OPERATIONAL ASSESSMENT

Tension is still high in Jaffna peninsula with continuous shelling with several periods of high intensity. There is still a high frequency of assaults against security forces. There was again an attack against SLA in a crowded area in downtown Jaffna. A claymore mine went off towards an SLA vehicle parked outside a supermarket killing one civilian, and injuring one soldier and four civilians. The perpetrators also fired guns, but SLA did not fire back. In retaliation to the claymore blast, security forces assaulted civilians in Chiruppiddi. Groups of soldiers entered homes and beat up their residents before engaging in plundering. The soldiers thereafter threatened to kill the villagers if they again came under attack. SLA soldiers also stopped people at checkpoints and beat them up if they were from Chiruppiddi. There are high numbers of assassinations and abductions of adults. Most take place during curfew hours at night, and the perpetrators are allowed to move around in vehicles unhindered. Jaffna was shut down on Wednesday in protest to the assassination of MP Nadarajah Raviraj. SLA set up new picket points along Temple Road in front of the SLMM office. Soldiers intruded into SLMM grounds several times. SLMM has lodged a formal complaint with SCOPP. The Picket point in front of the SLMM office was removed later in the week. SLA is building new bunkers along the coastal road west of Jaffna town.

 

Vavuniya was mostly calm, but tense during the first half of the week during a hartal that lasted for five days. One LTTE cadre was shot dead 18 November, and security forces have several times been targeted by claymore mines and hand grenades. Also, there is an obvious rise in extortion cases where testimonies clearly points towards PLOTE. On 18 November, LTTE exploded a claymore mine in Tandikkulam, north of Vavuniya town, killing five SLA soldiers and injuring three. Soon after the blast soldiers on foot patrol jumped the fence into the nearby Sri Lanka Agricultural Faculty. They formed a circle around students lying on the ground, and shot four students dead, wounding another 12. One later succumbed to his injuries. The Magistrate of Vavuniya is of the opinion that the security forces did not act in panic, but that the killing was in retaliation to the claymore blast. He mentioned that four of the students were shot from less than one meter.

 

Mannar district experienced greater tension this week than in recent weeks, with several incidents taking place both on land and at sea. Three SLA soldiers were killed in a claymore mine explosion and two days later one SLA officer was injured and one civilian shot in an incident that took place when the army was doing a cordon search as a follow-up on the claymore. There were some incidents along A-14 with firing of weapons and possibly some shelling. There were two incidents at sea. The SLN blew up a trawler they suspected of carrying weapons to LTTE off the coast by Kudramalai Point. There was a sea battle early 18 November off the southern coast of Mannar Island between SLN and the LTTE sea tigers. The number of casualties is unclear.

 

Kilinochchi has been calm and quiet, but there is underlying tension. There were no air strikes in Vanni this week. One claymore mine exploded on the road from A9 to Vellankulam, targeting a vehicle usually used by LTTE PW leaders. This is the first claymore in Vanni since an ambulance was hit 8 August.

 

Trincomalee town is still very calm. A hartal that was announced to protest the recent assassination of MP Raviraj and the bombing of the IDPs in Vakarai received lukewarm response from the Tamil population and was abandoned after the first day. There is a marked reduction of targeted killings in Trincomalee. SLN are performing security operations outside Uppural and Kokkulai north of Trincomalee. The bigger gunboats can now be seen accompanying the DVORAS on their patrols.

 

The situation in Ampara is generally calm and quiet. No shelling reported into LTTE controlled area. There is relatively low LTTE and K-faction activity in GOSL controlled area.

 

SLMM Batticaloa has received numerous complaints from SLA and the police regarding shelling from LTTE controlled areas. It has so far not been possible to verify any of these alleged attacks. There has been an increase in SLA shelling into the LTTE areas in Vakarai and Batticaloa. Information from Vakarai is very difficult to verify. Small arms’ firing has occurred quite frequently between the parties. The IDPs in Vakarai live under terrible conditions. Some civilians seem to be able to escape through the jungle into GOSL areas. GOSL is not allowing humanitarian supplies into the area. LTTE on the other hand is not allowing people to leave the area. The LTTE controlled area has suffered increased and heavy shelling from 233 Bde HQ in Batticaloa town, from SLAF airbase Vavunaitivu, from Kaluwanchikudy and Mandur STF camps.

 

Due to the prevailing security situation, SLMM has issued an order restricting patrols in the AOR. The restricted areas are: South and East of Jaffna, North of Elephant Pass, South and East of Muttur in Trincomalee district, Vakarai and areas north of A11 in Batticaloa district and finally the LTTE controlled areas East of Batticaloa town.