Situation Report

Troops of the Army's mechanised infantry backed by battle tanks and armoured carriers made a foray this week into a stretch of Tiger guerrilla positions south of Muhamalai. They stayed on the ground for a long period, at least over three hours. There was, however, no confrontation. Was the Army testing the ground? A young officer who was part of the team said he believed the guerrillas would have shifted their positions further backwards. However, there is no confirmation of this. On the other hand, did the guerrillas wait for a further advance of the column before reacting? These questions loomed large as troops later returned to their original positions.

The Army's defence lines at Muhamalai stretch astride the entry-exit point from the Kilali lagoon in the west to Nagerkovil in the east along the shores of the north-eastern seas. The mood in the locality is tense. Both sides remain dug in for confrontations. The last major battle in this sector was on November 19. Then, seven battalions attempted a thrust southwards.

The focal point of attention in the ongoing Eelam War IV in the Wanni still remains the Mannar and Weli Oya sectors of the Wanni. In the former, as reported last week, troops have seized an area of 1.5 square kilometres at Pirappakandal, south-east of Uyilankulam. A column of troops headed in the direction of Vidattaltivu where a Sea Tiger base is located re-captured the area. Troops and guerrillas have been exchanging heavy barrages of artillery and mortar fire in this area. Senior Army officers in Mannar say they continue to encounter female cadres and add that some bodies were handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) for transport to the guerrilla stronghold of Kilinochchi.

Troops engaged in a flank west of the Giant's Tank, the same officers said were now some two and half kilometres from the Madhu Church. The Army's primary objective here is to take control of areas in and around the Church, sacred to the country's Catholic community. Their deadlines to re-capture the area are being stalled due to stiff guerrilla resistance. "However, it is a matter of time before we make a breakthrough," one of them said speaking on grounds of anonymity.

In the Weli Oya sector, troops are advancing in the direction of Mullaitivu, north of their main encampment in Janakapura. In the recent weeks, they have seized more territory from a vast stretch of "no man's land" that lay along their advance. Thus, a sizeable rectangular area is now under their control. Immediately after these stretches lay thick jungle before the fortified defences of the guerrillas that protect the Mullaitivu sector.

The troops advance has not been without battles. However, they have largely been artillery and mortar exchanges. Yet, troops confronted groups of female cadres in this sector too. In this backdrop, an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) wrapped in paper and left behind in a flowerpot exploded in Wellawatte on Monday killing a beggar who had tried to tamper with it. It lay on the pavement that divides the dual carriageway near the Roxy Cinema. Three schoolchildren were also injured.

A freer discussion of the ongoing offensives and related aspects, though not converging on military secrecy, is not possible due to serious constraints. Such discussion including appreciation of ground realities would otherwise have been beneficial for the public to obtain a better picture. This includes the bravery of troops who are facing all odds.

In the Situation Report last week, I referred to the confusion in various state intelligence agencies over a multitude of reports on the health of the leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Velupillai Prabhakaran. I said: "In the recent months, there have been claims that he was injured during an air raid. This was followed by reports that the guerrilla leader has had his leg amputated. None of these claims have been formally confirmed.

"However, formidable sections of the intelligence community believe he is ill due to complications arising from a reportedly acute diabetic condition. Enhancing this belief are reports that some doctors living abroad were treating him. They had reportedly entered Sri Lanka illegally. In the light of this, the intelligence agencies are pondering over many questions. Main among them is one over who is now directing the military campaign, whether there is a line of succession and what is the hierarchical order.

"However, members of UN bodies and international organisations whose staff are based in the Wanni or travel there periodically tell a different story. I met two of them. For obvious reasons they do not want to be identified in any way and spoke strictly on grounds of anonymity. "They do not respond to questions about their leader or for that matter on anything military. I pointedly asked one of them about reports in Colombo that Mr. Prabhakaran was injured. He said such reports were not true," claimed one. Said the other "I learnt he had escaped an air raid narrowly. I also learnt he is still in full control….."

I noted last week "in the absence of credible and conclusive information, only time can tell which version is the truth." Even before the assertions contained in last week's issue of The Sunday Times were out of the printing press, the LTTE provided the answer. At 12.30 a.m. last Sunday, they released photographs of Mr. Prabhakaran paying his last respects to slain Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian Kitnan Sivanesan at an undisclosed location in Kilinochchi. One of the photographs appeared in the Late City Edition of The Sunday Times last Sunday.

Sivanesan was killed on March 6 following a Claymore mine attack at a spot between Puliyankulam and Mankulam on the A-9 Kandy-Jaffna highway. The area is under guerrilla control. The LTTE accused the Army's Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol (LRRP) for the attack. The Army, however, denied the accusation.

Mr. Prabhakaran's appearance, interesting enough, for not more than 15 minutes, amidst reports of his death, injury or amputation of a leg was witnessed by a handful. Among them were 13 MPs of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA). None of them was willing to speak on the record about how the events unfolded. Yet, The Sunday Times was able to piece together how it took place. This corrects some of the references to TNA parliamentarians on this page last week.

Thirteen TNA parliamentarians crossed the Omanthai entry- exit point in the morning of Friday March 7. Twelve of them had driven with their Police bodyguards from Colombo. One of them joined the group in Vavuniya. They left their bodyguards behind at the checkpoint and proceeded. A little distance into the A-9 highway past the LTTE checkpoint at Omanthai, armed guerrilla teams escorted them to Kilinochchi. There Thangan, deputy leader of the LTTE Political Wing, received the MPs. Later, they were escorted to "Tank View," the Guest House near the sluice gates of the Iranamadu Irrigation Tank run by the LTTE. The MPs spent the night there.

On Saturday morning, the body of Mr Sivanesan was taken from Kilinochchi to his home town of Mallavi. Thereafter, it was taken from village to village including Puthukudiyiruppu and Mullaitivu. Around 5.30 p.m. it was brought to the Kalachara Mandapam (Cultural Hall) in Kilinochchi for the public to pay their respects. Around 8.30 p.m. it was removed from there.

At the same time, members of the family of late Mr. Sivanesan, his wife, four children and the 13 MPs were transported in a vehicle to a location outside Kilinochchi. The journey had lasted almost an hour. There, they were ushered inside a building. Around 10.30 p.m. those inside heard the loud roar of the engine of a vehicle. They were not sure whether it was a Jeep or a coach. Moments later, they saw armed men walking in.

First to walk in thereafter was the head of LTTE intelligence Pottu Amman (Shivshankar) followed by the leader of the Political Wing (and former guerrilla "Police Chief") Nadesan (Balasingham Mahendran). Thereafter, Tamilendhi, the head of Finance Wing and LTTE leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran followed. At least one TNA parliamentarian said his eyes "immediately focused on LTTE leader's leg to see whether he had been injured or was using an artificial leg. He walked normal."

Mr. Prabhakaran lit the traditional oil lamp and placed a garland of flowers on top of the glass-covered coffin that held Mr. Sivanesan's body. He stood with his head lowered and hands clasped in front thereafter observing a moment's silence. With that over, he spoke with Mrs. Sivanesan and then to TNA MPs. He was to tell them to meet the Political Wing leader Nadesan next morning to discuss issues related to them.

The LTTE leader's attention was drawn to TNA's newly named Parliamentarian, Mohamed Imam. He told him that his entry to Parliament would "strengthen unity" between Tamils and Muslims. Mr. Imam, a lawyer, had succeeded M.K. Eelaventhan, whose tenure of office expired after he was absent from Parliament for over three months without leave. Succeeding the Jaffna district parliamentarian is Solomon S. Cyril, a one time Co-operative Inspector by profession. Mr. Cyril and his family who lived in the Jaffna peninsula had visited Wanni but could not return. This was because the Muhamalai entry-exit point was closed on August 11, 2006. They had arrived in the area only three days earlier. Since then, they have been living in Kilinochchi.

Talking to him and other TNA MPs, Mr Prabharakan was to make some important comments relating to the ongoing fighting and related matters. He told them that it was his responsibility to cope with the latest campaign in the Wanni by the military. They should not worry about it. However, he asked TNA parliamentarians to highlight to "the outside world" what he called "the suffering undergone by people in the Wanni and the human rights violations that were being committed."

The entire episode had lasted not more than 15 minutes according to those present. All of them had to remain inside the hall until the LTTE leader and his entourage departed.

On Sunday, the TNA MPs and other key LTTE members travelled in a bus to Mallavi for the funeral. They returned to Kilinochchi. A meeting with Nadesan followed on Monday. Thereafter, the MPs returned to Colombo on Tuesday. On their return, they were held up at the checkpoint in Medawachchiya for nearly three hours. Their vehicles were subjected to an extensive search. That included removal of the upholstery of their vehicles. One of the parliamentarians said troops operating the checkpoint were polite and explained they were "carrying out orders from the top."

In Colombo, both in the security establishment and outside it, some were still sceptical that it was Mr. Prabhakaran who had made his appearance. They insisted it was someone else posing for him. Those in a service intelligence arm claimed that the guerrilla leader paid his respects to late Mr. Sivanesan inside a large underground bunker. However, accounts from TNA parliamentarians belie this claim.

The re-appearance of Mr. Prabhakaran is not without significance. The message he wanted to convey was that he is still very much in charge of his men and women in the face of speculation that he was badly wounded. How that will play in the battlefields and outside it, the coming weeks and months will tell.

Prabha reappears, seemingly very much in command