WORLD & NATION-
Sri Lankan civil war nears end, conditions worsen for civilians
WWW.GUlLFORDlAN.COM
By Dan Etter
Staff Writer
One of Asia's longest running armed con
flicts could soon become a guerilla campaign
by the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil
Eelam (LTTE), as government forces close
in on the Tiger's remaining strongholds in
northern Sri Lanka.
While political and ethnic tensions still
exist between Sri Lanka's majority Sinhalese
and minority Tamils, civilian populations
seem desperate for an end to the violence,
which has spread into government-designat
ed safe-zones leaving hundreds of thousands
trapped.
"The UN calls on both sides to find an or
derly and humane solution so that civilians
- and children in particular - can be spared
further bloodshed and loss of life due to dis
ease and the fighting," said a UN statement,
according to The Times of India.
The LTTE has countered UN and govern
ment accusations that they are preventing
civilians from leaving and even firing upon
those attempting to do so, stating that both
parties have neglected their responsibilities
in protecting the Sri Lankan people.
"We have clear indications that the LTTE
has intensified forcible recruitment of civil
ians and that children as young as 14 years
old are now being targeted," said United Na
tion Children's Fund (Unicef) Chief Philippe
Duamelle in a BBC News report.
Tamil accusations came via a pro-LTTE
website.
"The UN's inability to fulfill its obliga
tions to civilians is explicit. Yet they don't
say who is preventing them from their re
sponsibilities," said the Tamil Rehabilitation
Organization (TRO) on TamilNet, according
to BBC News.
Independent media sources have been de
nied access into the conflict zone, preventing
the verification of claims by either side.
The culmination of a 25-year civil war,
the recent government offensive cornered Ti
ger forces in a small section of the country's
northeastern jungle after taking control of
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Sri Lankan troops took control of Elephant Pass, Killinochchi and Mullaitivu during recent fighting.
three major cities formerly controlled by the
LTTE.
Also taken over was the Sea Tigers divi
sion of the LTTE. Credited for destroying 35-
50 percent of Sri Lankan Navy's coastal crafts,
the Sea Tgers saw all of their ports destroyed
and most high-ranking officers killed in Sri
Lanka's latest offensive.
Despite success in cornering the LTTE and
effectively eliminating their navy force, Sri
Lankan troops have been unsuccessful in lo
cating LTTE's air unit.
The Air Tigers give LTTE the distinction
of being the only widely recognized terrorist
group with an air force. Operating with five
light aircraft, the Air Tigers first attacked a
Sri' Lankan Air Force base in 2007 and have
carried out four subsequent attacks, most re
cently targeting oil tante in north-western Sri
Lanka during October, 2008.
Considered a terrorist organization by 32
countries, including the US, UK, European
Union and India, for their use of child sol
diers and suicide bombings, the LTTE has
waged their civil war since 1983 and refuses
to lay down their arms until they have the
"guarantee of living with freedom, dignity
and sovereignty," according to BBC News.
The Black Tigers, created in 1987, are the
LTTE's suicide squad and are credited as the
first modem group to use suicide bombings
as a tactic. Following their first attack on a Sri
Lankan army base that killed 40, the Black Ti
gers have killed hundreds, including former
Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
While the violent tactics of the LTTE rep
resent only a minority of young, disenchant
ed Tamils, their stmggle for an independent
Tamil state has been shared by all Tamils since
Sri Lanka gained independence from Britain
in 1948. Since independence, the Tamils have
struggled against political and ethnic oppres
sion, being denied equal representation in the
country's president-parliament system.
At their peak, the LTTE organization in
cluded a police force and supreme court, a
human rights organization (Northeast Sec
retariat on Human Rights) and a needs as
sessment body (Planning and Development
Secretariat), radio and TV stations, a boarder
patrol and a national bank.
The LTTE's Tsunami Task Force was
credited for providing efficient and effective
humanitarian support after a 2004 tsunami
rocked the country. With an all female fight
ing force, the LTTE advocates equality for
women against both male and social repres
sion.
Founded in 1976 by Velupillai Prabha-
karam, the LTTE originally worked in con
junction with other Tamil organizations as a
part of the Eelam National Liberation Front
(ENLF).
A rift between the LTTE and the Tamil
Eelam Liberation Organization (TELO) be
gan during peace talks with India and the
Sri Lankan government in the 1980's, after
fighting between the ENLF and government
troops forced waves of Tamil civilians to emi
grate to India.
Despite not being included in the talks,
the ENLF took India's view on the conflict
and the LTTE broke away from the group.
Shortly after, the LTTE wiped out the entire
TELO and demanded that all other Tamil fac
tions join their ranks.
An Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF)
was sent into Sri Lanka and the LTTE was
soon fighting both the Indian and Sri Lankan
governments. Afraid that their large Indian
Tamil population would side with Sri Lankan
Tamils, India refused to grant the group au
tonomy.
Sri Lankan Tamils descend from the Jaffna
Kingdom, today the country's Jaffna penin
sula and northeastern regions, and are be
lieved to be inhabitants of the island since the
2nd Century BCE.
While international support for the Tam
il's struggle for independence exists, cries for
the LTTE to end the violence and help Tamil
civilians have rang the loudest.
"(LTTE would) best serve the interest of
the Tamils by immediately releasing all ci
vilians (under its control) and laying down
arms," said Indian External Affairs Minister
Pranab Mukherjee to India Today, adding
that the LTTE "has done much damage to the
Tamil community."
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