The Situation Report

31st May 1998

News blackout until substantial gains are made

By Iqbal Athas

When a young man who had begun to make a fortune in Japan arrived in Colombo in November, last year, he had only one thing in mind.

He wanted to marry his childhood girl friend and return to the land of the cherry blossom for a memorable honeymoon. The wedding ceremony was fixed for May 20 but the man fell into the hands of the Police on May 14.

It turned out that he was a young lieutenant in the Army. He had deserted ranks and gone to Japan in January, 1995, to earn a living.

Instead of a grand wedding ceremony at a City hotel and a grander honeymoon overseas, the young man found himself on a Sri Lanka Air Force AN 32 flight to Palaly.

From an Army camp there, he persuaded senior officials to allow him a telephone call to Colombo. He broke the news to his fiancee that he would not be there to walk the aisle with her. The wedding would have to be put off.

The young lieutenant was one of some 1,200 deserters who have so far arrived in Palaly after being rounded up in a countrywide search by the Police.

A further 800 are awaiting their turn to be flown to Jaffna as the manhunt for deserters continued.

Another deserter posted to the Wanni defences defences made his exit from the front lines on May 22 and gave himself up to an LTTE camp.

The man was reportedly detained for three days. Later, in what appeared to be a carefully planned propaganda effort, the soldier was handed over to the ICRC with the specific request that he be returned to his parents.

In yet another instance, a claim made by a deserter arrested and sent to Jaffna turned out to be false. He claimed had been rounded up soon after he dismounted the Poruwa after marriage and said his wife had committed suicide.

Concerned by the soldier's claim, senior officials prepared to put the soldier on a flight to Colombo for his wife's funeral. In the meanwhile they also checked on the veracity of the soldier's claim and found it to be false. The man had married four months earlier and the wife was very mush alive.

Besides a would be groom who dreamt of a new married life in Japan, there was a wide array of vocations the soldiers who unilaterally terminated their enlistment had chosen. That included drivers, barbers, cooks, private security men, watchers at casinos, construction workers, food vendors and a few who tried to bring in an element of sophistication to crime with the skills they learnt.

All of them were now being put through an orientation course to help them become fully fledged soldiers. That is in a far corner of a security forces camp in the Jaffna peninsula. Every morning they go through the rigors of training.

Once they are through, they are to be posted to various tasks in the peninsula, an area from which any form of desertion is virtually impossible. Needless to say once their programme of rehabilitation is over, they will add to the much needed security forces strength to counter the increasing level of LTTE influence in the Jaffna peninsula.In the wake of the killings of Brigadier Larry Wijeratne and the Mayoress of Jaffna, Sarojini Yogeswaran, within just a week, there have been rising evidence of LTTE plans to destabilise the Jaffna peninsula.

An LTTE cadre operating under the nom de guerre Thooyavan is said to have had meetings with businessmen, Government officials and some members of the public from a hideout in Pungudutivu, an island south west of the peninsula which is linked by a causeway.

He had warned businessmen to desist from giving advertisements to the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation's (SLBC) Tamil FM service - a popular radio station operating from Jaffna. State sector employees and civilians have been warned not to speak publicly about development work or help publicise them in the media.

There have been reports of a build-up of two separate LTTE groups in Nager Kovil (Vadamaratchi) and Eluthumaduwal (in Thenmaratchi) areas. Residents arriving from Jaffna say they suspect these groups have been tasked to take on targets and carry out assassinations. They also say some categories of State sector employees have also been warned to keep away from work.

These developments came in a week which saw the resumption of "Operation Jaya Sikurui" (Victory Assured). The operation began at an auspicious hour after 5 a.m. on Thursday but the fullest thrust of the offensive was yet to commence. The immediate objective is to seize the strategic Mankulam junction. Troops were advancing on two fronts in what appeared to be a move to encircle Mankulam.

By yesterday, at least eleven soldiers were killed and over 200 were wounded. Officials at the Operational Headquarters of the Ministry of Defence said they estimated "at least 35" guerrillas killed and added that troops had advanced a considerable distance. They were confident they would reach Mankulam within the next 72 few days despite heavy enemy resistance.

Details of the operation were being clouded in top secrecy with no reports reaching either Army Headquarters or the rear headquarters in the Wanni. The authorities have decided on a news blackout until substantial gains are made. Hence there will be no regular news releases or announcements.

The LTTE's London based "International Secretariat" claimed its cadres had "beaten back" the security forces advances from positions south of Munrumurippu (south west of Mankulam). It said the second front of security forces advance was from west of Ampakamam (north east of Mankulam).

The resumption of "Operation Jaya Sikurui" saw Vavuniya coming under a heavy security cordon. This northern town which is home for the Joint Operations Headquarters (JOH) that is directing the ongoing operation has been placed under a high level of alert. All leave of personnel serving in security forces establishments in Vavuniya has been cancelled until further notice.

The move followed intelligence reports that the LTTE planned attacks in the area, particularly at security forces positions between Vavuniya and Mannar. This was seen as an attempt to divert their attention from "Operation Jaya Sikurui", particularly since a concerted bid is being made this time to re-capture Mankulam. Residents in Vavuniya said they could hear the burst of heavy artillery barrages. They said helicopter movements continued both day and night. They were evacuating casualties.

Security forces top brass have taken up position at the JOC in Vavuniya and are closely monitoring the operation. These developments came as the defence establishment in Colombo was busy with a number of other measures. Main among them is a full overhaul of the country's intelligence gathering machinery.

The National Intelligence Bureau (NIB), the premier state intelligence organisation, is to be bifurcated.One arm of the agency is expected to deal with intelligence gathering internally whilst the other is to focus on extenal matters.

The two proposed units are to not only draw the best trained talent in intelligence gathering but will also see the racall of some retired personnel who are known to have expertise in this field.

The local arm will co-opt those from the existing security forces intelligence units. The external unit which is to be vested with the task of formally liaising with their counterparts world-wide will also see local officials serving in some important world capitals.

Two retired Inspectors General of Police are being strongly tipped to head the two intelligence organisations.

One is a specialist in intelligence matters whilst the other is working in a consultant capacity assisting the government in security and intelligence related matters.

The present Inspector General of Police, W.B. Rajaguru's term of office expires on June 16. Defence Ministry sources say he will not receive a further extension though strong moves are afoot to have him continue until the end of the SAARC summit in July. These sources said such a move was highly unlikely since Mr. Rajaguru has come under severe criticism from senior Government leaders in the past months over a number of issues. A successor is yet to be formally named but three DIGs are being identified as contenders - Kingsley Wickremasuriya, Dharmadasa Silva and Lucky Kodituwakku.

T.V. Sumanasekera, DIG (CID) is expected to relinquish office in July when his term expires. He is being strongly tipped to be a Deputy Director General in one of the two intelligence organisations that are being set up. Punya de Silva, DIG, who is now Director of the National Intelligence Bureau is being mentioned as his likely successor.

Another development is the response the three member Committee appointed to inquire into the irregularities in the procurement of military aircraft, weapons and equipment to the Sri Lanka Air Force received to its public appeal.

The appeal came in the form of an advertisement calling for written representations on matters of "specific relevance" with regard to allegations "as to whether any items so procured were outdated or found unsuitable for Military operations and as to whether payments for the services of any Pilots, or the training of Pilots were excessive."

The former Commander of the Air Force, Air Marshal Oliver Ranasinghe, his confidante and successor, Air Marshal Jayalath Weerakkody, have written to the Commission seeking to make representations. So has Global Omarus Technologies Pte. Ltd, the Singapore based company which supplied the non air worthy MI 24 helicopters in February, 1996.

The Committee is headed by Christie Silva, former Secretary to the Ministry of Health and comprises I. M. Liyanage, former High Court Judge and Vice Admiral Asoka de Silva, a former Commander of Sri Lanka Navy. A.N.R. Ameratunga, Senior Assistant Secretary (Police) in the Ministry of Defence is functioning as its Secretary.

In all the Committee is learnt to have received ten written public representations. However, none of them, I understand, have complied with the specific requirement of the Committee to make "written submissions on "matters of specific relevance."

However, they have offered to place specific matters before the Committee. It is likely that their requests will be allowed.

The Committee is at present hearing testimony of Air Vice Marshal K. St. Elmo Perera, Director, Logistics of the SLAF with regard to procurements and related matters.

AVM Perera is also appearing in a disciplinary inquiry before I.M. Liyanage, High Court Judge.

The matter relates to his suspension from service over an MI 24 helicopter purchase deal. Mr. Liyanage has referred to the Ministry of Defence a request by AVM Perera to be represented by a lawyer and sought representation from the Attorney General's Department.

Amidst inquiries into the SLAF, the re-organising of the intelligence apparatus and focus given to re attract deserters, the Government appears to be giving a low profile to "Operation Jaya Sikurui" at least at for the moment.

The absence of the usual propaganda hype and the re commencement of operations has been significantly lacking.

Whether this is due to a new look modesty or as a result of "Operation Jaya Sikurui" not getting into the full swing until the declared 12,000 deserter surrendees are re-inducted is yet uncertain.

Fifth Column

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