Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger guerrillas have a reputation as perhaps the world's most single-minded militants. They've shown they're prepared to fight to the death, with suicide bombing their trademark. But today they've been given the day off. They're on their way to a picnic because, now, there's real hope that peace talks with the government are about to begin.
KALIGAN, TAMIL TIGER GUERRILLA (Translation): We believe that the ceasefire will bring a good resolution because we trust in this government.
MILINDA MOROGODA, ECONOMIC REFORM MINISTER: I think the government realises that we cannot go on with the war, that the world has no patience with us, the country has no patience with us and, similarly, the LTTE is realising it. So I think the international climate is what is forcing both sides to look for compromise.
For two decades, the Tigers have waged pitched battle with government forces for a separate Tamil state. This show of force demonstrates just what a high-tech, high-velocity war it has been. In what's been Asia's most intractable conflict, more than 60,000 people have been killed, tens of thousands more have been injured and millions of people have been made homeless. Much of an entire generation has been lost, as the Tigers have fought to establish Eelam, a state free of Sri Lanka and its Sinhalese majority. Now, the first concession towards peace appears to have been made, with the Tigers' second-in-charge and official spokesman backing away from the movement's long-held demand for a separate state. Instead, he's calling for a homeland, which would remain part of a federated Sri Lanka.
TAMILCHELVAN, POLITICAL LEADER, TAMIL TIGERS: Our position is that the Tamils must be able to live with dignity, honour and peace in their homeland in the north and the east. So, if the Sri Lankan Government puts forward such a proposal, I will be able to respond to it. Our organisation will be able to take a position.
But the reality of years of isolation in Tamil-controlled territory is that a parallel state within the state has already been created. In this divided island, Tamils claim and control much of the north and east of the country. The government, the south. Milinda Morogoda is Sri Lanka's Minister for Economic Reform but, more significantly, he's one of two ministers charged with leading the government's push for peace.
MILINDA MOROGODA: We have created almost two states within a state and we have the...and that is what we are trying to correct, in a way, with this peace process and the ceasefire. And that is to say these are not two separate states, it's all one country at least and one society.
A ceasefire agreement was signed last month. Putting the pen to paper for the Tigers was its enigmatic leader, Velupillai Prabakharan. The Tigers founder and hero of the movement does not give interviews. But this military leader is poised to become a political force as peace talks between the government and the Tigers are soon set to begin. In Tiger-controlled territory, the only hope for anything resembling decent medical care is to get out. But that has not always been possible.
GILBERT CORNIGLION, INTERNATIONAL RED CROSS: It was reported that he has a skin disease, red eyes and something else of trouble so he is under a little drip and OK, so it is a sort of emergency.
Today, the border is being eased open, allowing a rare glimpse at the world the Tigers have created. The flow of people from Tiger-controlled territory to government soil has increased in recent weeks. For the first time in almost a decade, government restrictions on many basic items, including bicycles and fuel, have been lifted.
GILBERT CORNIGLION: Less items are restricted. For instance, previously, batteries, you see, small batteries for any radio and so on were forbidden, so soldiers had to check deeply into bags to find those batteries. Now, it is allowed.
It's in part an admission by the government that its embargo, aimed at starving the guerrillas of supplies, has exacted a huge toll on the civilian population.
MILINDA MOROGODA: We can see it, the areas under LTTE control have suffered, the people in those areas have suffered through a lack of food, medication, fuel, building materials for their houses, education. So, as a result, you have created two classes of citizen in this country - one class that basically has access to all these things and another class that doesn't. And I think, in that process, we are further creating a sense of resentment among people living in those areas.
This remains very much front-line territory. While the ceasefire has helped ease tensions, mistrust between bitter foes remains high. For the past decade, General Kottegoda has participated in and overseen some of the military's most fierce campaigns waged against the guerrillas.
MAJOR GENERAL S.H.S. KOTTEGODA, SRI LANKAN ARMY: Don't forget, we have not dropped the guard. We are prepared because, until now, I have told you earlier, it is just the beginning of this peace initiative.
This journey into Tiger territory has only recently become possible. For almost a decade, the Vanni, as the Tigers' stronghold is named, was off limits to outsiders. As fighting raged in the Vanni and the Tigers consolidated their control, it was simply too dangerous to cross over, and the government restricted prying media eyes. Now, the Red Cross monitors this buffer zone, seeking to ensure the safety of civilian travellers and truck convoys.
INTERNATIONAL RED CROSS (Walkie-Talkie): OK, this lady journalist is finally crossing in with a vehicle. Do I advise her to stop at the white flag or is there no problem, over? (REPLY) There is no problem at all.
Almost a decade of economic isolation and the shattering impact of this war have blighted the landscape. The Vanni is a region of dusty towns and villages connected by cratered dirt tracks. An estimated 200,000 to 400,000 people live here. Thousands more have fled. Everywhere, there are shell-shattered buildings and people. Over the years of ferocious fighting, frontlines have shifted many times, as ground has been won and lost over and over. In the northern town of Kilinochchi, only a very few buildings remain intact. This temple escaped the worst of the ravages of war, but its battle scars are obvious.
SABARATNAM KURUKKAL, TAMIL PRIEST (Translation): Obviously, they'd like peace, so that there's no more fighting there should be peace so we can live happily. That's what people ask of their God.
In the past decade, there has been little repair work, let alone construction, almost anywhere in the Vanni. Military graveyards and heroes' rest houses, as the Tigers' memorials to the dead are called, are the exception to the rule. Over the years, it's been the Tigers' leader, Prabakharan, who has been the guiding light of the movement. It is he who is held responsible for such earlier tactical decisions as turning Tamil youth into child militants. Under his leadership, women on the frontline have equal rights to life and death.
THENDRAL, LTTE CADRE: This is the Puthukudiyiruppu crematorium and it's one of the big crematoriums in Tamil Eelam and here are about 3,000-odd martyrs.
Thendral joined the movement when she was 19. A former frontline militant, she has been assigned to guide me during my time in this world where Prabakharan reigns supreme. She is a veteran of more battles than she can remember.
THENDRAL: I remember those people when they were alive. For example, if I know this cadre, sometimes I will...I will happen to cry even. That's it.
Thendral was given two items the day she finished basic training - one was her identity number, the other her very own cyanide pill to swallow in the event of capture. For now, she has chosen to leave that behind at her base camp.
THENDRAL: Since the ceasefire period, and I am working with the journalists like you, I thought it is better to leave the cyanide capsule.
While many of the rebels believe they are alive today due to the sacrifices of the movement's martyrs, others have turned to faith to survive. The Catholic Church at Madhu continues to provide sanctuary to thousands of families forced to flee during the many waves of this conflict. Our Lady of Madhu is the largest and most intact building in all of the Vanni. Although recognised as a protected haven by both sides, it took a direct hit in the fighting.
FATHER SEBAMALAI (November 1999): It was very dark and people were there in the church, crowded, and they were in tension, fear and all that. We hear the bombing and shelling, the sound of the bombing and shelling, and immediately, a shell came and fell on the roof of the corner side of the church here in Madhu, and all the people who were there, all just went into pieces and, on the spot, about 38, 39 people dead.
Many of the more than 10,000 families who have sought refuge in Madhu have now lived here for most of their children's lives. But there appears to be one point of common ground amongst all who have been forced from their homes over and over again.
MAN (Translation): As soon as we are able to, we will be going. Once peace is restored and it's safe for us to go, we will go home immediately.
Madhu is the centre of operations for many international agencies. With the ceasefire comes hope that agencies will now be able to evaluate and assist those most in need.
ALAN VERNON, UNITED NATIONS, COLOMBO: Electricity is not...the power grid doesn't extend that way. You don't have telephone networks. You don't have road repair that's taking place. Again, as a phenomenon of the conflict and the ongoing struggle between the government and the LTTE, that's fundamentally constrained any development efforts.
In this most recent attempt at finding peace, it was the Tamil Tigers who made the first move. They announced a ceasefire a few months ago, on Christmas Eve. The Tigers had become a target in the aftermath of America's so-called "global war on terror".
MILINDA MOROGODA: I think there is a general fatigue on both sides. I think the international climate itself has changed since September 11. I think that's something also that has to be understood and I think that impacts the whole situation as well.
TAMILCHELVAN (Translation): In the past, when the peace process was underway, due to the opposition of Sinhalese extremists, those who hate Tamils, every Sri Lankan government has gone back on its own proposals. This time, due to the mediation of the international community, people have more faith.
In December, Australia added the Tigers to its list of banned organisations. In this remote corner of Sri Lanka, without electricity or phone lines, Canberra's decision did not go unnoticed amongst the movement's foot soldiers. These guerrillas - each and every one a seasoned fighter - were not happy about being labelled terrorists. And, upon hearing I was Australian, they called for that message to be relayed to Canberra.
COMMANDER NAYAGAN (Translation): The Australian Government should recognise the liberation struggle and must contribute fully in order to solve our people's problems, by pressuring the Sri Lankan Government to help our struggle.
Across the border, Sri Lankan soldiers continue to patrol, wearing heavy bullet-proof vests. In Tiger territory, security concerns are much more relaxed. These guerrillas are on their way to a picnic, but first they have to call in on a village, which has arranged a thank you ceremony for their efforts over the past year. The names of those who have achieved martyrdom in the past year are duly honoured. At the height of this conflict, Sri Lanka's army swelled in size to 100,000 men and women, but the Tigers' military strength has never been thought to be more than between 5,000 and 10,000. And, while there's no doubt the guerrillas have strong backing among many Tamils, who applaud their military exploits, the same support does not necessarily extend to their efforts at civil society. The outside world has had little chance to observe these institutions at work.
ALAN VERNON: I mean we're aware, obviously, of the fact that the LTTE was operating a court system, that there were LTTE police that were operating there but, in terms of our ability to better understand that system entirely, we've not been able to do that.
But the movement that gives its young guerrillas cyanide pills to swallow in the event of capture is now in charm mode and, in an attempt to show it is more than simply a guerrilla force, the Tigers agreed to allow Dateline previously unheard-of access to a day in their court. It's just one small, but significant, example of how far the Tigers of Tamil Eelam have been able to pursue their desire for a separate state.
SUDAR KNILASAPILAI, TAMIL JUDGE (Translation): We have made our laws based on British law and to fit in with our culture and our people's way of life. Our laws are also consistent with the UN charter.
Today, there are no big-time offenders. At day's end, only one man will be returned to police custody. But that does not mean this is a lenient court. In fact, it's the reverse. Sri Lanka no longer imposes the death penalty, but the Tamil Court of Eelam does. Its judges are all former serving Tiger cadres. Only they are permitted to be elevated to the bench, a decision decreed by the movement's leader, Prabakharan. Handing down the death penalty did not disturb this former frontline fighter, who was promoted to the position at the ripe old age of 23.
SUDAR KNILASAPILAI (Translation): When I handed down that sentence, I didn't worry about it. I felt that I had meted out justice.
The Tigers maintain the decision to build their own legal system was driven by necessity rather than design. Its Tamil law school was created six years ago, soon after the region was cut off by the war. There are plans for a High Court. The Tigers maintain that people here are grateful for their judicial efforts. While in the company of my guide, no one was willing to say anything else. A police service has also been created, but here Tiger militants are not welcome, for this is a civilian service. Now, due to the ceasefire, some of the physical barriers that have isolated the Tamils are being removed. Today, a new border-crossing post is about to open on the frontline. On the government side, military bases are being camouflaged as civilians are given right-of-passage to travel down this road for the first time in more than a decade. It is a major military concession from the Sri Lankan army, for this is the main highway to Jaffna. It has long been used as the military's main supply line.
INTERNATIONAL RED CROSS (Walkie-Talkie): Hello JC. Yes, they'll be sending this lorry to test the turning in a few minutes. Over. (REPLY): OK, you have the green light. Just do it. Over.
The Sri Lankan Army knows what's at stake, but its chief, General Lionel Balagalle, insists it's a journey the military is prepared and wants to make.
LIEUTENANT-GENERAL LIONEL BALAGALLE, SRI LANKAN ARMED FORCES: It will take a lot of time. It has to be done step by step. And there will be misunderstandings, there will be shortcomings, there will be problems, on our side as well, but we will try to correct it through discussions, through talks, as far as possible.
And, today, as much as the government wanted to put its spin on proceedings, so, too, did the Tigers. Media were invited to cross over and speak to them. Tamil political parties have endorsed the guerrillas as the sole voice in any peace process. While they may be dressed for battle, this day was more about promoting themselves as a political force. The opportunity was seized to once more raise concern about being labelled as terrorists.
S. SUTHA THANGAN, TAMIL DEPUTY POLITICAL LEADER (Translation): The Australian Government's ban on our organisation has made us really sad.
As barriers are being brought down and roads opened up, the true cost of this war is only now being made public. This road extends all the way to government-controlled Jaffna, but it is not possible to go that far just yet. For this highway has not been completely cleared of landmines. The Tigers agreed to escort me to Elephant Pass and beyond. This strategic narrow strip of land has been lost and won by both sides numerous times. Pallai is as far as Thendral, my Tiger guide, is able to negotiate for me to go. No outsider has been allowed to travel this far in recent times.
THENDRAL: This territory was captured, and lost and captured by...for three or four times and now, we...this area was thoroughly, fully under controlled by the Tigers.
Tamil Tiger militants are the only inhabitants of this town. But it's not just uncertainty about the peace process that's keeping former residents away.
THENDRAL: People have not yet come to settle down in these places.
REPORTER: Why is that?
THENDRAL: Because, in some places, we have landmines and other explosives.
As with the people of the Vanni, Tamil civilians in Jaffna have lived much of this war either on the run or trapped as virtual prisoners of war. Today, the occupying forces are government soldiers. But Jaffna has long held special significance in the minds of Tamil people. It was the main Tamil centre before the war and has been fiercely fought over. Little of the old town remains intact. These are among the only images left of Jaffna. Jaffna's main library was burned to the ground during one of the many battles played out on these streets. The Tigers once controlled Jaffna. The government only regained it in 1995 after a 5-month battle. But the greatest impact of the war may not be the number of people killed or the physical destruction, but rather the impact on those who have survived.
PROFESSOR DAYA SOMASUNDARAM, PSYCHIATRIST: But, at that time, you thought your sister was the devil?
MAN: Yes, yes.
PROFESSOR DAYA SOMASUNDARAM: Was harming you?
MAN: Yes.
PROFESSOR DAYA SOMASUNDARAM: Only your sister?
MAN: Only my sister.
Professor Somasundaram is Jaffna's one and only trained psychiatrist.
PROFESSOR DAYA SOMASUNDARAM: We find that about 27% of the population are having symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder.
This hospital is temporary - in this war, institutions have also been displaced. Professor Somasundaram says patients suffering post traumatic stress re-experience the horror of what has happened to them over and over again.
PROFESSOR DAYA SOMASUNDARAM: For example, if it's a landmine victim who has lost his limb due to a landmine explosion, even after the event, maybe one week or one month or several months later, he goes through the experience as if it's happening again. It's real for him. It's like a video replay. The whole thing is happening again in front of his eyes. He sees...he's walking there, suddenly the explosion and then he's lying with a bleeding stump and then he's being taken to hospital and that happens again and again.
And he says the impact that has on society is impossible to quantify.
PROFESSOR DAYA SOMASUNDARAM: Here also, we are dealing with a kind of a trauma that has been chronic, going on for years, and also multiple. For example, displacements are multiple. There is not only one displacement, but again and again. And the trauma is also multiple, deaths in the family, somebody's been detained and maybe tortured. So the effects of this collective trauma is much more pernicious. It, sort of, spreads out, affecting not only individual members, but families and the community.
The facilities here at this temporary hospital are basic. The small team that administers care does what it can with what it can. Professor Somasundaram says incidents of torture continue to arise on both sides.
PROFESSOR DAYA SOMASUNDARAM: Earlier, I would say almost torture was a routine procedure. Anybody who was detained would undergo torture, just like registration of their name and so on.
And while the Sri Lankan military has been the worst offender in terms of the number of people subjected to torture, the Tigers' appetite for revenge disturbs him.
PROFESSOR DAYA SOMASUNDARAM: What is so very strange to me, or perhaps difficult to psychologically comprehend, is sometimes these methods are used much more severely on people of their own community than on people of the other, who are supposed to be enemies.
More than half of Jaffna's current estimated population of 500,000 people do not live in their own homes. At Inuvil on the outskirts of Jaffna, many of the families here have spent more than a decade in cramped and very basic temporary housing. What makes displacement harder to bear is the knowledge that their homes are intact, not far away, but in an area defined as a high-security zone which has placed them under military control.
WOMAN (Translation): Now we have lost everything. Women are forced to stay at home. Men earn just 50 rupees a day. We survive on rations. But we just want to go home.
For some, the ceasefire has raised hopes high enough to inspire direct and very dangerous action. In Chavakachcheri town, that's what people are doing - taking huge risks to go home.
CHEVACHCHERI RETURNEE: The ceasefire is not sure. Today is a ceasefire, tomorrow is a fight. What to do?
But to set foot in this town is a very dangerous proposition. It has not been cleared of landmines.
G.G. PONNAMBALAM, MP FOR JAFFNA: You have a lot of signs that you will find all over the town warning people of landmines. This is one in Tamil, warning people of landmines, but still you have people, I mean the very fact that people are here, quite a few though, shows how desperate people are just to come back and find a way to survive.
This man is one who is willing to take the risk, although he won't be calling for his family to join him until he knows it's safe.
CHEVACHCHERI RETURNEE (Translation): Two years ago, we left all our possessions behind. We ran away from the war. There were only manual jobs. We had no work, no food. We received dry rations. We survived with huge difficulty.
Hopes for peace remain high amongst those who have paid the most for this two-decades-long power struggle. There is no doubt that a shocking price has been exacted. But people here also know it can be dangerous to hope too much.
PROFESSOR DAYA SOMASUNDARAM: A lot of people have... hoping that this whole thing will come to an end so if the whole thing collapses that would be a sudden letdown. I mean, this has happened so many times so people are a lot more cautious now. But still it's human nature, you know, we have been through this so much, we just hope that this craziness will end.