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| Thursday, 25 November 2004 |
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LTTE obduracy compels troops to honour MoU commitments The Police and Security Forces in Mannar accompanied by Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) officials were reluctantly compelled to lower LTTE flags on Wednesday evening that were hoisted in the Mannar Town Hall premises and the Urban Council grounds despite repeated requests made to the LTTE to refrain from doing so, states a press release issued by military spokesman Brigadier R. M. D. Ratnayake. As recent as this Monday (22 November 2004), the LTTE during a meeting in Vavuniya presided by SLMM officials and the Security Forces in attendance, assured troops and the SLMM that they would in future abstain from hoisting LTTE flags in public places and honour commitments in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). Barely two days after the meeting, troops, in Mannar were informed this morning (Wednesday) that LTTE was planning to hoist their flags defying assurances given to the SLMM. Troops at about 10.30 a.m. requested the LTTE organizers for the first time to remove their flags while simultaneously informing the SLMM of this violation. Troops afterwards repeatedly requested LTTE to remove those flags until about 12.25 p.m. After waiting for more than two hours after formal intimation, troops kept the SLMM alerted about the LTTE's obduracy and finally visited the venues, accompanied by the Police and SLMM officials at 12.30 p.m. On arrival at those venues, SLMM officials, Security Forces and Policemen once again requested LTTE organisers to lower those LTTE flags but the LTTE remained adamant and defied requests, necessitating troops to bring those flags down. Minutes after the LTTE flags were lowered, the LTTE immediately instigated a section of their sympathizers to provoke Security Forces and denounce their acts, thus trying to strain cordial relations that exist between the masses and the Security Forces in the area. As tension grew with those mobs taking stones, iron bars and suchlike into their hands. Policemen sought the assistance of reinforcements of the Police and troops to maintain law and order in the area. SLMM officials immediately summoned the Security Forces, LTTE political leaders and the Police for an urgent meeting in their office, attended by the Mannar Bishop in order to de-fuse tension and find a solution. Troops during this meeting handed the removed LTTE flags back to the LTTE men. The affected areas were returning to normalcy as dusk fell and all security measures have been taken to maintain law and order. A total of 188 instances of LTTE flag hoisting, violating provisions of the MoU have been reported to the SLMM for their rulings after the MoU was signed. |
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