Sri Lanka Peace Process, MoU at grave risk

Sri Lanka Peace Process, MoU at grave risk

The Sri Lanka Peace Process, MoU at grave risk becouse of the Hidden hand behind killings "It is apparent that the killers have all the assistance from the SLA and we request of you to advise the [Sri Lanka] government that if the SLA continues to act in this manner the entire peace process and the cease fire agreement are being placed in heavy risk and dire consequence have to be faced," said Leader of the Political Wing of the LTTE in a letter to the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), pointing out to the recent murders of two LTTE cadres in Batticaloa district. The full text of the letter published in LTTE's Peace Secretariat website follows:

"Two LTTE members, traveling by a motorbike from Batticaloa town to Chenkaladi around 12 noon yesterday 6th of May 2004 were shod dead at a location called Thannamunai. Situated 250 meters on both sides of the location are two SLA sentry points. The killers have not been apprehended.

"As stated by us in our communication this appears to be a continuing trend and we are highly perturbed over this. It is apparent that the killers have all the assistance from the SLA and we request you to advise the government that if the SLA continues to act in this manner the entire peace process and the cease fire agreement are being placed in heavy risk and dire consequence have to be faced. We are afraid that it may become impossible for us to be patient onlookers of this cavalier fashion in which killing are being carried out.

"We trust that the SLMM will explore all avenues of investigations and institute remedial and preventive action. Urgent steps must be taken to conduct an in-depth inquiry and bring to book the culprits."

[TamilNet, May 08, 2004 13:00 GMT] "It is apparent that the killers have all the assistance from the SLA and we request of you to advise the [Sri Lanka] government that if the SLA continues to act in this manner the entire peace process and the cease fire agreement are being placed in heavy risk and dire consequence have to be faced," said Leader of the Political Wing of the LTTE in a letter to the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), pointing out to the recent murders of two LTTE cadres in Batticaloa district. The full text of the letter published in LTTE's Peace Secretariat website follows:

"Two LTTE members, traveling by a motorbike from Batticaloa town to Chenkaladi around 12 noon yesterday 6th of May 2004 were shod dead at a location called Thannamunai. Situated 250 meters on both sides of the location are two SLA sentry points. The killers have not been apprehended.

"As stated by us in our communication this appears to be a continuing trend and we are highly perturbed over this. It is apparent that the killers have all the assistance from the SLA and we request you to advise the government that if the SLA continues to act in this manner the entire peace process and the cease fire agreement are being placed in heavy risk and dire consequence have to be faced. We are afraid that it may become impossible for us to be patient onlookers of this cavalier fashion in which killing are being carried out.

"We trust that the SLMM will explore all avenues of investigations and institute remedial and preventive action. Urgent steps must be taken to conduct an in-depth inquiry and bring to book the culprits."

Previous articles: 06.05.04 Two LTTE activists shot dead in Batticaloa

'It may become impossible for us to be patient onlookers' -S.P. Tamilselvan The LTTE Political Head Quarters has sent a strong worded letter to the Head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission regarding the killing of two senior LTTE members. Extract from the letter is as follows:

"Two LTTE members, traveling by a motorbike from Batticaloa town to Chenkaladi around 12 noon yesterday 6th of May 2004 were shod dead at a location called Thannamunai. Situated 250 meters on both sides of the location are two SLA sentry points. The Killers have not been apprehended.

As stated by us in our communication this appears to be a continuing trend and we are highly perturbed over this. It is apparent that the killers have all the assistance from the SLA and we request of you to advise the government that if the SLA continues to act in this manner the entire peace process and the cease fire agreement are being placed in heavy risk and dire consequence have to be faced. We are afraid that it may become impossible for us to be patient onlookers of this cavalier fashion in which killing are being carried out.

We trust that the SLMM will explore all avenues of investigations and institute remedial and preventive action. Urgent steps must be taken to conduct and in-depth inquiry and bring to book the culprits."

Two LTTE activists shot dead in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, May 06, 2004 13:48 GMT] Mr.Sivanathan Murali alias Pahalavan and Mr.Vathanan, two unarmed political activists of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), were shot dead Thursday afternoon around 2 p.m. at Thannamunai, located 9 kilometers northwest of Batticaloa town in the Sri Lanka Army-controlled area. At the time of the incident the Sri Lanka Army was patrolling the area, sources said.

The bodies of the dead were kept in the mortuary of the Batticaloa teaching hospital, police said.

Residents said both had been shot while riding in a motor bicycle bearing No:GT 470 along Valaichchenai-Batticaloa main road and they died on the spot.

LTTE sources said both activists had been shot dead by Tamil paramilitary groups closely associating with the Sri Lanka Army in Batticaloa. LTTE sources further said this crime could not have been committed without the knowledge of the SLA.

Monitors of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission based in Batticaloa rushed to the site on a compliant by the LTTE and held on the spot observation, sources said.

Seven Tigers were shot dead on April 24 at Ayithiamalai in Batticaloa district and another LTTE cadre was shot dead at Pendukalchenai while riding a motorbike on May 2nd, sources recalled.

Political observers say the killings pose a grave threat to the peace process.

Follow-ups: 08.05.04 Peace Process, MoU at grave risk- LTTE

LTTE fighter killed in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, May 01, 2004 11:58 GMT] A Liberation Tigers fighter was killed in Batticaloa in a claymore mine blast Saturday around 11.30 a.m, sources said.

The attack took place at Pondukalchenai, about 5 kilometres from Kiran north of Batticaloa

Assault, detention of LTTE cadres sparks protest

[TamilNet, April 30, 2004 18:36 GMT] The Sri Lanka Police severely assaulted and detained two members of the Liberation Tigers' sports division Friday at Puthur Junction in Jaffna. Several civilians and a journalist were also assaulted and manhandled by the Police when the two Tigers were taken away in a truck. Hundreds of people gathered in front of the Atchuvely Police station where the two LTTE cadres were detained Friday night, protesting against the assault and demanding their immediate release.

Three Jaffna MPs, Mr. R. Gajendran, Mr. M. K Sivajilingam and Ms. Padmini Sithambaranathan, joined the protest before the Atchuvely Police.

Civilians and the journalist who were assaulted and manhandled at Puthur Junction said that the Police stopped the motorbike on which the two LTTE cadres had come and snatched its keys. The Policemen had then asked them for the motorbike's papers. The Tigers had said they could not produce the identity papers unless they had the keys.

The Policemen had then severely beaten up the two LTTE cadres and taken them away in a truck to Atchuvely.

Civilians and the journalist who were assaulted by the Police at Puthur Junction said that some of the Policemen were inebriated.

Sub Inspector (SI) Mr. Duminda Rajapaksha led the Police party that assaulted the Tiger cadres, sources said.

However, senior Police officers defused the tension by making the SI apologise to the Tigers and the journalist in public at the Puthur Junction later on Friday night.

Seven Tigers killed in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, April 26, 2004 08:44 GMT] Seven Liberation Tigers were killed by an unidentified armed group in Batticaloa Sunday night around 11.30 p.m. Four of the murdered LTTE cadres were invalids, sources said. They were killed at Ponnaankaanichenai, about 1.5 kilometres from the Sri Lanka army's point northwest of Batticaloa town. Mr. E. Kousalyan, the head of the LTTE's political division in Batticaloa told truce monitors from the eastern town that the group that killed the seven Tiger cadres had come from the direction of the Sri Lanka army camp in Vavunathivu.

The Vavunathivu SLA camp is located on the western shore of the Batticaloa lagoon. It is about 4 kilometres northwest of the Batticaloa town.

Follow-ups: 26.04.04 Hidden hand behind murder of disabled cadres- LTTE

Hidden hand behind murder of disabled cadres- LTTE

[TamilNet, April 26, 2004 14:11 GMT] "The murder of our disabled cadres is clearly the work of criminal elements that are working with the Sri Lanka army. I have requested the SLMM to arrange an early meeting with the SLA to discuss this matter. I hope this would be the last incident of this sort. No one could have gone in a van with arms at midnight in the direction of Vavunathivu without the SLA's knowledge. There are no jungles in these parts to hide a van and armed men", said Mr. Kousalyan, head of the political division of the Liberation Tigers for the Batticaloa-Amparai district.

"This is an act of utter cowardice intended to create confusion so that anti-social elements working with the army could cover up their deep penetration operations against us", an LTTE military officer in Batticaloa said.

He denied a report in a Sunday paper published in Colombo that some LTTE troops were wounded in a clash with loyalists of renegade commander 'Karuna in the interior near the 'Beirut Base' recently.

"It is a total fabrication planted by interested parties in the Sri Lankan armed forces", he said.

"Each and every associate of 'Karuna' who has any knowledge of the interior and is capable of planning and carrying out attacks has come back to us. Hence we know that stories like this are being planted in the Colombo press to create conditions for the resumption of the SLA's deep penetrations operations against us", the LTTE military officer remarked.

The armed group which came in a van around 11.30 p.m. Sunday night shot dead three sentries at the LTTE's check point on the Vavunathivu - Aayithiyamalai Road, about 1.5 kilometres from the Sri Lanka army's forward point near the Vavunathivu DS office.

Then they proceeded about five kilometres on the road to Mullaamunai where the LTTE's finance division in Batticaloa maintains a general store.

There were four disabled LTTE cadres and two civilian guards at the store.

One of the LTTE cadres was paralysed below his neck, the other had lost both eyes, the third had both legs blown off in a land mine and the fourth had lost a leg in the war.

The assailants opened fire at random as they alighted from their vehicle, according to the guards. The two old men ran away and hid in the adjacent shrub. The gang then shot dead at point blank range the four disabled LTTE cadres.

The gang also damaged vehicles and motorbikes in the store before they fled the area.

The guards said they saw the van speeding down the road in the direction of the Vavunathivu SLA camp after the attack.

Members of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission in Batticaloa visited the store Monday afternoon.

Head of the Political Wing of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), S.P.Thamilchelvan, in a letter to the Head of Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), Major General (retd.) Trond Furuhovde, said that the murder of seven LTTE cadres including four disabled Sunday night was a violation of the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) and that the LTTE had "credible evidence that the attackers came from the Vavunathivu SLA [Sri Lanka Army] camp direction," according to the LTTE's Peace Secretariat website.

Excerpts from the letter published in the website follow:

"Please be advised that we consider this incident wherein seven LTTE cadres including 4 disabled members have been killed with scant respect both to humanitarian norms and the CFA as one that merits immediate inquiry and remedial action. We have credible evidence that the attackers came from the Vavunathivu SLA camp direction and escaped after attack in the same direction. The distance from the SLA point and our FDL is only 500 m and therefore the logical conclusion is that the attackers could not have passed through the SLA point without being noticed.

"We are afraid that putting aside this incident as one carried out by elements closer to Karuna may be too simplistic. Making use of the Karuna factor, any Para-military groups working alongside the SLA, whether with the blessing of the SLA or other wise, may continue to act in this manner and create havoc and confusion.

"We request of you therefore to take this matter for an in-depth discussion and ensure that no such violation takes place in the future. This gains more significance in view of our commitment to the peace process and the necessity to uphold the integrity of the CFA in the present political context."

Explosion kills LTTE cadre in east

[TamilNet, May 21, 2004 06:44 GMT] A member of the Liberation Tigers was killed in an explosion in Aalankerni, 42 kilometres north of Batticaloa, Thursday night, LTTE sources in the eastern town said. Aalankerni is close to the Batticaloa-Polannaruwa Road which is controlled by the Sri Lanka Army. LTTE officials in Batticaloa said they are awaiting more information about the explosion and the damage it has caused.