(March 03, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) From the Editorial Desk: As we go to the press we have the news of terror attack on Sri Lankan cricketers in Lahore a few hours ago. In view of this cowardly and dastardly act, it is all the more necessary for the entire world to commit itself against all types of terrorism. Even more it is more important President Mahinda Rajapakse should persist in ensuring terrorism of all forms are wiped out in Sri Lanka now that he is at it with sheer determination. There can be no ceasefire of any sort in Wanni. Even more in view of the discoveries made in a bunker in Wanni, India must arrest Y Gopalaswamy and P Nedumaran and charge them both for blatantly supporting terrorism in a manner of such temerity as they did in Sri Lanka. It is also likely there is every possibility they may have some pertinent questions to answer in respect of the assassination of the former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Last month the Rev Father James Pathinathar, in a letter addressed to the Secretary General of the United Nations made a claim that the Sri Lankan Armed Forces have encircled an area in the Mullaitivu district and the lives of 491,000 people held captives by them are under threat. He may have based this count on the people of Wanni who were herded from different villages and townships even from Kilinochchi and Paranthan at gun point and marched towards the subterranean fortress of Prabhakaran somewhere close to Mullaitivu.
This is why when the Sri Lankan Forces marched into Wanni there were only ghost towns with signs of hurried but pre-planned abandonment. Force-marching the people was planned well ahead and no doubt Pathinathar was part of this conspiracy.
He also dragged in other priests to do this dirty deed including some from the non-RC Churches. There were others however, who did not fall into this conspired manipulation and stood firmly by their congregations and saved them from the human shield nightmare.
Father Pathinathar is the prominent LTTE Roman Catholic priest of Udaiyarkaddu that was at that time, a part of the fast-diminishing Tiger kingdom of Mullaitivu. If the numbers he claimed were correct, how did one-fortieth of the entire Sri Lankan population find their way to this tiny spot of land?
It is known Father Pathinathar and some priests, acolytes and nuns are heavily involved in LTTE affairs in this region. This relationship alone has another hitherto unchartered territory waiting to be raveled and has the potential of shocking revelations.
Stating that the large mass of people are being held captives by an encircling army is just the opposite of being held hostage by a force held under siege, the line separating both defining either their freedom from the Tiger clasp or exposure to face gunfire as human shield. Instead of writing to the United Nations, Father Pathinathar should have told the LTTE not to use the civilians as human shield and demanded that they be left to go free.
But then that was not his intention. This priest and also some others from the cassocked gentry and their agents herded up as many people possible to form the human shield telling them that they were safe with the LTTE and that the invading army was likely to massacre them.
As for the numbers held hostage, later figures more than halved that claim but these came from some of the more genuine NGOs and volunteers working in Wanni. This was quite a leap backward. A little later some figures from government officials working in Wanni seeped into more reliable communiqués stating that the numbers held hostage cannot be more than 100,000 perhaps more closer to 80,000. This was quite a relief to people who were concerned at the numbers that were helplessly in the grip of the Tigers.
Many did escape into the jungles during their forced-march especially during the night but facing risks from wild animals and also the chances of being suspected as LTTE suicide bombers or agents on missions to attack the armed forces.
There is strong evidence to show that a lot of people from townships along the A9 Highway such as Paranthan and Murugandy were persuaded to march into these areas exactly the way the LTTE did in October 1995 from the Jaffna peninsula to Wanni irrespective of the torrential monsoonal rains that fell heavily at that time. It was a merciless march at gun point and an occasional burst of grenades thrown with gay abandon by the LTTE cadres many of them in their teen years.
This forced infamous march had all the elements of human shield but was also meant to ensure the LTTE had numbers in Wanni force-settled to be perpetual human shields and a source for their fighting cadres. In their weaponry, civilian human shield, frontline civilian fodder, teenaged suicide bombers and child combatants are essential parts; the leaders never fought from the front and terror was the nightmare tactics they sprayed around with licentious wanton and profligate wickedness.
There is documentary evidence too of a concerted action made to persuade people to go towards what was going to be the area that was bound to come under heavy fire and as a last chance of defense of the LTTE and more especially to protect Prabhakaran if he is still in Wanni. If he is in Wanni, he is evidently not in a state to lead or determine the course of action. This has been, it is suspected, effectively taken over by Pottu Amman.
A shocking revelation
Among evidence of human shield herding tactics, there was a letter circulated by a non-Roman Catholic priest, the Rev S Jeyanesan who claims to be the head of a non-existing Church of the American Ceylon Mission asking people even from safe areas such as Murugandy and Paranthan who could have easily escaped to Vavuniya to go to Mullaitivu and towns nearby such as Visuvamadu and Suthanthirapuram that were known as high risk areas. This is a shocking revelation of a priest giving whole-hearted support to gather up a human shield.
There is no doubt some priests have played horrendous roles aiding and enabling Velupillai Prabhakaran to ride the terror pestilence, and to have supported him all along defies the hallowed principles of the faith they profess. Why did they not defy Prabhakaran and tell him to release all the civilian hostages and fight his war with his armed forces?
It certainly appears that these priests were actively involved in assembling together a massive human shield for some time to protect the LTTE and use this as the final trump to force a ceasefire and save the LTTE from a total wipe-out. The LTTE knew they had some NGOs who have played dirty right along, the usual overseas organizations that make a habit of shouting coarse to ensure their existence with funds that are available if they remained active. There is also of course the pro-LTTE Tami, Diaspora who dabbles in millions of dollars as part of the underworld industry the LTTE has created globally.
A large number of the Tamil Diaspora have been brain-washed to believe that only through the LTTE they can help their kith and kin for such has been the massive anti-Sinhala propaganda and that was whipped up to sustain the high life, the so called pro-Tamil activists have carved for themselves under the guise of being supporters of the Tamil cause.
As for the numbers held hostage, some 40,000 have been reported as having escaped and are now in government camps. Out of the remaining numbers there would be the hardcore LTTE supporters and activists and probably the final ring of people forced as human shield especially around Prabhakaran’s bunker.
A likely numbers of hostages that need to be rescued would be in the range of 20,000 or even less and the chances are, if some of the observations made by those who have managed to escape from the LTTE can be analyzed carefully, the second line LTTE leaders are likely to revolt against Prabhakaran. If Karuna could have done it, why not the others too?
Amidst all these, some speculations are fast emerging about Prabhakaran himself and his health conditions. He may have ceased to be of any consequence already and Pottu Amman has taken over the LTTE and this much to the dislike of Prabhakaran’s son, Charles Anthony. Among those in a fix and fit about this developing reversals for the LTTE is the former Constable-General Nadesan who would have fled the LTTE but for the fear Pottu Amman may aim a bullet at his back.
-Sri Lanka Guardian
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