June 7,2008:
The LTTE has yet another internal
rebellion brewing, with LTTE senior leader, and peace negotiator, Seevaratnam
Prabaharan, placed under house arrest in the north. Prabaharan wanted to cut a
deal with the government before the LTTE was crushed. That is still a minority
attitude in the LTTE leadership, and Prabaharan was silenced and isolated to
keep such ideas from spreading. But the desire for peace is already well
established among Tamils in the LTTE controlled north, and LTTE leaders have to
deal with increasingly reluctant fighters.
In the
north, the army captured a kilometer of LTTE front line, after three days of
fighting and over a hundred casualties (most of them LTTE, according to the
army). The LTTE drafted local civilians to help build another defense line
(trenches and bunkers) a few kilometers behind the one that was lost.
The LTTE
only admits to having lost 918 "cadres" during the first five months of this
year, and only 1,196 last year. A third of this years losses were female,
compared to 13 percent last year, and 22 percent since LTTE violence began in
1982. So far this year, the government claims to have killed four times as many
LTTE. People fleeing from LTTE controlled territory report more aggressive recruiting
of teenagers and women for the fighting forces.
The Indian
Navy has increased its patrols in the waters between India and Sri Lanka. Extra
police are also available to examine Tamil refugees from Sri Lanka, and arrest
known LTTE members. India does not want the LTTE to establish itself in
southern India. If that were to happen, attacks on Sri Lanka would be planned
and launched from southern India, causing problems for police in both
countries.
June 6,
2008: An LTTE roadside bomb hit a bus 20
kilometers south of the capital, killing twenty and wounding over 60. A little
later, a bomb went off on another bus, killing two and wounding twenty. The
government sees these terror attacks as an attempt by the LTTE to stir up
violence between Tamils and the majority Sinhalese. That would make it easier
for the LTTE to recruit fighters and suicide bombers for a long term fight. To
forestall this, the government calls for calm, and asks for tips about
suspected terrorist activity, not vigilante attacks on Tamils in general. In
the aftermath of the latest attacks, tips came in and arrests were made. Bomb
making materials and weapons were also seized.
June 4,
2008: In the capital, a bomb went off
next to a train, wounding 18 people.
May 29,
2008: In the north, the LTTE attacked a
small island off the coast, but were repulsed, with four of their boats sunk.
Tanks and artillery in the nearby town of Jaffna were able to fire on the LTTE
boats, doing most of the damage there. The LTTE were hoping to raid the small
garrison on the island and make off with weapons and ammunition.