Tamil Tigers attack fuel installations

From Journalist Iqbal Atha

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (CNN) -- The Tamil Tiger rebel group has claimed responsibility for the Saturday bombing of two fuel installations that prompted heavy security, a two-hour blackout in Sri Lanka's capital, Colombo, and disrupted activity at its airport.

"These oil installations at Muthurajawela and Kolonnawa are supplying fuel to the security forces, particularly the air force," spokesman Rasiah Ilanthiriyan told CNN via satellite telephone from the rebel-held town of Kilinochchi in northern Sri Lanka.

The two rebel aircraft that were involved in the attacks "successfully accomplished their mission," with two installations on fire, Ilanthiriyan said.

At least five people, including three soldiers, were injured and hospitalized in the incident, and the Sri Lanka air force launched retaliatory strikes against rebel targets in the northern Wanni region.

The attacks occurred as many people were awake, watching Sri Lanka's cricket team play Australia in the World Cup final on television, The Associated Press reported.

Military officials confirmed the two targets. Officials said the bombing of a fuel storage complex in the northeast suburb of Muthurajawela breached a pipeline and triggered a fire that the fire brigade later extinguished. But no damage was caused by the bombing near an oil storage tank in the Colombo suburb of Kolonnawa, they said.

The incoming rebel aircraft were first reported by a detachment at Palavi, about 110 kilometers (68 miles) north of the main air base at Katunayake, the air force said. The report prompted a total blackout in Colombo -- the second in a week.

Anti-aircraft fire was directed at the sky in several places, including the southern town of Ratmalana, where a military air base is located, and at the Katunayakeanti air base, near the Colombo International Airport.

The incident was the third in a week.

Fears of an air attack triggered a blackout in Colombo on Thursday and forced its international airport to temporarily shut down. Government officials had said the Sri Lanka air force received reports of three unidentified aircraft, believed to belong to Tamil Tiger rebels, flying over the town of Puttalam.

A day earlier, rebel aircraft bombed an army engineers unit at Myliddy, home to the main military headquarters in the northern Jaffna peninsula, killing six soldiers and wounding 13.

The Tamil Tigers have been fighting for a separate homeland for the Tamil minority in the north and east since 1983, citing decades of discrimination by the majority Sinhalese.

About 65,000 people died before a 2002 cease-fire, which has been frayed by fighting between the military and Tamil Tigers in recent months. The government has vowed to dislodge the rebels from their eastern stronghold.

Copyright 2007 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.

Expression of concern by the general secretary of the World Council of Churches

20 April 2007

The ethnic conflicts and violence, which have been raging in Sri Lanka, have become a matter of serious concern again in recent weeks. Reports from Sri Lanka continue to reflect the alarming deterioration of the situation in the country. The intensification of killing and violence has turned more and more areas of the country into a battlefield. The escalation of fighting causes the deaths of innocent civilians, military personnel and rebel cadres daily, while the number of abductions, conscription of children, and displacement of people is on the increase. Civilians are caught up in fighting between the Government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE). Aerial bombing, mortar shelling and the use of claymore mines have added to the plight of the already suffering people. The northern and eastern parts of the country remain isolated with access in certain areas severely restricted. More than 200,000 civilians have been displaced in recent weeks.

The Cease Fire Agreement, signed between the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE on 2 February 2002, was considered promising in the efforts towards ending the ethnic conflict. The international community had extended support to the initiative hoping that it would result in both parties refraining from activities that would undermine the good intentions behind the agreement or impede confidence building measure. However, both the Government and the LTTE violated the Cease Fire Agreement despite the warnings and rulings against them by the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission set up to monitor the ceasefire's implementation. The escalation of violence since the end of 2005 has pushed this Norwegian-backed peace process onto the back burner despite earlier appeals from the international community. Now, despite the ensuing humanitarian crisis in the northern and eastern parts of the country, Sri Lanka appears to have been forgotten by the international community.

Over the years, the World Council of Churches has monitored the situation in Sri Lanka and called for negotiations between the parties whenever and wherever possible. We are deeply distressed by the current intensification of fighting which affects the lives of thousands of innocent people in the country. Taking into account the protracted fighting in Sri Lanka we in the WCC are convinced that the pursuit of a final military solution is an exercise in futility; the parties to the conflict need to commit themselves to a political solution as the only viable and noble alternative.

We, therefore, appeal to the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE to return to the obligations of the Cease Fire Agreement and to therein seek durable solutions to end the fighting that is affecting the lives of so many people. As WCC we strongly appeal to the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE to reach a settlement of the ethnic conflicts and put an end to the violence through dialogue and negotiations.

In addition, we urge all parties responsible for the conflict to respect the UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacements and International Humanitarian Law, making every effort to ensure the security, human rights and dignity of each individual in Sri Lanka.

On behalf of the World Council of Churches I call upon Christians and churches around the world to be constant in prayer for all the people of Sri Lanka who have been undergoing such a traumatising ordeal.

We pray for God’s grace and guidance for the efforts of all those who are engaged in their efforts for peace in the country, especially the churches in Sri Lanka working towards peace, reconciliation and reconstruction.

May the grace of God inspire and guide the people of Sri Lanka in their longing for peace with justice, reconciliation and communal harmony in their country.

Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia
General Secretary

Undemocratic Government Pressure on Media is Unacceptable

National Peace Council
of Sri Lanka
12/14 Purana Vihara Road
Colombo 6
Tel: 2818344, 2854127, 2819064
Tel/Fax:2819064
E Mail: npc@sltnet.lk
Website: www.peace-srilanka.org


19.04.07


Media Release


Undemocratic Government Pressure on Media is Unacceptable

Sri Lanka is a country that has been fortunate to have had a vibrant media except within the conflict zones of the north and east and in LTTE-controlled areas. However, recently there has been a noticeable decline in the freedom of media and in the accuracy and responsibility of media expression in the country as a whole. The National Peace Council appreciates courageous and balanced reporting in the context of the pressures faced by the media at present.

Recently two independent newspapers, the Weekend Standard and the Maubima, had to cease their operations when their bank accounts were sealed by the government on the grounds that they had been acting in violation of laws and national security. The National Peace Council is gravely concerned about reports that high ranking members of the government have been personally pressurised editors of national media institutions who have been critical of government policies and actions.

We particularly deplore the threats leveled against the editor of the Daily Mirror, Ms Champika Liyanarachchi, and her staff regarding their reportage of the human tragedy that has been unfolding in the east of the country. The team of young women journalists who head the Daily Mirror are a credit to the media profession. We are shocked at the threats against them, and regret the subsequent government attempts to downplay the incident.

Freedom of expression is one of the basic pillars of a democratic society. A free media is necessary to inform both decision makers and the people about prevailing realities in the country. We call on the government to inquire into this incident and to insist that its members follow a code of conduct that accepts the fundamental principles of democratic governance including respect for the freedom of the media.


Executive Director
On behalf of the Governing Council