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Amnesty offered to trapped Tigers

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka has offered “amnesty for Tiger cadres trapped” in the eastern jungles to lay down their weapons and join the mainstream.

Addressing a public meeting in Horana on Saturday, Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayake announced that the amnesty period would start from September 1. Describing the Tiger cadres as misguided youths, the Prime Minister said the they were also sons and daughters of Mother Lanka and it was the Government’s intention to channel their talents towards development.

Urging them to take up the offer, Mr. Wickramanayake said not only would their safety be guaranteed but they would also be rehabilitated and given vocational training. It is not for the first time the Government has called upon the remaining cadres of the Tigers in the east to surrender. However, it is for the first time since the “liberation of the east” that the offer is being made in the form of amnesty.

The announcement implies two suggestions. First, the Government is ready to forget and forgive the young cadres of the LTTE as part of its strategy in winning the hearts and minds of the Tamils. Second, in the assessment of the military, a substantial number of Tiger cadres continue to hide in the eastern province posing a threat to peace in the region.

Mr. Wickramanayake argued that the few Tigers left in various eastern pockets could not hope to stay forever in hiding and attack the security forces, who are consolidating their positions in the province. “The forces will continue to track them down. It would be a far better option for them to surrender than risk their lives by [choosing] confrontation.”

Separately, the Defence Ministry claimed that on Sunday night, the security forces thwarted an LTTE attempt to rescue its eastern cadres stranded in the jungles.

The Ministry said the army and the navy launched ground and sea attacks at the terrorists who were trying to cross over to the Wanni via a sea route. It said intercepted radio communication among the LTTE cadres has revealed that three LTTE cadres were killed and 10 others suffered injuries in the incident. One soldier was also killed.

The Ministry said small groups of terrorists are still wandering in the jungles in Kadavana looking for an opportunity to cross over to Wanni. However, the security forces have established blockades at possible escape routes and so far have been able to foil many attempts made by the LTTE, “inflicting heavy casualties on the terrorists.”

Meanwhile, TamilNet alleged that the army gunmen in Thenmaraadchi, Jaffna, shot and killed seven civilians since Sunday noon. It claimed that four civilians, including a village officer were slain on Monday in Kaithadi.

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