The European Union on Tuesday barred Sri Lankaâs Tamil Tiger rebels from visiting its member states and said it was considering listing the group as a terrorist organisation. | That'd be appropriate, since they're a terrorist organization. |
| Sri Lanka |
| Sri Lanka to retain state of emergency |
| 2009-05-28 |
| The Sri Lankan government will maintain its state of emergency, including sweeping anti-terrorism powers, after the battlefield defeat of the Tamil Tiger rebels, according to a statement posted online Wednesday. The state of emergency is necessary to prevent a resurgence of the rebel movement and to protect cities, Health Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva told the parliament on Tuesday. The statement by de Silva, who is also the governing party's legislative leader, was posted on a government website. "The termination of civil war does not suggest a complete halt to terrorism and related atrocities," de Silva said. Under the state of emergency, police can make arrests, enter homes and seize evidence without warrants and hold suspects for up to 18 months without trial. De Silva spoke in response to an opposition motion to suspend the state of emergency declared after the 2005 assassination of Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar, which the government blamed on the rebels. The government has said it suspects sleeper cells of suicide bombers remain in the capital. Dozens of checkpoints conduct random searches of vehicles in the capital, Colombo, and at transportation terminals that were a favourite target of bombers. Leading Tamil politician Veerasingham Anandasangaree said it was unfair to keep the emergency powers in place, since most of the Tamil people "gave full support to the army to liberate them. If they are treated in this manner, there is no justice at all." Authorities say they are holding some 9,100 rebel prisoners and would release many for "rehabilitation," while several thousand would be prosecuted on suspicion of involvement in terrorist acts. In Colombo's diplomatic district, hundreds of Sri Lankans protested at the Canadian Embassy on Wednesday over what they said was Canada's support for the rebels and its failure to protect Sri Lankans and their property from pro-rebel ethnic Tamils in Canada. Protesters pelted the embassy with stones, sprayed graffiti on the wall and painted over a security camera. Governments told the UN Human Rights Council on Tuesday that Sri Lanka must ensure Tamil refugees receive humanitarian help to recover from the civil war. Bangladesh, South Korea and Uruguay joined a chorus of calls for Colombo to allow aid agencies into camps holding tens of thousands of people who fled the northwest war zone in which the separatist Tamil Tigers were cornered and eventually defeated. "The people of Sri Lanka, especially the displaced, should be given all the assistance required to restart their lives," Zambia's delegate told the 47 member-state United Nations forum on the second day of its Sri Lanka examination. |
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| Sri Lanka |
| EU to blacklist Tamil Tigers despite warning of war |
| 2006-05-19 |
| BRUSSELS - The European Union has agreed in principle to put Sri Lankas Tamil Tiger group on its list of terrorist groups, diplomats said on Friday, despite a warning by the rebels that the move could lead to war. A formal decision on the blacklisting could come extremely quickly, perhaps as early next week, one EU diplomat said. Another said that it would come before June. A number of diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the extremely sensitive nature of the subject, told AFP that the agreement had been reached by EU officials late on Thursday. It comes just two days after a US State Department official, on a visit to Sri Lanka, said that Washington had urged the 25-nation bloc to ban the Tigers, declare them a terrorist group and cut off their international funding. By putting a group on the list, the EU automatically freezes its assets and puts in place special cooperation measures to combat it. The separatist ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka has claimed more than 60,000 lives since 1972. More than 200 people died last month despite a four-year truce between government forces and the rebels, brokered by Norway. In Colombo, a top rebel negotiator said that any EU ban on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) would only lead to war. Emboldened by international support, and especially by further proscriptions of the LTTE, the Sinhala hardline elements will undoubtedly take steps to further escalate the violence and precipitate a war in which they hope to destroy the LTTE, Anton Balasingham said in a statement. If this happens, the LTTE will be compelled to resist, Balasingham, who has led Tamil Tiger delegations in negotiations with various Sri Lankan governments, was quoted as saying by the pro-rebel Tamilnet.com website. Norway has often hosted peace talks between the Sri Lankan government and the rebels, and EU states Sweden, Finland and Denmark were said to have resisted the blacklist move out of solidarity with their Nordic neighbour. The Tamil Tigers already figure on Britains and Germanys terror blacklists, as well as those of the United States, Canada and India. Britain banned the Tigers in February 2001 while the EU in October slapped travel restrictions on them after holding the LTTE responsible for the August 2005 assassination of Sri Lankan foreign minister Lakshman Kadirgamar. The EU warned at the time that the Tigers could face a complete ban, which would affect fund-raising among the many Tamils living in Europe, unless they renounce violence. In Colombo on Tuesday, US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Camp said: We have encouraged the EU to list the LTTE. We think the LTTE is very deserving of that label. We think it will help cut off financial supplies and weapons procurement and the like, he said. The EU blacklist was drawn up late in 2001, following the September 11 attacks in New York and Washington and is revised regularly. The Palestinian group Hamas and the former Basque separatist party Batasuna are on it. |
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| Sri Lanka |
| Sri Lankan ceasefire agreement in tatters by suicide bombing |
| 2006-04-26 |
| After letting the LTTE get away with 95% of the violations of the Ceasefire Agreement since it was signed in 2002 -- a statistic quoted by the European Peace Monitors -- the Sri Lankan government yesterday launched a joint air naval and ground attack on LTTE strongholds in Trincomalee shortly after a female suicide bomber targeted the car of Army Commander, Sarath Fonseka, injuring him critically and killing 10 others last afternoon. In a 15-minute address to the nation President Mahinda Rajapakse said that he will not be scared off by the LTTE terror tactics. He emphasized that these were provocative attacks launched by the LTTE to incite mob attacks on Tamil civilians. He appealed to the people not to be provoked by these violent acts of the LTTE. Even before he came on air Israeli-built Kafirs bombed the LTTE Sampur camp and the Sri Lankan Navy and the army joined in shelling the Tiger-controlled area in the Trincomalee. This is first time since the Ceasefire Agreement was signed in 2002 that the Sri Lankan forces launched an official attack against the LTTE. A 14 hour curfew too was imposed on Trincomalee. ndian Defence Minister, Pranab Mukherjee placed a special call to President Rajapakse and "conveyed India's solidarity with the government and people of the island in its "difficult hour", according to press release of India's External Ministry. Mukherjee conveyed India's shock at the attack on Sri Lankan Army Chief Lt Gen Sarath Fonseka and condemned it as a "brazen act of terrorism". This is the first international reaction. The other reactions are expected to be very severe on the LTTE. Australia is expected to ban the LTTE in toto and crack down further on LTTE activities on Australian soil. According to political analysts the international backlash against the LTTE will impact heavily with the anti-terrorist wrath hitting them hard. Analysts believe that the LTTE had miscalculated its move and it will not get away easily this time as expected by them. Though the Army Commander was targeted to show its power this "brazen act of terrorism" is bound to ricochet on the LTTE and lose whatever sympathy there was left for it from the international community just at a time when they needed it most. In the eyes of the international community the LTTE has justified the military action that has been launched by the Sri Lankan Government, according to analysts. Political analysts also pointed out that despite the Ceasefire Agreement which stipulates a 14-day notice before going back to war both sides are now engaged in an undeclared war. The Tamil Tiger attack on the Army commander and the three-pronged air, naval and ground attacks on the LTTE military camp in the Trincomalee district have blown the last shred of the claim of Erik Solheim that his Ceasefire Agreement has worked. The undeclared war that began yesterday is a blow not only to any prospects of peace in the immediate future but also to Solheim's reputation as a "facilitator". At the last minute neither his deputy Hanssen-Bauer nor the Head of the Sri Lankan Monitoring Mission, Ulf Henricsson, could meet S. P. Thamilselvam, Head of the Political Wing of the LTTE. Thamilselvam did not agree to meet them even after the two stayed overnight in Killinochchi. Both Henricsson and Hanssen-Bauer returned empty handed without any response from the LTTE. Solheim today is trapped in his own Ceasefire Agreement without a way out for him to rescue either peace or Norway's shattered image as a failed "facilitator". All political parties (including the Tamil parties except the LTTE) have been critical of the role played by Solheim, the LTTE-friendly "facilitator", who had taken their side publicly and let the LTTE off the hook even when they committed war crimes and crimes against humanity. At the Geneva it was noted that he intervened to exonerate the LTTE when evidence was mounted to establish the war crime of forced child conscription. Lakshman Kadirgamar, the former Foreign Minister who was assassinated by the LTTE, bluntly blamed Solheim for not exerting greater pressure on the LTTE. But Solheim often claimed that the Ceasefire he brokered had saved lives. The Sri Lankan Monitoring Mission in a press release said yesterday that 300 had died since January alone - half of whom were military personnel and the other half civilians. Analysts also believe that Velupillai Prabhakaran has taken a huge gamble in targeting the Army Commander. Earlier Prabhakaran had pledged to give some breathing space for President Rajapakse who took over reins of the office in November. But he reneged on his own commitment and increased provocative violence targeting of soldiers with claymore mines. Some political analysts say that that they cannot dismiss the hand of Solheim playing a covert role in escalating the violence as a part of his pressure tactics to extract more and more concession from the Government. The tactics of Solheim and the LTTE were to pressure the Government through violence to the point of forcing the latter to cave into their demands. They misread the restraint of the Government as a sign of weakness. President Rajapakse last night declared bluntly that his patience was not a sign of weakness and he won't be scared by terror tactics. Solheim's attempts to manipulate and force the Government to yield to the unending demands of the LTTE failed last night when the Government retaliated in the language that the LTTE understands. After bearing the burden of patience for four years the Government retaliated with force to send a strong signal to the LTTE, according to Government sources. Does this mean that the Ceasefire Agreement has ceased to exist? Palitha Kohona, Head of the Sri Lankan Peace Secretariat, states that the Ceasefire Agreement is still in place for the Tamil Tigers to come back negotiations. The LTTE is now seeking clarification from the SLMM as to whether the Government has declared war. According to a statement issued by Ulf Henricsson he expects the offensive launched by the Government to be a limited operation to bring the LTTE back to the negotiating table. But this is not likely, according to some analysts, who say that the LTTE has been rearing for a fight. They have been raising funds globally for the "Final War". They have armed themselves to the teeth. They have been raising the temperature by escalating violence. Each time the Government moved closer to a compromise the Tamil Tigers escalated their demands blocking path to peace talks. Erik Solheim was either unwilling or unable to draw the line as to where the violence should end and peace should begin. He was sailing along with the LTTE which gave them the licence to flout the Ceasefire Agreement each time they desired. The Tamil Tigers havealso been warning the Tamils of Jaffna that the Ceasefire Agreement will be broken soon and war will be resumed, endangering the lives of people in the peninsula. The leaflets distributed urged the Jaffna people to come back to Vanni where they could be protected. Political analysts also argue that 2006 marks the 30th anniversary of the LTTE fathered by Velupillai Prabhakaran and he is bent on launching final assault on the Sri Lankan forces to commemorate the anniversary. These factors indicate that the LTTE is ready for a major confrontation. But whether the LTTE will react with a counter-offensive is yet to be seen.Some analysts argue that the LTTE is likely to use the bombing as an excuse to jump out of the Ceasefire Agreement (particularly the 14-day notice) and launch an offensive targeting Jaffna. But others argue that the LTTE would be restrained by the possible backlash of the international community and Karuna of the east who may come out into the open equipped with better arms and increased cadres. If LTTE goes ahead with an all out offensive in the north military analysts argue that the Tigers would be vulnerable in the east. Since both sides will be freed from the restraints of the Ceasefire Agreement if a major confrontation takes place there is the likelihood of the Army joining hands with the Karuna Group openly. "The LTTE is not in a position to fight in the east and the north. And whatever short terms gains the LTTE may score, they are bound to lose in the long run with the international community and the Tamils of the east rising against the Vanni leadership", said a military analyst. |
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| Afghanistan-Pak-India | |
| More nattering between govt and Tamil Tigers | |
| 2005-10-16 | |
Norwegian envoy Trond Furuhovde held talks with the Colombo government and the Tigers to arrange a meeting to review their troubled truce. Furuhovde said here last night there had been no breakthrough in arranging early negotiations between the parties after the truce came under renewed pressure with the murder of foreign minister Lakshman Kadirgamar in August. "I cannot say if the talks can be held in the near future," Furuhovde told reporters.
Government's Peace Secretariat head Jayantha Dhanapala reaffirmed the government's commitment to move to a human rights declaration as agreed by both parties in March 2003, it said in a statement. | |
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| Afghanistan/South Asia | |
| Tiger rebels barred from visiting EU states | |
| 2005-09-28 | |
The European Union on Tuesday barred Sri Lankaâs Tamil Tiger rebels from visiting its member states and said it was considering listing the group as a terrorist organisation.
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| Afghanistan/South Asia |
| Sri Lankan Rebels Call for Immediate Truce Talks |
| 2005-09-18 |
 The political leader of the Tamil Tiger rebels has called for immediate talks with Sri Lankaâs government to save a shaky cease-fire. Tamil Tiger political chief S.P. Tamilselvan said the rebel group was ready âeven in the next minuteâ to begin talks with the government. The truce agreed in 2002 has come under fresh strains since the assassination of the countryâs foreign minister last month in an attack blamed by the government on Tamil rebels. âWe are anxious to start the talks immediately... even in the next minute,â Tamilselvan said in an interview at his political headquarters, 330 kilometers (204 miles) north of the capital Colombo, on Friday night.Peace broker Norway has sought talks between the two sides in the wake of the assassination of Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar, which has stoked fears of a return to civil war in the Indian Ocean island nation. Tamilselvan denied that the Tigers carried out the Aug. 12 murder of Kadirgamar, an ethnic Tamil who was a fierce critic of the rebels, saying they had ânothing to gain by killing anyone.â He said the rebels had suggested an overseas venue for any future talks to safeguard the cease-fire. The Tigers earlier turned down the international airport as a possible neutral venue. Colombo has insisted that any discussions take place in Sri Lanka but the two sides have so far been unable to agree on a location. |
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| Afghanistan/South Asia |
| Tigers again deny role in S.Lankan killing |
| 2005-08-30 |
| Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels on Monday demanded police identify two suspected rebel cadres arrested in connection with the assassination of Sri Lanka's foreign minister, again denying any involvement. Police have arrested two Tamil youths they suspect are members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on suspicion of helping plan the assassination of Lakshman Kadirgamar on August 12. The sniper -- or snipers -- responsible for the killing are still at large, and the assassination has raised the specter of a return to the Tigers' two-decade war for self-rule. "As a nation we have already denied it," Tigers spokesman Daya Master said by telephone from the northern rebel stronghold of Kilinochchi. "We want to know their identity. Normally they (the government) say Tigers have been arrested, that's the usual wording. We have to find out." The Tigers have rejected government accusations that they killed Kadirgamar, but few in Colombo believe them. Dozens of their opponents have been gunned down since a 2002 ceasefire and analysts say their denial is a stock disclaimer. However, the rebels have wound down their fiery rhetoric in the wake of the killing, and have vowed not to initiate a return to a conflict that has already killed over 64,000 people. |
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| Afghanistan/South Asia |
| Sri Lanka says no to Oslo talks |
| 2005-08-26 |
| The Sri Lankan government has turned down a Tamil Tiger request to hold talks in Norway. The talks to discuss the implementation of the country's three and a half year ceasefire should be held in Sri Lanka, a government spokesman said. The Tigers agreed to talks last week following the assassination of the country's foreign minister Lakshman Kadirgamar. The government blames the Tigers for the killing, a charge they deny. "Since the talks are going to be held on ceasefire violations and strengthening the truce, the talks must be held in Sri Lanka," government spokesman Nimal Siripala de Silva said. |
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| Afghanistan/South Asia |
| Lanka raises security for PM |
| 2005-08-24 |
| Top Sri Lankan politicians, including the prime minister, have had their security stepped up and public appearances curtailed after the assassination of the foreign minister, officials said on Tuesday. Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse skipped a press conference in the capital Colombo Tuesday and stayed away from a series of public meetings in central province over the weekend because of a security threat, an official in his office said. "Where an advance party is unable to clear the area and declare it sterile, the prime minister will not go," the official said. The new measures were taken following the August 12 assassination of foreign minister Lakshman Kadirgamar by suspected Tamil Tiger rebels. The guerrillas have denied any involvement in the killing. Both sides have, however, agreed to review their truce following the high-profile killing which raised doubts over the stability of the Norwegian-brokered ceasefire that has been in place since February 23, 2002. |
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| Afghanistan/South Asia |
| Sri Lanka, Tamil Rebels Agree to Talks |
| 2005-08-20 |
| Sri Lanka's government and Tamil Tiger rebels agreed Friday to meet in coming weeks to review a cease-fire that has been threatened by a rash of killings, including the assassination of the foreign minister. The meetings will be the first formal sessions between the sides in more than two years. Peace negotiations remain stalled, and the prospects for reviving them as uncertain after the Aug. 12 assassination of Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar by suspected rebels. Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Vidar Helgesen said Friday the government and Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam had agreed to hold the talks in the coming weeks. The exact timing and venue were still being worked out. |
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| Afghanistan/South Asia |
| Tamils held in Sri Lanka assassination |
| 2005-08-15 |
 Sri Lankan police have arrested 12 ethnic minority Tamils in overnight raids over the assassination of Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar, the Defence Ministry has said. The army, navy and police were involved in the raids in and around the capital, Colombo, said Brigadier Daya Ratnayake, a ministry spokesman said on Sunday. Eleven men and one woman were arrested. "They are being interrogated, but at this moment of time we don't want to say anything," Ratnayake said. A state of emergency went into effect within hours of the killing of the heavily protected Kadirgamar, shot by suspected Tamil Tiger snipers on Friday evening at his home after taking a swim. Kadirgamar, 73, an ethnic Tamil who led efforts to ban the Tigers as a terrorist organisation but later backed peace efforts, was shot in the head and chest. Soldiers have been scouring the capital for suspects, searching homes and stopping cars, and military aircraft have been covering Tamil Tiger territory. The rebels have denied any responsibility for the shooting, a claim discounted by the government. |
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| Afghanistan/South Asia |
| Emergency declared in Lanka |
| 2005-08-13 |
| Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga has declared a state of emergency following the assassination of the country's foreign minister, her spokesman Eric Fernando told AFP. "The president has declared an emergency," Fernando said in the early hours of Saturday, speaking hours after Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar died in a Colombo hospital after being shot in the head and chest by snipers. Kadirgamar was also a close confidante of President Kumaratunga. The state of emergency would last for an indefinite period, said Fernando. It allows security forces to arrest and detain suspects for lengthy periods. |
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