Army captures Kilinochchi

Relief agencies warn of major disaster

THE Sri Lankan Army stormed into heavily defended Kilinochchi town on 29 September after a week's fierce fighting in Operation Sath Jaya III (Truth's Victory). Kilinochchi, the new headquarters of the insurgent Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) after the capture of Jaffna last December, fell in a three-pronged military assault.

The Tigers claimed in early October that fighting continued after the Army entered Kilinochchi, but BBC reports say the LTTE withdrew on 27 September after blowing up the telecommunication tower as troops threatened to encircle the town. There are no civilians left in Kilinochchi.

Defence sources say 269 soldiers and 750 guerrillas died in a week's fighting. The Tigers have denied they suffered heavy casualties. LTTE political wingÆs SP Thamilchelvan describes Sri Lankan government claims that 138 bodies of Tiger cadre were handed over through the ICRC as false propaganda. Government restrictions on correspondents in the war zone and press censorship mean there is no independent confirmation of the claims.

The loss of Kilinochchi is a psychological blow to the LTTE. The Tiger headquarters has been shifted to the strategic crossroad town of Mankulam, 45km south, where many of the 200,000 refugees have sought shelter. Mankulam, where international agencies are attempting to establish relief operations, is set to become the Army's next target.

The government's objective is to take the 70km road between Kilinochchi and the frontline Vavuniya symbolically reuniting the island and to secure a vital supply line to Jaffna, where Sri Lankan troops are increasingly bogged down by guerrilla attacks and reconstruction has come to a standstill.

The LTTE is expected to seek a quick reply to Kilinochchi with an attack by its Black Tigers or suicide commandos on the capital Colombo or the eastern seaboard town of Batticaloa. But observers believe that the Tigers have a long-term strategy to capture government-held territory. Mannar Island infiltrated by the LTTE now looks increasingly vulnerable.

As over 200,000 civilians are pushed south by the fighting in Kilinochchi, rather than allow them into government territory in Vavuniya, the Tigers may seek to engineer a new refugee exodus to the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu across the Palk Strait to drag India back into the Sri Lankan conflict.

Around 3,000 Tamils have arrived in south India in the last month. Press reports say after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi met Indian Foreign minister IK Gujral in late September, India has called on the Sri Lankan government to provide food and medicine to the Vanni refugees.

The plight of refugees is of increasing concern for international agencies. International refugee agency UNHCR's Peter Meijer has urged the government to ensure that food supplies reached the Vanni refugees and expressed fears that more people will pour out of Mannar Island. Lack of security and food is the major cause and thousands of refugees are trekking towards Mannar Island, says UNHCR.

French medical agency Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) says in an early September statement that there is an acute shortage of drugs and patients cannot be treated. The last shipment of drugs, 25% of the total requirement for Vanni, was in June. The Defence Ministry has turned down recent requests for drugs from MSF and the ICRC. MSF Country Director Guillermo Bertoletti says only two weeks supply of medicine are available. Madhu has not received medical supplies since August and even basic items such as vitamins for pregnant women have not been allowed by the Defence Ministry. Aid workers fear an epidemic if outbreaks of water-borne diseases and malaria are not checked.

As drought continues, clean water supply and sanitation are major concerns in the Vanni. In late September ICRC's water and sanitation head John Fleming warned of a major disaster and sought urgent clearance from the Defence Ministry for chlorine to purify water and spare parts for tube wells.

Food is in short supply. The continual movement of the population following military operations makes distribution difficult and food is not reaching many people. Vavuniya's senior government officer Government Agent (GA) Ganesh says that Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu districts need 2,126 lorryloads of food per month, but in September only 1,355 lorries were permitted at the crossing point at Thandikulam in Vavuniya.

The government claims that there are only 199,167 refugees in the Vanni and therefore sufficient food reaches the areas whereas NGOs estimate there are over 350,000 refugees. The government says sections of food shipments are routinely taken by the LTTE. Other reports say displaced people in some areas have become disillusioned with LTTE's relief wing the Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO) which is allowing people under its care to settle only in places it decides.

The stage is now set for a dramatic tug-of-war for control of 350,000 displaced civilians with diminishing access to food, clean water and adequate shelter. Military priorities are likely to prevail on both sides.

A new NGO study estimates the total annual cost of the war at Rs 110 billion ($2.2 billion) which is 22% of Sri Lanka's GDP. The estimate takes into account the damage to various sectors, loss in agriculture, tourism and the cost of rehabilitation. Deputy Finance minister GL Peiris says defence expenditure will go up to Rs 50 billion ($1 billion) by the end of the year.
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