Before the
December 4 counter-attack that killed 152 commandos-LTTE cadres preparing
themselves somewhere in the jungle Wanni
Heavy rains continued to
lash Wanni last week severely restricting any advance by troops of “Operation
Jaya Sikurui” (or Victory Assured), who are now into their ninth month.
Overall Operations Commander (OOC) Major General Srilal Weerasuriya, does not want his men to just mark time until the rains recede. Under his instructions, field commanders are busy ensuring troops consolidate the positions held by them.
The idea is to thwart any possible LTTE counter attacks whilst Opposition parliamentarians raised issue about the latest deadline.
UNP’s Kandy district MP Mano Wijeratne quoted The Situation Report in last week’s The Sunday Times to say OOC Maj. Gen. Weerasuriya had explained the practical difficulties in meeting the February 4 deadline.
Earlier, UNPs Dr. Sarath Amunugama observed that repeated deadlines given by Deputy Defence Minister Gen. Anuruddha Ratwatte was eroding the Government’s credibility.
Responding to these remarks, Gen. Ratwatte noted that deadlines were being fixed to make the troops to try to stick to them. “But deadlines can always be changed according to circumstances,” he declared.
Whether this means that Gen. Ratwatte’s latest deadline will also be changed according to circumstances will be known by February 4. But his latest self imposed deadline was more significant than the ones he has imposed previously. Since the launch of “Operation Jaya Sikurui”, it is no secret that he placed deadlines on a number of occasions, but most of them to his own military commanders. Some of them who expressed reservations of keeping to the deadlines received new postings.
But this time around, the deadline has not been placed on the military commanders. Gen. Ratwatte made a public declaration at an impromptu press conference (and dinner) he gave the Foreign Correspondents Association at his residence on December 11. He was categorical in his assertion that the linking of the land based Main Supply Route to Jaffna through Kilinochchi would be achieved by February 4.
“At any cost, we have to re-unify the country. Those who scoff at our plans are in for a shock,” he said. Gen. Ratwatte was also confident he would shake hands with the LTTE leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran, after “we beat him.”
And last Tuesday he was making it known that deadlines can always be changed according to circumstances. As the political leader running the military machine against the LTTE, Gen. Ratwatte, would undoubtedly know what the new circumstances are - circumstances that may make it difficult to achieve his own self imposed deadline. He has not made them public. Perhaps by February 4, the nation will be told why another of the deadlines could not be achieved and why, the separatist war, should therefore continue.
But even before Gen. Ratwatte made the public declaration that made world news, senior military commanders conversant with the ongoing separatist war had no doubt a February 4 deadline was not feasible. And last week, some of their apprehensions became abundantly clear as the security establishment began to undertake newer responsibilities.
The first major task, besides the ongoing “Operation Jaya Sikurui”, were the security precautions to ensure a trouble free conduct of local polls in the north - one that is turning out to be a mini general election in the area. That in the backdrop of a reported infiltration of senior LTTE cadres into the peninsula on missions to assassinate contestants and to disrupt the poll. A sizable number had entered the peninsula from Vavuniya and Kilinochchi areas.
It was only last Wednesday evening security forces shot dead LTTE’s newest leader for Thenmaratchi who operated under the nom de guerre “Anandan.” The circumstances leading to his death underscored LTTE’s renewed presence and increased activity in the area.
A senior military official who visited the security forces headquarters in Palaly was returning to his Brigade Headquarters just after sunset when his vehicle came under fire. His escorts opened fire killing “Anandan.” In the ensuing gun battle, two soldiers were killed but the senior official had a miraculous escape.
Troops withdrawn from the Jaffna peninsula were inducted into “Operation Jaya Sikurui” when political leaders felt it would help expedite its conclusion. However, a substantial part of them are now being re-inducted into the peninsula for the polls. For obvious reasons one cannot discuss numbers or other details.
The security forces Commander for Jaffna, Major General Lionel Balagalle, has assured government leaders that adequate security precautions would be taken to ensure a violence-free poll. However, a senior military official in Jafffna said yesterday “we cannot prevent every single incident. We will make sure there is no organised violence to mar the polls.”
He admitted that there had been an increase in the level of infiltration but added troops were “adequately prepared” to meet threats posed by them.
Other sources in the peninsula said the LTTE stepped up a campaign last week to infuse fear into the public over the local polls. State officials received letters from the LTTE signed by a “Thooyavan” warning that they would face (Atthi Uchcha Thandanai) the maximum punishment. Last Friday also saw the emergence of anonymous posters, suspected to be LTTE, urging students to give up enjoying life and join the struggle.”
Security precautions in the Jafffna peninsula have already been stepped up for another major event in the coming week - the re-opening of the Jaffna Public Library. A Government VIP, whose identity is being kept a close secret, is to declare open the Library on January 14, Thai Pongal Day.
By last week there were additional demands on the security establishment in the north. Some of the parties contesting the local polls - the Eelam People’s Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF) and the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation (TELO) - are demanding that cadres of the Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP) who are in control of islands off the Jaffna peninsula be disarmed.
For the second time they made the request during a meeting with the Commissioner of Elections, Mr. Dayananda Dissanayake, on Friday. The administration and control of the islands have remained in the hands of the EPDP for the past several years.
EPRLF MP Suresh Premachandran told The Sunday Times that during a meeting with the Polls Chief on December 30, he had agreed to see that EPDP cadres are disarmed so other parties could indulge in polls campaigning in the islands. “However, no action has been taken so far. So we have re-iterated our appeal,” he said.
In a bid to diffuse the situation, EPDP leader, Douglas Devananda, who was also at the meeting had invited other parties to come to the islands and conduct their polls campaign. He has said the EPDP would even provide security for them. The offer, however, has not met with the favourable response.
Disarming EPDP cadres in the outlying islands of the Jaffna peninsula will be a knotty problem for the security authorities. Even if the Commissioner of Elections determines on such a course of action, how he will enforce it remains to be seen. Whilst such a situation appears extremely remote, disarming EPDP cadres would lead to the inevitable need to re-inforce troops into those areas - once again a move that will deplete strength inducted into “Operation Jaya Sikurui.”
Added to that demand is the forthcoming 50th anniversary independence celebrations in Kandy. Despite the scaling down of some major events following intelligence warnings, at least a company from every battalion has been requested to be on hand in Kandy. The only exception, however, are to be troops in the northern sector.
Elaborate plans are under way for a security forces parade during ceremonies in Kandy to mark independence. The move has prompted the Ministry of Defence to strengthen security elsewhere, particularly in the City where there has been increasing indications of attempts by the LTTE to trigger off violence.
On Friday, the Panadura Police detected three suicide jackets and other items believed to belong to the LTTE. They were found inside a private bus which had just come to park after a trip from Pettah.
Police believe LTTE cadres had boarded the private bus in Pettah with the items and dismounted when the bus had been stopped at a checkpoint. The driver of the bus was being questioned by the Police yesterday.
Besides the three suicide jackets, Police also found a variety of other items in the private bus - two 9 mm pistols, one a Chinese and the other British, 149 rounds of 9 mm ammunition, four kilogram of explosives and six grenades.
Police believe LTTE cadres were transporting this to a City suburb where cadres may have been planning a strike on a target.
Police have found an important clue - a cell phone left behind with the suicide jackets. They were busy yesterday tracing the owner of the phone to ascertain how it fell into the hands of the LTTE.
From the coming week, stricter security precautions are being enforced in the city and suburbs by the newly set up Operations Command Secretariat in Colombo. This re-activated unit is headed by Major General Jaliya Nammuni.
The new measures, an official explained yesterday, would be effective until independence celebrations are over. The measures included enhanced checks and patrols in the city and suburbs.
Whichever way one looks at the developing situation, it is volatile and pregnant with varying threats.
Adding to the direct destabilising effect of the armed conflict itself are other pressures arising from the measures being initiated by the Government to demonstrate that they are making political progress in the overall dimensions of the north east conflict.
These measures have attracted their own set of threats and instabilities.
It is still too early to predict the extent these threats will affect the country. The next few weeks therefore are critical and will bring to a head the many facets of conflict which exit in the wheels within wheels situation of the political spectrum.
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