'Lanka's air strikes are a clear truce violation'

Colombo, Apr 29: The Nordic truce monitors, overseeing the truce between the Lankan Government and the LTTE, today said the reprisal ''air strikes'' carried out by the Lankan forces on the LTTE targets in the rebel-held Sampoor area of the eastern Trincomalee district ''are a clear violation of the Ceasefire Agreement''.

Citing article 1.2 of the Ceasefire Agreement, which clearly stipulates that ''Neither Party shall engage in any offensive military operation,'' the Nordic truce monitoring mission, officially known as Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), in a statement urged ''the Government of Sri Lanka to refrain from such operations as they can jeopardise the Ceasefire further and will only add fuel to the conflict.''

''We also fear that Government Security forces have, in the North and the East, been involved in extrajudicial killings of civilians.

This conviction is based on our observation and inquiries on the ground,'' the SLMM statement said.

Following a suicide assassination bid on Lankan army chief Sarath Fonseka, which killed nine people and left more than 29, including the army chief, injured, the government launched ''limited and coordinated retaliatory attacks on selected targets'' on April 25 and 26 in the LTTE-held Sampoor area.

After ceasing the limited operation on April 26, government spokesman Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa said at a news conference that it was meant ''to prevent what the LTTE is trying to do in places like Colombo and Trincomalee''.

Referring to the stepped-up LTTE attacks on the government forces, the SLMM stressed that ''it is inexcusable to place military or political targets amongst the civilian population close to schools and private houses.'' ''Although the situation has calmed down in the last couple of days it is still worrying to see that claymore mine attacks and killings of civilians and army personnel continue.

The LTTE must seize all their military activities and attacks on Government forces,'' the SLMM statement said, urging both the parties to end the violence immediately if they ''are to make any progress in returning to the negotiation table.'' President Mahinda Rajapakse on Thursday appointed an Essential Task Force to take all measures to facilitate the return and rehabilitation of people, and to facilitate the delivery of essential services to affected people, including those in the rebel-held areas in Trincomalee district.

The President has also instructed the Treasury to allocate Rs 100 million for the task force to start function immediately.

UNI

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