By Paul Newman
With inputs from Jaffna, Trincomallee
and Mannar
Sri Lanka is again on the brink of war with violence mounting. On the 25th of April at about 13.00 hrs (Sri Lankan time) a woman suicide bomber in the guise of a pregnant woman jumped on the car of the Sri Lankan Chief of Army staff Gen. Suneeth Fonseka. Though he escaped ten others were killed and more than twenty five were injured. This prompted an immediate retaliation from the government. At 16.00 hrs curfew was imposed in Trincomalee.As days passed by and the dates were nearing for the second round of the peace talks slated for April 26, the LTTE refused to attend unless the government cleared all the security hurdles for them.
The state responded by air and naval strikes. The Sri Lankan airforce planes started hovering around the eastern parts of the island and at 16.30 aerial bombings on Samboor, Kadatkaraichanai, Kandakadu, Ganeshapuram, Koonithieevu, Kattaitarichal started. All the roads leading to the uncleared or LTTE controlled areas were blocked.
Students, women and men who had gone to work in the LTTE controlled areas have been stranded as the curfew and road blockade was imposed without any notice to the people. Even NGO workers undertaking relief operations and rebuildning of tsunami affected areas have been stranded causing concern and worry to all their near and dear ones. The life line of the north, A 9 highway and the check points too have been closed.
The LTTE has denied its involvement in the attack on the army chief.
The triple attack on Trincomalle by airforce, navy and artillery shells stopped this morning (26/04/06) at 11.00 hrs. People expect it to resume by this evening. Though the attack was aimed at the LTTE bases in Trincomallee many shells fell on civilian areas damaging property and killing people. A conservative estimate puts the number of people killed in these attacks at 40. There has been no estimate of loss of property or the number of people injured. A shell accidentally fell at the Muthur jetty in the army controlled areas which is predominantly a muslim area. Twelve muslims and three naval personnel were injured. Nearly twenty villages were targetted for aerial bombing and shelling. Eye witnesses heard more than 200 shells being fired, a majority of them landing on civilian targets.
More than 1,000 families have been displaced as a result of these fresh attacks by the government forces. About 500 people have taken shelter in the nearby jungles. NGOs are not able to enter these areas and assess the damage to life and property as well as provide relief to the victims as a result of restriction of movement imposed by the government. However, the situation in the town of Trincomallee was said to be normal.
Last week five camps were set up to shelter the newly displaced people. Yesterday night there were more than 5,000 people who took shelter as the bombings continued the whole night. The nearby schools act as camps for the displaced.
Elsewhere in the north and east the situation is said to be tense. People of Jaffna, Mannar and Batticaloa are not venturing out due to fear of aerial bombings by the Srilankan airforce. There was also an exchange of fire between the LTTE and the Srilankan forces at the Batticaloa airbase. If the situation continues to be the same, a war is imminent though the warring parties have to issue a notice to the Srilankan Monitoring Mission 15 days prior to withdrawing from the cease-fire agreement. (indiadisasters.org, April 26, 2006)