Daily attacks on Sri Lankan security forces and LTTE members and supporters and retaliatory violence by the military against civilians has resulted in a string of deaths and injuries.
Mr. Erik Solheim, the Norwegian Minister of International Development, is to visit Sri Lanka again next week to meet with President Mahinda Rajapakse and his government leaders as well as the Tamil Tiger leadership to explore ways of stabilising the truce.
Ahead of his visit, Norway’s Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Hans Brattskar, played down fears the LTTE was about to return to war.
Speaking to journalists Wednesday a day after meeting LTTE officials, he said had no reason to believe that the Tamil Tigers will go to war and was optimistic that the LTTE wants to come to the negotiation table.
Mr. Anton Balasingham, the chief negotiator and political strategist of the LTTE, will also visit the LTTE held region of Vanni, next week as part of the fresh effort to resume the peace process.
Mr. Balasingham will assist the LTTE leader, Mr. V. Pirapaharan, during his forthcoming meeting with Mr. Solheim.
Having already expressed serious concern over the rising tide of violence, the Norwegian peace envoy will seek a compromise between the protagonists on the contentious issue of the venue for the immediate resumption of talks on stabilizing the ceasefire.
When contacted by TamilNet Tuesday at his London residence, Mr. Balasingham confirmed his visit to Sri Lanka next week.
“What is of critical importance at this crucial juncture, is to try and bring an end to the brutal violence perpetrated against innocent Tamil civilians and create a congenial environment conducive for positive engagement,” Mr. Balasingham said.
Diplomatic sources told TamilNet Tuesday that the Sri Lankan Government had assured the Norwegian government of Mr. Balasingham’s security during his visit to Vanni.
Despite the international diplomatic push, there are doubts about the initiative’s chances of success.
“Unless there is a marked change in the ground conditions currently dominated by violent conduct by the Sri Lankan Armed forces and the paramilitaries, the patience of the Tamil population, facing killings on a daily basis in the SLA controlled Tamil homeland, will be put on a serious test,” the LTTE Political Wing head, Mr. S. P. Tamilselvan said Tuesday.
“Civilian life in the Army controlled areas is greatly disturbed and fear of life has gripped our people as never before in the almost four-year Ceasefire period,” Mr. Tamilselvan told reporters after meeting the head of the SLMM, Mr. Hagrup Haukland and the Norwegian Ambassador to Sri Lanka Hans Brattskar.
“Tamils are being killed on a daily basis, human rights violations by Sri Lankan troops are at a record high, civilians in their thousands are moving to safer LTTE areas and there are also reports of civilians fleeing to Tamil Nadu,” he said.
However the February 2002 ceasefire which brought and end to seven years of intense war is gradually breaking down, sparking fears of a major confrontation being in the offing.
International truce monitors supervising the truce were forced to suspend their work in the Trincomalee district this week amid fears for their safety. The security situation there was “not acceptable,” spokeswoman Helen Olafsdottir said.
A bomb also ripped through the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM)’s office in Batticaloa district last week destroying a vehicle, though no one was hurt.
The contributing nations to the SLMM - Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden – condemned the attack, noting the mission “always enjoyed the full confidence of the affected populations, and good cooperation on behalf of the parties to the Ceasefire Agreement.”
SLMM chief, Hagrup Haukland who had talks with the LTTE political leadership said that he is aware who is responsible for attacks against an SLMM office.
He told AP: “it is not the LTTE. It is not the government, but we know who they are”
However Haukland did not disclose who is responsible for the attacks.
The overwhelmingly Sinhala Sri Lankan military deployed more troops in Trincomalee on Wednesday, panicking Tamils in the strategic port city.
Heavily armed troops have increased foot patrols in the city, alongside other soldiers on motorcycles and on board trucks also on patrol. Troops were also carrying out cordon-and-search operations, residents told Reuters.
In Colombo, the Sri Lankan capital, the Defence Ministry declined to comment. “We do not discuss military movements or deployment,” military spokesman Brig. Athula Jayawardena, said.
Mr. Erik Solheim, the Norwegian Minister of International Development, is to visit Sri Lanka again next week to meet with President Mahinda Rajapakse and his government leaders as well as the Tamil Tiger leadership to explore ways of stabilising the truce.
Ahead of his visit, Norway’s Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Hans Brattskar, played down fears the LTTE was about to return to war.
Speaking to journalists Wednesday a day after meeting LTTE officials, he said had no reason to believe that the Tamil Tigers will go to war and was optimistic that the LTTE wants to come to the negotiation table.
Mr. Anton Balasingham, the chief negotiator and political strategist of the LTTE, will also visit the LTTE held region of Vanni, next week as part of the fresh effort to resume the peace process.
Mr. Balasingham will assist the LTTE leader, Mr. V. Pirapaharan, during his forthcoming meeting with Mr. Solheim.
Having already expressed serious concern over the rising tide of violence, the Norwegian peace envoy will seek a compromise between the protagonists on the contentious issue of the venue for the immediate resumption of talks on stabilizing the ceasefire.
When contacted by TamilNet Tuesday at his London residence, Mr. Balasingham confirmed his visit to Sri Lanka next week.
“What is of critical importance at this crucial juncture, is to try and bring an end to the brutal violence perpetrated against innocent Tamil civilians and create a congenial environment conducive for positive engagement,” Mr. Balasingham said.
Diplomatic sources told TamilNet Tuesday that the Sri Lankan Government had assured the Norwegian government of Mr. Balasingham’s security during his visit to Vanni.
Despite the international diplomatic push, there are doubts about the initiative’s chances of success.
“Unless there is a marked change in the ground conditions currently dominated by violent conduct by the Sri Lankan Armed forces and the paramilitaries, the patience of the Tamil population, facing killings on a daily basis in the SLA controlled Tamil homeland, will be put on a serious test,” the LTTE Political Wing head, Mr. S. P. Tamilselvan said Tuesday.
“Civilian life in the Army controlled areas is greatly disturbed and fear of life has gripped our people as never before in the almost four-year Ceasefire period,” Mr. Tamilselvan told reporters after meeting the head of the SLMM, Mr. Hagrup Haukland and the Norwegian Ambassador to Sri Lanka Hans Brattskar.
“Tamils are being killed on a daily basis, human rights violations by Sri Lankan troops are at a record high, civilians in their thousands are moving to safer LTTE areas and there are also reports of civilians fleeing to Tamil Nadu,” he said.
However the February 2002 ceasefire which brought and end to seven years of intense war is gradually breaking down, sparking fears of a major confrontation being in the offing.
International truce monitors supervising the truce were forced to suspend their work in the Trincomalee district this week amid fears for their safety. The security situation there was “not acceptable,” spokeswoman Helen Olafsdottir said.
A bomb also ripped through the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM)’s office in Batticaloa district last week destroying a vehicle, though no one was hurt.
The contributing nations to the SLMM - Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden – condemned the attack, noting the mission “always enjoyed the full confidence of the affected populations, and good cooperation on behalf of the parties to the Ceasefire Agreement.”
SLMM chief, Hagrup Haukland who had talks with the LTTE political leadership said that he is aware who is responsible for attacks against an SLMM office.
He told AP: “it is not the LTTE. It is not the government, but we know who they are”
However Haukland did not disclose who is responsible for the attacks.
The overwhelmingly Sinhala Sri Lankan military deployed more troops in Trincomalee on Wednesday, panicking Tamils in the strategic port city.
Heavily armed troops have increased foot patrols in the city, alongside other soldiers on motorcycles and on board trucks also on patrol. Troops were also carrying out cordon-and-search operations, residents told Reuters.
In Colombo, the Sri Lankan capital, the Defence Ministry declined to comment. “We do not discuss military movements or deployment,” military spokesman Brig. Athula Jayawardena, said.
