NEW DELHI, India, Dec. 4, Reuter: India’s peacekeeping force in Sri Lanka has at least 12 times the manpower of the Tamil rebels it is trying to subdue, but India sees no rapid end to the fighting.

Indian diplomatic and military sources said Indian forces sent {0 the Island to supervise the July 29 Indo Sri Lankan agreement would complete the job despite what one ‘of them called the “admittedly heavy cost in the early stages to us”,

“The government of India is determined to implement the terms of the government but there is no specific time frame — it takes time ~ the primary objective is to avoid civilian casualties,” said one source,

Despite this objective, more than 1,000 civilians had been killed since the Indian Peacekeeping Force (IPKF) arrived, they said. Rebel estimates put the figure closer to 4,000,

The Indian sources, talking to reporters here, said until Friday the IPKF had lost 309 men killed, including 17 officers up to the rank of colonel, 983 wounded, of who 600 were still hospitalized, and 13 missing.

They said the IPKF now comprised two infantry divisions of some 12,000 men each, Plus 1,600 Central Reserve police and naval and air force contingents based in Southern India.

In a speech on Wednesday, however, Sri Lankan President Junius Jayewardene said between 30,000 and 35,000 Indians troops currently were on the Island,

Against them were ranged 1, 500 to 2,000 Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) fighters — only half the 4,000 militants active at the time of the agreement, the Indian sources said

Of the rest, at least 300 and possibly up to 1,000 had) been killed, 382 were prisoners and the others had dispersed, the sources said.

“To a great extent we have succeeded: the LTTE leadership is scattered and unable to communicate, the cadres are in small pockets and unable to link up,” said one senior source.

The sources said organized resistance by the LTTE had ended in Jaffna, formerly its stronghold.

Bot that Trincomalee and Batticaloa in the east presented special problems.

The LTTE, no longer able to wage “positional warfare”, had adopted hit-and-run tactics including mines and ambushes.

The sources said these tactics were hard to combat, especially as. “The single thread that finks all our operations is the regard for minimizing civilian casualties”.

But he added’ that although = large numbers of rebels had escaped from Jaffna, they had left behind their weapons caches and “they lost a great deal of their potential”.

“We are confident that before: long they will be left with no Alternative but to surrender”, the military source said,

‘The sources referred to India’s offer, backed by Sri Lankan President Junius Jayewardene, of amnesty and reintegration into society for rebels who gave up.

Whereas before the November 26 offer only 13 rebels had sure rendered, 125 had done so since, they said.

They had others who gave themselves up would not be handed over to the Si Lankans but would be given food, cash, and security and help to restart civilian life, they said. 4

“[Tis not worth killing Prabhakaran along with 50 women and children. We are fighting the « LITE in not to kill but to reduce their military potential”.

Article extracted from this publication >>  December 11, 1987