(Photos from Defence Ministry)
Over 300 officers from Sri Lanka's tri-forces have taken part in a week-long operation, an amphibious training exercise dubbed “Seagull” in the Northern Sea area in the Jaffna peninsula, as tens of thousands of troops remain stationed in the region, which remains one of the most militarised per capita in the world.
The training exercise which commenced on January 4 was aimed at familiarizing Army troops with naval ships and sea conditions in conflict situations. Over 40 officers and 353 Other Ranks participated in the training with the Sri Lanka Navy at the Chief Northern Naval Area in Kankasanthurai and the Sri Lanka Navy camp Kanchadewa at Kayts.
Meanwhile, the second phase of the military exercise was carried out from January 8 to 11, featuring an amphibious attack on Palaitivu Island. According to the Sri Lankan Army website, “This exercise presents a valuable opportunity for the Sri Lankan Armed Forces to test and enhance their amphibious capabilities.”
The tri-forces were trained on establishing and securing a beachhead, landing the main force, neutralizing opposing forces, rescuing hostages, casualty evacuation, and providing Humanitarian Assistance for Disaster Relief.
The North-East has been increasingly militarised so much that staging a protest or attending a vigil can place any individual under the military's radar. Military checkpoints, frequent raids, military exercises and the highest number of military camps continue to be across the Tamil homeland.
Throughout the North-East, efforts have been made since the end of the war to normalise military involvement in civilian activities – ranging from civil administration to running large agricultural farms or a chain of hotels – they popularised an authoritarian and militarised form of governance. Despite the ongoing criticism of their involvement in civilian affairs in the North-East, the Sri Lankan military initiatives several projects, normalising wider patterns of militarisation of the Tamil homeland. This includes the construction of homes, and schools and engaging in cosmetic goodwill gestures such as the handing out of dry rations and produce.
The military exercise comes despite repeated calls for the complete demilitarisation of the North-East, which continues to be occupied by tens of thousands of troops.
Last year, Tamil parliamentarian Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam however told parliament that “out of the 20 divisions of Sri Lanka’s military, you have 16 based in the North and East, of which 14 are based specifically in the North”. In Jaffna there is as much as one soldier for every 10 civilians and 1 soldier for every 4 civilians in the Vanni, he said.
The true figure may be higher, with a 2017 report by the Adayaalam Centre for Policy Research (ACPR) and People for Equality and Relief in Lanka (PEARL), having found that there was at least one Sri Lankan soldier for every two civilians living in the Mullaitivu.
