Peace and Conflict Timeline (PACT) » Military operations

28 May 2009

pact team — Thu, 28 May 2009 17:20:52 +0000

European nations call unsuccessfully for an independent investigation of alleged war crimes by both sides and unhindered access for aid workers to the more than 300,000 displaced. Instead, the Human Rights Council passed, by 29 votes to 12 (with six abstentions), the resolution that Sri Lanka itself submitted entitled “Assistance to Sri Lanka in the promotion and protection of human rights”.

The eleventh Special Session of the Human Rights Council on Sri Lanka concluded after adopting a resolution on assistance to Sri Lanka in the promotion and protection of human rights in which the Council urged the Government to continue strengthening its activities to ensure that there was no discrimination against ethnic minorities in the enjoyment of the full range of human rights. The Council also commended the measures taken by the Government of Sri Lanka to address the urgent needs of the internally displaced persons.

The resolution condemned “all attacks that the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) launched on the civilian population and its practice of using civilians as human shields” and welcomed “the liberation by the government of Sri Lanka of tens of thousands of its citizens that were kept by the LTTE against their will as hostages.” It commended the “measures taken by the Government of Sri Lanka to address the urgent needs of the Internally Displaced Persons” and appealed for financial support for the country’s post-war reconstruction.

The result of the vote was as follows:
In favour (29): Angola, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, China, Cuba, Djibouti, Egypt, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Madagascar, Malaysia, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, South Africa, Uruguay, and Zambia.

Against (12): Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, and United Kingdom.

Abstentions (6): Argentina, Gabon, Japan, Mauritius, Republic of Korea, and Ukraine.

Full text of Sri Lanka’s resolution and breakdown of votes, UNHCHR Press release, 27 May 2009.

Sources
Sri Lanka says U.N. rights vote vindicates war victory, Reuters, 28 May 2009; UN vote on Sri Lanka attacked; Financial Times, 28 May 2009; UN rights body backs Sri Lankan resolution on war, Reuters, 27 May 2009; Sri Lanka forces West to retreat over ‘war crimes’ with victory at UN, Times, 28 May 2009; Sri Lanka wins at the UNHRC, Daily Mirror, 28 May 2009.

Quotations

“The earlier resolution had various adverse ingredients, much to the detriment of Sri Lanka’s profile, its reputation, and in terms of its future agenda, including an investigative element they brought in. We were able to defeat that,” Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama.

“The decisive victory at this crucial time, just 10 days after the end of the war, sends a very positive message, as it shows the endorsement of the international community of Sri Lanka’s efforts to resolve the humanitarian challenges in the aftermath of the conflict,” Mahinda Samarasinghe, Disaster Management and Human Rights Minister.

“This expanded resolution fails to call on the government of Sri Lanka to have an effective and independent inquiry into the violation of human rights and international humanitarian laws, nor does it address the problems faced by human rights defenders and journalists due to the lack of freedom of expression. It does not address the need for unhindered access to humanitarian agencies to the displaced and does not include a follow-up by the Council or a mechanism for the UN High Commissioner’s office for Human Rights to independently monitor the human rights situation in Sri Lanka,” German envoy to the UNHRC, speaking on behalf of the EU members.

“The Human Rights Council did not even express its concern for the hundreds of thousands of people facing indefinite detention in government camps. The council ignored urgent needs and wasted an important chance to promote human rights. It is deeply disappointing that a majority of the Human Rights Council decided to focus on praising a government whose forces have been responsible for the repeated indiscriminate shelling of civilians,” Juliette de Rivero, Geneva advocacy director at Human Rights Watch, May 27, 2009.

“This resolution is not a hurrah for Sri Lanka, it is a sober document. It is a bridge between Sri Lanka and the world, and between Sri Lanka’s present and its future. It sought to represent the maximum possible consensus. We have sought to make this the highest common denominator of the concerns of the Council with regard to Sri Lanka,” Dayan Jayathilaka, the Sri Lankan Ambassador to the UN.

18 May 2009

pact team — Mon, 18 May 2009 13:24:45 +0000

The Sri Lankan military reports the death of LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, his intelligence chief ‘Pottu Amman’, and ‘Soosai’, the head of the Tiger’ naval wing. The military also reported it had found the bodies of Prabhakaran’s 24-year-old son Charles Anthony, the group’s political wing leader B. Nadesan, and the head of the LTTE Peace Secretariat, S. Pulideevan.

Sources
Tiger leader Prabhakaran killed: Sri Lanka army sources, Reuters, 18 May 2009; Sri Lankan rebel leader ‘killed’, BBC, 18 May 2009; Rebels routed in Sri Lanka after 25 years of war, New York Times, 17 May 2009.

Quotations

“Today we finished the work handed to us by the president to liberate the country from the LTTE,” General Sarath Fonseka, state television broadcast, 18 May 2009.

“This battle has reached its bitter end. We have decided to silence our guns,” Selvarasa Pathmanathan, LTTE spokesman, 17 May, 2009.

“We announce today, with inexpressible sadness and heavy hearts that our incomparable leader and supreme commander … attained martyrdom fighting the military oppression. For over three decades, our leader was the heart and soul and the symbol of hope, pride and determination for the whole nation of people of Tamil Eelam. Since the failure of the peace process and the escalation of the war forced upon the Tamil people, the LTTE was faced [sic] to confront the Sri Lankan military that was supported by the world powers. This deliberate bias and position taken by the international community severely weakened the military position of the LTTE. Our leader confronted this threat without any hesitation. He would not waver in his desire to be with his people and fight for his people till the end. His final request was for the struggle to continue until we achieved the freedom for his people. His legend and the historical status as the Greatest Tamil Leader ever are indestructible,” Selvarasa Pathmanathan, the LTTE’s head of international relations, Tamil Tigers confirm leader’s death, Al Jazeera, 24 May 2009.

November 2008 – 18 May 2009

pact team — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 13:48:58 +0000

The Government of Sri Lanka announces a complete victory against the LTTE. Its military forces recaptured all remaining LTTE controlled territories in the Northern Province, including notably Killinochchi (2 January), the Elephant Pass (9 January) and the ultimately the entire district of Mullaitivu (18 May). The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, called for an international war crimes inquiry, saying she believed that both sides might be guilty of war crimes. The Tigers are accused of using civilians as human shields and those who fled the war have testified that rebel commanders fired on them to stop them escaping, killing many.

UN and human rights organisations reported substantial civilian casualties and large-scale displacement, describing the situation as an “unfolding humanitarian catastrophe”. Sri Lanka also came under severe criticism for not allowing international media to report from the conflict zone.

Quotations
“Today we finished the work handed to us by the president to liberate the country from the LTTE,” General Sarath Fonseka, state television broadcast, 18 May 2009.

“This battle has reached its bitter end. We have decided to silence our guns,” Selvarasa Pathmanathan, LTTE spokesman, 17 May, 2009.

“Our forces have recorded another historic victory. That is the complete dislodging of the Tigers from Elephant Pass and the security forces establishing their authority there. … I need not explain to you that the A-9 route is symbolic of the unity that exists between the north and the south of our country. The LTTE obtained several million rupees from the fraudulent taxes they imposed,” President Rajapakse.

“The fundamental problem is these people have to be allowed to leave. It’s very important that the continuation of the fighting not be allowed to cause an escalation of the suffering for the Tamil people of that region,” Richard Boucher, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State.

“Certain actions being undertaken by the Sri Lankan military and by the [Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam] may constitute violations of international human rights and humanitarian law,” Navi Pillay, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Sources of humanitarian and human rights situation
A Profile of Human Rights and Humanitarian Issues in the Vanni and Vavuniya, Centre for Policy Alternatives, 20 March 2009; ’500 killed’ due to medicine shortage, BBC Sinhala, 17 March 2009; Sri Lanka: Urgently Evacuate Civilians, Human Rights Watch, 4 March 2009; Grim scenes at Sri Lankan camps, Channel 4, 5 May 2009.

Sources
Army ‘takes key Sri Lanka pass’, BBC, 9 January 2009; Lankan forces capture strategic Elephant pass from LTTE, The Hindu, 9 January 2009; Sri Lankan troops seize key Elephant Pass, Reuters, 9 January 2009; Lankan army capture key junction town near Kilinochchi, The Times of India, 12 December 2008; Many dead in Sri Lanka, says UN, BBC, 6 March 2009.

2 January 2009

pact team — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 06:54:30 +0000

Government forces capture the LTTE’s de facto capital of Kilinochchi.

The Tigers first took control of the area in 1990; later it was recaptured by the Sri Lankan army forces during its operations in 1996. The LTTE again took control in September 1998 and held control of the town and its suburbs, locating its administrative hub there.

Sources
Kilinochchi captured in devastating blow to LTTE, The Hindu, 3 January 2009; Sri Lankan troops march into rebel headquarters, Reuters, 2 January 2009; In Pictures: Battle for Kilinochchi, BBC News, 2 January 2009; Kilinochchi falls, Daily Mirror, 3 January 2009; Mixed responses to Kili capture, Daily Mirror, 3 January 2009; Tamil Tigers prepare for last stand in Sri Lanka – but military victory is not political peace, Telegraph, 6 January 2009.

Quotations

“This is a major defeat for the LTTE. The fall of Kilinochchi means the LTTE will have their only territory in Mullaitivu. I would not say this is the end of the war, but it may be the beginning of the shrinking of major LTTE dominated areas,” Iqbal Athas, defence analyst with Jane’s Defence.

“The capture indicates very clearly that the LTTE’s attempt to build up a quasi-state has now collapsed,” Pakiasothy Saravanamuttu, Executive Director, Centre for Policy Analysis (CPA).

“Earlier, the Diaspora was wondering whether the Tigers will regain control of the A9 Road. However, that hope is no longer there now with the army capturing Kilinochchi which was the only big city that remained under Tiger-control. The LTTE has now lost control of all major towns in the North. The terrorists are now confined to their jungle hideouts,”
Karuna Amman, TMVP parliamentarian, formerly leader of the ‘Karuna Faction’.

“This will not be the end of the war. Even at this stage the LTTE holds a sizable land area and we appeal to the government to act sensibly and agree to a ceasefire as a prelude to a political settlement. There will be no victor or vanquished in a war of this nature. Both parties should meet at the negotiation table to achieve a permanent peace. The country had bled enough,” N. Srikantha, Tamil National Alliance parliamentarian.

“A major victory in the world’s battle against terrorism … the final message to the LTTE, to lay down their arms and surrender,” President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

20 April 2008

pact team — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 12:49:58 +0000

The LTTE reports that Rev. Fr. Karunaratnam, chairperson of the North East Secretariat for Human Rights (NESHOR), was killed in a claymore mine allegedly detonated by government soldiers. The report claims that government soldiers infiltrated LTTE territory in northern Sri Lanka to carry out the attack. Military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara has denied any government involvement.

Source
Roadside bomb kills top Catholic priest and rights activist in the north, rebels say, Associated Press, 20 April 2008.

Related event
6 March 2008

1 April 2008

pact team — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 05:19:50 +0000

Sri Lankan rights group University Teachers for Human Rights (UTHR) finds state security forces responsible for the murders of 17 Action Contre La Faim (ACF) aid workers.

In its 29-page report released today, it names a local Muslim home guard and two constables as the killers of most of the group, which took place around 4.30 pm on 4 August 2006. The report details the killings, the role of senior police officials in the murders, and criticises the government’s failure in properly investigating the crime.

Sources
Report details Sri Lanka aid massacre, blames forces, Reuters, 1 April 2008; Sri Lanka defends lengthy inquiry into the massacre of 17 charity workers, The Independent, 3 April 2008.

Quotations

“The evidence shows state security forces, including police, killed the 17 aid workers and that senior police officers covered it up…The killing of civilians during time of conflict is a war crime. The perpetrators and their superiors should be brought to justice.” Rajan Hoole, University Teachers for Human Rights.

“It does more than name the names of those responsible for the brutal ACF killings. It shows the government investigations into the massacre were little more than a bad joke played out on the victims’ families and the international community.” James Ross, Senior Legal Adviser, Human Rights Watch.

“We want the truth to come out. We can’t dictate the course of justice, we can only encourage the process by facilitating its work.” Rohitha Bogollagama, Foreign Minister.

“The country has learnt to be comfortable with grave crimes going unpunished one after another, with the certainty that even graver ones would follow. The answer to the question why Sri Lanka is steeped in recurrent gross crimes, especially against the minorities, that go unchecked is not far to seek. For years, the state has gone on denying, obfuscating, abusing detractors, intimidating or killing witnesses and making matters progressively worse.” Unfinished Business of the Five Students and ACF Cases – A Time to call the Bluff, Special Report No.30, University Teachers for Human Rights (Jaffna) Sri Lanka, 1st April 2008.

25 March 2008

pact team — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 03:46:41 +0000

According to statistics released by the Defence Ministry, over 2,500 LTTE cadres have been killed by the military since 1 January 2008, and more than 7,200 Tigers have been killed since December 2005. The government’s Media Centre for National Security reports 6,867 Tiger fighters and 1,501 soldiers have been killed since the start of 2006. The centre says the armed forces’ losses since the first of January 2008 number 186.

Sources
2,500 Tigers killed since January 1, The Hindu, 25 March 2008; Number game clouds Sri Lankan war, BBC, 21 March 2008.

Quotations

“If you add up all the figures given by the government from the beginning of the separatist war until now, it would have wiped out the population of the north twice over…Similarly if one were to adopt the figures put out by the Tamil Tiger rebels, that would have depleted the ranks of the military considerably.” Iqbal Athas, Sunday Times, Colombo and correspondent for Jane’s Defence Weekly.

Related news items
“Sri Lankan warplanes bombed rebel-held territory in the north of the island for a third consecutive day on Thursday, and the Tamil Tigers said a teenage girl had been killed in the air raids. The military said so far [in April] 399 Tamil Tiger rebels, 34 soldiers and 16 civilians have been killed in clashes, while the air force has carried out 11 raids during the month.” Source: Tiger rebels say Sri Lanka air raid kills girl, Reuters, 17 April 2008.

“Tamil rebels killed at least 100 Sri Lankan soldiers in the nation’s bloodiest battle in 18 months on Wednesday, the separatists said, as the military claimed more than 100 rebels died in the fighting. … At the start of the year, the military said there were only 3,000 Tiger rebels left. Latest official defence ministry figures, which include Wednesday’s toll, show that 3,073 Tigers have been killed by security forces this year. During the same period, the military has lost 223 soldiers, according to the defence ministry.” Source: Over 200 slain in Sri Lanka’s bloodiest battle in 18 months, AFP, 24 April 2008.

“Meanwhile, a Sri Lanka Army (SLA) source, which didn’t wish to be named, verified that 104 dead bodies were initially recovered by the army and more than 400 were wounded. The source further said at least 150 soldiers were killed in action. In the meantime, a Colombo bound passenger said he had seen 12 bus loads of dead and wounded soldiers being rushed to the runway in Palaali military complex.” Source: 150 SLA killed, Tigers locate 28 SLA bodies in Northern Front, TamilNet, 23 April 2008.

“The English-language Sunday Times said Sri Lanka’s top army general Sarath Fonseka told a briefing of military commanders last week that 2,000 troops were killed and 4,000 injured during in 2007, compared to an official tally of 213 dead and 829 injured. “I myself was not present at that meeting. But we did not have so many casualty figures last year,” army spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara told AFP in refuting the newspaper story.” Sri Lanka military denies report that 2,000 troops killed in 2007, AFP, 5 May 2008.

29 January 2008

pact team — Thu, 29 May 2008 05:30:27 +0000

20 civilians, including 11 children, are killed and 14 others injured in a claymore mine attack of a bus near the Madhu shrine, in LTTE-controlled north-western Mannar district. The LTTE blamed the attack on the ‘Deep Penetration Unit (DPU)’ of the Sri Lanka military; the military denied any involvement.
Sources
‘School children killed’ in Mannar, BBC Sinhala, 29 January 2008; Civilian lives going cheap, Inter Press Service, 7 February 2008, 11 school children kiled in Sri Lanka, The Hindu, 30 January 2008

Quotations

“All the passengers in the bus were either schoolchildren or teachers returning from a sporting event. Among those killed were two teachers and the school principal. One of the teachers killed is a Catholic nun. The attack took place one km from the famous Madhu shrine on the Madhu Thadsanamaruthamanu road. The school children are from Thadsanamaruthamanu and Chinnappandivirichchan.” LTTE statement.

“Military Spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara totally denied LTTE allegations that Sri Lanka Army deep penetration unit attacked a civilian school bus in the Madhu area. He stressed that there were no military teams operating in those areas. Mannar Bishop, Rev. Rayappu Joseph was quoted earlier as having said that several school childred had died in a claymore blast insite LTTE controlled areas in Mannar.” Government statement.

Related events
23 May 2008
16 May 2008
20 April 2008
1 April 2008

2 November 2007

pact team — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 23:40:23 +0000

Air strikes of a meeting of top rebel leaders kill S.P. Tamilselvan, the head of the LTTE’s political wing, and five others.

Source
Sri Lankan air force kills Tamil Tigers leader, The Guardian, 2 November 2007; Air raid kills top Tamil Tiger, The Independent, 2 November 2007; Sri Lankan air force raid kills Tamil Tiger political chief, Jane’s, 5 November 2007.

Quotations

“With deep sorrow we announce to the people of Tamil Eelam, the Tamil people living all over the world and the international community, that at 6am today [the] head of our organisation’s political wing Brigadier SP Thamilselvan was killed by the Sri Lankan air force aerial bombing”. LTTE website

“This is a message that we know their leaders’ location. This confirms that our information is very accurate”. Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, Sri Lankan Defence Secretary.

“The loss of Thamilselvan in this way would be a very big setback to any hope of peace talks in the near future – which in any case were not apparent either”. Jehan Perera, National Peace Council.

“Tamilselvan first rose to prominence when he played an influential role in the 1995 peace negotiations with the government of then president Chandrika Kumaratunga. The former head of the political wing subsequently played a key role in all the peace processes, although the LTTE’s chief negotiator, Anton Balasingham, who died last year, remained the international face of the rebel group. Indeed, the significance of Thamilselvan’s death is arguably comparable to the assassination of Sri Lanka’s foreign minister Lakshman Kadirgamar in 2005,” Jane’s, Sri Lankan air force raid kills Tamil Tiger political chief, 5 November 2007.

Related events

11 July 2007

pact team — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 20:01:06 +0000

The Sri Lankan government captures Thoppigala, in what is claimed as the last LTTE base in the Eastern Province. Army chiefs claim that the “victory” gave the government control of the area for the first time in 13 years.

Sources
East in control, Colombo to tackle LTTE in north, The Hindu, 13 July 2007; Sri Lanka says captures last rebel stronghold in east, Reuters, 11 July 2007.

Quotations

“We have liberated the East so that the people could be free from the clutches of the LTTE. We will now concentrate on developing the east and holding elections so that the eastern people also could elect their representatives for democratic institutions freely,” Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, Cabinet Spokesperson.

14 March 2007

pact team — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 05:18:36 +0000

Sri Lankan senior defence officials state that the latest military campaign against the LTTE could continue for a further two to three years.

20 January 2007

pact team — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 05:49:56 +0000

The Sri Lankan army takes control of Vaharai and Kathiraveli, both LTTE strongholds in Batticaloa.

Sources
At least 40 Tamil Tigers killed, as army routs rebel stronghold, military says, International Herald Tribune, 20 January 2007; The process of weakening the LTTE, The Hindu, 21 January 2007; Several thousand reported fleeing coastal strip in eastern Sri Lanka, UNHCR, 19 January 2007, Sri Lanka troops hunt rebels as refugees flood camps, Reuters, 20 January 2007.

2 January 2007

pact team — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 06:08:02 +0000

The Sri Lankan air force claims it aerial bombed a Sea Tiger base in Mannar. The LTTE spokesmen said the air raid had killed 15 civilians, including four children, in a fishing village.

Source
Sri Lanka raid kills civilians, BBC, 2 January 2007.

8 November 2006

pact team — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 07:21:12 +0000

At least 45 Tamil civilians are killed in Vaharai, Batticaloa by the Sri Lankan military. The Sri Lankan government defends the allegation on the basis that the LTTE was using civilians as ‘human shields’.

Sources
Lanka army kills 45 civilians, BBC News, 8 November 2006; Sri Lanka militray reported to have killed 45 civilians, The Times, 8 November 2006; Return to war, Sri Lanka Report, Human Rights Watch, August 2007.

Quotations

"It seems a school where some internally-displaced people were residing has been hit in the attack… We can confirm lots of people are dead. The numbers are unclear, but initial reports show 50 to 60 people have been killed. The injured could number several hundred." SLMM spokesperson, November 2006.

"The Tigers had been planning this situation since the beginning of this month by detaining the innocent civilians in those areas by force to be used as a human shield when the time arises." Defence Ministry statement, November 2006.

"The 12 witnesses who spoke with Human Rights Watch provided no support for the government’s claim. None of the people at or around the Kathiravelli camp that day reported any LTTE artillery fire that morning. The nearest LTTE military base was about two kilometers away, three people said. Six others explained how the LTTE had blocked them from leaving the Vaharai area along the roads, including one incident in which LTTE fighters shot and wounded a displaced person. But none of them said the LTTE had used anyone as a “human shield”, that is, purposefully using civilians to render an LTTE fighter immune from attack. Similarly, Human Rights Watch spoke with three international organizations with direct knowledge of the Vaharai area and the Kathirivelli incident, and none of them had any direct knowledge, or had heard credible reports, of the LTTE using civilians as ‘human shields’.” Human Rights Watch, August 2007.

4 September 2006

pact team — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 07:44:30 +0000

The Sri Lankan government announces that its military has taken control of strategically important Sampur.

Sources
Sri Lankan troops take key town, BBC, 4 September 2006; LTTE admits defeat in Sampoor, BBC Sinhala, 4 September 2006

Quotations

"The only resistance we encountered was mines and booby-trapped devices We are in total control." Defence spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella.

"Our troops have captured Sampur. This is not war, we are only responding to an attack on us." President Rajapakse, speaking at a rally of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party.

“Sri Lankan forces are now in control of Sampoor.” Rasiah Ilanthirayan, Tamil Tiger military spokesman.