15 LTTE Suspects arrested among 30,000 Vaakarai refugees
By D.B.S. Jeyaraj
The mystery of the “missing” refugees has been resolved with the security forces declaring that they have taken fifteen youths into custody out of more than 30,000 refugees streaming into Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) controlled areas of Batticaloa district from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) dominated Koralaipattru North division known as the Vaakarai region.
Relatives of twelve youths reportedly “missing” after security screening were worried about their fate and had complained to NGO and civilian Govt employees about it. They feared that the youths had been taken by the security forces or the Karuna faction known as Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Puligal (TMVP).
Earlier inquiries about the whereabouts of the missing “dozen” had failed to elicit any reliable information.
The unknown fate of these missing persons was highlighted in these columns by this writer.
The security forces have now officially declared that fifteen persons suspected of being tigers were now in army custody.
Informed security sources told this writer that the twelve persons gone missing were among this fifteen. Later another three had been added to the dozen youths detained earlier.
According to these sources about 25 youths among the thousands of refugees had been detained for further interrogation during the past few weeks. It was suspected that they were LTTE members mingling with genuine refugees.
Ten of these persons had been released after it was found that they were not LTTE members.
But fifteen of those taken in were being detained for further interrogation..
According to these sources twelve of the youths were identified as LTTE suspects by the TMVP while three were identified by the security forces.
The detained persons were being kept at the Mankerny and Valaichenai paper factory camps.
None of those detained were in the custody of the TMVP said these sources. The TMVP was helping security forces interrogate the suspects.
Apart from these four persons had openly stated they were LTTE members and sought “asylum” from the security forces. They were being kept separately while security officials were de- briefing them.
Security sources said that more than 21.000 refugees had come out from LTTE controlled areas in the past two weeks. This brings the number of refugees described as Internal Displaced Persons (IDP) to more than 30,000.
With a large influx of refugees streaming in , security forces suspect that the LTTE may have infiltrated the IDP”s. Some feel that the tigers may have engineered the exodus to smuggle out cadres in the guise of refugees. These cadres could be a potential fifth column in GOSL areas.
So an elaborate screening process is underway.This is given priority. Instead of civilian Govt officials or UNHCR officials recording particulars of IDP’s the security screening is done first.
The Karuna faction or TMVP screens the IDP’s first. “Suspicious” persons are detained for further interrogation.. After the preliminary screening the security forces do another screening. Again people are detained on suspicion for more intensive questioning.
Those cleared at screenings are registered by the army and given light refreshments like tea and biscuits. Tamil songs are played at army camps for the benefit of these IDP’s .
Those in bad health are sent to hospitals. Others are sent to transit camps. The “shuttle” service provided by UNHCR, ZOA and IOM look after transport.
The Karuna faction has opened up temporary “posts” or offices to screen the IDP’s.
Civilian Govt officials have opened up 66 camps in the Batticaloa and Polonnaruwa districts to accommodate the new IDP’s. Of these 22 camps are in schools. All schools are scheduled to re- open for classes in two weeks.
Five permanent camps accommodating 12.000 IDP’s have been set up in Kiran, Sithandy, Chenkallady, Mayilambaaveli and Savukkukkaadu. Tents and sheds are being put up while toilts are being constructed speedily.
Another six permanent IDP camps are likely to be constructed in the next two weeks.
The Batticaloa District Secretary has made an urgent request for further finances from the Government to help cope with this humanitarian crisis.
NGO”s have also been requested to help.
Meanwhile the security forces continued an artillery barrage from three positions into the Vaakarai region.
More than 20, 000 civilians are still living in the region.
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December 24th, 2006