Air strike on Trinco harbour after the PC Elections

by Selva reporting from Wanni

(August 27, Kilinochchi, Sri Lanka Guardian) The news of the LTTE air attack on Trincomalee harbour comes as a shock for some pundits who were predicting that the LTTE is to be finished off this time. Sri Lanka President Rajapakse has been cheating his people with false blabla and these pundits have cheated themselves. But the question is why the LTTE let the speculation gather momentum and strike now suddenly. Some sources say they did not want to jeopardise the provincial council elections and waited to prevent an accusation that the LTTE jeopardised a democratic process.

Sri Lanka military officials were saying that they were only 12 kilometers away from the LTTE’s defacto state’s capital Kilinochchi. They predicted that it would be captured before the elections. This is understandable that this is for the consumption of the electorate. Sinhalese voters believed in the government force’s victories and they voted for the government party and thereby voted for a military solution in the two provincial council elections last weekend.

The well-informed journalists in Colombo, although they could not write the facts in their columns, were saying that the government is heading towards a catastrophe. The government forces were bombing the civilian populated areas in Vanni. Thousands of people, who had displaced several times, have been forced to displace again. Hundreds and thousands of displaced people are continuously sheltering under trees.

According to well informed sources, it is true that the Sri Lankan forces have entered into some LTTE controlled areas in Vanni. But in contrary to government claims, the fact is that in northern and southern defence front lines there was heavy resistance. In some western coastal areas LTTE had withdrawn their forces and the government forces in small groups intruded without much resistance.

When the LTTE political head Nadesan was contacted by some sources and asked why they let in government forces he had responded in Tamil about the arrival - “Vanga machchan vanga” (Come, come my cousin). There is a second line in this famous song that he did not say but that is what he meant – “Vanda valiyai parthu ponga” – that is to say ‘you will go back in the same way you came’. This is the ground reality.

The LTTE forces that were described to be finished off, have made an air attack on Trinco harbour and their aircraft has returned to Vanni safely.

It is understandable that why the Sri Lankan government and their military establishment is doing a propaganda. But why some self proclaimed defence analyst, based in Colombo, Chennai and Delhi proclaimed that LTTE is to be finished off this time? It cannot be said that these pundits are fools or they are not well-informed. They have done their part in kindling the war mongers.

(As the stage is set for more war and catastrophe, let the God protect the people.)
- Sri Lanka Guardian