Citing ‘excessive interference’ by the Sri Lanka Navy in the arrangement between international truce monitors and the Liberation Tigers to move the latter’s senior Eastern commanders to the Vanni for a top level meeting, the LTTE cancelled the sea transfers.
The Tigers said the cancellation of the central committee conference, intended to define strategy for the next round of talks with the Sri Lankan government meant they could not attend the peace talks in Geneva next week.
“Unfortunately, because the Sri Lankan Navy conducted itself in a manner that threatened the safety of our commanders, and because events took place that were against the promises made by the Head of the [truce monitors], the central committee meeting of our leadership could not take place,” Mr. S. P. Tamilselvan, the head of the LTTE’s political wing, informed the Norwegian Ambassador in a letter on Sunday.
Previously, the Sri Lanka military had provided air transport whenever senior LTTE commander had to travel between their controlled areas in the north and the east.
This time, when the request for transport was made, the Sri Lanka government not only refused to provide air transport, but also refused to accept the LTTE transporting the commanders in their own vessels.
To break the impasse, the head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), Ulf Henricson, had suggested the alternative of a civilian vessel as an “exclusive and extra-ordinary SLMM arrangement.” The parties had also agreed there would be no Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) escort or interference in the civil transportation.
However, on Friday, the Sri Lankan Peace Secretariat (SCOPP), “out of the blue”, imposed two new conditions for the sea-transport arrangement. The first was that the LTTE commanders should not reach the ferry using their own vessel but a civilian boat must be arranged to go up to the ferry. The other condition was that the ferry arranged by the SLMM was to be treated as an LTTE vessel and the Sri Lankan Navy must escort it.
The SLMM was informed of these new conditions on the Mullaitivu shore as monitors and temporary replacements for the LTTE eastern commanders were waiting to board the ferry.
“Sri Lanka Navy attempted to override the SLMM arrangement with a procedure agreed for the transportation of LTTE owned military vessels in 2003,” clarified Mr. S. Puleedevan, the director of LTTE’s Peace Secretariat.
Mr Puleedevan was referring to a 2003 arrangement whereby the LTTE could transport it cadres in its own military vessels with the SLN, with SLMM facilitation, able to observe LTTE military vessels from a minimum of 3 nautical miles beyond the 5 nautical mile zone where LTTE operates.
Mr Puleedevan said the LTTE, immediately upon receiving the message Friday night, turned down the suggestion from the SCOPP.
“Insisting on new conditions through fax few hours before the transport was to take place, and overriding the previously agreed procedures is not acceptable to us. This is a matter of principle and integrity,” Mr. Puleedevan told TamiNet after returning to Kilinochchi from Mullaithivu.
“These excessive interference by the Sri Lankan Navy in the sea transport of our commanders, in total contradiction to the prior agreement with you, have made us loose faith in the promises made by SLMM,” the LTTE stated in a letter sent to the head of the SLMM immediately after the incident.
A the time of the journey being cancelled, SLMM officials, along with junior LTTE officials, were on board the ferry which was scheduled to transport the acting commanders of the LTTE to Eastern District before transporting the Eastern Commanders Col. Sornam and Col. Bhanu to Vanni.
SLMM chief Henricsson had meanwhile been waiting in Batticaloa, to accompany the Batticaloa Commander of the LTTE, Col. Bhanu.
The Tigers said the cancellation of the central committee conference, intended to define strategy for the next round of talks with the Sri Lankan government meant they could not attend the peace talks in Geneva next week.
“Unfortunately, because the Sri Lankan Navy conducted itself in a manner that threatened the safety of our commanders, and because events took place that were against the promises made by the Head of the [truce monitors], the central committee meeting of our leadership could not take place,” Mr. S. P. Tamilselvan, the head of the LTTE’s political wing, informed the Norwegian Ambassador in a letter on Sunday.
Previously, the Sri Lanka military had provided air transport whenever senior LTTE commander had to travel between their controlled areas in the north and the east.
This time, when the request for transport was made, the Sri Lanka government not only refused to provide air transport, but also refused to accept the LTTE transporting the commanders in their own vessels.
To break the impasse, the head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), Ulf Henricson, had suggested the alternative of a civilian vessel as an “exclusive and extra-ordinary SLMM arrangement.” The parties had also agreed there would be no Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) escort or interference in the civil transportation.
However, on Friday, the Sri Lankan Peace Secretariat (SCOPP), “out of the blue”, imposed two new conditions for the sea-transport arrangement. The first was that the LTTE commanders should not reach the ferry using their own vessel but a civilian boat must be arranged to go up to the ferry. The other condition was that the ferry arranged by the SLMM was to be treated as an LTTE vessel and the Sri Lankan Navy must escort it.
The SLMM was informed of these new conditions on the Mullaitivu shore as monitors and temporary replacements for the LTTE eastern commanders were waiting to board the ferry.
“Sri Lanka Navy attempted to override the SLMM arrangement with a procedure agreed for the transportation of LTTE owned military vessels in 2003,” clarified Mr. S. Puleedevan, the director of LTTE’s Peace Secretariat.
Mr Puleedevan was referring to a 2003 arrangement whereby the LTTE could transport it cadres in its own military vessels with the SLN, with SLMM facilitation, able to observe LTTE military vessels from a minimum of 3 nautical miles beyond the 5 nautical mile zone where LTTE operates.
Mr Puleedevan said the LTTE, immediately upon receiving the message Friday night, turned down the suggestion from the SCOPP.
“Insisting on new conditions through fax few hours before the transport was to take place, and overriding the previously agreed procedures is not acceptable to us. This is a matter of principle and integrity,” Mr. Puleedevan told TamiNet after returning to Kilinochchi from Mullaithivu.
“These excessive interference by the Sri Lankan Navy in the sea transport of our commanders, in total contradiction to the prior agreement with you, have made us loose faith in the promises made by SLMM,” the LTTE stated in a letter sent to the head of the SLMM immediately after the incident.
A the time of the journey being cancelled, SLMM officials, along with junior LTTE officials, were on board the ferry which was scheduled to transport the acting commanders of the LTTE to Eastern District before transporting the Eastern Commanders Col. Sornam and Col. Bhanu to Vanni.
SLMM chief Henricsson had meanwhile been waiting in Batticaloa, to accompany the Batticaloa Commander of the LTTE, Col. Bhanu.
