Speaker 1:

The Sri Lankan Army is on the move. This is the northern frontier of the country's civil war. For 10 years, the Sri Lankan Security Forces have been fighting Tamil separatists. Now, according to Tamil reports, the Army is about to launch a new offensive. On the face of it, the war is completely one-sided. The Sri Lankan Security Forces have 80,000 men and far superior weaponry. Their opponents, the Tamil Tigers, have an estimated 5,000 to 10,000 fighters, no aircraft, and very little heavy weaponry.

But this is guerrilla warfare, and the Tamil Tigers have gained a reputation as fearless fighters. But, as the war continues, the Army's also trying a new tactic to win the confidence of the Tamil population.

Speaker 2:

In the cleared areas, it is very evident that the Tamil civilians have hardly any fear of the Army. I would venture to say even in the uncleared areas, which are under TTE control, so called LTTE control, there is a very significant change of attitude of the people, and I can see that they're very much in favour, if not the Army, at least of the government, to come on to our side now.

Speaker 1:

But such words are rejected in the northern town of Jaffna, the stronghold of the Tamil Tigers. Across this causeway is the military base of Kayts. It's just one of many military bases which surround this besieged city. It was from here at Jaffna Fort two years ago that the Tigers finally forced government troops to abandon their attempts to hold on to the city. This once beautiful tourist resort is now in ruins. Many of the buildings have been destroyed by aerial bombardment. A three-year economic embargo on the rebel-held territory means that prices are high and jobs are disappearing. There's no electricity with the main power station lying in ruins. No petrol means the people are having to use cycles and kerosene. At $4.00 a litre, kerosene is precious, but somehow people still manage.

Speaker 3:

Well, in terms of immediate survival of the population, the situation is actually quite well under control despite many difficulties because the basic items like food and medicines, they continue to arrive in sufficient quantities on the peninsula.

Speaker 1:

For the young, there are few options other than to join the Tamil Tigers. They have known little else but war. They are committed and prepared to die fighting or commit suicide for the cause by biting a cyanide capsule they wear around their necks. The Tamil Tigers say the fighters cannot go to the front line until they are 15, but many of those killed have been found to be as young as 12. The shortage of men has meant that fighters have become younger with many of them veterans by the time they are teenagers.

This is a training camp for the fighters. It's here that they are taught the tactics which have made them one of the most ruthless and fanatical guerrilla forces in the world. The fighters are quite sure why they joined the movement.

Speaker 4:

Since we are Tamilians, the Sinhalese do not leave us to lead a peaceful life which as motivated me to join the movement to get our Tamil land back.

Speaker 5:

We have been taken as hostages and chased away from our lands just because we're Tamilians.

Speaker 1:

At another Army camp, some 500 women fighters are being taught similar tactics. Women have been part of the armed struggle for 10 years. They are no mere showpiece. They have formed their own section and do not mix with the men. They also wear a cyanide pill in case of capture. In the past year, hundreds of women are said to have joined the Tigers. The Sri Lankan Army says that they are now being used for raids on Army camps. The actual number of women fighters is not known, but is believed to be about 3,000, a remarkable number in a Hindu dominated society in which women traditionally stay at home.

Speaker 6:

My elder [Badana 00:04:17] has taught me that I can stand on my own legs, that I don't just have to go back to the kitchen and do all our women have been doing all these times. I will choose what I like.

Speaker 7:

We are doing now what our parents could not do during their time. I feel proud to be a part of the movement, and we get a lot of support and encouragement.

Speaker 1:

The Tamil Tigers regularly take the battle to the Sri Lankan Army. In this video shot by them, they are seen attacking the Janakpur Army camp in northeastern Sri Lanka. But the increasing use of young fighters is another sign that the Tigers may have a manpower problem.

Speaker 8:

Our youngsters have no future other than to fight for their homeland. That is one of the reasons there is a large recruitment of young people in our fighting force.

Speaker 1:

This man, Velupallai Prabhakaran, is the leader of the Tamil Tigers. He's been fighting the Sri Lankan government for more than 20 years and to his followers is seen as the saviour of the Tamil people. But, there are increasing signs of discontent with the Tamil Tigers. This girl is one of about 50 Tiger fighters who have recently surrendered to the Army. This is a new phenomenon in a movement which is notorious for taking cyanide rather than being captured.

But to the majority of the population on the Jaffna Peninsula, the Tiger fighters are seen as heroes. Everywhere in Tamil-controlled territory, there are shrines and hoardings to men and women who have been killed in battle. This memorial is for the 600 fighters who died at Elephant Pass, one of the largest battles of the war.

Contrary to Hindu tradition, the Tamil Tigers have started burying their dead instead of cremating them. This is a move aimed at showing the population that there are still men and women who are prepared to die for an independent state.

The civilian population are also suffering. This funeral was for another victim of the Army's constant shelling in the area where rebels and civilians live side by side. Three people died in this attack. They were all innocent victims. This woman lost her brother. Earlier this year, she lost a husband who was among 40 people who were shot by the Security Forces. They had been trying to cross a lagoon which thousands of people continue to use. It's the only passageway to the south and the capital, Columbo. But because the Tamil Tigers use it, the Security Forces have declared the crossing a no-go area. It's turned the waterway into a death trap.

Speaker 9:

I am looking at [inaudible 00:07:08] for my family at Jaffna. Once in [inaudible 00:07:09] I am allowed to come and look at them, and I would like to handle the money. I'm going back.

Speaker 1:

This crossing is very dangerous. Are you fighting when you cross the lagoon?

Speaker 9:

I have to go to work and [inaudible 00:07:23]. Otherwise, they can't give the salary.

Speaker 1:

Under the cover of darkness, they hope to avoid the Sri Lankan Navy patrol boats which are on the lookout for the ferries. It was on this night that the so-called Black Tigers, the suicide wing of the Tamil Tigers, attacked Navy patrol boats killing nine sailors, but the victims are usually civilians.

One of the worst consequences of the war is the number of refugees. There are dozens of camps all over the Jaffna Peninsula with more than a quarter of a million people living in them. The Army now controls nearly a fifth of the Peninsula. Tens of thousands have fled before advancing soldiers towards areas controlled by the Tamil Tigers. It's a sign that the civilians have not forgotten the past atrocities of the Security Forces.

Speaker 10:

Well, apparently the government's aim is to weaken the will of the people through these offensives and economic embargoes. But, my fear is that it is counter-productive and after all, human nature is such that they value their freedom far above their creature comforts.

Speaker 1:

This conflict appears to have no end in sight, and while the Sri Lankan tightens its grip on the Peninsula, thousands more refugees are being created, and the divide between the north and south grows larger.