Muhamalai closure foils LTTE military ambitions

PEACE TALKS: It is well proven that the LTTE has always used peace talks to strengthen themselves militarily for their next operation. Tiger leader Velupillai Prabhakaran sent S.P. Thamilselvan to Geneva this time to get the environment clear to launch his next offensive to capture Jaffna, more confidently before his next birthday.

But this time they failed in achieving their goal because the Government refused to open the Muhamalai entry-exit point as it was genuinely interested in the peace talks.

In the aftermath of the LTTE's failed attempt to get the A-9 road opened at Muhamalai, Tiger leader Prabhakaran summoned his team to Kilinochchi cancelling their Oslo trip, perhaps thinking of another option to get the Government to open the key Muhamalai entry exit point on the A-9 road.

The views expressed by LTTE Political wing leader S.P. Thamilselvan following the Geneva II talks also confirm the fact their only focus at the talks was to pressurise the Government to open the A-9 road.

It was questionable as to why the LTTE which had not considered the recapture of Sampur by Government Forces as an obstacle to the continuation of peace talks, harped on the A-9 road at Muhamalai.

The answer is obvious. The LTTE cannot compare the loss of Sampur with the loss of their former stronghold Jaffna. They have not given up their hopes to recapture Jaffna.

That is why the LTTE, despite the failure of their Geneva efforts, had continued its campaign to get Muhamalai open for the public. They are even ready to keep the Jaffna population in hunger in their desperate bid to put pressure on the Government to open Muhamalai.

If the LTTE was genuinely concerned about the suffering of the Jaffna population and about peace talks they would have definitely urged the Government to fulfil the food requirement without any shortage in a given time frame.

But there was no sign that they are going to make such a demand in the interest of the innocent Tamil community in Jaffna.

Instead, the LTTE is setting more and more obstacles to the Government's bid to send essential supplies to Jaffna, threatening the traders and also the shippers from India who are willing to sail to Jaffna directly from India bringing essential food stocks.

The desperate bids by the LTTE to put pressure on the Government through the international community and by various pressure groups clearly indicate that they are vying for the opening of the A-9 road at Muhamalai not in the interest of the public but in their bid to accomplish military strategies.

The LTTE having failed in successive bids since August 11 to capture Jaffna by launching two pronged attacks on Security Forces Forward Defence Lines in Muhamalai, Kilaly, Nagarkovil and Kayts and having lost their first defence line to the Security Forces seem to have not yet given up their hopes.

Intelligence reports indicate that LTTE will try another way of capturing Jaffna before Prabhakaran celebrates his birthday on November 26.

The LTTE was engaged in a strong campaign to get Muhamalai open for public and vehicular traffic as it serves the purpose of the blueprint laid by Tiger leader to capture Jaffna peninsula.

The LTTE is in dire need of getting the A-9 road open at Muhamalai as hundreds of sleeper cadres in the peninsula are running out of arms and ammunition due to constant recoveries made by the Security Forces in the peninsula during cordon and search operations.

It is vital for the LTTE to get these cadres activated by providing them with arms and ammunition and smuggling them to Jaffna by various means through the opening of the Muhamalai entry exit point.

If they are supplied with those much needed arms and ammunition they can create a panic situation in Jaffna and exploit the chaos to bring in more arms and ammunition.

The Security Forces have arrested such LTTE cadres after the closure of the road from Muhamalai. According to Security Forces they are not only running out of ammunition but also fast losing their connections with their leadership since there is no way of communicating from Jaffna.

The closure of the Muhamalai entry exit point has become a stumbling block for these cadres as well as for the Tiger leaders in Wanni in accomplishing their task.

The LTTE's insistence for the opening of the Muhamalai entry exit point despite the dilapidated status of the road also comes due to their desperate need to get their shattered Forward Defence Line in order.

Since the setback they faced due to retaliatory attacks by the Security Forces foiling the LTTE attempt to breach Forward Defences of the Security Forces, the LTTE was forced to withdraw to their second defence line close to Pallai in the south of Muhamalai.

The retaliatory artillery fire of the Security Forces has become a burden on the LTTE as they are not in a position to run their military operations and also the process of the constructing new bunker lines.

The LTTE desperately needs the human flow on the A-9 road via Muhamalai entry exit point since they can exploit the human flow as a shield to use heavy earth moving equipment without any resistance from the Security Forces to construct their bunker line.

The LTTE is now in a disadvantageous situation due to the weak Forward Defence Line they are manning in the South of Muhamalai to launch a fresh offensive towards Jaffna.

A properly established bunker line will definitely facilitate the location of their mortar and artillery guns close to the Security Forces Forward Defence Line and enable them to launch a major attack on Security Forces in their bid to capture Jaffna in a lightning operation.

While facing severe blows militarily the LTTE is also fast losing the control they had over the Jaffna peninsula due to the closure of Muhamalai entry exit point.

It was clearly evident by their inability to organise a single hartal in Jaffna peninsula after the closure of Muhamalai entry exit point.

It has turned out to be the most disadvantageous situation since they no longer have the ability to mobilise schoolchildren and people for their mass protests and hartals against the Security Forces.

The duplicitous position maintained by the LTTE on the supply of essential food items to the Jaffna population by blocking Government moves and threatening traders has changed the people's thinking on the LTTE.

It seems they have realised that the LTTE is no longer fit to be worshipped as their 'saviour' since the LTTE had demonstrated that they were ready to even keep them in hunger to achieve their petty goals.

The LTTE has also been pushed to a corner in Jaffna as people enjoy the right to purchase their essential goods at the same prices they are sold in Colombo, as the LTTE is out of operation in Jaffna.

Therefore, this has become the most worrying factor for the LTTE, since their operations are becoming more and more difficult in the Jaffna peninsula.

Child conscription and arms training forcibly provided to civilians and students have also been adversely affected, leading to a most desperate situation for the LTTE.

Since there is no means of transporting children to Kilinochchi for the LTTE, the parents in Jaffna peninsula have become the biggest benefactors as a result of the Government's decision to keep the Muhamalai entry exit point closed since it guarantees the protection of innocent children in the peninsula. They no longer fall into the hands of the LTTE.

The LTTE also suffers heavily due to the closure of the Muhamalai entry exit point as they can no longer hire people for their 'Makkal Padai' (Civilian gang) mostly the young blood to lob hand grenades and set claymore mines targeting Security Force personnel.

The LTTE has also faced severe financial difficulties as they lose 'taxes' extorted from the people at the rate of Rs.5 million a day. The financial crisis they face in the wake of this situation has compelled the LTTE to reduce the rates they paid for their hired workers from Rs.12,000 to Rs.3,000 per month.

The arguments put forward by the LTTE for the opening of the A-9 road at Muhamalai become invalid in the face of the military advantages they trying to garner through their demand.

If they are genuinely concerned about peace talks and the Tamil community they do not need to worry about the closure of Muhamalai entry exit point since Government is fully committed to look into the needs of the Jaffna population.

The LTTE too would have contributed to this noble task by giving clearance for the ICRC to escort the ships carrying essential items to Jaffna.

So any decision to open the Muhamalai entry exit point is expected to provide the LTTE with a distinct military advantage to increase their offensive operations to capture Jaffna peninsula but not to keep them in the direction of peace talks.

It was in this direction the Government proposed an alternative route for the people to bypass Muhamalai on the A-9 road and reach Jaffna for their daily needs.

According to the proposed alternative route forwarded by the Government people proceeding towards Jaffna on the A-9 road passing Omanthai and Kilinochchi will have to take the Pooneryn, Sanguppiddy road that links to the A-9 road in Kilinochchi.

People will have to cross the lagoon to reach Jaffna by a ferry service from the Sangupiddy jetty.

However, the Government has been keen enough to control child recruitment and also extortion by the LTTE, putting forward proposals to restrict cargo transportation and movement of children through this route.

Therefore the proposed route will be used only for the purpose of free movement of people while the flow of essential items to Jaffna is ensured by ships.

The LTTE however, has not responded to the proposal forwarded by the Government yet since this proposal does not serve their requirement and intention of recapturing Jaffna.