Highlights
– Eastern provinces to vote for the first time in two decades
– LTTE shows continued resilience through high profile suicide attacks and international support
– Sri Lankan conflict will likely continue for the long-term
Amid increased conflict and a growing death toll, the Sri Lankan government announced on April 3, 2008, that residents in the east of the country will vote in provincial elections on May 10, 2008, for the first time in two decades. The elections are part of the government’s strategy to defeat the militant group, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), through political engagement along with the ongoing military offensive. The Tamil Tigers are fighting for an independent state in the north and east of the island in a conflict that has lasted over 25 years and killed an estimated 70,000 people.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa officially scrapped a Norwegian backed peace deal in January 2008, subsequently leading to a dramatic increase in violence in recent months. However, he also unveiled a peace plan aimed at giving more autonomy to eastern provinces through measures such as polls.
Only three days after news of the historic election, a suicide bomber attacked the opening ceremony of a marathon, killing a senior minister and injuring scores of participants, underscoring the LTTE’s continued efforts to disrupt peaceful civilian activity in the country .
As we have previously reported, Sri Lankan forces will continue to retaliate by inflicting heavy casualties on LTTE strongholds, thus extending the ongoing conflict in the long-term (Previous Report).
Black Tigers Target Ministers; Kills Civilians
On April 6, 2008, a suspected Black Tiger, or LTTE suicide bomber, detonated his device in the town of Weliveriya, 30 kilometers (19 miles) outside the capital city of Colombo. The bomber killed Sri Lanka’s Highways Minister, Jeyaraj Fernandopulle, along with a former top marathon runner and at least 13 other people.
Fernandopulle is the second minister to be killed in 2008 and his death follows a week of increased attacks on the LTTE’s northern strongholds in which the military killed at least 100 rebel fighters. Fernandopulle was a member of the 2006 government peace talks that failed to bring an end to the conflict and as the government’s chief political enforcer he was considered a top rebel target.
The LTTE did not take responsibility for the latest suicide attack; however, the rebels typically deny any involvement in bombings that lead to civilian deaths.
LTTE’s International Network
In recent years, reports have emerged that the Tamil Tiger’s political wing has established “branches” in at least 12 countries, including the US, Canada and the UK. LTTE supporters abroad continue to attempt to purchase anti-aircraft weapons, automatic rifles, grenade launchers, explosives and other military equipment to repatriate to fighting rebels in Sri Lanka.
In April 2007, a senior LTTE member was arrested in New York for allegedly raising money and arranging meetings between US financial backers and the group’s senior leadership in Sri Lanka. Another Sri Lankan national was sentenced to 57 months in prison in January 2008, on charges of conspiracy to provide support to the LTTE and the attempted exportation of arms and munitions (Previous Report).
International supporters and Tamil expatriates often raise money posing as charities, especially in communities with high numbers of ethnic Tamils. Additionally, Canadian authorities have reported that the LTTE employs blackmail to extort money from many expatriates, threatening to harm their relatives still living in Sri Lanka. The ongoing ability of the Tamil Tigers to raise support outside of Sri Lanka is concerning as it severely undermines the ability of the government to fight the rebels, as they often obtain military grade weapons and equipment (Previous Report).
Ongoing Conflict
The announcement of the upcoming elections in the east, won over by the government less than one year ago, indicates small progress towards greater autonomy on the civilian level. However, the ability of the LTTE to infiltrate and launch attacks deep within government held territory demonstrates the ongoing stalemate on the military side of the conflict. Additionally, the international support the LTTE continues to receive likely signals the long-term capabilities of the rebels to withstand attacks by the Sri Lankan military.
On April 7, 2008, the Sri Lankan Air Force launched attacks on a Black Tiger base in the rebel held north of the island, killing 22 rebels. The military will likely continue to target rebel strongholds for the near-term and security will be increased in Colombo in anticipation of militant activity before the Sinhalese New Year on April 13, 2008.
While the eastern elections will likely take place as scheduled, Tamil Tigers may attempt to undermine the polls through continued attacks and assaults.
