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Association of Tamils of Sri Lanka in the USA
Nonviolent Peace Force Report
Report from NP Sri Lanka
April 25, 2006
While this report is being prepared, LTTE controlled sea side areas
close to our office in Mutur in the East are being targeted in a
coordinated action by the Sri Lankan Navy and Airforce. The bombs and
shelling by a naval craft and fighter jets, which can be felt and heard
by the team members from their position in the office, are part of a
retaliation for the suicide bomb attack on General Fonseka, Chief
Commander of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces, at the army headquarters in
Colombo earlier today. Meanwhile, the Airforce assured us that the Mutur
town and our team are safe. The town has lost electricity and reports of
casualties from the area targeted are coming in slowly but the exact
numbers will not be known for a while until the 14 hours enforced curfew
is passed.
It appears the suicide bomb was set-off by a young female, who pretended
to be pregnant while visiting the army hospital. Early reports inform us
that she threw herself on top of the army vehicle with the General,
killing his five body guards and three civilians. Twenty-seven people
got injured. The General sustained injuries but miraculously survived.
This evening the President of Sri Lanka has appeared on national
television and asked the people to remain calm. For the moment, Colombo
is under curfew until dawn while the army is conducting house searches
in certain areas.
At the moment, it is difficult to predict what will happen next but the
incident definitely has decreased further chances of the talks, which
are meant to enforce the current Cease Fire Agreement, in Geneva taking
place any time soon. Last week, the LTTE temporarily pulled out of the
talks, claiming that a level of normality in the East will need to
emerge first.
In recent weeks there have been almost daily attacks on the security
forces in the East and North. Some of these have also killed and injured
civilians, including two NGO workers killed by a claymore mine attack
while passing an army convoy. There have also been shootings, killing
and retaliation on civilians for the mine attacks blamed on the LTTE,
mob killings, burning of houses and shops, gun fights between partners
and displacement of communities.
The worst violence has been observed in the Trincomalee district. The
violence included a terrible bomb set off in the busy market on April
12th killing at least five persons, including once child. Within minutes
a Sinhala mob came and targeted revenge at mostly Tamil shops, homes and
civilians, leaving at least 19 more civilians dead and over 30 shops
burned. The ethnic violence continued in other areas where Sinhalese and
Tamil communities border. Thousands of villagers from the areas have
moved to public places of worship or schools for safety.
In the context of this tension, after witnessing the aftermath of the
bombing of the market and assisting several of the injured people to a
hospital, our Trinco Team was attacked by an angry crowd of Sinhala
youth while returning to the office. The crowd surrounded the NP vehicle
which was marked with the NPSL sign and flag. Members of the crowd
slapped and punched the driver, FTM Charles Oloo Otieno, who was trying
to turn the vehicle and move away from the hostile scene. Parts of the
truck were ripped from the side. The team was also threatened with a
hand grenade. Before they could leave from the area heavy stones were
thrown at the vehicle, smashing the side and back windows. Luckily the
team was not seriously physically injured. However, the whole event had
taken place 30 feet (10 meters) away from a police/army checkpoint and
the forces present made no attempt to intervene. The team recovered
quickly from the attack and continued the work the next day, hence it
provided protection for the delivery of relief to those displaced.
Due to the diplomatic skills of its local translator, the team managed
to reach out to the gang who had attacked them in the days afterwards.
Subsequently, their leaders have apologized to our field team members
and they agreed to take part in a local peace meeting between the
communities soon.
The next 48 hours will tell us more about the situation and if we can
expect a further increase in violence or if we are faced with a serious
war scenario. Questions that need to be answered are: Are today's
suicide bomb and the subsequent retaliatory attacks by the armed forces
indications that the CFA is officially dead? Will the EU now decide to
ban the LTTE, which the government of Sri Lanka has lobbied for, hence
further isolate the LTTE? How will NPSL operate if war breaks out?
For the moment, we are assessing the situation daily and continue to
provide protection to civilians, where possible. But the environment we
work in is extremely complex and the circumstances are increasingly more
dangerous.
Marcel C.A. Smits
Project Director Nonviolent Peaceforce Sri Lanka
26 A Ediriweera Mawatha
Dehiwela
Sri Lanka
Tel: +94-11-2736958
Mobile: +94-77-3502351
Email: MSmits@nonviolentpeaceforce.org
_____________________________________________________________
Nonviolent Peaceforce Programme Director
Christine Schweitzer * Scheteligsweg 2 * 22111 Hamburg * Germany
Tel +49-40-655 90 940 E-mail: CSchweitzer@nonviolentpeaceforce.org
www.nonviolentpeaceforce.org or www.npeurope.org
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