Colombo, Nov 14: Scandinavian peace monitors today reported a dramatic drop in complaints of violations of the truce between Tamil rebel and government troops in an unexpected spin-off of Sri Lanka's power struggle. While Norway today said it was suspending mediation due to the feud between the president and prime minister, the Norwegian-led monitors said it was so quiet they were investigating old complaints.
"Both sides appear to be holding their horses," said Agnes Bragadottir, the spokeswoman for the Norwegian-led Sri Lanka monitoring mission. "We used to get about 10 complaints a day earlier, but nothing now."
"We are now having more mobile patrols and looking into complaints made in the past," she said.
Both the Tamil Tigers and President Chandrika Kumaratunga, who last week took over the Defence Ministry, said they will abide by the February 2002 truce brokered by Norway with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's government.
The monitors' spokeswoman herself has seen a drastic drop in the number of telephone inquiries from journalists on the status of the ceasefire and alleged violations by both sides.
"Now I hardly get any calls and never at night unlike before the political crisis when I had too many calls," she said.
Bureau Report