. The Third Front was on the winning track in 82 seats while the Samajwadi Party and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), which split from the Congress ahead of the elections, were ahead only in 31 places. Going beyond even what optimistic exit polls had predicted, the Congress and its allies took the upper hand in the northern belt of Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and Uttarakhand and exceeded expectations in the populous and politically crucial Uttar Pradesh and Maharahstra. Their showing was also impressive in West Bengal, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Hundreds of Congress activists beat drums, danced and burst crackers outside the party headquarters and the nearby 10 Janpath residence of Sonia Gandhi here, shouting slogans hailing her, her son and Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi, her daughter Priyanka Gandhi and Manmohan Singh. In a sign that the BJP was conceding defeat, one of its senior leaders, Balbir Punj, told IANS: 'Whatever be the verdict, we will accept it.' 'The results are not on expected lines. The initial trend shows that Congress and UPA is leading over us... Definitely, we miss Vajpayee,' he later told reporters. Communist Party of India's D. Raja admitted: 'We need to do some introspection.' In a dramatic change of fortunes, the Congress was picking up an unprecedented number of seats in Uttar Pradesh, once its stronghold and where it had been reduced to an also ran for two decades before its general secretary Rahul Gandhi decided it was time to get aggressive in the most populous state. The best showing for the BJP and its allies came from Karnataka in the south and Bihar, which is ruled by the Janata Dal-United. The BJP was also poised to sweep all four seats in Himachal Pradesh. And although it led in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, the Congress managed to grab some of the seats in both seats, denting the BJP's overall tally. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), which had expected at one time to win as many as 50 of the 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh which it rules, was faring poorly, officials said. Among the prominent candidates set to get elected to the 15th Lok Sabha were central ministers Kamal Nath and Renuka Chowdhury of the Congress, BJP president Rajnath Singh and Janata Dal-Secular leader and former prime minister H.D. Deve Gowda. Samajwadi Party's Jaya Prada, a former actor, was trailing in Rampur in Uttar Pradesh while union Home Minister P. Chidamabaram was set to lose in Sivaganga in Tamil Nadu. MDMK leader Vaiko, a strong supporter of Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers, was also on the losing track. Political pundits had predicted a badly fractured 545-member Lok Sabha, warning that the Congress would find it difficult to take power without major help from others. India should take steps for political solution in Sri Lanka, asks Karunanidhi Chennai : Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi on Saturday said ensuring peace in Sri Lanka should be India's priority and asked the Centre to initiate immediate steps to bring about a political solution to end the ethnic strife there. In an early morning appeal to the Centre, he said that after his April 27 fast, Sri Lankan Government, due to the efforts of the Indian Government, announced the "stoppage of hostilities". However, instead of a complete ceasefire, minor skirmishes and military actions were said to be continuing. "Though information that relief and rehabilitation is being provided to the affected innocent Tamils is being received, at the same time information of fierece fighting between the two sides (Sri Lankan Army and the LTTE) is also being received," he said. "In the wake of world countries, including United States and UK, trying for a peaceful solution to the conflict and as continously insisted by India, I fervently request the Government of India to initiate immediate action for a political solution to the Sri Lankan crisis," he said. AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa had on Friday sought immediate steps to air dropping of food packets to help the Sri Lankan Tamils lodged in relief camps in the war-torn north of the island. Sri Lanka military cuts off rebel sea escape Sri Lankan forces took control of the entire island's coastline Saturday, trapping the Tamil Tigers in a tiny pocket of territory and cutting off any sea escape for the rebels' top leaders, the military said.President Mahinda Rajapaksa vowed to defeat the remaining rebel fighters and end the 25-year-old civil war by Saturday night.The latest military success gave the government full control of the coast for the first time in nearly a quarter century. The rebels, who once ran a de facto state across the north, had controlled a formidable navy and sea smuggling operation.Government forces have been hunting for the reclusive Tamil Tiger leader Velupillai Prabhakaran and his top deputies for months, but it was unclear if they were still in the remaining patch of rebel territory or had already fled overseas.Two army divisions moving along two fronts on the island's northeastern coast linked up at the coastal village of Vellamullivaikkal early Saturday, military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara said. The rebels, who are fighting for a homeland for minority Tamils, are cornered along with tens of thousands of Tamil civilians in a 1.2-square mile (3.1-square kilometer) strip between a lagoon and the sea.International concern has grown for civilians amid the unrelenting artillery bombardments shaking the war zone, and the Red Cross has warned of "an unimaginable humanitarian catastrophe" for the hundreds of wounded trapped without treatment.Hoping to end the bloodshed, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon sent his chief of staff, Vijay Nambiar, to Sri Lanka for a second time to try to bring the conflict to a peaceful conclusion. Nambiar was to arrive Saturday and hold meetings with top government officials.However, the government has brushed off repeated calls from foreign diplomats for a humanitarian truce in the conflict, saying it would only give the reeling rebels time to regroup.The U.N. says 7,000 civilians were killed and 16,700 wounded in the fighting from Jan. 20 until May 7, according to a U.N. document given to The Associated Press by a senior diplomat.Since then, doctors in the war zone say more than 1,000 civilians have been killed in a week of heavy shelling that rights groups and foreign governments have blamed on Sri Lankan forces. Sri Lanka denies firing heavy weapons into the war zone.Amid the heavy fighting, some 9,347 civilians escaped the war zone Friday by wading across a lagoon, Nanayakkara said. More than 13,000 civilians had fled since Thursday, he said.More than 200,000 civilians have escaped the war zone in recent months and are being held in displacement camps.On Thursday night, Rajapaksa said the war would be over within 48 hours and said the trapped civilians would be quickly freed from the territory still controlled by the guerrillas, formally known as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam."The freedom of the Tamil civilians held hostage by the LTTE is near at hand and the rescue of all civilians in the small patch of land held by the LTTE will be done in 48 hours," Rajapaksa told migrant workers in Jordan on Thursday.Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama told The Associated Press in Jordan that Sri Lankan soldiers were probably fighting their final battle against the remaining rebel fighters. He said reports have indicated that relatives of top rebel leaders are starting to flee the war zone.The navy intercepted a boat off the northeastern coast Friday and arrested the wife, son and daughter of the rebels' sea wing leader, who were among 11 people on board, Nanayakkara said.The rebels have denied accusations they were holding the civilians as human shields and were shooting at those trying to flee. Sri Lanka denies reports it is firing heavy weapons into the war zone. Reports of the fighting are difficult to verify because the government has barred most journalists and aid workers from the conflict zone. Airdrop food for Tamils in Sri Lanka: Jayalalithaa CHENNAI: AIADMK general secretary Jayalalithaa on Friday urged the Centre to arrange for airdropping food in camps occupied by Tamils in Sri Lanka.“The Indian Army, without any hesitation, should drop cooked food, vegetables, fruits and water sachets. Otherwise Tamils, with whom we have a close relationship, will die in thousands,” she said in a statement here.Ms.Jayalalithaa, quoting reports that more people would die of hunger, said the Army should airdrop foods as atonement for its historical blunders in Sri Lanka.She said the Sri Lankan Army was continuing its attack on Tamils and they were suffering from lack of food, drinking water. “The injured are not getting any treatment.” Charge against Centre Recalling the appeal made by US President Obama for ending indiscriminate shelling, she alleged that Chief Minister M.Karunanidhi and the Central government had hoodwinked people into believing that they had ensured a ceasefire in Sri Lanka. Navy captures Soosai’s fleeing family The Navy captured Sea Tiger leader Soosai’s family members while they were attempting to escape by sea in Mullaitivu area during the wee hours of yesterday. Soosai is with LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, Soosai’s wife has said. Navy spokesman Captain D.K.P. Dassanayake said the Sea Tiger leader’s wife, son, daughter and his brother’s wife, daughter and other family members were attempting to escape from Vellaimullivaikkal. The Fibre Glass Dinghy had 11 persons including Soosai’s wife Sathyadevi, daughter Sivanesan Mani Arasu, son Sivanesan Sindhu, sister-in-law C. Thavarasa (58), elder brother’s son Silanbarasa and top Sea Tiger Leader Rooban’s wife N. Sivanesan (25). They were captured around 2.00 a.m. by naval troops monitoring the LTTE movements in the seas off Mullaitivu. Eleven family members of Soosai were fleeing boarded on a small boat posing as IDPs. The naval troops identified Soosai’s family members and captured the boat. “An LTTE Intelligence leader’s family members were among the captured”, he added. The captured Soosai’s family members boat was towed to Pulmodai Naval point. An inquiry was started upon their capture. ”The fleeing Soosai’s family members had around Rs.600,000, in cash jewellery weighing two and half kilograms and other valuable items”, Captain Dassanayake said. He said during the inquiry Soosai’s wife had said that her husband Soosai is with Prabhakaran and Pottu Amman in the Vellaimullivaikkal area. Round-the-clock vigilance maintained by alert Naval troops on continuous Naval patrol to monitor LTTE movements in the seas off Mullaitivu have made impossible for Tiger cadres or their family members to escape. Naval fortifications have been tightened with multiple defence barriers consisting of Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs), Fast Gun Boats (FGBs), Fast Attack Craft (FACs), the Rapid Action Boat Squadron (RABS) and the Special Boat Squadron (SBS). Continuous shore-based radar surveillance is also being carried out in order to compliment Naval units to prevent remaining LTTE cadres from launching desperate attacks on advancing Security Forces personnel and to cut off attempts of Tiger leaders trapped in the No Fire Zone to flee. EU against Sri Lankan 'final assault' on Tamil rebels EU foreign ministers will urge the Sri Lankan government to hold back from a "final assault" against Tamil Tiger rebels, according to a draft text which expressed new concern at the civilian death toll."The EU calls on the government of Sri Lanka to refrain from a final assault which will result in further loss of life and to take, without delay, all necessary steps to facilitate the evacuation of the civilians trapped in the conflict zone," according to a draft statement drawn up ahead of the EU foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels on Monday."The EU underscores that fighting terrorism must be done in full respect for the rule of law and human rights," the statement, seen by AFP, stresses.Whether they get the chance to issue the call remained unsure Friday as the Sri Lankan government vowed earlier Friday to capture within 48 hours all Tamil Tiger-held territory."The fighting must stop now," the EU draft statement said."The EU is appalled by continuing reports of high numbers of civilian casualties, including children, following recent intense fighting in northern Sri Lanka, which the UN has described as 'a bloodbath'," according to the draft statement. In the statement, ministers from the 27 EU nations reiterate the need for all to respect human rights laws."The EU calls for the alleged violations of these laws to be investigated through the establishment of an independent inquiry," adds the draft statement.However one European diplomat cautioned that this part of the statement could be changed when EU ambassadors meet Monday ahead of the ministers' talks. The ministers acknowledge some of the problems which the Sri Lankan government forces argue that they are facing in attempting to quash the LTTE rebels."The EU condemns the LTTE, a terrorist organisation, in particular for the use of civilians as human shields and the forced recruitment of civilians," the draft text says, calling on Tamil rebels to lay down their arms and allow the tens of thousands of civilians in the conflict zone to move to safety.Hundreds have been reported killed in indiscriminate shelling over the past week, adding to the thousands left dead since the rebels were pushed into a corner at the start of the year. Police recover four suicide jackets in Wellawatte A 32-year-old LTTE suspect committed suicide by jumping out of a seven storied building at 37th Lane, Wellawatte during a raid conducted in Wellawatte on Thursday night at 9.35 p.m. The suspect, Sathish Kumar had been living in Sunflower Court Wellawatte. Police recovered four suicide jackets and a claymore bomb from the flat. According to Wella-watte Police three suspects who were arrested have been identified as suicide bombers. They were undergraduates of the Moratuwa University including the one who jumped to his death. Additional Magistrate of Mt.Lavinia, Darshika Wimalasiri conducted the postmortem on Thursday. She requested police to send a medical report of the dead and an inclusive report on the incident to Court.The suspect was a resident of Jaffna and was said to be a student of the Moratuwa University Engineering Faculty. Police arrested several persons who were associated with Sathish Kumar and are carrying out further investigations, police spokesman, SSP Ranjith Gunasekara said. Further investigations are carried out under the inspection of State Inteligence Service officers and OIC of the Wellawatte Police Chief Inspector Mangala Dehideniya and CID officers led by Lakmal Amarasekara. Pathmanathan urges immediate action by IC to protect Tamil civilians "If the International community fails to act now, in this most needy hour, it would go down in the history of mankind as the most inhumane, unconscionable failure by the International community, the UN and other powers from their responsibilities to protect innocent civilians wherever they may be subjected to genocide," said Selvaraja Pathmanathan, the LTTE plenipotentiary for international relations, in a statement issued Friday. "Consequences of inaction will reverberate for generations. Inaction by the International community will be construed as its approval of this crime against humanity." Full text of the statement from Mr. Pathmanathan follows: "The events that are unfolding in Northern Sri Lanka in the last 2 days will turn out to be one of the darkest chapters of the history of mankind. Despite the warnings from the President of the United States and the countless requests from the European Foreign Ministers, the Sri Lanka Government and its armed forces have unleashed the most horrific attack on the so called safety zone. Having killed nearly 7,000 civilians in the last 3 months the carnage in the last 2 days alone has accounted for nearly 1700 deaths."The Tamils of this world are begging the International Community to shed its cloak of indifference and save the hapless Tamil civilians on the brink of extinction at the hands of the barbaric Sri Lankan military and the Government of Sri Lanka. We appeal to your kindness and values. Our kith and kin have been subjected to the most brutal massacre and violence in the last 24 hours with the entire safety zone shrouded in smoke with ongoing shelling and artillery barrage. The dead are littered throughout the area. All contacts with the people have been lost in the last 24 hours. We are not even aware of the numbers alive and the numbers injured. These are people who have committed no crime other than to live in the area. "The whole world knows what is happening in Sri Lanka, yet, no action has been taken to save the civilian population. If the International community fails to act now, in this most needy hour, it would go down in the history of mankind as the most inhumane, unconscionable failure by the International community, the UN and other powers from their responsibilities to protect innocent civilians wherever they may be subjected to genocide. The Tamil community is in the brink of losing faith at all those who preach democracy, human rights and values yet fail to uphold their beliefs when tested at times like these. This is not the time for political expediency or vengeance. Thousands of people are being slaughtered and the rest about to be annihilated and it may already be too late for action. Consequences of inaction will reverberate for generations. Inaction by the International community will be construed as its approval of this crime against humanity."We beg the international community to intervene immediately to save the remaining Tamil civilians from extinction. Immediate intervention and provision of humanitarian aid are the only means to protecting those still alive after the carnage of the last 24 hours." 15 May 2009 Britain warns Sri Lankan government Britain has given a warning to the Sri Lankan government that it could face investigations into alleged war crimes as a result of violence against civilians caught up in the offensive against Tamil Tiger insurgents fighting for an independent homeland.The warning came in a parliamentary debate in which there was near-unanimous support from all parties for Britain and the international community to take a much harder line against the Sri Lankan government, including a package of sanctions. The British Foreign Office Minister, Bill Rammell, described as 'shocking and appalling' the United Nations estimate that some 6,500 civilians had been killed in the Sri Lankan conflict since January and said that democratic governments are held to a higher standards of responsibility than other organisations. The killing had to stop, said Minister, Bill Rammell as Tamil protestors continued demonstrating outside the Houses of Parliament, politicians from all parties urged for harsher measures against Sri Lanka including suspension from the Commonwealth, the withdrawal of the diplomats, direct peace-keeping intervention, a boycott of Sri Lankan made goods and a travel ban on government members and their relatives. There were also calls for Western democracies to put more pressure on China that one speaker said such a significant donor that it had the influence to tell Sri Lanka to call an immediate ceasefire. Sympathy for the plight of Tamil civilians has increased after reports that some 50 civilians had died when a hospital was shelled earlier this week. Senior labour MP Keith Vaz, said that the world must do more than issue statements “ it cannot stand by and find out that the Sri Lankan government has wiped out a whole people” he said. IMF loan for Sri Lanka not appropriate right now: Clinton US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said here Thursday it "is not an appropriate time" to consider a massive International Monetary Fund loan for Sri Lanka.Clinton told reporters that the United States has been "trying to convince both sides," the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil Tiger guerrillas, to stop fighting."We have also raised questions about the IMF loan at this time. We think that it is not an appropriate time to consider that (loan) until there is a resolution of the conflict," Clinton added. The United States is the main shareholder in the IMF and its approval is key to the release of the loan.Clinton's comments came two weeks after the IMF said talks with Sri Lanka for a bailout package of around two billion dollars were continuing despite reports the fund was under pressure to withold the planned financing.News reports said US officials indicated that they want the IMF loan to Sri Lanka, aimed at helping the low-income Asian country cope with the global financial crisis, delayed to prod Colombo to step up aid to civilians.The central bank in Colombo said at the time that an IMF mission was in Sri Lanka to try to ensure there are enough controls to verify that the IMF funds for balance-of-payments support are not used for other purposes. Sri Lankan central bank governor Nivard Cabraal said the IMF loan was on track and procedures such as safeguard assessments had to be finished regardless of whether the United States was dragging its feet over the loan.Jeff Anderson, a US embassy spokesman in Colombo, rejected any notion that Washington was threatening to stop the IMF loan, which according to reports ranges from 1.9 billion dollars to 2.4 billion dollars.But the French ambassador to the United Nations in New York, Jean-Maurice Ripert, was quoted in a media report as saying that the "Americans want to play with the question of the IMF loan."Clinton and her British counterpart David Miliband, during a joint appearance here Tuesday, called on all Sri Lankans to stop fighting immediately and allow trapped civilians to escape the conflict.It was the latest in a series of so far futile international calls aimed at ending the fighting between government forces and the separatist guerrillas, holed up on a coastal strip in the island's northeast.They also expressed "alarm at the large number of reported civilian casualties over the past several days in the designated "safe zone" along the coastal strip.The pair urged the warring sides to allow a UN humanitarian team to visit the conflict zone and help evacuate the civilians as well as allow food and medical aid to reach those trapped by the fighting.In New York on Monday, Miliband and his counterparts Bernard Kouchner of France and Michael Spindelegger of Austria issued an appeal that called on the UN Security Council to address the "appalling" crisis in Sri Lanka.It was announced at UN headquarters on Thursday that UN chief Ban Ki-moon is rushing his chief of staff Vijay Nambiar back to Sri Lanka to press for protection of the trapped civilians. U.S. Navy had prepared options to assist Sri Lanka NEW DELHI: The United States Navy had prepared a set of options to evacuate or provide humanitarian assistance to civilians trapped in the war zone of Sri Lanka.Disclosing this, the U.S. Pacific Command chief, Admiral Timothy J. Keating, said here that an assessment team had visited Sri Lanka some two-three months ago for an assessment and had subsequently submitted a list of options to the U.S. government.“We gave our report to the State Department through our Ambassador in Sri Lanka preparing a range of options available, none of which remain executed,” Adm. Keating said in response to a question whether the U.S. Navy was asked to be on stand-by to launch humanitarian assistance or evacuate civilians. Meets Indian officials In an interaction with a group of correspondents here, Adm. Keating said during his visit on the invitation of Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Sureesh Mehta, he met National Security Adviser M.K. Narayanan and Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon. They discussed the promotion of long-standing relationship between the navies of India and the United States and their strong partnership. On China’s presence As for the presence of China in the Indian Ocean and its move to develop ports providing turn-around facilities for its ships, the U. S. Admiral said such moves were fine so long as it was for common good and to provide stability and peace in the region. “But it should not be to the exclusion of others but inclusion…’While acknowledging presence of China along with other countries in undertaking anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden, he said it does show the ability of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) to deploy in international waters, it does not necessarily qualify as a blue water navy. Invitation The Admiral also said that he declined an offer from a top-ranking PLAN officer for a pact splitting the East of Hawaii and West of Hawaii between the two navies. The idea was that the U.S. Navy does not have to come far East while the Chinese need not go far West, with both sharing tasks on either side. However, Unites States of America . invited China to join joint exercise and they have preferred to be an observer. Thousands flee via new escape route Troops in final push Forces capture Farah III and Vaduvakkal bridge Ground troops engaged in their final push against LTTE are poised to completely seal off the Eastern coast within the next 24 hours as 58 Division troops advancing towards Mullaitivu from the Northern direction reached closer to Mullaitivu front after capturing the grounded Jordanian ship Farah III in the Mullaitivu seas by yesterday evening, Military officials told the Daily News. The 58 Division which commenced its military operations from Mannar and liberated the entire North Western coast, is going to reach this historic moment after marrying up with the 59 Division troops now advancing from the South to North direction from the Mullaitivu front, the official added. “By yesterday evening, less than two kilo metres stretch of beach front was under the LTTE control and it would soon be captured by the troops once 58 and 59 Division troops marry up in the North of Mullaitivu completely denying the beach front to the LTTE,” the official added. As troops closing in on the last terrain of the LTTE, many explosions were heard inside the safe zone and from Tiger hideouts as they blew off their ammunition dumps and other weapons before being captured by the advancing troops. The 58 Division troops under the command of Brigadier Shavendra Silva last evening captured the Jordanian ship Farah III which was used by the LTTE to fire upon the ground troops of both 58 and 59 Divisions advancing on the ground and also towards Navy boats patrolling in the sea off Mullaitivu. The 11 Sri Lanka Light Infantry battalion under the command of Lt. Colonel Kithsiri Ekanayake captured this ship which was made use by Sea Tigers as their operational centre. In December 2006, the Jordanian ship Farah III had engine trouble and was awaiting rescue from Colombo when Sea Tigers entered the ship and abducted the crew and its captain to Mullaitivu. Later they were released to the International Red Cross. The 150 metre cargo ship with a crew of 25 Jordanians and Egyptians captained by an Iraqi was carrying 14,000 tons of rice from India’s Andra Pradesh to South Africa when it developed mechanical problems. Holding a press conference in Colombo, the crew said later that evening on the first day, every removable communication equipment in the ship and the crew’s personal effects were looted by the Sea Tigers. The LTTE later looted the 14,000 metric tonnes of rice from the ship. According to military officials the advance on the beach front would be much easy with the capture of this ship. As 58 Division troops advanced further southwards the 59 Division now under the command of Brigadier Prasanna Silva captured Vaduvakkal bridge that link the A-35 road into the Mullaitivu town through Nanthikadal lagoon. “With the capture of this bridge, 59 Division troops have opened up a land route to facilitate the civilians reach the south of the Safe Zone,” officials added. According to military officials more than 3,000 civilians have reached the 59 Division area after crossing the Nanthikadal lagoon using tubes and floating equipment. “Hundreds of civilians were still flowing into military controlled areas by yesterday evening and thousands are waiting to flee towards the military controlled areas,” the official added. Q+A: Sri Lanka's propaganda war Sri Lanka and the Tamil Tiger rebels are again trading blame over reported attacks on civilians, which diplomats say sparked the U.N. Security Council and U.S. President Barack Obama to speak out.Here are questions and answers about why it is so hard to separate fact from propaganda in Asia's longest modern war: CAN JOURNALISTS OR AID AGENCIES GET INTO THE WAR ZONE? Foreign journalists get in sometimes, mostly on guided trips chaperoned by the military. Some have been given wider access, but not as much as local and state reporters who are right on the frontline. The Tigers used to give similar guided tours. Only the International Committee of the Red Cross has consistently been inside since the government moved out foreign aid groups last year, save for their local Tamil staff. WHAT ROLE DOES PROPAGANDA PLAY? Given there is no unfiltered access to the war zone, an enormous one. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) early on recognized the power of influencing public perceptions, and have only improved during the 25-year war. They have their own cameramen to record images for propaganda and fundraising. Programing that had been carried on LTTE TV stations around the world -- which the government got shut down on anti-terrorism grounds -- is now carried on websites. The Voice of the Tigers radio still broadcasts. But their main outlet to the English-speaking world is the website www.TamilNet.com, which is blocked in Sri Lanka. The LTTE has media spokesmen, and activists from the Tamil diaspora who email news outlets and slip what they say are videos or pictures from the war zone to journalists. DOES SRI LANKA'S GOVERNMENT DO THAT KIND OF THING TOO? Yes. Since the current government came to power in 2005, it has taken the propaganda war right back to the LTTE. The defense ministry's www.defense.lk website is one of the island's most popular and draws a third of its viewers from outside the country. It publishes video and images from the battlefield, government statements, and pro-government news stories culled from across the world. Each page has a Facebook posting link. The government also has state-controlled TV, radio and newspapers, and a phalanx of spokesmen. SO DON'T THE VIDEOS AND PICTURES TELL THE WHOLE TRUTH? Rarely, simply because only interested parties to the conflict are vouching for their authenticity. Recent images the Tigers say are from the war zone are a good example. The bloody pictures usually come from a single e-mail, said to be that of a government doctor. There is no way to prove that or even when or where the pictures were taken. The government says the doctor is doing the LTTE's bidding. The photos almost simultaneously pop up on TamilNet and other websites sympathetic to the LTTE, and are emailed to news organizations. The government also publishes photos and videos of captured weapons, dead Tiger fighters and combat, and has its own partisans out in cyberspace who forward emails and photos and try to deconstruct LTTE images. Like the LTTE material, there is no way to prove their authenticity. HOW DO THE FOES TRY TO CONTROL THE MESSAGE? Both sides are not shy about accusing media institutions of bias or lying. The government last week deported a British news team for what it said was a fabricated story. Journalists in Sri Lanka throughout the war have suffered the threat of violence, arrests and harassment from both sides, according to rights groups. DOES ANYONE HAVE A CLEAR IDEA OF WHAT IS HAPPENING? The Tigers and the government do, as do people who are or were in the war zone. The foes will, like combatants throughout recorded history, give only their side. Refugees who have been interviewed have given harrowing narratives, and most have fallen somewhere between the extremes. Three armed TMVP members arrested Red Cross "witnessing Sri Lankan catastrophe" LTTE Political Head welcomes Obama's attention on Tamils' plight "We thank and welcome the categorical calls by President Barack Obama for the Sri Lankan Government to take toward alleviating the humanitarian crisis," said B. Nadesan, the political head of the LTTE in a statement issued from Vanni Thursday. "The United Nations Organization and the Security Council has held back in their traditional humanitarian leadership role to take prudent measures and bring about a truce and safeguard Eelam Tamils. Now, the Eelam Tamils earnestly look forward to President Barack Obama to lead the humanitarian intervention," Mr. Nadesan said in his response to US President's statement on Wednesday. Full text of the statement follows: Head Quarters Tamils in Eelam and around the globe welcome and thank the President of the United States of America Mr. Barack Obama, for passionately talking about the plight of Tamil civilians and calling for urgent actions to alleviate the mounting humanitarian crisis.LTTE Political Head B. NadesanThe United Nations Organization and the Security Council has held back in their traditional humanitarian leadership role to take prudent measures and bring about a truce and safeguard Eelam Tamils. Now, the Eelam Tamils earnestly look forward to President Barack Obama to lead the humanitarian intervention.As President Barack Obama said, “Sri Lanka must seek a peace that is secure, but also lasting,” and we support a permanent ceasefire as well to work towards that peace. The arms we possess are the protective shield of the impending final solution of peaceful political aspiration of Eelam Tamils.Today the Sri Lankan government is collectively punishing the Tamils wherever they live in this island, for their quest for self determination and freedom. Eelam Tamils are perturbed of the eviction from their homeland and to detention in concentration camps (or the prospect of it) without any livelihood and dignity for the foreseeable future.Invading the Tamil homeland, disregarding calls for restraint from firing into Tamil civilians in the “no fire zone” - who moved in there due to the Sri Lankan army onslaught on the Tamil homeland - , detaining them in camps and enforced disappearances of Tamils all over this island are all taking place without independent witnesses.As President Barack Obama said, “urgent action” is needed by the world humanitarian community to protect the Tamils. The Sri Lankan Government has been successful in blindfolding the international community to continue with the onslaught, under the guise of “war on terror” and even a “humanitarian rescue” operation that never took into account the “human costs”.We thank and welcome the categorical calls by President Barack Obama for the Sri Lankan Government to take toward alleviating the humanitarian crisis. Presence and free access for independent humanitarian aid workers and media to all parts of this island, particularly in all areas of the Tamil Homeland, is urgently needed.We thank President Barack Obama once again, for taking time to shed light on the plight of Eelam Tamils. Yours sincerely, 14 May 2009 Obama: Sri Lanka must end warfare WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama scolded both sides of Sri Lanka's quarter-century-old civil war on Wednesday, demanding that the government stop shelling hospitals and that Tamil Tiger rebels cease using civilian shields.Before leaving the White House to deliver a commencement speech in Arizona, Obama told reporters that the situation on the south Asian island could turn from a humanitarian crisis to a full-blown catastrophe. He strongly urged both sides to take steps to alleviate suffering."Tens of thousands of innocent civilians are trapped between the warring government forces and the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka with no means of escape, little access to food, water, shelter and medicine," Obama said on the White House's South Lawn. "This has led to widespread suffering and the loss of hundreds, if not thousands of lives."Officials in Sri Lanka said artillery shells on Wednesday tore through a hospital for a second day, killing at least 50 and crippling the medical facility. Health workers said the government launched a wave of bombardments in the war zone this weekend and has killed as many as 1,000 people.The Sri Lanka government says its troops are not responsible for the shelling and that the military has not fired heavy weapons in the area in weeks.But Human Rights Watch says satellite images and witness testimony contradict that claim and has accused both sides of using the estimated 50,000 civilians packed into the tiny coastal strip controlled by the rebels as "cannon fodder."Obama said the United States is ready to work to end the conflict. "Now's the time, I believe, to put aside some of the political issues that are involved and to put the lives of the men and women and children who are innocently caught in the crossfire, to put them first," Obama said.Amnesty International urged Obama to push for a truce and appealed to the U.N. Security Council to establish a commission of inquiry into violations of international law. Outside the White House, protesters have been chanting in recent days of Obama to take action.Obama urged the Tamil Tigers to stop fighting and release civilians as a first step toward peace. "Their forced recruitment of civilians and their use of civilians as human shields is deplorable. These tactics will only serve to alienate all those who carry them out."He also said the government should stop the "indiscriminate shelling" and the use of heavy weapons in the conflict zone. He asked the government to give the United Nations and Red Cross staff access to the 190,000 displaced civilians."Going forward, Sri Lanka must seek a peace that is secure and lasting and grounded in respect for all of its citizens," Obama said. "More civilian casualties and inadequate care for those caught in resettlement camps will only make it more difficult to achieve the peace that the people of Sri Lanka deserve." Tiger aircraft accessories found Troops unearthed a stock of LTTE light aircraft accessories buried in a coconut grove in Theravikulam, Puthukudiyiruppu yesterday morning. Military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said troops of 11 Sri Lanka Artillery Regiment under the 57 Division which launched search operations in the Puthukudiyiruppu area, unearthed components of the light aircraft belonging to the LTTE in Theravikulam. LTTE cadres were hiding aircraft accessories buried in a coconut grove. “The aircraft spares were neatly wrapped and concealed in polythene and were buried in a coconut grove. Troops unearthed the aircraft components with the help of backhoes,” he added. Troops recovered four cylinder engines, three propellers, an aircraft radio set, five aircraft main wheels, three nose wheels, two partly used main wheels, four pilots’ hand phones, three battery chargers, three digital meters, three computer graphic manuals, ground marshalling torches, flying (aerial) computers, two flying simulation units, 23 runway lights, four head lights, two ordinary runway lights, bolts, transmitters, three marine radars, flying maps, 35 high speed boat engines, a water scooter laden with explosives and an aircraft towing carrier. Meanwhile, troops of the 58 Division moving forward recovered an LTTE Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL) yesterday morning in Karayanmullivaikkal. Brigadier Nanayakkara said LTTE cadres using the MBRL fired at troops advancing to rescue civilians in the No Fire Zone. A fierce battle raged in Karayanmullivaikkal and withdrawing LTTE cadres in the face of defeat, attempted to pull the MBRL along with them. “Troops of the 58 Division confronting LTTE cadres tactically surrounded and captured the Tiger MBRL. Troops forced Tiger cadres to retreat further into the south of NFZ,” he added. US working very closely with India on Sri Lanka: Boucher A top US official on Wednesday said the Obama Administration has kept India fully informed and is working very closely with New Delhi on the current Sri Lankan crisis. "We have been working very closely with India," the Assistant Secretary of State, Richard Boucher, told a group of South Asian journalists at the Foggy Bottom headquarters of the State Department. Mr. Boucher, who has been actively involved in the Sri Lankan crisis, said Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has had consultations with her Indian counterparts on several occasions during this period. "We had visits of Indian diplomats wherein we were able to confer closely with India," he said. After every co-chair meeting involving France, Britain, the United States and Japan, Boucher said India has always been informed about it. "We always inform India and confer with India. So we are very much involved with India on the Sri Lankan situation," Mr. Boucher said. UN in Sri Lanka humanitarian plea The United Nations has condemned both sides in Sri Lanka's war zone after artillery shells tore through a hospital packed with civilians for a second day, killing at least 50.The UN Security Council has demanded the Tamil Tigers stop fighting and allow tens of thousands of civilians being used as human shields to leave the war zone.It has also called on the government to stop firing heavy weapons, help trapped civilians evacuate and allow the urgent delivery of humanitarian aid.The security council press statement - which is not legally binding - expressed grave concern at the worsening humanitarian crisis.Health workers at the makeshift medical facility said they were so overwhelmed by the crush of the wounded and the unrelenting shelling of the area, they could do little but give gauze and bandages to the 1,000 patients waiting for treatment.The strike on the hospital came as the government marched on with its offensive to destroy the reeling Tamil Tiger rebels and end their 40-year quest for a separate homeland.There has been a wave of artillery bombardments across the war zone that began over the weekend and has barely let up in five days, health workers said. The weekend attacks alone may have killed as many as 1,000 people, doctors said.The government says its troops are not responsible for the shelling and that the military has not fired heavy weapons in the area in weeks.But Human Rights Watch says satellite images and witness testimony contradict that claim and has accused both sides of using the estimated 50,000 civilians packed into the tiny coastal strip controlled by the rebels as "cannon fodder".The shelling was so intense that a Red Cross ferry waiting off the coast to deliver food aid and evacuate the wounded had to turn back for a second day, the agency said. TNA (TELO,TULF,EPRLF and ACTC)warns of more bloodshed in the coming days Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has pointed out that 3000 Tamils have been killed and more than 1000 have been wounded in the last 3 days in the Vanni region, in a press conference held in Colombo on Tuesday night. Tamil National Alliance leader MP R.Sampanthan states, “The Government of Sri Lanka is mass killing Tamil civilians after denying them food and medicine. This is the reality. More bloodshed can happen in the next few days. We appeal to the International community to immediately stop this systematic slaughtering of civilians.” TNA parliamentarians further pointed out that more than 10,000 Tamil civilians have been killed while more than 20,000 wounded within the last 3 months.TNA and TULF leader R. Sampanthan, TULF Jaffna district MPs Mavai Senathirajah,EPRLF Leader Suresh Premachandran,ACTC Leader Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam,TELO Jaffna MP N. Srikantha, Batticola district MPs Ariyanenthiran, Thangeswary, Kanagasabai, Trincomalee district MP Thurairatnasingam, Amparai district MP Pathmanathan and Chandrakanthan participated in the press conference.MPs, R.Sampanthan, Suresh Premachandran and Srikantha explained the present situation in detail.MP Sampanthan states, “there is genocide taking place in Vanni; the entire international community is being silent; we don’t want just statements of condemnations and pledges without any action; the killings of civilians must immediately be stopped; this is our urgent request”. MP Sampanthan also stated that legal action will be taken against the Sri Lankan Government’s genocidal acts.MP Sampanthan further states, “It is the Government forces that are killing the Tamil civilians using various heavy weapons; there is no doubt about that; Mu’l’livaikkaal hospital has been attacked many times; medical staff have been killed and injured.”“Since the war started MP Kanagaratnam is in the conflict zone with the people and he informs us daily of the immense suffering of the people; doctors and civilians have been killed in the daily attacks on Mu’l’livaaikikaal hospital.”“The dead and wounded in the shell attacks by the Government forces, lay scattered on the roads and inside bunkers without the wounded being unable to reach medical help. The makeshift hospitals severely lack medical facilities, medicines and medical staff to care for the wounded.”“There is no UN, International media or NGO presence in the conflict zone; there are no witnesses to the carnage taking place. In this war without witnesses, the Government of Sri Lanka is openly lying and saying there are no civilian casualties.” BBC launches special Tamil programme to cover civil war The BBC’s Tamil service, BBC Tamilosai, has launched a special 10-day morning news programme to cover the increasing interest and flow of news out of the situation in Sri Lanka. It will also concentrate on the Indian General Election.Head of BBC Tamil, Thirumalai Manivannan, said: “With events unfolding in Sri Lanka, as well as the general election in India, the BBC Tamil team feels that it’s vital to keep our audiences up to date with latest developments outside our normal daily half-hour broadcasts at 15.45 GMT (21.15 Sri Lankan and Indian Standard Times).”He added: “As we have done in the past, we decided to add this special morning programme to our news output, to ensure our radio and online audiences are kept fully informed about developments which are directly affecting them.”The special 15-minute programme will be broadcast from 07.00 Sri Lankan and Indian Standard Times every day till Wednesday 20 May. The programme is broadcast on 19 (15285 kHz) and 16 (17515 kHz) meters on shortwave and is also available via the website bbctamil.com as a special audio folder for diaspora listeners. Norway wants more UN involvement in Sri Lanka conflict Condemning the hostilities in Sri Lanka, Norway said yesterday the United Nations should be more actively engaged in Sri Lanka's conflict. Norway said it discussed the situation in Sri Lanka with Tokyo Donor Co-chairs, the US, the EU, Japan on Tuesday and the Co-chairs are unanimous in their decision that more active UN engagement is necessary to stop the further loss of life."They are unanimous in insisting that the authorities in Sri Lanka meet their obligations and do not fire into the area where civilians are trapped. The Tamil Tigers must allow civilians to leave the war zone. So far, attempts to persuade the parties to the conflict to end the fighting have not been successful," Norway said.The Norwegian Minister of the Environment and International Development, Erik Solheim said "A humanitarian ceasefire in Sri Lanka must be put in place as soon as possible in order to stop the bloodbath."Norway's Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Store said the situation in Sri Lanka should be discussed in the UN Security Council urged the Sri Lankan government to let the UN into the war zone to help to bring the fighting to an end and assess the humanitarian situation."We take a very critical view of the fact that the parties are continuing to fight and resisting the strong international effort to find a solution," Mr. Store stressed adding that the UN and the Red Cross must be given free access to civilians.Referring to the media reports of recent heavy civilian casualties due to alleged shelling by the Sri Lankan military Solheim said that it is important to properly examine the events that have led to such huge civilian losses.Sri Lanka government has vehemently denied that its army used heavy weapons in the no-fire zone saying that the stories of mass civilian deaths are fabricated to discredit the government.The government says the LTTE is deliberately spreading the stories to persuade the international community to force the government to declare a ceasefire. Sri Lanka removed Norway from its peace facilitator role following the attack on Sri Lankan Emabssy in Oslo by pro-LTTE protestors. Killers surrender to UK cops after hiding with LTTE Pilleyan responsible for atrocities in the East – Karuna Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pilleyan and members of his political party TMVP are responsible for the murders, abductions, extortions and various other abuses that take place in the Eastern Province says UPFA Parliamentarian and Non-Cabinet Minister of National Integration and Reconciliation Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan alias Karuna Amman. Speaking to a daily newspaper Karuna Amman says he does not approve Pilleyan’s actions in the East. He said he would contest Batticaloa District at the next general election from the SLFP to oppose Pilleyan’s atrocities. Not all Tamils are Tigers The international community is dithering over the humanitarian crisis in Sri Lanka because of its need to condemn rebel fighters A month ago my boyfriend's English mother asked me – in all innocence – if I'd been to the "Tamil Tiger march" in Westminster. She was referring to one of the many protests organised by the tenacious and active British Tamil Forum, camped 24 hours a day at Westminster for over a month now.Given the many – and widely photographed – Tamil Tiger flags at the protests, little wonder she mistook Tamils for Tigers. Born a Tamil in England at about the same time the Tigers were founded, I know that, sadly, if you have heard of Tamils at all, you have probably linked us in your mind to a group of rebel fighters who pioneered the art of suicide bombing and once assassinated the prime minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi. Separating the Tamils from the terrorists isn't just about correcting an alliterative slip or an image problem – it's at the core of the Sri Lankan conflict, and why the international community is dithering over one of the most appalling humanitarian situations of our time.In Sri Lanka right now, around 100,000 civilians are trapped in a war zone, where they are being shelled every day by their government. A further 200,000 are in army-controlled internment camps without adequate food or water – and no sign of them being let out any time soon. They are all Tamil, like me and my family. That is about 10% of the entire Tamil population in Sri Lanka. To put it into perspective, it's about a quarter of the population of the entire Gaza strip.There are two possible reasons why this is happening. First, that the Tamil Tigers are terrorists, and civilian deaths are unfortunate collateral damage in Sri Lanka's domestic war on terror. Or, second, that killing Tamil Tigers is a ruse for killing Tamils, and that the government is using the terrorist line to spin a sinister agenda.While the international community grapples with Sri Lanka's insistence that it is the former, a depressing body of evidence points towards the sinister. There is the censorship – areas restricted to journalists including the "safe" zone where undercover reporters have to sneak out news of horrors. There is the witch-hunt for dissenters – Sri Lankan bloggers report that the government has now set up a hotline to report on those who question the war, and Unesco just awarded its World Press Freedom prize to Lasantha Wickrematunge, the latest Sri Lankan journalist to pay the ultimate price for free speech. And there is the state-sponsored terror – Desmond Tutu and Jimmy Carter argued last year that Sri Lanka should be struck off the UN human rights council for its abuses: internment, torture and abductions.Last week the British foreign secretary, David Miliband, valiantly tried to get the UN to intervene to stop what it has called a "bloodbath" (you can witness his efforts in the face of creaking bureaucracy here). But in the meantime, the Sri Lankan regime is still getting our support – and because he and every other foreign minister caveats their calls with "the Tamil Tigers are so terrible" line, they add fuel to the Sri Lankan government's campaign – which then continues to drop bombs on hospitals and children.Not all Tamils are supporters of the rebels – I'm certainly not. Despite all the flags, I know that many of us who are turning out in Parliament Square have a humanitarian agenda, not a pro-rebel one. But if we want the crisis to stop, we've got to realise that there's no use condemning the Tigers and trying to save Tamils, because in the eyes of the Sri Lankan government, we seem to be one and the same. The hope of the civilians facing mortal harm and starvation in Sri Lanka is that the world will not watch in silence while their lives are destroyed – and will not be fooled by the constant carping about the ills of the Tigers as a justification for throwing every last grain of humanity out of the window. Tamils crowd downtown Toronto streets in latest protest Thousands of Tamil-Canadian protesters were on the move in downtown Toronto Wednesday evening.After amassing at Queen's Park all day, the group made its way across College Street, down Yonge Street, west along Queen Street and stopped in front of the U.S. Consulate. The demonstrators then wound back up University Avenue to the Ontario legislature just after 8 p.m. Many chanted "no more genocide" in reference to the civil war in their native Sri Lanka, where many civilians have been caught in the crossfire between government troops and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, a guerrilla group fighting for an independent Tamil state in the north and eastern parts of the country. Police officers in riot gear followed the protest.Wednesday's demonstration was peaceful except for a few tense moments when a small plane flew overhead with a banner attached that said: "Protect Canada. Stop the Tamil Tigers."The sentiment expressed on the banner might have been related to an earlier protest on Sunday in which thousands of demonstrators, including many children, barricaded the Gardiner Expressway in downtown Toronto, shutting it down for several hours. That protest followed reports that an all-night artillery barrage in Sri Lanka's war zone killed more than 370 people and forced thousands to flee to makeshift shelters along a beach on Sunday.Many of those protesting are young, passionate and relentless in their support for the cause. A few spoke to CBC News."When I see pictures of children being bombed by illegal weapons, when I see pictures of elderly women being killed by chemical weapons, it makes me want to act. It makes me want to be vocal about the issue," said Gormy Theva.Another protestor, Janani Sivathasan, said she feels a strong connection to Sri Lanka, though she has never been there."My parents are always telling me about it," she said. "I can't wait until we get our separate nation so I can go back home and live there."The protestors said they are trying to raise global awareness of what is happening in Sri Lanka and garner support from politicians in Canada.But tactics such as blocking the highway have made it tricky for politicians who want to acknowledge some of the protestors' issues. On Wednesday, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty called on the UN to get involved, but he chose his words carefully."What is happening over there [Sri Lanka] doesn't excuse illegal activities here on the part of Canadians of Tamil descent," he told reporters in Toronto. "Neither does it excuse our silence."The Liberals tried to get all-party support for a resolution in the Ontario legislature urging the federal government to put international pressure behind calls for a ceasefire, but the opposition parties refused."I think it sends out the message that … this government once again will make concessions if you break the law in the province," said Opposition Leader Bob Runciman.McGuinty encouraged the UN Security Council to find a way for Canada and other countries to help civilians affected by the fighting in Sri Lanka.The premier said he understands why people in Toronto are unhappy about the protests, especially Sunday's, but added it's important to speak out in the face of a significant breach of human rights.He said thousands of civilians are being killed in northern Sri Lanka, and Canadians need to recognize that the protests are rooted in real concerns. McGuinty said this is not a time for the international community to be silent and that he is in favour of the UN Security Council bringing countries together to help.He also commended the federal government for providing more aid to the region in recent days, saying the province will continue to push Ottawa to do more. Toronto Mayor David Miller was one of the few politicians to come out to address the protestors. Most of his colleagues shied away from the protest because of the presence of flags in support of the Tamil Tigers, which Ottawa has categorized as a terrorist group."Some people would be probably offended by the flag and afraid to show their support for these people, but I'm not here about politics," said Miller.He limited his comments to calls for greater international access to Sri Lanka to help safeguard human rights concerns.Late Wednesday afternoon, U.S. President Barack Obama had strong words for the Tamil Tigers and the Sri Lankan government."I urge the Tamil Tigers to lay down their arms and let civilians go," he said in Washington. "Their forced recruitment of civilians and use of civilian shields is deplorable. These tactics will only serve to alienate all those who carry them out."I'm also calling on the Sri Lankan government to take several steps to alleviate this humanitarian crisis. The government should stop the indiscriminate shelling that has taken hundreds of innocent lives." 13 May 2009 Sri Lanka war zone hospital 'hit' Troops breach LTTE earth bund, encircle the no-fire zone in northern Sri Lanka Sri Lankan troops engaged in a military offensive in the no-fire zone of Northern Sri Lanka breached a massive LTTE earth bund yesterday morning and have marched 300 meters in to the no-fire zone, the military said.The troops of 59th division have crossed the Nanthikadal lagoon on Monday morning and entered the rebel controlled land breaching the earth bund. The troops have been attempting to cross the lagoon for the past few days but held back due to the heavy artillery fire from the rebels.The LTTE have been firing artillery parallel to the ground and also from the Jordanian freighter captured by the LTTE some time ago, defence officials said.The 59 Division troops have formed an extended defence line around the southern end of the new safety zone covering the entire Nanthi Kadal lagoon and the surrounding sea beach and linked with the 53 Division troops who are deployed along the western boundary of the safety zone. Following intense overnight fighting troops of 58 Division have gained control of the northern boundary of the safety zone this morning and are now consolidating their positions. The eastern border of the no safety zone is guarded by the Sri Lankan Navy.Meanwhile, the Tigers carried out three suicide missions within a period of three hours as the troops are inching forward, the Army reported. Several soldiers have been injured due to the attacks. Sri Lanka Defence Secretary said the troops are in a position to neutralize the LTTE capabilities within 48 hours.An estimated 50,000 civilians are trapped in the area as the LTTE continues to hold them as a human shield. S Lanka war grinds on despite protests Sri Lankan Government forces have been "on the brink" of the total defeat of Tamil Tiger (LTTE) forces for months and now rebels are clinging onto an ever-shrinking pocket of land near the town of Mullaitivu.It has been described as being no bigger than Central Park in New York (340 hectares; 840 acres). As well as the remaining LTTE fighters, many thousands of civilians occupy this small area of territory in north-east Sri Lanka. The precise figure is impossible to verify because access to the area has been restricted and information coming out of the pocket of land has been very unreliable. Thousands of people have been killed and at the weekend the United Nations described what is going on as a "bloodbath". Last month, the UN said both sides may have committed war crimes. The LTTE have accused government forces of indiscriminately shelling civilians and of targeting hospitals. The Sri Lankan government has accused the rebels of using civilians as human shields, and of killing people and blaming the killings on the government. Calls unheeded As the human suffering has increased so has the clamour of the international community. But the growing intensity of worldwide demands for the killing to end has, so far, been powerless to interrupt the fighting. The G8 group of industrialised nations, the European Union, the United States, Japan, Norway and others have led calls urging the LTTE to surrender and the Sri Lankan government to stop the onslaught, so that civilians can get out of the area. Delegations of heavyweight international politicians have beaten a trail to Colombo. During the past month the United Nations humanitarian chief John Holmes left after a three-day visit without being able to persuade Sri Lanka to open a humanitarian corridor to the rebel-held territory. The British and French foreign ministers, David Milliband and Bernard Kouchner, led another delegation to the Sri Lankan capital. They were listened to but apparently had little or no impact on the government position. The United Nations Security Council has discussed the deteriorating situation but, conspicuously, Sri Lanka has not been a full agenda item in a Security Council meeting because of a reluctance by Russia and China, full members of the Security Council with veto rights, to include it. They view the issue as an internal matter, and not appropriate for Security Council deliberation. This has undoubtedly emboldened the government in Colombo to remain unmoved by international pressure. The Sri Lankan government feels it is a position to crush, once and for all, the LTTE and capture and kill its leader Velupillai Prabhakaran. In its 30-year struggle with the LTTE the government believes it has held back from pushing home an advantage because of international concerns and it does not want to make what it considers that mistake again. Over the water Sri Lanka undoubtedly has one eye on the election in India. Electors in the southern India state of Tamil Nadu vote in the final stage of the election on Wednesday. Many more ethnic Tamils live in India than in Sri Lanka. Leading Indian Tamil politicians who hold considerable sway with the Delhi government have called on India to invade Sri Lanka and come to the rescue of the LTTE. The Colombo government may even be delaying a full, final onslaught until the Indian election is over. Tamils climb on to Westminster Abbey roof Four people were arrested today after scaling Westminster Abbey in support of the anti Sri Lanka demonstration in Parliament Square. The three men and one woman were arrested on suspicion of causing criminal damage after they spent the night on top of the Abbey. Witnesses said they unfurled banners calling for a ceasefire in Sri Lanka, whose government forces have been fighting Tamil Tiger rebels. The four are not thought to be part of the main protest outside Parliament but brought in specifically for the stunt. Raavaniya Pararajasingam, 19, who saw the group before they scaled the roof, said: “They said they were going to do something to a prestigious building to get attention. They said they were not afraid of getting arrested, they have done it many times before.” Some 250 remained there overnight after protesters were eventually persuaded to clear roads and retreat back into Parliament Square.The renewed impetus into a campaign that began in the Square five weeks ago was spurred by a UN announcement that the north of the south Asian country where civilian Tamils are being contained in a zone by the army had become “a blood bath”. Angered at what they see as a lack of action by Britain, Tamils from across London are promising more disruption to highlight their cause.Selvan Kulban, 32, from Guildford, Surrey, said: “My cousin is in the conflict area, my brother-in-law was injured there and his three-month-old baby has lost its right hand. I don't care if I lose my job, I am here to stay.”Many of the people who blocked off parts of Whitehall and Great George Street have been living at the protest camp since its inception last month.They wash where they can, use public toilets and rely on donations of food and water from a close-knit Sri Lankan community that brings them regular supplies.Lib Dem MP Simon Hughes, a supporter who is also a Shadow Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, was given a rapturous welcome by protesters as he spoke to them about their campaign.Veterans of the Parliament Square camp include 21-year-old Pavani Srikanda, a wheelchair-bound student who has abandoned her studies to join the group.She said: “It has been difficult, the last few days especially, but we are going to keep going.”She and others like 17-year-old A-level student Bharathy Maheswaran have to wash in public toilets and sleep wherever and whenever they can.Large parts of their days are spent chanting slogans and devising new strategies to keep their fight alive.Like many at the make-shift camp business student Balamuhunthan Balamuhunthan, 21, sometimes leaves to sleep on Tubes or in hospital accident and emergency waiting rooms.He said: “It is now or never. We have created so much awareness people are now talking about us and we are slowly getting noticed.”A Scotland Yard spokesman said: “A total of 45 people were arrested, 41 for wilful obstruction of a highway, one for violent disorder, one for a public order offence, two for assaults on police. Two officers suffered minor injuries.” Tories 'not prepared' to meet with Tamil Tigers The Canadian government is concerned about the humanitarian crisis Tamils face in Sri Lanka but officials are not prepared to meet with anyone who might represent the terrorist group Tamil Tigers, a cabinet minister said Tuesday. Bev Oda, the federal Minister of International Co-operation, said she visited Sri Lanka last week and was "frustrated" by what she saw there. "I think right now we've got to pay attention to the humanitarian crisis. Right now it's dire and we have to try and continue asking for a ceasefire," she told CTV's Canada AM in a televised interview from Ottawa. She said the government "shares the concerns" of Tamils living in Canada and is prepared to meet with local community leaders. However, in Parliament on Monday afternoon, Oda said she was concerned when she saw the number of flags depicting the Tamil Tigers logo at several protests that have taken place across the country. She repeated her concern Tuesday morning. "Our government is prepared to meet with the Tamil community in Canada to share their concerns but we are not prepared to meet with those who represent a terrorist organization," she said, referring to the Tamil Tigers. One Tamil protester told The Canadian Press the government is trying to use the flag to distract the public from their inaction towards the crisis in Sri Lanka. "We can see that they are using the flag kind of like a shield to kind of divert any bad situation," said Siva Vimal, 20. The red flags in questions feature a tiger jumping through a ring of fire under two crossed rifles. Vimal said the flags are a symbol of the Tamil Eelam movement, not the Tamil Tigers. He said the writing on the flag that linked the flag to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam was removed in 1990 when it came to represent the Tamil Eelam. Tamil supporters in Canada have told the media repeatedly that they will not stop their protests until the government speaks out against the civil war in Sri Lanka that has killed thousands of Tamil civilians. On Sunday, hundreds of Tamils overtook the Gardiner Expressway, a major thoroughfare in Toronto, and halted traffic for about six hours much to the ire of commuters, police and politicians who all deemed the move "unlawful." The Tamil community refused to apologize for the protest and some have said that more traffic disruptions are a possibility. Hundreds of people were back on the streets Monday protesting in front of the Ontario legislature and in front of the Sri Lankan Consulate in Toronto. "If the Tamil community doesn't see affirmative and decisive action taken by the Canadian government in regards to the Sri Lankan issue, you can definitely expect more protesting. Of what sort, what kind, of what outcome, I really couldn't tell you," said 21-year-old Ghormy Theva. Oda told Canada AM that the Conservatives have taken "significant steps" by calling for a ceasefire for months. She said she is sympathetic to Tamil Canadians and their fears they have for their families and friends who live in the conflict zone back in their homeland. "I think the international communty all face the same frustrations," she said. "We don't have the ability to get accurate information or numbers. It's so frustrating because journalists and humanitarian workers are all being prevented from entering the conflict zone." "We need unhindered access to provide humanitarian workers into those camps to help those victims," she said. Miliband talking about Sri Lanka with Clinton British Foreign Secretary David Miliband says he is looking for ways to draw the world's attention to the humanitarian crisis in Sri Lanka as he meets with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.Miliband also planned to discuss Middle East peace talks with his U.S. counterpart Tuesday. He is meeting with Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman in London on Wednesday and said he would not prejudge the new Israeli goverment's approach to the peace process.He called the war zone in Sri Lanka «as close to hell as you can get.The Sri Lankan government is engaged in an offensive against the last Tamil Tiger rebel holdouts on a thin strip of land packed with an estimated 50,000 civilians. 'Don't release Rajiv's assassin' Opposing a plea for release of one of the assassins of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, the Tamil Nadu government has told the Supreme Court that he may rejoin the Tamil Tigers if freed."The current fight between LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) and the Sri Lanka government may again infuse passion in him to act against the law," said the state government, replying to the plea from P.R. Ravichandran, who is serving life term.The state government told the court that section 435 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) stipulates that "in cases where the central government is vitally concerned, the state government shall exercise its power of remission or commutation after consultation with the central government".Accordingly, "the consultation with the central government or order of central government is necessary for the state government to exercise its power to remit or commute the sentence", said the Tamil Nadu government.The apex court had Oct 17 last year issued notice to the state government seeking its reply to Ravichandran's plea.In jail since May 11, 1992, Ravichandran was involved in the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi in 1991 and was convicted by an anti-terror court at Ponamalee jail in Tamil Nadu under various penal offences, including the anti-terror law and the explosive act.For his various offences, he was awarded both capital punishment and life sentence on Jan 28, 1998. The Supreme Court later commuted his sentences to life term."The petitioner was involved in the killing of 16 persons - a prime minister, nine police officers and six citizens. The killing was a pre-planned conspiracy, successfully executed with his active help to his other accomplices," said the state government's affidavit."Hence the government was constrained to consider his case differently than the other life convicts," it said.Ravichandran moved the court challenging a Tamil Nadu government's decision not to remit his sentence despite over 16 years of incarceration as he was involved in the assassination of a former prime minister.An advisory board had also recommended against his release on the apprehension that he might revive his links with the banned LTTE.Currently serving his term in solitary confinement in Vellore Central Jail, Ravichandran, in his petition, also questioned the state government's apprehension on possibilities of revival of his links with LTTE. McGuinty urges protesters not to carry Tamil Tiger flag Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty has urged protesters not to carry the Tamil Tiger flag at their protests, as plans emerged for another mass protest to centre on Queen's Park tomorrow. “I don't think that helps their case,” Mr. McGuinty said of the red flag featuring a tiger and crossed rifles.There is a right way and a wrong way for the Tamil community to express their concerns about what is happening in Sri Lanka, the premier said.“You can't block highways,” he said. “You endanger others and you endanger yourselves. You are welcome to the front lawn of Queen's Park at any time.” Rumours circulated Toronto on Tuesday that Tamil protesters were planning to block one of the 400-series highways that day.But the small group of protesters at Queen's Park discounted the rumours, saying they were simply comments made on local Tamil radio that were not being pursued.Instead, a substantial protest is planned for tomorrow (wed), with tens of thousands of people being urged to join the Queen's Park protest that has occupied the south lawn for over a week.Since January, Tamil-Canadians have staged escalating public protests that culminated in Sunday's occupation of the Gardiner Expressway.The protesters prominently wave flags of the secessionist movement Tamil Eelam. The flag was the emblem of the Tigers until 1990, and still evokes that organization.The Canadian government declared the Tigers a terrorist group in 2006. But the Toronto protesters stand by the Tigers, calling them ‘freedom fighters' and insisting the Tigers are the only hope of Tamils caught in the northern Sri Lanka battle zone. Amid the repeated chants calling for a ceasefire and government action, protesters declare Tigers leader Velupillai Prabhakaran as “our national leader, our glorious leader.” International Co-operation Minister Bev Oda said yesterday that the Harper government will meet with Tamil community representative, but refuses to deal with anyone linked to a terrorist organization. She reiterated that comment this morning.“Our government is prepared to meet with the Tamil community in Canada to share their concerns but we are not prepared to meet with those who represent a terrorist organization,” she told CTV's CanadaAM. Britain "appalled" by civilian deaths in Sri Lanka Foreign Secretary David Miliband said on Monday he was appalled by reports that hundreds of Sri Lankan civilians were killed during the weekend in what the United Nations has described as a "bloodbath."Miliband raised doubts about whether Colombo could be trusted at the moment to use a $1.9 billion (1.2 billion pound) loan from the International Monetary Fund appropriately."I am appalled by reports that came out of Sri Lanka over the weekend of mass civilian casualties," he told reporters ahead of a U.N. Security Council meeting on unrelated matters.In the latest and largest reported assault on civilians trapped in the war zone, hundreds of people were reported killed on Sunday and Monday in artillery barrages that struck the narrow strip of territory that separatist rebels control.A U.N. spokesman in Sri Lanka said more than 100 children had been killed in the weekend "bloodbath" as the government tries to wipe out the last remnants of Tamil Tiger rebels.The stakes could not be higher for either Sri Lanka, which does not want its impending victory in the 25-year war snatched away, or the Tigers, who have vowed no surrender despite facing overwhelming numbers, force and odds.Miliband said he had spoken with Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama about the reported deaths and intended to speak with him again later on Monday.Miliband and French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner will host a meeting on Monday of concerned U.N. delegations and non-governmental organizations active on the ground at which they hope to increase pressure on Colombia to protect civilians and allow journalists and aid workers into the conflict zone."Our message is a simple one, which is that the killing must stop," Miliband said. "The civilians ... trapped in the zone, up to 50,000 in an area of just 3 square kilometres (1.6 square miles) are the victims of what at the moment is a war without witness." SECURITY COUNCIL INACTION Diplomats on the 15-nation Security Council have said Japan, China, Russia and Vietnam oppose formal council discussion of Sri Lanka, arguing that it is an internal matter for the Sri Lankan government but Miliband disagreed."I believe very, very strongly that the civilian situation in the northeast of Sri Lanka merits the attention of the United Nations at all levels," he said, calling it a "civilian catastrophe."The Security Council has held several informal meetings on Sri Lanka but has taken no action. Council diplomats said after an April 30 meeting that members agreed there was no point in punishing the Sri Lankan government, despite concerns that it has not taken sufficient precautions to protect civilians.U.S. officials said last month they wanted to delay a $1.9 billion IMF loan Sri Lanka is hoping to get to pressure the government to do more to help the civilians trapped in the conflict zone. Miliband indicated that he supported this view."It's essential that any government is able to show that it will use any IMF money in a responsible and appropriate way, and ... I don't think that's yet the case," he said. UN mourns Sri Lanka 'bloodbath' 'Bloodbath' The UN had consistently warned of an impending bloodbath in the area, Mr Weiss said. It estimates that about 50,000 civilians are trapped by the conflict in a three-km-sq strip of land. "The large-scale killing of civilians, including the death of over 100 children, over the weekend shows that the bloodbath scenario has become a reality," he added. The Sri Lankan Foreign Secretary, Palitha Kohona, said the government took "serious offence" at the remarks by Mr Weiss, AFP reported. A formal protest would be made to UN representative Amin Awad, who had been summoned by the government. "It is not the role of the UN office to say anything in public to embarrass the host government," Mr Kohona said. A doctor working in the war zone said on Monday that more than 430 deaths had been confirmed after two days of artillery and mortar bombardments. He added that the final death toll could be much higher as many bodies could be seen lying around. He said that the hospital was struggling to treat about 1,300 others who had been injured. The doctor said that heavy arms appeared to have been fired from government-run territory into a mainly civilian area under rebel control. The army denied shelling the designated "safe zone" for civilians. The government said the Tigers had done the firing. The claims are impossible to verify as reporters are banned from the war zone. The BBC's Charles Haviland in Colombo says the issue of civilian casualties is highly sensitive here and the state-owned Daily News on Monday makes no mention of the incident at all. Meanwhile, the pro-rebel TamilNet website said a key Tamil rebel figure has been seriously wounded. "Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) military spokesman Irasiah Punitharooban - alias Ilanthirayan (Marshall) - sustained heavy injuries in the latest artillery barrage by the Sri Lanka army in the early hours of Sunday," TamilNet reported, quoting sources close to the rebels in the Vanni region.According to Sri Lanka's defence ministry, Ilanthirayan was a senior cadre of the rebel group from Batticaloa. The defence ministry said the second-in-command of the Tigers' sea wing, identified as Cheliyan, was killed in a fighting last week. The rebels have not commented on the death so far. 'Propaganda' The British Foreign Secretary David Miliband is to co-sponsor informal discussions in New York on the island's humanitarian situation. The Sri Lankan government is dismissive of calls from him and other diplomats for a ceasefire in the north: it says it is about to defeat the rebels permanently and that a ceasefire would not help civilians. In response to claims of civilian deaths, military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said the Tamil Tigers had used artillery and mortar fire on two occasions on Saturday morning, directed against civilians within their zone. Sri Lankan defence spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella also told the BBC that reports of government shelling were "propaganda" of the Tigers. He said the guerrillas were "holding people to ransom" in their area, and accused them of killing nine civilians who were trying to escape their zone on Saturday. The Tamil Tigers have fought for an independent homeland for Sri Lanka's Tamil minority since 1983. More than 70,000 people have been killed in the war. 07 May 2009 Sri Lanka invites U.N.'s Ban, rebels allege starvation Sri Lanka said on Wednesday it had invited U.N Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon to visit camps where 200,000 people are being held after fleeing the closing battles of the island nation's war against Tamil Tiger separatists. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) meanwhile urged the United Nations to escort a ship full of aid, organized by sympathizers in the Tamil diaspora in Britain, into the war zone to stave off what it said was looming starvation. Tens of thousands of civilians are trapped in the less than 5 square km (2 sq miles) of the northern coast, where the badly outnumbered Tigers are fighting a last-ditch battle against a military smelling imminent victory in Asia's longest modern war. The apparent conventional end to a conflict nearing its 26th year drove the Colombo Stock Exchange to a second straight six-month high on Wednesday, traders said. President Mahinda' Rajapaksa's invitation came when he and Ban spoke on the phone late on Tuesday. The U.N. chief has repeatedly urged the government to slow its offensive to allow more food and aid in, and the LTTE to let people out. Both sides have refused earlier similar appeals. Rajapaksa invited Ban "to see for himself the situation regarding the action for the accommodation and treatment of internally displaced persons ... and plans for their resettlement," a statement from Rajapaksa's office said. Ban made no mention of the invitation at a news conference after he spoke to Rajapaksa. More than 200,000 people have fled rebel areas this year, and the exodus of 115,000 in the last two weeks is straining available resources, aid agencies have warned. Sri Lanka has rejected Ban's call to allow an aid assessment team into the war zone, but this week made a joint appeal with the world body for $50 million in emergency aid. The LTTE accuses the government of deliberately starving people, and insists those in the war zone are staying by choice. "We kindly request the U.N. to provide safe passage and escort for those humanitarian ships to reach our controlled areas ... to provide humanitarian assistance to our people who are facing starvation and death," a copy of a letter the LTTE said it had sent to the United Nations said. The government says it is providing aid via ships sailing under the flag of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which aid agencies say has not been enough. It accuses the LTTE of taking food for its fighters first. "We will not allow any unauthorized ship to enter into our waters and the government will take necessary action if there is any such move," said military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara. Sri Lanka has ignored heavy Western pressure for a truce to give civilians relief, saying the LTTE has a history of manufacturing humanitarian crises to buy time to rearm. The LTTE is on U.S., EU, Canadian and Indian terrorism lists, and since 1983 has waged an outright war to create a separate nation for Sri Lanka's Tamil minority. Karunanidhi joins 'Eelam' bandwagon Under pressure from its rival AIADMK and others, Tamil Nadu's ruling DMK tonight jumped into the 'Eelam' bandwagon demanding a separate homeland for Tamils in Sri Lanka. In a bid to match competing rivals, DMK chief and Chief Minister M Karunanidhi said that he had assumed the responsibilities of making all efforts that 'Eelam' is created."We have ensured a fair quantity of relief for Sri Lankan Tamils. As a next step, they should get Eelam and I assumed responsibilities of making all efforts to ensure that 'Eelam' is created", he said in an appeal to DMK workers.Karunanidhi's remarks came after AIADMK supremo Jayalaltihaa made a dramatic turnaround from her party's known stand and pitched for a separate homeland for Tamils in Sri Lanka in the election manifesto. Later, she also said that if the Lok Sabha polls returned a "favourable" government, she would ensure the Indian army was sent to Sri Lanka to help create 'Eelam'. AIADMK's allies in Tamil Nadu include pro-LTTE and pro-Eelam parties like MDMK and PMK. Govt’s duty to protect civilians - Sampanthan Tamil National Alliance leader R. Sampanthan on Tuesday said that protecting the lives of civilians and providing them with welfare assistance was the duty of the government.Participating in the emergency debate in Parliament, MP Sampanthan said that Tamil civilians have become destitute as a result of war and have to beg for food from the government.The Tamils were not a community that lived out of the hands of government. I am not here to speak for the LTTE, but on behalf of the Tamil civilians. The LTTE is a banned organisation in this country and several other countries. Displaced persons have been detained in the welfare centres in Vavuniya. This situation cannot continue forever. A political solution is needed for a lasting peace. The government says it conducts humanitarian operations to get trapped people released. But there are accusations from the international community against the government. The presence of international human rights observers in the North is needed. The people living in the no-fire zone still come under shell attacks. Around 20 persons are killed every day. This is a very sad situation and it’s the duty of the government to protect the lives of Tamils," he said.Leader of the JHU, Ven. Ellawela Medhananda Thera said: "Helping those who became helpless is a cultural heritage of the Buddhists. There are many Sinhala Buddhist organisations raising funds and collecting relief materials and organising welfare facilities for the IDPs. Countries such as Britain and USA have threatened to stop the loans to Sri Lanka. These countries and Norway had assisted and abetted the LTTE war effort. Their stark nakedness is clearly visible today. Prabhakaran kills around 60 civilians a day. Those who call for human rights protection do not see this reality.We are never against Tamils but terrorists. We need the help of Tamil brethren to protect the sovereignty of this country."Leader of the NFF Wimal Weerawansa said: "We are counting down to the last days of LTTE terrorism that was once said to be unbeatable. There are allegations against the government from people like MP Sampanthan that the troops use heavy guns. How could they use heavy guns on a four km stretch when the LTTE uses civilians as a human shield against advancing troops? There are some others who say the government had succumbed to international pressure and had stopped war. There is no such thing. The war will be over the day the brutal killer Prabhakaran is captured. There will be no end till that day. People should keep in mind that some parties do not support the government but only work according to their political agendas. They accuse the government of going for ceasefires, federal solutions and devolution of power etc etc. If these accusations are true, then why are we fighting a deadly and decisive battle? So anybody can understand that these accusations are from bankrupt political parties."He said: "There are many who shed crocodile tears for the civilians. These, including people like TNA’s Sampanthan, have not even paid a visit to those welfare centres. The TNA MPs are just agents of the LTTE. They haven’t given at least five cents for the welfare of displaced persons.Today those civilians are fed and treated by the security forces. Those who died due to the war were none other than children of mother Lanka. We should never forget this fact," he said. Fisheries Minister Felix Perera said: "Of the IDP women who had escaped the LTTE clutches, the majority are pregnant. Around 10,000 of them are five months pregnant and have no fathers. Since our troops were not near Puthumathalan or the No Fire Zone five months ago, the LTTE sympathizers cannot accuse the security force members of this. Otherwise they would have jolly well attributed it to the troops. These high numbers of pregnancies indicate what the LTTE cadres were doing and this is usually known as ‘baby farming’. They just keep procreating so that there would be cadres for future fights. Now these dreams of future fights are over thanks to valiant troops who have almost wiped out the LTTE." Special investigation on several Tamil MPs in Sri Lanka The Criminal Investigations Department (CID)yesterday informed the Colombo Magistrate Courts that they have commenced a special investigation over the statements of Tamil National Alliance parliamentarians made at the Pongu Thamil festivals in Europe against the government forces. According to the CID, three TNA MPs have made some aggravating statements against the Sri Lanka Army at those festivals. The three parliamentarians P. Ariyanethiran, S. Jeyanandamoorti and K. Sivagilingam have already accepted that they have made such statements against the Sri Lanka Army. The CID informed the Courts that currently they are collecting some evidence from outsiders over those statements by the TNA MPs. The Colombo Magistrate Courts ordered the CID to submit a report over the progress of investigations on the next hearing day on September 8th. Sri Lanka rebels say war takes heavy civilian toll Sri Lanka's ethnic Tamil rebels said Wednesday that intense fighting in the northern war zone was killing and wounding hundreds of civilians a day and appealed to the U.N. to push for urgent food shipments to avert a hunger crisis. Sri Lankan forces have cornered the once-powerful Tamil Tigers into a tiny sliver of land on the northeastern coast along with tens of thousands of ethnic-Tamil noncombatants. Many diplomats have expressed concern over the fate of the trapped civilians.U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appealed to President Mahinda Rajapaksa in a phone call Tuesday to suspend the offensive to allow aid into the war zone. Rajapaksa has brushed off calls for even a brief cease-fire, saying it would give the rebels a chance to regroup.In a letter addressed to Ban, rebel political leader Balasingham Nadesan appealed to the international community to pressure the government to allow aid into the region and to ensure a shipment planned by Tamil expatriates makes it across the front lines."We draw attention to the nine deaths by starvation in the last few days and the real fear that the death toll could rise exponentially in the coming days," he wrote. A copy of the letter was e-mailed to The Associated Press by the rebels. The letter accuses the government of deliberately withholding food and medicine from the area. Human Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe said the government had delivered enough food. He accused the rebels of grabbing the supplies for themselves.Rebel spokesman Seevaratnam Puleedevan told The Associated Press in an interview Wednesday that the government also had violated its promise last week to stop firing heavy weapons into the war zone to safeguard civilians there.Government troops continue to pound the area with artillery and mortar shells, conduct air strikes and attack with heavy guns from the sea throughout the night and for several hours during the day, he said."Most of them are falling in the civilian areas," he said. "People are living in makeshift shelters and bunkers. They are really afraid to go out because of the heavy shelling and bombardment."Hundreds of people are being killed and wounded in the attacks each day, he said.The military denies firing heavy weapons and says it is pushing ahead with its offensive using only small arms.Reporters and independent observers are barred from the war zone, making the claims difficult to verify.Speaking to reporters in New York, Ban said he asked Rajapaksa for "a humanitarian pause in the fighting" to allow aid into the conflict zone and urged the government to stop using heavy weapons."I repeat: Protecting civilians and respecting international humanitarian law must be priority one. The world is watching events closely, including for violations of international law," he said.Ban also called on the Tamil Tigers _ branded a terror group by the U.S. and European Union _ to let the estimated 50,000 civilians trapped by the fighting out of the war zone and to stop forcibly recruiting fighters from their ranks."Above all, there is an urgent need for the two sides to bring the conflict to a peaceful and orderly end," he said.The intense fighting since the end of January has killed about 6,500 civilians, according to U.N. figures compiled last month.During the phone conversation, Rajapaksa invited Ban to visit the country and personally assess the situation, according to the president's office. U.N. spokesman Gordon Weiss said no decision had been made on such a visit.Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation in the war zone had grown desperate, Puleedevan said.Many people were surviving on one meal of porridge a day, which was being provided by the rebels or a local aid group, he said."All this food is drying up. Starvation and death are imminent," he said.The rebels have been fighting since 1983 for a separate state for minority Tamils, who have suffered decades of marginalization at the hands of governments controlled by the Sinhalese majority. British delegate meets Sri Lanka Muslim leaders Visiting British parliamentarians and their representatives today met with Sri Lankan minority party representatives to discuss the current situation in Northern part of the country. British Parliamentarian delegate, former defence secretary, and currant MP in Labour Party Des Browne met with Sri Lanka Muslim Congress leader Rauf Hakeem this morning at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel in Colombo. According to the sources they have deeply discussed the facilities of the Internally Displaced Persons in Welfare centers and the political solution for the country's ethnic crisis. Meanwhile Des Browne yesterday visited the welfare centers in Vavuniya to see first hand the condition of the civilians who have fled LTTE controlled areas. During his visit he had also discussed several issues with the Internally Displaced Persons. Prior to the visit to welfare centers yesterday, the delegation met President Mahinda Rajapaksa and other key government ministers and officials at the Temple Trees and offered their assistance to the welfare programs for the civilians. Chinese Ambassador calls on Army Commander Chinese Ambassador Yang Ziuping yesterday met Army Commander Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka at the Army Headquarters. Lt Gen. Sarath Fonseka briefed her on the status quo in relation to the final phase of the humanitarian rescue operation and measures that have been in place in the 'No Fire Zone' for receipt of them.The Ambassador also received a comprehensive account on the recent exodus of entrapped civilians into the cleared areas through multimedia and how they were smoothly directed to government-managed welfare centres afterwards.The Commander also acknowledged the assistance and cooperation, extended to Sri Lanka by the Chinese people in the past several decades. Both exchanged mementos as recognition of their goodwill. Secretary to the Ambassador was also associated in the discussion. No retrial in Tamil Tigers case LTTE is a terrorist organization, India seeks Prabhakaran's extradition every year: Pranab External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee has said that there is no confusion regarding status of the LTTE, and added that every year India seeks the extradition of Tamil Tigers chief V. Prabhakaran.Every year we ask for extradition of Prabhakaran. LTTE is a terrorist organization. It is banned in India, it is banned in Sri Lanka, Mukherjee said.The senior Congress leader was clarifying his party's stand on LTTE being a terrorist organization while speaking exclusively to NDTV.Commenting on the tie up with Left, Mukherjee said: It is Left who deserted us by withdrawing support and that on an issue where we tried to resolve the differences by series of discussions. He also added: What would happen after the Elections will depend on numbers. After all ours is a multi-party system. Which political party holds how many seats in a vast electorate of more than 710 million voters, it is very difficult to make any assessment, precise assessment before the poll results are out and even two phases elections have not yet taken place. Fed up, Indian diplomats want Tamil protesters moved Indian diplomats have had it with Tamil protests. Regular raucous protests by thousands of Sri Lankan Tamils outside the Indian High Commission in London are becoming a nuisance and preventing the smooth functioning of the mission, Indian diplomats have complained.'Under the Vienna Convention, the host country is supposed to ensure that we can function properly - and this is not happening,' a senior Indian diplomat, who did not want to be identified, told IANS after the latest demonstration Tuesday.'It's no good simply preventing physical damage. The host country is responsible for ensuring the normal functioning of diplomatic missions in the capital,' the clearly exasperated diplomat said.'We want to be able to get to India House, and get on with our job without this hassle of having to walk past protesters or sneak in through the back door,' he added.Although Tuesday's protests passed off without an incident, with India House being provided adequate police protection, previous such demonstrations have led to violence by Tamils.A demonstration by Tamils April 27 turned ugly when a group of protesters forced their way into the High Commission, while others damaged windowpanes.Police arrested five people, and an alarmed High Commission requested the British foreign office to ensure that it was provided adequate protection.At the end of another large demonstration last month, a bust of Jawaharlal Nehru kept outside the High Commission was found displaced, although Indian diplomats pointedly refused to blame Tamils for the incident.The Indian High Commission in London is among the busiest Indian missions, and several visitors are reported to have felt intimidated and asked why the protesters cannot be kept at a distance - such as across the road - from where the mission is situated.There is also some surprise over why the Tamils, only a minority of whom are said to be hardcore supporters of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), have targeted the Indian mission for their protests.'Contrary to what the Tigers claim, the Indians are not helping the Sri Lankan armed forces,' said Sri Lankan High Commission spokesman Walter Jayawardhana.Indian diplomats say they want protests to be moved across the road - a practice that is followed by London police for demonstrations at the Chinese embassy. Karuna throws book at ‘masters’ Minister Vinyagamoorthy Muralitharan who commanded the Tiger cadres in the East said yesterday there was no room for “masters” to join the government as they did not have what it takes to be politicians. Mr. Muralitharan who himself gave up terrorism to enter mainstream politics said there was no way the government could possibly offer seats in parliament to Daya master and George master as they were not frontline LTTE cadres.“It is not possible to appoint them as members of parliament as they are not hardcore LTTE cadres and especially because they are from Kilinochchi.People from that area are not strong. Since both the cadres have surrendered, the government is treating them well and after they have been rehabilitated they will be freed and reunited with their families,” Minister Muralitharan said.Reports that appeared on the internet yesterday speculated on the government discussing the pros and cons of appointing Daya Master to parliament soon.The reports said the government had been advised that a person who has close connections with the LTTE should be made a member of parliament to help get the northern votes at a future presidential election. Government advisors had pointed out that by bringing Mr. Muralitharan to parliament, appointing him as a Minister and a vice president of the SLFP and by making Sivanesathurai Chandrakan the Eastern Province Chief Minister was bound to attract more Tamil votes. They also believe that the appointment of Daya Master to the parliament would act as an incentive for the remaining Tiger cadres to surrender to the armed forces. If Daya Master is to be made an MP a national list member should resign from the parliament and the government is reported to have held discussions on this matter with several MPs who have entered Parliament through the national list. It is learnt that anyone resigning his or her seat would be offered various perks and privileges. 06 May 2009 A new political road map for Tamils The stoic expressions of the two Tamil Tigers who turned themselves in to Sri Lankan government forces said it all: defeat and surrender – of themselves and their dream.Held hostage by their fellow Tigers, the long-time cadres had sought sanctuary with the government they once denounced. Now, on television, they were repudiating their erstwhile comrades for recruiting child soldiers and using Tamils as human shields in Sri Lanka's brutal civil war.Their faces were familiar to me: Velayuthan Thayanithi, alias Daya Master, the Tigers' media handler; and Velupillai Pancharatnam, alias George Master, a translator.Daya Master had arranged my safe passage to his former headquarters in the Tigers' rump state of Tamil Eelam (homeland) in the jungles of northern Sri Lanka. As gatekeeper, he'd set up an interview with the movement's political chief, S.P. Thamilchelvan (later killed in a government bombing), with George Master translating.Before I left him in 2002, Daya Master presented a "gift" of one of those Tamil Eelam flags bearing the Tiger emblem (with two crossed rifles). More recently, I've been seeing them on the streets of Toronto and Ottawa when local Tamil Canadians stage protests. This is a difficult time for the Tamil diaspora. Emotions are raw. More than 70,000 Sri Lankans have died in the fighting of the last three decades, and hundreds of thousands of Tamils became refugees of the civil war. The largest number of them emigrated to Canada, leaving cities such as Jaffna desolate and depopulated.Now many of them – but by no means all – are holding up placards calling for Tamil independence, or waving that Tiger flag with its powerful symbolism. It sends confusing signals. Are the local protesters mourning the imminent defeat of the Tigers? Or the loss of so many Tamil lives in the fighting? If the latter, it's hard to square that with all the available evidence from independent agencies and human rights groups pointing to the Tigers blocking Tamil civilians at gunpoint, and deploying suicide bombers at displaced persons camps.The Tigers' fight is lost. They are defeated militarily and discredited politically. Their terrorist tactics are notorious. They not only assassinated Sinhalese targets (and India's prime minister, Rajiv Gandhi), but systematically eliminated any rival Tamil political voices. They hijacked a movement and crashed it into the ground. When Sinhalese politicians signed on to a Norwegian-brokered peace process a few years ago, the Tigers sabotaged it by rearming for war, then ordered a Tamil boycott of the elections that allowed Sinhalese hard-liners to triumph. After three decades of fighting, they are no further ahead.The Tamil diaspora needs to stop fighting the last battle, and instead lay the groundwork for the political fight that lies ahead. That means raising the consciousness of Canadians, so that when more than 60 Tamils are killed in an attack on a hospital, it is front page news, not buried inside. That means engaging Canadian politicians, rather than scaring them off with Tiger flags. Instead of blocking roads, why not a road map?Canadian federalism, while imperfect, can serve as a model for Sri Lanka of how to deal with regional and ethnic grievances. Sri Lanka's post-independence history has been an unhappy tale of mutual enmity, with the Sinhalese majority trampling on the language rights of the Tamil minority that makes up 18 per cent of the population, while keeping power centralized."That's where the new battleground will be," one of Sri Lanka's most articulate Tamil intellectuals, Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, told me from Colombo last week. "I think it would be a strategic mistake if they (émigrés) cling to the Tamil Tigers. There have been horrendous human rights abuses by the Tigers."Now, with its treasury bare and the humanitarian situation dire – hundreds of thousands of Tamils are in displaced persons camps – Sri Lanka needs international help. Its consul-general in Toronto, Bandula Jayasekara, tells me that "Canada should try to reach out" with humanitarian help, as International Co-operation Minister Bev Oda did this week, promising $3 million in aid.But reconstruction will not bring reconciliation. Any humanitarian operation must be a prelude to a political enterprise. That means moderation and compromise on both sides of the divide.Sri Lanka's government remains in a triumphalist mood. But having won the war, it must also win the peace. And the only way to do that is by recognizing that the politics of the past, and the human rights abuses that took place, only exacerbated tensions.A military solution will not, on its own, bring a resolution of the conflict. Prabhakaran trapped in coastal strip Tamil Tigers chief Velupillai Prabhakaran is trapped in a small coastal strip, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake said on Tuesday. He also told parliament that there would not be any let up in the military campaign against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) despite persisting international pressure for a pause in fighting. "According to intelligence reports, Prabhakaran is in a four-sq km area in Mullaitivu district," Shri FM radio quoted Wickremanayake as saying. He was speaking during the monthly debate for the extension of the emergency regulation. "The government will under no circumstances enter into a ceasefire even though there is mounting international pressure to have a halt in the offensive and save Prabhakaran," the prime minister said. The Sri Lankan parliament approved the extension of the emergency with 88 members voting for it and 14 members voting against. The defence ministry said on Tuesday that the troops have cornered the LTTE in a small strip of land and were now "surging in three frontal ground maneuvers to rescue civilians held hostage by the LTTE at gunpoint. "The troops are advancing with utmost restraint into the remaining swathe of the NFZ (No-Fire-Zone), avoiding any form of civilian casualties despite continuous and provocative LTTE mortar and direct roll artillery barrages," it said. According to government statistics, nearly 200,000 people have fled the war zone and reached government-held areas since the start of this year. They are housed in refugee camps and welfare centers. The LTTE had been fighting to carve out a separate state in the northeast of Sri Lanka for over a quarter century. Aid appeal for Lanka displaced USD 155 million appeal There are over 190,000 displaced housed in 42 separate sites in the north. Thousands more are trapped in the combat zone.The appeal was issued to address the most urgent needs, food, water, sanitation, shelter, nutrition, health and protection, as well as educational requirements for an estimated 250,000 people. “It’s a critical time. Around a quarter of under five year olds in the camps are under-nourished, and they need immediate help. Tens of thousands more civilians are expected to come from the remaining zone,” Neil Buhne, the UN resident and humanitarian coordinator in Sri Lanka has said. The statement reiterated the UN appeal for the government to continue to release people from camps and return them to their homes as quickly as possible. The UN appealed for 155 million US dollars in March. Many countries have already pledged assistance but the UN says that less than one third of that appeal has been funded. Tamils' grievances President Mahinda Rajapaksa has decided to appoint a special committee comprising members of Tamil political parties to look into the problems of the Tamil community. This decision was arrived at a meeting, the President had with the representatives of the Tamil political parties at Temple Trees yesterday. The meeting was convened at the request of Tamil political parties to discuss the problems faced by the Tamil community. This special committee is particularly assigned to look into the needs of civilians fleeing from the terrorists. The problems faced by the Tamil people in the North will also be looked into by this committee. A press release issued by the President's Media Division said this committee is expected to meet every week and it will be coordinated by the Peace Secretariat. TULF representatives led by its leader V. Ananda Sangaree, EPDP representatives led by Minister Douglas Devananda, PLOTE representatives led by its leader D. Sidharthan , EPRLF representatives including T. Sidarthan and representatives from Ceylon Workers Congress, Upcountry Peoople's Front and TMVP were present. Health Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva, Disaster Management and Human Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe, Constitutional Affairs Minister DEW Gunasekera, Higher Education Minister Wisva Warnapala, Minister Vinayarmurthy Muralitharan and Presidential Senior Advisor Basil Rajapaksa also participated. Lanka rebels demand direct foreign aid Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels on Tuesday demanded direct foreign aid for people in their shrinking patch of land after accusing the government of blocking essential supplies.The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said civilians living in their remaining territory were facing "starvation" because the Colombo-based government was allegedly blocking food and medical supplies."We draw attention to the nine deaths by starvation in the last few days and the real fear that the death toll could rise exponentially in the coming days," the LTTE said in a statement. The rebels, who are battling defeat after nearly four decades of fighting for a separate Tamil homeland, said ethnic Tamils living overseas were ready to send food and medicine to the besieged areas."We expect the international community to extend moral, political and logistical support to implement this initiative," the release said.Sri Lanka has repeatedly turned down requests from the United Nations and foreign governments to allow aid workers into the combat zone in the island's northeast where troops are engaged in heavy fighting.The rebels said Sri Lanka's stand violated international humanitarian laws.There was no immediate comment from the government, which says it is sending essential food and other commodities through the International Committee of the Red Cross and has denied there was any starvation. Sri Lanka Tamil MPs reject President's invitation again Sri Lanka's Tamil political party, Tamil National Alliance has once again decided to reject President Mahinda Rajapaksa's invitation for a special discussion yesterday evening. Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa last Monday invited the Tamil National Alliance parliamentarians for a special meeting to discuss the welfare facilities of Internally Displaced Persons in the North and a political solution to the ethnic conflict. According to the Presidential Media Unit this meeting is scheduled to be held this evening at the Temple Trees. The Tamil National Alliance MPs who met at the parliamentary complex yesterday afternoon have decided not to meet President Mahinda Rajapaksa said TNA sources. TNA MPs have ignored an earlier invitation by President Mahinda Rajapaksa too to participate in a special discussion with him last March. India trusts Lanka to not attack Tamils: Chidambaram Home Minister P Chidambaram on Tuesday said India ‘trusts’ the Sri Lankan government assurances that its army will not use heavy calibre guns and aerial attacks against innocent Tamils in the ongoing offensive against the LTTE. Replying to a question on reports that the Sri Lankan government is violating the assurance given to India, Chidambaram, at a press meet said, “We believe that the Lankan government will keep its assurances to India”.Taking objection on the reported remarks of former chief minister and AIADMK chief J Jayalalitha that “Indian army will be sent to Sri Lanka to create a separate Tamil Eelam, if a favourable government assumes office at the Centre after the Lok Sabha polls, like Bangladesh was liberated by Indira Gandhi,” the Home Minister said it is an “irresponsible remark”. “Jayalalitha should fully study the history of how Bangladesh was created in 1971,” he added. Strongly condemning the attack on an Indian army convoy by pro-LTTE outfit Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam (PDK) at Coimbatore on May 2, Chidambaram said: “It must be viewed seriously”. Asked whether the Government would ban the PDK, he said the Centre would assess all aspects. Turning to politics, Chidambaram claimed that the Congress was leading after the end of three phases of Lok Sabha elections. He said the party would be at the forefront after the completion of five phases of General Elections 2009. Bharathiraja campaigns against Congress! One killed from LTTE mine blast in Buttala One person was killed when suspected Tamil Tigers exploded a Claymore mine targeting a tractor of Pelawatte Sugar Plant on Tuesday morning at Konketiya, Buttala, the police said.They said that the Tigers had exploded the mine targeting the tractor, which was carrying sugar canes to the Pelawatte Sugar Plant around 10.30 am today. The driver of the Tractor was killed on the spot due to the blast.Following the blast, security had been tightened in the area deploying additional police and soldiers. Search operation is underway to find the culprits. Police kill the suspects of 8 year-old girl's murder in Batticaloa Batticaloa police last Mondayday night(4) shot dead the three main suspects arrested in connection with the alleged abduction and murder of an eight-year-old school girl in Batticaloa last week when they tried to attack a team of police officers.Police said that the suspects were arrested by a special police team last night and the team has taken the suspects to a cemetery, following the revelation by the suspects that the child's school has been hidden in the cemetery.According to a senior police official, one of the suspects had suddenly tried to hurl a hand grenade at the police team and in the ensued escape attempt the three suspects have been shot and killed.Suspects had revealed to the police at the time of the arrest that they have abducted the girl to get ransom from the parents. As the parents failed to do so, they have killed the girl and dropped into an abandoned well.Eight-year-old Dinushika Sathishkumar had been dropped off at her school, Kottamunai Kanishta Vidyalaya, by her grandfather on April 28 at around 8.00 a.m. But she never returned home. Later her body was found in an abandoned well in the area. National Freedom Front shattered; senior leaders desert Weerawansa 05 May 2009 Sri Lanka rejects Canada's call for ceasefire Sri Lanka Monday rejected a call by Canada for a ceasefire in the island's north, where the army has cornered Tamil Tigers in its ongoing fight-to-finish military campaign.Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama conveyed his government's position when he was met by Canada's Minister for International Co-operation Beverley J. Oda, who is on a brief official visit to Colombo.Responding to the ceasefire call by Canada, Colombo "noted that the last unilateral humanitarian pause in military action by the government April 12, in the expectation that the (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) LTTE will release the civilians, was a failure", a foreign ministry statement here said Monday."In fact, the LTTE had used the pause to strengthen its fortifications in the NFZ (No Fire Zone) and actively prevented civilians from leaving," the statement said.Bogollagama pointed out that it was only after the Sri Lankan security forces breached the embankments and bunds of the rebels and released the civilians "from LTTE captivity in their thousands".The Sri Lankan military says the LTTE, which had been fighting to carve out a separate state over a quarter century, has now been cornered into a small coastal land strip of less than 10 sq km and is "facing an inevitable defeat".According to statistics, nearly 200,000 people have fled the war-zone and come to the government-held areas since the beginning of this year. They have been temporarily housed at refugee camps and welfare centers in the northern Vavuniya town.A group of all party parliamentarians of Britain also arrived in Sri Lanka Monday aiming to take stock of the humanitarian situation as a result of the military operation against Tamil Tiger rebels in the country's north.The group includes the Labour party parliamentarian Des Browne who was recently rejected by Colombo to be appointed as Britain's special envoy on the Sri Lankan conflict.Officials here said the parliamentarians are visiting the country at the invitation of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and is scheduled to visit the IDP camps northern town of Vavuniya. Tamil Demonstration To Continue With Human Chain On Tuesday A demonstration that blocked busy streets in the downtown core for four days last week is set to continue on Tuesday.Tamils and their supporters are expected to form a human chain that will start at Union Station and continue along Yonge St. From there, it will stretch west across Bloor St. and then head south, returning to Union Station via University Ave.A similar protest was held in January. Like the earlier gathering, it's not expected that traffic will be directly affected. However, the thousands of people lining the sidewalks could be a distraction for motorists and pedestrians alike. Last week, Tamils blocked University Ave. for four days (pictured) before they were moved onto the sidewalk by police.The group gathered outside the U.S. Embassy, demanding U.S. President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Stephen Harper intervene in the civil war in Sri Lanka that's been going on for decades. On Monday, International Co-operation Minister Bev Oda travelled to Colombo to give $3 million in humanitarian aid to the war-torn country. The money will provide food, medicine and shelter through independent NGOs such as the Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders.However, Sri Lanka refused requests for a ceasefire. The government also continued to block foreign officials from visiting the conflict zone, including aid workers, international monitors, and reporters.A U.N. report released last week suggested as many as 6,500 civilians have been killed in the violence to date. UK MPs meet Sri Lankan leadership Ottawa Gives $3 million in Aid to Lanka Sri Lanka Air Force conducts air rehearsal over Colombo skies Sri Lanka Air Force yesterday conducted an air defence exercise over the Colombo skies for over an hour, the Air Force said.An Air Force official said that "the unannounced air rehearsal has been conducted between Colombo and Wennapuwa skies, starting from 7 pm to 8 pm on Monday evening."Since the launching of LTTE air raids on several targets in Colombo and its suburbs in the past, the Sri Lanka Air Force was conducting air rehearsals in order to counter those attacks. Buddhist Mobs Attack Churches in Sri Lanka Buddhist mobs have attacked several churches in Sri Lanka, threatening to kill a pastor and ransacking a 150-year-old Methodist church building in the capital. Four Buddhist extremists approached the home of pastor Pradeep Kumara, calling for him to come out and threatening to kill him. The pastor said his wife, at home alone with their two children, phoned him immediately but by the time he returned the men had left. Half an hour later, Kumar said, the leader of the group phoned him and again threatened to kill him if he did not leave the village by the following morning. Later that night the group leader returned to the house and ordered the pastor to come out. “My children were frightened,” Kumara said. “I tried to reason with him to go away, but he continued to bang on the door and threaten us.” Earlier, another group of men broke into the 150-year-old Methodist Church in Colombo.Witnesses said they saw them load goods into a white van parked outside the church early the next morning. They removed everything, including valuable musical instruments, a computer, Bibles, hymn books and all the church records. LTTE asks Sri Sri Ravi Shankar to facilitate ceasefire Top Tigress spills the beans The LTTE’s Cultural Affairs Wing leader Selvi surrendered along with her husband to the security forces yesterday. She, her husband and family members had escaped from the LTTE held areas in the ‘No-Fire’ Zone and surrendered to the Army.She had divulged that she led teams of LTTE cadres abroad, under the guise of attending workshops on devolution, to purchase arms for the LTTE, security sources said. The primary objective of sending such teams to eight countries, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, Germany, France, Italy and Ireland was to shop for weapons, she hs told her interrogators. Each team had two LTTE fighting cadres.During these tours they had promoted fund raising for arms purchases, she has said.Their tours had been funded by Burghoff Foundation, she has revealed. Harthal in Eastern Sri Lanka over the murder of school girl Daily activities in Batticaloa city were paralyzed throughout the day as the people of the area have staged another Harthal (protest) over the recent murder of an eight-year-old school girl. Sources said the shops and other business centers as well as government offices in Batticaloa city have been closed during the whole day yesterday. Public transport was also paralyzed in the Batticaloa city, police confirmed. An unidentified group abducted the eight-year-old girl, D. Dilushika last week and her body was found last Saturday in an abandoned well, Batticaloa police said.Dilushika, a student in Kottamunei Primary School in Batticaloa was abducted when she was on her way home from school. Her father too had reportedly gone missing a few years ago and has not been found yet.Meanwhile School activities in Batticaloa city was brought to a halt last Thursday as the people staged a protest campaign over the abduction. Police has taken measures to tighten the security in the city to maintain law and order amid the Harthal campaign. 04 May 2009 Vote for me, I will get you Eelam — Jayalalithaa Tamil Nadu’s AIADMK party chief Jayalalithaa on Saturday vowed to strive for creating a separate Tamil Eelam in Sri Lanka, if the combine including her party was voted to power at the Centre, the PTI reported yesterday.A PTI story filed from Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu said: "When late Indira Gandhi could create Bangladesh, why can’t a separate Eelam be carved out in Sri Lanka," she asked an election rally at nearby Mettupalayam. Jayalalilthaa claimed that after she announced her support for Tamil Eelam (homeland for Tamils), she has been receiving thousands of e-mails, SMSs and calls from Tamils from all over the world. All the messages requested her not to rest till Eelam was formed in the island nation, Jayalalithaa said. In a dramatic shift in her party’s stand, Jayalalithaa had recently supported the creation of a Tamil Eelam, saying it was the only solution to end the decades-old ethnic strife in Sri Lanka. After supporting Tamil Eelam, Jayalalithaa had upped the ante two days back also, saying if a government of her choice was formed at the Centre, she would take steps to send the Indian army to Sri Lanka to form a separate Tamil Eelam. Jayalalithaa said when thousands of Tamils in various parts of the world were becoming emotional on the issue, the Centre and the DMK in Tamil Nadu "have kept quiet" for the past two years." Troops advance further The 58 and the 53 Divisions cleared their paths towards the remaining five km stretch of the No Fire Zone after 53 Division stormed another heavily fortified earthbund built across the Paranthan-Mullaitivu A-35 road after close quarter fighting that continued for long in the early hours of yesterday, military officials told the Daily News yesterday. The 53 Division which is operating in the narrow land stretch between the Nanthikadal lagoon and the A-35 road captured this earth bund which is located South of the the key junction that links the A-35 road with the Puthumatalan-Mullaitivu road. Earlier on Saturday the 58 and the 53 Division troops captured the key junction that links the Puthumatalan-Mullaitivu and Paranthan-Mullaitivu roads North of Vellamullivaikkal. According to senior military officials, during yesterday’s battle to capture the heavily fortified earthbund LTTE made desperate attempts to hold onto it bringing reinforcements to the earth bund from a number of Tiger vehicles. ”The LTTE suffered heavily during this battle that ended with the troops capturing this heavily fortified earthbund by the early hours of yesterday braving the heavy mine fields of the LTTE,” the official added. It has also been reported that senior Tiger leader Thamilendi who was in charge of the heavy weapons of the LTTE was also killed during this battle. With the 53 Division moving into the Puthumatalan - Mullaitivu junction the 58 Division under the command of Brigadier Shavendra Silva is now operating in the beach front of the No Fire Zone East of the A-35 road whilst 53 Division under the command of Major General Kamal Gunaratne is advancing towards the south between the Nanthikadal lagoon and the A-35 road. ”The LTTE is now trapped in a five km stretch of land along with the civilians and the troops are slowly but steadily advancing to that terrain amidst all obstacles posed by the LTTE,” military officials added. Children faint from hunger, starvation deaths reported in Vanni Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) Political Head B. Nadesan on Sunday blamed the Sri Lankan government for deliberately carrying out "horrendous act of genocide" by denying food and humanitarian access to the civilian population. Mr. Nadesan pointed out the imminent danger of starvation escalating exponentially and urged the International Community not to fail in its duty to ensure humanitarian access to the civilian population under siege by the Sri Lankan military. Meanwhile, health officials in Vanni report that several children faint from hunger within the so-called safety zone every day. Deliberate denial of food by Colombo, especially milk powder for children, have caused severe malnutrition and starvation as local media reported at least 9 starvation deaths in recent days.The LTTE was always fully prepared to extend its support to ensure humanitarian supplies and international humanitarian access to the civilian population, Nadesan told TamilNet. He further said that the LTTE political division was engaged in saving the lives of civilians who were suffering from hunger and starvation. Government officials responsible for food distribution, when contacted by TamilNet, said they only received 60 MT food supplies after 02 April. 2,475 MT supplies are needed for a month for 165,000 civilians according to World Food Programme (WFP) specifications, they said. The ICRC has responded that it was waiting for Colombo's cooperation in bringing in supply ship. Even the ship that was ready with 1500 MT supplies was diverted to Jaffna, they said. LTTE has another aircraft, Daya Master reveals Norway says LTTE's bargaining power is irrelevant Norway, one time peace broker between the LTTE rebels and Sri Lankan government, said that bargaining power of the LTTE had become irrelevant in the wake of its imminent elimination."I don’t think it is helpful to talk about the LTTE's bargaining power in this context," Norwegian Ambassador in Sri Lanka, Tore Hattrem said.He also expressed that a political solution for Sri Lanka that addresses the grievances of the minorities can only be found by the Sri Lankan people. It is the Sri Lankan people that must decide what needs to be done and what will constitute a workable permanent solution to the conflict, he said.Commenting on Sri Lanka's action to remove Norway from the role of facilitator in Sri Lanka's peace process, the Ambassador said the Norwegian Government would respect the decision of its Sri Lankan counterpart. No amnesty for Prabhakaran The Sri Lankan Government’s offer of amnesty to LTTE members who surrender to the Sri Lankan forces does not apply to LTTE supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran and its intelligence chief Pottu Amman.Human Rights and Disaster Management Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe told ‘The Sunday Times’ that in the case of those already charged or sentenced in a court of law, the due legal process would be initiated to take the cases to their logical conclusion. Continuing with the offensive, the Sri Lankan army on Sunday captured a 500-m earth bund blocking the arterial A35 highway linking Paranthan with Mullaitivu. The bund cuts the A35 about 200m north of Mullivaikkal where Prabhakaran is believed to be holed up.Meanwhile, Sri Lankan Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa has said Indian National Security Advisor M K Narayanan and Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon had not asked Colombo to order a ceasefire or stop the military operations against LTTE. 03 May 2009 Tamil MP makes serious accusations to Kohona TNA leader R. Sampanthan who walked up to Foreign Secretary Palitha Kohona at the recent Turkish National Day celebrations at a five star hotel in Colombo accused the armed forces of trying to eliminate the Tamil community in the country.Well informed sources said that Sampanthan at a recent meeting with visiting British Foreign Secretary and French Foreign Minister alleged indiscriminate attacks by the Sri Lankan army and mass scale killing of civilians and rape of women held at the IDP centres run by the military. Sources said that UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, too, had been present at this occasion. Disputed satellite footage leads to UN Security Council move Fresh moves have compelled the United Nations to take the Sri Lankan issue on the Security Council agenda after the UN leaked satellite footage of the ‘no fire zone’ which was allegedly hit by heavy weapon and aerial attacks by the Sri Lankan military. However, the government yesterday denied use of heavy weapons against civilian populated areas and last week announced that forces had been ordered not to use heavy calibre weapons and launch aerial strikes.The US, France, UK and EU members have taken serious note of the satellite images, it is reported.Meanwhile, Sri Lanka has taken immediate steps to educate China and Russia on the issue while other countries are also trying to convince China and Russia about the images, diplomatic sources here said.When contacted, Defence Spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella rejected the genuineness of satellite footage. He said “We have a doubt as to the genuineness of the pictures”.The Minister said that pictures are subject to interpretation adding ‘we are quite confident that we can explain things well if the Security Council takes up the issue on Sri Lanka.’’He said that Human Rights and Disaster Management Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe has expressed displeasure to the UN representative in Sri Lanka about the irresponsible behaviour of the world body. “What they have done is not acceptable to us”, Minister Rambukwella said.Meanwhile, the Defence website run by the Defence Ministry rejected the satellite imagery stating “What we see on imagery could even be a ploy by the LTTE to show the international community non exsitent damage in the ‘no fire zone’.“Therefore, it is not possible to provide a conclusive interpretation based on these analyses without a detailed ground assessment being carried out. Conclusions drawn from the interpretations of these images have no scientific validity”, the website claimed. LTTE seeks Sri Lanka truce pressure Civilians trapped The move came amid growing international concern over the plight of civilians trapped in the 5km strip of land controlled by the LTTE.The Sri Lankan government has rejected a call for a truce from the LTTE, demanding the rebels surrender or face defeat.Tens of thousands of people have fled the area but the UN has said that up to 50,000 civilians could still be trapped.Yasushi Akashi, an envoy sent by Japan, Sri Lanka's main foreign donor, ended a three-day visit to the country on Saturday.Akashi called for civilians in the war zone to be protected and for the government to give greater assistance to those refugees from the region who are living in state-run camps in the northeast.Many of the refugees fled the area while badly wounded or ill.The LTTE have been fighting a war for a homeland for Sri Lanka's ethnic Tamils since 1983. Final onslaught may take fortnight’ The Sri Lankan army’s final and decisive push to destroy the rebel Tamil Tiger, holed up in the now defunct “No Fire Zone”, may take up to a fortnight, diplomatic observers said. It is unlikely that the task of destroying the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) can be achieved in five or six days as expected by Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, they said. Though the Sri Lankan army and navy are stronger than the LTTE, capturing the southern part of the No Fire Zone, where the Tigers are holed up amidst the civilians, in less than a week is impossible, they added. In view of the mounting international attention on the war, the observers have ruled out any bid to capture the area with heavy force. Hospital 'hit by Sri Lankan army' The Sri Lankan army has killed 91 people at a makeshift hospital inside a civilian safe zone in the last two days, two doctors have told the BBC. The doctors said bombardments from the army had killed 64 people on Saturday, including patients, their relatives and bystanders in Mullivaikal. About 87 people were injured. Another 27 people reportedly died on Friday. The army has denied bombing the hospital, saying that Tamil Tiger rebels carried out suicide attacks. A spokesman for the Sri Lankan army said that although soldiers had heard explosions in the area, they had not fired any shells. The army had not used heavy weapons for some days, he said, since the government announced on Monday that it was halting its use of heavy weapons in the conflict zone. The army spokesman said Tamil Tiger rebels had launched eight suicide attacks in the space of two days. A doctor working within the zone has e-mailed the BBC a number of photographs which, he says, show the aftermath of recent shelling at the hospital in Mullivaikal. One image appears to show a father and son killed as they slept. The hospital lies within a government-designated safe zone set up to protect civilians. In contrast, the defence ministry has put on its website video clips which, it says, show the rebels moving an artillery piece through the zone they control, our correspondent says. Journalists are not allowed near the conflict zone, so the conflicting accounts cannot be independently verified. Trapped civilians Sri Lanka's APRC proposals on power devolution to be released The report of the All Party Representative Committee (APRC) will be released to all political parties soon, an official said.A spokesman for the APRC said that they met last week and discussed the proposal of a constitutional court. The final touch-ups will be given to the report during the coming weeks before it is released, he said.The APRC report is a substantial document which recommends the full implementation of the 13th amendment plus certain additional power devolution, the spokesman said. The APRC was mandated by President Mahinda Rajapaksa to prepare a set of proposals that would be the basis for a solution to the national question. During the last two years 120 APRC sessions, chaired by Science and Technology Minister Prof. Tissa Vitharana, were held.The spokesman said that some non-participating political parties were also waiting to study the APRC proposals. Sri Lanka's main opposition United National party, Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna and the Tamil National Alliance refrained from participating in the APRC sessions. TULF chief says at least a lakh still in Vanni TULF President V. Anandasangaree yesterday wrote to President Mahinda Rajapakse appealing him to "save the remaining IDPs in the Vanni."He suggested that an international agency acceptable to the government be selected to visit the Vanni and ``persuade the LTTE to allow the innocent people held their to go out freely with an offer of general amnesty to those who surrender with arms.’’"A period of two weeks may be given to the agency to make the necessary arrangements," he said.Anandasangaree who said that he had at grave risk to his own life given the President his full cooperation in the effort to eradicate terrorism and had never misled the President in any matter."I don’t act on hearsay nor believe all what others say," Anandasangaree said in his letter where he claimed to have reliable information that the number still stranded in the Vanni is over 150,000.He said that he was positive that this number exceeds 100,000 adding that on a previous occasion too the numbers he had presented had proved correct.The TULF leader also said that while aerial bombing had stopped, shelling had been taking place in the last three days.He appealed to the President to stop it forthwith to save the civilians.The military action that was going on, apart from causing severe casualties among the IDPs in the Vanni, had also created fear and tension among the IDPs who have come into welfare centres. This will have a serious impact on them since most of their relatives are still in the Vanni, he said."Every life is valuable and it is your bounden duty to save the innocent people at any cost," Anandasangaree said.He also said there was a severe shortage of food in the area. Sinhalese colonization of Tamil village in Eastern Province Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Eastern Province parliamentarians accused the government of colonizing traditional Tamil villages in the border area between the districts of Batticaloa and Ampaa’rai districts with Sinhalese families, sources in Batticaloa said. Encroachment by Sinhalese families of paddy fields of Tamils in Keviliyaamadu village in Paddippazhai Divisional Secretariat in Batticaloa district takes place with government assistance, they further said. 106 Tamil families of Keviliyaamadu were forced to displace due to the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) offensive on the village in 1990. Many of these people are staying with their relatives in Ka’luvaangnchchikkudi area.Agriculture, fishing, cattle raising and cheanai cultivation were the traditional means of livelihoods of the residents of Keviliyaamadu and now these people want to get back to their original residences and lands.But, Sinhalese farmers have encroached and cultivated some of the paddy fields in Keviliayamadu with the help of government assisted organizations.To facilitate changing this traditional Tamil village into a Sinhalese settlement Keviliyaamadu Village Officer Division is temporarily brought under Uka’nai Divisional Secretariat. The residents of Keviliyaamadu have appealed to the Tamil parliamentarians to make their village a part of Paddippazhai Divisional Secretariat.Eastern province TNA parliamentarians have requested the government to stop the encroachments and to construct permanent houses so that the original Tamil residents could be resettled in Keviliyaamadu.They also have requested for compensation and job opportunities for the displaced.TNA parliamentarians accuse the government of colonizing traditional Tamil areas on the borders of Trincomalee and Batticaloa districts with Sinhalese. Top diplomat to be expelled? The authorities are said to be in a dilemma as to whether they should expel UN Resident Representative here Neil Buhne, after it came to light that his office had deliberately leaked unauthenticated casualty figures of IDPs to a selected group of Western embassies in Colombo as verified figures, which were later picked by wire services and splashed across the world to the detriment of Sri Lanka.These figures claiming that Army fire had killed nearly 6,500 IDPs since January and injured more than double that figure were even raised by visiting French and British Foreign Ministers early this week.On Thursday, Buhne, a Canadian was summoned to the Foreign Ministry and questioned by Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama in the presence of French and British Ambassadors how he had authenticated such figures, whereupon which he is said to have blurted out that those figures were provided by two senior government doctors serving in the LTTE controlled areas.But, the Foreign Ministry had asked whether the LTTE would allow any government official under their thumb to file any independent report without their sanction.Earlier, during Lakshman Kadirgamar’s tenure as Foreign Minister, Sri Lanka expelled at least two UN Resident Representatives, both of them being haughty Norwegians, who behaved as if we were a colony of the UN.In the case of one of them, he had the audacity to unilaterally decide to turn the UN compound in Colombo into a refugee camp for Tamils, soon after the devastating attack on the Bandaranaike International Airport in July 2001 claiming angry Sinhala mobs would attack innocent Tamils.Following those expulsions, Sri Lanka requested UN Headquarters in New York to post an Asian to Colombo who would be more understanding of the country’s situation. But the UN, more or less controlled by appointees from powerful white nations, totally ignored our request and in fact kept the position vacant for sometime after which they posted a South American to Colombo.The UN’s behaviour here has been so haughty even the three camps it built to rehabilitate child soldiers released by the LTTE due to the international outcry were all constructed in LTTE held areas not caring about the fact that those same children could again end up in Tiger clutches. Pro-LTTE mob attacks Indian army convoy Don’t send us to Lanka: rescued Tamils The 11 Sri Lankan Tamils, who escaped in a rickety boat from the island and were rescued mid-sea by Andhra Pradesh fishermen, don’t want to go back.“Please don’t send us back to the jaws of death,” pleaded Niranjanala, a 32-year-old Lankan Tamil housewife, who was among the lucky 11 to survive the LTTE-army crossfire when they set sail from Mullaitivu, a strife-torn area in the island’s north.When the group set sail on April 28, there were 20 in the boat. Five of them died in the gun battle and four starved to death, among them Niranjanala’s mother and six-year-old son.The rescued 11 are being treated for exhaustion and diarrhoea since Thursday, when they were rescued near Kakinada in East Godavari district. They had intended to land in Rameswaram but got lost in the sea and drifted towards Andhra. Speaking to The Telegraph from her bed at the Kakinada government hospital, Niranjanala said she preferred to die in India.East Godavari district collector Gopalakrishna Dwivedi has visited the hospital and told them they would be sent to a refugee camp for Lankan Tamils in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu. But they don’t want to go to the camp fearing they would be sent back to Lanka later. “We have some money in banks that we can withdraw and start some business,” said Shivraj Jagadeeswaran, one of the rescued. But Dwivedi has said all Lankan nationals will stay in the Rameswaram camp, and only till a clearance for their return is obtained. The district administration has already faxed the identities and photographs of the 11 to the Lankan high commission in Chennai. STF killed four LTTE leaders in Ampara area Away from the battles displaced people face new struggles Health crisis imminent Overcrowding and a lack of suitable places to isolate sick people could result in a major health crisis at three Pulmoddai camps where more than 5,000 displaced persons are being sheltered. According to an April 30 health assessment on the Pulmoddai situation, conditions are favourable for an outbreak of dysentery, chicken pox and acute respiratory infections (ARI). The camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) have been set up at three vacated schools, where toilet facilities are severely limited. A lack of sanitation facilities and a shortage of personal hygiene items are only increasing the health dangers, the report said.The worst affected by conditions at the camps are women and children. The report says there is a desperate need for clothes for adults and children, and under-garments.; the only clothes the displaced persons have are the clothes they are wearing. According to the report, public health inspectors and midwives are being assisted by volunteer workers, including those from the Sri Lanka Red Cross and the Ministry of Health, to monitor the health situation at the camps.Meanwhile, mobile medical clinics are attending to IDPs who fall sick, and the police are assisting by transporting the serious cases to nearby hospitals. Some of the most urgently needed items at the camps are: Infant foods, milk powders and nutrition supplements; soaps, sanitary pads, toothpaste, toothbrushes, slippers, nail-clippers; shaving razors; detergent powders; Also needed are plastic buckets; ekel brooms; wheelbarrows; rakes; mammotties, garbage collection barrels. 02 May 2009 US, UK, France to seek UNSC debate on Lanka The United States, Britain and France are to seek a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) debate on the worsening humanitarian situation in Sri Lanka, where government troops are poised to make a final assault on the Tamil Tiger rebels who had taken shelter in the “No Fire Zone”, using as a shield, the tens of thousands of Tamil civilians congregated there.This was indicated by the British Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, in an interview to the BBC on Thursday.So far, the UNSC has only had informal briefings on the Sri Lankan situation, thanks to the heavy lobbying by Colombo and the support it got from Russia and China. Miliband said the Sri Lankan crisis should be on the UN Security Council agenda because the on-going war there had regional and wider ramifications. He said that he would discuss the matter with the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in New York on May 11.The UK, France and the US were pushing for it, he added. All three countries are permanent members of the council, with a veto.The US has clearly veered towards the Tamils, even the LTTE. After having proposed the grant of safe passage to the LTTE leaders as a way of ending the conflict, the White House issued a statement on April 24, which was tilted in favour of the Tamils and the LTTE. The final paragraph of the statement even warned of the establishment of an independent state of Tamil Eelam.“It would compound the current tragedy, if the military end of the conflict only breeds further enmity and ends hopes for reconciliation and a unified Sri Lanka in the future,” the statement had said. When the British Foreign Secretary and the French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner visited the island nation earlier this week, they had sought for the UN agencies humanitarian access to the No Fire Zone, which had become the conflict zone with the LTTE cadre mingling with about 60,000 to 100,000 trapped Tamil civilians. But the Anglo- French request was flatly rejected.Sir John Holmes, the UN Under Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, said that the Lankan Government had assured Vijay Nambiar, the UN Secretary General’s Chief of Staff, that UN representatives would be allowed into the No Fire Zone, but this assurance was not kept. Top British parliamentary delegation due in Sri Lanka A five-member British parliamentary delegation will arrive in Sri Lanka on Monday (04) to get first hand information on the humanitarian situation in the North.The delegation members, Conservative MP for Buckingham John Bercow, former Secretary of Defence Des Browne, Liberal Democrat MP from Scotland Malcolm Bruce, Labour party MP from Northern Ireland Edward Mcgrady and Labour party MP Mohamma`d Sarwar, will meet President Mahinda Rajapaksa and several government and opposition leaders and parliamentarians during their two-day visit.The delegation will arrive here on an invitation from the Sri Lanka government. Body of abducted school girl in Eastern Sri Lanka found in a well The dead body of the abducted eight-year old girl, D. Dilushika was found this morning in an abandoned well, Batticaloa police said. According to the police the body was discovered on civilian information at a well on Bharathi Road, Batticaloa. D. Dilushika, a student in Kottamunei Primary School in Batticaloa was abducted by an unidentified gang last Wednesday when she was on her way home from school.Her father too had reportedly gone missing a few years ago and has not been found yet. School activities in Batticaloa city was brought to a halt last Thursday as the people staged a protest campaign over the abduction. Batticaloa police is conducting further investigations. So far, the police have not found any information on the abductors.In March, a six-year-old girl in Trincomalee was abducted and killed by a gang when a ransom of one million rupees they demanded was not paid. SLA massacres patients with targeted shelling, 64 killed in hospital Sri Lanka Army (SLA) on Saturday attacked the makeshift hospital twice killing 64 patients and their relatives and causing injuries to 87. Two artillery shells fired by the SLA hit the hospital at Mu'l'li-vaaykkaal around 9:00 a.m. killing 23 and maiming 34 and later at 10:30 a.m. killing 41 and maiming 53. The attack has come after the Sri Lankan military was provided exact coordinates of the hospital premises through the ICRC three days ago when the hospital was attacked last time, a medical staff who coordinates with the ICRC told TamilNet. The SLA has targeted hospital premises where most of the patients and their relatives were staying as Sri Lanka Air Force Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) was watching over the hospital area. Further details and photographs will follow Mahathaya’s wife and children surrender The widow and three children of Mahathaya, a one-time deputy leader of the LTTE reached the government-held areas yesterday. Mahathaya (real name was Gopalasmy Mahendrarajah) was imprisoned by the LTTE chief Prabhakaran and later executed as he was accused of having links to the Regional Analysis Wing (RAW) of India. This charge was never proved.Mahattaya’s family told the security forces they had left the LTTE after her husband’s death. However the LTTE had been paying some money to them every month by way of compensation, they said.Mahathaya, born in 1956, became the first president of the People’s Front of Liberation Tigers (PFLT) which the LTTE formed in the late 1980s. He joined the LTTE in 1978 and was very popular with the Tiger cadres and among the ordinary civilians.Mahathaya along with LTTE theoretician Anton Balasingham were the two key men in the LTTE delegation that held peace talks with President Premadasa.According to the book "Will to Freedom" written by Anton Balasingham’s Australian-born wife Adele, the LTTE killed 257 people along with Mahathaya on 28th December 1994 on various allegations. Another earth bund captured The advance of the troops towards the remaining areas under the control of the LTTE is set to be expedited with the 58 Division troops capturing another earth bund yesterday paving the way for the 53 Division advancing along the A-35 road to join with the 58 Division and advance further southwards in the No Fire Zone, military officials said yesterday. Troops of the 58 Division captured this heavily fortified earth bund which had been constructed obstructing the troop advance along the A-35 road as they reached towards the Pooneryn- Paranthan A-35 road leaving only five km land strip under LTTE control as of yesterday, military officials added. As troops advanced further southward to capture the remaining areas under LTTE control, two more huge explosions believed to be accidental explosions of two suicide vehicles which were being prepared to be sent towards the advancing troops, were observed by the ground troops in the early hours of yesterday. “The two explosions took place closer to the areas where thousands of civilians were living and the explosion continued fore more than two hours at one instance,” the officials added. The military officials added that at least few dozens of civilians would have been killed and injured due to these explosions as it took place deeper inside the No Fire Zone in Vellamullivaikkal. The LTTE on Wednesday made seven suicide attempts using human bombs and explosive laden vehicles and motorbikes to recapture the earth bund which was captured by the 58 Division troops on Tuesday. The ground troops also foiled a major attempt by the LTTE to launch a sea borne attack on the ground troops operating in the Rettavaikkal area with the support of the Sri Lanka Navy and the Air Force. 'Black july' 1983 marks the start of full-scale civil war in Sri Lanka,Marian Scott, The Gazette 1796-1948 Under British colonial rule, educated Tamils enjoy favour. 1948 Ceylon gains independence, ending 152 years of British rule. 1956 Sinhala is declared the sole official language. Peaceful protest by Tamil leaders sparks widespread anti-Tamil rioting. 1958 Anti-Tamil riots kill hundreds and displace thousands. 1971 The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, a leftist Sinhalese youth movement, seizes power in the south in a two-week insurrection. 1972 Ceylon becomes the republic of Sri Lanka. Tamils are excluded from the constitutional process. The Tamil New Tigers (TNT), a militant nationalist group, form. 1976 The TNT becomes the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and calls for a separate Tamil state. 1981 Police burn down the Jaffna Public Library, destroying its priceless collection of Tamil works, including ancient manuscripts inscribed on palm leaves. 1983 LTTE attack kills 13 soldiers, sparking anti-Tamil pogroms beginning on July 23. Thousands are killed or chased from their homes and businesses are looted. "Black July" marks the start of full-scale civil war. 1985 First peace talks with LTTE end in failure. 1987 Having earlier armed the LTTE, India deploys a peacekeeping force to enforce a truce. However, the LTTE refuses to lay down arms and the situation degenerates into open conflict in which 1,000 Indian troops die over three years. 1991 A female LTTE suicide bomber kills former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.A separate suicide attack kills Sri Lanka's defence minister. 1993 Sri Lanka President Ranasinghe Premadasa dies in a bomb attack. 1996 Suicide attack on Central Bank building in Colombo kills more than 100 and injures 1,400 1998 LTTE captures Kilinochchi army camp, killing more than 1,000 government soldiers. 2001 LTTE blows up half of Sri Lankan Airline's fleet in a suicide attack on Bandaranaike Airport that damages the country's economy. 2002 Norway mediates a ceasefire between the LTTE and government forces. 2003 LTTE pulls out of peace talks, citing insufficient efforts to reconstruct the war-ravaged north. The ceasefire holds. 2004 Renegade LTTE commander Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan, known as Karuna Amman, splits from the Tigers.Tsunami devastates coastal communities, killing more than 30,000. Disputes over disaster relief further ignite tensions. 2005 Snipers kill Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar.LTTE attacks government troops in north.Mahinda Rajapaksa is elected president after Tamils in LTTE-controlled areas boycott the election. 2006 LTTE and government forces clash in the northeast in the worst fighting since the 2002 ceasefire. Government begins driving the LTTE out of its eastern strongholds. 2007 LTTE stages an air strike during the Cricket World Cup Final.Police expel hundreds of Tamils from Colombo. A court order halts the expulsions.Government troops capture the last LTTE stronghold in the east, winning back the entire eastern province from the Tigers. Jan. 2008 Sri Lanka officially withdraws from the 2002 ceasefire; however, the LTTE does not. Sept. 2008 Government orders aid agencies in LTTE-controlled Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu districts to relocate to Vavuniya. Jan. 2009 Government troops capture Kilinochchi, de-facto capital of the LTTE, after 10 years. President Rajapaksa urges the rebels to surrender. Feb. 2009 Government declares a 12-kilometre "no-fire zone"along Mullaitivu coast and calls on civilians to move there for their safety.Government rejects international calls for a temporary ceasefire, saying it is on the verge of destroying the LTTE.LTTE stages suicide air attack in Colombo. March 2009 Former rebel leader Karuna is sworn in as minister of national integration and reconciliation.Government troops launch offensive to regain areas in the Vanni region. April 20 Thousands of civilians trapped in the no-fire zone cross into government-controlled areas, where they are placed in camps. Government orders the LTTE to surrender. April 22 Two senior LTTE officials, former media co-ordinator Velayutham Dayanidhi, better known as Daya Master, and translator Kumar Pancharathnam, alias George, surrender to government troops. April 26 LTTE declares a unilateral ceasefire but the government rejects the move as "a joke." The UN estimates 50,000 civilians remain trapped in the no-fire zone. April 27 Sri Lanka announces it will no longer use heavy weaponry and aerial raids against the remaining rebels in the no-fire zone. Chinese billions in Sri Lanka fund battle against Tamil Tigers On the southern coast of Sri Lanka, ten miles from one of the world’s busiest shipping routes, a vast construction site is engulfing the once sleepy fishing town of Hambantota.This poor community of 21,000 people is about as far as one can get on the island from the fighting between the army and the Tamil Tiger rebels on the northeastern coast. The sudden spurt of construction helps, however, to explain why the army is poised to defeat the Tigers and why Western governments are so powerless to negotiate a ceasefire to help civilians trapped on the front line.This is where China is building a $1 billion port that it plans to use as a refuelling and docking station for its navy, as it patrols the Indian Ocean and protects China’s supplies of Saudi oil. Ever since Sri Lanka agreed to the plan, in March 2007, China has given it all the aid, arms and diplomatic support it needs to defeat the Tigers, without worrying about the West.Even India, Sri Lanka’s long-time ally and the traditionally dominant power in South Asia, has found itself sidelined in the past two years — to its obvious irritation. “China is fishing in troubled waters,” Palaniappan Chidambaram, India’s Home Minister, warned last week.The Chinese say that Hambantota is a purely commercial venture, but many US and Indian military planners regard it as part of a “string of pearls” strategy under which China is also building or upgrading ports at Gwadar in Pakistan, Chittagong in Bangladesh and Sittwe in Burma.The strategy was outlined in a paper by Lieutenant-Colonel Christopher J. Pehrson, of the Pentagon’s Air Staff, in 2006, and again in a report by the US Joint Forces Command in November. “For China, Hambantota is a commercial venture, but it’s also an asset for future use in a very strategic location,” Major-General (Retd) Dipankar Banerjee of the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies in Delhi said.The British Navy used the Sri Lankan port of Trincomalee as its main regional base until 1957 and still shares a naval base with the US on the nearby island of Diego Garcia. China has no immediate plans for a fully fledged naval base but wants a similar foothold in the Indian Ocean to protect its oil supplies from piracy or blockade by a foreign power, analysts say. Beijing sent three ships on an unprecedented anti-piracy mission to the Gulf of Aden in December, and in January a Chinese defence White Paper said that the navy was “developing capabilities of conducting co-operation in distant waters . . .”China has cultivated ties with Sri Lanka for decades and became its biggest arms supplier in the 1990s, when India and Western governments refused to sell weapons to Colombo for use in the civil war. Beijing appears to have increased arms sales significantly to Sri Lanka since 2007, when the US suspended military aid over human rights issues.Many of the arms have been bought through Lanka Logistics & Technologies, co-headed by Gotabhaya Rajapksa, the Defence Secretary, who is also the President’s brother.In April 2007 Sri Lanka signed a classified $37.6 million (£25 million) deal to buy Chinese ammunition and ordnance for its army and navy, according to Jane’s Defence Weekly.China gave Sri Lanka — apparently free of charge — six F7 jet fighters last year, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, after a daring raid by the Tigers’ air wing destroyed ten military aircraft in 2007. One of the Chinese fighters shot down one of the Tigers’ aircraft a year later. “China’s arms sales have been the decisive factor in ending the military stalemate,” Brahma Chellaney, of the Centre for Policy Research in Delhi, said. “There seems to have been a deal linked to Hambantota.”Since 2007 China has encouraged Pakistan to sell weapons to Sri Lanka and to train Sri Lankan pilots to fly the Chinese fighters, according to Indian security sources. China has also provided crucial diplomatic support in the UN Security Council, blocking efforts to put Sri Lanka on the agenda. It has also boosted financial aid to Sri Lanka, even as Western countries have reduced their contributions. China’s aid to Sri Lanka jumped from a few million dollars in 2005 to almost $1 billion last year, replacing Japan as the biggest foreign donor. By comparison, the United States gave $7.4 million last year, and Britain just £1.25 million.“That’s why Sri Lanka has been so dismissive of international criticism,” said B. Raman of the Chennai Centre for China Studies. “It knows it can rely on support from China.” We won’t allow any intl interference An estimated crowd of around 10,000 people attended the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna’s May Day rally yesterday at Campbell Park in Borella.JVP leader Somawansa Amarasinghe said they will not allow any international forces to interfere into internal affairs of the country. He said India and few other countries always tried to interfere when LTTE was crushed, but this time if they attempt to do so the JVP would come to the front as a peoples’ force.Amerasinghe said that separatism must be defeated and all people must be given equal rights to solve the national problem.He said that they will also not allow the Government to wash off the great victory achieved by the security forces.He said that President Mahinda Rajapaksa had said that a white man has no right to interfere in Sri Lanka’s internal matters but it was Rajapaksa who invited the foreigner to the country and there is no point in passing comments in Sinhala. JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva said that they had proven that they are the only party that has the capacity to organize such rally in a short period and in future Sri Lanka Freedom Party and United National Party will not be in a position to hold such rallies as they could not have it this year. Sri Lanka: what needs to be done There is a humanitarian crisis in Sri Lanka’s North, involving tens of thousands of Tamil civilians uprooted from their homes or held hostage in an embattled sliver of coastal land that barely comprises seven square km. There is an existential crisis for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, which once upon a time was one of the world’s most resourceful and deadly separatist politico-military organisations. Much of the current political rhetoric in Tamil Nadu i n the secessionist cause of ‘Tamil Eelam’ can be dismissed as hot air generated by competitive election campaigning gone over the top. India’s foreign policy has consistently ruled out any truck with the ‘Eelam’ cause. Instead, it advocates a political solution based on devolution of power along federal lines to the Sri Lankan Tamils in their areas of historical habitation. The idea of a separate Tamil state in the northeast of the island was always a pipe dream. But today the project seems as alive as an Egyptian mummy.It is true that there is considerable international pressure on the government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa to order a cessation of hostilities — against an organisation that has been banned or designated as terrorist by more than 30 countries, including India, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Some European governments, especially Britain’s Labour regime, have resorted to a muscular form of diplomacy. Their focus right now is on the demand that Colombo give aid agencies and international observers access to the No Fire Zone. Good sense seems to have finally prevailed among the big powers who have decided not to stand in the way of Sri Lanka getting a $1.9 billion standby line of credit from the International Monetary Fund to help weather the impact of the global financial crisis and to look after the basic needs of the internally displaced. The Sri Lankan government, which announced on April 27 that it had instructed the security forces not to use heavy calibre guns, combat aircraft, and aerial weapons, has rejected the calls for a ceasefire, with President Rajapaksa declaring he “did not need lectures from western representatives.” Never mind the double standards of those who have shown scant respect and concern for civilian lives and welfare in the wars of occupation in Iraq and Afghanistan. The immediate practical need is for effective humanitarian pressure on the LTTE to release an unknown number of civilians it holds as a human shield in a hopeless last-ditch stand. The related demand, made by the United Nations Security Council and all sensible people, is that the LTTE must lay down arms and surrender. The modalities should not be difficult to work out considering that the alternatives are elimination of the remaining LTTE cadres or amnesty and rehabilitation, which President Rajapaksa has promised for most of them, barring of course Velupillai Prabakaran and other hard-core leaders of the terrorist organisation. Kids recruited by LTTE surrender, reveal horror stories Kilinochi: Even as the Sri Lankan army claims that the LTTE is counting its days, thousands of children in the island who were recruited by the terror outfit have surrendered. Forcefully recruited by the rebels, the children and survivors recount horrific tales of the LTTE's brutalities. One of the child soldiers who surrendered, Sasi Kanakariga Pillai says, "We used to go to school, but were always in hiding. If the LTTE found out that we were at home they would catch us. They would give some training and deploy us as LTTE fighters." LTTE forcefully recruited thousands of children like Sasi to bolster its strength. "They caught me. I trained with them for two months. I managed to escape," he adds.There are many such shocking revelations which have come to fore in the refugee camps where LTTE's forced recruits and their parents are taking shelter. They are happy to have escaped the clutches of the rebels. Principal Bhartiya Vidyalaya Kilinochi, Rajendra says, "I am a principal in a school where we lost 100 students in the war. They were recruited by the LTTE and used in the war. I also ran away on March 18 at midnight to save my 18-year-old daughter. If I was there, they would have taken her away. I saw most of the children being taken away by the LTTE."Visuals of the LTTE stealing and hoarding UN supplies is now telling the world how ruthless this terrorist group was to its own people as the Tamil civilians who escaped the fury of the war tell tales of the atrocities meted out to them by the rebels. Assistant Director of Eduction in Mullaitivu, K Selvarasan says, "I think they are in a small area. I think they will be toothless soon. They have to run away to escape. But people are not with that side. For the past few months, sugar was Rs 1000 per kg and rice was Rs 500 per kg. People died of poverty and hunger because they could not purchase anything."It was known for three decades that LTTE recruited child soldiers and stories of survivors will make it difficult for the LTTE to re-establish itself as a guerilla force.The Sri lankan army claims the LTTE has hacked its website www.army.lk this morning. Army Spokesman Udaya Nanayakkara says the hackers got into the website and defaced pictures. They are suspected to be LTTE hackers or sympathisers based outside Sri Lanka. The army has called it a desperate attempt by the LTTE to hold back information about its civilian abuse. The website has been constantly posting information on the abuses by the LTTE on civilians fleeing the no-fire zone. The "desperate attempt" by the LTTE comes even as the army claims LTTE resistance will collapse in the next 48 hours. The rebels are now restricted to a five sq/km area on the Mullaithivu coastline.Army Spokesperson Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara says, "The hackers managed to hack into our army website and deface a few pictures. The hackers are likely to be LTTE sympathisers outside the country."Meanwhile, Sri Lankan refugees continue to move towards India. A boat carrying refugees was rescued on the Andhra coast. Ten refugees including two children were found unconscious in the boat by local fishermen, who then informed the police. "To escape the attacks of Sri Lankan army, 20 of us started for India in two boats from Sri Lanka. Out of those 20 members, 10 members died due to intense hunger. We were drinking only sea water for the past ten days. We had no food to eat. In Sri Lanka, there are no chances of peace due to the attacks of the LTTE and Sri Lankan army. They (people) are living with fear. Already so many people have died in those attacks," said one of the refugees. Tissainayagam's detention highlighted by Obama Ruthless, dedicated Tamil leader faces final assault He called it, with no trace of irony, thatkodai, the Tamil word for "the gift of life." Velupillai Prabhakaran has asked it of so many of his followers in the last 30 years, the hundreds of Tamils who carried out suicide missions on his orders.Will he give thatkodai himself, today, tomorrow, this week, as the horrifically violent showdown in Sri Lanka drags on? Today Mr. Prabhakaran is pinned into a five-kilometre sandy patch, encircled and outnumbered about 10 to one, as the Sri Lankan military pounds him from air and ground and sea. Friday the government urged tens of thousands of trapped civilians to flee the zone as it prepares for a final push to wipe out the rebels. Mr. Prabhakaran has always said he will die fighting for Eelam, the Tamil homeland, and if he cannot or will not fight longer, then comrades have orders to shoot him, douse his body with gasoline and set it alight, to deprive the Sri Lankan government of that prize.The grisly question of whether Mr. Prabhakaran, 54, the founder and leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), is about to give his life in the fight for Tamil independence is of relevance to more than his loyal fighters and supporters.Rebel supporters by the hundreds of thousands have turned out in cities around the world over the past weeks, including Toronto, where they closed University Avenue for days.Mr. Prabhakaran leads a movement that has at times been estimated to be the largest, non-state fighting force in the world, one that has successfully destabilized Sri Lanka for 30 years, that has assassinated two heads of state and murdered countless civilians and embroiled a region in bloody conflict for decades.And more than in any other nationalist movement, Mr. Prabhakaran's is built in his image. He is no showman; he has not courted the media to project a larger-than-life personality. He has given only one press conference in 30 years. In fact, he is so soft-spoken that several people given a rare audience have failed to realize they were in the presence of the infamous leader of the Tigers until he stated his name with a gentle smile.Rather, Mr. Prabhakaran's status stems from the loyalty of his movement and his people — a potent mix of adulation and terror — inspired by his total devotion to the cause and by his sheer ruthlessness."The movement as a whole can be described in two words, Velupillai Prabhakaran," said M.R. Narayan Swamy, an Indian writer whose books on Sri Lanka's war include a rare Prabhakaran biography called Inside an Elusive Mind."The LTTE was Prabhakaran and Prabhakaran was the LTTE. It had only one leader, only one god — that was Prabhakaran and everything that happened in the LTTE in terms of major policy decisions all had Prabhakaran's stamp."Mr. Prabhakaran, in his long struggle, came close to realizing his dream of "Eelam," an independent homeland for the Tamil people in the northern and eastern portion of Sri Lanka (Tamils make up about 13 per cent of Sri Lanka's population). At one point, he ruled over a sort of Potemkin police state in much of that territory as the Tigers set up a parallel civil administration, police force, banks and tax collection. He came even closer to Eelam when the strength of the rebel insurgency forced the Sri Lankan government into a Norwegian-brokered peace process, beginning with a ceasefire in 2002, in which real autonomy for the Tamils was on the table. It collapsed in violence four years later.But as a bloody endgame of sorts plays out on a tiny strip of Sri Lankan beach, it is clear that Mr. Prabhakaran's Eelam empire has slipped away: The Tigers are all but destroyed as a conventional military force and most of the people who once lived under their rule are starving in squalid refugee camps or desperately trying to get into one.Mr. Prabhakaran lost because he did nothing to convince Sri Lankans or international brokers that he was serious about wanting peace, and because the Sinhalese majority in Sri Lanka elected a leader, Mahinda Rajapaksa, who was not remotely interested in making peace with him in any case. Two years ago, President Rajapaksa launched an all-out military offensive against the Tigers, pumping new soldiers and new funds into armed forces demoralized by their losing battle against the insurgency.Still, the person who may know Mr. Prabhakaran best, outside his inner circle of fighting colleagues, doubts that he will be found if soldiers overrun his last stronghold."The noose tightens, but I would think he has already left that little sliver of land," Anita Pratap said. Ms. Pratap, one of India's leading journalists, is the author of Island of Blood, about Sri Lanka's civil war, and the sole journalist of whom Mr. Prabhakaran made something of a regular confidante. "He is an excellent military strategist, a good chess player who anticipates his enemy's every move. I don't see him doodling his thumbs and waiting for the army to advance and capture him."Many others, starting with the Sri Lankan military, disagree with Ms. Pratap. The army says that senior Tigers who were captured in the past few days report that Mr. Prabhakaran is hunkered down with the last rebel forces.A Tamil journalist based in Colombo who has covered the Tigers for 20 years — and who like so many others refuses to be quoted by name talking about the rebel chief — said he doubts the vastly outnumbered rebels would still be fighting if Mr. Prabhakaran were not in the middle of them.Mr. Narayan agreed. "I have no doubts he is there. I'm sure they'd like to take him alive, but that will depend on Prabhakaran and, if the past is any guide, he will not let them take him alive."There was little in Mr. Prabhakaran's early life to suggest that he was headed for such ferocity. He was the youngest of four children, born Nov. 26, 1954, into a Hindu family of the low fisherman's caste in a small town in northern Sri Lanka. His father was a mid-level civil servant. He was a mediocre student, whose affectionate but stern father despaired a bit of his prospects. But he was also an avid reader, who devoured biographies, and in particular became fascinated with two Indians, Subhash Chandra Bose and Bhagat Singh, who were leaders in the armed struggle for independence from Britain. He embraced Mr. Bose's mantra, "I shall fight for the freedom of my land until I shed the last drop of blood." Mr. Prabhakaran entered his teens at a time of rising Tamil nationalism, after the Sinhalese-dominated government implemented a series of measures — making Sinhala the official language; Buddhism, the religion of the Sinhalese, the national religion; demanding higher grades of Tamil students to let them into universities; and giving Sinhalese priority access to government jobs — whose brutal chauvinism the government remains unwilling to acknowledge today.Many Tamils, especially young people, were frustrated with the lack of a radical response from their leaders, and small militant groups began to form. After joining several political youth groups, Mr. Prabhakaran founded the organization that would become the LTTE in 1972. Three years later, using a rusty, old revolver and bullets he made from matches, Mr. Prabhakaran walked up to the mayor of Jaffna, Alfred Duraiyappah, a Tamil considered complicit with the government in Colombo, and shot him as he entered a Hindu temple. Mr. Prabhakaran, as would become the Tiger signature, simply melted away in the melee. When police came to his family home days later, he was long gone, and had taken the precaution of burning any family photos in which he appeared, Mr. Swamy writes.Mr. Prabhakaran began life on the run in earnest; he was never caught in Sri Lanka, no matter how wide a net the government cast. He was only jailed once, in one of his periods of operating from the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, just a short boat trip from Sri Lanka, when a squabble with another Tiger leader led to a shootout in the street. But sympathy for the rebels in the Tamil state was strong; India would not extradite him and soon enough he slipped away from house arrest and was smuggled in a fishing boat back to Sri Lanka.Over the following years he cemented his hold on the Tiger leadership and began to fund the organization with meticulously planned but dramatic bank robberies. Mr. Prabhakaran vetted would-be rebels for loyalty and stability, then put them through intense training in jungle camps in India and in Sri Lanka. There was gruelling physical training, military-strategy classes, target practice and lessons in the use of the heavier weapons, which the Tigers began to acquire with stolen cash and donations from sympathetic Tamils abroad. Recurring episodes of anti-Tamil violence, and a lack of intervention by a hard-line Sinhalese government, provided him with no shortage of recruits.In the midst of this, Mr. Prabhakaran got married. His relationship with his wife, Mathivathani Erambu, began awkwardly when he had her abducted — she was among a group of students on a political hunger strike that the Tigers disrupted. She and the others were spirited off to a Tiger base, where the others quailed but she, it's said, was undaunted by the rebel chief and openly joked with him.The Tiger movement forbade relations between cadres at the time, so Mr. Prabhakaran rewrote the rules to allow senior LTTE officers to wed. He also had to conquer her family; she is from a much higher caste. They had two sons and a daughter. Today his wife, younger son and daughter are believed to be outside Sri Lanka — variously reported to be in India, Ireland or South Africa — while his eldest son, Charles Anthony, is reported to fight alongside him.Mr. Prabhakaran is described as a loving father, a warm host, a man with a weakness for boiled crabs and chocolate who once gave his rebels orders never to kill anyone while they were eating. But under his leadership, the Tigers had no soft side. The LTTE quickly moved from attacks on police and soldiers to bombing busloads of civilians and Buddhist places of worship.One former LTTE fighter, who joined as an 18-year-old and rose to the rank of military trainer, remembers a fierce, if warped, sense of justice. "He grew up with the dharma thing [the Hindu idea of "a righteous duty"], you know, fair or not," said the man, who spoke on condition of anonymity. If Sinhalese killed Tamils, Mr. Prabhakaran would take some Sinhalese lives in response "to show that you don't do that. … Every country has a policy … to show that 'if you do that, I will do this,' so that [their enemies] understand the language." And all tactics were fair, he told his supporters, given the "asymmetrical" nature of the conflict that pitted a small insurgency against a well-armed state force. The Tigers had a great many teenagers in their ranks, leading to criticism of "child soldiers," although Mr. Prabhakaran, who began fighting at 16, likely fails to see a problem with that. When the recruits did not come voluntarily, the LTTE began to conscript, forcing each household in the region it controlled to send a fighter. Many Tamil families supported the Tigers, but whether they did or not, they began to face regular pressure to supply funds. Families that did not supply either fighters or cash might see their children disappear in the night, their house burn, or one member return shell-shocked from brutal Tiger interrogation or "political retraining."Mr. Prabhakaran, a few of whose cadres had been trained by the Palestinian Liberation Organization in Lebanon, drew on the tactic of suicide bombing then in early use by Hezbollah, and he pioneered the use of the explosive vest. He called his bombers, those from whom he demanded thatkodai, the Black Tigers, and nearly half of them were women.It was a young woman who carried out the mission that Mr. Swamy and many others view as Mr. Prabhakaran's great mistake: She approached Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi as he left a political rally in 1991 and offered him a flower garland, and then bent to touch his feet in apparent respect, setting off her explosive vest as she did so. She killed him, herself, and 18 others. The attack was intended to keep India — which had sent a peacekeeping force, that wound up fighting the rebels, to Sri Lanka in the late 1980s — from further meddling, but it had the effect of permanently souring Indian sympathy for the Tigers.In 1993, Mr. Prabhakaran sent Black Tigers to kill Ranasinghe Premadasa, the Sri Lankan president with whom he had been allied against the Indian forces; he ordered the killing of the opposition leader, Gamini Dissanayake, and he was equally ruthless in hunting down Tamil politicians he considered insufficiently loyal. In 1996, several squads of intended suicide attackers blew up the Central Bank in Colombo, killing more than 100 people. He sent bombers in 1999 to kill president Chandrika Kumaratunga, with whom he had been engaged in peace negotiations, but the attempt failed, leaving her partially blind. Thirty-five others were killed in the attempt. Why were so many willing to don the vest of the Black Tigers? And why did so many in the Tamil diaspora willingly pour money into LTTE coffers? Mr. Prabhakaran had no real ideology. He read about Che Guevera but had little interest in socialism, even when the revolutionary ideology was sweeping rebel movements in Latin America and elsewhere in Asia. Mr. Swamy quoted him as once saying he had little interest in "isms" but for one: "I want all these caste differences to go." (Mr. Prabhakaran has been an unusual champion of gender equality, promoting women through the highest ranks of the Tigers and not differentiating between tasks given to male and female cadres.) Nor has Mr. Prabhakaran relied on charisma or great skill as an orator. Ms. Pratap said that when she first met him, her disappointment — the legendary guerrilla leader was short, a bit dumpy and looked like a middle-aged merchant — was so visible on her face that Mr. Prabhakaran laughed. But, she added this week, within moments, she knew he was extraordinary. "There was no pretence or mendacity, hyperbole or chest-beating patriotism. … There was no spin in Prabhakaran. His sincerity was simple, direct, plain, transparent. That gave him a clarity of thinking and purpose that I knew was unusual and exceptional," she s | ||
