Tigers 'preparing for war'

President Chandrika Kunaratunga has expressed fears that the Tamil guerrillas are preparing for war and are gradually destroying the capability of military intelligence who have been gathering information about guerrilla movements, a spokesman for the President said yesterday.

Kumaratunga's official spokesman, Hareen Peiris, told a news conference in Colombo that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) were acting in the same manner they did before the previous round of peace talks failed in 1995.

He was referring to the peace process between Kumaratunga and the Tamil guerrillas which was initiated in 1994 after she was elected as the President. It ended after a 100-day period with the sinking of a Naval fast attack craft in the north eastern port city of Trincomalee.

The spokesman said that the LTTE was specially targeting the military intelligence in a bid to make them weaker and achieve their objectives.

Peiris said that the guerrillas were also making impossible demands while continuing to collect weapons and also been killing their rivals indicating that they were preparing for war.
Peiris said that the security forces were also in a weak position as they have ammunition for not more than 10 days, in the event the guerrillas renew their fighting with government forces.

Last Sunday, Kumaratunga, speaking at her party annual convention, said the security forces were not prepared to meet a sudden out break of the war.

The President has expressed fears about the possibility of the guerrillas returning to war amidst a series of incidents which has led to the speculation that the LTTE was not interested in the peace process.

Despite President expressing fears that the LTTE were preparing forwar, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was continuing to attract the LTTE back to the peace process.

A Norwegian delegation on Tuesday night met with Wickremesinghe in London to discuss the current situation about the peace process.

Meanwhile, the LTTE has opposed the media briefings held at the end of each round of peace talks and the "internationalisation" of the Norwegian-brokered process, a pro-rebel newspaper reported yesterday.

The London-based Tamil Guardian newspaper quoted Anton Balasingham, the chief negotiator of the LTTE, as saying that the group was against the involvement of "powerful extra-territorial forces".

Balasingham, during talks with Norwegian peace envoy Erik Solheim in London on Monday, "argued that the facilitators were inclined to work on an agenda to placate the international donor community," the newspaper said.