Jungle Telegraph

23rd May 1999

Tiger move in Jaffna

Senior military officials say Tiger guerrillas are planning a 'civil disobedience' campaign in the Jaffna peninsula.

Infiltrated cadres are setting the stage for such a move. However, they say it may not receive widespread public support.

PLOT, TELO clash

Alia's remarks in these columns (Time Bombs - May 9) about PLOT and TELO cadres bracing themselves to fight it out became a reality last week.

PLOT gunmen shot dead three TELO cadres in the heart of Colombo. TELO hit back by gunning down four PLOT cadres in Vavuniya, the home base of the two groups.

Now the Army in Vavuniya have withdrawn weapons issued to both parties. As a result, troops have been compelled to give protection to both PLOT and TELO camps by setting up road blocks nearby.

The move comes in the backdrop of comments PLOT leader, Manikkadasan made in an interview with a weekly newspaper in Colombo. He said, among other things, that Army was still the main enemy of PLOT. That is not all. He said PLOT's goal was to set up Thamileelam.

Manhunt

Police in the hill country have launched a manhunt for five 'self confessed' Tiger guerrillas.

The men, three from Batticaloa and two from Mannar, surrendered to the authorities and were undergoing "rehabilitation" at a Government centre in Bandarawela, which is said to house over 100 LTTE suspects.

Road blocks in the hill country have been given their identities and a probe is now under way to ascertain how they escaped.

Who's telling whom?

It was only early this month Sri Lanka joined the world to observe media freedom day.

Now comes the news that super sleuths have launched a 'major operation' to hunt for the news sources of selected scribes and those dubbed 'media activists.' They want to find out who is telling what to whom.

Snoopers are busy not only on the telephones but are also trailing some on foot and even in motor cycles, in typical Pink Panther fashion.

These men are not doing it for 'summa' (or free) as they call it. They are paid in the name of national security. But the modus operandi is so clumsy they give the show away.

Despite the witch hunt, open source intelligence (in the media) is what is still being fed to those who matter in very large doses. Reports of who said (or wrote) what fill the voluminous 'int reports.' Media personnel receive regular mention for the notes of caution they sound. Yet, the hunt is on.

Little wonder Prabhakaran and his boys get away with their antics when they want to. There are not many spies behind him. More are chasing the media !!!

Is all this part of a pattern? Well, only time will tell.

Special Assignment

Editorial/Opinion Contents