|
|
LTTE release policeman held captive for 11 months
Saturday, 26 August 2006 - 12:24 PM SL Time
|
|
|
Tamil Tiger rebels on Saturday released a policeman held for over 10 months in northern Sri Lanka as a `goodwill gesture,` monitors of Sri Lanka`s crumbling four-year-old cease-fire said.
The officer, B.W. Bopetigoda, was handed over to monitors during a ceremony on Saturday morning, spokesman for the Nordic mission, Thorfinnur Omarsson, said.
Bopetigoda was one of three officers arrested by the insurgents in rebel-administered territory in the north in September 2005. Two other officers have already been released.
Omarsson said the decision to release the policeman came during a meeting of the Tiger leadership and the outgoing head of the monitoring mission, Ulf Henricsson.
Henricsson had asked the Tigers to make a `goodwill gesture` to the Sri Lankan government, with whom it has been locked in fierce fighting in recent months, Omarsson said.
Bopetigoda, and the two other officers were arrested by the rebels as they pursued a suspected British pedophile near Mannar on the northwestern coast. They were charged by the insurgents with trespassing on rebel-held territory.
Under the terms of the cease-fire, both sides must seek permission to enter the other`s territory.
The pro-rebel Web site TamilNet said Bopetigoda`s case had been going through Tiger-administered courts in Kilinochchi, the insurgent`s de facto capital in the north, where they control wide swaths of territory.
Henricsson had traveled up to Kilinochchi on Friday with the incoming head of the monitoring team, Lars Solvberg, to meet with the rebels` political chief, S.P. Tamilselvan, and discuss the peace-process.
The Tigers have been battling the government for over 20 years for a separate state for the island nation`s 3.2 million ethnic Tamils who suffered decades of discrimination by the majority Sinhalese.
The cease-fire brought a halt to large-scale hostilities, although random shootings and mine attacks happened sporadically.
But the violence has escalated in the last few months with a ground battle in eastern Trincomalee over water supply, and more recently, intense shelling in the north for control of the strategic Jaffna Peninsula.
The United Nations refugee agency estimates that over 200,000 people have fled their homes amid heavy shelling in the north and east.
The government was not immediately available for comment.
|
|
|
dillont
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 1134
Member Profile
|
 26 Aug 2006 05:28:56 GMT Report for Abuse
|
The LTTE did NOT release the policeman.
The SLA forces managed to penetrate into tiger controlled areas and release the policeman-DEFENCE.LK??????
Edited By - dillont - 26 Aug 2006 05:29:36 GMT |
Achcharu
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 961
Member Profile
|
 26 Aug 2006 05:38:31 GMT Report for Abuse
|
Dillont:
LTTE gave it in a GOODWILL GUESTER!
What does that say about Military pounding the LTTE?
Goodwill for whom? For what?
The cop = a child protective agent, LTTE had no right to hold him any freaking way.
The government should issue a full detail from this officer for his whole year in the LTTE captivity.
His crime = protecting children that LTTE knows NOTHING about!
Don't give me the damn south child prostitutes. We know where Women prostituteswork.
LTTE kill the women prostitutes who sleep with forces and make it look like the forces killed them.
I did so much research on this as to understand and obviously the NE intimacy trade is high and LTTEtakes it as a serious offense if a woman sleeps with a force personnel. |
avi1
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 86
Member Profile
|
 26 Aug 2006 05:38:52 GMT Report for Abuse
|
Whenever the LTTE is at the loosing end ,they want to take the moral high ground. Prbha and his goons never expected recent devastating retaliation by Srilankan forces. Recent
incidents clearly proved that crushing LTTE militarily is a must in order to achieve ever lasting peace in Sri Lanka. |
AstroLTTE
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 2093
Member Profile
|
 26 Aug 2006 05:58:45 GMT Report for Abuse
|
| Seems like LTTE need some favor now. hmmmm May be stop air attacks? I thought LTTE can capture the Jaffna within 72 hours and forever Bopitigoda has to be in jail. But GOSL doing so many air attacks and LTTE is not saying they will consider that attacks as a declaration of war. I thought LTTE going to use there massive fire power and special weapons they have. We would like to know what is Barber Selvam's opinion about this attacks? |
ThinKing
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 3823
Member Profile
|
 26 Aug 2006 05:59:28 GMT Report for Abuse
|
Http://www.stratfor.com/products/premium/read_article.php?id=273659
Sri Lanka's vast neighbor, India, has a vocal and electorally important ethnic Tamil constituency that sympathizes with the Tigers' cause. While India can never be seen as publicly sympathetic to militant group responsible for the assassination of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, domestic politics force New Delhi to avoid being seen as pro-Sinhalese (and thus anti-Tamil).
The Indians also have an interest in keeping Sri Lanka in a state of contained chaos so long as an untenable refugee crisis does not overwhelm India.
China and Pakistan, meanwhile, have recognized the utility of assisting the Sri Lankan government in its fight with the Tigers as a tool to edge their way into India's backyard. The Tigers have not been shy against retaliating against outside interference, as the recent attack against the Pakistani ambassador to Sri Lanka showed.
|
Achcharu
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 961
Member Profile
|
26 Aug 2006 06:03:29 GMT Report for Abuse
|
| As an Indian sociologist said: What India can ignore is 4% tamils in the country who usually run away in violence, but what she cannot it Sri Lanka's 80% majority. India needs SL as her friend. India can invisibly help LTTE again but if Pakistan is involved then India really need to be careful before lending any invisible hand to LTTE - all Pakis need to do is send about 2-3 bombs that will kill Indians if they feel India will get the upper hand. I am not sure whehter India will go that route to address 4% of Tamils excluding Indian Tamils, specially when out of that about 67% live in the south. |
ThinKing
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 3823
Member Profile
|
26 Aug 2006 06:10:00 GMT Report for Abuse
|
Http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=19384
Thamilchelvan thanks Nordic EU Members
For leaving without a hum and barking at GOSL and EU for making them leave?? |
Jinadasa
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 520
Member Profile
|
26 Aug 2006 06:23:48 GMT Report for Abuse
|
Releasing the policeman was the right thing to do in the first place. LTTE had no right taking the policemen prisoners.
LTTE does not deserve any credit for doing what it was supposed to do months ago. |
zbee
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 33
Member Profile
|
26 Aug 2006 06:33:02 GMT Report for Abuse
|
| Now that they are being cornered, they are trying their level best to get the sympathy of the International Community. Too little TOO LATE ! |
|
Search All News and Discussions
26 Aug 2006 06:20:17 GMT