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Sri Lanka assures India about Tamils' safety, ready for Indian relief (Lead)

Wed, 13 Nov 2008 16:01:25 GMT

posted by Joycebabu

New Delhi, Nov 13

Sri Lanka Thursday said it was ready to receive a consignment of relief material from India to help civilians caught in the military conflict in the island nation, but underlined that there will be no let-up in military offensive against the Tamil Tigers.

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa told Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here Thursday that his government was committed to ensure the safety and well-being of Tamil civilians caught in the crossfire between Lankan forces and the LTTE in the northeast areas.

Under pressure from the UPA's allies in Tamil Nadu over the situation in Sri Lanka, Manmohan Singh asked Rajapaksa to ensure that the interests and safety of innocent Tamil civilians should be protected at all costs.

The president told the Indian prime minister that various arrangements for providing relief material to civilians have been put in place, Sri Lanka's envoy to India C.R. Jayasinghe told IANS.

India is planning to send around 80,000 packets of food and relief material for Tamil civilians caught in the standoff between Sri Lanka forces and the LTTE. "All clearances have been given from our side. The consignment is expected to reach this week," the Lankan envoy said.

The humanitarian assistance would be the first of its kind to the conflict-hit northeast areas of Sri Lanka in nearly two decades. Around 200,000 Tamil civilians are reported to be displaced due to the offensive against LTTE by the Lankan Army.

New Delhi had provided medical and other assistance to Sri Lanka after the 2004 devastating tsunami that damaged the island nation's economy and killed thousands.

Rajapaksa also expressed his concerns over the abuse of the Indian fishermen by the LTTE who he said were manipulated to carry arms and ammunition for the Tamil Tigers, but underlined that the Sri Lankan forces will exercise restraint in dealing with Indian fishermen.

The Lankan president assured Manmohan Singh that his government was promoting democratization and devolution of powers to the northeast area of the island nation.

Batting for continuing military action against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, Rajapaksa blamed the LTTE for violating the ceasefire and said that his government was ready to engage in talks with the LTTE only if they lay down arms.

Rajapaksa also made it clear that the military offensive against the LTTE will not stop as his government was determined to eliminate terrorism before pushing forward the political process in the country.

Earlier in the day, Rajapaksa stressed that terrorist activities of the LTTE have to be dealt with "militarily" and any underlying causes, exploited by such outfits, should be addressed politically.

"For over two decades, Sri Lanka has been facing a tremendous challenge to our democratic way of life through barbaric actions of a terrorist group, the LTTE.

"There is no doubt that such groups have to be dealt with militarily," Rajapaksa said in his address at the second summit of Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC).

"We discussed it (at the meeting). All countries and societies of the region are affected by terrorism," Rajapaksa said while advocating a mechanism to effectively police the seas of the Bay of Bengal.

Terror groups are able to sustain themselves by illegal fundraising, narcotics and people trafficking, money laundering, and arms and ammunition smuggling, including through the sea routes in the Bay of Bengal, he said.

Last updated on Nov 13^th, 2008 at 21:03 pm IST--IANS

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Indian ship with relief supply reaches Colombo

Sat, 16 Nov 2008 14:48:45 GMT

posted by Joycebabu

Colombo, Nov 16

An Indian ship carrying 1,700 tonnes of relief supplies for civilians in Sri Lanka's war-ravaged north has arrived here, Indian diplomats said Sunday.

According to the sources, the Indian Shipping Corp ship was carrying the first consignment of relief material meant for the civilian population made homeless by the war. It reached the Colombo harbour late Saturday.

The cargo is to be distributed primarily through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

"The relief assistance has come in 100 containers and the unloading of the aid cargo will commence Monday," an Indian diplomat said.

Last updated on Nov 16^th, 2008 at 19:34 pm IST--IANS

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WORLD ALERT: Indian Defence Forces conducted Joint Military Exercises with countries such as China, Maldives, Mongolia, Russia, Seychelles, Singapore, Thailand, Oman, Sri Lanka, Brazil, South Africa, UK, USA and France.

Fri, 25 Oct 2008 02:30:18 GMT

posted by wingover

PIB Press Release

It also proposed to hold such exercises abroad in the near future. The Government proposes to hold Joint Military Exercises with countries with whom it has relevant agreements in future also, as it enables adoption of best practices to strengthen the military base.

This information was given by Defence Minister Shri AK Antony in a written reply to Shri Naveen Jindal and Shri SK Kharventhan in Lok Sabha today.

ACQUISITION OF WEAPON LOCATING RADARS

The Government proposes to acquire highly sophisticated Weapon Locating Radars to track and neutralize hostile artillery fire.

The Government has a proposal to procure, at an estimated cost Rs. 1498.00 crores, 28 weapon Locating Radars being developed jointly by M/s Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) and Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

This information was given by Defence Minister Shri AK Antony in a written reply to Shri MK Subba in Lok Sabha today.

ICRC suspends work in LTTE zone's entry/exit point

Wed, 13 Nov 2008 07:56:18 GMT

posted by Joycebabu

Colombo, Nov 13

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has temporarily suspended operations at the main entry/exit point in Sri Lanka's rebel-held north, seeking security guarantee for civilian movement from both the military and the Tamil Tigers.

According to official sources, the ICRC, which has been facilitating civilian movement to and from the territory held by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), has withdrawn its staff since Wednesday from the entry/exit point at Omanthai on the Jaffna-Kandy road.

All those proceeding to Jaffna peninsula from mainland Sri Lanka by road have to cross the LTTE zone. The main entry point to the south of the LTTE area is located at Omanthai.

The government and UN agencies send essential supplies for the people in LTTE areas through this route.

"We decided to withdraw our staff temporarily due to security concerns. We are still working on assurances from both the government forces and the LTTE for the safe movement of civilians via this point," ICRC Communication Coordinator Aleksandra Matijevic told IANS Thursday.

"This is a temporary (measure). We want to make sure that this entry/exit point is safe for civilian movement before asking our staff to monitor it," she said, refusing to identify what prompted ICRC to take this step.

Military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara confirmed the matter "is under discussion".

Meanwhile, the military announced that the functioning hours of the Omanthai entry/exit point had been cut from eight hours to four hours from Wednesday.

"In order to streamline the functional entry entry/exit procedures and speedy clearance of traffic, it has been decided to keep this point open only between 9.00 a.m. and 1.00 p.m.," the military said.

It said the decision was taken by the security forces in the Wanni region in consultation with the ICRC to "accelerate the movements of food convoys and civilians within the shortest possible span of time".

The military said the move was also meant "to ensure that no harm is caused to any civilians due to intensification of military operations in peripheral areas.

"Nonetheless, the entry/exit point would facilitate the movement of ambulances with seriously-ill patients under emergency circumstances and transfer of the dead as usual in co-ordination with ICRC," it said.

The LTTE controls Mullaitivu district in Sri Lanka's north in full and almost the whole of nearby Kilinochchi district. It is fiercely resisting the army's bid to retake the region.

Last updated on Nov 13^th, 2008 at 13:04 pm IST--IANS

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Sri Lankans on verge of liberating last two districts in Wanni from Indian sponsored LTTE

Tue, 30 Jul 2008 23:03:22 GMT

posted by moinansari

Sri Lankans May Turn Against War Strategy, Defense Analysts Say By Shani Raja

July 9 (Bloomberg) -- Sri Lanka's government needs to deliver on its vow to cripple the rebel Tamil Tigers this year or lose support for a conflict that is slowing economic growth, defense analysts said as labor unions plan a general strike tomorrow.

``People say they'll suffer the hardships as long as the government can finish the war,'' said Iqbal Athas, a Colombo-based correspondent for Jane's Defence Weekly. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam's ``military machine has yet to be badly dented'' and the group may have at least 10,000 fighters.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa's government pledged to defeat the LTTE in the northern Wanni region this year after evicting them from the east a year ago. The Tamil Tigers operate from jungle bases in the north, where they repulsed a major army offensive in the late 1990s.

Pressure on the government to negotiate with the rebels may build if military operations stall. Workers in ports, transport and agriculture are among those planning to strike tomorrow over cost of living increases after consumer prices in the capital, Colombo, rose the most in at least four years and at the fastest pace in Asia.

The war is weighing on the economy, Sri Lanka's Central Bank Governor Nivard Cabraal said last week at a business forum. The International Monetary Fund has said the nation's economic outlook ``depends critically'' on an end to the civil war.

Spending Slump

Economic growth slowed for the first time in a year in the first quarter as the escalating violence, including bomb attacks in Colombo, curbed spending, while consumer prices in Colombo rose 28.2 percent in June from a year earlier, the statistics department said at the end of last month.

``People are expecting the war to be over sooner rather than later,'' said Pramod De Silva, editor-in-chief of the state-run Daily News. ``They will welcome either a military or a political solution as soon as possible.''

The military's efforts to control terrorism in the north have allowed people in the south to consider strike action, Rajapaksa said in comments yesterday, the newspaper reported. Some groups are using the stoppage to ``gain political mileage,'' he said.

Losing control of Eastern Province was the worst defeat suffered by the LTTE in its 25-year struggle for a Tamil homeland in the north and east of the island nation. The Tigers will have a hard time regaining the region, Athas said. Sri Lanka has a 100,000-strong army.

Northern Bases

The Tamil Tigers are confined to just two northern districts in Wanni, Sri Lanka's Defense Affairs Spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella said in a telephone interview from Colombo. The government is on course to delivering a major blow to the ``terrorists'' this year, he said. ``Everything is going according to our strategies and plans.''

The Tamil Tigers have lost the ability to fight as a conventional army after being weakened by recent government offensives, Army Chief Sarath Fonseka said earlier this month. The military is making progress toward eliminating the Tigers by mid-2009, he told reporters.

The war may have reached a stalemate, said Athas. Attacks are on the rise in all three ``cleared'' eastern districts, Batticaloa, Trincomalee and Amparai, and the Tamil Tigers have been ``periodically'' targeting the northern Jaffna peninsula, mostly under the government's control.

Attacks in South

The rebels have also launched attacks on civilians in the Sinhalese-dominated south of the island, demonstrating that they can operate deep within government territory.

Last year, the rebels showed they had developed an air capability, using light aircraft to bomb a military base near Sri Lanka's main international airport. The air wing consists of five propeller-driven aircraft, the military says.

The military has targeted Tamil Tiger leaders since taking over the Eastern Province, killing the group's political chief, its military intelligence leader and the head of the naval unit, known as the Sea Tigers. The LTTE accuses the air force of bombing civilian areas and says the land and air attacks amount to genocide.

The LTTE said last September that any peace process must be based on a homeland for the Tamil people, in the same way the ethnic-Albanian majority in the former Serbian province of Kosovo gained independence. Tamils make up 11.9 percent of Sri Lanka's 20 million people, according to the 2001 census.

War Reporting

Sri Lankan journalists are facing increasing attacks over their reporting of the conflict, according to Amnesty International. Hundreds of local reporters and cameramen protested outside Rajapaksa's home last week demanding an end to a spate of killings and assaults on journalists, Agence France- Presse reported.

Some journalists fear a crackdown if the victory promised by the government doesn't materialize.

``The media has come under very staunch criticism for expressing views which are not of the government,'' said Athas. ``Anybody who doesn't tow the line is called a traitor. You can draw the inference on what's going to come.''

A journalist and member of the British High Commission staff were assaulted in Colombo last week. The U.S. embassy condemned the attack and other recent violence against journalists.

Alleged human rights violations against journalists by the government are being ``blown totally out of proportion,'' Rambukwella said. The sources of such allegations are largely non-governmental agencies with LTTE sympathies, he added.

To contact the reporter on this story: Shani Raja in Sydney at sraja4@bloomberg.net