COI Report March 2012 - UK Border Agency - Home Office

7 MARCH 2012 SRI LANKA
―During 1988, in part as a result of Indian intervention, unrest among the Sinhalese
community grew into a violent insurgency by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP).
The government launched a ruthless counter-insurgency campaign against the JVP and
the rebellion ended in 1989 when its leaders were murdered. Tens of thousands were
killed in the conflict between the government and the JVP.
―There followed a period of relative peace before the situation in the North and East
deteriorated in June 1990. After 18 months, negotiations fell apart and the LTTE again
resorted to violence. They extended their control until they held the Tamil heartland: the
Jaffna Peninsula and large areas of the North and East. The security forces succeeded
in winning back most of the East, but the North remained outside their control.‖
―Hundreds of people were killed and injured in terrorist attacks relating to the conflict.‖
3.22 The FCO Sri Lanka Country Profile 33 added:
―In July 1995, the Sri Lankan army launched a military operation, culminating in the fall
of Jaffna in December 1995 to Government forces. At the end of January 1996 the
LTTE began a bombing campaign in Colombo.
―During 1996, the Sri Lankan army secured enough of the Jaffna Peninsula to allow the
civilian population to return to Jaffna town. The LTTE reasserted themselves in the
Eastern province and infiltrated back into the Jaffna Peninsula. LTTE inspired terrorist
attacks continued in the south, including on the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy, the most
sacred Buddhist site in Sri Lanka.
―In March 1999 the Sri Lankan Army launched two major offensives in the Vanni and
captured over 800 sq kms of territory from the LTTE. Fighting in the North intensified in
late 1999 and the Vanni (jungle areas in the North) fell to the LTTE after some of the
fiercest fighting since the conflict began. In April 2000 the LTTE carried out a major
assault which led to the withdrawal of Sri Lankan troops from Elephant Pass (which
links the Jaffna peninsula to the rest of Sri Lanka). With control of Elephant Pass, the
LTTE continued further attacks into the Jaffna Peninsula. Fighting continued until
December 2001 when the announcement of a new ceasefire by the LTTE was
reciprocated by the newly elected UNF government. A Ceasefire Agreement was signed
in February 2002 by the government and LTTE.‖
3.23 The FCO Country Profile on Sri Lanka 34 further reported that:
―In April 2004, the LTTE‘s eastern commander, Karuna and a group broke away from
the LTTE. He complained that the LTTE leadership did not sufficiently look after the
interests of those in the east of the country. The Karuna group aligned themselves to
the Government and fought against the LTTE in the East.
33 Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO), Country profile of Sri Lanka, last reviewed 9 December
2011, http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country/country-profile/asiaoceania/sri-lanka;jsessionid=4AC8FCEAFE70794624EC38E125BD0AE9.tomcat2date
date accessed 11
January 2012 (The Internal Conflict)
34 Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO), Country profile of Sri Lanka, last reviewed 9 December
2011, http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country/country-profile/asiaoceania/sri-lanka;jsessionid=4AC8FCEAFE70794624EC38E125BD0AE9.tomcat2date
date accessed 11
January 2012 (The Internal Conflict)
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up to date publicly available information as at 3 February 2012.
Further brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section
to 2 March 2012.
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