Mr Yashshi Akashi has met the LTTE terrorist’s political wing leader S.P. Thamilselvan in Wanni a couple of days ago. According to reports in the Sri Lankan media, Mr Akashi has promised to obtain approval from the donor community to provide humanitarian relief to the people in the North and East prior to LTTE reaching a final agreement with the Government of Sri Lanka.
The Society for Peace Unity and Human Rights for Sri Lanka (SPUR) is deeply concerned with Mr Akashi’s commitment to persuade international donor agencies to provide direct aid to the LTTE in the East and the North of Sri Lanka.
Whilst Mr Akashi is considering appeasing the LTTE terrorists by offering direct aid on a humanitarian basis, one should pause to think of the party that is primarily responsible for the plight of the Sinhalese, Tamil and Muslim people living under the jackboot terror of the LTTE. The LTTE and Thamilselvan in particular continue to tarnish the image of the democratically elected Government of Sri Lanka and the Southern polity in the Island, laying the blame solely at the feet of these entities for the misery that the LTTE has brought upon the Tamil people in the Wanni.
There is no one else but the LTTE to be blamed for the current impasse in the peace negotiations. The LTTE by insisting on establishing an unconstitutional Interim Administration has found a useful red herring to divert the attention of the international community and more disappointingly, the focus of the Sri Lankan Government. As stated before, whilst the LTTE is shedding crocodile tears for the human rights of the Tamil people living in the Wanni, they continue to:
(1) Violate the Ceasefire Agreement
According to the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, over 95% of the approximately 3000 violations of the ceasefire recorded by them have been committed by the LTTE. These include smuggling of arms, sinking of ships, establishing new camps, assassinating political rivals, killing and kidnapping civilians, killing Muslims due to ethnic reasons, moving armed cadres into Government areas .In this connection, we wish to draw your attention to the recent statements of the ICJ , Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, who have strongly urged the LTTE to " make a clear public commitment to international human rights standards and practical ways of putting them into effect".
(2) Violate the UN Resolution on the recruitment of child soldiers.
To this day, the LTTE has refused to honor the undertaking given in 1998 to Mr. Olara Otunu, the UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict. Neither the facilitator, nor the prestigious nations in Europe, who are keen on providing space to the LTTE even at the risk of balkanizing Sri Lanka, has succeeded in stopping this war crime. Faced with this horror, Tamil parents have committed suicide and according to the University Teachers for Human Rights Organization in Jaffna, the LTTE members are also accused of sexually exploiting these child soldiers.
(3) Violate the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1373 (2001)
The LTTE has brazenly flouted the United Nations Security Council Resolution on suppressing the financing of terrorism adopted after the 9/11 carnage in various countries by terrorizing the Tamil population, carrying out hate campaigns and raising and laundering funds through bogus front organizations who pose as charities, to perpetuate terrorism in Sri Lanka.
(4) Urge the Sri Lankan government to consider the LTTE as the sole representatives of the Tamil people and to accept ISGA as the basis for the recommencing peace talks
Despite the LTTE’s hold over some sections of the Tamil people in given areas in the North and the East, many Tamil groups have rejected the position taken by the LTTE. The majority of the Sinhalese and the Muslims and even the Tamils will never accept the demands of the LTTE. Therefore, the LTTE’s insistence is nothing but a ploy to scuttle the peace process. This has been confirmed by the breakaway LTTE leader Karuna, when he stated that the LTTE leader’s tactic was to drag the peace talks indefinitely to derail the peace process, so that he could achieve his dream of carving out a separate Tamil state from Sri Lanka.
We urge the Sri Lankan Government to take the leadership and convince the International community, in particular Japan to follow a path that punishes transgressions by restricting international interactions, free global movement, material and financial aid when the LTTE breaks conditions stipulated in the Cease Fire Agreement and National and International Law.
Humanitarian aid should be channelled through one single credible organization such as the ‘International Red Cross’ until the LTTE is capable of demonstrating its adherence to law and respect for human rights. Progressive steps taken by the LTTE should be rewarded with measured gestures coupled to humanitarian aid directly to organizations working in the Wanni.
The adoption of a carrot and stick approach is a must for curbing LTTE instigated violence. The LTTE executes civilians, especially Tamil civilians belonging to democratic political parties such as the EPDP and continues to test the patients of the Sri Lankan government. International community’s preference to pursue a path of passive engagement will be misconstrued by the LTTE as a sign of weakness.
It is time to take a stance based on justice, pluralism, democracy and human rights. The international community should stop rewarding terrorism. Brokering of so called humanitarian aid for the murderous LTTE unconditionally will be condemned universally if Mr Akashi proceeds to provide Thmilselvan’s perverted demands a global platform and credibility.
We urge you to advise Mr Akashi to follow a principled approach to seeking an end to LTTE’s terrorism. It is hypocritical of Japan not to negotiate with terrorist in Iraq (even when a Japanese citizen’s life was at stake) whilst promoting increased interactions with the international community for the LTTE terrorists even when they assassinate political opponents showing scant regard for human rights and human life. Please veto Mr Akashi’s attempts to procure direct aid for the LLTTE terrorists until they abide by Sri Lanka’s law, respect human rights and commit to a unitary state and the territorial integrity of Sri Lanka.
SPUR (australia)
