Capture of Thoppigala

Thoppigala or Baron’s Cap, the last LTTE stronghold in the east from where the Tigers had reportedly planned and conducted operations in the province was captured on Wednesday after over five months of fighting against Tiger cadres. The soldiers who had sacrificed their lives and those who sweated and toiled in that inhospitable terrain away from their homes and loved ones deserve the nation’s encomiums for accomplishing this task. In fact, all peace-loving people, here and abroad, who abhor the use of terrorism and violence as a method of settling political disputes and problems, should hail this event as a blow to terrorism.

Following the customary political pattern in this country, different parties have viewed this event differently. While the government and its supporters have hailed this event as a great victory, the opposition parties, mainly the UNP, has trivialized the achievement dismissing it as a feat of no special significance. Both sides thus fail to view it objectively without being influenced by their party prejudices.

However, it would be clear to anyone who could look at issues objectively and dispassionately, bereft of political party prejudices and predilections, that the capture of Thoppigala was a significant success achieved by the forces in their campaign to clear the east of terrorist incursions in the area. Although there are still a few pockets of Tiger occupation to be cleared -according to Director-General, Media Centre for National Security Lakshman Hulugalla - the major clearing up has been completed successfully and Lion Flag hoisted on top of the Thoppigala mountain. It is indeed unfair to withhold commendation for this achievement when the Tigers themselves regard the loss of Thoppigala as a serious setback to their campaign to create their Eelam.

There is, however, no reason for much celebration in this respect since much more remains to be done to see an end to violence and bloodletting in this country. The authorities, therefore, have to be cautious and moderate in celebrating the event. They have to take special care to avoid giving the appearance of a celebration of a victory of the majority Sinhala over the Tamil community, in whatever celebrations they may plan to have. It should rather be treated as a national event in which all peace-loving people could participate, irrespective of ethnic or other differences.

The most appropriate form would be to make the proposed celebrations development oriented, as suggested by some sections in the government. They must be geared to reconstruction and development activities that would provide much needed relief to the people in the area who have suffered for long having been caught up in the armed clashes between the forces and the LTTE. The construction and renovation of houses, schools, roads, and other buildings would be a fitting form of celebration that the people in the area would appreciate.

The elated hardliner sections in the government may want to have elaborate ways of celebrating the event and would pressurize the government to extend the battle quickly to the North as well and go all out to have a complete military victory over the LTTE. But the most prudent approach would be to get the LTTE back to talks for a peaceful settlement of the problem.

Meanwhile, the ongoing southern political party rivalry has to be suspended and efforts should be made to have a common approach to the situation that has now arisen.

True, the government may attempt to glorify the present success and gain political mileage thus diverting the people’s attention from the problems they are burdened with. They may also try to submerge the allegations of corruption made against the government taking advantage of the present achievement.

These tendencies and predilections notwithstanding, priority needs to be given to solving the national problem through a combined effort on a common programme formulated after considering the views of all concerned parties.

It may be necessary for the opposition parties, in this context, to await at least a breakthrough in the effort to solve the national problem before pursuing the numerous charges they have levelled against the government. The phase the national question has entered now needs serious attention and consideration by all parties that have the country’s interest at heart.

(http://www.dailymirror.lk/2007/07/13/edit.asp)