The army has captured LTTE controlled Sampoor in the Trincomalee district. President Rajapakse addressing the annual conference of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party announced with pride that by capturing Sampoor the security forces have sent a message that army will not submit to the terrorist activities of the LTTE in the North-East, to the applause of the delegates.

The announcement made by the President Rajapakse and the applause he received from the audience indicate that like every other Sinhala politician, President Rajapakse also is committed to a military solution rather than a negotiated settlement to the ethnic problem. The applause by the audience also suggests that the Sinhala people prefer a military approach.

There is no doubt that the attacks on the Mavilaru and later on Sampoor were provocative attacks. The Ceasefire Agreement categorically states that the status quo must be maintained in regard to the boundaries of the LTTE controlled areas and the army controlled areas.

Parties to the Ceasefire Agreement, encroaching into the other’s territory, blatantly violate Ceasefire Agreement.

While rejecting the demand of the JVP for the abrogation of the Ceasefire Agreement, the government engages in serious violations of Ceasefire. As a result the recent attacks on Mavilaru and Sampoor raise a serious question of the credibility of the government on its commitment to the Ceasefire Agreement.

The government commenced the attacks on Sampoor, an LTTE controlled area, on the basis that the presence of LTTE there can be a threat to the Trincomalee harbour and the Sri Lankan naval base. The credibility of the international community is at stake for it remained silent when the Sri Lankan government carried out a three pronged attack on Sampoor engaging the army, Navy and the Air force, in violation of the CFA.

In this context S.Elinan, Political Wing leader of the LTTE, Trincomalee, has questioned the stand of the Sri Lankan Monitoring Mission on this issue.

If SLMM doesn’t make its stand clear, its existence becomes meaningless.

An English translation of the Editorial in Thinakkural, a Tamil daily, based in Colombo

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