LTTE defeats SLA push into Vaharai

The LTTE claimed last Saturday (October 7) that it had blunted a Sri Lankan offensive in Vaharai, on the border between Trincomalee and Batticaloa districts in Eastern Sri Lanka.

The Liberation Tigers claimed to have "boxed" an area of 10 square kilometers and repulsed the three-pronged Sri Lanka Army (SLA) offensive that was supported by heavy artillery shelling, Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombardment and rocket fire from the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) gunboats.

The offensive was launched from Kajuwatte SLA camp, south of Vaharai towards Panichchankerni, from Sinhapura SLA camp 3 km inside the LTTE territory in Kattumurivu and the Sri Lanka Navy attempted to land troops in Panichchankerni, the LTTE said.

The LTTE said 400 soldiers and an 80-strong force of paramilitary cadres of the Karuna Group were involved in the attack.

The Military Spokesman of the LTTE, Rasaiah Ilanthirayan said that the Sri Lankan troops had penetrated 1.5 km into LTTE-held territory. But other reports said that SLA troops had gone 5 kms in.

The Tigers accused Colombo of triggering the latest fighting – a charge rejected by the government – and said the new violence represented a major setback to reviving peace talks.

"This is serious blow to the peace process. We have complained to the Norwegians," LTTE spokesman Rasiah Ilanthiriyan said, referring to Norway's role as peacebrokers in the conflict.

"The large-scale offensive comes at a time when the co-chairs have called on the parties to halt all violence and come for unconditional direct talks and the LTTE has responded positively to that call," the Tigers said.

The LTTE said they had lodged formal protests with Norway and Nordic truce monitors over the military action, which they blamed on government forces.

The truce monitors condemned the push by the army into LTTE territory. Thorfinnur Omarsson, spokesman of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, said: "It is totally unacceptable if the military penetrate Tiger territory. That is an offensive right after agreeing to talks."

The SLA described its actions in the island's east as "defensive" and said they were intended to "neutralise artillery and mortar fire".

"The Tigers fired artillery and mortars at our forward defence lines, and the military wants to neutralise them and push them back [to the east]," a military source told Reuters on condition of anonymity. "This is a defensive measure."

The government claimed the aerial attack was to prevent the Tigers moving artillery guns. Tamil Tiger fighters are “highly mobile” in the area and are trying to move armaments after government forces captured the town of Sampoor last month, the Media Center for National Security said on its website.

The defence ministry insisted the Tigers provoked the violence and that troops were only defending themselves. "In spite of the peace initiatives, security forces are compelled to repulse the continuous provocative attacks of the Tigers," the ministry said. "Security forces are experiencing provocative actions from the Tigers despite the assurances given by them few days ago (to enter talks)," the ministry said.

The military, which claimed to have recovered 22 bodies of Tiger guerrillas on Friday, revised down the number to 12, but said security forces had seen more behind LTTE lines.

"Twelve bodies of Tiger terrorists shot down when they attempted to infiltrate the forward defence lines were handed over to the Valachchenai hospital," the defence ministry said in a statement. "Troops have observed 40 to 45 bodies of Tiger terrorists laying ahead (of) the defence lines," it added.

The Liberation Tigers denied the SLA claim that 12 dead bodies of Tigers were captured by the Sri Lankan forces. They claimed 11 cadres were killed in action.

The military statement said two soldiers were killed and eight wounded. But hospital officials said about 50 combatants wounded on Friday were brought in for treatment. At least 6 seriously wounded were airlifted to Colombo for further treatment.

The Tigers said they had recovered the bodies of 13 government soldiers and that another soldier was captured. They claimed more than 30 soldiers had been killed in the fighting.

A SLA Major who led the crack forces and paramilitaries into Tiger territory, identified as Major W. S. A. Wijetunge, was among the dead. Nine bodies of Sri Lankan soldiers were dug up, in addition to the 2 bodies recovered later, and handed over to the ICRC by the Tigers. Earlier, Sri Lanka had declined to receive the bodies.

The slain SLA Major was responsible for military activities in areas Punanai, Valaichenai and north of Valaichenai, according to Sri Lankan military officials in Batticaloa.

The dead soldiers were identified as S. P. Fernando, D. M. Muthubanda, T.M.C. Pushpakumara, C.J.M Ariyaratne, K. Premachandra, R.M.K. Ratnayake, L.G. Bandaranaike, S.M. Silva and E.D.Gunawardene.

Although Colombo accepted the dead bodies of the Sri Lankan armed forces through the ICRC, they declined to accept the bodies of the 6 paramilitary cadres killed in action.

Two civilians were killed, one in Panichchankerni and another in Vaharai, press reports said. Seven civilians were also wounded.

Military officials said the navy sank two boats of the rebels' naval Sea Tiger wing in waters off Batticaloa, while the air force bombed newly-built rebel bunkers south of Trincomalee harbour.

They said many Tiger casualties were lying near the forward defence line that separates rebel from government territory in Batticaloa. Military officers have said they are keen to inflict as many casualties as possible before any talks.

The LTTE claimed the Sea Tigers defeated an SLN attempt to land troops in Panichchankerni and that one SLN boat sustained damages in the counter-attack.

"Two tractors full of SLA soldiers were killed in our counter-attack," he said. "Sri Lanka Air Force Kfir jets bombed our area in 4 sorties. Heavy artillery shelling was launched from Valiachenai Paper Factory SLA camp."

The Tiger operation was conducted under the supervision of Special Commander Col. Sornam. Vehicles used by the military, two 81 mm mortars with more than 100 shells, one 60 mm mortar with shells, 10 Rocket Propelled Grenade Launchers, PK LMGs, AK LMGs, AK-47 rifles, and a quantity of ammunitions that included landmine-proof shoes left behind the retreating Sri Lankan forces were displayed by the Tigers in Vaharai.