The Ceylon News

	Sri Lanka army says it was the first casualty since LTTE was defeated

According to the army, this was the first casualty that it's suffered since May, when it captured the last rebel stronghold and declared victory.

The soldier was was reported to have been about to search a boat in Batticaloa, in eastern Sri Lanka, when a man on board grabbed his gun and shot him.

The army said the attacker was captured by other soldiers, and later identified as Nallaratnam Mohan, a regional rebel leader.

The security forces say they've killed more than a dozen guerrillas in recent weeks as they continue operations against the remnants of the Tigers.

The Sri Lankan army killed most of the LTTE's leaders when it defeated the rebels last month [AFP] The few surviving leaders of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have announced that they are transforming the former Sri Lankan rebel movement into a "transnational government". In a recorded statement, Selvarasa Pathmanathan, the LTTE international relations chief, said the organisation would continue to pursue its aim of a separate Tamil state despite the death of its leader. "The struggle of people of Tamil Eelam [the separate state the LTTE fought for] has reached a new state," he said. "It is time now for us to move forward with our political vision towards our freedom." The announcement comes nearly a month after Velupillai Prabhakaran, the LTTE leader, and most of his deputies, were killed by government forces in an offensive that bought the island’s 26-year civil war to an end. Focus: Sri Lanka Sri Lanka's uneasy peace Profile: Velupillai Prabhakaran Q&A: Sri Lanka's civil war The history of the Tamil Tigers Timeline: Conflict in Sri Lanka According to rights groups, thousands of civilians in the north of the country were also killed in the fighting. An estimated 250,000 Tamil refugees are currently living in military-run camps for the internally displaced that have been criticised as internment camps. Pathmanathan, who worked as the LTTE's main international arms smuggler, said a "provisional transnational government of Tamil Eelam" was being set up. He also said that Rudrakumaran Vishwanathan, their overseas-based legal adviser, would head a committee to decide a course of action that would be "within democratic principles". It is not clear from where Pathmanathan, who is wanted by Interpol for his arms smuggling operations, issued the recorded message. Diaspora support Al Jazeera's Tony Birtley, who has covered Sri Lanka extensively, said the new entity would probably gain a lot of support among the more than one million-strong Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora across the world. Some 250,000 Tamil refugees remain in what critics call internment camps [AFP] Pointing out that the Tamil diaspora were still a tremendous source of funding for the LTTE, he said that they were "still incensed at the treatment of the internally displaced Tamils in the country and what they say is a lack of basic human rights". "But it is difficult to see how that will translate on the ground in Sri Lanka where all LTTE structure and hierarchy have been totally destroyed leaving what some say are only 'tame and compliant' Tamils to deal with the government," our correspondent said. "The statement by Pathmanathan speaks of a political process and makes no mention of resuming a guerrilla war. The question is will that still be the case if this transnational LTTE government is banned from the process of peace and reconciliation?" Meanwhile, the pro-LTTE Tamilnet website called for a "democratic and inclusive" organisation to continue a separatist agenda. "The need of the time now is the metamorphosis of the existing infrastructure into a democratic and inclusive transnational government of Eelam Tamils," Tamilnet said. "While the government-in-exile is a conventional phenomenon that needs a host country, the transnational government is a novel experiment that has no precedence," it said, while characterising the new set-up as a "symbolic" new start for the LTTE. The Tamil Tigers had been fighting for more than 25 years for a homeland for ethnic Tamils in the north and east of the country, saying they were marginalised by the ruling majority Sinhalese government.

A Tamil Tiger insurgent grabbed the gun of a Sri Lankan soldier conducting a search of a suspicious boat and shot three troops, killing one, the military said Sunday.

It was the first military fatality since the end of the government's decades-long war with the insurgents.

Military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara said the incident took place when troops were searching a suspicious boat in the eastern Batticaloa district on Saturday.

He said the Tamil Tiger in the boat took a soldier's gun and shot at soldiers when the search was going on.

One soldier died and two others were wounded, he said. The rebel was also wounded by troops who returned fire. He has been hospitalized.

Government troops, who crushed the Tamil rebels in May, ending the nation's 25-year civil war, have now launched operations to capture the remaining rebels.

About 10,000 former rebel fighters are being held by the government.

Dear friends,
I think an adventure is when you step into the unknown. A journey into the unknown is what happened on the 13th May when with my cousin Leelani and our driver, Rohan, we set off at 3 a.m.for Vavuniya.
I obtained the M of Defense (M.O.D) permit from the M. of Health on the 12th afternoon and we loaded the truck that same evening.
We got to Anuradhapura ( I hope you have your maps on hand) by 8 a.m after a brief stop on the road side for sandwiches and coffee. In Anuradhapura we had a tea and toilet stop. It is a good thing Leelani and I have well disciplined bladders and bowels because our next visit to the toilet was at 8.30 p.m.
We got to Medawachchiya by 8.45 and this is where the journey into the unknown started. I had been asked to meet Col. Bandara who told a soldier to get me a"chit" which I understand is the pass to get the truck into the inspection yard. But the Policeman refused to accept the order and sent me to the Police OIC who happened to be a very nice person. He summoned a constable and told him to let me sit in the shed and that he was to find the truck and do the needful instead of having me run around the place. I sat for about 10 minutes. Sitting around while the unknown was happening just goes against the grain. So I took off to look for the truck and after some time found it in the inspection yard and the driver was being given conflicting orders. We had to back the truck up to a platform and unload all the boxes - by ourselves. With only one able bodied man and too not so able bodied women available for the task I turned my charm on the policeman who was to do the inspection. I persuaded him to step into the truck and open the boxes while they were in the truck. Fortunately because the truck was so large all our boxes formed only one layer. There were no boxes one on top of the other. The two of us stepped onto the boxes (luckily no breakables in the boxes) and he opened about five boxes and one baby pack. I couldn't resist the chance to kid him when he did not know how to re-pin the bundle with the baby pin. He coyly told me that he was not married. Had we unload and re loaded we would have spent another hour in that yard. As we tried to leave with the precious pass clutched in Rohan's sweaty hand we were told that the pass lacked one more signature. After obtaining the last signature we set off for Vauniya and had to stop at another check point. I got off the truck to find out what we had to do next and while they checked the pass and papers I got into conversation with the Home guards and one policeman manning the check point. I was told with great pride that it was at this point that they had apprehended the woman who had set off the bomb on the Panadura train. Since my cousin, Gamini Setunga, had been badly injured in that blast I felt gratified. At every check point after that we were told how to get passes to leave Vauniya.We had no idea at that stage that it would be more difficult to get out than to get in.
We got to the hospital by 11.30 a.m and met Dr. Sudahar and later Dr. Bhavani (Medical Superintendent). After inquiry we were told that there were 75 women needing assistance but we should leave the rest of the packs which they could give mothers as they came in later. We were assigned two orderlies - one male and one female. All they were told is to take us to the maternity wards 5 and 7. Dr. Sudahar helped us to park the truck as close to the maternity wards as possible and then we had to get a stretcher to wheel the boxes into the ward. When we got to the ward I found that the nurses had not been informed about our intention. Having explained in my best Tamil we gave out 20 packs to mothers awaiting delivery. I had to go back to look for Dr. Sudahar to explain that we can give packs to mothers who have just delivered. This time he phoned the ward staff. So back to the ward and we distributed a total of 72 backs. Some women were not from camps and told us that they had been brought there straight from the ship that had rescued them.
Getting to and from the ward was like running an obstacle course. We were told that many of the patients who had been discharged refused to leave the hospital. They lined the open corridors on both sides with their little bundles containing all their earthly possessions. One had to be careful not to run over feet and fingers. Some mothers were nursing new born infants in the open corridor. They felt that this way of living was better than going back to the camps. We had no time to ask who fed them.
Mothers with older children appealed for packets of milk. Besides having just enough packets for the packs we would have started a riot in the corridors with everyone wanting a packet. We may have seemed heartless but I had to firmly explain that if I gave one I would have to give all. We did quietly give one woman money and another who seemed in a daze, some sandwiches. Leelani and I sat on the edge of the corridor and had the rest of our sandwiches while Rohan went out to have his lunch. The very thought of using the hospital toilet froze our bladders into a complete shut down. At about 3 p.m since no one from the office answered the phone we decide to leave and to hand over the balance packs to CHA for distribution in their camp in the Tamil MMVidyalaya.
We found the camp easily but CHA office was elsewhere. We had to get to the pass issuing place by 4.30 if we had intention of leaving that evening. We were able to observe the camp from the outside. It looked like the Tsunami camps. Every thing seemed to be quiet and orderly. There were sheds for classrooms. Dhanya told me later that they hold classes for children in the camps. The children who normally attend this school have not had schooling since December and no one knows when they will get their school back.
Fortunately for us a CHA staff member was at the camp and on his bicycle guided us to the office where we handed over the balance baby packs and boxes of biscuits and sugar donated by the students of Wycherly International School. The items donated by the school would be better used in the camp. The CHA staff gave us the form to request permission to leave Vauniya. They also told us to get photocopies of ID's and other documents. Armed with all the paper work we found the Thaekka Watta inspection yard. But they needed copies of more documents. Rohan took time to find a place that had a functioning photocopy machine. More paper work had to be done and finally about an hour later they inspected our luggage and the empty vehicle. We could not leave till nearly 6 p.m. We got held up at another check point and once again to Medavachchiya where Leelani and I had to take hand luggage for inspection while Rohan took the truck back to the inspection yard for a second inspection. By the time he came out he was fit to be tied.
While waiting I phoned the owner of the truck that we would have to stay in Anuradhapura that night. I also phoned the Guest house to confirm our booking. We got to the Guest house by 8.45 and had our first real meal for the day.
We left A'pura the following morning at 5 a.m. and got to Colombo by 10 a.m. Thus ended the Vauniya Adventure.

I just had a call from Dr. Rani Fernando, Director of Castle Street Hospital requesting more packs and underwear to be taken to the camps in Mid June. This trip will be for a few days and we will visit all the camps. She says we can take Jeremy and Ted who are planning a visit to SL in June. BUT I need more funds for the packs and we may have to purchase panties if the factory does not come up another donation. Can you contact all those people you know who helped with the Tsunami relief work? In a sense this is worse than Tsunami because it is a man made disaster. Sorry this is so long but can one in any way summarize human suffering?


Ms.M.Setunga

myrnset@wow.lk

If any one wants to help Ms.Setunga please donate what you can to the following account
Ms.M.S.Setunga.

NDB Bank, Pelawatta Branch, Battaramulla.

Savings A/C number 022100000807

SWIFT Code NDBSLKLX

The Vavuniya Hospital
Dear family and friends,
I did not want to overload the trip report because some people found my Tsunami reports too long. I thought it best to comment on the situation in the hospital in a separate report.
This is the most crowded hospital I have ever seen. There were people everywhere. There were people on either side of all the open corridors that connect the buildings. Some were in the drains. I was told that patients discharged do not leave because they found that life in the hospital was better than in the camps. I had no time to ask who fed them or where they got their food from. One wonders what will happen if it rains.
The anti-natal ward was full but most of the women seemed to have a bed each. But the situation in the post-natal ward was different. There were 3 babies to a bed. The mothers knelt on the floor beside the babies. There were a couple of women who were after caesarean operations. I do hope that they had beds. Movement in the wards was very restricted and there was no opportunity to talk to the women at length. One woman was expecting twins. I do hope she has people to help her. Some of the women when asked which camp they were from said that they had no camp and had come to the hospital from the ship. One woman had no one from her family with her. They were all still in the no-fire-zone. One woman was walking up and down the corridor with a wheezing baby wrapped up in a towel.
In the post natal ward mothers crowded round us anxious to get a pack. One little girl about 7 years old wormed her way through the crowd and told me that her mother was in the ICU. I had no way of knowing if there was a baby with the mother. This little girl held her ground for quite a while till at last I found a nurse who could confirm that her mother was with the baby in the baby ICU. We gave her a pack and she ran off like a little rabbit clutching the pack in the basin and the baby net. What a lucky mother to have such a smart daughter.
In the anti-natal ward there were two sisters sleeping under a bed. They were 14 and 15 years old and 4 and 5 months pregnant. It was not for me to question why and wherefore. Later I was told that many young girls used pregnancy as a way of avoiding recruitment into the Tiger army.
Mothers with older children begged for packets of milk. As I stated in the first report I would have started a riot if I had started giving packets of milk powder in the corridor. Some begged for money and one wanted a sandwich. Others crowded round with a variety of requests. One feels so hopeless and heartless in situations like this.
The hospital staff members were calm and efficient. They seemed to be able to take the crowded wards in their stride. They helped us to identify the needy patients. The wards and the surrounding areas were clean but we were not game to check the toilets. Given how over crowded this hospital is it is a marvel they can maintain order and cleanliness.
That all for now until next time.
myrna setunga