Mannar Bishop Playing his part of a Geopolitical Plan to Dominate the Strategic Mannar Region

Mannar is Trincomalee in the western coast! Such is its strategic significance. After decades of very strong LTTE influence and control of some parts of the region, security forces cleared the entire area and the coastline. However, in doing so they disturbed a geopolitical master plan of outsiders colluding with willing locals. In a disturbing development, Mannar Bishop Rayappu Joseph has once again displayed his naked Tamil racism. Various theories have been suggested as plaster solutions. None of these can resolve the underlying problems. Sadly most observers only see the superficial problem and miss the real problems underneath. Blaming the entire Church for his actions is not justified but Church’s inaction will only worsen its problems. What are the real reasons for the conduct of the Mannar Bishop?

Mannar is strategically important to both Sri Lanka and India. It is the closest place to India. The proposed Sethu Canal would run across the Mannar Sea. Mannar Island would be the closest land area to the Sethu Canal! Given its commercial and defence importance to India, it gets plenty of attention. And that means interested parties trying to maintain a pro-Indian or Indian subjugated presence around Mannar. At the same time it means anti-Indian elements also trying to have their presence to use it as a bargaining tool.

Being the closest place to India makes it a prime location for illegal immigrants from Tamil Nadu. With the nation falling into British hands, it completely lost control of its boundaries. Tamil Nadu illegal immigrants arrived by boat to Mannar. Train tickets were issues in Madras to any railway station in Ceylon. This was the gravity of the illegal immigration problem. Fishing and pearl fishing were other reasons Tamil Nadu illegal immigrants were attracted to Mannar.  

While Sri Lanka army and navy do a good job in deterring illegal immigrants, a lot needs to be done to overcome this threat. Prosecution of all illegal immigrants is a must to stop them. During the war LTTE extensively used the western coast around Mannar to transport weapons. There were a number of large LTTE bases including Sea Tiger bases in this region. These bases were so effectively fortified that even security forces backed by air power were bogged down for long periods of time to take them. A good example is Adampan. LTTE’s plan was to control the Mannar district coastline which is of huge strategic importance. Whatever the external plan to dominate Mannar, some Tamil Elamists are big time fans of this plan.

Knowing the significance of the north-western coast very well, USA set up a VOA transmit centre in the early 1990s in Iranawila (http://wikimapia.org/2967479/Voice-of-America-Iranawila). Due to war and associated violence, they could not set it up anywhere further north than that. Interestingly the Mannar region completely fell into the control of Tigers in 1991 including the Mannar “rice bowl”.

Mannar has oil fields that are currently being explored. Given the huge economic and strategic importance of these oil fields, many more external forces will soon start interfering in the region. Further economic resources include large fishing resources and other oceanic resources. Kachchativu Island lies between the Mannar island and India. Its ownership and use have been in dispute and the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister has repeatedly vowed to take it back. He sure has agents on this side of the Palk Strait.

When the Mannar Tamil Catholic Bishop Rayappu Joseph starts acting up, it is due to these reasons, not due to his Tamil racist views alone. He has a twin challenge. Mannar is the only Christian majority district in the country. And today it is virtually Tamil only. Retaining these two characteristics is the challenge faced by a number of anti-Sri Lankan elements including the Mannar Catholic bishop.

The defence establishment must identify this link, the threat and put in place foolproof mechanisms to frustrate this external-internal collaboration to rob the island nation its valuable resources.

Mannar was a Sinhala majority area and subsequently turned to a Tamil majority area due to illegal migration from Tamil Nadu. Mannarama (Mannar) District had over 8% Sinhalese in 1981 but it fell to zero thereafter. War and hostilities by Tamil racist politicians who always managed to win in Mannar of Vanni district resulted in this disaster.

Prince Vijaya and his associates landed in the island in 543BC at a location close to Mannar. There he met a Yaksha princess by the name Kuveni. Subsequent rulers ensured Mannar is under their complete control. For instance King Dutugemunu’s forces ambushed and decimated an army of 60,000 from Tamil Nadu in Mannar following the defeat of Elara.

Even the Madhu Catholic Shrine was built there following the Sinhala king from Kandy – Wimaladharmasuriya – 1 granting permission. He considered the plight of northern Catholics as the Dutch persecuted them. Area under the modern Mannar District excluding the island was under the Kandyan Kingdom until 1815. However, this act of unparalleled kindness has been exploited by the likes of Rayappu Joseph who know nothing about history and refuses to acknowledge historical facts.

Ethnic composition of the region must be changed by a sustained process of colonization supported by security forces and state sponsorship. Only such a move can bring lasting peace and pro-Sri Lankan geopolitical control of the region. Sadly both Trincomalee and Mannar areas are politically dominated by pro-Tamil Elamist, anti-Sri Lankan political groups with very strong links with Tamil Nadu and the Tamil Diaspora. These are telltale signs of an impending disaster. What comes of Rayappu Joseph’s loose lips must be interpreted in this context.

We are seeing a revival of LTTE in TamilNadu/South India and just like in the 1980’s India is playing the Deaf & Dumb game!

SLDF: Be vigilant and terminate any LTTE appearance, even a mere semblance, on our sacred SL soil with Extreme Prejudice and Pronto! 

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LTTE’ camps in TN: PM’s statement based on Indian media reports

The Island, March 11, 2011, 9:13 pm

Responding to India’s contradiction of a statement attributed to Prime Minister D. M. Jayaratne, that the LTTE had an ongoing weapons training programme in Tamil Nadu, a senior government official told The Island on the condition of anonymity, that the Premier Jayaratne had gone by what was reported in the Indian media.

Premier Jayaratne had based his statement on Indian media reports dated Feb. 13, 2011 reproduced by local press the official said

The Indian High Commission in Colombo yesterday quoted Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesman Shri Vishnu Prakash as saying, "We have seen reports from Sri Lanka referring to the Sri Lankan Prime Minister’s statement alluding to the presence of LTTE training camps in Tamil Nadu. We categorically deny the existence of any such camps. The Government of Sri Lanka had also not taken up this issue with us. Such a reference is indeed unfortunate and we urge the Government of Sri Lanka to desist from reacting to speculative and uncorroborated reports."

A senior Sri Lankan Defence official told The Island that there hadn’t been specific information with regard to LTTE rump operating training facilities in Tamil Nadu, though Sri Lankan Intelligence Services continue to keep an eye on LTTE operations overseas.He said that the Indian press on Feb. 13 had carried a series of reports on LTTE operations in Tamil Nadu. The Hindu in its online edition on Feb. 13 said in a news item captioned ‘LTTE plans to target VVIPs during Assembly elections’ that the Central intelligence agencies had communicated specific inputs to the Tamil Nadu police that suspected LTTE cadre had conspired to carry out attacks on VVIPs during forthcoming Assembly elections."

The report quoted highly placed intelligence officers as having told The Hindu on Saturday (Feb. 12) that the Ministry of Home Affairs had sent alert messages that some LTTE cadres had arrived in Tamil Nadu and were engaged in a training programme at an "unknown location." They were in the process of procuring weapons and explosive substances to execute their plan.

"We received a few alert messages from Central intelligence agencies during the World Classical Tamil Conference held at Coimbatore and the visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Chennai recently. Elaborate security arrangements were made and both events went incident-free. We intercepted a couple of clandestine boat operators who organized transport of Sri Lankan Tamil refugees to Australia," a senior police officer said.

Some probable targets of the LTTE, as perceived by the Central intelligence agencies, were the Prime Minister, National Security Advisor and the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, among others, The Hindu quoted sources as saying.

MHA (Ministry of Home Affairs) reports also indicated that the alleged LTTE training and process of procuring weapons was to have been completed by December 20 last year.

The LTTE hasn’t been able to launch military training programme here or abroad. Some ex-LTTE cadres who were once involved in fighting during Eelam war IV are currently living in Tamil Nadu.

Days after India denies and tries to denigrate our PM (India's rhetoric which the unpatriotic Opposition – UNP and JVP - picks up and swallows hook line and sinker), the following appears in the mainstream Indian media!

Kerala tightens vigil on T.N. border to curb LTTE activities

Special Correspondent, Hindu

KATTAPPANA (KERALA), March 11, 2011
 

The Intelligence Bureau is keeping a vigil on the movement of suspected persons in the border areas of Tamil Nadu after it received inputs that members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam had reportedly tried to set up camps in the forest areas near Idukki district.

Highly placed sources said there were chances of setting up such camps in the forest areas and adjoining villages as it would give them cover, adding Sri Lankan Tamils could be easily identified in Tamil Nadu by their dialect. 

The chances of using airports in Kerala for transit were monitored after Sri Lanka clamped down on the group's activities. The sources said the airports could be used by certain overseas sponsors of the group to keep channels of communication open. 

Idukki's forest areas bordering Tamil Nadu in the Periyar Tiger Reserve (PTR) could be used by the cadres to regroup. It is estimated that about 1,000 Sri Lankan Tamils live in Pachakkanam Gavi inside the PTR where they had been repatriated as part of a rehabilitation pact signed by the then Sri Lankan Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike and her Indian counterpart Jawaharlal Nehru. They work in the cardamom plantations of the Kerala Forest Development Corporation Ltd. 

Intelligence sources said a large number of repatriates had migrated to Tamil Nadu and there was a remote chance of communication between them and members of the LTTE.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article1529261.ece
 

Clearly the Indians are playing their internal politics and do not gave damn about SL.  Therefore, time to be vigilant GOSL and SLDF!  Time for ruthless "nip-in-the-bud" measures otherwise we will be facing another 30 years of HORRIFIC TAMIL RACIST TERRORISM!