Friday, Jul 15, 2005
Friday, Jul 15, 2005 |
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V. S. Sambandan
COLOMBO: The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on Wednesday commenced a pullout of cadres from rebel offices across Government-held eastern Sri Lanka. The move is seen as a prelude to a hardening of rebel position on the three-year old ceasefire agreement. The pullout started on the eve of the 14-day ultimatum issued by the LTTE asking Colombo to respond to concerns raised over the security of its cadres during their movement between rebel-controlled and Government-held districts in northern and eastern Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga has appealed for "restraint" and said "specific measures to ensure strict adherence to the ceasefire agreement by all parties shall also be implemented."
Surge in attacks
The rebels' move to withdraw cadres started on a day when there was a surge in grenade attacks in the eastern Trincomalee district. There have been as many as 10 incidents involving rebels since early this week and on Thursday morning. A police officer in eastern Sri Lanka was injured when suspected LTTE gunmen shot him in a north-eastern town. Earlier this week, an LTTE office in eastern Sri Lanka was attacked by unidentified persons, triggering the latest spiral of violence. An already fragile ceasefire was further threatened after an LTTE convoy narrowly escaped an explosion in eastern Sri Lanka on June 26 — two days after Colombo and the LTTE signed an agreement to establish the Post-Tsunami Operational Management Structure (P-TOMS) to share international assistance for reconstruction of the tsunami-devastated coastline. Reflecting a sense of dismay over the turn of events, the President's office said Ms. Kumaratunga was "deeply concerned and saddened by the violence and loss of life occurring in and around Trincomalee". The violence, the Presidential statement said, was precipitated by the assassinations of several senior unarmed political cadres of the LTTE in their Trincomalee office earlier this week.
Security meeting
Ms. Kumaratunga held several meetings with security forces commanders on the "deterioration in the law and order situation in Trincomalee" to ensure that "specific measures and systems" were in place to "arrest and remedy the situation." Describing the P-TOMS agreement as "momentous and historic," Ms. Kumaratunga's office said it was "regrettable but not entirely surprising that opponents" of the agreement "would seek various means including orchestrated violence to disrupt the conflict transformation process."
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