Sri Lanka Army killed 22,000 LTTE cadres; lost 192 officers and 5,200 men

(October 11, Colombo - Lanka Polity) The Sri Lankan Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Gen Sarath Fonseka told The Island daily here on Saturday, that in the two-year-and-10-month long Eelam War IV, the Sri Lankan army had killed 22,000 fighters of the LTTE and captured over 9,000.

“This is 90 per cent of the total losses inflicted on the LTTE by all the security forces,” Fonseka said at the end of the army’s 60th anniversary celebrations.The General, who led the army to victory in the 2006-2009 operations known as Eelam War IV, claimed that the army was responsible for the destruction of 70 per cent of the assets of the LTTE’s sea and air wings also. One of the key factors, which helped the army defeat the LTTE was rapid modernisation and fresh recruitment, he said. The army grew in manpower from 116,000 to 200,000 in three years. New recruits held captured areas while experienced troops took part in the offensives.

However, the army lost 192 officers and 5,200 men and 27,000 suffered battlefield injuries.“The army bore 96 per cent of the casualties in this war,” Fonseka said. “No one can match or come close to the army’s contribution to the war,” he added.

Is Sri Lanka's Rajapakse regime losing the ground?

(October 11, Colombo - Lanka Polity) Although Sri Lanka's ruling United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) came into power in the home province of President Mahinda Rajapakse recording a massive victory at Southern Provincial Council election, the ruling alliance seems losing the firm hold five months after it defeated the Tamil's violent struggle for a homeland in the north and eastern parts of the island. 

Voter turnout was average 69.24% despite massive propaganda campaign of the ruling alliance in Southern Province. The state media propagated exaggerated statistics on voter turnout that sharply contrasted with the data issued by independent monitors right in the mid-day news bulletins in an attempt to attract more voters to the polling centers.

The government used almost all public property from the powers of the executive presidency and state-owned media to public roads for the ambitious propaganda campaign that targeted to achieve 80% votes for the ruling alliance. Mud slinging on opposition politicians were carried out by state media even on the election day. However, the UPFA could record 67.88% only while the major opposition was voted 25.09% and the Marxist nationalist People's Liberation Front (JVP) gained 6.11% from the province. 

UPFA amassed 72.39% votes at Uva Provincial Council election held immediately after the military victory over the Tamil rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam (LTTE). Southern Province UPFA result was lower than the February 14th North Western Provincial Council result that gave 69.43% votes to UPFA even before the military defeat of the LTTE. 

Four Rajapakse brothers that run the country might not be happy with the result they achieved from their home district Hambanthota from where they expected gratitude for the rapid development conducted there. The government has promised a service harbor, an international airport, an international cricket stadium, rail road and many other developments to this district which is one of Sri Lanka's poorest in many terms. They could achieve 66.95% only in Hambanthota and it was the lowest percentage out of the three districts. 

Ruling alliance's former ally JVP gained 11.01% votes from Hambanthota district. JVP was the main force that ushered Mahinda Rajapakse to presidency in 2005 but they did not assume cabinet portfolios and quit the alliance soon after.

Sri Lanka ruling party wins Southern Provincial Council, but not with the expected number of seats

(October 11, Colombo - Lanka Polity) Sri Lanka's ruling United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) recorded a landslide victory at the Provincial Council election in Southern Province from where the President Mahinda Rajapakse hails. UPFA won 38 seats from the Southern Provincial Council (SPC) with a breakdown of 16 from Galle district, 12 from Matara and 8 from Hambanthota. Together with the two bonus seats, UPFA owns 38 seats although it targetted more than 40 seats during the election campaign.

UPFA achieved 804,071 votes from the province, well over 500,000 votes that the opposition United National Party (UNP) that gained 297,180 votes from the Province. UNP won 6 seats from Galle 5 from Matara and 3 from Hambanthota, a total of 14 seats from the province.

Marxist nationalist People's Liberation Front (JVP) gained 72,379 votes from the province and secured one seat each of the three districts of the Province where the party base is located. JVP internal sources said that they targeted to place second in Thissamaharama electorate where JVP runs the local administration in Hambanthota district. But the UNP was voted double the JVP votes there. 

Sri Lanka government making a mountain out of JDS to deviate people's focus from economic issues

(October 08, Colombo - Lanka Polity) A group of Sri Lankan expatriates are organizing an armed struggle covering to peace and democracy, according to Sri Lanka Prime Minister Rathnasiri Wickramanayaka.

Addressing the debate for the extension of emergency regulations at the parliament, Prime Minister Wickramanayaka said that the rebel cadres of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam (LTTE) are staying in Colombo stealthily until they will have an opportunity attack again. He emphasized the need for extending the emergency due to these facts.

The Prime Minister revealed that a landmine went off in Jaffna recently killing several people. Security forces are continuing operations to recover hidden weapons and explosives. Resettlement of the IDPs of the Northern Province is slowed due to this reason, he said.

The unnamed group highlighted in the speech of the Prime Minister appears to be the Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka (JDS), the recently formed organization of expatriate Sri Lankan journalists. The organization was in media limelight with a controversial video clip aired by UK's Channel-4 in which persons suspected to be of Sri Lankan state security forces were executing prisoners said to be ethnic Tamils. The government says it has proved the video is fake through reports compiled by four experts hired by it.

Sri Lanka government is in dire need of a capable scapegoat to fill the vacuum created by the defeat of the LTTE to maintain the tension to deviate the people's attention from economic issues such as cost of living ahead of major elections coming early next year. However, JDS is next to nothing compared to LTTE and the government has to make a mountain out of a mole hill to puff up the necessary terrifying image of the enemy.

The emergency was passed in the parliament by a majority of 70 votes with 82 voting for it and 12 against. Only major Tamil constituent Tamil National Alliance (TNA) voted against. Major opposition United National Party abstained and the Marxist People's Liberation Front (JVP) was not present in the parliament at the time of voting.

Sri Lanka to enhance military relations with Iran

(October 08, Colombo - Lanka Polity) Sri Lanka that wrote political and military history with 'Sri Lankan Solution' to the ethnic problem eliminating rebels and not granting the demands of the Tamils, is enhancing bilateral relations and military ties with the new found international friends like Iran as the traditional allies of West are alienating the Indian Ocean island. 

Visiting Iranian Defence Attache Brigadier Seyed Reza and Army Commander Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya discussed about a high level Iranian military delegation in Sri Lanka shortly.during a meeting on Tuesday (October 6) between visiting Iranian Defence Attache Brigadier Seyed Reza and Army Commander Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya. The Iranian military delegation will be led by Brigadier Mahmoud Amini Ranjbar, sources said.

"The two countries were likely to explore the possibility of sharing military expertise," Sri Lanka daily The Island. 

Responding to The Island queries, sources asserted that the two countries have over the year developed strategies relating to small boat operations. Iran is widely believed to a leading strategist in this concept while Sri Lanka, too, has developed an elite Special Boat Squadron as well as Rapid Action Boat Squadron.

Small boat operations were the kingpin of the naval success of Sri Lanka Navy over rebel Sea Tigers.

Iran recently extended a credit facility with soft 0.5% interest for Sri Lanka to purchase fuel. Iran initially offered to provide this facility from January 2008 to August 31, 2009 as Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapakse was visiting Tehran in November 2007. Now this loan has been extended for another year. Sri Lanka purchased petroleum worth of US $ 1.05 billion in 2008 alone under this facility.

Iran is also providing financial assistance for upgrading for Sapugaskanda oil refinery. In the original agreement, the Sri Lankan government had made a commitment of 30 percent of $1.47 billion project upfront. It subsequently said it could not raise the required funds. The project aims at doubling the production capacity of the oil refinery near Colombo from 50,000 barrels per day to 100,000 bpd.

US Army raped a large number of women during Vietnam war, says Sri Lankan Minister

(October 07, Colombo - Lanka Polity) Udaya Prabath Gammanpila, a federal Minister of Sri Lanka government, accused that the US Army raped a large number of women during Vietnam war. He recalled that rape took place right inside the White House as Bill Clinton, the husband of US State Secretary Hilary Clinton was the President.

Western Provincial Council Minister Udaya Prabath Gammanpila made these comments to state-owned Dinamina Sinhala daily participating a petition campaign against US in Colombo. His party, National Heritage Party (JHU), a coalition member of the Sri Lanka government, is collecting a million of signatures for a petition to be handed over to the UN General Secretary denying a recent statement of US State Secretary Hilary Clinton.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, addressing the UN Security Council, on September 30, noted that rape has been used as a weapon of war in the Balkans, Burma, Sri Lanka and elsewhere and that in too many countries and in too many cases, the perpetrators of this violence are not punished, and so this impunity encourages further attacks.

Sri Lanka government member of parliament, Athuraliye Rathana Thero, a member of the JHU, said that Sri Lanka is considering Clinton's statement as government policy and not as one made in her individual capacity.

U.S. officials called for a possible war crimes investigation for the last leg of the government's military operation to crush the decades long fight of the minority Tamils for an independent state in the northern and eastern parts of the island. 

(Photo: JHU Ministers Patali Champika Ranawaka and Udaya Prabath Gammanpila) 

Sri Lanka President challenges the western nations to produce the corruption charges against the forces in writing

(October 05, Colombo - Lanka Polity) Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapakse challenged the western nations to produce the corruption charges against the state security forces in written format.

Addressing a election rally in Southern Province Matara town, the President said that there was an attempt to take the government to international war tribunal ignoring the noble task they performed.

The President also said that the terrorism had not been eliminated despite it was defeated. The country should be freed from the international conspiracies of the elements that sympathize the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam (LTTE). 

Sri Lanka government led by the President Mahinda Rajapakse and his brothers defeated the Tamil rebel LTTE that fought a three decade struggle for a homeland in northern and eastern Tamil dominated parts of the island.International Community led by Western nations urge the government to conduct investigations on the violation of human rights during the last phase of the war.