Wanni exodus continue, 60 civilians seek protection with security forces- Mullaittivu

60 more civilians including 24 males and 36 females from the non-liberated areas of Mullaittivu District have arrived at Tanduwan general area, 4km Northwest of Nedunkerni today (Dec 22) morning.

These civilians all locals in Mullaittivu district have sought protection with security forces following a desperate escape made from the LTTE Wanni hellhole. Thousands are reported stranded with LTTE as defence observers believe the actual figures to be more than the elaborated numbers recently.

Apart from carrying out genocidal attacks targeting both the Muslim and Sinhalese communities in the south, LTTE terrorists are also shrinking the Tamil populace in Wanni, luring both young and old to its insane separatist cause through intimidations and brutal methods, the sources asserted.

Nedunkerni was liberated by the Task Force -4 troops on Sunday (Dec 21), after hours of fierce fighting with LTTE.

Courtesy: Ministry of Defence

A Response to TamilNet

by Ambassador Blake

I was disappointed to read on TamilNet criticism of the US Government’s programmes to help stabilise and develop Eastern Sri Lanka. Since there is no mechanism to respond to TamilNet, I thought I would use the Embassy’s blog to respond to some of the incorrect assertions in the TamilNet article.

US Ambassador Robert O’ Blake

First, a Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP asserts in the TamilNet article that Washington’s purpose in our programmes for the east is to, “help Colombo make majoritarian inroads into the east.” This is incorrect. We have specifically established the goal of fostering economic development, good governance and stability while preserving the existing ethnic balance in the east.

It is well known that the east is one of Sri Lanka’s poorest provinces and that poverty and lack of adequate economic opportunity are principal drivers of conflict. One of the best ways to address such poverty is to establish programmes that will link new businesses in the East with the country’s principal markets in the western and other parts of the country. Indeed, USAID’s Connecting Regional Economies programme in the East has five goals: *

First: Support livelihood development for vulnerable populations;

Second: Promote the development of agriculture-based value chains;

Third: Ensure that groups in conflict-affected areas benefit from participation in these value chains and our other efforts;

Fourth: Implement a workforce development strategy; and finally promote a business enabling environment.

The Member of Parliament also alleges that U.S. development initiatives “take place through direct collaboration between the American agency and the ministries of Sri Lanka, sidelining the provincial council.” This also is incorrect. While we of course coordinate with the Central Government as we would in any country, none of our money goes through the Central Government. Rather, it goes directly to U.S. and/or Sri Lankan organisations working in the east to implement our programmes.

Furthermore, one of the goals of our “Supporting Regional Governance” programme in the East is to improve the capacity and Governance of the Eastern Provincial Council and Local Government authorities. Specifically, this programme aims to support and facilitate increased citizen engagement in Regional and Local Government, strengthen inter-community reconciliation, and promote social equality by, for example, promoting citizen interaction with Government institutions, and strengthening the capacity of journalists and media outlets in the East.

Lastly, the MP alleges that America’s programme in the east will only “add to the ethnic conflict in the island.”

He says “meaningful development of the east can take place only after a substantial political solution to the Tamil national question.” We agree that a political solution is necessary, but we do not agree that meaningful development can take place only after a political solution is agreed upon.

It is important to give the people of the east the opportunity now to obtain vocational training and sustainable private sector jobs. Such sustainable livelihood opportunities are an essential part of ensuring stability and development so that the Tamil, Muslim and Sinhalese communities in the East can rebuild their lives and cooperate with each other to help the East realize its potential.

Courtesy : Daily news

‘Prabhakaran is to face trial for his insensate crimes’, says TMVP leader

( By: Walter Jayawardhana)

Former Comrade in arms of Prabhakaran, Vinayagamoorthy Muralidaran alias Karuna Amman said that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) leader is at his last gasp in Kilinochchi and he is about to be punished for all his cruel and insensate crimes.

Interviewed by the Independent Television Network (ITN), the TMVP leader and member of the Sri Lanka Parliament said, “Prabhakaran refused to listen to me and the late LTTE ideologue Anton Balasingham when we disagreed openly and many others in the LTTE dared not disagree with him like that in fear and only criticized him behind his back.”

MP Muralidharan said he had raised the question of the Rajiv Gandhi assassination and the attack on the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy with Prabhakaran. When he said those acts did not really help the LTTE and created lot of opposition all over the world against the movement, Muralidharan said, the LTTE leader’s simple explanation was that those had been done without his knowledge. MP Muralidharan said nothing happened in the LTTE without Prabhakaran’s knowledge and he was simply lying.

The TMVP leader said “it was a historical blunder that the United National Party leader Ranil Wickramesinghe signed a Ceasefire Agreement with Prabhakaran since he signed it at a time when the LTTE was weakest in its cadre strength and its weapons power. The LTTE used the Ceasefire to fundraise, import arms and ammunition and recruit cadres by force.”

He said some people who are hailed as LTTE leaders in the media like Nadesan, Daya Master and Susai were not powerful men and mere figures of no importance and Prabhakaran did not care two hoots for them and for what they thought. In fact, Susai, the leader of the ‘Sea Tigers’ did not know at all know to fight on the land and there was no reason to respect him, he said.

He said, the late Anton Balasingham told Prabhakaran on his face all what he (Karuna Amman) had told the LTTE leader but Prabhakaran refused to listen to him either, as the LTTE leader was an obstinate Fascist dictator.

The other person who expressed his disapprovals on the face of Prabhakaran on various matters was “Mahattaya” Mahendraraja and he and his friends in the movement had to die unfortunate deaths, MP Muralidharan said.

Looking back how he joined the LTTE, MP Muralidharan said he was a bright student, like all other siblings in his family and studying in a bio science Advanced Level class with the ambition of becoming a doctor one day when in 1983 the LTTE killed 13 soldiers and as a backlash the Black July of killing innocent Tamil civilians occurred.

He said the killings were used to recruit young people to the LTTE and he went to help those hundreds of Tamil civilians who became homeless and flocked to Batticaloa. He said he joined the LTTE and went to India to get the military training. The TMVP leader said he did not resign from the LTTE over personal problems but over disagreements over pure terrorism practiced by the group like the Rajiv Gandhi assassination. When he went to Oslo as a member of the peace talks, he said, Prabhakaran told him not to agree to any solution, but to drag the talks to five more years pretending to be interested in peace, so that he could raise funds, recruit cadres buy arms and fight back. If he had agreed for any solutions great amount of international funds were available to develop Northern and Eastern Provinces of Sri Lanka to raise the standards of the Tamil people and Prabhakaran was least interested in those things, MP Muralidharan alleged.

He said when he got out of the LTTE he did not have any political ambition and only afterwards he thought of a political career after President Mahinda Rajapaksa invited him to do so. He said there had been no other leader who had faced this problem fearlessly like President Mahinda Rajapaksa before and if he had been in power in 1983 no crisis of this nature would have ever occurred in this country. He said during his 22 years of career as a fighter he had never met a straight and brave decision maker like President Mahinda Rajapaksa. “I am 100 percent sure that President Rajapaksa would end the war and solve the North-East problem”, he said.

He said he left the LTTE with 6000 cadres because LTTE was clearly showing signs of a terrorist movement and it had ceased to act as a liberation struggle as they believed. It was killing innocent Sinhala civilians, attacking places of worship of all religions, and chased out Muslims from Jaffna after confiscating all their belongings.

He also asked others of the LTTE to get out of the quagmire like Paduman of Trincomalee but it was difficult for anybody to escape from Wanni.

Recalling Ranil Wickramasinghe’s Ceasefire days Muralidharan said the UNP leader went into this agreement also at a time terrorism was at its weakest point in history due to 9/11. Since it allowed the LTTE to travel anywhere in the country it started transporting bombs all over the place. In the guise of fishing LTTE boats brought into the country tons of arms and ammunition freely, he said. ” Prabhakaran enjoying the privileges destroyed the whole Tamil culture. Although it was prohibited to marry under the LTTE when he wanted to marry the marriage ban was lifted. More than the innocent Sinhalese he killed Tamils. He is one of the worst terrorists in the world.”

He said the truth about Prabhakaran is known to the Tamil people. He could not easily recruit cadres during the ceasefire days from the Northern Province. That’s why he had to depend on the Eastern Province for his cadres. He used the Wanni people by kidnapping and recruiting them by force.

MP Muralidharan said it was true that with some Tamil democratic parties and his TMVP had differences due to separate political agendas. For instance, his party was opposed to linking Eastern Province with the Northern Province like some other Tamil parties. But he respected the different views, the TMVP leader said. He said he was for linking Northern and Eastern Provinces on cultural matters alone. He said he invites Prabhakaran to lay down arms and come and join the democratic main stream like him.

He said the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) did not represent the Tamil people in Sri Lanka and they are a proxy party of the LTTE. He said he was instrumental in forming the party when he was in the LTTE. The TNA MP’s could not speak without the approval of the LTTE. The elections of the MP’s were not free. They were elected under the threat of the terrorist group, Muralidharan said. People were under intimidation by the LTTE to elect them, MP Muralidharan further pointed out.

At the next general elections, he predicted, he was sure the TMVP would be able to bag 8 seats and the TNA none.

He said unprecedented development work has been started in the East. They are seeing development work not even dreamt of during the last 22 years in the area, the TMVP leader said.

He said the final military victory of the Sri Lanka security forces is now certain. Meticulously planned by the Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, and efficiently implemented by Army Commander Sarath Fonseka Sri Lanka is on the verge of final victory , MP Vinayagamoorthy Muralidharan said.

Courtesy: Ministry of Defence

‘LTTE abuses civilians in Wanni’ HRW report

Forced recruitment, restrictions on movement put lives at risk - HRW

LTTE is subjecting Tamils in the Wanni to forced recruitment, abusive forced labor, and restrictions on movement that place their lives at risk, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today (Dec 15).

The 17-page report, “Trapped and Mistreated: LTTE Abuses against Civilians in the Wanni,” details how the LTTE is brutally abusing the Tamil population in areas under their control.

“The LTTE claims to be fighting for the Tamil people, but it is responsible for much of the suffering of civilians in the Wanni,” said Brad Adams, Asia director for Human Rights Watch. “As the LTTE loses ground to advancing government forces, their treatment of the very people they say they are fighting for is getting worse.”

In the face of an ongoing government military offensive, the LTTE has increased the pressure on the civilian population under its control. Having long used a coercive pass system to prevent civilians from leaving areas it controls, the LTTE has now completely prohibited movement out of the Wanni, except for some medical emergencies. By refusing to allow displaced persons to leave for government-held territory, the group has severely restricted their access to essential humanitarian relief. Only about a thousand people have managed to flee the conflict zone since March 2008.

“By refusing to allow people their basic rights to freedom of movement, the LTTE has trapped hundreds of thousands of civilians in a dangerous war zone,” said Adams.

“Trapped in the LTTE’s iron fist, ordinary Tamils are forcibly recruited as fighters and forced to engage in dangerous labor near the front lines,” said Adams.

While increased international pressure and other factors had led to a decrease in its recruitment of children, recent reports indicate that the group has stepped up child recruitment in the Wanni. LTTE cadres have urged 14- to 18-year-olds at schools to join. The group often sends 17-year-olds for military training, apparently calculating that by the time such cases are reported to protection agencies, the youths will have turned 18 and no longer be considered child soldiers.

In “Trapped and Mistreated,” Human Rights Watch calls upon the LTTE to:

* Stop preventing civilians from leaving areas under its control; respect the right to freedom of movement of civilians, including the right of civilians to move to government-controlled territory for safety;

* Stop all forced recruitment into the LTTE; end all abductions and coercion;

* End all recruitment of children under the age of 18; cease the use of children in military operations; release all child combatants currently in its ranks, as well as all persons who were recruited when children but are now over the age of 18;

* Stop all abusive or unpaid forced labor, including labor it characterizes as “voluntary”; cease demanding that all families provide labor to the LTTE; stop forcing civilians to engage in labor directly related to the conduct of military operations, such as constructing trenches and bunkers;

* Provide humanitarian agencies and UN agencies safe and unhindered access to areas under the LTTE’s control, and guarantee the security of all humanitarian and UN workers, including Wanni residents working as humanitarian or UN staff.

Summary of the Report

Last year they were taking the people born in 1990; now [they are taking] those born in 1991. They look at the family identity cards and take the young ones. If people of military age go into hiding, they will take younger children or the father, until they get the boys or girls they want. The LTTE no longer gives people passes to go [out of the Wanni. At the moment, only medical cases or the elderly will get an LTTE pass. Before this time, you could hand over all your assets to the LTTE and you were free to go. But now they stop everyone, saying, “We are fighting for the people, but the people have to stay with us.”

Hundreds of thousands of ethnic Tamil civilians are currently trapped in intensified fighting between the Sri Lankan armed forces and the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the LTTE’s northern stronghold, known as the Wanni. As the LTTE has lost ground to advancing government forces, civilians have been squeezed into a shrinking conflict zone. The encroaching fighting has placed their lives increasingly in danger. Many spend their day under the constant sound of nearby small-arms fire, shelling, and bombing. Because of a near total government ban on access by humanitarian agencies and the media, the suffering of the civilian population of the Wanni receives scant attention outside Sri Lanka.

This report addresses abuses committed by the LTTE against civilians during the current fighting in the Wanni. Given the sharp limitations on access to the Wanni imposed by the LTTE and the government, we do not suggest that this is a full picture of the situation there. Yet Human Rights Watch research in Sri Lanka shows that the LTTE has brutally and systematically abused the Tamil population on whose behalf they claim to fight, and that the LTTE bears a heavy responsibility for the desperate plight of the civilians in the Wanni. The LTTE, which has been fighting for an independent Tamil state-Tamil Eelam-has a deplorable human rights record. During the past 25 years it has committed innumerable murders of Sinhalese, Muslim, and Tamil civilians, political assassinations in Sri Lanka and abroad, and suicide bombings with high loss of life. The LTTE has frequently targeted civilians with bombs and remote-controlled landmines, killed perceived political opponents including many Tamil politicians, journalists, and members of rival organizations, and has forcibly recruited Tamils into its forces, many of them children. In the areas under its control, the LTTE has ruled through fear, denying basic freedoms of expression, association, assembly, and movement.

During the current fighting, abuses have again mounted. In research conducted by Human Rights Watch in Sri Lanka from October through December 2008-including 35 interviews with eyewitnesses and humanitarian aid workers working in the north-we found extensive evidence of ongoing LTTE forced recruitment of civilians, widespread use of abusive forced labor, and improper and unjustified restrictions on civilians’ freedom of movement.

The LTTE continues to systematically compel young men and women, including children, to join their forces, and have dramatically increased their forced recruitment practices. The LTTE has recently gone beyond its long-standing “one person per family” forced recruitment policy in LTTE-controlled territory and now sometimes requires two or more family members to join the ranks, depending on the size of the family. Notably, after a significant decrease in reported LTTE use of child soldiers in recent years, recruitment of children under 18 may be on the increase since September 2008, particularly of 17-year-olds. LTTE militants still use schools and displaced person camps to encourage children to join their ranks.

The LTTE continues to force civilians to engage in dangerous forced labor, including the digging of trenches for its fighters and the construction of military bunkers on the frontlines. It also uses forced labor as punishment, often forcing family members of civilians who flee to perform dangerous labor near the frontlines.

By shutting down its pass system for travel, the LTTE has banned nearly all civilians from leaving areas under LTTE control (with the exception of urgent medical cases), effectively trapping several hundred thousand civilians in an increasingly hazardous conflict zone, with extremely limited humanitarian relief. The trapped civilians provide a ready pool of civilians for future forced labor and recruitment of fighters. In doing so, the LTTE is unlawfully seeking to use the presence of the large civilian population in areas under its control for military advantage.

Human Rights Watch calls on the LTTE to stop its widespread abuses against the Tamil civilian population under its control, and to respect their human rights. In particular, Human Rights Watch urges the LTTE to stop preventing civilians from leaving areas under its control, to stop forced recruitment, as well as any recruitment of children, and to bring an end to abusive forced labor. More detailed recommendations are contained at the end of this report.

The government-ordered withdrawal of the United Nations (UN) and virtually all international humanitarian agencies from the Wanni in September 2008 has drastically worsened the plight of the civilian population. The forced withdrawal has also made it more difficult to protect the rights of the Wanni population: with a greatly restricted presence on the ground, protection agencies like UNICEF have lost the ability to monitor and act on abuses committed by all parties to the conflict in the Wanni. The government’s policy of detaining those who flee from the Wanni has made many civilians fearful to seek safety in government-held areas. The massive flooding caused when Cyclone Nisha struck Sri Lanka on November 25 caused 60,000-70,000 persons to lose their homes and shelters. Although the Sri Lankan government denies it, state relief efforts have been inadequate and restrictive government policies on UN and other assistance have exacerbated humanitarian suffering in the Wanni.

Courtesy: priu.gov.lk

Good relations with Pakistan depends on Militant crackdown - Indian PM

KHUNDROO, India (AFP)Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Sunday that relations with Pakistan could only be normalised when it no longer provided safe havens for militants.

Singh, speaking at an election rally in disputed Kashmir, stressed India was open to better ties with Pakistan but that depended on Islamabad taking action against groups such as the one said to be behind the Mumbai attacks.

“Our desire to normalise relations with our neighbour will not get fulfilled until our neighbour prevents its land from being used for terrorist activities against India,” he said.

“There are some people in Pakistan who are always ready to carry out such attacks against our country.”

Singh was speaking to supporters in Indian Kashmir, where ongoing state elections are being boycotted by separatists who argue that voting strengthens New Delhi’s hold over the Muslim-majority region.

The Lashkar-e-Taiba militant group blamed by India for the Mumbai siege was founded to fight Indian rule in Kashmir, which India and Pakistan have fought over since the partition of the subcontinent in 1947.

“Our desire for friendship should not be construed as our weakness,” Singh told hundreds of Kashmiris at the Congress party rally in Khundroo, 70 kilometres (45 miles) south of summer capital Srinagar.

The crowd, many carrying posters of Singh, chanted “Singh is king” and “Congress will win.”

The prime minister said New Delhi wanted to resolve all disputes with Pakistan, including over Kashmir, “through friendly dialogue and in a peaceful atmosphere.”

An insurgency against Indian rule has left more than 47,000 people dead over 20 years by official count.

The seven-stage elections that started on November 17 are due to end on December 24, when Srinagar goes to the polls.

Courtesy: Dailymirror