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UN plea for Sri Lankan civilians
BBC, 9 May, 2000, 21:58 GMT 22:58 UK.
The United Nations has urged both
sides in the Sri Lankan conflict to
safeguard civilians, as the
government vowed to defend the
Jaffna peninsula to the last man.
But UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan
warned that thousands of people
were at risk from renewed fighting in
the peninsula, on Sri Lanka's northern
tip.
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Bones and Ashes
The Washington Post, April 30.
In his first novel since the justly celebrated The English Patient, poet
and novelist Michael Ondaatje returns to his native Sri Lanka, the country
he left more than three decades ago for Canada. Anil's Ghost is set at a
tragic moment in the history of this beautiful island--the cusp of the
1980s-'90s, when civil war is ravaging a land where, it was once said,
"every prospect pleases/ and only Man is vile."
More..
Purchase books by Michael Ondaatje and other books at the
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India to intervene only if asked by Chandrika, LTTE
The Hindustan Times, May 10.
The political ramifications of the Vajpayee Government's lending of a
commitment to Colombo on "humanitarian assistance" policy, though
kept under check for the time being, threatens to spill over
once the
Sri Lankan Air Force intensifies its bombings on civilians to
cover the
Army's fight-back.
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Eelam no threat to India: Vaiko
The Hindustan Times, May 10.
MDMK CHIEF Vaiko today said Eelam -- a separate homeland for
the Sri Lanka Tamils -- was inevitable, but fears in India of a
repercussion in Tamil Nadu on its creation were unfounded.
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Lankan army's poor performance puzzles analysts
Times of India, May 10.
Every soldier
realises that his life may go in vain, because
when the final political settlement comes
Prabhakaran will be the winner. We, the
Sinhalas, will not be allowed to go the
northern province, though a time may come
when the LTTE men can freely roam
Colombo,'' Upali Dissanayke, an office
worker, said. Most Sinhalas feel that way.
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Jaffna Tamils caught
between devil and deep sea
May 10.
According to social organisations here aiding
the Tamil refugees and from the information
trickling in through the refugees who have
landed and through relatives of the refugees,
food and other civil supply are fast depleting
in the area. The capture of the Elephant Pass
by the militants has cut the source of water
supply for these people.
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Report: Sri Lanka Receives Arms
Tuesday May 9 4:05 PM ET.
Ambassador Mangala Moonasinghe's comments were the first official
confirmation that Sri Lanka had received arms since
rebels overran the
strategic Elephant Pass causeway two weeks ago and
headed toward their
former stronghold of Jaffna. The fighting has been the
fiercest in years.
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Chandrika says no to anti-Tamil politics
Hindustan Times.
SRI LANKAN President Mrs Chandrika Kumaratunga has vowed not
to allow the LTTE to re-take Jaffna, even as she made it clear
to the
Sinhala extremist groups that she would not endorse their
anti-Tamil
'communal politics', in return for their support to her war effort.
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30 countries pledge support to Lanka
More than thirty countries have pledged support to Sri Lanka in its
battle against the LTTE separatists, the Acting Minister for
Foreign
Affairs, Mr Lakshman Kiriella, has told the state owned "Daily
News."
In New York, Sri Lanka's Permanent Representative in the UN, Mr
John de Saram, and the Israeli envoy, were finalising the
logistics of
establishing diplomatic relations, "Daily News" reported.
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India monitoring Jaffna situation
Hindustan Times, May 9.
ALTHOUGH INDIA has ruled out intervention in Sri Lanka, its armed
forces are closely monitoring the military situation in Jaffna
through
stepped up surveillance and increased inter-service coordination.
Air
Chief Tipnis met Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumara-tunga
yesterday. He also met Deputy Defence Minister General Anurudha
Ratwatte and Army Chief General Srilal Weerasunga.
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Norwegian team coming
The Hindu, May 10.
A Norwegian delegation led by Mr. Erik Solheim, principal interlocutor
between the Sri Lankan Government and the LTTE over the last few
months, is arriving here on Thursday for interaction with the Government.
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Colombo to go ahead with war
The Hindu, May 10, 2000.
``We will fight to the last man,'' the Deputy Defence Minister, Gen.
Anuruddha Ratwatte, told Parliament, which deliberated on the situation
after the Elephant Pass military debacle of April 21. ``In a war situation,
there may be temporary setbacks. That does not mean that the war is lost
altogether. We will not be defeated. We are determined to recoup all our
resources in order to achieve success at the end,'' he said.
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Ground set for bitter battle
in Lanka
May 9.
Now that the Sri Lankan
government has rejected the LTTE's
`humiliating' call for withdrawal of troops
from the Jaffna peninsula, another bout of
bloodletting seems imminent. The timing,
however, is uncertain. It could be now or
later, depending on the time both sides need
to recoup losses and figure out new
strategies.
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LTTE seen buying time with
ceasefire offer
May 9.
COLOMBO: The rebel Tigers may not be in
as strong a position as the recent military
victories suggest. Monday's offer of a
ceasefire, analysts here say, shows that the
LTTE needs time to prepare for the final
assault.
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Tension in Tamil Nadu mounts as refugees stream in from Sri Lanka
May 9.
There's tension along the Tamil Nadu coastline as security forces
expect more and more Tamil refugees to
come in from Sri Lanka.
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Sri Lanka willing to accept Indian mediation in LTTE conflict
May 9.
Sri Lanka today said that its army has begun to beat back the LTTE,
but that it would accept a ceasefire
based on existing ground
positions.
ndia has it's own domestic compulsions as to
how it should handle the situation and I feel as the
High Commissioner to India that I should
co-operate with India on this issue. The IPKF had come
once and we're sorry that they had to
leave because of the stupidity of one of our previous
governments," remarked Mr.
Moonesinghe.
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Sri Lanka says war against Tigers showing
results
The Indian Express, May 9.
Sri Lanka President Chandrika Kumaratunga
said her drastic measures to place the country on a "war
footing" has prevented a Tamil rebel advance on the northern
peninsula of Jaffna.
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No change in India's stand on Lanka: PM
The Statesman,
May 9.
There is no shift in India's policy on
Sri Lanka. The Prime Minister told Opposition leaders
today
that New Delhi respected Sri Lanka's territorial
integrity and
sovereignty, and that it would not send troops to
help the
Lankan government.
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Navy on alert
The Statesman,
May 9.
The Indian Navy and Coast Guard have
intensified vigil in the Palk Strait, fearing a
refugee influx from
Jaffna. A high alert has been sounded at all coastal
checkposts in the south and patrolling has been
intensified
along the coastal villages.
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India's stand on Sri Lankan crisis welcomed
May 9.
Former Prime Minister and UNP leader Ranil Wickramasinghe,
whose Government had ordered Indian troops out of the country
in 1990, said under the present political and military conditions
Indian mediation was the best way to work out a political
settlement to end the conflict.
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Deputy Defence Minister pledges to fight for Jaffna
Waruna Karunatilake in Colombo.
1835 Sri Lanka Time 09.05.00
Deputy Minister of defence Anurudha Ratwatta admitting that the fall of
Elephant Pass was major military setback told parliament today that the
government would use all its resources to defend Jaffna. Speaking at debate
to extend the state of emergency in the country the Minister said 337
soldiers and 21 officers were killed in the battle in fighting in Jaffna
peninsula since March 27th while 346 soldiers and 03 officers were missing
in action. 2240 soldiers and 128 officers were injured.
The Minister said the draconian regulation introduced last week which bans
any kind of protests and imposed heavy handed censorship on the media the
Minister said that the regulation were not aimed at repressing the people.
The Opposition members criticised the government for imposing the
regulations saying they were aimed at establishing a dictatorship in the
Country. Opposition speakers said most of the regulations were not
connected with the security situation and were not necessary to fight the war.
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Fresh fighting break out in Jaffna Peninsula after three day lull
Waruna Karunatilake in Colombo.
18.45 Sri Lanka Time 09.05.00
Fresh fighting has broken out in Northern Sri Lanka this morning after a
three day lull in the fighting.A communique issued by the newly formed
Special Media Information Centre said that the rebels launched two attacks
on troops manning defaces north Pallai using small arms,machine guns ,RPGs
and mortars. "The first assault lasted approximately 30 minutes while the
second attack was repulsed within about fifteen minutes" the communique
said without giving casualty figures.
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Opposition leader welcomes India's offer to mediate a peaceful settlement
to the ethnic crisis in Sri Lanka
Waruna Karunatilake in Colombo.
1850 Sri Lanka Times 09.05.00
Opposition leader Ranil Wickramasinghe last night welcomed a statement by
the Indian Foreign Minister that his government was ready to negotiate a
immediate ceasefire and a lasting solutions to Sri lanka's ethnic crisis if
the Sri lankan government and the LTTE invited them to do so. The
Opposition leader said the move is a welcome one."There is no military
solution to this problem. We have been saying that for sometime"
Mr.Wickramasinghe told a press conference last night. He said it was not
possible for the government to accept the LTTE offer of a ceasefire to
withdraw troops from Jaffna. " The government should have made counter
proposals to de escalate the fighting and have a ceasefire before peace
talks' Mr.Wickramsinghe said.
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Lanka troops hit back at
Tigers
Times of India, Sri Lanka said on Tuesday its.
troops had repulsed two attacks by Tamil Tiger
rebels on the Army's defence lines in the
northern Jaffna peninsula.
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Peril from Sri Lanka
Outlook, May 9.
I first learned what those could be in March
1991, and my mentor was none other than the Sri Lankan
plantation
Tamil leader, the late Thondaman. "Eelam is inevitable," he
told me.
"It can't be stopped." I thought he was referring to Tamil
Eelam in Sri
Lanka, but he soon disabused me. "Eelam will consist of a
single
nation made up of the north and northeast of Sri Lanka and
Tamil
Nadu".
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'We Must Declare War'
Time Magazine, May 9.
The
reason for the failure of the war effort in the past
has been due to the politicization of the war
effort by politicians, to suite their political ends.
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Tigers Triumphant
Time Magazine, May 9.
When Sri Lankans awakened the next morning, they found
that it was illegal to criticize the government or
hold rallies, that censorship of the local press
had been extended to foreign correspondents
and that all "nonessential" development
spending was to be immediately redirected to
the military.
Thanks to
Kumaratunga's press censorship, the majority of Sri Lankans
didn't even
know of the three-week battle at Elephant Pass until the
rout was
complete.
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Sri Lanka spurns Tigers' truce offer
The Guardian, May 9.
Most analysts believe the offer is a
negotiating tactic, prior to a
final
massive offensive by the Tigers to
recapture the town of Jaffna,
which
they lost in 1995. Although the
rebels managed to seize a key
military base at Elephant Pass on
April 22, and sweep to within 23
miles of Jaffna 10 days ago, they
have been unable to continue their
advance to heavy resistance from
Sri Lankan troops at a crucial
naval
base.
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LTTE sympathizers arrested in Tamil Nadu
India Abroad, May 8.
The arrests were made after pro-LTTE posters flooded Chennai.
K. Rajendran, leader of the Periyar Dravidar
Kazhagam (PDK)
which is said to have put up the posters, has gone
underground,
as have leaders of most other pro-LTTE groups in
the city.
Police tore down pro-LTTE posters in Anna Salai, a
major artery
in Chennai, but new posters were soon up in other
areas.
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Sri Lankan media groups declare war on censorship
India Abroad, May.
"Ironically, the People's Alliance (led by President Chandrika
Kumaratunga) came to power in 1994 promising peace
but the
war has only worsened and civil liberties are
under threat," a
political analyst said. He pointed out that with
parliamentary
elections due in September or October this year,
the regulations
could stifle political campaigning.
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India rules out support for 'Eelam' in Sri Lanka
India Abroad, May 8.
Cutting across political divisions, an all-party
meeting on Monday reaffirmed support for the unity
and integrity
of Sri Lanka and ruled out India's support for the
carving out of a
separate state of "Tamil Eelam" from the island.
"We are not silent," Vajpayee shot back, when asked how India
could remain a silent spectator when its
neighbor's territorial
integrity was threatened by the LTTE, a banned
outfit in India.
"We are waiting and watching," he said.
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Jaffna battle looms after government rejects ceasefire
The Electronic Telegraph, May 9.
Diplomats said the president knew that any acceptance of the
rebels' terms could lead to the downfall of her
government and
a possible violent anti-Tamil backlash by members
of the
majority Sinhalese population in the south of the
country.
Israelis from Mossad, the state
intelligence service, who flew to Colombo on
Friday to advise
the security forces, recommended that the
government should
not give in to terrorism.
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Jaswant's statement raises Tamil hopes in Lanka
Times of India, Tuesday 9 May 2000.
How does it deal
with the LTTE, a banned terrorist organisation
responsible for the killing of an Indian Prime
Minister.
LTTE leader Prabhakaran is wanted in India to
stand trial for murder. His group has killed a
number of top Sri Lankan leaders including
Ranjan Wijeratne, Lalith Athulatmudali, Gamini
Dissanyake and President Premadasa.
Given the Indian government's international
campaign against terrorism, can it afford to get
involved with the LTTE, is what Western
diplomats want to know.
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Crucial two weeks ahead for Lanka
India Abroad, may 8.
"We admit our troops have been sloppy and caught napping (in
Elephant Pass). They were partly lulled into complacency by all
this talk about peace talks," said a senior Sri Lankan official.
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Vaiko cautions against Indian involvement
The Hindu, May 9.
``The Sri Lankan Government is seeking India's help only because its army
is defeated. Why should the Indian Government get involved now when it
did not get engaged in 1995 (when the Sri Lankan army entered Jaffna),'' he
asked.
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Govt, Oppn agree on Lanka
agenda
Times of India,
May 9.
Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee told the
Opposition there was no question of India
backing the demand for Eelam, according to
parliamentary affairs minister Pramod Mahajan.
The PM made this clear in response to Tamil
Maanila Congress MP Jayanthi Natarajan's
suggestion that India should support such a
demand.
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Trincomalee harbour crucial
to India: Kalkat
Tuesday 9 May 2000.
While India's foreign policy is committed to Sri
Lanka's sovereignity, unity and integrity, the
situation in the island also has security
implications for India, Kalkat pointed out in an
interview to the Times of India. Sri Lanka's
request is a ``politial dynamite'' from India's
domestic politics point of view, he added.
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Lankan govt clamps down on democratic rights
Deccan Herald, Tuesday, May 9, 2000.
And authorities may requisition houses, cars and
even people to work as directed. Anyone who resists faces a trial and the
forfeiture of all his property to the
government.
Some analysts here said the government`s tough line may also be part of a
political
strategy to control right-wing Sinhalese militants who are calling for an
all-out war on the Tamil rebels and
oppose the government`s efforts to begin peace talks with the Tigers.
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Sri Lankan refugees regret escape to India
May 8.
The battle between the
LTTE and the Sri Lankan Army has
caused much damage and
suffering to the people around Jaffna.
To escape the throes of the
raging war, they have travelled great
distances, risking their lives at
sea. But their misery has not ended.
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Tamil Nadu imposes ban on pro-LTTE rally, 257 held
The Indian Express, Monday, May 8, 2000.
P Nedumaran of Tamilar Desiya
Iyakkam and his associates numbering 257 were
taken into
custody here on Sunday when they tried to take
out a rally
and organise a conference meeting in support
of the
Eeelam Tamils.
Meanwhile, armoured vehicles carrying Air Force personnel
were moving towards Rameswaram island,
Ramanathapuram district officials said, adds PTI.
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India not for Eelam, asserts Vajpayee
The HIndu.
it was left to Prime Minister Atal
Behari Vajpayee, to categorically state that India was not for a
separate Eelam, and that it favoured a solution to the crisis in
the island country ``within the framework of Sri Lanka's unity
and territorial integrity''.
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Sri Lanka rejects Tiger truce, President vows to defend Jaffna
Monday, May 8 9:23 PM SGT.
President Chandrika Kumaratunga, in an address to the nation to be
broadcast later Monday, made it clear that
governnment forces had no intention of abandoning the peninsula, which was
captured from the rebels in
December 1995, and promised a counter offensive.
"We will not allow half a million Tamil people in Jaffna to fall into the
hands of the fascist rule of the LTTE
(Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam)," Kumaratunga was quoted as saying in
her Sinhalese language text.
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Tipnis meets Lankan
counterpart
The Times of India, Monday 8 May 2000.
Tipnis also will meet President Chandrika
Kumaratunga and will visit the Sri Lankan air
base of Anuradhapura outside the island's
northeastern areas where Tamil rebels are
engaged in their battle for an independent
homeland for the country's 3.2 million Tamils.
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Lankan Army deploys new
weapons
The Times of India, Monday 8 May 2000.
The weapons were procured from international
market to strengthen the new military defense
line, 25 km southeast of Jaffna, a city of
500,000 minority Tamil people.
The sources declined to identify the countries
from where the weapons were brought.
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Government says No, to LTTE
Frederica Jansz in Colombo, 8.05 p.m. SLT Monday May 8.
Media Minister Mangala Samaraweera at a press conference today said the
government has turned down an offer from the Tigers for a ceasefire until
troops are evacuated from the peninsula. Minister Mangala Samaraweera
affirmed that government armed forces have consolidated their positions and
will not be removed from the northern peninsula where the LTTE have since
April 22, inflicted some stunning setbacks to the military. He said
government troops will fight to the last to hold Jaffna.
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Minister asks media to act with responsibility
Frederica Jansz in Colombo, 8.10 p.m. SLT Monday May 8.
Mangala Samaraweera, Minister for Media today said the draconian government
legislation brought into effect last week will only be imposed on
journalists who do not act with responsibility and pose a threat to
national security. The Minister reiterated that the legislation will not
be imposed on balanced and unbiased reports of the security situation. It
will however be brought to bear on all media personnel who are biased in
their report of the war and the government and who prove to have ulterior
political motives in demoralising the government, the constitution, the
judiciary and its armed forces.
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Creative journalism, Sri Lankan style
If a dog bites a man, they say, it is not news, but if a man bites a dog it certainly is.
Well, yesterday this incident actually
happened at the Pettah bus stand, Colombo. A man bit a dog. And this is how the different
sections of the Sri Lankan press
reported the event.
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No recognition to rebel Eelam Govt, says Vajpayee
JAL News May 8.
May 8.
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee made it ample
clear that there was no question of recognising the Eelam
government of the Tamil rebels or send the military to help out
the Srilankan Government.
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Vajpayee: India To Work For Peace In Sri Lanka
Yahoo-AFP May 8.
Monday, May 8 3:40 PM SGT.
"We will continue to work for a peaceful negotiated settlement, within the
framework of the Sri Lankan
constitution," Vajpayee told reporters after the meeting.
There will be "no military intervention," he added.
Vajpayee's reference to the constitution was indirect support for Colombo's
position against partitioning the
island into separate Tamil and Sinhalese states, as demanded by the rebels.
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Sri Lanka rejects rebel offer of ceasefire
Yahoo-AFP May 8.
Monday, May 8 8:10 PM SGT.
"We will not accept the LTTE offer. This is another of their examples of
psychological operation," the
government information director Ariya Rubasinghe quoted Media Minister and
Cabinet spokesman Mangala
Samaraweera as saying.
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India to mediate only if Sri Lanka, LTTE ask
The Hindu May 8.
"...we are ready for some kind of helping hand or negotiating hand
only if the LTTE and the Sri Lankan Government ask for it," he
said after the consensus-building meeting of 20 parties in
Parliament.
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Sri Lankan rebels offer truce
The Hindu May 8.
The Tamil Tiger rebels in Sri Lanka
have offered a truce to allow beleaguered Government forces to
withdraw from the northern Jaffna peninsula.
More..
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PM seeks consensus on Sri
Lanka crisis
NDTV May 8.
Monday, May 8 (New Delhi):.
The Prime Minister called an all-party meeting to try and evolve a
consensus on India's participation in the Sri Lankan crisis.
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Lanka rejects Tigers' offer of safe passage for troops
Times Of India May 8.
Tamil Tiger rebels offered a
temporary cease-fire Monday to allow the
evacuation of 40,000 Sri Lankan government
troops from the northern city of Jaffna but
officials said it would be rejected.
More..
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Cease fire offered by LTTE?
Unconfirmed reports say that the LTTE has offered a temporary
cease fire in Northern Sri Lanka.--
Editor
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India could negotiate in Lankan conflict:
Indian Foreign Minister
The Indian Express, May 8.
India could try to broker a truce between the
forces of Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga and
the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Foreign
Minister Jaswant Singh said Sunday.
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