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| Sri Lanka |
| 63 killed as Sri Lanka fighting rages |
| 2008-09-20 |
| Sri Lankan soldiers and sailors killed 63 Tamil Tiger rebels on a second day of fierce combat in the north of the Indian Ocean island nation, the military said on Friday. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said they had repulsed an army advance, killed 25 troops and wounded 40 in Vannirakulam, the site of heavy fighting for weeks, pro-rebel web site www.tamilnet.com quoted unnamed rebel officials as saying. There was no independent confirmation of the casualties from Thursday's battles, which followed one of the single bloodiest days of fighting since the military cranked up an offensive drive three months ago. At least 71 were killed on Wednesday. Most of Thursday's fighting occurred near Nachikkudah, a northwestern port about 300 km north of that was the site of fierce land and sea clashes that the military said killed 25 "Sea Tigers" and another 17 rebels. Eighteen were wounded. In the same clashes, five soldiers died and 14 were wounded. Fighting at various points further east killed another 20 rebels, and one was killed in the far northern Jaffna Peninsula, the military said. Three soldiers were killed and two were wounded, the military said. Defensive: Tamil Tigers risk losing their mini-state as Sri Lankan forces make a determined push after decades of bloodshed. After months of bitter fighting, security forces have reached the outskirts of the Tiger political capital - Kilinochchi - the six-kilometre long township along the main A-9 highway to the Jaffna peninsula. Aid workers who evacuated Kilinochchi this week - in line with a government order to leave ahead of an expected military show down - said bombs and artillery shells were landing just within the political offices of the Tigers. "The military advance is getting closer to Kilinochchi and the Tigers may simply melt away," an aid official who declined to be named said soon after leaving the north. Sri Lanka's top brass had said they want to take Kilinochchi before the end of the year, but defence analysts argue that it must be done sooner as monsoon rains could intensify and render heavy armour ineffective from about October. For the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Kilinochchi is the showpiece town where they hosted visiting foreign dignitaries and peace brokers. The Tigers also maintain their 'police headquarters,' their 'high courts' and their 'Bank of Eelam' which functions as the quasi-monetary authority of the de facto separate state within Sri Lanka. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #3 So far as I can tell, Sherry, the roots of the fighting in Sri Lanka (Ceylon) were laid centuries ago and are ethnic / racial as well as class / economic in origin. The majority Sinhalese are related to northern Indians (IndoAryans) who asserted control there when a powerful prince was exiled and settled there with his troops and court about 500 BC.  The minority Tamils are related to the Dravidians of southern India whose subordination in India proper has long been a source of deep resentment and sometimes open armed conflict. Tamils have also been on Sri Lanka for millenia - what is now the island nation of Sri Lanka used to be connected by a narrow natural causeway to southern India, their home. Those are the roots of the conflict, but of course it has many more modern twists and turns. For instance, some of the Tamils in Sri Lanka were brought there more recently by the British as indentured plantation workers.  After independence, part of that Tamil group returned to India proper but the rest remained on Sri Lanka ... I don't have a good read on whether there is much division between them and the Tamils whose roots go back many many centuries but looking at a map about where the plantations were, it seems likely that economic inequities are one reason for the Tamil Tigers to seek an independent and socialist state in the north/east. Also, although Hinduism today has elements both of the original Dravidian gods/practices and those of the IndoAryans, there are differences of focus among the millions of Hindus and some of the Dravidian foci are strong among the Sri Lankans who identify as Hindu (mostly Tamils).  70% of Sri Lankans are Buddhist, though, especially the Sinhalese who have been Buddhist continually for many many centuries.... Maybe the closest parallel is northern Ireland, although Ireland was never the center of wealth etc. that Ceylon historically had been. Plus, while the ethnic differences between the English and the Celts have been bitter, in Sri Lanka it's not just ethnic and language but also racial differences between the indo-aryan Sinhalese and the dravidian Tamils. Anyway, that's the impression I've pieced together. I may be missing key elements or getting things wrong, tho. Perhaps John Frum will stop by and comment from his perspective. |
| Posted by: lotp 2008-09-20 06:59 |
| #2 Not that small, think of West Virginia with 15 million Hatfields and NcCoys |
| Posted by: .5MT 2008-09-20 04:21 |
| #1 Pleading for info for my no-knowledge mind -- would someone please give a short history of all of this fighting in Sri Lanka? Such a small country for such fighting and deaths. And I can only grasp, it's got to be the terrorists against the people. How long has this been going on? Who's in charge? Are we there? Who's on who's side? Who are the "big" guys standing silently watching all that is happening? I do so appreciate the spotlight being focused on them each day -- but I missed the Sri Lanka course at Rantburg U. |
| Posted by: Sherry 2008-09-20 01:48 |