The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) conveyed a message to the LTTE on Saturday 23. December stating that the Government of Sri Lanka would conduct a rescue mission to salvage the Jordanian ship M/V Farah III and its crew. SLMM strongly advised the LTTE to allow for this operation to be executed without any delay and urged the LTTE to respect international law and the sovereign rights of Sri Lanka in the territorial waters surrounding the island.

SLMM will shortly conduct a workshop in order to adapt to the current situation. Almost 5 years after the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) signed the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) and established SLMM as an integral part of it, the situation in the country has changed significantly.

The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) has been informed that due to technical problems, the Jordanian ship Farha III is stranded NE of Mullaitivu.

In general SLMM does not comment on individual cases in the media. However, in this particular case SLMM feels the need to clarify the following:

The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, SLMM, is deeply concerned over the escalating violence in the area between Batticaloa and Trincomalee in the east part of Sri Lanka. The violence does not only put the Cease Fire Agreement, CFA, into great danger, but jeopardizes lives of thousands of innocent civilians, especially internally displaced people in the Vakarai area.

The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) is deeply concerned over the attack on Defense Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse in the heart of Colombo, Friday December 1st.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is pleased to inform that Major General Lars Johan Sølvberg has been appointed as Acting Head of Mission for Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM).

The Swedish, Finnish and Danish members of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) are due to leave by the end of August, as the LTTE will not accept EU nationals as monitors after 1 September. The gradual withdrawal of these 39 monitors (out of a total contingent of 57) has begun. Norwegian and Icelandic monitors will remain in Sri Lanka, and their number will gradually be increased to 30 when the ground situation permits and demands such an increase. It is envisaged that additional monitors from other countries will be invited later.

The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission strongly condemns the claymore mine attack near Kebitigollewa in the morning of June 15, with the tragic loss of over 60 civilians.

Over 100 people were killed last month half of which were civilians. Killings and serious attacks continue and the situation is getting worse. It is our assessment that if the Parties don’t react immediately they risk going back to war.