By Ranga Jayasuriya
The fourth Eelam war has entered a decisive stage with troops moving as close as four kilometres of Kilinochchi city limits, the administrative headquarters of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. Last week, Army Commander Lt. Gen Sarath Fonseka went on record, claiming at a book launch by journalist Tissa Ravindra Perera, that troops would fire the first salvos at guerillas defending the town next week. Some military units are in the vicinity of the southern perimeters of Kilinochchi and troops are in sight of city buildings there.
Past battles
On Friday, troops of the 57 Division captured Kokavil, south of Kilinochchi for the first time since 1990. On June 11, 1990, the Kokavil military camp - which housed 69 men commanded by young Lt. Saliya Upul Aladeniya - came under LTTE attack. The fall of Kokavil in 1990 was a fiasco in a long list of past military blunders. But, it also highlighted the valour of troops who fought to the last man.
Lt. Aladeniya, and his two platoons were assigned to the Rupavahini relaying station in Kokavil. His troops, outnumbered by LTTE cadres, fought for 14 days despite running short of food, water and ammunition. When Aladeniya was finally requested by his company commander Major Nihal Wijesuriya to pull out from the camp, the young Lieutenant declined saying he had so many wounded men and that he would never abandon them. An hour later, he radioed Major Wijesuriya to say that the camp had been surrounded by the LTTE and that defending it was no longer possible. He urged his superior to send air force fighter jets to bomb the camp. He chose to die while seeing the enemy perish. Aladeniya and his men fought the Tigers to the last bullet. Lt Saliya Aladeniya was posthumously awarded the Parama Weera Vibushanaya (PWV), the highest war time award for valour in combat. He is the first recipient of this award.
Almost two decades since the sacrifices made by these men, the 572 Brigade pushed into Kokavil. The soldiers captured the old railway station and were operating three hundred meters from the A9 Road by the end of last week. They are expected to consolidate control over the A9 road. Another unit of the 57 Division are advancing towards Mankulam, the second most important town on the A9 road in Tiger territory.
Meanwhile, air force fighter jets bombed LTTE cadres who ere using heavy machinery to build a fresh trench line in Akkarayankulam. The LTTE strategy is to extend the existing trench line between Nachchikudah and Akkarayankulam upto Kilinochchi.
Trenches
During the past two months, the security forces fought pitched battles along this trench. Late last month, the Tigers launched a counter-attack, killing 50 soldiers in Akkarayankulam. Still the troops succeeded in breaching several points along the trench, thereby making the defence of the trench largely irrelevant. However, guerrillas continue to put up stiff resistance to the troops of the 58 Division advancing towards Pooneryn. Fierce battles broke out along the Tiger defence line in Nachchikudah throughout the last week. On Friday, troops of 6 and 12 Gemunu Watch captured a stretch of 600 meters of the Tiger defence in Vannerikulam.
The military strategy is one of attrition rather than of capturing territory. According to senior military officials, maximum casualties were inflicted on the guerrillas and this would diminish the LTTE’s ability to counter attack. Intelligence reports predict that the Tigers are not prepared to let Kilinochchi fall without a last ditch battle. Tiger commanders Banu and Lawrence are commanding the LTTE cadres and are digging in for a protracted fight. Additional guerrillas have been brought in from the Northern front.
The security forces have kept away from the A9 road so far, in order to allow civilian traffic to flow smoothly, said a senior military official. He said a massive exodus of civilians reminiscent to Vakarai is expected anytime. The government earlier asked people to move out from the Vanni to Vavuniya, yet that request is hardly heeded for the moment. Contrary to the government’s request, people are moving deeper into guerrilla territory as the war engulfs their villages, the reports from the Vanni states. There is a steady trickle of IDPs heading to Puthukudiyiruppu and Vishwa Madu.
Meanwhile, the air force continued to pound LTTE positions in Vanni throughout the last week. Fighter jets and MI 24 attack helicopters carried out two night raids on high value LTTE targets during last week. K-fir interceptors bombed a safe house of the LTTE leadership in Piramantalkulam on Tuesday and on the following day. MI-24 gun ships also bombed a LTTE radar station in Nagavanthurai in Pooneryn. No reports of casualties were available.
A senior air force source told this column a group of civilians have confirmed the downing of the LTTE’s Zling 143 aircraft by the SLAF.
Meanwhile some 37 civilians fleeing their villages in Mullaitivu surrendered to the Navy in Pulmoddai. They claimed that their relatives in Puthukudiyiruppu saw the downing of the aircraft which had fallen onto Iranapalai, in Mullatitvu, and said the two pilots were killed. The area had been cordoned off by the Tigers after the crash.
Govt., to help Karuna, Pillayan kiss and make up
By Gayan Kumara Weerasingha and Ramesh Warallegama
Talks are scheduled to be held in Colombo to prevent the dispute between Karuna and Pillayan from spiraling into full blown conflict again. The talks are to be held between the leaders of the two factions.
A highly reliable source revealed that the talks, which are set to take place at a secret location in Colombo, will be mediated by the government. It is learnt that senior Army and Police personnel of the area have also been summoned for these discussions.
The dispute between the two factions came to a head on Thursday afternoon after a hand grenade was hurled at a TMVP office in Batticaloa.
It is said that this TMVP office is frequented by members of the Karuna faction. The Karuna faction had complained to the Batticaloa police saying that the attack had been carried out by members of the Pillayan faction.
The talks are being held to prevent the situation from escalating into full blown conflict.
Tensions
The Karuna faction is alleging that a coordinating secretary and an advisor who are working closely with Chief Minister of the Eastern Province, Shivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan, are responsible for the escalation of tensions between the two sides.
While the TMVP claims that it has entered the democratic mainstream after giving up weapons, on Tuesday (23) a tense situation arose when two TMVP members who were not part of the Chief Minister’s security, armed with pistols, entered the chambers of the Eastern Provincial Council. The police seemed powerless in preventing the men from bringing weapons.
Karuna Amman had earlier questioned Pillayan’s officials carrying weapons, even in the presence of foreign ambassadors and other international representatives. This matter is said to be the reason for the latest dispute.
Pillayan’s coordinating secretary had previously campaigned against the UPFA at the recent Eastern Provincial Council election. He had later joined Pillayan as one of his advisors. This move had drawn the attention of the government and reliable sources reveal that a decision has been taken not to extend the appointment of the person.
Pillayan turned against Karuna Amman after a dispute in May 2007. Pillayan then went into hiding in the Peraru area in Trincomalee.
During the conflict which was taking place at the time, Pillayan and his supporters were directly involved in the fighting against the LTTE. Though the media labeled them “the Karuna faction,” Karuna led the TMVP from India during that time. But after he returned to Sri Lanka, he shuffled a number of key positions in the TMVP, and proposed the names of his own associates to those posts.
English jail
This led to Pillayan forming his own group against Karuna. Both factions lost members in the subsequent conflict. Ampara district TMVP political leader and Pillayan supporter Sinrijan and Karuna associate TMVP political leader Thileepan were among those who lost their lives.
During that time, Pillayan established his new political headquarters in the camp which had been formally used by members of the Razik group. This was situated along the Old Tank Road in Batticaloa. Karuna Amman then fled to Britain. There, he was arrested on November 2 in London on charges of possessing a false foreign passport.
Meanwhile, Pillayan was gaining the people’s trust not just in the South, but in the East of the country as well. The TMVP contested both the local government elections in the Eastern Province held on 10 March 2008, and the Eastern Provincial Council Elections held on 10 May under the United Peoples’ Freedom Alliance (UPFA) banner. They won the elections and this was mainly due to an agreement which was reached between the associates of Karuna and Pillayan.
TMVP Media Secretary Azad Maulana at the time said that Pillayan had brought the TMVP back together and that a meeting between the two parties had taken place at the Weenagam Base in Batticaloa.
When Karuna Amman returned to Sri Lanka after the British authorities released him, Pillayan was already the Chief Minister of the Eastern Province. Though the dispute arose again with Karuna’s arrival, it was settled with the intervention of the government. These talks led to Karuna being appointed the leader.
Now a dispute has arisen again, not just due to problems with leadership, but also due to some LTTE sympathizers joining Pillayan.
LTTE sympathizers have the ability to upset everything in a moment. It is their goal to try to delay the army from reaching Killinochchi for as long as possible. Karuna and Pillayan both must decide whether they would let these plots succeed, or whether they are going to work together for the benefit of their people.
A political party has room for all points of view. But the party should move forward resolving any problems which may crop up. The LTTE is waiting for a dispute between Pillayan and Karuna to begin. It is upto the TMVP leadership to decide whether they would make this happen.
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