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Q&A with Facts about the LTTE (By: Shenali Waduge) LTTE facts Sri Lanka becomes the first country to militarily defeat an international proscribed terrorist organization. GOSL took a policy decision not to prosecute child combatants. LTTE has killed 82 Tamil politicians / 54 Tamil Government officials / 24 Tamil intellectuals & academics. The LTTE is the first terrorist organization to have pioneered the human suicide with a suicide bomb strapped to body. LTTE is the only organization to have killed 2 international political leaders (one on Sri Lankan soil 1993 & the other in Indian soil 1991) LTTE is the only terrorist organization to have air wings to land LTTE owned planes. LTTE was one of the few terrorist organizations that openly had offices in over 54 countries doing terrorist propaganda work in the countries that LTTE were banned. LTTE also had 32 front organizations operating throughout the world in the disguise of charity organizations enjoying tax concessions from these countries. LTTE is also involved in human trafficking, drug trafficking, arms smuggling, money laundering, extortion, credit card skimming, bank loan absconding LTTE is proscribed as a terrorist organization in 32 countries. In India since 1994, in the US since 1997, in the UK since 2001 & in the EU since 2006. Sri Lanka banned the LTTE in 1978 but lifted it in 1987 for the Indo-Lanka Peace Accord. Sri Lanka again proscribed the LTTE in 1998 after its attack on the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy. The ban was suspended for the 2002 ceasefire. Sri Lanka banned the LTTE again in January 2009. LTTE constructed technologically sophisticated underground bunkers, factories that manufactured ammunition & mines, built food canning factories, set up boatyards to develop suicide boats & submersible vessels, had hangars and service centers for its aircrafts. For all these foreign expertise has been given to a terrorist organization. Types of arms & ammunition used by the LTTE - artillery guns, heavy and medium mortars, rocket propelled grenades, RCLs, anti-aircraft guns, Surface to Surface Missiles, Surface to Air Missiles, small arms, anti-tank mines and anti-personnel mines How many LTTE cadres were there? By 2006, LTTE is said to have 25,000 cadres. By 2008, after LTTE escalated recruitment drives that total came to 30,000. Most LTTE attacks on civilians & military were carried out by LTTE posing as ordinary civilians. LTTE is estimated to have raised US$50-75m annually between 1993 & 2002 & Janes Intelligence estimates the LTTE raised US$200-300m annually. Personalized postage stamps - UK, France, Norway, Germany all apologized for personalized stamps issued with images of Prabakaran. This attempt was not the first since in 2000 Canada issued stamps with a picture of Prabakaran & authorities put the order on hold. Other facts The Darusman Report is NOT a UN report since it was not sanctioned by the UN General Assembly or the UN Security Council. Much of Channel 4's documentary sources come from Tamilnet which is pro-LTTE. The "victim" Issipiya has turned out to be a LTTE female cadre given rank of a Colonel. Similarly, Australia's ABC News was embarrassed at its attempt to embarrass Sri Lanka when it was discovered that the Tamil "victim" was also a LTTE cadre. Amnesty International was the first to sponsor the videoing of Channel 4 at the UN in Geneva. Amnesty International has also accepted $50,000 from the Canadian Tamil Congress which is an LTTE front organization operating from Canada. Are Tamils discriminated against? Do all Government notices carry Tamil? YES. Tamil is an official language. All Government documents - coins, currency, postage stamps, name boards on roads, birth certificates, marriage certificates, passport forms, appear in Sinhala & Tamil. In the national flag Tamils are represented through the color Yellow. Major Tamil cultural/religious events are declared as public holidays. Tamil language of just 12% of Tamils is recognized as an official language. If Tamils had been discriminated against for EMPLOYMENT, explain how these top posts were held by Tamils? Ministers of State (including post of Foreign Minister who was assassinated by the LTTE) The Chief Justice of Sri Lanka The Inspector General of Police The Commander of the Armed Forces Chairman of the Central Bank Chairman of the State TV Heads of Government Department University Professors and Vice-Chancellors Ambassadors and High Commissioners Mayors & Public Officials (Alfred Duraiappah the Mayor of Jaffna was the first victim of the LTTE, killed by Prabakaran himself) LTTE has killed 82 Tamil politicians / 54 Tamil Government officials / 24 Tamil intellectuals & academics. During colonial rule, missionaries offered better educational facilities & schools in the North to enable more English educated Tamils. hus, by independence, Tamils secured all the well paid jobs - doctors, engineers, accountants, lawyers etc By 1956 Tamils constituted 50% of the clerical personnel of the railway, postal and customs services, 60% of all doctors, engineers and lawyers, and 40% of other labor forces. If Tamils are concerned about the welfare of Tamils why did the High Caste & High Class Tamils object to the Social Disabilities Act No. 21 passed in parliament in 1957 giving lower castes the right to attend schools & Kovils. Even after the Act was passed low caste Tamil children had to sit on floors & study in schools in the North - so much for equality amongst Tamils! Are Tamil students in universities in Sri Lanka able to study in Tamil? YES, However in universities in Jaffna & Batticoloa, faculties of Medicine, Engineering, Science and Agriculture offer study in Tamil medium only. All staff are Tamil in these two universities. LTTE has introduced a "Thamilcholai" School System commencing with orphanages that were actually training children as young as 10 years to kill. Systematic psychological conditioning of students to become martyrs and terrorists started with the LTTE long before it manifested itself in Islamist madrasas Today in Europe there are 350 Thamilchollai schools with approximately 20,000 Tamil students between the ages 4 to 21. 145 schools in Germany. 133 schools in Switzerland, 52 schools in France, 25 schools in the Netherlands, 65 schools in Denmark. Thamilcholai schools charge a fee per student ranging from 8 - 13 Euros per month from which a portion is paid as a tax to LTTE front organizations LTTE & Tamil Eelaam Did Tamil Eeelam start with the LTTE? NO. It was the Federal Party formed in 1949 by Chelvanayagam that espoused to achieve a Tamil Eelaam inspired by similar sentiments that were brewing in India. It was the Federal Party that demanded 50-50 representation at independence when the Sinhalese were over 74% of the population & Tamils just 12%. What was Prabakaran's initial aim in forming the LTTE? Prabakaran belonging to a low caste & with caste being a very rigid area in Tamil polity with discriminations against Tamils in all spheres of life, it was the youth movement & Prabakaran that began to defy these rigid Tamil caste customs. In reality 1st phase of LTTE was a movement of Tamils against Tamils for equal status & equal dignity. India was quick to exploit this and turn it into a TERRORIST movement to realize India's policy to destabilize Sri Lanka. That was how LTTE became a terrorist movement. Soon western interests in the geopolitical importance of Sri Lanka attracted foreign players most of whom were NGOs interested in conversions. Is the LTTE the "sole" representative of the Tamils? No. LTTE has killed all Tamils that they feel is a threat to them and refused to be tested for their popularity through the ballot and so chose only the bullet. What is the area the LTTE demanded as "Tamil Eelaam". Combining North and East of Sri Lanka the LTTE demanded 28.7% landmass and 60% of Sri Lanka's coastline. A pertinent question to also ask is Tamil Eelam meant for All Tamils of the world or just the Sri Lankan Tamils? With Tamils in other parts of the world all demanding an Eelaam for Tamils the logical & practical Eelaam should ideally be located in Tamil Nadu, India where there are over 60m Tamils. Sri Lanka has less than 2m Tamils. Tamil Nadu is the best place to house over 70m world Tamils. With the death of Prabakaran there are Prabakaran wannabe's in the US, UK & France all vying to be the next leader of a resurrected LTTE. Rudrakumaran selfappointed head of TGTE, Father S.J. Emmanuel & Nediyawan none of whom need to be taken seriously. They are all interested in keeping the LTTE $300m kitty rolling. How Tamils were "charged" by the LTTE To function LTTE needed money. Within Sri Lanka, LTTE used various means to raise funds : taxing goods passing through LTTE controlled areas, sales tax on goods sold by merchants, tax on individual households in LTTE areas, extortion & protection money paid by businessmen & penalties for Tamils who evaded payment. LTTE customs officials were located at Omanthai checkpoint. Monthly collection was Rs.4-5m. taxing goods at Omanthai ranged from 8-30% of the cost of the item (color television fetched 25% duty of the value) farmers paid taxes according to produce - varies from Rs.300 to Rs.3000 per term of produce. A tractor owner had to pay Rs.30,000 every 6 months Govt employees had to pay tax rate of 8% of their income. Rs.5 per kilo is collected from fishermen for transporting fish from Mannar to Colombo. LTTE had a special unit to collect taxes from Tamil businessmen in Colombo & outskirts too. So much for LTTE being liberators of the Tamil people! LTTE's record of Ethnic Cleansing : attacks on Sinhalese In 1971 29.2% Tamils were living in areas outside the north and east of Sri Lanka. In 1971 Sinhalese living in the Northern province was 4.5% In 1981 Northern census had 19334 Sinhalese civilians recorded. LTTE had killed over 600 living in these areas & evicted the rest. This is a clear example of ethnic cleansing of Sinhalese living in the North by the LTTE. In 1981, 32.8% Tamils were living in areas outside the north and east of Sri Lanka. In 1981, Sinhalese living in the Northern province was just 3%. Sinhalese living in Jaffna declined from 2.9% in 1971 to 0.6% in 1981. From 1987 NO Sinhalese & NO MUSLIMS were living in Jaffna or the North because both the Sinhalese & Muslims had been ethnically cleansed from these areas by the LTTE and silently looked on by Tamil politicians. It is wrong to devolve power according to ethnic basis. 13a was an addition to the constitution forcefully imposed on Sri Lanka by India. Provincial Councils have been nothing but an expense incurred by the public. There is little productivity, effectiveness or efficiency from the provincial councils since 1988 and unlikely to result in any changes by giving additional roles. Provincial Council systems have been a waste of money for Sri Lanka. Can Tamils & Muslims buy land & property in Sri Lanka - YES. Tamils own over 200 condominiums in & around the outskirts of Colombo. Most of these apartments are not rented out to Sinhalese. Can Sinhalese or Muslims buy land & property in Jaffna - NO. The thesavalamai law restricts this because it is a racist law applying to only Tamils and this needs to be removed. For real reconciliation to happen Sinhalese & Muslims must be allowed to own property and land & carry out business & education in the North. LTTE's record of Ethnic Cleansing : attacks on Muslims LTTE attacks a Muslim mosque in Kattankudy on 4 August 1990 & massacres 103 muslims & injures over 70 while they were at prayers. In October 1990, 75000 Muslims were expelled from the North by the LTTE giving them only 48 hours to evict. Another example of ethnic cleansing of Muslims by LTTE. That over 70,000 Muslims lived in North Sri Lanka depicts that the North was never a ONE ethnic area. The first Muslims to be evicted were from Chavakachcheri (1500 Muslims) to a 1981 census (the last official count), the total Muslim population in Jaffna was 14,844 families. LTTE attacks on sacred places & clergy LTTE attacks sacred city of Anuradhapura on 14 May 1985 killing 120 devotees including children and wounding scores of others. LTTE lays a claymore mine & kills Senior Buddhist monk & Chief Priest of Sripura, Ven. Pihimbiyagolle Dhammaloka in Konamariyawa on November 18, 2001 In 1998, January 25 LTTE sends a suicide mission to attack Sri Lanka's holiest Buddhist shrine - the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy killing 13 and damaging temple property. UNESCO has declared Temple of the Tooth a cultural heritage site. LTTE & Assassinations LTTE is the only terrorist group to have killed 2 international political leaders. One on foreign soil - Rajiv Gandhi, former PM of India & Sri Lanka's President R Premadasa on May Day. Interpol declared LTTE leader Prabakaran a wanted man. LTTE has also made a bid to assassinate President Kumaratunga who escaped but lost her eye sight as a result of the shrapnel. LTTE has assassinated 1 President 1 Opposition candidate 10 leaders of political parties 7 Cabinet Ministers 37 Members of Parliament 6 Members of Provincial Councils 22 Members of Pradeshiya Sabhas 17 Political Party Organizers & 4 Mayors including Alfred Duraiappah who became the LTTE's first killing in 1975 outside a kovil in Jaffna.   LTTE Suicides How many suicide attacks has the LTTE carried out? Jane's Information Group claims that between 1987 & 2000 the LTTE has carried out 168 suicide attacks on civilians & military. When was the 1st suicide attack by the LTTE - July 5, 1987 in Nelliady army camp killing 40 security personnel. When was the 1st foreign suicide attack by the LTTE - May 21, 1991 on former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi killing him instantly along with 18 others in Tamil Nadu, India When was the 1st suicide bombing inside an army camp? 1999, August 9 when a male suicide bomber enters the Vakarai camp on the pretext of collecting weekly food relief & detonates bomb strapped to his body. Some of the notable suicides have been: 1994 (Oct 24) Leader of the Opposition & UNP Presidential candidate Gamini Dissanayake & 58 persons killed by female suicide in Grandpass, Colombo. 1996 (Jan 31) suicide bomber detonates a truck loaded with more 100kgs of explosives in front of Central Bank killing 91 civilians & wounding over 2000. 1996 (Oct 15) suicide bombers detonate a truck in the Galadari hotel parking lot close to the World Trade Center killing 18 civilians & injuring over 100. 1998 (Mar 5) 36 civilians & 2 police personnel are killed & 270 civilians are injured when a mini-bus filled with explosives was blown up by a suicide bomber in Maradana, Colombo 2001 (Jul 24) A group of 20 suicide cadres in military uniforms attack Katunayake air force base & Bandaranaike International Airport destroying 8 military aircrafts (including Kfir jets, 2 Mi-17 helicopters, 1 MIG 27, 3 Chinese K8 trainer aircrafts & 6 Airbus passenger aircrafts) 2004 (Jul 7) woman suicide bomber detonates explosives at Kollupitiya Police station killing herself & 4 police personnel & injuring 9. Target was Minister Douglas Devananda - a Tamil & critic of the LTTE. 2006 (Apr 25) Army Commander Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka critically injured when female suicide cadre disguised as a pregnant woman blows herself inside the Army head quarters. 2006 (Aug 14) LTTE targets Pakistan High Commissioner's convoy. High Commissioner escapes. 2006 (Oct 16) 98 sailors killed as an LTTE explosive laden vehicle rams into naval convoy at Digampatana Habarana 2006 (Dec 1) Suicide attack targets Defense Secretary, Gotabaya Rajapakse who escapes. o 2007 (Oct 22) LTTE infiltrates SLAF base at Anuradhapura killing 9 security forces personnel including 2 officers.   LTTE & Civilian Killings (including Children) In what ways did LTTE strike civilians? LTTE used vehicle bombs, time bombs, kept bombs aboard planes, buses, cars, truck bombs targeting civilians, they attacked villagers by using automatic weapons, small arms, swords, machetes, clubs and other handheld weapons, suicide missions etc. The 1st attack on civilians by the LTTE was on the Dollar & Kent Farms in Weli Oya Nov 30 1984. LTTE terrorists killed 67 civilians including women & children. The youngest child killed by the LTTE was boy of just 18months when LTTE attacked a village in Siyambalanduwa on Nov 2, 1995. Since March 2000 to March 2009 a total of 13538 civilians have been killed by the LTTE. Since March 2000 to March 2009 a total of 5222 Security forces personnel have been killed by the LTTE. (No deaths to civilians or armed personnel from 2010-2012) How many civilians has the LTTE killed in Government controlled areas - over 10,000 civilians have been killed & a similar number injured. There is no estimates of the number of Tamil civilians the LTTE would have killed throughout decades that they ran almost a defacto government in the North. 1994 November 11: A female suicide bomber exploded herself near the Slave Island Railway Station in Colombo causing the death of 15 children, a police personnel and one soldier. LTTE's killing of POWs Notably, the LTTE massacred most of 364 unarmed police officers captured after their surrender to the LTTE in 1990. The LTTE also executed 200 Sri Lankan soldiers captured during an attack on the Pooneryn army camp, and hundreds of soldiers who had surrendered during the attack on the Mullaitivu army camp. How many armed forces personnel have lost their lives as a result of the LTTE? 19,282 Security Forces personnel were killed and 82,104 were maimed or wounded in battles against the LTTE and 2,609 were missing in action prior to the launch of the Humanitarian Operation in 2006 LTTE first used surface to air missiles on the Sri Lanka Airforce by shooting down 2 avro aircrafts on 28 & 29th April 1995 killing 100 unarmed military personnel returning on leave. Victor Base 1 situated in Vallipunam was a torture chamber used by the LTTE known only to a handful of top LTTErs, the torture chambers was frequented regularly by the LTTE supremo & Pottu Amman who watched each torture & killing take place. 26 security personnel have been killed in these torture chambers on 16 January 2009. LTTE had used diesel mixed with sugar to ensure no traces of bones remained to be identified. LTTE cadres & Child Combatants How young were some of the LTTE child combatants? The children kidnapped by the LTTE were as young as 10 years old and trained to become killers. LTTE ruling on child conscription - Every Tamil family had to give at least one child to the LTTE. At times LTTE even abducted children from schools, UNICEF has declared LTTE to be the world's worst perpetrator of child soldier recruitment. LTTE is said to have recruited since 2001 5974 child soldiers despite announcing to the international community in July 2003 that it would stop conscripting child soldiers. More than 11,000 LTTE cadres surrendered to the security forces How many Ex-LTTE cadres have been rehabilitated? - As of Feb 9, 2012 490 ex-LTTE cadres have been rehabilitated & reintegrated into society (within 3 years) leaving 973 ex-LTTE cadres to be reintegrated to society. How much money has the SL Govt allocated to rehabilitate ex-LTTE cadres - Rs.200m An example of ex-LTTE cadres rehabilitated & reintroduced into society also assisted with employment is a farming project in Vadamarachchi where 54 families of rehabilitated ex-LTTE combatants will be involved in aloe vera farming. Rs.1m has been allocated for the project. LTTE using Tamil Civilians as Human Shields In the liberation operation in the EAST, except Vakarai since civilians had already fled to camps the LTTE could not use them as human shield. When the Wanni operation began the LTTE prevented civilians escaping & closed entry/exits of Omanthai & Ulliyankulam. However, 46 families (138 people) managed to escape in March 2008 and cross over to Govt controlled areas. LTTE forced Tamil civilians to points behind their rear lines & forced civilians to retreat with them. LTTE even recruited some of these people & used them to construct bunds & ditches as well as to obtain food & medicine which were being supplied free by the Government. Why did the LTTE take Tamil civilians with them? LTTE wanted to use them as human shields, that is why LTTE were mingling with the Tamil civilians and had set up their equipment amongst the people in the NFZ. In accusing Sri Lanka's armed forces of indiscriminate firing & killing unsubstantiated numbers of civilians, the international community & UN needs to be always mindful to remember and never to forget the scores of indiscriminate firing on civilians by US/NATO forces in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo, Bosnia, Libya, Pakistan where unmanned drones regularly kill ordinary civilians. LTTE front organizations The Tamil Rehabilitation Organization is the primary front organization of the LTTE. In 2007 the US declared the TRO a terrorist organization, in 2005 the UK delisted the TRO from its list of charity organizations. The TRO collected funds to purchase arms for the LTTE in the pretext of collecting funds for charity purposes. Other front organizations are : Tamil Canadian Congress, British Tamil Forum, BTA, BTC, WTM, ISA, TYO, IFT, TLP LTTE Sea Wing LTTE sea tigers had - cargo boats, fast attack crafts, transport boats, suicide boats, locally manufactured submarines, water jets, under water scooters, remote control boats & systems, fibre glass boats & dinghies, GPS tracking systems, LTTE sea tiger wing has killed 52 officers of the SL Navy, 348 sailors, 8 major vessels, 20 fast attack crafts, 28 inshore patrol crafts due to cluster & suicide attacks by LTTE. LTTE purchased its first ship named CHOLAN in 1986 through contacts made during Thimpu talks & commenced their international shipping network. LTTE's first sea borne suicide attack was on 10 July 1990 at Velvetithurai, Jaffna, where Black Sea Tigers rammed an explosive laden boat on SL Naval vessel Edithara. LTTE Air Wing LTTE air wing has shot down 52 airplanes & helicopters including civilian aircrafts using surface to air missiles. LTTE owned 2 micro light aircrafts, 5 light aircrafts, 2 helicopters & 2 UAV remote controlled planes. How many attacks has LTTE air wing carried out? Over 10 attacks since 1995 have been carried out on civilian & military targets killing 286 people. LTTE first used surface to air missiles on the Sri Lanka Airforce by shooting down 2 avro aircrafts on 28 & 29th April 1995 killing 100 unarmed military personnel returning on leave. France, Malaysia and UK were 3 countries LTTE obtained flight training. LTTE Black Tigers 274 male suicide bombers and 104 female suicide bombers died in action between July 5, 1987 and November 20, 2008. Pro-LTTE tv stations LTTE propaganda is carried out by the following tv stations - Tharisanam (Australia), GTV (UK), Tamil 24 (Paris). The following tv stations have been shut down : TTN, Thenral, TV1 (Canada), NTT (US), Euro Television(Italy), Mathuran (Singapore) Pro-LTTE radio channels LTTE propaganda is carried out through the following radio channels : VOT (Norway), IBC (UK), TRT (Paris), CMR, CTR, ATBC, Tamil Star (Canada) Pro-LTTE Websites LTTE propaganda is carried out through the following websites: www.tamilnet.com / www.tamilwin.com / www.sangathi.com/ www.puthinam.com / www.athirulu.com / www.lankasri.com Pro-LTTE printed media LTTE propaganda is carried out by the following print media : Ulagar Thamilar & Pulathil(Canada), Eelamurusu & Erimalai(Paris), Tamil Guardian & Oru (UK). LTTE & Peace Talks How many Peace Talks have been held between the Govt & LTTE - Altogether 5 attempts. 3 direct talks between LTTE & GOSL, 2 foreign aided peace talks (with India culminating in Indo-Lanka Peace Accord in 1987 & with Norway resulting in the 2002 ceasefire agreement) Peace Talks Timeline 1st peace talk - July 1985 in Thimpu/Bhutan 1st foreign assisted peace talk- Jul 1987 in Colombo with India 2nd peace talk - May 1989 - Colombo 3rd peace talk - Oct 1994 - Jaffna (4 rounds of talks) 4th peace talk - Sept 2002 - In Thailand, Norway, Germany & Japan 5th peace talk - Feb 2006 - Geneva, Norway, Switzerland What happened at the 1985 Thimpu Talks: For the Thimpu Talks several Tamil groups took part : LTTE, TULF, TELO, PLOTE, EPRLF, EROS. The LTTE & other Tamil groups forwarded 4 demands as pre-conditions to continue the talks. These were a) recognition of Tamils as a distinct nationality, b) recognition of the rights of Tamils to a Tamil homeland c) recognition of the right to self-determination of Tamil nation d) recognition of the right of full citizenship to all Tamils living in Sri Lanka (meant to include Tamils from India living in Sri Lanka). Sri Lankan Government refused to accept the first 3 demands & the talks collapsed LTTE used the ceasefire & peace talks to strengthen their military capabilities (purchasing M16s, AK47s, RPGs & explosives) resulting in taking control of Jaffna peninsula. LTTE went on to eliminate other Tamil militant groups. LTTE killed Sri Sabaratnam leader of TELO. What happened at the 1987 Indo-Lanka Peace Talks By 1987 Sri Lanka's military was dominating the LTTE. Prabakaran was cornered in Vadamarachchi but India intervened forcing a cessation of hostilities. The Indo-Lanka Peace Accord was signed amidst controversy & disapproval by most of Sri Lanka's politicians on 29 July 1987 leading to the arrival of the Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka. The Indo-Lanka Accord made Sri Lanka amend its constitution to add a 13th amendment creating the provincial council system and merging the North & East provinces. The Accord required the LTTE to surrender its arms, but just 4 days into a false surrender the LTTE attacked Sinhalese villagers in the East killing 211 civilians. LTTE took on the IPKF killing over 1000 Indian soldiers & injuring double that number. What happened at the 1989 Peace Talks in Colombo (2nd attempt at Peace)? LTTE took on the IPKF for 18 months & agreed to peace talks in order to buy time & equipment. President Premadasa ordered the IPKF out of Sri Lanka on 8 June 1989. Premadasa Govt came to numerous agreements with the LTTE including closure of several strategic army camps, 2nd round of peace talks were held in June 1990 in Colombo but the LTTE attacked police stations throughout the East taking hundreds of police officers as prisoners. These unarmed police officers (364 Sinhalese & Muslim policemen) surrendered to the LTTE on an assurance of safety given by the GOSL but were gunned down one after another. Eventually a ceasefire was declared on 17 June 1990. However, LTTE broke the ceasefire by attacking air force & army camps as well as police stations killing 342 security personnel & wounding 412. It was during this period that LTTE went on to overpower all other Tamil groups & parties killing the TULF & former leader of the Opposition A. Amirthalingam, V Yogeshwaran MP for Jaffna (Jul 1989), Sam Thambimuttu MP EPRLF(May 1990) By Aug 1990 LTTE killed 147 Muslim devotees praying at Kathankudy & 173 villagers in Eravur, Batticoloa & evicted all Muslims from Jaffna peninsula. LTTE commenced suicide attacks on the SL Navy What happened at the 1994 Peace Talks in Colombo (3rd attempt at Peace)? "Unconditional Talks" was initiated by President Kumaratunga with the LTTE after she became Prime Minister on 17 Aug 1994 a "declaration of cessation of hostilities" was agreed However, LTTE demanded Sri Lanka remove strategic army camp in Pooneryn & open a strategic land route to the mainland for LTTE to move their cadres & carry arms in the East. LTTE also demanded that they are exempt from screening at checkpoints on roadways as well as demanded relaxing of fishing restriction in the East. President Kumaratunga agreed to all except closing of Pooneryn camp. Despite the peace talks LTTE blasted 2 naval gunboats in Trincomalee harbor killing 12 sailors & wounding 21 breaking the agreement that required LTTE to give 72 hrs notice if terminating the ceasefire agreement. During the 1994 LTTE rearmed itself formed 4 new infantry & support arms regiments, purchased artillery, anti aircrafts, anti tank weapons & explosives from overseas using the funds raised by LTTE front organizations. On 28th & 29th April 1995 LTTE carried out its 1st surface to air missile killing 100 unarmed military personnel returning on leave (an example of LTTE violating Geneva Conventions killing unarmed personnel) In 1996 LTTE attacked Mullaitivu killing more than 1100 soldiers triggering Eelaam War 3. 1996 also witnessed attacks on civilians, economic targets & places of worship : Temple of the Tooth, Oil Refinery in Kolonnawa, Oil tanks in Orugodawatte & the Central Bank What happened at the 2002 Peace Talks facilitated by Norway (4th attempt at Peace)? In Dec 2001, UNP led by PM Ranil Wickremasinghe came into power & LTTE offered a unilateral ceasefire & unconditional talks accepted by the UNF Government. Formal ceasefire was signed on 22 February 2002 (Cease Fire Agreement - CFA) Norway was the facilitator of the peace process & a Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) made up of Nordic countries were appointed to supervise the CFA. The CFA was signed without the awareness of the President of Sri Lanka. Governments of US, Japan & EU were appointed on 10 June 2003 as Co-Chairs of the Tokyo Conference on Reconstruction & Development of Sri Lanka Prior to talks LTTE demanded easing of restriction on transport of dual purpose goods (civilian & military) to LTTE controlled areas, access to transport LTTE cadres, access to foreign funding, supplying of communication equipment & access to international training programs for LTTE cadres. These demands had to be met for the sake of "confidence building" according to the LTTE. GOSL granted all LTTE demands but walked away from the peace talks when discussions centered on political issues. President Rajapakse won the Presidential elections in Nov 2005. What happened at the 2006 Peace Talks (5th attempt at Peace)? President Rajapakse insisted on an open agenda for any future talks. In Jun 2006 LTTE delegation flew to Oslo, Norway but claimed they were not satisfied with the composition of the GOSL delegation. In Oct 2006, LTTE refused to continue peace talks until GOSL opened up the A9 highway. Since the Geneva Talks (Feb 24-Apr 27 2006) 42 civilians have been killed by the LTTE, plus 31 army, 18 Navy, 3 airforce, 4 police & 7 homeguards. LTTE exploited the ceasefire period to rearm and build stockpiles of weapons and ammunition, it upgraded its weapon systems, LTTE used its "Political Offices" in GOSL controlled areas to organize recruitment, carry out intelligence, collect arms & intimidate residents. LTTE sniper killed Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadiragamar in August 2005. LTTE also killed Kethesh Loganathan, Deputy Secretary General of the Secretariat for Coordinating Peace Process in August 2006. LTTE used its "Political Offices" in GOSL controlled areas to organize recruitment, carry out intelligence, collect arms & intimidate residents. Despite the CFA LTTE assassinated 24 of Sri Lanka's key intelligence officers. LTTE made an attempt to assassinate the Sri Lanka Army Commander inside the Army Head Quarters in April 2006 LTTE attempted to assassinate the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army in Jun 2006 LTTE also made an attempt to assassinate Secretary to the Defense Ministry Has the SLMM documented evidence of LTTE's violations of the CFA? - YES - 14 Jul 2002 & 10 Feb 2003 SLMM & SL Navy detected weapons laden trawlers & weapons transfer by LTTE. SL Navy destroyed 10 LTTE vessels carrying thousands of tons of weapons from Sept 2006 to Oct 2007. Has the SLMM recorded violations of the CFA? Yes (complaints lodged by Tamil relatives to the SLMM) SLMM has claimed LTTE was responsible for 1743 instances of child recruitment SLMM has claimed LTTE was responsible for 253 abductions of children & 579 abductions of adults during the CFA. NOTE: LTTE comprised of 14,000 cadres in 2002 & by 2006 June LTTE had 25,000 cadres. Whereas only a handful of complaints on abductions had been received by the SLMM, one can imagine the large numbers of Tamil children & adults who would have been kidnapped and forced to become LTTE. Did the SLMM have a process to monitor CFA obligations & complaints by public in LTTE controlled areas?  NO How many times has the LTTE violated the CFA according to the SLMM? The SLMM has recorded 3830 violations by the LTTE. The number of violations by the GOSL is recorded at just 351. Since the EU banned the LTTE in 2006 & LTTE was quick to announce it could not guarantee the safety of the SLMM personnel from May 2007 the SLMM ceased to record CFA violations by the LTTE. Nevertheless LTTE has committed the following throughout the CFA (throughout areas of Jaffna, Wanni, Batticoloa, Amparai, Polonnaruwa, Trincomalee & Colombo) Abductions of civilians - 1189 Protest Campaigns - 124 Demanding Ransom - 46 Conscription - 434 Forcible removal of Private Vehicles - 93 Hoisting of LTTE Flag in public institutions - 247 Harassment to Civilians - 373 Carrying Weapons in Cleared Areas - 114 Construction of new Camps/Bunkers - 11 Killing of Civilians - 800 Killing of Security Personnel - 1369 Naval Exercise with live fire The Cease Fire Agreement formally ended on 16 January 2008 Sri Lanka's Humanitarian Operation Sri Lanka's Humanitarian Operation took place from July 2006 to May 2009 in a military adopted strategy to eliminate the LTTE after 3 decades of terror. LIBERATION OF THE EAST Why did the Govt launch the humanitarian operation to open the Mavil Aru Sluice Gates? Despite the 2002 ceasefire the LTTE closed the sluice gate at Mavil Aru, Trincomalee District in July 2006. The sluice gates provided water for 9,510 Muslims, 8,013 Sinhalese and 4,439 Tamils living in 20 villages. Closure of these sluice gates by the LTTE affected their livelihoods & domestic requirements since they were farmers. The closure was reported to the SLMM but no remedy was given forcing the GOSL to react & security forces were ordered to open the sluice gates on 28 Jul 2006. When did the Security Forces launch the humanitarian operation to secure Sampoor? The operation was launched on 24 August 2006 & ended on 4 September 2006 by gaining full control of the Sampoor area. When did the Security Forces finally liberate the East of Sri Lanka? The security forces liberated the East (Vakarai, Batticoloa bowl, Thoppigala, Trincomalee North) by 10 July 2007. How did the LTTE respond to security forces deciding to open Mavil Aru? LTTE launched attacks on army camps in Kaddaiparichahan, Selvanagar & Mahindapura & Muttur Nnaval Detachment & Muttur town. The ship carrying troops (The Jetliner) was also attacked whilst entering Trincomalee Harbor. LTTE took control of Muttur (which faces Trincomalee Harbor) whilst fierce fighting took place at Kattiparichahan at the entrance of Mutur. Areas to the South of Trincomalee - Selvanagar, Galkanda forced civilians to flee their homes to camps in Kantale. These IDPs numbered 76,745 (5848 Sinhalese, 29620 Tamils & 41,277 Muslims) Security Forces cleared Mutur town on 6 August 2006 & consolidated the area. Security Forces took total control of Trincomalee South on 7 August 2006 On 10 August 2006, Mavil Aru sluice gates were reopened by Sri Lanka's security forces. LTTE began firing artillery from Sampoor & Ralkuli (located either side of Mutur) threatening Naval Dockyard, SLAF base at China Bay, Mitsui Cement Factory & Prima Flour Mill.& Oil tanks. Civilians began to move out for safety. LTTE sea tigers increased its presence with additional suicide boats & fast crafts. Security Forces provided shelter & amenities for the civilians until civil administration took over. LIBERATION OF THE NORTH LTTE was controlling 6792sq km & manning 11km long FDL from Kilaly to Nagarkovil via Muhamallai in the North & a 140km long FDL from Mannar to Kokkuthuduwai via Omanthai in the South. When did the Security Forces launch the humanitarian operation to liberate Wanni? 5 March 2007 On 11 August 2006, LTTE attacked Muhamalai entry/exit points on Kandy/Jaffna A9 road killing unprepared military personnel & civilians LTTE also attempted to capture the Naval Detachment at Kilaly & the Forward Defence Line at Muhamalai. LTTE sea tigers attacked Naval troops at Kayts forcing troops to vacate positions in the FDL & occupy alternate positions. Troops launched counter attacks to recapture the FDL but failed. Counter attacks to recapture naval detachment at Kilaly was a success & Kilaly Lagoon front was reestablished on 12 August 2006. Sri Lanka Navy consolidated the defenses at Mandaitivu on 13 August 2006. Muhamalai FDL was re-established by 27 August 2006 though both sides suffered heavy losses. Madhu was recaptured on 24 April 2008 avoiding direct engagement in view of its religious & cultural significance. The Church has commended the authorities for this effort. By July 2008, security forces had liberated Adampan, Rice Bowl of Mannar & Periyamadhu, Veddithalathive. By Oct 2008 Nachchikuda was liberated. By Nov 2008 Akkarayankulam was liberated which LTTE planned to use as its main battle area. Security Forces entered Kilinochchi, LTTE's administrative hub but LTTE had taken the civilians to Vishvamadhu to create a human shield. On 2 January 2009 President Rajapakse called upon the LTTE to lay down its arms & surrender. LTTE refused. Since the LTTE were firing from positions alongside humans the Govt declared the 1st No Fire Zone in January 2009. Security Forces moving nearer the NFZ inspired civilians to flee and over 20,000 civilians crossed to Government controlled areas. LTTE's reaction was to send a suicide bomber amidst the civilians to discourage further civilians fleeing & she detonated herself at a makeshift reception center in Vishwamadu on 9 February 2009 killing civilians & military personnel. Many civilians who attempted to escape LTTE were killed. LTTE destroyed the Kalmandukulam Tank entrapping civilians from fleeing LTTE & LTTE also attempted to destroy the Iranamadu Tank Bund (largest water reserve in the North) but the LTTE cadre tasked to blow up the bund surrendered to the security forces averting a major humanitarian catastrophe. Since LTTE was moving with the civilians into the NFZ areas, LTTE used the NFZ to attack the security forces. LTTE also changed to civilian attire. LTTE moved the civilians to Putumattalan, Karayamullivaikkal and Vellamullivaikkal a narrow stretch of land bound by sea & a lagoon forming a natural obstacle for civilians to escape. The security forces succeeded in carrying out the rescue of civilians held hostage by the LTTE using their prowess at hostage rescue operations. Information was gathered using UAV footage, military intelligence & civilian sources. Specially trained anti-hijacking and hostage rescue troops were deployed. sniper attacks were used for the rescue operations, utilisation of the skills of the SOF and their night fighting capabilities Security Forces lost 47 personnel digging trenches. LTTE in the Nanthi Kadal lagoon area on three fronts (North/West/South) to gain the tactical advantage LTTE began to destroy most of its military hardware and communication equipment LTTE also destroyed a number of its ammunition dumps, heavy guns and other logistics using explosives devices, causing casualties among the civilians. UAV on 17 May 2009 confirms the magnitude of these explosions. Civilians claim that some LTTErs committed suicide by jumping into these fires. When was the LTTE militarily defeated - 18 May 2009 ending 3 decades of terror in Sri Lanka. Not a single bomb, assassination bid or suicide attempt has taken place since then. Only the people of Sri Lanka knows how great this feeling is. What is the outcome of LTTE's military defeat? For the first time in 3 decades people feel a sense of safety from bombs, suicide missions & assassination attempts. After decades the people of the northern & eastern provinces have been able to participate in democratic elections. People have voted at Local authority elections, Provincial Council elections, Presidential elections & General elections An ex-LTTE combatant who rejected terrorism and joined the democratic process was elected as Chief Minister of the Eastern Province. The people of the north and east now enjoy normalcy of life. Children can attend school without fear of being kidnapped to be made into a child combatant, farming has recommenced, fishing restrictions have been lifted, Govt has allocated massive funds to develop these areas, people from the South are traveling in large numbers to the north, What initiatives did Sri Lanka's military take to protect civilians in the conflict zones? The military declared Safe Corridors, No Fire Zones and followed a "Zero Civilian Casualty" policy conveyed to all troops on ground, air & sea. Repeated training for military personnel took place simultaneously alongside the military operation. no artillery power was used in the NFZs over 42,000 civilians were rescued on 20 April 2009 On 21 and 22 April 2009 over 60,000 civilians were saved Security forces established a passage across Vadduvakkal Lagoon allowing civilians to move past the lagoon. 80,000 civilians were the last civilian numbers to escape the LTTE.. Reception centers were set up to screen civilians escaping LTTE Medical teams were dispatched to attend to injured & ill. 8 dressing stations were All security personnel attending to civilians were able to speak Tamil facilitating communication. 175,000 personnel of the SLA have undergone local & international training to effectively be mentally & physically prepared to handle hostage rescue operations alongside a military operation against terrorism. What was the role of the GOSL in the Humanitarian rescue operation? From January 2008 to early May 2009, 58,393 metric tons of essential items were sent to Killinochchi and Mullaithivu districts in addition to 33,383 metric tons supplied to co-operative outlets during 2008 up to January 2009 Every month, five to 600,000 litres of fuel was sent to each district despite fear that it may fall into LTTE hands. There were 900 government health staff in Mullaithivu and Killinochchi alone More than 20 litres of water per person per day was delivered and used. Questioning the Credibility of Governments / UN & Others Credibility of India! How can India which helped create, train, fund & provide haven for Tamil militant groups claim to be a friend of Sri Lanka? How can India which armed Tamil militant groups claim to be interested in Tamils of Sri Lanka, for these armed militant groups mainly the LTTE killed scores of Tamils, turned children into child combatants and completely destroyed generations of Tamils from securing better futures. How can India which militarily intervened in Sri Lanka, forced Sri Lanka to change its constitution in order to create the provincial council systems allowing greater opportunity for India to secure the natural harbor of Trincomalee claim to be a friend of Sri Lanka? How can India which prevented the capture of Prabakaran by the Sri Lanka forces in 1987 in Vadamarachchi claim to be a country against terrorism or a country interested in safeguarding the interests of the Tamil people in the light of the torments Tamils suffered from because of the LTTE? The Jain Commission Report for the Indian Government confirmed that Indian Intelligence agency RAW was involved in destabilizing Sri Lanka & other South Asian states (clear link between LTTE & Indian Government) Did India create terrorist training camps in India - YES, there were 32 such camps. By 1986, India helped train over 20,000 Tamil militants - these militants carried out bomb attacks, suicide attacks & assassinations on Sri Lanka. What happened to the IPKF? India's experiment with military intervention turned sour when the LTTE declared war against the IPKF. Credibility of UNHRC head Navi Pillay! She is of Tamil descent which immediately raises her ability to be impartial Tamil homeland quest sprang from India and is a major component of the overall aspiration of Tamils to have an independent state. It is common practice that any judge who is directly or indirectly connected to a case transfers duty to another who has no direct or indirect links to the issue. LTTE leader Prabakaran is said to be her childhood hero further raising the argument of her suitability to chair sessions related to Sri Lanka. Is the UNHRC going to punish Sri Lanka for eliminating LTTE terrorists, rehabilitating the ex-LTTE members surrendered or caught, resettling Tamil civilians, taking loans to develop the North and Eastern provinces which had been under LTTE control for decades & bringing normalcy to Sri Lanka where people do not fear bombs, suicide missions & assassinations by accepting what LTTE front organizations & their leaders accuse Sri Lanka? Credibility of Norway! Former LTTE member, No 2 in rank in the LTTE & present Deputy Minister has alleged that Norway provided funds to the LTTE to purchase weapons Can Norway deny that "UTROP", a newspaper aimed at tarnishing the GOSL receives funds from the Norwegian Govt & Norwegian foundations? Can Norway deny that general Trygve Tellefsen gave military intelligence information to the LTTE about the SLNavy intention to stop an LTTE smuggling ship & the LTTE managed to change course because of the warning? Is it also true that Norway funded the LTTE through payments made by the Norwegian Government Agency "Norad". Norad is a part of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and reported to Mr. Erik Solheim Can Norway deny Norwegian report appearing in Afterposten alleging and revealing the involvement of the Norwegian embassy in Sri Lanka helping a group of 12 active LTTE cadres with air tickets, visas and escorting them to the airport to escape to Norway Credibility of the US! The US declares it does not talk to terrorists. Why is the US having open & secret talks with the LTTE proxy the Tamil National Alliance? US declared a "war on terror" calling for international support to rid the world of terrorism, when Sri Lanka did just that why is the US supporting a resolution against Sri Lanka at the UNHRC? US declares Sri Lanka has not done enough to address "accountability" issues. When during 3 years the GOSL has resettled all but a handful of civilians in over a decade 2.2m IDPs still remain displaced in Iraq, millions more are living in other middle eastern countries, US has abducted hundreds of men in what is called "unlawful renditions", US is keeping people in prison cells without charging them, US & NATO have purposely targeted civilian installations in Kosovo, Iraq, Afghanistan & Libya....where is the accountability of the US for these? In 2006 - Dr Murugesu Vineyagamoorthy and his wife Dr Pushpam were arrested in New York by the FBI for attempting to bribe a US Justice Dept official with $1 million to try to get the LTTE off the list of banned terrorist Credibility of UK! LTTE is banned in the UK. How can the UK explain how the LTTE was running an LTTE office in London, how can the UK explain why it allowed LTTE theoretician and his wife who trained LTTE female suicide cadres to openly propagate separatism from English soil on a sovereign and fellow commonwealth member nation? If UK has banned the LTTE, why are UK MPs attending events organized by LTTE front organization that openly display separatist sentiments, Eelaam flags & massive billboards of Prabakaran? Why do these MPs not even fear to talk upon stages and openly ridicule a democratic Government while sympathizing with the LTTE cause? Each year the LTTE holds 2 (regularly annual) events in London notwithstanding the fact that the LTTE is banned in the UK. (27 November for Prabakaran's Bday & 25 July commemorating Black July) Annual remittances from the UK towards the LTTE stood on an average at œ10 million. In 2005 alone, 16 killings have taken place involving the Sri Lankan Tamil community in the UK. Charles Anthony, son of Velupillai Prabhakaran was a student at the University of Belfast Tamil Refugee Action Group another LTTE front organization has even got a British National Lottery grant of œ78,450 pounds awarded on 2nd December 1998 In reality it is Britain that needs to be questioned for its sponsoring of terrorism and harboring of terrorists from UK soil. Its not too late for the hypocrisy to end. Give Sri Lanka some space. If at all provide constructive criticisms that would be useful to make administrative changes to uplift the productivity & efficiency of the Public Service for that is the key area that needs change and the rest will fall into place. People have had enough of conflicts and people understand that the presence of LTTE all these years was due to more than the ability of LTTE to be ruthless. The people of Sri Lanka are far more intelligent than the unfortunate countries that fell for regime change and the promise of "freedom" .

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