Colombo launches undeclared war against LTTE
April 25th, 2006
by D.B.S. Jeyaraj
Responding to a suicide bomber attack targeting Army commander Lt. Gen Sarath Fonseka in Colombo on April 25th at noon the Sri Lankan Government launched an undeclared war in the evening against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in the Trincomalee district.
In a coordinated operation areas in the Muthur division of Eastern Trincomalee were bombarded by air and shelled from military camps and naval ships.
The Government also suspended all transport to and from tiger controlled areas in the Northern province shutting down entry – exit points in Muhamaalai, Omanthai and Uyilankulam.
The suicide bombing operation in Colombo killed at least eight persons and injured twenty – seven. Among those seriously wounded were Army Commander Sarath Fonseka and his aide de camp Major Priyal Wickremasinghe. Several soldiers were among the dead and injured.
Though the operation had the clear stamp of a tiger attack the LTTE denied responsibility. Some tiger media charged that it was due to internal differences within the army.
With growing resentment in the South at the Government’s perceived impotence the Sinhala public mood was getting increasingly sour. President Mahinda Rajapakse was under great pressure to retaliate effectively. His political allies like the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna wanted him to be tough with the tigers while the Jathika Hela Urumaya was for calling off the ceasefire and declaring open war.
The International community strongly condemned the suicide attack and expressed support to Rajapakse. Yet restraint was urged and appeals were made that Colombo should not resort to formal war.
Against this backdrop the Government decided to launch retaliatory attacks in the form of an undeclared war against the LTTE. Instead of attacking the LTTE headquarters in Kilinochchi operations were launched against tiger positions in the Eastern district of Trincomalee.
The district has been in the throes of a vicious cycle of racial violence since April 7th when Tamil political activist Vanniyasingham Vigneswaran was assassinated by Tamil paramilitaries.
Two Israeli made K – fir bomber jets flew out from China Bay airport and conducted five bombing sorties over the Muthur region of Eastern Trincomalee. The aerial bombing began at 5. 50 pm and went on till 6. 15 pm. After these K- firs had returned to China Bay two Russia made MIG 24 planes flew from Anuradhapura and conducted a sixth prolonged bombing spree at 6. 25 pm.
At 6. 35 pm five Israeli built Dvora gun boats sailed close to the Muthur coast and began shelling coastal areas. This naval shelling went on intermittently yet intensively till 8. 45 pm.About 80 shells were fired from the sea.
The army started its own artillery fire from the Kuranguppaalam or Monket bridge camp towards Muthur at 6. 45 pm. The shelling was consistent but sporadic with short intervals. The shelling was heavy till about 9. pm but continued with less intensity till midnight. Around 150 to 160 shells were fired. Many of the shells fired were deadly multi – barrel artillery shells obtained from Pakistan and China.
Areas like Kattaiparichhaan, Sampoor, Koonitheevu,
Kadatkaraichenai, Senaiyoor, Iraalkuli, Ilakkanthai, Paattalipuram, Uppaaru etc were bombed initially and then pounded incessantly by artillery from gunboats and army camp. The Senaiyoor Central College was badly hit with its primary school and laboratory buildings reduced to rubble. Much of the damage was due to aerial bombardment here.
Though casualty figures were not known preliminary reports indicated that at least one family were affected when their house collapsed. A child was reported dead.
Power supply to Muthur was also affected and the region was in total darkness during and after the bombardment.
According to preliminary reports the bombing and shelling had not affected actual LTTE positions in the rehion much. LTTE camps, sea tiger bases and a newly constructed air strip were not damaged. Civilian homes and public buildings had been destroyed.
Preliminary reports stated that despite the intensive bombardment and shelling comparatively few lives were lost or people injured due to two reasons. One was that the people had taken proper precautions and sought secure shelters. The other was that the bombing and shelling was done at random with venomous fury with very little focus on actual targets.
LTTE political Commissar for Trincomalee S. Elilan has inquired from the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission whether the ceasefire was over and war had been declared. The Trinco SLMM had informed him that the security force officials had not responded to the telephone calls and e – mails, faxes sent by them.
SLMM head Ulf Henricsson however has gone on record expressing the hope that the attacks were “limited retaliatory ” measures. Peace secretaria Director – General Palitha Kohona has also “hinted” that these actions would be of a limited nature in interviews to the media.
Colombo also maintains that the retaliation was necessitated by the LTTE attacking Lankan naval craft in Trincomalee. The bombing and shelling is supposed to be retaliatory measures.
Just as few people believe the LTTE statement that they had nothing to do with the Colombo explosion there are few who would grant credibility to these assertions by the Government. Though the LTTE had exploded a bomb in Colombo on April 25th and engaged in some violence in Trincomalee over the past week the tigers had not attacked the navy on Tuesday as alleged by the Government.
It is apparent that the Government launched its undeclared war first by conducting aerial bombardment and supplementing it further by artillery firing from army camp at Monkey Bridge and shelling from Naval boats
Political analysts however were concerned that Sri Lanka was backsliding to an open and fierce war. There were three concerns. Will the armed forces and defence establishment continue these reprisals to the extent of open war becoming inevitable? Will the LTTE angered by these reprisals raise the ante further by conducting more operations that would make the situation deteriorate further? Will rajapakse egged on by the hardliners around him bow down to populist pressure and declare war?
Despite the ceasefire the Country has witnessed an escalating shadow war in the past. Both the LTTE and Tamil paramilitaries assisted by the security forces engaged in that. The suicide bomb attack against Sarath Fonseka is actually a high water mark of the escalating shadow war.
Now it is seeing an undeclared war in the form of action by the army, navy and air force. Civilans are victimised. But neither the Government nor the LTTE have said so far that they are declaring war.Sections of the media on either side of the ethnic divide say that the other side has declared ed war. But both partiese have reiterated that they are committed to the ceasefire still.
It remains to be seen whether this position would change for the worse or the better in the immediate future.
Meanwhile in what seemed a knee – jerk reaction , Defence secretary Gothabhaya Rajapakse clamped down on transport through the Wanni. All transport to and from the LTTE controlled Northern mainland of the Wanni was suspended.
The entry – exit points at Omanthai In Vavuniya district and Uyilankulam in the Mannar district were shut down at 2, 30 pm. The Muhamaalai point in the Jaffna peninsula was closed down at 3. 00 pm. Hundreds of people and vehicles were stranded by the sudden move. Reports indicate that the closure would be temporary.
Recent events have shown that the Country is on the brink of an open, brutal war. Only effective International pressure could pull both sides back from the edge. Norway alone cannot do this. Greater coordinated action from the big players like USA, Japan and more importantly India is required to save the peace in Sri Lanka. [TamilWeek - Apr 23, 2006]
Related: Army chief seriously injured in noon attack by suicide bomber
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Contact DBS Jeyaraj : djeyaraj2005@yahoo.com
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