Singapore, 04 June, (Asiantribune.com):
Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama yesterday (Sunday) appealed to defense ministers and military commanders attending the Annual IISS Asian Security Summit – The Shangri-La Dialogue, to ensure that their governments remain focused on the complexities the Government of Sri Lanka faces in grappling with terrorism of the LTTE and not to permit the LTTE to use their territories or waters to continue to terrorize the people of Sri Lanka. 
Minister Rohitha Bogollagama: Sri Lanka needed international and bilateral cooperation from other countries which could destroy the worldwide activities of the LTTE".
Minister Bogollagama made these observation when he addressed the 4th plenary session of the Shangri-La Dialogue, on the theme "Securing Regional Waters: How Much Progress?"
Leading the Sri Lanka delegation which was participating for the first time in this influential defense forum which is being held for the 6th time, the Minister underscored the threat posed to Sri Lanka, countries in the region and maritime users of the Indian Ocean by the attacks of the LTTE. Referring to the arms smuggling activities of the LTTE carried out using a number of LTTE ships flying under different flags, the Minister asked, "How are they able to bring these to Sri Lanka ? They pass through several ports. There are loading ports, discharging ports and transiting ports. They sometimes come in containers." He said "This chain has to be arrested, and towards this end Sri Lanka needed international and bilateral cooperation from other countries which could destroy the worldwide activities of the LTTE". The Minister said the LTTE's supply chain and funding must be severed to end the conflict in Sri Lanka.
Text of Speech by Rohitha Bogollagama, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka at the Fourth Plenary Session on "Securing Regional Waters: How Much Progress" at the 6th Shangri La Dialogue, 3rd June 2007:
Sri Lanka is indeed happy to be participating for the first time in the Shangri-La Dialogue – one of the foremost security forums in the world, where countries in the region have an opportunity to focus on security challenges, with key international players representing States, non-governmental organizations as well as the academic community. It is a forum, which seeks to address challenges in order to make our region a safer place to live, to do business in and to explore the full potential of our respective states.
Addressing you in this session "Securing Regional Waters: How Much Progress", I trust it would be pertinent to present Sri Lanka's perspective on maritime security in the region and its relevance to the world. This seems pertinent since Sri Lanka is at the crossroads of the Indian Ocean which lies in the midst of 3 continents.
Today the world is menaced by terrorism both global and regional. Most countries have had to deal with this scourge at some time or other, resulting in death and destruction and for some of us it is a daily challenge. In Sri Lanka, unfortunately, since 1975, we have to grapple with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a ruthless, fascist organization which seeks to carve out a separate mono-ethnic state by dismembering one third of the land mass and two thirds of the country's coast line. In the process the LTTE has left behind a trail of atrocities. Among its some 60,000 victims are Prime Minister Shri Rajiv Gandhi of India, President Ranasinghe Premadasa of Sri Lanka, as well as two generations of Tamil and Sinhala politicians and academics of Sri Lanka including former Opposition Leader A. Amirthalingam, Tamil intellectual and constitutional expert Dr. Neelan Thiruchelvam and Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar, whose only fault was their refusal to yield to the tyranny of the LTTE and abandon the democratic path. Today the Tamil community of Sri Lanka has been left bereft of moderate leaders due to the methodical process of elimination adopted by the LTTE during the past three decades.
The LTTE's state of the art international propaganda, fundraising, procurement and shipping networks, have been able to procure both war and war related equipment with relative ease. The organization boasts of having maintained a vast global network since the mid-1980s with political/propaganda offices and cells in some 54 countries. It generates annual revenue of US $ 10-30 Million per month largely through extortion of the over 1 million strong Tamil diaspora and clandestine operations carried out in host countries. However, unlike most terrorist organizations, the LTTE is one of the few terrorist organizations in the world with proven maritime capability, owning a substantial number of ships sailing across the oceans under the flags of different countries which, alongside traditional trading activity, engages in smuggling of military hardware. The LTTE has also established a naval combat unit known as the 'Sea Tigers'.
Thus Sri Lanka confronts what Terrorism expert and Chief Scientist at the Centre for Asymmetric Threat Studies at the Swedish National Defence College Dr Magnus Ranstorp has described as "[LTTE is] probably the most sophisticated terrorist organization in the world." 
Rohitha Bogollagama, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka addressing at the Fourth Plenary Session held at the 6th Shangri La Dialogue on 3rd June 2007.
'Sea Tigers' : A Regional Threat
The maritime attacks carried out by the LTTE 'Sea Tigers' in the Indian Ocean region has a long and bloody history. Besides attempts of smuggling arms and attacks on Sri Lankan Naval Vessels, the LTTE has been responsible for confrontations, boarding without permission, attacking, destroying, damaging or ship-jacking a number of foreign-owned civilian vessels in Sri Lankan waters. These acts, broadly defined as maritime terrorism and piracy, constitutes a flagrant violation of domestic and international laws. (List of acts of LTTE sea piracy and detections of LTTE arms shipments/equipment is annexed)
One of the earliest instances which demonstrated this maritime capacity was when the LTTE's former Jaffna commander and founder head of the LTTE International Secretariat Sathasivam Krishnakumar alias Kittu with a large consignment of weapons in
MV Yahata (mid-sea changed to MV Ahat), was challenged by the Indian coastguard in the international waters, before the vessel was destroyed on January 16, 1993.
Since then, the LTTE has carried out numerous acts of maritime terrorism, testing the patience of not only the Government of Sri Lanka and friendly governments of neighboring countries, but also those of ship owners flying flags of nations afar. Vessels flying Philippine, Greek, Indonesian, Panamanian, Belize, Chinese, Jordanian, Cambodian and Indian flags have been at the receiving end of the LTTE's terror. This underlines the LTTE's capacity to be threat to international shipping is clear.
As early as in 1997, the international maritime community assessed Sri Lankan waters as vulnerable to incidents of maritime terrorism. Maritime Intelligence and Security Brief issued by the Maritime Intelligence and Counter-Piracy Operations Centre on 10 September 1997 observed, "Sri Lankan waters continue to remain an extremely dangerous area for maritime traffic." Referring to the LTTE, it added, "they will not hesitate to approach, board, pilfer and possibly destroy targets of opportunity." On a global scale, according to statistics maintained by the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) at the time, Sri Lankan waters witnessed the fifth largest number of piratical attacks.
The arrest on 9 April 2000 of Lankan born Norwegian citizen Christy Reginold Lawrence in Phuket, Thailand led to the discovery of a half built mini-submarine, which was intended for sabotage missions by the LTTE in Sri Lanka. The submarine was believed to have been similar to one seized by Sri Lankan Government Forces from the LTTE in Jaffna in the early 1990's.
In recent times, the LTTE 'Sea Tigers' have been very active in the Sri Lankan and Indian waters. On 20 March 2003 Sea Tigers carried out an attack on the Chinese Trawler 'Fu Yuan Ya 225' killing 15 Chinese nationals and two Sri Lankans off the North-eastern coast of Sri Lanka. On 23 December 2006, they hijacked a Jordanian owned cargo vessel and looted 14,000 tons of rice it was carrying. On 21 January 2007 15-20 LTTE 'Sea Tiger' vessels attempted to ram a Cambodian owned cargo vessel 'City of Liverpool' that was anchored outside the Kankasanthurai (KKS) harbor after unloading relief supplies for the people of the Jaffna peninsula. The Indian state police said on 27 April that the LTTE was behind the March 29 incident in which nine Kanyakumari fishermen were attacked in mid-sea killing five.
The most recent act of LTTE maritime terrorism occurred less than three weeks ago, when an Indian fishing trawler 'Sri Krishna', earlier hijacked by the LTTE on 11 March 2007, was detected in Maldivian waters on 16 May engaging in arms smuggling for the LTTE. Following an attack on a Maldivian Dhoni off the Huvadho atoll, the vessel was fired upon and sunk by the Maldivian National Defence Force (MNDF) on the morning of 17 May 2007, reportedly with reconnaissance from Indian Naval aircraft. Five persons, a Keralite mechanic of the original crew and four Sri Lankan Tamils belonging to the LTTE who were arrested by the Maldivian authorities have already been interrogated by the Sri Lankan authorities, unearthing considerable knowledge on the continuing operations of the LTTE 'Sea Tigers' in the region . In the immediate aftermath of this attack, 11 of the 12 Indian fisherman who had originally been held by the LTTE when 'Sri Krishna' was hijacked by the LTTE were returned to Madras, where they publicly stated that they were held captive by the LTTE during the interim period.
These incidents, which are only a few in a series of brazenness on the part of the LTTE to challenge the international will, underlines the threat faced by not only Sri Lanka, India, and now also the Maldives, but all Indian Ocean maritime users. The international community needs to swiftly respond to these challenges.
Global ramifications of LTTE's capability
The challenge the LTTE poses is not confined to the waters of the Indian Ocean. In this modern globalized world where the element of technological transfer amongst different terrorist groups takes place at a rapid pace, the LTTE's maritime terrorist attacks offer 'copycat models' for other terrorist groups. The LTTE also provides a convenient transport facility for other terrorist organizations. Thus the LTTE's activities are being watched as an early example of emerging trends and patterns in maritime terrorism.
The LTTE had carried out ten suicide attacks on Sri Lanka Navy vessels with the use of explosive laden boats before the Al Qaeda attacked 'USS Cole' in Yemen in October 2000. In fact the Al-Qaeda attack on the 'USS Cole' was a copycat of LTTE's attack on Abheetha, a Sri Lankan navy supply ship on 4 May 1991. In a 19 March 2003 interview with the BBC Sea Tigers Chief Soosai was to state, " I think in Yeman they used our strategy of targeting the hull in their suicide attack to blow up an American ship 'USS Cole' - this is exactly what we used to do."
It is well known that the tactical resource base of terrorism for the next generation will take the form of 'network terrorism' in which actors across a spectrum of conflicts and crimes will modify the existing structures to take advantage of the inter-linked service arrangements. In this context, the LTTE with its global reach through the Tamil Diaspora and its fleet of merchant vessels is ahead of the competition in acting as couriers, as well as providers of military training to several other terrorist groups in the region. The LTTE ships have been used to provide alternate supply channels to other groups and crime syndicates in the region for their arms and human smuggling and drug trafficking activities, as the LTTE has established a presence in the arms black-market. For instance in 1995 an LTTE ship had clandestinely transported a consignment of arms and ammunition dispatched by the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HUM) of Pakistan to the southern Philippines for use by the Abu Sayyaf.
The London based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in its publication 'Military Balance 2007' also refers to commercial links between the LTTE and the Al-Qaeda movement. It has been suggested that the LTTE established linkages with the Mujahiddins in Afghanistan as far back as 1987, and in 2001 an LTTE delegation travelled to Kabul shortly before 9/11. India's National Security Adviser M K Narayanan in a speech at the 42nd Munich Conference on Security Policy on 11 February 2007 said that both Jihadi movements and the LTTE were relying heavily on funds from trafficking in narcotics which has doubled in recent years.
The ramifications of LTTE behavior on the global terrorism is significant. It must be recalled that the LTTE resported to suicide bombing and mastered the use of the suicide jackets with C-4 explosives with devastating impact long before the Al-Qaeda movement. Infact the LTTE was a pioneer in the field and is believed to have conducted 155 battlefield and civilians suicide missions up until August 1998, compared with 50 attacks by all other groups around the world, including Hamas, Hizbollah and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). It has also been noted that suicide bombing jackets used in the London underground in July 2005 were very similar to the jackets used by the LTTE in Sri Lanka in the late 1980's and throughout the 1990s and that the terrorist attacks in Bali and Jordan also have the hallmarks of suicide technology that had previously been used in Lebanon and Sri Lanka.
Furthermore, the LTTE's July 2001 attack on Colombo airport was one of the most destructive acts of terrorism in aviation history. In more recent times, the LTTE's 'Air Tiger Wing', developed using the cover of the ceasefire agreement since 2002, launched its first strike on the Sri Lankan Air Force base in Katunayake on 26 March 2007 but failed to achieve its desired effect. Subsequent attacks have been carried out on April 24 in an area adjoining the Palaly Military base in Jaffna and on 28 April near Colombo, on the night when most Sri Lankans were watching the finals of the Cricket World Cup being played in the Caribbean.
To the world at large, the global fund raising, arms procurement, human smuggling and propaganda operations of the LTTE also provide valuable insight into the manner in which terror groups may use diaspora populations to sub-serve their agenda.
As for fund raising, the March 2006 Human Rights Watch Report titled "Funding the Final War" details the manner in which funds are collected by the LTTE in Canada and the U.K., mainly through extortion. In April 2007, 17 key LTTE activists were arrested in Paris, for extortion of money from the Tamil diaspora in France to finance LTTE terrorist activity in Sri Lanka. In the same month, the UK commenced investigations into a global credit card scam involving LTTE operatives who were skimming credit cards at some 150 petrol stations across the UK and transmitting the information to operatives across the globe who were able to withdraw large sums of money from unsuspecting customers. On 1 May 2007 the Australian Federal Police arrested 2 suspected terrorists in Melbourne after unearthing a massive fraud and criminal operation that diverted money collected from the Australian public in the name of Tsunami relief into the coffers of the LTTE.
With respect to illegal arms procurement, in a case filed by the US Government in Baltimore, four LTTE agents, including three foreign nationals have pleaded guilty to charges of seeking to provide material support to the LTTE, a designated foreign terrorist organization in the US. In Brooklyn, New York eleven others and the LTTE leader and the leader of the arms procurement group in the US, Karunakaran Kandasamy stand charged for provision of material assistance to the LTTE, for seeking to purchase surface to air missiles, missile launchers, AK-47s, and other weapons to be used by the LTTE against the Sri Lankan military. They are also charged for attempting to use LTTE front organizations, including the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) to bribe State Department officials for obtaining classified documents containing information relating to the organizations.
As for human smuggling operations of the LTTE, many of those who risk the journey become victims of an international crime racket. INTERPOL has noted that having been part of the illegal trade and indebted to the smugglers, scores of Tamil youths find themselves becoming messenger boys, agents or couriers of the European operations of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. Most recently two LTTE Cadres were arrested by the Indonesian Government for complicity in human smuggling activities into Indonesia.
The extent of the LTTE's propaganda operations has also drawn international attention and the group has suffered heavy blows in recent months. US based INTELSAT terminated the illegal use of its facilities by the LTTE to broadcast the LTTE's so called official TV channel, 'National Television of Tamil Eelam' (NTT) launched in 2005 and originating from northern Sri Lanka and beamed across Europe and Asia. The closure by the French authorities of the Tamil Television Network (TTN) which operated out of Paris through satellite service provider Globecast, has further exposed the complex tentacles of the LTTE into modern communication methods. Such incidents have shown how the LTTE uses satellite communications to spread its propaganda and to reach the Diaspora. Satellite technology that is commercially available in the hands of a terrorist organization like the LTTE bodes a sinister threat to reckon with, as it can also be used for furthering terrorism. Attention has been drawn in recent months, that satellite images and aerospace technology can easily be used for target identification and would be a deadly weapon in the hands of a terrorist organization like the LTTE, particularly coupled with its maritime and nascent air capabilities. That the LTTE could offer its services as mercenaries should not be discounted.
Conclusion
Notwithstanding the significant level of global activity carried out for over two decades by the LTTE, and the many instances where the LTTE agents have been apprehended in such acts in several countries across the globe, regrettably there are some quarters in the world which continues to believe in the pretensions of peace proclaimed by the LTTE.
The Government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa is unambiguously committed to defeat terrorism in all its manifestations. We see no contradiction in dealing firmly with the scourge of terrorism perpetrated by the LTTE, even as GOSL seeks to evolve a consensus for a negotiated political settlement to the armed conflict in Sri Lanka.
It is in such context that the Government of Sri Lanka in recent months has sought to militarily engage the LTTE, to convince the group that it cannot expect to achieve a military victory. With the exception of a few jungle hideouts of the LTTE, most of the eastern province of Sri Lanka which was until recently terrorized by the LTTE, has been rid of this menace. The Security Forces and other agencies of the Government of Sri Lanka have worked hard to secure the area and to restore normalcy and settle persons who had been temporarily displaced in their own homes. I am sure those of you who are familiar with the difficulties faced in carrying out military as well as 'hearts and mind' operations in areas dominated by terrorists, would better appreciate the magnitude of the challenge, and hence assess for yourselves, the significance of the successful conclusion of settlement of persons in the Eastern province.
As it has been repeatedly stated throughout this meeting, the fight against terrorism is not something that can be fought single handedly by affected countries alone. It requires international cooperation.
Sri Lanka remains thankful to the international community for the considerable support so far provided in stemming the tide of terrorism which threatens the unity and territorial integrity of Sri Lanka and has caused death, destruction and immense suffering to the people of our country. The support most states represented here extends to Sri Lanka bi-laterally to curb terrorism by the LTTE, is deeply appreciated by the Government of Sri Lanka. It is in the same spirit that Sri Lanka joined multilateral initiatives such as the Container Security Initiative, the Mega Ports Initiative and the Regional Cooperation Agreement on combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia, so that together we can address international terrorism.
In conclusion, I wish to appeal to those of you associated with the defense establishment in your respective countries who would possibly better appreciate the difficult struggle faced by my country, as well as the security ramifications to the global community that I have outlined, to ensure that your governments remain focussed of the complexities the government of Sri Lanka faces in continuing to keep the LTTE under check. I ask that the governments represented by Your Excellencies, continue to exercise vigilance in order not to permit the LTTE to use your territories or waters to continue to terrorize the people of Sri Lanka.
Facts of the LTTE Piracy
* In October 1994 LTTE destroyed the MV Ocean Trader off Vettilaikerni
* In June 1995 LTTE destroyed the MV Sea Dancer off Kankesanturai
* In August 1995 LTTE attacked the MV Lanka Muditha off Kankesanturai
* In August 1995, the LTTE hijacked and looted the MV Irish Mona off Mulaithivu.
* In April 1996, the LTTE staged an abortive attack on the port of Colombo and damaged three foreign owned vessels.
* In August 1996, the LTTE blasted a Philippine registered cargo ship MV Princess Wave with underwater explosives while it was loading mineral sands at Pulmoddai. The cargo was for a Japanese consignee. 15 soldiers were killed.
* In May 1997, the LTTE blasted MV Athena, a Greek registered bulk carrier while in anchor in Trincomalee.
* In July 1997, the LTTE set fire to a 500 seat passenger ferry MV Mission, an Indonesian flagged vessel, transporting Tamil civilians from Mannar to Jaffna.
* In July 1997, the LTTE captured the North Korean registered, flagged, and crewed MV Morang Bong, a 3000 ton general cargo vessel, which was anchored off Point Pedro. It had delivering a consignment of food to the Jaffna peninsula.
* In September 1997, the LTTE captured a Panama-registered, Chinese owned MV Cordiality, a bulk carrier, which was transporting essential food cargo. 5 Chinese were killed.
* In August 1998, the LTTE hijacked the Indian owned MV Princess Kashoff Mullaittivu. The 6000 ton ship, chartered from Dubai based Goodwill Company was transporting cement, dry food rations and vehicles for civilian use in Jaffna.
* In July 1999, LTTE destroyed the MV Newco Endurance at Trincomalee Harbour
* In September 1999, LTTE attacked the MV Julia off North of Mullativu
* In June 2000, LTTE destroyed the MV Mercs Uhana off Point Pedro
* In September 2001, LTTE attacked the MV Pride off Point Pedro
* In October 2001, LTTE attacked the MT Dunhinda off Point Pedro
* In March 2003, a Chinese Fishing trawler named 'Fu Yuan Ya 225' was captured and was exploded by the LTTE, killing 20 of its crew members.
* In December 2006, the LTTE attacked the Jordanian vessel MV Farah III and looted the ship.
* In January 2007, MV Liverpool delivering relief supplies to Jaffna was attacked off Point Pedro.
Detection of LTTE Arms Shipments/Equipment
* In December 1990, MV Sun Bird was detained by Malaysian authority in Penan, Malaysia
* In November 1991, MV Tongnova was detained by Indian Navy off Karailkal
* In January 1993, MV Ahat was scuttled by LTTE off Bay of Bengal
* In February 1996, MV Horizon was destroyed by SLN off Mullaithivu
* In November 1997, MV Fratzescomwas destroyed by SLN off Mullaithivu
* In March 1998, MV Mariamma was scuttled by LTTE off west of Nicobar
* In May 1999, MV Showamaru was detected off West of Nichobar Island
* In April 2000, Thai authorities discovered half built mini submarine in Phuket.
* In September 2006, Sri Lanka Navy destroyed un-named vessel off Kalmunai
* In February 2007, Sri Lanka Navy destroyed un-named vessel off South of Dondra
* In March 2007, Sri Lanka Navy destroyed un-named vessel off South East of Arugambay
* In May 2007, Indian fishing trawler Sri Krishna was sunk by Maldivian National Defense Force while it was transporting ammunition to LTTE off Maldivian territorial waters.
Source: Asian Tribune
Colombo, 19 January, (Asiantribune.com): Sri Lanka Security forces announced of the capture Vakarai town a few hours ago located in the restive Batticaloa district.
According to Defence Ministrty, "The LTTE terrorists had fled the Vakarai Town area unable to withstand the intrusive thrust of the armed forces. Following an hours long effort the SL army troops finally liberated the Vakarai town and hospital which was used as an artillery launching pad by the terrorists keeping civilians as human shields."
According to military sources, the ground troops are presently consolidating their defences in the Vakarai town area.
In the meantime LTTE is maintaining a tacit silence over their defeat in Vaharai.
In the meantime according to Sri Lanka Army, in a separate confrontation at Trincomalee, a large number of LTTE cadres were killed and wounded and the surviving Tigers had carried the dead bodies of their colleagues.
However, the dead body of one LTTE cadre was found by the troops, Sri Lanka Army reports.
Following items were recovered during a subsequent search by the troops.
02 T-56 weapons
01 RPG bomb
02 Tents
and several Tiger uniforms
It is believed the LTTE cadres who were fleeing from Vakarai were involved in the confrontation and their number could be around 20.
- Asian Tribune -
Blast hits bus in south Sri Lanka, second in two days
06 Jan 2007 09:32:36 GMT
COLOMBO, Jan 6 (Reuters) - A blast tore through a passenger bus near a popular beach resort in south Sri Lanka on Saturday, police said, a day after suspected Tamil Tiger rebels killed 6 civilians and wounded dozens in a similar attack.
"There was an explosion on a bus near the town of Hikkaduwa," a police spokeswoman said, referring to the coastal resort town 45 miles (70 km) south of Colombo.
There was no immediate word on casualties in Saturday's attack
Source: Reuters
Munza Mushtaq – Reporting from Colombo
Colombo, 19 October, (Asiantribune.com): The country's pre dominant Muslim Party, Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) has lashed out at the government and the LTTE, holding both parties responsible for the sufferings befallen upon the community,
while declaring that neither two parties can negotiate for the Muslims at peace talks.
"Both sides must bear the responsibility for the sufferings of the Muslims due to the escalation of hostilities. Recent events has re-emphasized that Muslims have their own grievances, thus the LTTE and Government must accommodate a separate Muslim delegation endorsed by the community," SLMC leader Rauff Hakeem said.
He stressed that the government nor the LTTE can negotiate for the Muslims living in Sri Lanka, and only an independent delegation accepted by the Muslim community can negotiate for the sufferings befallen the community.
"Although Muslim are not directly involved in the conflict, they are directly affected by the conflict, the recent slaying of ten Muslim civilians in Pottuvil is one such example," Mr. Hakeem pointed out. .
Meanwhile the SLMC leader has sought an appointment from President Mahinda Rajapakse to discuss issues including the inclusion of a separate Muslim delegation and the setting up of an independent commission to investigate the Pottuvil massacre.
However owing to the President being pre-occupied with other matters, an appointment was yet to be granted.
Source:Asian Tribune
Colombo, 19 October, (Asiantribune.com): It is only the attitude the Government of Sri Lanka assumes in the coming days would determine the talks, declared S.P.Tamilselvan, Head of the Political Division of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
"There is no change in our position in going for the talks. We have already informed of our consent according to the request of the Sri Lanka Donor countries which insisted that both the parties should meet and talk," Tamilselvan said.
"Therefore the determination for the talks to take place depends on the actions the Sri Lanka Government might take in the coming days. We have not at all changed our position," he further added.
Tmailselvan was interviewed by NHK TV after meeting Japanese Special Peace Envoy Yasushi Akashi on Wednesday at Kilinochchi.
In the interview Tamilselvan said as follows:
Japan's Special Envoy Yasushi Akashi has told us that peace activities should commence. He also insisted for the end of all hostility campaigns. We have told the Japanese Envoy that our leadership is also determined in finding a solution through a negotiation process.
We have already conveyed to the Japanese envoy our steadfast believe in the peace process. Similarly if the Sri Lanka Government come forward to give due regard to appeals and requests of the international community, then only talks and meeting could turn into a feasible reality.
We are of the strong opinion that through talks only we can determine the kind of solution needed for the problems. At present heavy clashes and huge loss of lives continues and we are not in a position pay attention in determining the nature of the political solutions.
We insist that attacks and aggression must be halted forthwith. Army movements and killings must be stopped and normalcy restored.
In the beginning solutions have to be found for the pressing humanitarian issues.
Even today, Japanese special envoy insisted that both parties should meet in the negotiation table. We also briefed him the position of our leadership.
We told Yasushi Akashi when we met him today (Wednesday), in case, if the Sri Lanka Government halts the air attacks and come forward and shows its goodwill gesture, then we are ready and prepared to provide our fullest cooperation.
Violence and war continues because the Government of Sri Lanka has so for not come forward to signal its goodwill gesture.
In particular, due to the aerial attack against us, killing of the innocent civilians for no fault of them, and also as the roads remain closed have forced the people into immeasurable hardships.
We have insisted that peoples should be relieved of their hardships. It seems that the Japanese Special Envoy was agreeable with the position we have taken.
The coming days will only determine our participation in the forthcoming Geneva talks. So far there is no change in our position; changes may be determined only by the forces of events undertaken by the Government of Sri Lanka in the coming days.
Source:Asian Tribune
By Walter Jayawardhana
Washington, 19 October, (Asiantribune.com): The Washington Times newspaper in a strongly worded editorial published a week ahead of the scheduled peace talks in Geneva wrote that even to think that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) can be forced to truly renounce violence is an unlikely prospect.
Any hope that the militant Liberation Tamil Tigers of Eelam would respond to diplomatic pressure and renounce their terrorist tactics ahead of the cease-fire negotiations scheduled for the end of the month was murderously subverted by a suicide attack that killed more than 100 Sri Lankan sailors this week, said the newspaper's editorial of 18 October.
"Although the government is poised to enter peace talks backed by political consensus for the first time, its willingness to negotiate the end of violence in Sri Lanka is being undermined by the rebel group's continuing violence," the editorial said.
"The talks are still scheduled, but will only provide salvation for the war-torn South Asian nation if the Tamil Tigers can be forced into truly renouncing violence -- an unlikely prospect," the newspaper claimed.
"Legitimate cease-fire talks require the Tamil Tigers to match the government's level of commitment to peace. In the past two decades of peace efforts, however, this hasn't happened. The Tamil Tigers have entered negotiations and cease-fire agreements with a disingenuous promise of peace only to use the break in hostilities to secretly regroup, rearm and relaunch their offensive. The Tamil Tigers are not interested in peaceful coexistence; their only goal is to win substantial territorial concessions, which is a nonstarter for the Sri Lankan government, and justifiably so. The Tigers, furthermore, lack any real support of the Tamil people and intimidate their opposition into silence.
This is a negotiation between a state and the terrorist group that pioneered the use of suicide bombing. Under no circumstances can they be considered equals, and it's essential that the international community, as it works to put the country on the right track, pronounce this distinction ardently. (Indeed, the United States refuses to negotiate with any terrorist groups.)"
The newspaper said, "Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher, who has rightly noted that the Tigers are a "terrorist group that needs to be treated accordingly," travels to Sri Lanka this week to meet with government officials and members of a Japanese envoy working in the country. While the trip should convey U.S. concern with the violence, the only effective way for the international community to pressure the Tamil Tigers is by targeting the group's world-wide fundraising network."
The recent arrests in Baltimore of six men accused of purchasing weapons, including "Russian-made surface-to-air missiles, for the Tigers, which came only a few months after similar arrests were made in a sting operation in New York, are the first concrete actions taken since the United States classified the Tamils as a terrorist organization in 1997. These important arrests should be followed by forceful prosecution. This is precisely the kind of action that U.S. authorities need to take to disrupt the flow of money and weapons to the Sri Lankan terrorists, which is the only way to force the group into earnest negotiations."
Source:Asian Tribune
