November
30, 2006: Cambodia and Thailand are cracking down on LTTE arms smuggling. Sri
Lankan diplomats have gotten all the countries (including India), where local
gunrunners have been supplying the LTTE, to make it more difficult for these
shipments to go out. This, plus increased Sri Lankan navy patrols off the
coast, have much reduced LTTE supplies of weapons and munitions. While the 60
million Tamils living in India still have a lot of sympathy for the 2.5 million
Tamils in Sri Lanka (the result of a migration of plantation workers to Sri
Lanka over a century ago), there is growing distaste for the LTTE violent
tactics.
The
LTTE has not done much for its reputation by refusing to cooperate with government
efforts to send food to Tamils isolated by the fighting. And then there are the
revelations that the Norwegian diplomats who brokered the failed truce, were
rather too cozy with LTTE leaders.
November
29, 2006: Although there's not a lot of fighting on the ground, there is a lot
of artillery and mortar fire, and air force bombing attacks. The LTTE likes to
stay in residential areas, so over 50,000 Tamil civilians have fled their
homes, leaving them to the LTTE fighters, and any government firepower in the
area.
November
28, 2006: The LTTE affirmed its demand that the island be partitioned into
Sinhalese and Tamil states. The rebels also admitted that the truce was dead,
and the war resumed.
November
26, 2006: The LTTE splinter group (the Karuna faction) appears to have gained
control of much LTTE territory in eastern Sri Lanka. Most LTTE military leaders
from east Sri Lanka, have moved to LTTE bases in the north. But many LTTE
fighters remain in the east, where they are caught between the armed forces
trying to kill them, and the Karuna faction trying to recruit them. Meanwhile,
the LTTE civil war has spread to the Tamil expatriate community in Britain and
Canada, where loud demonstrations, lawsuits and physical attacks have become
more common.
November
25, 2006: The LTTE continues its campaign against Tamil politicians and
notables who oppose the idea of partition, and setting up an LTTE led
government. LTTE assassins kill and intimidate those Tamils that oppose the
LTTE.
In
the north, the air force discovered a camp used by LTTE suicide bombers (the
"Black Tigers") and hit it, causing many casualties.
November
24, 2006: For the last three days, army artillery and air force bombers have
hit LTTE targets in eastern Sri Lanka. There have been a few clashes between
ground forces as well. There appear to have been over a hundred casualties,
most of them LTTE.
