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The SLMM monitors belonging to the EU countries had all pulled out by the end of last week. The mission has downsized its operations with only twenty monitors, all Norwegian, operating in the country and just fourteen of them based in the North and East.Though ten more monitors from Iceland will be arriving within the next week, the mission will be downsized to just 30 monitors in comparison with its previous 57. The new Head of Mission Lars Johan Sølvberg and the new Chief of Staff Jon Oskar Solnes are also expected within the week.

“We have been taking small steps to merge our offices because the mission is downsizing,” SLMM spokesperson Thorfinnur Omarsson said. This has resulted in SLMM district offices reducing from six to four. The liaison office in Killinochchi will continue to operate.

Speaking of operating with the amalgamation of offices, Mr. Omarsson said it is working well though there is more work allocated to each monitor because of the downsizing. The monitors are operating as usual acting as mobile units patrolling their areas of responsibility.

He also said that while the SLMM strongly objected to the LTTE’s demand that monitors from EU countries withdraw leaving only Norwegian and Icelandic monitors, the methods of operation will not change at all.

“At the moment there are no changes in operations and it will be up to the new Head of Mission to decide on future plans and changes in SLMM operations,” Mr. Omarsson said. The offices in Batticaloa and Ampara will both be operated from Ampara. Similarly, those in Mannar and Vavuniya will be operated from Vavuniya.

“The monitors for Trincomalee returned but they will be operating from Habarana till the situation in Trincomalee improves,” he said.

The SLMM regrouped in Colombo last month and on August 24 the remaining monitors returned to their districts.