Are The Tamil Tigers Organizing To Start Another Civil War?

Photo: Police offered Rs one million as a reward to any information, which could lead to the arrest of Gobi. (Photo: Lanka Sri News)

Suspected Tamil Rebels Shot Dead In Sri Lanka -- BBC

The army in Sri Lanka says it has shot dead three men who were trying to revive the Tamil Tigers (LTTE), the separatist rebel group crushed by the military in 2009.

It says they were taking instructions from two LTTE leaders based in Europe.

The reported incident, if true, is the first substantial military encounter since the end of the war.

But civil society campaigners have cast doubt on whether there is any such revival of the separatist rebels.

The authorities say they have arrested dozens of people in connection with the alleged bid to relaunch the Tigers.

The military says it believes the three who died were the same three that it described as wanted men in the past few weeks.

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More News On Three Suspected Tamil Rebels Being Shot Dead In Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka says soldiers kill 3 men who were attempting to revive defeated Tamil Tiger rebels -- FOX News/AP
Sri Lanka military says it killed Tamil separatists, first clash since 2009 -- Reuters
Sri Lankan army quash Tamil revival in first battle since end of civil war -- The Telegraph
Sri Lanka troops kill three men in search for Tamil Tigers -- NDTV/AFP
Sri Lanka troops kill emerging Tiger leaders: official -- Livemint
Three Tamil rebels shot dead in northern Sri Lanka -- The Hindu

Former Tamil Tigers Are Having Rehabilitation Problems

Tamil Tiger Releases Hit By Rehabilitation Problems -- BBC

There have been problems rehabilitating ex-Tamil Tiger fighters into society, the Sri Lankan authorities say.

They say some have been taken back in for police questioning after being freed, but that those numbers are not high and the releases continue.

The Brussels-based International Crisis Group says it has heard of freed rebels being subject to "frequent, arbitrary questioning" by security forces.

Read more ....

More News On Rehabilitation Problems Of Former Tamil Tigers

Sri Lanka: Tamils resist rehabilitation -- UPI
Released former LTTE members facing rehabilitation problems in society -- Sify News
Nearly half of Sri Lanka's former LTTE detainees released -- Colombo Page
Of 11,696 LTTE personnel taken into custody, 5,586 have left rehabilitation centres since the end of the war -- Lanka Web

Tamil Tigers 'Putting 11-Year-Old Girls On The Front Line'

A young displaced Tamil girl looks on as David Miliband and his French counterpart Bernard Kouchner arrive in northern Sri Lanka recently Photo: (AFP: Pedro Ugarte)

From The Telegraph:

Child soldiers including girls as young as 11 have been forced to fight on the front line by retreating Tamil Tiger rebels, senior Sri Lankan army officers have claimed.

Division commanders described discovering their enemy included a conscript army of children as they stood on the edge of the 'no fire zone' where 50,000 civilians are believed to be trapped by the once-feared Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elaam (LTTE) making their last stand.

As both sides in the conflict traded claims of war crimes, one army commander spoke of his regret that his men had shot and killed young girls.

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My Comment: A War Crimes investigation and tribunal must be set up to look at this conflict. I doubt that the Sri Lankan Government will do this as soon as the conflict is over, but for closure to happen, the Sri Lankan Government will have to decide one day to establish such a commission.

Sri Lanka War Updates -- August 19, 2008

Sri Lankan soldiers of the Special Task Force are seen during a passing out ceremony at a training school in Kalutara, about 30 kilometers (19 miles) south of Colombo, Sri Lanka, Monday, Aug. 18, 2008.Tens of thousands of Sri Lankans have been forced to flee their homes in the north in recent weeks as government forces seized large chunks of territory that had been controlled by the Tamil Tiger separatists, international aid groups said. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)

Tamil Tigers Tacitly Admit Losing
Ground To Sri Lankan Govt -- AFP

COLOMBO (AFP) — Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels Tuesday tacitly admitted they were losing ground in the face of a major military offensive by warning that thousands of civilians in the north were at risk.

In their first public acknowledgement that government forces were moving deeper into areas previously held by them, the Tigers said civilians have had to move several times because of the military onslaught.

"Persistent shelling in this area, where two weeks ago a large number of internally displaced people sought refuge, forced them to (move) again further inside Kilinochchi," the Tigers said, referring to their political capital.

"Such multiple displacements are also adding to the delays in providing adequate shelter," the Tigers said in a statement.

The Sri Lankan government, which pulled out of a Norwegian-brokered ceasefire with the rebels in January, says its troops are advancing on several fronts in their bid to dismantle the Tamil Tigers' northern mini-state.

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More News On Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka PM says troops near rebel headquarters -- China View
Fresh fighting in Sri Lanka kills 22, mostly rebels -- Reuters
Sri Lankan military says 21 rebels killed -- International Herald Tribune
Sri Lanka says it will care for war displaced -- International Herald tribune
Sri Lanka: Tamil militants killed in new clashes -- ADNKronos
Thousands displaced by Sri Lanka fighting: UN -- Yahoo News/AFP
Tens of thousands at risk in Sri Lanka as fighting escalates -- Amnesty International
Sri Lanka fighting kills 56, rebel base captured -- Reuters
Huge LTTE base captured, says Colombo -- The Hindu
S Lankan army 'takes rebel base' -- BBC News

My Comment: The Tigers mini-state is getting smaller and smaller. It is only a matter of time before they are completely wiped out as an organized military force. Unfortunately, this will probably morph them into a terrorist organization to continue the fight.

Tamil Tigers Announce Cease-Fire For Summit

Sri Lankan soldiers stand guard in the town of Jaffna, northern Sri Lanka, in April 2008. Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels have announced they would observe a unilateral ceasefire coinciding with a South Asian leaders' summit that starts on the island this week.(AFP/File/Lakruwan Wanniarachchi)

From CNN:

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) -- Sri Lankan rebels said Monday that a new round of peace talks on ending the country's 25-year-old civil war is impossible as long as the government presses ahead with a military offensive.

But they announced Tuesday that they would observe a unilateral cease-fire during a South Asian summit to be held in the capital, Colombo, at the end of the month.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa said earlier this month he was prepared to restart long-dormant talks with the Tamil Tiger rebels if the group lays down its arms and ceases bombings and other attacks across the country.

Read more ....

More News On Sri Lanka's Civil War

Sri Lanka rebels offer ceasefire for SAsia summit -- Yahoo News
Sri Lanka rebels declare ceasefire for SAARC summit -- Reuters
Sri Lankan Rebels Declare Truce for Regional Summit (Update2) -- Bloomberg
Tamil Tigers declare ten-day truce -- Radio Netherlands
Lankan Govt cautious over LTTE truce offer -- The Hindu
Sri Lanka rejects rebel ceasefire for SAsia summit -- Radio Australia

My Comment: The Sri Lankan Government is now going all out to destroy LTTE command and control centers. This is a fight to the finish, and I suspect the Sri Lankan rebels are now aware of this, and have offered a ceasefire because they are not prepared for the offensive that is now taking place. The Sri Lankan Government is throwing everything into the fight .... I can now predict that the next few months will produce more casualties than what 25 years of warfare have produced.

With the absence of international condemnation, India not being involved (officially), and a Sri Lankan Government determined to end this .... this war and its aftermath is going to be very bloody.

Dozens Killed In Sri Lanka Fighting

From Press TV:

Seven soldiers and 17 Tamil Tiger rebels are killed in clashes in the past days in Sri Lanka's northern Welioya region, the military says.

The troops supported by mortar and artillery fire captured five positions, military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara confirmed, adding that 35 rebels and 19 soldiers were injured in the fighting.

A further 30 rebels and six soldiers were killed in weekend fighting in the northern districts of Jaffna, Vavuniya, Polonnaruwa, and Mannar, he said.

The latest fighting follows the Friday twin bus blasts that left 24 civilians dead, added the military.

Read more ....

News On Sri Lanka's Civil War From Other News Sources:
Sri Lanka not ready for peace moves, say rebels -- Reuters
Sri Lanka fighting kills another 20: military -- AFP
LTTE vows to cause heavy damages to Govt troops -- Colombo Page
S.Lanka rebels say responsible for attacks -- reuters
Sea Tigers raid key SLN camp in Mannaar -- Tamil Net

My Comment: The Sri Lankan Government is till on the offensive. They are not only successful in taking ground, but also keeping it. If they maintain this intensity, the Tigers may start to fragment.

Sri Lanka War Updates -- May 20, 2008

'Heavy casualties' in Sri Lanka -- BBC News
78 dead in Sri Lanka clashes -- The Guardian
Sri Lankan military bombs rebel centre -- Rantburg
Sri Lanka: Fight To The Death -- Strategy Page
Suicide bomb in Sri Lanka capital -- BBC
Ex-Tamil Tigers set their eyes on polls -- BBC News

My Comment: This war is sooooo under reported. The government is on the offensive and are confident of victory. Even ex-Tamil Tigers are getting ready to run in federal elections. Unfortunately, like most conflicts that are about to end, that is when the real mass killing starts.