COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – With peace efforts at a standstill, struggle between the government and ‘Tamil separatist guerrillas is reaching a more dangerous and critical stage on this island republican- us for its tea and spices.

Officials say an all-out army assault on the rebels is an imminent possibility following two terrorist bombings here in the capital and bloody clashes between rival Tamil guerrillas in the north, where a Marxist function seeks to gain full control.

A bomb planted by Tamil guerrillas exploded May 3 on an air- liner at Colombo airport, killing 16 people, mostly foreign tourists, and wounding 40 others.

Four days later, another bomb: exploded in the main telecommunications complex in the heart of Colombo, killing 13 people and wounding 140 others. A Tamil group claimed responsibility and vowed to bomb more civilian tar- gets unless security forces stop what it called the killings of innocent Tamils in the east.

About the same time, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam, the Marxist faction, virtually wiped out its more moderate rival, the Tamil Elam Liberation Organization, in a systematic bloodletting that claimed 200 to 300 lives. The Tigers now are reported planning an offensive to eliminate lesser rivals in an effort to take control of the northern movement.

The separatists are fighting to establish a Tamil homeland called Exclaiming the north and east. Some Tamils demand substantial autonomy for the north and east with their merger into a new federal structure, but most seek greater Tamil political authority in Tamil speaking areas.

Tamils, who are Hindus, represent 10 percent of the island’s 16 million people. The majority is Sinhalese-speaking Buddhists, and 4 tiny minorities are Muslims.

The government has ruled out a merger of the north and east, but has said it would be willing to grant substantial autonomy to Ta- mils under the Sri Lankan constitution.

Senior government officials in Colombo say the army would launch a major offensive against the Tigers if a new peace effort is not forthcoming and the situation continues to deteriorate.

“After the next attack on Colombo, you will see the army go on a full scale offensive operation,” said 2 senior officials who are close to foreign policy and national security circles.

“We expect more attacks any time now. If they strike in the south around Colombo, we will deal them a devastating blow in the north.

The bomb attacks in Colombo were the first major rebel strikes in the southern Sinhalese-dominated heartland of Sri Lanka, formerly known as Ceylon.

President Junius R. Jayawardane has called Western nations to supply arms and help fight the guerrillas.

Nearby India, which has 50 mil- lion sympathetic Tamils, sponsored two unsuccessful rounds of peace talks between several Tamil militant groups and the Sri Lankan government last July and August? But militants walked out, alleging massacre of Tamils by Sri Lank- and forces. A third round has not been scheduled.

National Security Minister Lalith Athulathmudali said any major military offensive against the Tigers would involve heavy civilian casualties because the rebels have shifted their camps from jungles to villages and towns.

“We are not seeking a military solution,” he said, “but we need to show the other side that they cannot win a military victory.”

He added that if the Tigers were “not in the picture, I have no doubt we could negotiate a settlement.

“We must sit down and talk privately with those militants who are willing to talk,” the minister said.

“Unless we deal with the Tigers, they will obstruct us.”

Article extracted from this publication >> May 23, 1986