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Partition looms as Sri Lanka faces losing
Jaffna to Tigers
Independent News UK, May 7.
The Sri Lankan state and the
LTTE cannot be seen as morally
equivalent. Against the
flawed but not failed secularism of the Sri
Lankan state is ranged a
"liberation" army which can fairly be
described as demonic. It is
led by Velupillai Prabhakaran, who began
his career by lobbing bombs
at moderate Tamil politicians while still a
teenager.
An indication of how an LTTE
regime would perform if peace
was obtained is the way it gave
Jaffna's 40,000-strong Muslim
population 24 hours to clear out the last
time the Tigers took control
of the peninsula. Now they are rolling
towards Jaffna town with a
long list of Tamil "collaborators" and no
one doubts that all those
whom they find will be executed. With similar
decisiveness, they have
murdered all moderate political voices within
the Tamil community.
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War weary Sri Lankans forced to ask for Indian help
NDTV, May 7.
Mr. K Nanda Godage, a former Sri Lankan diplomat said, "What is
unfortunate is that you all have not taken a stance against terrorism. This
is terrorism, using the gun, using terror and military force to carve out a
separate state. Does India condone this? No. India has stood against this,
but in this particular instance what is India doing? I understand that India
cannot come in with people. But just imagine if as a token, she sends in
two ships to Trincomalee. What is the message the LTTE gets?
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Jayalalitha urges Centre to
find political solution to Lanka
crisis
The Asian Age, May 7.
Only a political solution obtained through
negotiations would solve the ethnic strife in Sri
Lanka and India should use its good offices with
Colombo to achieve that the AIADMK general
secretary Ms Jayalalitha said on Sunday
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Cold moon over Lanka
May 8.
The government is dithering, says S.D. Muni, of the Centre for International
Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi. He wants India to
extend all assistance to Sri Lanka short of sending troops to fight the rebels.
More..
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India adopts wait and watch policy
May 8.
One thing is clear: No one except the lunatic fringe wants another IPKF -
they want it to help the LTTE instead. Posters have appeared in Madras,
eulogizing Tamil victories in Sri Lanka. Another thing is also clear. The Sri
Lankan Army (SLA) alone with additional fire power can save Jaffna.
More..
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India ready to supply Jaffna by air
The Electronic Telegraph, Monday 8 Colombo.
Twenty-four hours after India refused to offer military help last
week, Colombo suddenly restored diplomatic relations with
Israel after a 30-year break. Four officials from Mossad, the
Israeli intelligence service arrived in Sri Lanka on Friday to
make a preliminary assessment of the precarious military
situation.
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Tamil Nadu parties acting as LTTE's proxy
Monday, May 8, 2000, New Delhi.
While the fringe parties sport their pro-Tiger stripes openly, the
mainline parties like the MDMK and PMK are covert canvassing
agents for the LTTE. MDMK chief Vaiko's public speeches invariably
have references to the brave battle being waged against Sinhala
chauvinists.
More..
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India denies mediator’s role
The Hindustan Times, Colombo May 7.
THE INDIAN High Commission here has categorically
denied reports
in the Sri Lankan press and in an
international wire service, that India
is poised to air drop “humanitarian aid” or
“non-military logistical help”
to the Lankan troops in Jaffna. “The
reports are not correct,” a ranking
diplomat told The Hindustan Times.
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High hopes in Sri Lanka of India's assistance
The Hindu, May 8.
Majority Sinhalese thinking is along the lines that the ``Tigers would have to
be finished or else we are finished'', while minority Tamils see the LTTE
advances as taking the challenge into the Sinhala polity.
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'Sri Lanka's unity should be kept in mind'
The Hindu, May 8.
The dominant view in political circles was that the nature of Indian help
should be such as to facilitate a ``democratic'' solution of the ethnic
problem in Sri Lanka, and nothing should be done to encourage what the
former Prime Minister, Mr. I.K.Gujral, called forces of ``extremism and
disruption'' without directly mentioning the LTTE.
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Tipnis' arrival fuels
speculation in Lanka
Monday 8 May 2000 .
Air Chief Marshal A.Y. Tipnis
arrived here on Sunday on an official visit to
speculation of a larger role for New Delhi in Sri
Lanka's ethnic problem.
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India breathes easy as Lanka
situation stabilises
Monday 8 May 2000 .
The Indian advice to Sri
Lanka was the same that it was receiving from
its own generals: To redeploy remaining forces
in the Jaffna peninsula further south near
Vavunia.
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Top army official says India should stay away from Sri Lankan
crisis
Sunday, May 7 1:52 PM SGT .
Kalkat said "Sri Lanka double-crossed the IPKF" by supplying weapons and explosives to the Tamil
Tiger rebels, the Times of India said, adding that the lieutenant general claimed these weapons "were
used against us."
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Censor mauls Sri Lankan media
Sunday, May 7 8:56 PM SGT .
Even though the government initially said the censorship was primarily aimed at the ongoing separatist
war in the island's north, reports of political activities were also heavily censored.
More..
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Indian air chief arrives in Sri Lanka amid rebel offensive
Sunday, May 7 9:08 PM SGT .
India's air force chief Anil Yaswant Tipnis arrived here Sunday on five-day official visit that
coincided with heavy fighting between government troops and Tamil rebels in the island's north.More..
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India should help Sri Lanka: Gujral
The Hindu, 20.00 hrs (IST) on May 7, 2000 .
Stating that the fall of Elephant Pass to
LTTE posed a grave challenge to the Sri Lankan security, the
former premier said it demanded serious attention from
Indian strategists and policy makers.
More..
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LTTE enrolling children, claims Govt.
The Hindu, 22.30 hrs (IST) on May 7, 2000 .
``It has been reported that the LTTE is conscripting school
children in the uncleared areas in the east and Vanni, forcing
them to undergo training to make up for their depleted
strength,''More..
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Tamil Nadu bans pro-LTTE meet, arrests Nedumaran
The Hindu, 22.30 hrs (IST) on May 7, 2000 .
The Tamil Nadu Government today
banned a meeting of an organisation considered to be
pro-LTTE and arrested its leader P Nedumaran for
attempting to hold the meeting in defiance of prohibitory
orders at Chidambaram in Cuddalore district.
More..
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Tamil groups want India to
broker peace
Time of India, Sunday 7 May 2000 .
`India must step in and play a
positive role here,'' says Joseph
Palarajasingham, parliamentary leader of the
Tamil United Liberation Front, one of Sri
Lanka's oldest Tamil parties. No, he does not
want Lankan troops rescued in Jaffna, he
wants India to broker with the LTTE.
More..
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Whose war is it anyway?
Time of India, Sunday 7 May 2000 .
The Lankan soldier is literate, reads
newspapers and thinks for himself. He can
turn round and question an order.
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Lanka bombs rebel targets
Time of India, Sunday 7 May 2000 .
Sri Lanka's air force bombed
Tamil Tiger guerrilla positions to blunt a
rebel advance on the northern Jaffna
peninsula, state media reported on Sunday.
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Sri Lankan army collapse
blamed on corruption
The Electronic Telegraph, May 7.
President Kumaratunga, who is also
defence minister and commander-in-chief of the armed
forces, left the island in the first week of April to undergo
medical treatment in London for eye injuries received
during a Tiger assassination attempt in December, as well
as to attend the birthday party of her daughter, who is
studying at Cambridge.She did not return until seven days
after the defeat.
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BJP JITTERY ON LANKA
SPILLOVER
The Telegraph, May 6.
Spelling out the governments worries, a BJP
leader said the party is keen on a united Sri
Lanka as it apprehends that too much leeway
to its Tamil Nadu allies and, indirectly, to
the LTTE would encourage the Tigers to
stoke separatist sentiments in the state.
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War pushes Chandrika, UNP closer to Sinhala consensus
Deccan Herald, May 6.
The UNP, which had hitherto refused to take a stand until the
proposals already before Parliament came up for discussion, has changed tack in keeping
with the changed mood which has seen peace-loving sections rally round the Government
in its hour of crisis.
More..
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Israel guns, India aid in Lanka
deal
May 7.
Though this is not being openly announced, India
and Israel are acting in complete harmony on this
matter. What India cannot, or rather would prefer
not to do direct military intervention in the
Jaffna peninsula may be done by Israel.
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Indian role in Lanka a must, opine experts
The Hindustan Times, May 6.
Foreclosing the military
option by analysing 1987 in hindsight is not correct because the
reading of the present situation tends to get guided by emotions. He
expressed concern that some other power like Pakistan, China or
Israel may step into the breach.
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Talks on Lanka statute changes to
continue
The Hindustan Times, (Colombo, May 6) .
DESPITE THE threat to Jaffna from the LTTE, and the country's being
on a "war footing" as a result, the summit level talks between the ruling
Peoples' Alliance (PA) and the opposition United National Party
(UNP) on a new constitution for Sri Lanka will continue.
More..
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LTTE threat to peace in S Asia- Russia
The Hindustan Times, 1:30 IST | Sunday, May 7, 2000, New Delhi .
In the background of explicit pledges, especially from Russia and
Israel, the performance of the Sri Lankan troops has improved on the
ground. Kilai, on the Jaffna lagoon, is still with the security forces and
the LTTE's bid to move forward from Palai or Nagarkovil has been
stalled.
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Sri Lankan troops on alert
The Hindu, Sunday May 7.
Sri Lanka's rapidly evolving politico-military
dynamics today witnessed a toning down of the sweeping powers given
to policemen recently, while on the battle front Government troopers
were preparing themselves for possible LTTE attacks in three crucial
sectors of the northern Peninsula.
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Troops brace for LTTE attack
The Hindu
, Sunday, May 07, 2000.
Runovers of army camps have been marked by short pauses before the
offensive. In this context, the relative lull in the past four days is seen by
military observers here as a pause before the next strike.
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Colombo is calm, on the
surface
Times of India, Sunday 7 May 2000.
It is
business as usual. Being a weekend, the
shopping malls are crowded; the theatres, where
Shakespeare In Love and The World is Not
Enough are showing, have 'House Full' signs;
and the restaurants are crowded.
More..
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Sri Lanka mounts air attacks as Tiger rebels maintain Jaffna pressure
AFP, 06 May 2000 06:58 GMT .
The Sri Lankan air force retaliated against Tamil Tiger artillery and mortar attacks in
northern Sri Lanka with intense air strikes, the government said Saturday.
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Indian air force awaits nod for Sri Lankan air drop
AFP, 06 May 2000 08:27 GMT 06.
The Indian Air Force was awaiting an official green light Saturday to air drop humanitarian aid to Sri
Lankan soldiers beleaguered in an island warzone, military sources said.
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Israeli delegation going to Colombo
ADC.
Reacting swiftly to Sri Lanka's
unilateral move to restore diplomatic ties with
Tel-Aviv, the Israeli government has announced
that a high-level diplomatic delegation would be
sent to Colombo early next week to "examine the
modalities for the resumption of ties" between
the two countries.
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Lanka-Israel ties forged in Delhi!
The Pioneer, May 6.
A team of Sri Lankan officials which conducted the negotiations with the
Israeli Embassy here will leave for Israel in the next couple of days to
formalise the diplomatic relations, the sources said.
More..
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Lanka erred in asking for help
The Pioneer, May 6 .
The initial error was made by Sri Lanka s foreign minister, Lakshman
Kadirgamar in going public over the possibility of his country asking for
India s help in defending Jaffna and in a remote contingency, in the
evacuation of the military garrison which might get trapped there. More..
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LTTE has own web network to feed information
JAL News,
Last updated on May 6, 2000 at 20:30(IST).
They are also making use of the TDNS (Tamil Domain Name Services) established by the
Srilankan Tamils working in the information technology industries in Europe to pass on inside
information to those who matter, besides putting some of the classified information also on
sites known to only the insiders, the sources said.
More..
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Sri Lanka urged
against Israel ties
BBC, Saturday, 6 May, 2000, 15:06 GMT 16:06 UK .
The leader of the SLMC, a key
member of the ruling People's
Alliance, held a meeting with
President Kumaratunga to discuss the
party's concerns.
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We'll not go the IPKF way: Advani
The Hindu, 22.30 hrs (IST) on May 6, 2000 .
``We'll work out our diplomacy so that there is no
loss to India in this crisis. India's interest demands
that we should keep out of it. There are no differences
in the NDA on this,'' he said.
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U.S. will consider request for humanitarian
help
The Hindu, Saturday, May 06, 2000.
`We would certainly consider a request for humanitarian
assistance. We have provided them in the past with certain
military equipment as well, under careful review of human rights
considerations.
More..
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Lankan govt amends
detention law
Times of India
, Saturday 6 May 2000 .
The government can detain anyone for up to
one year and must inform the relatives within
one day, the paper said. The earlier version of
the law left it to the discretion to the authorities.
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Lanka army braces for big
battle
Times of India, Saturday 6 May.
Ironically, several analysts in Colombo say
India's decision not to intervene militarily in Sri
Lanka may be the best thing that could have
happened.
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PM calls meeting with opposition on Lanka issue
NDTV, Saturday, May 6 (New Delhi):.
Mr. Pranab Mukherjee, a
senior Congress leader said, "Every situation is to be assessed on the
basis of all relevant factors. It is of no use to sit on judgement on the
decision that the government of India took on the basis of the
situation which prevailed in 1987."
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Government sets-up a new media unit.
Roy Denish in Colombo, 4.35 SLT Saturday..
Sri Lankan government established a new media unit under the ministry of
information after president Chandrika Kumaratunge placed the nation on war
footing.
Ariya Rubasinghe, the director of the information ministry, heads the new
media unit known as Special Media Information Centre.
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No fresh fighting in no
rthern Sri Lanka.
Roy Denish in Colombo, 4.40 SLT Saturday..
Government of Sri Lanka on Saturday said that there had been no reports of
heavy fighting in northern Sri Lanka, but Tiger rebels continued small arms
attack on army's defence posts on the eastern coastal belt of northern Jaffna.
A ministry of information news release said although there were no reports
of intense fighting, terrorists were concentrating in areas northeast of
Elephant Pass.
Sri Lankan government banned all military related reporting after president
Chandrika Kumaratunge placed the nation on war footing on Thursday. Any
articles related to war should be sent to the censor board before being
broadcasted, televised or published.
Meanwhile, a group calling themselves the United Sinhala Federation on
Saturday called on the people to join hands to fight Tigers rebels, now
knocking on the gateway of Jaffna.
The group also called on the people to avoid large gatherings, tamashas,
mass functions, be they be weddings, funeral or poojas to fight the terrorists.
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Sri Lanka crisis and how India deals with it
Jal News, May 5.
Vaiko had a long session with Vajpayee on Thursday and is having sessions with the External Affairs
Ministry since then before he embarks upon his mission "salvation." He is rushing to an undisclosed place
on Sunday to meet the LTTE strategicians but he would not disclose whether the meeting would on the Sri
Lankan soil or in any other country.
More:
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Sri Lanka 'State of
War' May Be a Sign
of Defeat
Time Magazine.
As Tamil separatists trap
40,000 troops on a northern
peninsula, the government
finds itself in the embarrassing
position of being outgunned.
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Lanka crisis -- IAF planes put on high alert at
Thiruvananthapuram
The Indian Express, Saturday, May 6, 2000.
The Southern Air
Command headquarters here has been put on high alert by
the Government..
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Sri Lanka seeks arms as Tamils
close in
Telegraph
, Saturday May6.
SRI LANKA was awaiting urgent arms shipments from
Israel last night to try to head off the worst defeat in its
17-year civil war with Tamil Tiger rebels,
More..
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India, U.S. in touch over Sri Lanka
The Hindu, NEW DELHI, MAY 5..
Diplomatic sources
here say the Clinton administration is seriously
concerned about the
developments in Sri Lanka, and, like India, is
closely monitoring the
military dynamics in Jaffna.
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DMK gives PM free hand on Lanka
The Times of India, May 6 New Delhi.
Forsaking for the moment the
emotive pull of ethnic solidarity with the
Tamils of Sri Lanka, Dravidian stalwart M
Karunanidhi on Friday said seri, or OK, to
the Centre's request for a free hand to
deal
with the emerging crisis in the island
state.
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Norwegian facilitators are still hopeful
The Hindustan Times, New Delhi, May 5 22:00 IST .
DESPITE THE dismal news emanating from Jaffna, the
Norwegian
facilitators have not given up trying. They
are hopeful of an eventual
reconciliation and a peaceful settlement to
the war in Sri Lanka
More
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Sri Lanka confident of tackling situation
The Hindu, Colombo, May 5.
The Sri Lankan Government is confident
that the situation will not arise when some 28,000 soldiers serving
in Jaffna will have to be evacuated fearing the onslaught of the
LTTE.
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It's cricket as usual in Lanka
The Times of India, Friday 5 May 2000 .
"The government will not object to the matches
being played. These tours are a commercial
venture," said Rienzie Wijetilleke, chairman of
the country's cricket board.
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