Guest Hiten. Posted January 2, 2009 Posted January 2, 2009 Kilinochchi's fall may spell end of Tigers' dream of separate state NEW DELHI: As the Sri Lankan army registered its biggest-ever military victory by capturing the northern town of Kilinochchi, it was also the day of the biggest territorial upset for the Tigers, who ceded their headquarters to the army, and with it, their aspirations for a separate state in the north. But the LTTE struck back with what it does best: a suicide attack at the Lankan air headquarters, killing three and injuring 37. Coming exactly a year after Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa scrapped a ceasefire with the rebel Tigers on the grounds that they had used it to regroup and rearm, the victory had been anticipated for a while, ever since the Lankan army started clearing the areas around the town from September. It's the biggest military setback to the Tigers, who have been challenging the Sri Lankan state for over a quarter of a century. The LTTE lost Jaffna a couple of years ago but Kilinochchi in the Wanni jungles was considered a symbolic headquarter. There was no word of the reclusive LTTE supremo V Prabhakaran. The LTTE, which is formally banned as a terrorist organisation in India, is responsible for the assassination of former PM Rajiv Gandhi in 1991. While India had every reason to support the military campaign against the LTTE, it remained an interested spectator, proving quiet support to the army on the one hand and humanitarian assistance to the civilians caught in the conflict on the other. But India remained quiet on Friday and will wait for the flushing operations to be over before commenting. However, if Friday's victory is followed through, India will sit on the Lankans to push through a political devolution package for the Tamils which India sees as a political solution to the Lankan conflict. Rajapaksa savoured his moment on Friday. "It was the constant dream of all Sri Lankans, whether Sinhala, Tamil or Muslim, who are opposed to separatism, racism and terrorism, and have always sought peace, freedom and democracy," he said on TV. "Today, our heroic troops have made that dream a reality. A short while ago, our brave and heroic troops fully captured Kilinochchi that was considered the main bastion of the LTTE," he added. Almost immediately after Rajapaksa announced the fall of Kilinochchi, an LTTE suicide bomber blew himself up at the Sri Lankan air headquarters killing three and injuring 37. Indian analysts have predicted that post-Kilinochchi, LTTE could return to its old ways of suicide bombings in Colombo and southern Sri Lanka. Kilinochchi was a deserted town when the army took it, raising suspicions that the LTTE would resort to guerilla tactics once again, avoiding pitched battles just as the Taliban and Al Qaeda did in Afghanistan in 2001. The LTTE's website maintained that it would continue the battle. It said the LTTE had moved the headquarters further northeast before Kilinochchi fell. "The Sri Lanka army has entered a virtual ghost town," the website said. "The Tigers, who had put up heavy resistance so far, had kept their casualties as low as possible in the defensive fighting," it added. ----- LTTE is banned outfit almost everywhere in the world. LTTE losing their footings in SL might spell a doom for India as most of the 'victims' might try to sneak in south India. If SL/Indian govt. believe that LTTE activities will stop when SL army captures the entire LTTE base then they're just kidding their selves. Tamil Nadu has been LTTE's second "home" (if you like) and the activities in Tamil Nadu will rise for LTTE when SL army is finished washing their hands. Will the Indian government/Tamil Nadu government step up to kill (figuratively) any rising fight back from pro-LTTE camps (in India) ?
graphic23 Posted January 3, 2009 Posted January 3, 2009 It is a boon for SL. They have been suffering for far too long. They need to have some peace of mind. I am not totally convinced that it is a curse for us [in any manner] - it is quite good for the region in general, I'd guess. The present govt. just needs to stop DMK from creating any LTTE sympathy in TN.
Macj Posted January 3, 2009 Posted January 3, 2009 This is not good, heres why. The TN political setup is one of the most 2 dimensional, always infuse the SL Tamizh clause when the heat is turned on. If the LTTE are defeated you can be sure there will be an exodus out of Northern SL into TN. Now Nationalist Tamil leaning parties, the MDMK , the DMK etc will have enormous fodder to stall any real progress in the state. Even if SL win India shouldnt allow them to get away with closeting Tamils like they did under Junius and Senanayake, after all both groups look to India as the Mother country.
Ram Posted January 3, 2009 Posted January 3, 2009 The vision of a separate Tamil state is effectively bull dust. Without military power, the LTTE's bargaining power is zero and without LTTE, the Tamil's voice isnt going to be heard either. Killinochi's gone, Elephant Pass and Jaffna will soon fall too. Its G.A.M.E - O.V.E.R for LTTE. The LTTE will still mount an insurgency against the Lankan army, much like what happens in Kashmir/Iraq. But, that will only sully their name further.
Macj Posted January 3, 2009 Posted January 3, 2009 The vision of a separate Tamil state is effectively bull dust. Without military power, the LTTE's bargaining power is zero and without LTTE, the Tamil's voice isnt going to be heard either. Killinochi's gone, Elephant Pass and Jaffna will soon fall too. Its G.A.M.E - O.V.E.R for LTTE. The LTTE will still mount an insurgency against the Lankan army, much like what happens in Kashmir/Iraq. But, that will only sully their name further. Jaffna already fell long back, just the Elephant Pass is in control of the LTTE.
Ram Posted January 3, 2009 Posted January 3, 2009 Jaffna already fell long back' date=' just the Elephant Pass is in control of the LTTE.[/quote'] There are still some areas in the Jaffna peninsula under the LTTE's sway. But technically, what you're saying is kinda practically difficult to do. Its VERY hard to capture Jaffna, have a troop presence there, feed them and give them supplies without actually having control of Elephant Pass. Without control of the Elephant Pass, the only way to Jaffna is by sea and that's a really expensive affair to sustain Jaffna via sea alone.
Macj Posted January 4, 2009 Posted January 4, 2009 There are still some areas in the Jaffna peninsula under the LTTE's sway. But technically, what you're saying is kinda practically difficult to do. Its VERY hard to capture Jaffna, have a troop presence there, feed them and give them supplies without actually having control of Elephant Pass. Without control of the Elephant Pass, the only way to Jaffna is by sea and that's a really expensive affair to sustain Jaffna via sea alone. My info comes from a retired Indian Army general who fought them during the IPKF fiasco. LTTE will lose the battle of attrition because of 2 main reasons. The world public opinion swayed against them after 9/11 and the prosperous Tamil base in Australia, New Zealand , Canada, UK and France are now into their second generation and quite assimilated into the native populations, thereby making it harder to obtain funding and justifying the Eelam concept which is alien to the youth. Routine smuggling operations out of and into India were further hampered when Thailand banned LTTE shipping to be based there. The Tigers are in control of the areas around Mullaitivu, the SL army since Jaffna's capture always used the sea route for supplies, now once they connect the A9 highway from Killinocchi to Jaffna this will further help them entrench their positions help and make it harder for the Tigers to dislodge assuming the Tigers withdraw further East , allowing the Elephant Pass to fall. Yes it is hard to do, but the SL army captured Jaffna in 1995 , since then has tried unsuccessfully to take the Elephant Pass and has been sending in supplies through sea ,now of course the dynamic is different.
sandtest Posted January 4, 2009 Posted January 4, 2009 Is it boon or curse for India?? Why this is even a question. Of course it is in India's interest to oversee LTTE die a slow painful death. Had it succeeded in carving out another state from SL, we would have seen many Tamil linguistic leaders in Tamilnadu making noise to join "New" "Tamil nation" with Tamilnadu, just because they foresee a chance of becoming Prime Minister or holding influencial postion in their new state. Moreover, regional/language based movements need to be discouraged in India at a time when we are faced with Islmic terrorism from western border and Chinese Maoism from east. That is why I will praise Jayalalitha for putting a handle on Vaiko for whatever political motives, it unknowingly benefitted India's long term interests. It is not long back when we saw, anti-Hindi vanadalism in Tamilnadu. These and many such language based movements are influened by regional players to initiate turmoil. Also, the biggest brainwashing done by Marxist historians of India by peddling BS Aryan Invasion theory and successfully dividing North and south Indians by calling them as Aryans and Dravidians. Missionary influenced Dravidian movements of Tamilnadu only added to this divide. It is high time government of India officially condemns this Aryan and Dravidian BS and pave way for working towards the unity of Tamil Indians and north Indians. There is a lot of historical correction need to be done in India. But first of all Punish hraamkhors like Karunanidhi for calling Shri Ram as north Indian aryan.
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