military victories will pave the way for a political settlement

Sri Lanka's army drove Tamil rebels from bases in the northwest after President Mahinda Rajapaksa said military victories will pave the way for a political settlement to the issue of Tamil separatism.

After a day of fighting yesterday with units of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, soldiers overran six bunkers as they advanced in the Narikkulama area in Mannar district, the Defense Ministry said on its Web site. Navy units killed more than 40 so-called Sea Tiger rebels and destroyed 11 boats in a battle near the port of Jaffna two days ago.

``A political solution is viable only after terrorism is wiped out,'' Rajapaksa said in a speech, according to the government's Web site. ``The LTTE should now realize that they should abandon the path'' that deprived Tamils of their rights.

The LTTE has been fighting for a separate homeland in the South Asian island nation for the past 24 years, in a conflict that has killed 70,000 people. The military has targeted its bases and its leaders after capturing the eastern region in July, leaving the group in control of areas only in the north.

The LTTE should abandon its armed struggle and return to peace talks, Rajapaksa said in a Dec. 26 speech, according to the government's Web site.

``The LTTE should realize that they cannot solve problems by means of war and pointing guns at us,'' he said in the speech. ``Military victories will surely pave the way to push the LTTE to seek a political solution.'' The Defense Ministry carried his comments, citing Sri Lankan media.

Advance Repulsed

At least five LTTE members died in yesterday's fighting, the ministry said. The Tamil Tigers said their forces repulsed an army advance at Mukamaalai near Jaffna yesterday, killing three soldiers, TamilNet reported in its Web site. There were no LTTE casualties in the clash, the group said.

Air force jets destroyed a training camp for the Sea Tigers near Mullaitivu in the northeast yesterday.

The government said last week it has information that rebel leader Velupillai Prabhakaran was wounded in an air raid last month on the group's headquarters at Kilinochchi in the north.

The LTTE, designated a terrorist organization by the U.S., the European Union and India, has a force of about 12,000 fighters as well as its estimated 4,000-strong Sea Tigers unit.

The government held two rounds of peace talks with the LTTE in Geneva last year without making any progress, resulting in an increase in fighting in the northern and eastern regions.

Regional Autonomy

Rajapaksa's government, which has pledged to rebuild the Eastern Province and hold elections there next year, says it is prepared to devolve some powers to regions. It rejects any settlement that would divide the country of 20 million people where Tamils make up 11.9 percent of the population and Sinhalese almost 74 percent, according to the 2001 census.

Rajapaksa, in his Nov. 7 budget speech, vowed to ``eradicate'' terrorism in the country and increased defense spending by 19 percent to help combat the insurgency.

Sri Lanka may re-impose a ban on the LTTE that was lifted in 2002 if the rebels carry out more attacks, such as a parcel bombing in Colombo last month that killed 19 civilians, the president said last week.

The ban was lifted in an attempt to boost peace talks between the Tamil Tigers and the government of then prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe that led to the signing of a 2002 cease-fire accord.

``Our aim is an honorable peace,'' Rajapaksa said two days ago. ``We will not bow down before terrorism in that effort.''

Dec. 28 (Bloomberg)