News Update - 20060802
*** Topics: Excessive force against civilians, Retaliatory strikes, Civilians displaced from fighting, Effects of EU ban on LTTE, Abductions of youth by paramilitaries, India's position remains outwardly neutral, Remembrance of Black July, Resumption of war ***** Excessive force against civilians:
In what was termed as a low-intensity war, the SL government forces have also committed indiscriminate attacks in the Northeast that have seen many Tamils killed, harmed, and living in fear.
http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=18533 - SL Navy soldiers attacked a Mannar church in which villagers were taking refuge from a clash between Navy and LTTE boats. Civilians in the church and elsewhere were fired on and bombed by the Navy after the clash resulted in losses for the SL Navy.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/5091320.stm - Despite government denials and counterclaims, the actual news of the incident made it to world media.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/5102456.stm
** Retaliatory strikes:
In response to government attacks on LTTE positions and civilian areas, the LTTE launched strikes on army and navy personnel.
http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=18629 - The 3rd highest ranking officer in the SL Army was killed by a suicide bomber
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsarticle.aspx?type=worldNews&storyid=2006-06-28T140542Z_01_SP56643_RTRUKOC_0_US-SRILANKA-CLASH.xml&src=rss
** Civilians displaced from fighting:
Civilians have been fleeing the scene of fighting by traveling to India or fleeing to other areas within the Northeast.
http://www.chennaionline.com/colnews/newsitem.asp?NEWSID=%7BFB00D846-86C1-46CD-9E7D-7C9691749D2C%7D&CATEGORYNAME=Chennai
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/5144858.stm - refugees have continued to flee the island into nearby Tamil Nadu in India
** Effects of EU ban on LTTE:
The ban on the LTTE by the EU was a foregone conclusion many weeks before it was enacted. Despite protests by the LTTE (due to the ban on itself) and Norway (due to the negative effect on the peace process), the ban was not postponed. The LTTE made it clear then that the ban would affect the neutrality of the monitoring mission.
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsarticle.aspx?type=worldNews&storyid=2006-06-21T111017Z_01_SP268295_RTRUKOC_0_US-SRILANKA.xml&src=rss
http://www.tamilcanadian.com/pageview.php?ID=4271&SID=39 - With Sweden, all 3 EU countries which have members in the SLMM have formally acknowledged that they will not remain a part of the SLMM beyond the Sept. 1 deadline to have EU countries' members withdrawn. The SLMM head is Swedish, meaning he will have to leave and be replaced after Sept 1.
** Abductions of youth by paramilitaries:
The paramilitaries working with the government have gone on a concerted campagin to recruit underage youth to fill its ranks with new members. The abductions have happened primarily in Tamil villages that are on the border between LTTE and govt. held areas.
http://in.today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2006-06-30T115257Z_01_NOOTR_RTRJONC_0_India-257560-1.xml
http://www.crin.org/resources/infodetail.asp?id=9009
** India's position remains outwardly neutral:
http://www.ndtv.com/template/template.asp?template=lanka&id=19706&callid=0 - Chief negotiator and political strategist for the LTTE, Anton Balasingham, publicly expressed regret about the Rajiv Gandhi assassination in a gesture to encourage the Indian government to reconcile with the LTTE.
http://www.ndtv.com/template/template.asp?category=National&template=Lanka&id=89646&callid=1 - India continues to maintain a neutral stance towards the conflict, neither supporting nor antagonizing the Sri Lankan government.
** Remembrance of Black July:
http://www.tamilguardian.com/tg328/ - a good, in-depth report on the organized ethnic violence in July 1983 which officially started the war.
** Resumption of war:
What seems to be the beginnings of full-scale conflict has begun.
http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=18968
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060726/wl_asia_afp/srilankaunrestattacks_060726140335 - the SL govt. finally launched continued attacks that amounted to a declaration of war. The official reason for war does not accord with those attacks, however.
http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2006/07/30/tigers-srilanka.html - the LTTE prepared itself for any assaults on its territory and promised to retaliate if such assaults occurred.
http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=19010 - the Trincomalee naval base has been heavily damaged, making the harbor ineffective. Trincomalee is strategically the most important port for the SL Navy.
http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=79&artid=19019 - reports have it that the original pretense for the aerial bombings would have been solved if it were not for the bombings.