Year 2008 has been neither a quite nor a calm one for the Sri Lankans. It has only been 5 days into the new year and already two major incidents of violence have been reported in the country's capital; Colombo. Latest Military Intelligence (MI) reports suggest that this trend of violence is not likely to change in the near future.
According to MI reports, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have sent a team of 40 cadres to Colombo in order to plan and carry out attacks on military and economic targets. Senior LTTE womens' cadre and senior TOSSIE operative "Mani Mekhala" has aided the LTTE attack teams to move into Colombo through multiple routes.
Around 12 of these cadres are believed to be black tigers (suicide cadres). Others are said to be cadres from the Leopard brigade (also known as "Chiruthaigal"). Leopard commandos are known as the fiercest fighting unit within the LTTE outfit. This unit includes experienced cadres from other LTTE formations (Imran Pandiyan, Charles Anthony, etc.) as well as youth from LTTE managed orphanages who are given extensive training. The Leopards are best known for spearheading the Katunayake airbase attack back in 2001.
Colombo harbor, World Trade Center twin towers, Kelanithissa power plant, Katunayake airbase, Kolonnawa tank complex, Sapugaskanda complex and many other military and economic structures are among the potential targets. MI has warned of possible attacks on VIPs as well and has subsequently requested several senior politicians to limit public appearances.
These cadres are now believed to be staying in various lodges scattered across Colombo awaiting further instructions from Wanni command. In most LTTE operations, the attack teams and weapons are known to be assembled in the last possible moment to avoid capture by the security forces.
Human Rights Watch (LOL) may need to be notified before Colombo City is searched with a fine-tooth comb.
ReplyDeleteThe Colombo based STF personnel need to be activated and sent out onto the streets.
Search everybody, INCLUDING SINHALA KOTI...leave no stone unturned.
No plan to ban LTTE now, Sri Lanka says
ReplyDeleteSri Lankan government has said there is no plan at present to ban the LTTE, after it scrapped a six-year-old ceasefire agreement with the Tamil rebel outfit. "As of now we have not thought of banning the LTTE," Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama told reporters here yesterday. "The talk of a ban has been speculative," he added. Political observers had expected that the ban and the abrogation of the ceasefire pact would come about simultaneously, but the government as of now only chose to pull out of the truce agreement.
Truce saved 10,000 Sri Lankan lives, say Nordic ministers
ReplyDeleteForeign ministers of five Nordic countries, which had contributed truce monitors to Sri Lanka, have claimed that the ceasefire agreement (CFA), which the Sri Lankan government abrogated earlier this week, had saved an estimated 10,000 lives in the first three years of its existence. 'The ceasefire agreement had a number of positive consequences. During the first three years, conflict-related casualties dropped to almost zero, which means that as many as 10,000 lives may have been spared,' the ministers said in a joint statement issued in Oslo Friday.
and can you please explain how these 10 000 lives were saved
ReplyDeleteI hate those Norwegians all they want to is to spread western imperialism to the world, they were kicked out of Ethiopia, why can't we tell them to f***k off from our country as well.
ReplyDeleteIt's so obvious that they want the LTTE to prevail, I mean remember when they tried to stopped the RM 70 from reaching our army back in 2001, if they were successful. every single soldier in jaffna would have died.It was the RM 70 that saved there lives, thanks to benevolent Czechs too.
if you look at nordic history (the vikings) all they done to the world was to rape, torture, kill and pillage civilization
ReplyDeleteNorwegians say they saved 10,000 lives.
ReplyDeleteIf the 35 year old conflict (according to them) has taken 70000 lives, it is 2000 a year. For five years it is 10000.
However, as always reported in AFP, BBC, Reuters, more than 5000 have died since 2006. If more than 5000 is assumed to be 6000, SLMM has saved 4000 lives from 2002-2005 (inclusive).
But it is a fact that many civilians, SF personnel and security forces personnel, TMVP activists were killed during this time.
Only tigers did not die during 2002-2005 (four years).!!!
From another angle, In 2007 sun dog's speech it was stated 917 tigers were KIA during the year.
917 x 4 = 3668 almost 4000; what a coincidence?
This also proves that the Norwegians were actively protecting the tigers and only tigers.
Any views? Anyone disputing these calcs?
I agree with ga.
ReplyDeleteEthnic demarcations have disappeared from the battlefield today. There are sinhala tigers and tamil DPU members.
Race is no longer valid in this conflict contrary to what many on the Tamil Diaspora would like to think.
Tamilnet used to refer to the SLA as the "sinhala army" especially during early ceasefore years. They however, reduced this termdrasticaly from 2006.
Why?
Because TMVP, EPDP, PLOTE, EPRLF, DPU , LRRP also entered into the fray. They comprise mostly of Tamils.
However, the LTTE did not give up. They also recruited sinhala tigers.
Although the sinhalese have one of the highest suicide rates in the world, all these relate to petty love affairs; nothing relates to suicide for the country/cause.
Therefore the sinahala tigers commitment would be much less than tamil tigers.
they would rather plant bombs for money or cough anti-military nonsense like kumar rupa, nimalka, uyankoda, etc. for money.
all must be checked equally.
I think Western province base Police and SL forces should carry out search operation, house to house..., every vehicle.. including Sinhalese..muslims...
ReplyDeleteignore any cricism because of search operations..
VIPs should not go for public places...
I think we should ban LTTE now. then SL government can charge/fine/punish any who support LTTE...
we should protect Electricity plants, Dams, bridges...
"if you look at nordic history (the vikings) all they done to the world was to rape, torture, kill and pillage civilization"
ReplyDeleteI don’t think this kind of attitude is going to help us in solving this problem. This is the very kind of attitude that dragged us into this mess. Whether you liked it or not CFA did save lives. Just check out this site and see how many suicide bombings were in 2002 to 2004.
http://www.thebottomline.lk/2008/01/02/B1.htm
I think this is the high time we use our brains not our emotions to take future decisions
peace for sl
Yes; LTTE must be banned.
ReplyDeleteIt allows not only arrest, etc. of LTTE supporters but also allows "other measures" including interogations to be carried out against them (if you know what i mean).
Useage of the other measures including interogations are the most effective. Given the situation today, many innocent people tend to spill the beans. Only tigers refuse and that is one big critria to seperate them.
Not only lodges, some tigers live in rented houses, etc. People of northern origin living in the WP without their families must be particularly searched. Bringing Karuna guys back to colombo is not a bad idea.
I have read somewhere an analysis comparing para activity verses bomb attacks. There seems to be a direct inverse relationship.
They being former terrorists, they know what to expect.
What the Norwegians actually did.
ReplyDeleteNorwegians say they saved 10,000 lives.
If the 35 year old conflict (according to them) has taken 70000 lives, it is 2000 a year. For five years it is 10000.
However, as always reported in AFP, BBC, Reuters, more than 5000 have died since 2006. If more than 5000 is assumed to be 6000, SLMM has saved 4000 lives from 2002-2005 (inclusive).
But it is a fact that many civilians, SF personnel and security forces personnel, TMVP activists were killed during this time.
Only tigers did not die during 2002-2005 (four years).!!!
From another angle, In 2007 sun dog's speech it was stated 917 tigers were KIA during the year.
917 x 4 = 3668 almost 4000; what a coincidence?
This also proves that the Norwegians were actively protecting the tigers and only tigers.
Any views? Anyone disputing these calcs?
Dear all,
ReplyDeleteShall we discuss how to avoid any suicide attack in populated area?
The highest state of public vigilance. Spot checks on vehicles and people (not, note, just men) driven by intel. Random, cordoned-off searches of buildings, vehicles and people in a given area. These searches should coincide with disruption of cell phone and land line use in these areas. If they are using satellite 'phones to receive instructions, aren’t these easier to track?
ReplyDeleteCheck out on the front page of yahoo news this article..
ReplyDeletehttp://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080105/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_female_bombers
it mentions about the ruthless LTTE terrorists suicide bombers..the word is getting around!
"Women have acted as suicide bombers for other causes. The first known female suicide bomber was Sana Mheidali, a Lebanese who killed two Israeli soldiers in 1985. Female Tamil Tiger rebels in Sri Lanka have carried out at least 60 suicide bombings in 24 years. Palestinian Muslim militants send out women suicide bombers, as does the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, which has waged a guerrilla war since 1984 for autonomy in Turkey's southeast."
To avoide suicide bombm....
ReplyDeleteWe should increase search operations...
We should use technology screen bags.. (I'm not whether mobile screening technology avaiable, I mean you take to screening machine from place to place..) try to use screening machine some thing similar to Air port baggage screening machines..
we cannot rely on human every time and blame when their is a blast..
we should ask fellow Human(Tamils and muslim) to provide information about the LTTE men or peole who came from north to south... arrest them if they are suspicious, we should reward who ever provide such information...
We should check three wheelers, Motor Bikes, even Fish lorries..
I think all the building should have metal ditectors now. specially big buildings... provide digital identity cards for the employees in harbour, Airport, etc.
employer should carry out employee history checking, when recuiting a person to their work force..
these search operations are very inconvenience for public initially, it will be back to normal when they get use to it..
Guys,
ReplyDeleteIs any monitoring mechanism in place for the activities going on in these lodges; It is a public secret that these lodges are breeding grounds for these beasts;
if something has not been done by now to counter this - other than grabbing bad headlines on an epic scale from time to time - it is a collective failure of the security agencies. Let's hope things are not as dreadful as it seems at the moment.
Holding the owners of these lodges accountable is one of the options; are they politically powerful to defy it?
If a fighting formation has infiltrated the city/suburbs, they may intend to storm or carry out a simultaneous attack( or, attacks). What contingencies exist for rapid deployment of effective counter-measures? Reinforcements. Day or Night. I seem to recall a recent report about a ltte training session using a mock-up of an army camp that was disrupted by the SLAF. Link?
ReplyDeletePS. When the SLMM eventually leave, i hope they won't be allowed to donate/leave their bulet-proof cars, computers, comms, provisions, money and any weapons ('unarmed' does not mean completely stupid, you understand) as a going away present to the ltte.
Guys,
ReplyDeleteLots of people were in tears reminiscing the legacy of late Maheshwaran.
It is worth reading this article with an open mind.
Can there be any other solutions other than crushing this outfit, once and for all?
Just look at the damage we endure at economic, moral and spiritual level.
"What contingencies exist for rapid deployment of effective counter-measures?"
ReplyDeletelondonistan, I think it's best people don't know such information.
Today's Island has an interesting article on Maheswaran the saint. A few excerpts
ReplyDelete"Thiyagarajah Maheswaran was a wealthy ship operator ferrying supplies to the Jaffna peninsula in a fleet of four vessels, well informed sources said yesterday.
``In fact his fleet was bigger than that of the Ceylon Shipping Corporation’’ this source said.
One of the wealthiest politicians in Colombo, he had also formed a company to explore the possibility of supplying arms to the government and had hired some retired forces personnel for this purpose.
While claiming that only arms traders would benefit by the ongoing war, the UNP MP was actively trying to sell armaments to the government, the sources alleged."
http://www.island.lk/2008/01/06/news3.html
The country is a whole lot better off without people like this.
qrious
ReplyDelete"You admitted your mistake; then I will put the whole thing behind me."
What mistake? I stand by everything I told you before. If you still want to start fighting with the silly LTTE posters here, then I'll still tell you to go to LNP. Deal with it.
Now go ahead and call me a "bore". Name calling is the best a childish person like you can do.
Srilankan
ReplyDelete"GEagle-thanks for your input.I was thinking of what equipment we can afford to buy in order to explode buried mines..any ideas.."
Sometimes using thermobaric shoulder fired weapons have been useful in clearing mines. Once the thermobaric warhead explodes over the battlefield the resulting shockwave triggers most buried mines.
Another tactic is using "steel rain". The Russian Smerch and the Chinese A-100 both have steel rain capability. With 6000 hand grenade sized submunitions raining down on an area of 1 square kilometer most of the buried mines will start going off.
Thats why I have for so long adocated that our army should get a 300mm MLRS system. Smashing through the narrow Muhamalai FDL will be so much easier. It is said that 6 Smerch 300mm MLRS units together can deliver the firepower of a tactical nuke in one volley.
As long as you have a poor infrastructure in the country where people at the top who matter with respect to the security are corrupt,inefficient,arogent,ignorant then it would be a hard struggle to fight the menace of terrorists, specially in the capital where a great deal of sophistication is required. This can’t be bought over the counter with money. terrorists only have to be lucky once to create a huge damage and the sophistication and discipline of the western system denies that luck to the terrorists. Set up in SL is so simple and open to abuse;SL is lucky to getaway so lightly as the terrorists are equally not that clever. Replace our people with the people in UK,who are doing the same job, I can bet that they would have eliminated then so much earlier and it’s our system that is at fault and that’s why most are trying to escape as it is affecting all aspects of our life, resulting in a failed state in EVERY ASPECT of our life.
ReplyDeleteLTTE's Head of Army Intelligence killed in Claymore ambush
ReplyDelete[TamilNet, Sunday, 06 January 2008, 01:20 GMT]
Col. Charles, Head of Liberation Tigers Army Intelligence, was killed Saturday evening in a random Claymore attack by Sri Lanka Army Deep Penetration Unit in Pa'l'lamadu in Mannaar, sources close to LTTE in Vanni said. Col. Charles who has been in charge of internal intelligence within the ranks of LTTE ground forces and led an external operations corps as well as a regular combat force that has been deployed in Mannaar district was killed together with three LTTE lieutenants in the ambush while they were riding in a van.
Note:
"random Claymore attack" isn't it something?
"LTTE's Head of Army Intelligence killed in Claymore ambush"
ReplyDeleteI dont know about attacks in colombo, but vanni is already seeing the attacks.
Hi Defencenet,
ReplyDeleteIs it true about the Tamilnet's news about the "LTTE's Head of Army Intelligence killed in Claymore ambush" in Mannar?
if you know, Can you give some clue who are the other people in that Photo in Tamilnet?
Thanks
Peace for sl..no offense to you..but did the CFA also save army lives.Question how many army lives were lost during tthe CFA?.In reality the CFA worked because it was what the LTTE wanted..If the CFA had continued the LTTE would have purchased all the weapons they needed to capture the whole country and they would have declared war on the " sinhala buddhist chauvenistic govt" at a time of their choosing on some fabricated excuse..for example.."a 10 year old tamil girl raped by an entire regiment of the army dies".How many soldiers died during the CFA just for guarding our side?.Now if even if the LTTE didnt attack (which i seriously doubt)either way we may have got into an armsrace with them and eventually they would have had a much better right to their own country simply because they would have been at peace with us for say 50 yrs..while engaging in this arms race with us.So who is really suffering here..Yr after yr the COLiving would have gone up until the people could not bear it any longer..we would have all gone crazy and SLanka would have been over...But Hon pres called the shots before they did..forget mavil aru..dont think for one moment Hon Pres is a fool.(i know you dont)
ReplyDeleteMoshe Dyan,
ReplyDeleteGreat calculation. Keep up the good work.
What the Norwegians have said was they saved more than 10,000 lives of terrorists while letting other millions of lives of Sri Lankans to rot.
Tamilnet reports on a DPU attack after a lul of over one month.
ReplyDeleteIn fact it was a few days ago i inquired why no LTTE claims of DPU attacks recently.
Kevin,
Your post is somewhat connected to war. The biggest corruption/waste in SL is committed by the LTTE NOT by politicians. The LTTE by not allowing use of vast resources in the North (and the east to an extent) have committed unparralelled corruption/wastage.
As regards corruption by politicians, unfortunately it is something inherent in any third world systems. All SL governments were more or less corrupt to the same degree.
Corruption reporting and actual corruption are completely different. All corruption indices including TI's index base themselves on 'public perception' on corruption and not on actual corruption.
But siting corruption and not waging the war is the dumbest thing possible. My bet is that corruption will stay in SL whether reported or not for a very very long time.
Other human activities must continue regardless.
The only fool proof way to cut down on corruption is by adopting a Japanese or South Korea like Constitution where businessmen and politicians are kept apart by draconian set of laws eneacted and implemented with that purpose. But in SL since almost all businessmen have political connections and all politicians have business connections, it is impossible to implement these.
BTW, DPU has done a fantastic piece of work behind enemy lines by eliminating another multi-functional LTTE leader.
If tigers thought only they can use claymore bombs, it is time they think again.
Hopefully DPU will continue to engage tiger leaders who are now increasingly vulnerable for attacks.
noltte=peace
ReplyDeleteThanks mate; cheers from the Land of the Morning Star.
GEagle-Many thanks for your input.Both these methods scare me. steel rain is very dangerous for an advancing army because in the midst of mortar and artillary fire the army casualties will skyrocket because all the grenades may not explode?.The thermobaric weapons is the better choice.i thought we have these now.
ReplyDeleteThis is typical “next step”. Once LTTE weaken in north, they always move in to textbook terrorism in it is finest form. So this is not new news.
ReplyDeleteWhat really matters is how we (common people) are able to absorb it this time. Typically after this “terrorism” stage (which is defiantly coming up next), people will make a significant fuss about it. Since we have a democratic political system, it will respond to that and go for peace stage, like how we were doing for past decades. If we get in to the same loop again, we are basically fucked for another 10 years.
There are three ways to handle this, as far as I can think of.
1) Suspend democracy and continue restring country’s borders. But I wish that never happen. But as an alternative, all democratic parties can come to common agreement. But I doubt, we Sri Lankans are civilized enough to come to an agreement or stay in one for a year.
2) Do better policing in Colombo and minimize destruction as much as possible. But I have no what so ever faith on SL police.
3) Have better military progress in the frontline, so people can sustain the terrible time up ahead. That is my only hope.
I’m just a mortal. My analyze can be wrong.
srilanka
ReplyDeleteWell I think the submunitions also have a timer set in them. I'll check to make sure.
But even if there are some unexploded submunitions, we can roll our boys in Buffel APCs to clean up the remaining LTTE fighters. Those submunitions won't be able to damage the buffel APCs much at all.
Tnut claims that the DPU boys have killed Charles, head of army intelligence + two other tunnel rats. Keep up the good work boys!
ReplyDeletegeagle,
ReplyDeletesteel rain seems a perfect solution to clearing mines and inflicting heavy damage on the enemy, especially on flat terrain like in the vanni. i suppose the only pitfall is the cost?
Many thanks GEagle.
ReplyDeleteAs i have said before our greatest intelligence asset is our peace loving peoples.We have to put in place this security cordon at street level.
Jiffy
ReplyDeleteYes they are expensive, but sooooo worth the cost. Just imagine how much work it cuts out of our infantry boys.
srilankan
I did some digging and yes the cluster submunitions do have a timer in them to self destruct if they have not done so already upon first impact with ground.
Moshe Dayan
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments
Guys,
ReplyDeleteLTTE can attack VIP targets pretentending to be Street Beggers, Icecream vans, ambulance, school vans, maintance workers (public utility, telephone company, street maintaince) etc. Security personnel do not trust any of those to be right by high value targets. Speaking of LTTE Lepoad Commandos in Colombo, they are upto attacking (more of raiding) more of sabortaging high value targets. Remember LTTE dispora needs a moral booster. Please Security personnel, it is common knowledge that C4 plastic explosives can be smuggled across metal detectors easily! That's why airports in the US use explosive traces detecting machines using air and x-ray machines. We need CCD cameras in public places. We need to be prepared for more roadside bombs. Limit big lorries and vans from driving by sky scrapers (because they can be easily be remote controled roadside bombs). Few months back someone suggested that the LTTE might use VIP convoi to attack raid type attack. May be they will use the Leopod Tigers for that.
I work at the WTC and my biggest security concern is not the new faces it is the ones I see everyday. There are thousands who work at the WTC including cleaning staff and very often they become friendly with the security personnel. This leads to situations where there is minimal or even no body checks and even sometimes bags can go unchecked as the security personnel recognize them and have friendly chats with them, it's come to the point where even the secret service members can easily be identified. This alarms me as it is possible that LTTE deep cover units may have gained employment at the WTC offices and may just be biding their time. I wouldn't be surprised if they haven't already smuggled in weapons/explosives - there was a check of every office by Army units about 3-4 weeks ago but these are not intensive and happen during office hours with everyone being informed in advance
ReplyDeleteThere is a rotation policy for security but this is not done wholesale but on a piecemeal basis thus affording regulars the luxury of going through virtually unchecked. I know this because I have been here for >5 years and breeze through with only a smile and friendly hello