Death Watch or Death Match?

The army believes it has killed about 4,500 LTTE rebels during the first six months of the year, while losing about one tenth that number. In the last three years, since the fighting resumed, over 10,000 people have died (plus another 60,000 between 1983-2002). Since the army went on the offensive two years ago, they have lost about 1,700 dead and 4,000 wounded.

The army believes they have killed or captured some 9,000 LTTE fighters in that period. Some of those captured were actually deserters, who are a good source of info on what is happening in LTTE territory.

The generals now believe the LTTE is in a death spiral, but still capable to doing a lot of damage if the army gets sloppy. The LTTE maintain a reserve of a hundred or more suicide bombers, plus several hundred trained and loyal commandos. So the deliberate, carefully planned attacks on LTTE bunkers continues, capturing a few square kilometers of LTTE territory a week.

In this way, the army now believes it will take about a year to recapture all the LTTE controlled territory in the north and shatter (but not totally destroy) the LTTE. The government assumes that the LTTE will continue as a terrorist organization, trying to maintain bases among radical Tamils living in southern India (where Tamils have lived for thousands of years).

Read more,
http://www.strategypage.com/qnd/srilank/articles/20080701.aspx

Resin oil bound for Lanka seized

Intelligence sleuths seized 46 cans of resin oil, meant for smuggling to Sri Lanka, at Naripaiyur coastal area near Sayalkudi, here today.

Police sources here said during routine surveillance, a special team of State 'Q' branch police, led Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mahendran intercepted a van carrying the resin oil cans. Each can contained 35 litres of resin oil. The consignment meant for smuggling to Sri Lanka through illegal ferrying was seized.

Seven occupants of the van were arrested and a search was on to nab a few more persons involved in the incident, police added.

Extracted from,
http://news.webindia123.com/news/articles/India/20080703/990878.html

Sri Lanka frees 300 Indian trawlers

The trawlers were sailing towards the Tamil Tigers-held Vidattaltivu area in north-western Mannar district

Colombo: Sri Lanka has released all the 300-odd Indian fishing trawlers the navy seized while allegedly poaching in the island's territorial waters, after hours of through investigation.

Navy spokesman Commander D.K.P. Dassanayake said the 300 trawlers were sailing towards the Tamil Tigers-held Vidattaltivu area in north-western Mannar district when they were spotted and surrounded by the naval craft on routine patrol on Wednesday afternoon.

"The Indian trawlers were surrounded by naval craft between Delft and Thalaimannar islands and taken into custody. After investigation we released 299 trawlers by 10 in the night while the remaining one trawler was also released on Thursday morning," Commander Dassanayake told IANS.

"We found no suspicious items in their possession," he said, pointing out that the issue of Indian fishermen poaching in Sri Lanka's territorial waters was posing a huge threat to the country's security.

Read more,
http://news.in.msn.com/international/article.aspx?cp-documentid=1536495

Karuna returns as LTTE eyes the East

LTTE renegade Commander Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan alias Karuna Amman returned to Sri Lanka this evening from London. His return was preceded by newspaper reports of the former LTTE 'Colonel' threatening to allegedly return to the ranks of the LTTE.

In Karuna's absence, Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan alias Kubeiran became the Chief Minister of the Eastern Province, a post he said he would cede to his superior, Karuna upon his return. It will be interesting to see whether this pledge is actually carried through.

Informed sources told this site that Karuna's return has come at a time when LTTE's current 'Special Commander' to the East, Keerthi and his band of Jeyanthan Brigade cadres are planning to create havoc in the Eastern Province.

The Karuna group, which broke into two groups, became one after Karuna's arrest and detention. After Pillayan became Chief Minister, it became virtually impossible for TMVP cadres to engage in open combat with the growing LTTE units in the East.

Read more,
http://defencewire.blogspot.com/2008/07/karuna-returns-as-ltte-eyes-east.html

LTTE claymore explosion wounds 6 people in Eravur - Batticaloa

LTTE terrorists have carried out an indiscriminate claymore attack in front of Eravur Railway station around 8.10 pm today (July 03), says the defence sources. According to the sources, 3 civilians and 3 police officers have been injured in the explosion. The injured have been admitted to the General Hospital Eravur.

The bomb has been fixed onto a push bicycle parked near the station, the sources said. The police officers have been in the police jeep, which has been patrolling in the area, the sources added.

Police conducts further investigations

Extracted from,
http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20080703_07

Tri-Aerial Attacks Take Tigers by Surprise

THREE SEPARATE AERIAL ATTACKS on key LTTE positions and movement off VIDATTALTIVE to the north of MANNAR and POONERYN, southeast of JAFFNA Thursday (3) between 12.00 noon – 3.30 p.m. caused extensive damages and losses to LTTE.

The first aerial attack at about 12.45 noon, 2 km southwest of VIDATTALTIVE was focused on a gathering of Tiger terrorist. The second one with MI-24 gun ships struck several vehicles carrying a group of Tiger terrorists for some of their clandestine operations in the area surrounding VIDATTALTIVE.

The last strike conducted by Fighter Jets at about 3.30 p.m. hit a WALLAIKADU See Tiger Base, some 15 km southwest of POONERYN, JAFFNA. The area is also known as Devil Point in the JAFFNA lagoon.

Pilots maintain all the three air strikes inflicted extensive damages to the LTTE in terms of their manpower and resources.

Extracted from,
http://www.army.lk/morenews.php?id=14312

Terrorists are retreating

Source,
http://www.itn.lk/webcast/news/20080702/news_02.wmv

JVP has become LTTE cat’s paw - Wimal

The diehard JVP leadership has become the LTTE’s unofficial cat’s paw. The party has been driven to a sorry state because certain party members have begun to work according to an agenda of some foreign powers active within the party, said the Janatha Nidahas Peramuna (JNP) President Wimal Weerawansa.

He was addressing its inaugural meeting at the Ananda Samarakoon theatre, Negegoda recently.

He said today the JVP has turned to be Ranil’s junior team. For over two years we struggled to change the direction, the party was following.

When it was found our efforts were in futile, we left the party and formed the JNP, so that we were ready to face any challenges. Party President, Wimal Weerawansa, General Secretary Nandana Gunatilleke, National Organiser Kamal Deshapriya and shttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifeveral others participated.

A large number of invitees including the members of the clergy was also present. Several artistes including Buddhadasa Vithanachchi, Lal Kularatne, Rogger Seneviratne and Cyril Enderamulla received the party membership.

read more,
http://www.srilankanewsweb.com/news.view.php?fldNewsID=14260

More photos,
http://www.nffsrilanka.com/gallery.html

video source,
http://youtube.com/user/sinhahada

Liberation ‘Rice Bowl’!

On June 29, the Sri Lanka Army’s 58th Division liberated what is known as the ‘Mannar Rice Bowl’ which had been in the LTTE grip for 20 years.

Brigadier Shavindra de Silva said at 7:30 p.m. last evening, the 58th Brigade from Pallemadhu links with the 57th Brigade from Periyamadhu.

The total land area of the rice bowl is 120 sq.km.

Giant’s Tank and around 153 small tanks situated in this area provide water to the paddy fields in their vicinity.Nearly 20 years ago, Sri Lanka’s biggest paddy crop was harvested from this rice bowl, but all these fertile paddy fields had been covered with LTTE bunkers, landmines, sandbagged trenches and defence lines. Troops are in the process of clearing bunkers, landmines and filling trenches

Brigadier Shavindra de Silva 58th Division Commander, who commanded the operation to liberate the rice bowl area had this to say:

‘The battle to liberate the rice bowl was not a cakewalk as we had to implement an effective strategy and adopt suitable tactics, continually monitoring enemy movements.
‘The rice bowl area is an open land consisting of paddy fields and small tanks. In other words, it is terrain where a soldier has to confront the enemy in the open.

‘When the enemy fires on the soldiers there is very little cover for them because the ground is open, but our soldiers were able to overcome this disadvantage.

Read more,
http://www.thebottomline.lk/2008/07/02/defence_col.htm

Troops Continue to Ensure Security for ICRC Officials

THE TEMPORARY pull-out of the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) from its service at OMANTHAI Entry/Exit point in WANNI on Tuesday (1) was mainly due to threats posed by LTTE’s indiscriminate heavy fire rounds that fall as near as the northern boundary of this cross-loading point on a regular basis and also because of intense retaliatory attacks of the Security Forces.

The Sri Lanka Air Force, in response to those attacks ordered by LTTE area leader north of OMANTHAI on Tuesday (1) evening at about 3.35 p.m. conducted an air attack, about 4 km north of OMANTHAI where there was a gathering of armed Tiger terrorists at that point of time.

On the other hand, Army troops since their launch of operations centered purely on the areas to the west of OMANTHAI, cognizant of the fact that the gateway’s traffic flow should not in anyway be hindered since it is widely used daily by hundreds of civilians/vehicles, both ways.

The ICRC officials have been very cooperative with the troops serving this access point right throughout and the troops in response have all the time given prominence to their security as well as ordinary civilians. Therefore the troops further wish to have their presence at this point in order to serve the public that crosses through it.

Extracted from,
http://www.army.lk/morenews.php?id=14294

SAARC Development Fund to be signed at Colombo summit

Leaders of the member countries of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) will sign the charter of SAARC Development Fund (SDF) at the upcoming summit in Colombo on Aug. 2-3.

Visiting SAARC Secretary General Sheel Kant Sharma said this when he met Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed of the Bangladeshi caretaker government here on Wednesday, private news agency UNB reported.

Talking about the implementation status of various decisions taken at the last SAARC summit in New Delhi in April 2007, Sheel Kant Sharma said the SDF charter and bylaws are "almost in the stage of finalization."

He also said the South Asian University in New Delhi will start operation by 2009.

The New Delhi summit last year agreed to operationalize the SAARC Development Fund and establish the South Asian University with its headquarters in India.

The SAARC secretary general, who arrived here on Tuesday, will attend SAARC ministerial meeting on climate change here on Thursday.

SAARC, the single largest platform in South Asian region having one-fourth of the world population, comprises Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Extracted from,
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-07/03/content_8478559.htm

Sri Lankan Minister invites PM Koirala to 15th SAARC summit

Visiting Sri Lankan Minister of Foreign Affairs Rohitha Bogollagama called on Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala at the latter’s official residence in Baluwatar on Wednesday.

The Foreign Minister invited PM Koirala to attend the 15th summit of the South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), which is due to be held at Colombo in Sri Lanka from July 27 to August 23.

The Sri Lankan envoy also congratulated PM Koirala for the establishment of republic and the success on the peace process.

The meeting mainly dwelt on regular and new agendas, mutual support and airlines connecting the capital to Colombo.

The 15th SAARC summit will be focused on shortage of food and oil crisis and the problems of terrorism, according to Secretary at the Foreign Ministry Gyan Chandra Acharya.

Read more,
http://www.kantipuronline.com/kolnews.php?&nid=152264

Government prepares arrangements to hold 15th SAARC Summit

Basic facilities are prepared by the government of Sri Lanka to hold 15th SAARC Summit in Colombo Sri Lanka. Seven countries will participate for the 15th SAARC conference, at monitoring level.

The countries are Japan, United States, European Union, China, Mauritius, Iraq and South Korea. The Australia and Myanmar have also requested to participate as monitors.

A discussion will be held to take a final decision on participation of other countries.

Minister Rohitha Bogollagama is now in Bangladesh to invite Mr. Al-Ahamed to participate the SAARC summit. The Minister also said special attention will be given in the SAARC agenda to strengthen trade and economic ties with the south Asian region and uplift the education and health sectors as well eliminating terrorism face food and energy crisis. Leader of Bangladesh told Mr. Bogollagama that he is very keen on his participation and give fullest support for the summit.

Meanwhile Indian Armed helicopters, bullet-proof vehicles and members of the highly-trained special protection group (SPG) would accompany Prime Minister Manmohan Singh when he reaches Colombo for the 15th SAARC summit in August.

Confirming this, chief of the Sri Lankan armed forces Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka said on Monday that Indian helicopters would be deployed during the meeting of the heads of states on August 2 and 3, the last two days of the summit.

Read more,
http://www.lankaeverything.com/vinews/srilanka/20080701144052.php

Sri Lankan media offers reward for tips on attackers

The Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI) and the Newspaper Publishers Association are offering a reward of five million rupees for information on the assault on journalist Namal Perera.

Informants could give information that lead to the arrest of the assailants by calling 0033 147 777 414 or sending emails to helppresssrilanka@gmail.com, representatives of the organisations told a news conference Wednesday.

The informants could remain anonymous and use a code to claim the reward, they said.

Freelance journalist Namal Perera, who writes about the ethnic war and also works for the SLPI, was clubbed along with UK embassy political officer Mahendra Ratnaweera and their car smashed by a group of unidentified men in broad daylight Monday.

They were hospitalised after the assault, the latest in a string of attacks on journalists, especially defence correspondents, which drew widespread condemnation.

Read more,
http://www.lankabusinessonline.com/fullstory.php?nid=404633347