COLOMBO: The killing of a top Tamil Tiger rebel in a Sri Lankan government air raid is likely to strengthen hawks on both sides of the bitter ethnic divide and herald more violence on the troubled island, analysts say.
The already dim hopes of salvaging a moribund peace process took another blow with Friday’s slaying of chief rebel negotiator S. P. Thamilselvan, said Sunanda Deshapriya, director at the Centre for Police Alternatives think-tank.
He said both sides had already been intent on settling the conflict through war rather than negotiations, even before Friday’s air strike on the rebel-held north.
Thamilselvan was replaced by Tiger supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran.
Defence analyst Namal Perera said there is also the prospect of heightened violence as the Tigers will be eager to get even with Colombo in a worsening cycle of one-upmanship.
Former Tamil Tiger guerrilla turned politician Dharmalingam Sithadthan said the quality of intelligence coming from the north had improved and there were reports of rumblings within the rebel leadership.
“The intelligence leaks should worry the Tigers,” Sithadthan said, though he added, “This attack will give the LTTE the excuse to do what they wanted to do anyway — escalate the conflict.” —AFP
