The LTTE Operational Head Quarters established in Valikamam West to control the activities of the recently liberated Jaffna peninsula and the northern islands has heightened their political and economic activities.
The LTTE strategy is to disrupt the civil administration currently being established in the liberated areas by both militant and "means other than war". "The LTTE has killed several public officials, intimidated many, and warned others", said a senior Tamil government official who was in Colombo last week.
The official who did not wish to identify himself said, "The people in Colombo think that we are pro- LTTE. No we are not. We are tired of the LTTE. The LTTE is not the solution to our problem. The LTTE is part of the problem."
The official said, " The lack of a comprehensive government strategy to control the north-east has enabled the LTTE to make inroads. As Tamils, whether we like the LTTE or not, we have to live in the north. If the government has a comprehensive plan and a consistent policy, the Tamils will also fearlessly support the government over the LTTE."
Pinpointing at the Kumaratunga administration, he added, "We are prepared to oppose the LTTE, but are you?" "You have not even proscribed the LTTE, " he concluded.
Valikamam West is the only area in the Jaffna peninsula that has not been cleared. This area has given the LTTE a base to not only control the activities of the peninsula but also the seas.
Most of the government officials - from teachers to grama sevakas - live in Valikamam West. Operating out of Valikamam West, the LTTE controls the political and economic activities of the peninsula.
The best is an example concerning the prices of commodities. The LTTE has instructed the traders in the militarily recovered areas to sell goods at a higher price. In the LTTE controlled or dominated areas the prices are much less.
A second example illustrates the depth of the problem. Recently, the school children were told that the Colombo government provides uniform material only to the Sinhala children and that President Kumaratunga only cares about the children in the south.
A military officer who was following the events personally intervened and ensured that a large stock of school uniform material was received by the schools in the peninsula.
An education officer in the north, who was under pressure by the LTTE, prevented the distribution of the uniform material at the request of the LTTE. The education officer gave a number of excuses and finally said he had to wait until his minister came from Colombo to distribute the material.
The education officer later confided to a Tamil colleague that he was under instructions from the LTTE.
Similarly, the LTTE has pressured bank, education (including teachers), agriculture, administrative and other officials into disrupting administrative control by the government.
The CWE goods have also come under the control of the LTTE. A CWE official said, "If we get 100 bicycles, 25 will be kept on the shelf and 75 are sold to the traders." "The LTTE forces us to sell goods to the black market", he added.
Since recently, the LTTE has been summoning public officials at night to Valikamam West. Recently, the LTTE had even conducted a meeting in Valikamam West for a considerable number of officials and spelled out a common strategy to destabilise the writ of the government in the north.
While the civilian branches of government has failed to develop a comprehensive plan to thwart LTTE pressures, the military branches and the civilian branches have failed to work closely towards a common objective.
Had there been close co-operation, the problem would have been identified and the military would have realized the importance of clearing and holding Valikamam West.
In guerrilla warfare, holding or rather dominating strategic territory is vital. The cradle of northern insurgency is Jaffna. The Tamil history, culture and aspirations are all in the peninsula. The control of the peninsula is central.
Although it is militarily vital to conduct operations into the mainland to keep the LTTE under pressure, it is equally important to clear the peninsula completely. In strategic terms the latter is more important than the former because the stretch from Elephant Pass to Kilinochchi is not densely populated.
In counter insurgency strategy, it is imperative to hold ground with people. Counter insurgency is an exercise at winning the people. It will be impossible to dominate the peninsula, without capturing Valikamam West.
LTTE sea traffic has increased since the military withdrew from Pooneryn. Pooneryn was established in September 1991 by General Denzil Kobbekaduwa, who was killed by the LTTE , as a prelude to striking Jaffna.
Pooneryn is an important buffer between the peninsula and the mainland. Withdrawal from Pooneryn weakens peninsular security. Had the military in Pooneryn conducted at least limited offensive operations, the need to withdraw from Pooneryn would not have arisen.
The military's flawed concept of remaining in camps for greater security has weakened national security.
LTTE boats have been observed moving from Kalmunai point and Pooneryn pass, the islands of Punguduthivu and Karathivu and landing in the causeway point of Punnalai. Withdrawal from the Nagar Kovil point has facilitated these boat movements further.
While the government must instruct the navy to develop force structures to fight the LTTE instead of expanding their conventional fleet, the government must also call for close co-operation between the military and the civilian branches in the north.
According to a senior military official, "All villages must be adopted by the military companies. This is central in counter insurgency. Not only their security, but also the military must ensure their other critical needs." "This will help to identify and isolate the LTTE totally from the north," he added.
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