LTTE giving top priority to the East
The Sri Lanka Navy has complained that

The latest instance, it says, is early this week. According to a complaint made by the Navy to the "Peace Secretariat," two Sea Tiger boats, each fitted with three outboard motors (OBMs) had been carrying out firing practices. They were using 20 mm guns that are fixed to the boats.

Navy sources say the practice has been going on periodically since the signing of the Ceasefire Agreement on February 22.

They say the training exercises are being carried out closer to the coast, off the shores of Alampil.

The deep sea off Alampil is the southern boundary of the Navy's "Operation Waruna Kirana," the naval blockade that extends to the seas off Chalai (north of Mullaitivu) where a major Sea Tiger base is said to be located. The validity of this blockade itself, where a substantial part of the Navy's resources is being concentrated, has come to question in the past many months. If it was intended to halt Tiger guerrillas smuggling in weapons, the fact that they are resorting to other routes is now an open secret. That remains an important issue to be resolved by the defence establishment if the Navy's depleting resources are to be used wisely.

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On the question of the Sea Tiger training in the north eastern seas, it remains a difficult task for the "Peace Secretariat" to raise issue with the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM). Firstly, there is no specific provision in the Ceasefire Agreement to prevent either the Tiger guerrillas or the security forces to engage in training, or, in other words, to ensure their respective armed units remain in a state of preparedness. In fact both sides have embarked on training programmes though the degree of importance each has placed on the matter may vary. This aspect has been clearly demonstrated by the Tiger guerrillas since guns fell silent in the battlefields of the North and East after Christmas eve last year. In the Eastern Province, they embarked on an intensified recruitment campaign. Training followed this. Proof of how well this was accomplished could be seen in the LTTE videotapes of passing out parades aired by local and foreign television networks.

If the footage depicted these parades as ones similar to passing out parades of the security forces, with parents or next of kin of the recruits present, what it did not say was something significant. From a strength of 2,000 guerrilla cadres the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has succeeded in raising its strength in the Eastern Province to well over 7000. That is not all. During a visit to the Wanni six weeks ago, I learnt that all eastern cadres deployed in the Northern province were being sent back to their home ground.

Needless to say, the East has become an area of high priority for the LTTE. A process of consolidating its political and "civil administrative infrastructure" is going on at hectic pace. Evidently they want to equate conditions in guerrilla controlled areas in the East to that of the Wanni. Tax collection machinery is being put in place and police stations are being opened up. LTTE's intelligence wing leader, Pottu Amman, spent weeks in the East personally overseeing most of these matters. These developments are in marked contrast to the campaign the Sri Lanka Army launched between May 8 and June 30 to recruit 5000 soldiers. They were successful in recruiting only 470 or an average of nine per day during the 54 days. Army Commander Lt. Gen. Lionel Balagalle has explained to the Ministry of Defence that during previous recruitment campaigns, the minimum qualification had been set at Eighth Standard. However, during the last campaign, in view of the Ceasefire Agreement, it had been raised to two passes at the GCE (ordinary level) examination. This was in the hope that more would apply since there was a truce. A fresh campaign with revised qualification requirements is to be now launched beginning August 1.

The original target of recruiting 5000 soldiers was largely to meet urgent shortfalls created by recurring desertions. Defence Secretary Austin Fernando has gone on record as saying that there are a staggering 50,000 deserters from the Army. This is since the outbreak of the separatist war 19 years ago. The Sunday Times learnt that figures in the recent years stood at over 35,000, that is over a quarter of the total strength.

It is not only in this backdrop that one saw the outbreak of violence between Tamil and Muslim mobs in the Trincomalee and Batticaloa districts early this month. There was another major reason too. That is the shutting down of Army and Police Special Task Force (STF) camps located in various areas in the East thus creating a security vacuum which the defence establishment in Colombo has failed to monitor closely, perhaps because of the confidence that the truce had brought about. Coupled together with the inaction of the Police in most areas, the violence erupted unimpeded. So much so, Minister Milinda Moragoda, who was on a tour of the affected areas remarked in anger to a senior Police official "if you all can't do this, we might as well hand it over to the LTTE…"

A similar security vacuum has also occurred in the Jaffna peninsula with troops shutting down their camps in places of worship, most schools and public buildings. They have shifted to the nearest camp. Their re-deployment after setting up new camps will take considerable time. This is because the material to construct camps is now being shipped to the peninsula from Colombo. Construction work would have to begin only thereafter. This vacuum has denied the security forces dominance in the areas they held and also deprived intelligence gathering.

It took Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to appreciate the ground realities in the East, particularly after the recent violence. Last Friday, he chaired a top level conference at "Temple Trees" where consolidation of security in the East was discussed. Taking part were Defence Minister Tilak Marapana, Army Commander Lt. Gen. Lionel Balagalle, Navy Commander Vice Admiral Daya Sandagiri and Air Force Chief of Staff Air Vice Marshal Donald Perera, who assumes duties tomorrow as Commander.

The Sunday Times learns that Premier Wickremasinghe ordered a series of new security measures to be in place to ensure there is no eruption of fresh violence. Both the Army and the Special Task Force are to put in place these measures. Mr. Wickremesinghe has said he would review the working of these measures after he returns from his five-day visit to the United States. He is due to leave on July 20.

A team of CID detectives are now investigating the violence in the east to ascertain whether anyone, like political groups or organisations, instigated it. The probe comes amidst reports The Sunday Times has learnt of efforts by a group of Muslim youth to raise funds to procure weapons. It is the only way, they argue, they could protect themselves from attacks. The move is undoubtedly a serious poser for the State intelligence agencies, particularly in view of the ongoing peace process.

It is not only the Sri Lanka Navy that has raised issue with the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) through the "Peace Secretariat" over issues that worry them. A more significant matter has been raised by the Army concerning some serious developments arising out of their one time Safe House at Athurugiriya.

The saga of the Safe House is now over with a high level Police/CID finding it was used for legitimate purposes. (Situation Report - June 23). However, the reverberations caused by the raid conducted by then Superintendent of Police, Kulasiri Udugampola on January 2, this year, on this Safe House run by the Army's Directorate of Military Intelligence (DMI) continues.

On Friday, one of the DMI informants who helped in the safe house operations was walking along W.A. Silva Mawatha, (Pamankade end) when two persons travelling in a three- wheeler taxi pulled up close to him. One of them opened fire wounding him. He was rushed to the Kalubowila Hospital. Within hours news reached Army authorities that another attempt was to be made on the informant's life. Gunmen were to infiltrate the hospital. He was immediately shifted to a military hospital and is to undergo surgery.

Investigations have revealed that a microlight pistol had been used in the shooting. Tiger guerrilla cadres use this type of pistol. Its small size makes it handy to be carried. Guerrilla cadres who form the notorious "pistol gangs" have carried out several killings in the Jaffna peninsula using these microlight pistols. It is not clear whether guerrilla cadres themselves used this pistol during the Pamankade shooting or whether a gang was hired to carry out the task.

The Pamankade shooting comes just a week after two other incidents in the Batticaloa district. In one, Tiger guerrillas murdered a DMI informant who was helping in activities connected with the Safe House before the truce- to carry out assassination of guerrilla cadres or attacks on important guerrilla installations. In another incident, two DMI informants, who have been recruited to Army ranks, have been abducted. Senior Army officials say there is no trace of the duo. They argue that since the two men were recruited to the Army, they were now soldiers. They drew salaries and rations like all other soldiers. Hence, they contend the abduction was a violation of the Ceasefire Agreement.

Since the existence of the Safe House was confirmed following the Police raid, the LTTE has launched a crackdown on informants who helped the DMI. The guerrillas have branded all those helping the DMI as "traitors" and have vowed to "eliminate" them.

In the meanwhile Mr. Udugampola, now an ASP, is still continuing his own investigations into the Safe House episode, acting on a Court Order he had obtained earlier. It was only on May 22 that acting Inspector General of Police T.E. Anandarajah, directed Nimal Mediwaka, DIG (Central Range) to request Mr. Udugampola obtain permission from Senior DIG H.M.G.B. Kotakadeniya, (who has been tasked to supervise and conduct investigations) if the need arose to question any Army officer. This is to enable those concerned to be summoned through the Army Commander.

Early this week, acting on the earlier Court order, Mr. Udugampola continued his investigation. After obtaining permission from the Army Provost Marshal Maj. Gen. Ivan Dissanayake, he spoke to officials at the Directorate of Military Intelligence. He also perused official records at the DMI including Movement Orders for troops, issue of rations and other official records.

After the conclusion of the Police/CID inquiry, which was personally supervised by Senior DIG Kotakadeniya, following a directive from Interior Minister John Amaratunga, a report was handed over to the latter. In that report Mr. Kotakadeniya said "The inquiries conducted so far have established that the arms and ammunition that were found in the Safe House had been procured by the team of officers concerned by following the correct procedures that are followed by the Army. ….. the documents that were subsequently checked by the inquiring officers confirmed the stance taken by Captain N…… that the stock of weapons were in fact procured after following due process stipulated in the Army rules and regulations.

He added: "…. But it cannot be gainsaid that this team has in fact in the past been involved in such under cover operations, which has had a positive destabilising impact on the morale of the LTTE operatives in the east."

With Friday's shooting at Pamankade comes the news that guerrilla intelligence cadres have increased their presence in the City and suburbs to track down "traitors," or those linked with the conduct of the Safe House operations.

Now that the damage has been done to national security interests after the raid, senior Army officials say. it is incumbent on those in the security establishment to at least take some measures to save the lives of those who helped. Otherwise, it would be another great betrayal, they point out.

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