LTTE extends ceasefire

By Nirupama Subramanian

COLOMBO, JAN. 23. The LTTE today announced that it would extend its unilateral ceasefire by another month.

The announcement came in the midst of another operation by the Sri Lankan security forces in the Jaffna peninsula aimed at recapturing Elephant Pass from the LTTE.

The military spokesman, Brigadier Sanath Karunaratne, said the operation, launched on Monday night, took the LTTE ``completely by surprise.''

The military claims to have extended the area under its control by another 8 sq kms in Muhamalai, south of Eluthumaduval, including a small stretch of the highway to Elephant Pass.

``The LTTE offered no resistance at all last night,'' Brigadier Karunaratne said.

According to a government statement, ``the surprise achieved was such that the (LTTE) could not use their heavy concentration of mortars and artillery as they were unaware of the security forces' positions until consolidation had progressed to a great extent.''

However, fighting erupted this morning, when LTTE fired mortars at the army's newly acquired positions. The security forces lost two soldiers and six were wounded when they carried out a raid on a LTTE strong point in the area in the early hours of today.

Soldiers found bodies of five LTTE cadres after the raid and claimed to have killed at least 15 more.

Feeble resistance

One explanation for the LTTE's feeble resistance is the government claim that it has been militarily weakened to a point of no return.

The other theory, favoured by independent military analysts, is that rather than retaliate on the ground, which entails the risk of losing manpower for territory that is not terribly crucial, the LTTE may be keeping its powder dry for a possible attempt by the security forces on Pallai, the outpost for the psychologically and militarily strategic Elephant Pass.

For now, by extending its unilateral ceasefire to February 24, the LTTE seems keen to keep its side of the battle on a different plane.

The declaration will certainly earn it more brownie points from the international community and increase the pressure on the Sri Lankan government, especially from its European donors, to reciprocate.

Already, the LTTE's initial month-long ceasefire, combined with its desire to talk since last November, seems to have accorded it a degree of international acceptability that it did not have before this.

The extension of the ceasefire may also help its case against a possible ban on the group by the U.K. under its new anti- terrorism legislation, due to come into effect next month.

In a statement from its London headquarters, the LTTE said it had taken this step ``to prevent the escalation of current hostilities into an all-out war and to provide further space to facilitate the peace effort undertaken by the Norwegian government.''

The decision to ``observe peace'' for a month was a sign of its commitment to genuine and earnest desire for peace, it said.

``We have taken this decision in conformity with the collective will of the Tamil nation which demands peace and also in compliance with the wish of the international community which pleads for a peaceful means of resolving the conflict,'' it added.

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