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!

LTTE massacre of 600 policemen Not even inter-departmental inquiry

As the surviving Holocaust Jews said:

We too say NEVER AGAIN! 

GOSL: You Have the Sacred Duty to LIQUIDATE Tamil Separatist Violence at the FIRST SIGN the Next Time!

___________________________________

LTTE massacre of 600 policemen Not even inter-departmental inquiry

Fearing the wrath of then President Ranasinghe Premadasa, the police never initiated at least an inter-departmental inquiry into the circumstances under which the LTTE had executed over 600 police officers and men at the onset of the Eelam War II in June 1990, the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission was told on Monday Jan 24, 2011.

The police top brass had been too scared to probe the massacre of those who had surrendered at the behest of President Premadasa, retired SSP Tassy Seneviratne said. The veteran cop was responding to a query by LLRC member former Foreign Secretary H. M. G. S. Palihakkara during Monday’s sessions.
Seneviratne retired in 1995, the year the Eelam War III erupted with the sinking of two Fast Gunboats anchored at Trincomalee.

Identifying the then Foreign Minister A. C. S. Hameed as a key player in President Premadasa’s negotiating team, Seneviratne asserted that IGP Ernest Perera had had no alternative but to comply with the presidential directive issued to police deployed in some parts of the Eastern Province.

Seneviratne said that the LTTE’s success had been built on shortcomings and strategic miscalculations on the part of successive governments. Had there been adequate support, the police could have thwarted the LTTE attempt to overrun police stations in the East in 1990, he said.

The LTTE assassinated Premadasa on May Day in 1993. Even after Premadasa’s assassination, successive governments did not initiate an inquiry.

Commenting on the then LTTE leader in the Batticaloa area Vinayagamurthy Muralitharan, now a Deputy Minister in the ruling UPFA coalition, Seneviratne emphasised the government, particularly President Mahinda Rajapaksa, should be wary of having an opportunist like Muralitharan aka Karuna. Recalling the circumstances which led Karuna to switch allegiance after being summoned to Kilinochchi in March 2004 by LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, Seneviratne urged President Rajapaksa to be cautious. The likes of Karuna could be dangerous, he stressed.

Seneviratne submitted a confidential letter to former Attorney General C. R. de Silva, Chairman, LLRC, claiming that the writer of that letter could shed light on ‘LTTE operations.’
The veteran cop urged the LLRC to recommend to the government to initiate an inquiry into war crimes committed by the LTTE. The massacre of policemen could be categorised as a grave war crime, he said.
Responding to LLRC Commissioner Dr. Rohan Perera, Seneviratne acknowledged that the families of those 600 policemen hadn’t been looked after by the department. The then IGP had been in a dilemma for want provision to do so, he said.

Pressed by Palihakkara, Seneviratne recalled how the police top brass had refused to carry one of his articles, which dealt with the massacre of policemen, in an annual publication of the police for fear of President Premadasa.

LLRC Chairman urged Seneviratne to provide whatever information he had with regard to the families of those policemen killed in the single largest massacre in this country.
The Commissioners indicated their keenness to ascertain whether the families of massacre victims had been given step-motherly treatment, compared to officers and men killed in other confrontations with terrorists.
-Island-
http://www.lankajournal.com/2011/01/ltte-massacre-of-600-policemen-not-even-inter-departmental-inquiry/

What Happened to Sudan Will Happen to Sri Lanka Unless the Mono-Ethnic Nature of the North is Changed

South Sudanese have decided to separate. The referendum returned an overwhelming support for mostly Christian and tribal controlled South Sudan to separate from the Islamic north. Tamil Tigers have been invited to participate in the celebrations. Officials of the Transitional Government of Tamil Elam (TGTE) will be attending the celebration of the forming of the nation of South Sudan. Strategically important Red Sea area has seen many separations including Eritrea, Somaliland and Now South Sudan. Although away from the Red Sea, massive oil resources, close proximity to Egypt (the most powerful African nation) and a vast non-Arabic population in an otherwise Arabic region are some reasons for the success of the SPLA campaign. Notwithstanding old alliances, most superpowers (four out of five are Christian nations) threw their weight behind the larger Christian South against the Islamic North. Israel too supported the South Sudan movement for a very long time. Such enormous support left Sudan helpless and was forced to put up with the referendum.

Darfur the Bait, South Sudan the Catch
Darfur made a media sensation in the West for years. Millions of people, mostly Muslims continue to suffer horrendous crimes in Darfur. However, instead of any relief to them, world powers made use of their sufferings to help South Sudan gain independence. Impoverished Darfur continues to be ruled by the North with no change in the lives of suffering people. It makes sense to address the sufferings of Darfur people than to help South Sudanese achieve independence.  But it was not to be so, because of their religion.

This pattern can be seen around the world in newly formed nations. Australia, the US, UK and a host of western nations were all behind East Timor until it was formed. It was hailed as a victory of Christians against the world’s most populous Islamic nation. But what happened after Independence? Australia started exploiting East Timor’s oil reserves without offering anything to the locals. Today East Timor is one of the poorest countries. Eritrea is another example of desertion after helping split from Ethiopia. Kosovo is yet another example. US backed the Kosovo militants until they gained Independence. Their horrendous crimes including selling organs of captives went unnoticed and unpunished. But now the West brings up these crimes to subjugate the newly formed nation of Kosovo. South Sudan cannot expect much after the honeymoon. People of Darfur will be worse off in future.

Tamil Tiger Connection    
The Tamil Tiger-South Sudan connection is a cleverly engineered plan. South Sudanese won their military campaign to force Sudan to consider separation but Tamil Tigers lost. However, South Sudan can be turned into a platform to create Tamil Elam. A few adjustments would be needed in the Tamil community to gain from the momentum created in Sudan. Puppeteers behind South Sudan want to see the creation of the next Christian nation in Asia after East Timor. Only 30% north-east Tamils in Sri Lanka are Christians although growing rapidly. Tamil political groups in the north-east are dominated by Hindus at the moment. They are unlikely to get any real support. On the other hand Hindustan will be worried if anything were to change in Tamil polity. However, under the leadership of Christian bishops both in Sri Lanka and abroad, Tamil Tigers are determined to change to please western Christian fundamentalists.

By being at the forefront of the South Sudanese celebrations and even in helping the new nation take root, Tamil Tigers will be seen as good puppets for separatism and darlings of the West. Tigers’ strong proven anti-Islamic tendency is also an asset to the West. The strong Israeli connection of South Sudan is another thing TGTE Tamils are after.

Tamil Tigers around the world buoyant by a series of favourable events including the massive show of force in London, the first and only invite to participate in a national event, a spate of assassinations of anti-separatist Tamils in the north recently and TNA’s gathering support in Sri Lanka are going to make the most of the situation. Forthcoming LG elections in the north and the east will be seen as an opportunity to strengthen grassroots level support for TNA at taxpayers’ expense. TNA which is devoid of any second or third tier at the moment will be building a very strong ground support base following the enormous victory expected at the forthcoming LG elections and at the subsequent Northern Provincial Council election. TNA won most votes and seats at the 2010 General Election and TNA backed Sarath Fonseka swept the north and the east at the 2010 Presidential Election despite serving as the Army Commander.

Development, peace, prosperity and all other good brought about by the government count for nothing in the north at an election/referendum. Few pundits who predicted the end of the TNA with the LTTE had to eat their own words after the two elections in 2010. They are in for a shock this time.

Nasty Implications for Sri Lanka   
It is only a matter of time since Sri Lanka will be forced to hold a referendum in the north and the east to assess the desirability of dividing the nation. Tamil Tigers are busy creating a conducive infrastructure for separation. The West is looking for another puppet nation in the region to keep China and India under check. If Tamil Elam is created it will be perpetual conflict not only over the land and sea borders but also to share waterways, natural resources, etc. Obviously a conflict between two nations will be far more gruesome than an internal conflict. The time to act is now. Things will happen at a faster pace from now onwards and before long Sri Lanka will be at crossroads. When pro-western political parties come to power, this process will be expedited.

What will happen if a referendum is held today in the north and the east for separation?

Jaffna, Vanni and Batticaloa districts will endorse separation while Trincomalee and Ampara districts will reject it. Overall the yes vote for separation will win easily.

As with the case of East Timor, Kosovo, Eritrea, Somaliland and South Sudan it is ethnic and religious isolation that determine the desire to separation in areas where race and religious centred politics dominate. It is this that needs fixing.

Trincomalee and Ampara districts didn’t end up in their present political state by accident. It was a very difficult process of changing the mono ethnic nature of these districts. Planned or unplanned, expected or unexpected this is what happened. This proven successful strategy must be followed in the north as well. Sinhalese and Muslims must be settled in the north

Due to the large outflow of people from the north, a vast area has been vacated. Areas surrounding SLDF bases should be converted to agricultural, fisheries and industrial supply sources for these bases. It can increase food production, reduce defence spend, provide security forces personnel with fresh food, provide employment, contribute to the national economy and achieve sustainable development by distributing the population. New villages with all facilities should be created in the north for the families of service personnel. The argument that they may not be willing to relocate there is absurd. At least they can use them as holiday houses or rent out to millions of visitors from the south.

Illegal immigrants from Tamil Nadu must be stopped. Every year tens of thousands of illegal immigrants come to Sri Lanka.

Apart from these moves strategic defence initiatives must be taken to deter separatists. Military presence of friendly nations in the north goes a long way in deterring separatist activity. Power of pro-separatist Christian clergy and the huge Evangelical movement need to be cut down. Foreign missionaries should be totally banned. NGO activities must be monitored. All NGOs discriminating people by race or religion must be banned. At the moment almost all NGOs help mostly Tamils almost totally disregarding others.

DS Senanayake is respected by most political parties with over 95% voters’ support. He didn’t become the father of the nation merely by giving birth to a nation. He did well to expect and manage the threats to the infant nation. He could see the Tamil separatist cancer affecting parts of the nation and took proactive steps to prevent it. However, his actions only prevented it in the east but failed in the north due to the north being closest to Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka’s inability to prevent illegal immigration from Tamil Nadu.

This country awaits a leader with foresight, not one who thinks he won the lottery when the war ended. Can the present leader convert and galvanize the military and political victories into a national victory? Only time will tell. But time is running out.

WIKILEAKS NOW GIVES CREDENCE TO WHAT WE ALWAYS BELIEVED: NORWEGIANS' PRO-LTTE STANCE AND THEIR ATTEMPT TO BIFURCATE SRI LANKA!

REVELATION KEY POINTS TO PONDER OVER:

1)      As the US mission in Colombo rightly said about CBK, “She has a propensity for making huge issues of matters and then dropping them,” that is exactly what she did.  Later she would not only be extra-curteous to Eric Soleheim, but also went onto try and make LTTE an equal partner in the P-TOMS Tsunami reconstruction program – that would have enabled the LTTE to have access to over $2billion funds that it was eargerly waiting to convert for military purposes (fortunately for then Wimal Weerawansa JVP’s challenge in SC, it never came to be!)

2)     Shows how callous the RW UNF GOSL of the day was about Sri Lanka’s National Security.   Shows how RW’s “peace at any cost” was at play – which later resulted in dire consequences when our Ranaviru’s sacrifced their lives by the multi-thousands when trying to recapture the areas that LTTE had militarily built up – thanks to RW’s CFA and his mindboggling obsession with “peace at any cost.”

3)     Shows the callousness in which Norway appears to have treated this serious infraction by the SLMM.  Shows why we cannot trust them and particularly Eric Soleheim (who was the unofficial CEO over the SLMM).   It is unbelievable that today MR GOSL is once again willing to receive Eric Soleheim in Sri Lanka as a duly honored, “foreign dignitary!”

                                                  -----------------------

Full Text Of The Cable  10/23/2003 14:07

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 001845 SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR SA, SA/INS, EUR/NB; NSC FOR E. MILLARD
PLEASE ALSO PASS TOPEC E.O. 12958: DECL: 10-24-13

TAGS: PGOV, PTER, MOPS, PHSA, CE, NO, LTTE - Peace Process
SUBJECT: President demands removal of chief monitor,
but it is not clear how far she wants to push matter Refs: - (A) SA/INS -Colombo telecon 10/23/03 (B) FBIS Reston Va DTG 231407Z Oct 03

- (C) Colombo 1826, and previous (U) Classified by Charge´ d´Affaires James F. Entwistle. Reasons 1.5 (b,d).

1. (C) SUMMARY: President Kumaratunga has requested that Norway remove the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) chief. In making this demand, the president complained that the SLMM had lost "objectivity." While the GoN reviews next steps, the SLMM is continuing its operations. The GSL is balking at removing the SLMM chief and we are not sure how far Kumaratunga wants to push the matter. END SUMMARY.

2. (SBU) PRESIDENT LASHES OUT: President Kumaratunga has requested that Norway remove Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) chief Tryggve Teleffsen. The president made this demand in a letter
that was sent to the Norwegian government. The full text of the letter was not made public, but some of its contents have been leaked to the press. In making her demand, the president was cited as having "serious doubts" about Teleffsen´s and his organization´s impartiality and objectivity. The president went on to assert that the continuation of the ceasefire "within acceptable levels of national security requires
effective, objective and impartial monitoring of the truce," but that Teleffsen´s conduct, when compared to his predecessor, had been "quite unsatisfactory." Teleffsen, a retired Norwegian major general, took over as chief monitor in March, replacing Trond Furuhovde, another former Norwegian military official.

3. (C) In her letter, the president also specifically complained that the SLMM had recently acted to prevent the navy from intercepting a reported Tiger arms resupply ship operating off the northeast coast (see Ref C). The president directly accused the SLMM of either deliberately trying to tip off the Tigers via a phone call so that their boat could escape, or acting in a highly negligent manner. Per Ref C, Mission was
told by the Defense Minister that the SLMM´s actions in this matter were inadvertent (see more below).

4. (C) GSL/NORWEGIAN RESPONSE:  The Sri Lankan government is balking at supporting the president´s demand. Locked in a tense cohabitation situation with the president and her party, unnamed members of the United National Party (UNP) governing coalition have been quoted in the press as warning the president that her efforts to remove Tellefsen are putting the peace process at risk.

5. (C) Mission´s understanding is that the Norwegian government is reviewing next steps, and has not yet responded to the president´s letter. Charge´ called Norwegian Ambassador Hans Brattskar early October 24. Brattskar would not comment on the phone, but invited Charge over to discuss the matter later in the day. Timo Ekdahl, the SLMM´s acting spokesperson and chief of operations, told polchief that the SLMM was waiting for the Norwegian government to decide what to do in response to the president´s demand. As far as the SLMM was concerned, he added, it was "business as usual," however, with no changes in personnel for the group or adjustment in its operations at this time.

6. (C) CONVERSATION WITH TELLEFSEN: At a recent function, the Ambassador briefly spoke to Tellefsen about the October 16 incident off the northeast coast. (The conversation took place before the demand for his ouster). Confirming what we were told by the Defense Minister (see Ref C), Tellefsen admitted that his office had made a mistake by contacting the Tigers and asking them about the report that one of their ships was operating off the northeast coast. There was no intention to tip off the Tigers, he underscored. That said, Tellefsen said the matter had been badly handled and that the SLMM duty officer had failed to brief him on the matter in time.

7. (C) COMMENT: We are not sure how far President Kumaratunga wants to push this matter. She has a propensity for making huge issues of matters and then dropping them. Given her track record, it is very possible that she is simply trying to score points with her political base, which is significantly more skeptical toward the peace process than the general public (and happens to be gathering today in Colombo for a big rally). If the president presses this matter, it will become
a real cohabitation donnybrook, however, with the president pitted against the prime minister over which of them has power over foreign policy. The president legally does, but the prime minister has effective day-to-day control and would be loath to give into her on this issue. At the same time, disruptions in the SLMM´s operations would be highly problematic for the ceasefire and the larger peace process, especially in light of the likely delivery of the LTTE counterproposals in a week or so. There is no doubt that it would be best for all concerned if the president backs down and soon. END COMMENT.

8. (U) Minimize considered. ENTWISTLE

Crush Rejuvenated Tamil Armed Resistance Militarily without Denying It

The writing is on the wall. Tamil armed groups are back. There is no denying that. However, for political reasons government and the Ministry of Defence refuse to admit it. Living in denial is very dangerous. Four months ago three Sinhala traders were stabbed and seriously wounded in Jaffna. Just a few weeks ago a Hindu priest and his sons were shot in Jaffna and now the deputy zonal education director of Jaffna has been shot dead. It is the same clear pattern of violence that was seen in the 1970s. For political reasons the then Sirima Bandaranaike government refused to take action after her government was blamed for excesses in putting down the 1971 insurrection. Delay costed the country dearly. When open war started it was far too late.

What are the real reasons behind these incidents?

Attacking Sinhala traders was part of a big plan to keep Sinhalese out of Jaffna. It’s the same thing that happened in the 1970s. There were more than 25,000 Sinhalese in Jaffna in 1971 but by 1981 more than 20,000 of them were chased away bringing their number down to a mere 4,000.

Shooting a Hindu priest and his sons just a few weeks ago is a definite eye opener. Pro-LTTE elements prepared to celebrate what they call Maveerar Nal. They instructed all Hindu temples in the Jaffna peninsular to toll the bells on November 27 at a given time. However, Sri Lanka Army took timely action to cripple this plan. The particular Hindu priest, like others, refrained from following instructions of pro-LTTE groups earning their wrath. He and his sons were attacked which was seen as a warning against anyone not obeying orders of pro-LTTE groups.

Tsunami remembrance was held in Jaffna on December 26. Tamil students in the north were required to sing the National Anthem in Sinhala. Education department personnel were under pressure from pro-LTTE elements not to comply with this requirement. However, they refused to take up the matter and complied with the instructions from the government. The result was revenge from pro-LTTE groups killing the deputy zonal education director.

Blaming the government while achieving their goal

The other part of their actions is to blame the government for their crimes. It is totally absurd to blame the security forces for these heinous crimes. Old records show this was how they did things in the 1970s when violent incidents including the assassination of Alfred Duraiappa were blamed on the government. Blame for LTTE leader’s first victim was laid on SLFP internal politics in Jaffna. While these rubbish claims are used to fool the unsuspecting public, terrorists achieve their goal of terrorising the people in the north to submission. Terrorising and getting the people in the north to take instructions from the LTTE is the ultimate goal. Once people stop resisting the LTTE, its cadres are going to use them as a cover to attack security forces.

It is worthwhile to note that there were no direct attacks on security forces in the north during 1970s. First it was Tamils associated with the government who became victims of LTTE terror. Once people were subjugated, Tigers moved to harass and attack the army.

We are back to the days when Tigers were growing. Unless they are stopped in their tracks using military means, there will be no end to this.

The third ingredient - extortionists at work

Terrorists don’t aim to engage in an all out war. What they want is to exert enough pressure on the government so that separatists and pro-Tamil racist politicians can extort various favours from the government. It took less than a day for this to happen after the latest attack in the north. Tamil United Liberation Front (the party that took up the creation of Tamil Elam at the 1977 election) leader - V Anandasangaree - making good use of the attack started making race based demands. Clearly the pattern of pressure, terror and extortion is established.

Soon TNA and other Tamil racist political groups will jump in the bandwagon and make many Tamil-only demands making good use of the pressure created by pro-LTTE murderers. If the government yields to pressure, it becomes a habit for these groups to secretly collude and openly criticise each other while benefiting both ways. Soon people in the north too will be convinced that ‘a little bit of pressure using violence’ is the way to win demands. When things deteriorate to that level, it is far too late.

The trap the government is in   

Unlike during the war, the government cannot go all out and destroy these terror elements. Firstly, because they function stealthily from within the people. Secondly because it is embarrassing and humiliating to accept that the LTTE threat is still there. Thirdly, the propaganda effect is pushing the government for a less aggressive response. LTTE groups around the world made a huge noise against the humanitarian operation that ended in remarkable success in 2009. Due to international pressure, the government is reluctant to use force against remaining LTTE elements in the north for the fear of further arousing the LTTE Diaspora. All these reasons combined have created a very dangerous atmosphere which is exploited by the LTTE.

Counter Insurgency (CI) strategy as specified in textbooks clearly indicate what needs to be done under these circumstances. Though unpleasant and unpopular in the areas they are applied, these tried and tested CI strategies must be applied to contain LTTE terror. In all fairness General Sarath Fonseka when serving in the army was quite good at CI strategy and the absence of his expertise is also going to cost the nation badly. The absence of his CI expertise must be overcome by tapping into the expertise of many other competent CI strategists in the army. Appropriate retaliatory measures must be taken without delay. Failing to do so will convince the northerners that LTTE is gaining control. Once these splinter groups show they can ‘deliver the goods’, the LTTE Diaspora is going to reward them with millions of dollars of money.

Sadly Sri Lankan leaders rarely recognize threats in time. By the time they decide to take action it is far too late costing lives, money and public support. If the guarding lights of the nation are awake 24/7 as it is believed, they must not keep silent on current developments; nor should they deny the resurgence of the LTTE threat. It is important to eliminate it using whatever means that work before the LTTE cancer spreads again. Tough cancers call for hard medicine and tough therapy. The duty of patriots is not to immerse in victory celebrations but to keep eyes and ears open to emerging threats all the time and force national leaders to take timely action.

A Poem of I, My and Me Repeating 102 Times by Sarath Fonseka

Exactly one year after that infamous interview where Fonseka alleged that “Gota ordered them to be shot” published in the Sunday Leader, (http://www.thesundayleader.lk/2009/12/13/%E2%80%9Cgota-ordered-them-to-be-shot%E2%80%9D-%E2%80%93-general-sarath-fonseka/), he has come up with another tall tale of lies and self pity.    http://transcurrents.com/tc/2010/12/sri_lankan_president_is_behavi.html

This masterpiece of self elevation consisting of 102 times the words “I”, “my” and “me”, contains hilarious contradictions. Very unlikely conduct of a leader of the people. Instead of identifying real enemies, his limitless anger is aimed at the President and the Defence Secretary. Though no right thinking person takes what he talks seriously, looking into what he has to say further reveals him.

The following statements from the appeal indicate how misled he is and how far he would go to make a mockery of himself.

1. “The Rajapaksa regime probably feels victorious after illegally removing my General rank, gallantry medals and retirement benefits. This is to be expected, especially from an ungrateful man suffering from an inferiority complex.”

Inferiority complex! Nice phrase not to describe the President but the person who is making it. Unable to be satisfied with the position he held following the war, he thought he could do better than the political leader who led the nation to victory. Unfortunately for Fonseka, people thought otherwise. If he needs proof, he only needs to read the next sentence made by him.

2. “He got junior officers previously cashiered from the army, to sit in a court martial jury. This contravenes all norms, ethics and traditions of any military. A shameful act that has insulted both the military and the country it serves.”

Can distinguished persons from the Sri Lanka Army be cashiered as such? May be some who got rich with hundreds of thousands of US Dollars in their safes, but not the others. Is it not an insult to the very army he served?

3. “Having said that, I must point out that I never served the country expecting promotions or medals.”

Although Fonseka was a brilliant infantryman, the above statement is factually incorrect. Despite decades of service, Sarath Fonseka failed to win the Vishishta Seva Vibhushanaya (VSV) medal even after he reached 55. When he became the army commander, he proposed his name (and only his name) for the VSV and got it!

However, for contradictions, look no further than his very own statement!

4. “He cannot take away my rank and medals, as he cannot give back what I have given for the nation.”

There you go.

5.  “If he wanted to erase what I did, then he has to give life to Prabhakaran too. Our ungrateful leader will never do any good for the country.”

Now this is very interesting. If so, why did Fonseka give this credit to the Defence Secretary one year ago? If the credit for taking the life of Prabhakaran (who surrendered according to some reports) belongs to Fonseka, why didn’t he claim so when he said, “Gota ordered them to be shot”?

6. “This government does not consider the youth of Sri Lanka as future rulers. Only Namal Rajapaksa is deemed the single worthwhile youth in this country.”

President’s love and fondness of the youth and children is well known and documented. On the other hand none other than his own party (former) MP for Trincomalee Jayantha Wijesekara stated that he wouldn’t support Fonseka at the election because “90% of the JVP youth of the district were killed in 1987-89 era as Sarath Fonseka was the commander of the Army Sinha regiment camp in Trincomalee”.  

7. “The Secretary of Defense wanted to get one of his supporters to build a house for me while I was Commander, but I refused, saying accepting such gifts was not my way of life and was against my conscience and principles. Then they tried to cajole my wife into accepting the house, that didn't work either. This would no doubt give you an idea of why the case cooked up against my son-in-law, saying I was involved in corrupt arms deals is entirely untrue.”

The Defence Secretary was driven by noble intentions to build a house for Fonseka not knowing he had plans to settle down in USA. Anyway the answer to this is provided by Fonseka himself in the statement! “When I left the army, I only had a three bedroom house. Even my soldiers had much larger houses than me.” The brilliant serviceman Sarath Fonseka very much deserved it. That’s not all the Defence Secretary through legitimate means ensured that Fonseka’s daughters are assisted with their studies. Only an insane person could see such generosity as an evil act.

8. “My son-in-law's company has only worked with another company in Sri Lanka that supplied some non-weapons items to the military. Even the court martial and prosecuting councils agreed on July 28 that these were not weapons and that I had never favored or given any support to this company. Apparently the only allegation they put against me was the position I held as the President of the Tender Board. Now everyone can clearly see that I am not guilty or even accused of any corrupt deals.”

Does it matter the materials were weapons or not? Various military branches purchase millions of dollars of goods and services every year and not everything is weapons. Corruption can happen in any purchase unless honest persons handle it within a robust environment of internal controls. The first area of internal control is segregation of duties. If the President of the Tender Board is the father-in-law of the supplier, there is no segregation of duties in the proper sense. However, that was not the only reason for the judgement and Fonseka knows it. 

Many heroes, close to 27,000 to be precise sacrificed their lives and over 15,000 lost limbs serving the country. Fonseka is not alone. However, they never alleged security forces or its officers of any illegal or immoral act to please the anti-Sri Lankan sections of the international community. Of course they never came to agreements with the separatist Vadukodai crowd either, just to win an election.