With the eviction of the LTTE from Batticaloa and the Tigers' eventual collapse in the Thoppigala jungle area (Barron's Rock) on July 11, the expulsion of the LTTE from their strongholds in the province has been complete although it continues to be present as a guerilla force.
Well before these military successes, outlining the strategy of the Sri Lanka Army early January, SLA commander Lieutenant-General Fonseka said, "After eradicating the Tigers from the east, full strength will be used to rescue the north." Such words have been repeated by the Defense Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa who said the next target for the troops is to re-capture Wanni from the Tamil Tigers after the military victories in the east.
This broad perspective has been powerfully underlined by President Mahinda Rajapakse, who in July vowed to "wipe out" the LTTE from the Northern Province, declaring that blunting the rebels' military prowess was the only way to achieve permanent peace in the country. The President's assertions have found strong support among his political allies and constituencies, principally within the Sinhala right. There has been little support by the international community for the actions taken by the President.
Analysts argue that if the government wishes to have more international pressure applied on the LTTE, the government could consider changing its currently restrictive policy on international contacts with the LTTE. It should be noted that Karuna’s defection from the LTTE occurred during the peace process, when he was receiving much international exposure as a result of the peace talks that took place in that period.
Instead of large scale military operations by the regular armed forces on the lines practiced by the government, the emphasis now appears be on more low profile operations by the special forces of the military. On the part of the LTTE there is a full scale human mobilization for a war that has, and is continuing to take a huge toll on the people living within the areas of their control. People in those areas are living in a condition of fear and depression especially regarding the fate of their children. The LTTE is reportedly demanding fresh sacrifice from the people, this time a second person from each family to join their ranks.
The fighting in the north have been reported from areas such as Mannar, Mulativu, Poonaryn areas and has resulted in hundreds of deaths of LTTE cadres and soldiers as well as civilians caught in the crossfire.
In Colombo, hundreds of Sri Lankans, many carrying photos of their abducted relatives, tearfully demanded in a recent demonstration that the government investigate the fates of scores of minority Tamils who have ‘disappeared’ across the country in recent months.
Arrest followed when a bomb was found in a hostel in Colombo. Those that were arrested coincidentally were the same people who had filed a court case against the authorities for evicting them from the capital earlier.
Aid workers honored the 17 colleagues from ACF killed execution-style a year ago Monday in Muthur, demanding that the government bring their killers to justice. So far, there has been no progress in the investigation. Meanwhile, Rajiva Wijesingha, head of the government's peace secretariat displayed his attitude to the matter when he sent a letter to Sri Lanka's human rights minister blaming the tragedy on the ‘utter irresponsibility’ of the aid group in putting its workers at risk.
A human rights report by Human Rights Watch said the government indiscriminately attacked civilian areas, stopped aid deliveries and turned a blind eye when allied forces recruited child soldiers. It also stated that more than 1,100 abductions or disappearances were reported between January 2006 and June 2007, and blamed many of them on the government and its armed allies. Another 315,000 people were forced to flee the violence, the report said. The government responded by calling the findings largely unconfirmed and unsubstantiated allegations and outdated information.
Violence in the north will most likely trigger more displacement. Already, hundreds of ethnic Sinhalese civilians fled three villages in northern Sri Lanka, claiming the government had failed to protect them from attacks by Tamil Tiger rebels. Vavuniya is an ethnic Tamil-majority district in northern Sri Lanka and there are many Sinhalese villages on its southern parts. Some areas in the northern part are under Tamil Tiger rebels.
The army officially informed the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) that the Karuna group has to be disarmed for restoration of normalcy in the east. The intimation acquires importance after the recent Government announcement that it intends to hold local elections in the east. Days after the Governments announcement there were reports of clashes between the cadres of the Karuna group and the Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP). The SLMM also said in their latest weekly assessment report that they had received complaints of army involvement in abductions in the north.
The United Nations after the United States also called upon Sri Lanka to disarm the Karuna faction operating in the east and to ensure safety and security for aid workers and residents. It also urged Colombo to investigate accusations of human rights abuses and urgently conclude probes into the killings of 30 aid workers in the last 18 months. This month unknown gunmen shot dead a Tamil staff member of the Danish Demining Group as part of the rash of aid worker killings on the island.
With the HRC session in Geneva in sight, Sri Lanka appointed a panel to investigate allegations that its military has helped an armed group recruit child soldiers to fight the LTTE. The committee was appointed following a commitment made to the U.N. Security Council in February that ‘independent and credible investigations’ will be held over allegations against government forces. In November, Allan Rock, the U.N. special representative for children and armed conflict on Sri Lanka, had alleged that government forces were helping and at times directly participating in child conscription for Karuna militia. The government, at the time, flatly denied any military involvement.
The aftermath of the eastern military operations shows that the eviction of the LTTE has not brought normalcy back to the lives of the people of the east. Tens of thousands have yet to be resettled, and tens of thousands find that their homes are either destroyed or damaged beyond their capacity to repair. In addition, with the threat of LTTE infiltration back into those areas still high, the east continues to be highly militarized and life is insecure for the people. Serious harassment and violence is reported to be inflicted on civilian populations by multiplying armed groups, sometimes in indiscriminate or unpredictable ways. This information is particularly difficult to confirm in areas with restricted access.
The work of NP
Teams in Batticaloa district are experiencing more activity by political groups in the district due to possibility of elections later on this year. The possibility of election has already started to create tensions between Muslim and Tamils. NPSL has stepped up their engagement with political groups such as EPDP and increased their interaction with the TMVP and to gain greater capacity as possible bridge builder in case of further tensions and violence.
The requests that NPSL receives remain similar which is an indication that the situation continues to be very insecure. NPSL responded to requests for safe places for youth and accompaniments including to the police to file complaints. In August, the Peace Committee became active and sought the engagement with police on the security situation including children abducted by armed groups after a meeting with NPSL and its local partners. The key for the peace committee is to build enough momentum and more consistent sustainable interaction with the authorities which can be achieved by including new members to complement the efforts of the older community leadership currently in place. NPSL will soon be able to follow the response to child recruitment by others better due to the introduction of a new tracking and response system with a focus on family support.
IDPs continue to get resettled to Trincomalee but many are unable to return because their villages have been turned into high security zones. Others who returned are not able to access their paddy land or cannot fish due to security restrictions. There is increased fear of what the media has started to describe as ‘Sinhalasation’ of Tamil areas. In one case, a Hindu temple had been destroyed and Buddhist temple had been erected it its place. NPSL also received reports of human rights violations in the newly resettled areas which are inaccessible for most organizations. NPSL is now seeking permission to enter the areas that formerly were controlled by LTTE. It has already received an endorsement by the government agent, the highest local authority in the district, but the army is the authority that will eventually need to grant the permission.
The Trincomalee district is also experiencing more presence by the TMVP that has opened several more offices although internal rivalries may affect their permanent stay. Reduced NPSL capacity in August made it more difficult to follow up on the ongoing activities. NPSL carried out several accompaniments for its partners. In conjunction with ICRC and UNICEF it was involved in the protection of a widow whose children had been forcibly taken by one of the armed groups. More safety options for children in such a situation have been identified and a new initiative on a peace house serving children has been discussed with some of the local religious leaders. Linkages between various human rights actors with mechanisms in Colombo were explored together with the team in Colombo. The reduced capacity of NPSL in August allowed it to concentrate on relationship building with authorities in the district.
There is further military build-up in Jaffna which also translates in increased pressure on the local population. Shelling took place near the lagoon and at one point the small airport in Jaffna was targeted at the same time when NPSL staff was waiting to enter the plane to return to Colombo. The people have again begun to stock-up food and other items mostly because the prices continue to go up. More people come to the NPSL office requesting advice when they have to report to the SLA/SLN. NPSL also prepared itself together with local partners for peace day in September when a large number of peace activities are planned. This has increased the overall confidence of the local people involved in the planning.
The team in Colombo expanded its network further through extensive meetings with groups and individuals in Colombo that are in a position to advocate and offer concrete assistance in case of people affected by violence in the east and north, e.g. safe places. It was involved with several cases that came from the field and has started building a safety net around the people through its network of contacts and relationships. Some involve asylum cases and others more temporary safety. Through such activities more people have become familiar with the work of NPSL in Colombo and there is a greater willingness to support and get involved. Higher level relationships with foreign representations have also been strengthened. More specific connections were made for local partners in Trinco as part of the Colombo Response Teams’s efforts to connect the field with networks in Colombo. As a concrete result, in a case involving a disappearance the victims were helped through counseling and they received legal representation.
The report on conflict related displacement that NPSL contributed to was finally released. Translations are being prepared for feedback to the communities that raised their voice about their plight. NPSL has been asked by some of the Colombo human rights actors to contribute to advocacy activities on child protection and other issues for the session of the Human Rights Council and the report on UN Security Council resolution 1612 together. NPSL is in the process of hiring several programme support coordinators for its offices in the field. All teams completed the first aid training in August.
Report written by Marcel Smits (Project Director) and Christine Schweitzer (Programme Director)