Conversations: 'We Are Confident of Winning This War'

The Sri Lankan Army ended the year 2000 by recapturing strategically important areas in the Jaffna peninsula, which had fallen to Tamil separatists last May. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) had launched a massive offensive last April to push out the Sri Lankan army from what it considers the heartland of an independent Tamil state in the north and east of the country. Faced with the prospect of losing 30,000 troops and trapped without supplies in the Jaffna peninsula, the government went on a major buying spree -- rocket launchers and high-speed gunboats among their purchases. Backed by superior firepower, the military halted the offensive mid-May, however the Tigers kept control of two strategically important bridges on the main supply line close to the northern capital of Jaffna -- the capture of Elephant Pass was seen as the army's worst defeat in the 18-year separatist war which has claimed over 60,000 lives. In September, the army launched another series of offensives, and managed to push the rebels out of the area by Dec. 30. The region's top military commander, Major General Anton Wijendra, who spearheaded the offensive, is claiming a major government victory and told TIME contributor Waruna Karunatilake recently that Jaffna city is now secure. On Tuesday, Jan. 16, government troops launched another offensive against the last major position held by the rebels. Edited excerpts: CONVERSATIONS'India Must Show Genuine Respect to Nepal'Former Indian foreign secretary Salman Haidar on the peculiar relationship between the two countries'Tamils in Sri Lanka Want Peace, Not War'Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar discusses the LTTE's sham cease-fire offer'I Did What I Could For My Country'Olympic medalist Karnam Malleswari of India on weightlifting, dirty politics and winning gold'A Lot of Companies Will Go Belly-up'E-commerce expert Mohanbir Sawhney says successful Indian software companies are heading for trouble'Unlike the Indians, We Don't Talk Peace and Practice War'Indian separatist leader Thuingaleng Muivah on his arrest and his hopes for a cease-fire in the country's northeast'I Thought I was in a Zoo. It Was Scary'Kiran Bedi transformed a hellhole jail in India into a global model for prison reform. Read howTIME: How important are the recent military gains in the Jaffna Peninsula?Wijendra: The area is extremely important strategically because anybody in possession of that area could operate on interior lines and could launch an operation into Jaffna town. Therefore recapturing this area was of vital importance. TIME: Does this ease the military pressure on the Jaffna Peninsula?Wijendra: We are under no pressure now as far as Jaffna city is concerned, and we are confident that we can regain the rest of the areas in the peninsula that the LTTE controls. TIME: The Sri Lankan government went on a major rearmament drive after the rebels overran the huge military complex at Elephant Pass, the entrance to the peninsula. Did the new weapons help?Wijendra: Yes. Rearmament played a major role and assisted us in inflicting maximum casualties on the LTTE. TIME: How many casualties has the army inflicted in these operations?Wijendra: The strength of the LTTE has been depleted as 1,061 Tigers have been killed in action and an equal number have been wounded in action.TIME: How do you feel launching operations when the LTTE has declared a unilateral cease-fire until Jan. 24?Wijendra: Most of our operations were launched before the cease-fire was declared on Dec. 24. By that time the Tigers had basically been pushed out of the area. They had already lost the battle. So it was not a question of us fighting an enemy that had declared a cease-fire. They had already been defeated. TIME: What is your response to the declaration of the cease-fire?Wijendra: I think they were trying to get us to call a cease-fire so that they could have time to regroup and rearm themselves. TIME: So what now? Is regaining Elephant Pass a priority?Wijendra: Elephant Pass is actually of great sentimental value to us. If our military strategy dictates that the capture of Elephant Pass is a decisive point towards achieving our end result, then, yes, it is important and a priority. But if I was to say yes or no it could divulge our military strategy. TIME: Are you confident of winning this war?Wijendra: A war of this nature cannot be won by militarily actions alone We need to get it to a point where the enemy is weakened sufficiently, whereby they agree to our terms of negotiations. We are presently in a position of strength, but eventually this problem will have to be solved by negotiations. It is all a matter of time. The situation is very favorable for us at the moment.