The snap polls to Sri Lanka’s Parliament, held on December 5, 2001, brought the United National Party (UNP)-led United National Front (UNF) to power and Ranil Wickremasinghe has been sworn in as the Prime Minister. A peculiar political situation now exists in the island country with the Prime Minister and the President, Chandrika Kumaratunga, representing two rival political formations. The President is the leader of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). Mutual accommodation, thus, becomes crucial for any political initiative to fructify.
The elections were preceded by (a) the then People’s Alliance government’s, of which the SLFP was the leading partner, inability to see through a political-reforms package in Parliament that would have bestowed greater political decision making authority on the minority Tamil community, and (b) defections by political heavy-weights, from the UNP to the SLFP and vice versa.
In the month-long election campaign that culminated on December 4, 2001, the PA accused the UNP of reaching a secret agreement with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which the UNP has vociferously denied.
Ahead of the elections, four Tamil political parties forged a coalition under the banner of Tamil National Alliance (TNA) on October 18, which reportedly has the ‘approval’ of the LTTE, and called for a de-proscription of the LTTE as well as an early resumption of the peace dialogue. The UNF is short of four votes for an absolute majority in Parliament, and is likely to look towards the TNA for support.
The new Prime Minister’s sagacity and skills will be put to intense test as he begins to take up his pre-poll promise of reinvigorating the Norwegian brokered peace process, which made no significant progress except for the erstwhile PA government and the LTTE exchanging notes through the Norwegian envoy. The peace process failed to take-off largely because both the government and the LTTE perceived, at different points in time during the year, the other side to be on a ‘weak footing’, when each had called for a resumption of talks to resolve the over 17–year old ethnic conflict.
Now, the atmospherics for a resumption of the peace process have been created with the LTTE announcing that it would observe a month-long cease-fire beginning December 24, 2001. The government has subsequently reciprocated the gesture.
A significant shift during the year in the LTTE’s position on a separate country (Eelam) occurred with the leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran declaring in his Annual Heroes’ Day message that his organisation was neither for separatism nor terrorism. In his speech, Prabhakaran indicated that the LTTE would agree to a political solution within an integrated Sri Lanka but would be forced to opt for secession if the conflict was not solved through peaceful means. The LTTE continues to insist that the government de-proscribe the organisation, which it holds, is a prerequisite for the LTTE to participate in peace talks with the government.
The September 11 terrorist attacks on targets in the US strengthened the Sri Lankan government’s campaign for a global ban on the LTTE. Australia, in December 2001, placed the LTTE on its list of terrorist organisation in pursuance of its obligations under UN Resolution 1373 on the suppressing of the financing of terror. On November 8, following a relentless effort by the Sri Lankan government, Canada too termed the LTTE as a terrorist outfit and the Superintendent of Financial Institutions, Canada, issued a new list of terrorist organisations that included, for the first time, the LTTE. The outfit’s front organisations have a formidable presence in Canada and the Tamil expatriate community there is considered to be a major source of funds for the LTTE. Much earlier, on February 28, 2001 the British government proscribed the LTTE under its new Terrorism Act 2000.
In a major operation, a 21-member LTTE squad attacked the Airforce base in Katunayake and the Bandaranaike International Airport, on the outskirts of Colombo on July 24, 2001. Eight military aircraft, including Kifr jets, and six Airbus passenger aircraft were destroyed or damaged in the attack. 14 LTTE rebels and seven security force personnel were killed, while 12 more were injured in the attack. The attack prompted a demand from the Opposition parties that President Chandrika Kumaratunga reconvene Parliament and discuss the security situation in the country. The Sri Lankan Air Force launched strikes in the Nagarkovil general area on the same day to dispel speculation that the attack had hampered its capabilities.
Even while refraining from initiating any major terrorist attack in Sri Lanka since the July 24 attack, sporadic incidents of LTTE violence has occurred in the latter half of 2001. 19 civilians were injured when two parcel bombs, suspected to be of LTTE origin, exploded inside the office of the Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP) at Batticaloa on December 1. The EPDP with a base in the Northern region of the country is a major constituent of the ruling PA. Earlier, on October 9, a group of 150-200 rebels attacked an Air Force base at Velverikulam near Trincomalee. Four Airforce personnel were killed in the attack which was successfully repulsed without any major damage while the casualties among the rebels were not known.
On October 30, LTTE rebels attacked a police post at Muttur and killed 11 police personnel. In a separate attack on the same day, an oil tanker, docked off Point Pedro near Jaffna, was attacked by the Sea Tigers, LTTE’s naval wing. The ship was destroyed while four LTTE rebels and three Navy personnel were killed in the attack.
In Batticaloa, three Army intelligence personnel and a civilian were killed in a LTTE suicide attack at the high security zone in the town on November 15. The slain personnel were part of an intelligence unit, which was reported to have been responsible for recent deep penetration strikes in the LTTE held hinterland of the district. One instance of success for these operations was the killing of Nizam – the LTTE’s political wing leader for Batticaloa and Ampara districts – in a claymore mine explosion near Batticaloa. LTTE’s deputy political leader, Karikalan had escaped a similar claymore mine attack on his vehicle, on October 18, in Palugamam, near Batticoloa.
Earlier, year 2001 commenced with the LTTE claiming to observe a unilateral cease-fire, which it had declared on December 24, 2000. The cease-fire, which was first announced for a month, was subsequently extended thrice and continued till April 24. The government repeatedly accused the LTTE of violating its own cease-fire and had consistently refused proposals to reciprocate by announcing its own cease-fire. On April 30, the government in a statement accused the LTTE of violating its unilateral cease-fire on 224 occasions.
Less than a day after the LTTE’s unilateral cease-fire came to an end, the Sri Lankan Army launched Operation Agni Khiela, on April 25, to expand its control over the Jaffna peninsula. The Operation was launched following four months of preparations and planning. On the first day of the Operation, over 100 were killed and 300 more injured. The operation was called off five days later on April 29. The Army while indicating that 187 personnel were killed and another 860 injured in the Operation also added that the LTTE had lost 200 cadres while 400 more were wounded.
Comprehensive data of casualties in Sri Lanka’s ethnic war is not available. Scattered estimates, made at various points of time indicate that the war has been very costly for the two sides. A Tamil news source had estimated that 379 civilians died between 1990 and 1999, in the Kilinochchi and Mullaithivu districts. These sources also claimed that 4879 civilians died in the Mullaithivu district between 1994 and 1999 due to the direct impact of the government’s economic embargo on Vanni, particularly due to the severe restrictions on medical supplies. Official sources disclosed that 1,464 security force personnel were killed and more than 9,000 injured in the conflict with the LTTE during 2000. Providing data for the last three months of the 2000 in the Jaffna peninsula, a defence ministry statement said that, 777 LTTE rebels and 268 troops have been killed while 246 LTTE rebels were injured.