FROM the line of dusty travellers leaving the Tamil Tigers' heartland in northern Sri Lanka, young men are strikingly absent. The people trudging out of rebel territory, across a strip of scrubby ground dotted with bundles of barbed wire and gun-slung soldiers, say securing exit passes from the rebels has become increasingly tough. For the young, it is all but impossible. As far as the Tigers are concerned, they are potential fighters.
The rebels want to keep the young and fit in their stronghold, a mini-state run with thuggish ruthlessness. Since 1983, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam have fought for an independent “homeland” in the east and north for the island's Tamil minority. In July the Sri Lankan army declared it had cleared the eastern part for the first time in 14 years. Now its sights are on the north. In his heavily fortified headquarters in the capital Colombo, the army chief, General Sarath Fonseka, says he expects to chase the Tigers from the north in a year, “maybe less”.
This is more than a commander's bravado. After the army's triumph in the east, subsequent victories suggest the Tigers' strength is diminished. In early September the army cleared an area just south of their heartland, capturing a Tiger naval base purportedly used to receive smuggled weapons. Days later it sank three ships it said were ferrying light aircraft and a bullet-proof car for the Tigers' chieftain, Velupillai Prabhakaran. In eastern Sri Lanka some Tamils express surprise, and sometimes disenchantment, that the Tigers' roar has been more muffled of late.
If the army did win the north while holding the east it would constitute a huge and unprecedented victory. Its last big push into the area, in the late 1990s, ended with hundreds of dead soldiers and a humiliating retreat. In the east, which has a mixed population of Tamils, Sinhalese and Muslims, the rebels' hold was patchy and the army was helped by the defection in 2004 of the Tigers' commander in the region, known as Colonel Karuna. The Tigers hold the Tamil north in a much tighter grip. And the army has fewer soldiers than it would like for its northern campaign, because it is busy securing the east.
Days after the government celebrated its latest victories in the eastern port town of Trincomalee last month, suspected Tigers bombed a bus in the area, killing the driver and wounding several passengers. Though such incidents in the east have decreased, they suggest that the Tigers remain a force to be reckoned with. In the north, on the margins of their fief, there are areas where it is unclear quite who is in control: the army or the rebels.
Even a northern victory, momentous as it would be, would not bring an end to Sri Lanka's conflict. That will not come without a political solution, giving some measure of autonomy to the island's Tamils who have suffered discrimination from the Sinhalese majority more or less since independence.
A cross-party group of politicians has made some progress on this front, agreeing that the island should be devolved at the provincial level—an improvement on an earlier government proposal for district-level devolution. But last month the defence minister, Gotabhaya Rajapakse (brother of the president, Mahinda Rajapakse), made it clear where the government's priorities lay. A political solution, he said, would be impossible without first crushing the Tigers. This dashed any faint hope that the ceasefire agreement the government and the Tigers signed in 2002, and which is still notionally in force, might yet be revived.
In the east, meanwhile, the government has an opportunity to show Tamils they are better-off under the government than they were under the rebels. But its commitment to this goal is questionable. In a Trincomalee town hall with views of the glittering Indian Ocean, more than 80 families sleep on a concrete floor amid battered cardboard boxes of possessions. They have lived here for more than a year, since they were shelled out of their homes in nearby Sampur, a former Tiger stronghold; thousands more of their fellow townspeople languish in camps outside the town. Though few of them seem to know it, they are unlikely to return home: Sampur has been turned into a no-go high-security zone for the army.
The government faces other challenges if it is to pull off victory in the north. People in Colombo, for whom the war is a rather distant affair, may not have heard any bombs lately. But they complain about rocketing inflation, and political support for President Rajapakse's government is ebbing. Dogged by allegations of incompetence and corruption, it is expected to be further weakened when it presents its budget in November. In last year's, military expenses surged by 44%. Another big rise will increase pressure to show that all this spending is achieving something.
(http://www.economist.com/world/asia/PrinterFriendly.cfm?story_id=9905428)
Thursday, October 04, 2007
Iceland offers unqualified apology to Sri Lanka for its diplomat’s unauthorized meeting with Tigers
The Government of Iceland has tendered an unqualified written apology to the Government of Sri Lanka for the unauthorized meeting of Bjarni Vestmann, Minister Counsellor of the Foreign Ministry of Iceland, with representatives of the LTTE, according to a press release issued by the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Washington.
The apology was tendered after Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama, who is currently on an official visit to Washington DC, took up the issue with his counterpart Mrs. Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir, Minister for Foreign Affairs and External Trade of Iceland on Wednesday morning. The Minister strongly protested the action of Vestmann, and requested his immediate recall.
Foreign Minister Gísladóttir emphatically stated that the Government of Iceland had not authorized Vestmann to make any contact with the LTTE, which he has done much to their disappointment
The Iceland Foreign Minister noted the close relations between Sri Lanka and Iceland and hoped for the continuation of this relationship.
According to Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry sources, Vestmann had not gone through the proper channels. A spokesperson said that his visit was not approved by the Foreign Ministry.
The Sri Lankan Peace Secretariat too reacted sharply to the unauthorized visit of Vestmann to the Tigers Political and Administrative headquarters in Killinochchi. In reply to a question as to how Vestmann slipped passed the checkpoints, the Peace Secretariat has said that vehicles of established agencies like SLMM are not checked. But it has recommended to the Ministry of Defence that in future all vehicles and individuals traveling in them should be checked closely.
The Sri Lankan Monitoring Mission (SLMM) headed by the Norwegians is now washing their hands off saying that the presence of S.P. Tamilselvan, the political head of head of the LTTE, was coincidental and the report that formal discussions took place was incorrect. At the last minute SLMM backed off from taking Vestmann to the Peace Secretariat. SLMM told the Peace Secretariat that they had informed the Foreign Ministry about the incident and expressed their regrets.
(http://www.asiantribune.com/index.php?q=node/7653)
The apology was tendered after Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama, who is currently on an official visit to Washington DC, took up the issue with his counterpart Mrs. Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir, Minister for Foreign Affairs and External Trade of Iceland on Wednesday morning. The Minister strongly protested the action of Vestmann, and requested his immediate recall.
Foreign Minister Gísladóttir emphatically stated that the Government of Iceland had not authorized Vestmann to make any contact with the LTTE, which he has done much to their disappointment
The Iceland Foreign Minister noted the close relations between Sri Lanka and Iceland and hoped for the continuation of this relationship.
According to Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry sources, Vestmann had not gone through the proper channels. A spokesperson said that his visit was not approved by the Foreign Ministry.
The Sri Lankan Peace Secretariat too reacted sharply to the unauthorized visit of Vestmann to the Tigers Political and Administrative headquarters in Killinochchi. In reply to a question as to how Vestmann slipped passed the checkpoints, the Peace Secretariat has said that vehicles of established agencies like SLMM are not checked. But it has recommended to the Ministry of Defence that in future all vehicles and individuals traveling in them should be checked closely.
The Sri Lankan Monitoring Mission (SLMM) headed by the Norwegians is now washing their hands off saying that the presence of S.P. Tamilselvan, the political head of head of the LTTE, was coincidental and the report that formal discussions took place was incorrect. At the last minute SLMM backed off from taking Vestmann to the Peace Secretariat. SLMM told the Peace Secretariat that they had informed the Foreign Ministry about the incident and expressed their regrets.
(http://www.asiantribune.com/index.php?q=node/7653)
Iceland apologises to Sri Lanka
Iceland has apologised to the Sri Lankan government for the unauthorised meeting of one of its diplomats with rebels in the north of the island.
Sri Lanka had called for the expulsion the diplomat, Bjarni Vestmann.
Foreigners and journalists are not allowed to enter territory held by the Tamil Tigers without permission.
The Sri Lankan foreign ministry said that the diplomat had managed to get a ride with truce monitors of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission.
It said it had lodged a protest with the mission for transporting the diplomat.
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7028553.stm)
Sri Lanka had called for the expulsion the diplomat, Bjarni Vestmann.
Foreigners and journalists are not allowed to enter territory held by the Tamil Tigers without permission.
The Sri Lankan foreign ministry said that the diplomat had managed to get a ride with truce monitors of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission.
It said it had lodged a protest with the mission for transporting the diplomat.
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7028553.stm)
Sri Lanka calls for expulsion of Icelandic diplomat
Sri Lanka on Tuesday called for the expulsion of an Icelandic diplomat who made a clandestine visit to the Tamil Tiger-held north of the island.
Sri Lanka's foreign ministry said it asked Reykjavik to recall Bjarni Vestmann, a minister-counsellor at Iceland's foreign ministry, after he entered the country on a tourist visa and went to the north to meet with rebels.
"The (Sri Lankan foreign) minister strongly protested the action of Mr. Vestmann and requested his immediate recall," a ministry statement said.
Foreigners and journalists are not allowed to enter territory held by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) without government permission.
The diplomat, however, had managed to get a ride with Scandinavian truce monitors, the ministry said.
It said it had also lodged a protest with the Norwegian-led Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) for transporting the diplomat.
There was no immediate comment from the SLMM or Vestmann.
The Tamil Tigers had on Tuesday posted a picture of Vestmann calling on the LTTE's political wing leader S. P. Thamilselvan at the guerrillas' political headquarters in Kilinochchi.
The SLMM is on the island to monitor a Norwegian-brokered truce agreed to in February 2002. The ceasefire has since collapsed.
(http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20071004/wl_sthasia_afp/srilankaicelandunrestdiplomacypeace_
071004114351&printer=1;_ylt=AgL7KiOmbJrcs2T4s0csWLPuOrgF)
Sri Lanka's foreign ministry said it asked Reykjavik to recall Bjarni Vestmann, a minister-counsellor at Iceland's foreign ministry, after he entered the country on a tourist visa and went to the north to meet with rebels.
"The (Sri Lankan foreign) minister strongly protested the action of Mr. Vestmann and requested his immediate recall," a ministry statement said.
Foreigners and journalists are not allowed to enter territory held by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) without government permission.
The diplomat, however, had managed to get a ride with Scandinavian truce monitors, the ministry said.
It said it had also lodged a protest with the Norwegian-led Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) for transporting the diplomat.
There was no immediate comment from the SLMM or Vestmann.
The Tamil Tigers had on Tuesday posted a picture of Vestmann calling on the LTTE's political wing leader S. P. Thamilselvan at the guerrillas' political headquarters in Kilinochchi.
The SLMM is on the island to monitor a Norwegian-brokered truce agreed to in February 2002. The ceasefire has since collapsed.
(http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20071004/wl_sthasia_afp/srilankaicelandunrestdiplomacypeace_
071004114351&printer=1;_ylt=AgL7KiOmbJrcs2T4s0csWLPuOrgF)
Senseless death of Sri Lankan Good Samaritan
'Our dearest Fr Packiaranjith has been killed in a claymore mine attack; the Diocese of Mannar is in deep sorrow.' The news from a friend in northern Sri Lanka was shocking, but not surprising. As a local coordinator for the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) in Mannar District, Fr Nicholaspillai Packiaranjith lived and worked in a contested territory in Sri Lanka's long-running civil war.
The 40-year-old priest was killed on 26 September, when his van was blown up by a mine in rebel-held territory as he was delivering aid to displaced people and orphans. Typically, the army and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) blamed each other for the blast. We are unlikely to discover the truth, because both cynically use war casualties to bolster their propaganda.
More than 10,000 people attended the funeral of Fr Packiaranjith on 29 September. In a press statement, the Bishop of Mannar, Rayappu Joseph, said Fr Packiaranjith served with 'exemplary dedication' and was 'deeply committed to the poor and the marginalised', which made his murder all the more heinous.
Apart from being a priest who gave his life for his people, Fr Packiaranjith represents the victims of Sri Lanka's civil war, which has raged intermittently for over 25 years, claiming at least 70,000 lives. The LTTE wants autonomy in the north-east for the minority Tamils, whose grievances date back to post-Independence days, when they bore the brunt of mob violence and of discriminatory laws and policies imposed by governments dominated by the Sinhalese majority.
The war shows no signs of abating. The Defence Secretary, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, also the President's brother, recently announced the government's intention to defeat the LTTE '100 per cent' before negotiating a political solution to the so-called 'ethnic problem'. Rajapaksa later went back on his word and claimed to want to reach agreement with the LTTE, but the writing on the wall is clear.
The ceasefire signed in 2002 is no longer worth the paper it is written on. Fierce fighting rages anew. The defection in 2004 of a senior LTTE leader from the east, Karuna, has fuelled the conflict. Both the LTTE and the Karuna faction are indulging in forced recruitment, extending this even to children. Thousands of people have been displaced, and at least 4,000 have been killed since late 2005 when the peace process started to come apart. Over 1,000 have 'disappeared'. There is scepticism about official inquiries set up to investigate well-known cases, like the disappearance of Fr Jim Brown, a priest from Jaffna, on 20 August 2006.
Sri Lanka has a history of failed peace talks. The high hopes of those wanting peace are frequently dashed. The island ranks second only to Iraq in the number of unsolved disappearances, a phenomenon fuelled by the notorious 1979 Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). Commissions of inquiry set up by the former president, Chandrika Kumaratunga, ascertained that 26,000 people disappeared — others put the figure at close to 60,000 — and concluded that the armed forces were largely responsible.
The cases also included disappearances perpetrated in the suppression of an uprising among the Sinhalese in the late 1980s. But impunity is the name of the game in Sri Lanka. There is what the Asian Human Rights Commission aptly described a 'total collapse of the rule of law'. The armed forces and Tamil paramilitary groups literally get away with murder.
The LTTE is not accountable to anyone. It eliminates perceived detractors, uses terror tactics, and expects all Tamils to contribute to the never-ending liberation struggle. Apologists depict LTTE-held territory as a de facto state on a war footing and use this rationale to justify violations of human rights.
Nonetheless, the LTTE has been internationally accepted as the legitimate representative of the Tamils and remains a force to be reckoned with, despite recent military setbacks. The government strategy of talking peace and waging war is bound to fail and only serves to bring suffering.
For all their rhetoric, neither warring party has the welfare of civilians at heart. They fail to learn from the mistakes of history and instead repeat them, with the result that innocents like Fr Packiaranjith pay the price. Sri Lanka's people can only beg for peace and draw international attention to their plight, as Bishop Joseph did when Fr Packiaranjith was killed: 'Enough blood has flowed. We call on all men and women of goodwill to condemn this killing and to voice their strong condemnation of the ongoing senseless war.'
(http://www.eurekastreet.com.au/article.aspx?aeid=3532)
The 40-year-old priest was killed on 26 September, when his van was blown up by a mine in rebel-held territory as he was delivering aid to displaced people and orphans. Typically, the army and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) blamed each other for the blast. We are unlikely to discover the truth, because both cynically use war casualties to bolster their propaganda.
More than 10,000 people attended the funeral of Fr Packiaranjith on 29 September. In a press statement, the Bishop of Mannar, Rayappu Joseph, said Fr Packiaranjith served with 'exemplary dedication' and was 'deeply committed to the poor and the marginalised', which made his murder all the more heinous.
Apart from being a priest who gave his life for his people, Fr Packiaranjith represents the victims of Sri Lanka's civil war, which has raged intermittently for over 25 years, claiming at least 70,000 lives. The LTTE wants autonomy in the north-east for the minority Tamils, whose grievances date back to post-Independence days, when they bore the brunt of mob violence and of discriminatory laws and policies imposed by governments dominated by the Sinhalese majority.
The war shows no signs of abating. The Defence Secretary, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, also the President's brother, recently announced the government's intention to defeat the LTTE '100 per cent' before negotiating a political solution to the so-called 'ethnic problem'. Rajapaksa later went back on his word and claimed to want to reach agreement with the LTTE, but the writing on the wall is clear.
The ceasefire signed in 2002 is no longer worth the paper it is written on. Fierce fighting rages anew. The defection in 2004 of a senior LTTE leader from the east, Karuna, has fuelled the conflict. Both the LTTE and the Karuna faction are indulging in forced recruitment, extending this even to children. Thousands of people have been displaced, and at least 4,000 have been killed since late 2005 when the peace process started to come apart. Over 1,000 have 'disappeared'. There is scepticism about official inquiries set up to investigate well-known cases, like the disappearance of Fr Jim Brown, a priest from Jaffna, on 20 August 2006.
Sri Lanka has a history of failed peace talks. The high hopes of those wanting peace are frequently dashed. The island ranks second only to Iraq in the number of unsolved disappearances, a phenomenon fuelled by the notorious 1979 Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). Commissions of inquiry set up by the former president, Chandrika Kumaratunga, ascertained that 26,000 people disappeared — others put the figure at close to 60,000 — and concluded that the armed forces were largely responsible.
The cases also included disappearances perpetrated in the suppression of an uprising among the Sinhalese in the late 1980s. But impunity is the name of the game in Sri Lanka. There is what the Asian Human Rights Commission aptly described a 'total collapse of the rule of law'. The armed forces and Tamil paramilitary groups literally get away with murder.
The LTTE is not accountable to anyone. It eliminates perceived detractors, uses terror tactics, and expects all Tamils to contribute to the never-ending liberation struggle. Apologists depict LTTE-held territory as a de facto state on a war footing and use this rationale to justify violations of human rights.
Nonetheless, the LTTE has been internationally accepted as the legitimate representative of the Tamils and remains a force to be reckoned with, despite recent military setbacks. The government strategy of talking peace and waging war is bound to fail and only serves to bring suffering.
For all their rhetoric, neither warring party has the welfare of civilians at heart. They fail to learn from the mistakes of history and instead repeat them, with the result that innocents like Fr Packiaranjith pay the price. Sri Lanka's people can only beg for peace and draw international attention to their plight, as Bishop Joseph did when Fr Packiaranjith was killed: 'Enough blood has flowed. We call on all men and women of goodwill to condemn this killing and to voice their strong condemnation of the ongoing senseless war.'
(http://www.eurekastreet.com.au/article.aspx?aeid=3532)
IPKF was victim of vile LTTE propaganda: Tamil rights activist
The Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) which was deployed in Sri Lanka's troubled North and East between 1987 and 1990, was a victim of vile propaganda by the LTTE, an internationally acclaimed Sri Lankan Tamil human rights activist has said.
"We began our work in 1987 when the Indian Army took control of Jaffna. Apart from the callousness of an army, we saw that many instances of civilian tragedy were deliberately engineered by the LTTE for propaganda," said Dr Rajan Hoole, after receiving the Martin Ennals Award from the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva on Tuesday.
"Our early work discussed the thwarting of the India-Sri Lanka Agreement by both the LTTE and the (Sri Lankan) government and how the Indian Peace Keeping Force was pushed to strong military action by the LTTE's calculated provocations, resulting in many violations by the IPKF," Hoole said in his acceptance speech.
For two decades, Hoole and the fellow award winner K Sritharan, have been meticulously documenting human rights violations by all armed groups, including the government, in the Tamil-speaking Sri Lankan North East, at grave risk to their lives.
Provoked Lankan forces too
Referring to the post 1990 or post IPKF situation, Hoole said, "It fell to us to record the LTTE's cynicism in deliberately inviting reprisals against civilians, the terrible reprisal of the government forces, and the LTTE's ideologically directed violence against the Muslims including the ethnic cleansing of the entire Northern Muslim population and the mosque massacres in the East."
According to Hoole, the LTTE's "simple programme is to undermine any healthy development in the Sinhalese south for a political settlement, and by some foul act of violence, provoke the State's inherent harshness towards the Tamils."
Referring to the December 2005 Presidential elections in which the LTTE is said to have helped Sinhala hardliner Mahinda Rajapaksa to win, Hoole said, " It was in character for the LTTE to abet the election of a President with nationalist leanings and then deliberately provoke war. It saw this as the most promising way to a separate state."
Lankan government blamed
Hoole blamed the Sri Lankan government too for the continuance of the bloody conflict, the lack of democracy in the Tamil areas, and the continuing hold of the LTTE on the Tamil population. The state had not given the Tamils an alternative to the militancy and separatism of the LTTE but had only been concentrating on the military elimination of the LTTE, and trampling on the basic rights of the Tamils in the process, he pointed out.
"Democratic institutions are fracturing beyond a point of repair while the leaders are blinded by the arrogance of power. Their short term political interest helps the LTTE to thrust and hold the Tamil civilians in a regime of war, claiming with some logic that there is no alternative," Hoole said.
On the current political situation in Sri Lanka, he said that in the Sri Lankan government's war on terror, there was only a token acknowledgement of the need for a political settlement. That was merely a device to buy time and satisfy the world.
And in all this, he added, the LTTE had become a "pretext for crushing the Tamil people in the interest of a Sinhalese hegemonic state."
(http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Print.aspx?Id=2fa65204-93c6-489d-8af5-4c6c3099b3b7)
"We began our work in 1987 when the Indian Army took control of Jaffna. Apart from the callousness of an army, we saw that many instances of civilian tragedy were deliberately engineered by the LTTE for propaganda," said Dr Rajan Hoole, after receiving the Martin Ennals Award from the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva on Tuesday.
"Our early work discussed the thwarting of the India-Sri Lanka Agreement by both the LTTE and the (Sri Lankan) government and how the Indian Peace Keeping Force was pushed to strong military action by the LTTE's calculated provocations, resulting in many violations by the IPKF," Hoole said in his acceptance speech.
For two decades, Hoole and the fellow award winner K Sritharan, have been meticulously documenting human rights violations by all armed groups, including the government, in the Tamil-speaking Sri Lankan North East, at grave risk to their lives.
Provoked Lankan forces too
Referring to the post 1990 or post IPKF situation, Hoole said, "It fell to us to record the LTTE's cynicism in deliberately inviting reprisals against civilians, the terrible reprisal of the government forces, and the LTTE's ideologically directed violence against the Muslims including the ethnic cleansing of the entire Northern Muslim population and the mosque massacres in the East."
According to Hoole, the LTTE's "simple programme is to undermine any healthy development in the Sinhalese south for a political settlement, and by some foul act of violence, provoke the State's inherent harshness towards the Tamils."
Referring to the December 2005 Presidential elections in which the LTTE is said to have helped Sinhala hardliner Mahinda Rajapaksa to win, Hoole said, " It was in character for the LTTE to abet the election of a President with nationalist leanings and then deliberately provoke war. It saw this as the most promising way to a separate state."
Lankan government blamed
Hoole blamed the Sri Lankan government too for the continuance of the bloody conflict, the lack of democracy in the Tamil areas, and the continuing hold of the LTTE on the Tamil population. The state had not given the Tamils an alternative to the militancy and separatism of the LTTE but had only been concentrating on the military elimination of the LTTE, and trampling on the basic rights of the Tamils in the process, he pointed out.
"Democratic institutions are fracturing beyond a point of repair while the leaders are blinded by the arrogance of power. Their short term political interest helps the LTTE to thrust and hold the Tamil civilians in a regime of war, claiming with some logic that there is no alternative," Hoole said.
On the current political situation in Sri Lanka, he said that in the Sri Lankan government's war on terror, there was only a token acknowledgement of the need for a political settlement. That was merely a device to buy time and satisfy the world.
And in all this, he added, the LTTE had become a "pretext for crushing the Tamil people in the interest of a Sinhalese hegemonic state."
(http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Print.aspx?Id=2fa65204-93c6-489d-8af5-4c6c3099b3b7)
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
LTTE's Wanni bastion no longer impregnable
Forces have learnt from past debacles:
Next target: Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa on September 10, spelt out the Government's position with regard to the Wanni, without ambiguity at the ceremony held at the Naval Jetty in Trincomalee, when the nation paid tribute to the Navy men who returned to the Trincomalee port following their biggest victory in the sea.
He was very clear in his message that there will be no room for terrorism in the country and that if Wanni is the last bastion of terrorism that is obviously the next target of the Security Forces.
The Wanni operation is not the only message conveyed by him. He also indicated that the military option will be a backed up vehicle to implement the political solution that may be agreed upon at the All Party Representative Committee to solve the decades long conflict in the North and the East.
This means the Government is very clearly in it's resolve in adopting a politico-military approach to the North East conflict. In other words the Government needs to win the battle against terrorism one hundred per cent to facilitate the implementation of a political solution.
But many are looking forward to the defeat of the LTTE militarily in the Wanni which is considered to be the Tiger stronghold where all its military, administrative and political apparatus are concentrated.
Whether the Government conveys this message or not the LTTE is aware that the Security Forces, if not for the external pressure on the Government to hold back its military operations, will definitely conquer the Wanni to liberate the people from the iron grip of the Tigers.
But there are those who also think it will be suicidal for the Security Forces to step into Wanni.They are of the thinking that the Wanni is impregnable . There are many reasons to support this idea since many attempts to penetrate the LTTE heartland had ended in failure.
Jayasikurui (Victory Assured) the longest and costliest battle fought by the Security Forces to capture a 76 Km stretch of road between Vavuniya and Kilinochchi along the Jaffna Kandy A-9 highway was a classic example giving credence to this school of thought.
The LTTE reacted to this operation, launching a counter offensive "Operation Sei Allathu Sethu Madi" (Do or die) compelling the Security Forces to suspend the battle short of its objective of reaching only the Northern town of Mankulam, 32 Km South of Kilinochchi 18 months after the launch of the battle in May 1997.
Defeating LTTE
The subsequent attempts by the Security Forces, such as Ranagosa operation launched in 1999 to wrest control of the areas around Wanni though successful at the initial stage, later turned out to be debacles, leading to many reversals with Security Forces losing control of Kilinochchi, Paranthan and later the biggest debacle in Elephant Pass losing thousands of soldiers.
But the LTTE too suffered heavy losses during these battles though they were able to effectively resist Security Forces' moves to capture the Wanni. With this background, many are of the view that the Security Forces should think twice before attempting to defeat the LTTE in the Wanni.
Another school of thought is that the Government should exert pressure on the LTTE to enter the path of negotiations without launching military operation to liberate Wanni. This idea is grounded on the premise that such an operation would lead to a negative fall out on the international front.
However, the Government is very clear on this score. It wants to militarily defeat the LTTE prior to implementing any political solution. It is not ready to advocate any political solution without crushing the Tiger outfit.
Another idea gaining currency is that the Security Forces should not step into the Wanni at this juncture and that they should seal off the Wanni and bottle in the LTTE thus starving it of supplies, taking into consideration that the outfit is already running low on ammunition specially artillery rounds. This school of thought is based on the human cost involved in any such operation.
There is a justified reason for this thinking given the long duration such an operation would entail leading to suffering of the civilian population.
The other risk involved, in the quest for capturing the Wanni,is the ability of the LTTE to dig in and use the time lag to lobby international support though the outfit is in a weak position.
On the other hand the international community will not condone, the suffering of the civilian population and such tactic would take a comparatively longer period to deplete the LTTE's war chest.
What the Government should be clear about is that it is impractical to wait for longer period to defeat the LTTE in the Wanni since the latter has mastered the tactics of changing scenarios in an unimaginable time. The best example is the four-year Ceasefire offered to them.
The LTTE used this period to strengthen themselves militarily. Different situation
But the situation today is entirely different from that of the period in which Security Forces made unsuccessful efforts to capture the Wanni from the LTTE grip. The situation is more advantageous towards the Security Forces as they are now in a strong position against the LTTE having liberated the entire Eastern province from the LTTE grip.
There may be counter arguments, for instance in the mid of 1990's too the Security Forces launched operations to capture Wanni when the East was fully under the control of the Security Forces. But the bitter truth is that the Security Forces closed many camps in the East to reinforce the battle fronts in the Wanni.
That was done without any plan to hold the area by using any other means. Troops were drawn for the Jayasikurui operation mainly from Trincomalee and Batticaloa without any deployment of Police or any other force to dominate the area. That enabled the LTTE to move into these territories without any resistance and have their establishment in those parts of the East very easily.
But under the present scenario the Defence authorities have not left any room for the LTTE to raise their head again in the East though they deploy the same battalions who fought the battles in the East to dominate the areas in the Wanni too.
The difference, this time is that when troops are drawn out from the newly liberated areas in the East, the Police and the Police Special Task Force have been given the task to dominate the area without leaving any room for the LTTE to make a come back to the East.
Therefore, the East has been completely sealed off to the LTTE in the wake of any offensive launched to capture Wanni. More than 50 Police stations that are going to be opened in the East will do the role played by the Security Forces earlier.
The defeat of the LTTE militarily in the East would help the Police to run the normal civil administration in the East without any hindrance. Therefore the Tiger outfit cannot expect any help from the East to face any military operation in the Wanni.
Another disadvantageous situation for the Tiger outfit is that they have lost all of their recruitment bases in the North and East with the East fully coming under the Security Forces control, meaning, the LTTE cannot have any reinforcement from the East unlike in the past.
Not only in the East they have lost the other major recruitment base in Jaffna as they have completely loss control over the Jaffna population that is estimated to around 400,000. So the LTTE have to solely depend on the Wanni population that is estimated to be around 250,000 to 350,000, for all their requirements.
Different Tactics
One major factor behind the defeats of the Security Forces in the Wanni was due to the military tactics adopted by them to capture Tiger territory in the Wanni. The Tiger outfit was aware from which direction the troops were heading towards the Wanni when troops were engaged in the 18 month long Jayasikurui operation.
That the military tactics adopted by then Commanders resulted in heavy sacrifices of young lives in the costly operation which failed to realise its objective is only too well known.
One big advantage presently accruing to the Security Forces is that it has good military strategists to surprise the LTTE in many aspects without giving clear signals about troops movement.
Therefore, the Security Forces have now been able to scatter the entire fighting strength of the LTTE into different locations without allowing them to muster their strength at one point and launch massive offensive operation against the troops.
That was why the LTTE publicly accepted that they are now engaged in defensive operations in the Wanni to defend their territories. They are now not in a position to risks to muster their strength at one point as they fear troops infiltrations if they leave any weak link point in their defence lines.
Earlier, the LTTE was able to reverse the military victories in the Wanni mainly due to manoeuvrability of its fighting strength estimated to be around 6,000 to different locations to scatter the troops to different battle fronts.
That was the key factor behind the success of the military tactics of the LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran.
The Security Forces now with a good knowledge of these tactics are now adopting counter strategies used by the LTTE itself to scatter the Forces.
On the other hand the Defence authorities have also taken steps to lessen the additional duties on the Security Forces such as to guard threatened villages, by improving the Home Guard service to a quality service under the Civil Security Department while establishing the State owned Rakna Arakshana Lanka to deploy security personnel to guard economic nerve centres in the South.
Colombo Security
Another key factor that has to be considered is the security in the South as the Tiger outfit which is intent on destabilising the south through their terror activities targeting economic nerve centres and the civilian population.
In this aspect also the Security Forces are now in a better position as the recent operations in the East and also in the South of Mannar have restricted the avenues available with the LTTE to pose a threat to Colombo or any other part of the country.
The loss of the East was a major blow to the LTTE as they made use of the region to bring in explosives and suicide cadres to Colombo. Later they made use of Silavatura Sea Tiger base to implement their terror operations in the South but that option too is now defunct with the capture of Silavathura by the troops.
The only path available to the LTTE to bring in explosives to Colombo is through Omanthai. But, it has become an extremely difficult task with the thorough rigorous checking by the Security Forces at the two road blocks at Omanthai and Medawachchiya.
The fast restructuring of the intelligence networks in the South has also proved profitable for the Security Forces as they could break the LTTE cells in the South during the past one and half years.
That was why the Tiger outfit could not wreak havoc in Colombo by exploding bombs though the LTTE boasted of bringing the fourth Eelam War to Colombo.
The LTTE is facing its worst set back yet in the Wanni in the backdrop of their Eastern debacle. With the deployment of the Security Forces on two fronts in Jaffna and Wanni FDLs the LTTE has to scatter their total strength to defend their territory.
According to intelligence reports, the LTTE has around 6,000 fighting cadres in the Wanni to defend their territory in Jaffna and also in the Wanni.
Wanni situation
They have to depend on some 4,000 cadres to defend the Wanni FDL from Mannar to Kokkuthuduvai. With the major thrust on the West of Omanthai the LTTE have strengthened their presence in its defences West of Vavuniya as they must concentrate on the North Western coast since it is the only life line left for their logistic and other support.
With this severe shortage of man power the LTTE has now deployed civilians and stray dogs to guard the roads in fear of troops infiltrations to their territory and to facilitate 'VIP' movements.
Apart from this the LTTE has to deploy at least 1000 fully trained cadres for the Radha Brigade to provide security for LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran.
Under these circumstances the Tiger outfit has to depend on the civilian population in the Wanni for all their requirements. Therefore, the civilian population in the Wanni are now living under extreme pressure of the LTTE.
The LTTE political leaders have now been deployed to be in charge of military activities. Even LTTE political leader S.P. Thamilselvan has not been spared in this as he has been given the task of defending the Pooneryn sector. Therefore, Thamilselvan has to remove his normal outfit and take cover inside a bunker to accomplish the task entrusted to him.
Balraj, the most senior military leader now with the LTTE is also not in good health like his 52 year old leader Velupillai Prabhakaran who is now ailing due to stress.
Therefore, according to Wanni sources Theepan is the only senior leader with the Tiger outfit and he is not a military tactician like his erstwhile colleagues. The leaders who escaped from the Eastern theatre have no recognition in Wanni and they are reportedly in shock due to the experience they had to face in the Wanni.
The low morale of the LTTE leaders has resulted in a large number of the rank of file ditching the outfit but have to confine themselves within the Wanni since they have to cross LTTE checkpoints even to surrender to the Security Forces.
Even with these reversals suffered by the LTTE capturing the Wanni will not be a cake walk to the Security Forces as the Tiger leader is ready to fight to the last man to defend his territory in desperation.
But the commitment of the Security Forces towards achieving the task even under difficult circumstances coupled with the leadership given by the three Forces commanders will ensure overcoming these obstacles if they launch any operation to liberate the civilian population in the Wanni.
It has thus become the duty of the Security Forces to liberate the innocent civilian entrapped in Wanni at this decisive juncture.
(www.sundayobserver.com)
Next target: Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa on September 10, spelt out the Government's position with regard to the Wanni, without ambiguity at the ceremony held at the Naval Jetty in Trincomalee, when the nation paid tribute to the Navy men who returned to the Trincomalee port following their biggest victory in the sea.
He was very clear in his message that there will be no room for terrorism in the country and that if Wanni is the last bastion of terrorism that is obviously the next target of the Security Forces.
The Wanni operation is not the only message conveyed by him. He also indicated that the military option will be a backed up vehicle to implement the political solution that may be agreed upon at the All Party Representative Committee to solve the decades long conflict in the North and the East.
This means the Government is very clearly in it's resolve in adopting a politico-military approach to the North East conflict. In other words the Government needs to win the battle against terrorism one hundred per cent to facilitate the implementation of a political solution.
But many are looking forward to the defeat of the LTTE militarily in the Wanni which is considered to be the Tiger stronghold where all its military, administrative and political apparatus are concentrated.
Whether the Government conveys this message or not the LTTE is aware that the Security Forces, if not for the external pressure on the Government to hold back its military operations, will definitely conquer the Wanni to liberate the people from the iron grip of the Tigers.
But there are those who also think it will be suicidal for the Security Forces to step into Wanni.They are of the thinking that the Wanni is impregnable . There are many reasons to support this idea since many attempts to penetrate the LTTE heartland had ended in failure.
Jayasikurui (Victory Assured) the longest and costliest battle fought by the Security Forces to capture a 76 Km stretch of road between Vavuniya and Kilinochchi along the Jaffna Kandy A-9 highway was a classic example giving credence to this school of thought.
The LTTE reacted to this operation, launching a counter offensive "Operation Sei Allathu Sethu Madi" (Do or die) compelling the Security Forces to suspend the battle short of its objective of reaching only the Northern town of Mankulam, 32 Km South of Kilinochchi 18 months after the launch of the battle in May 1997.
Defeating LTTE
The subsequent attempts by the Security Forces, such as Ranagosa operation launched in 1999 to wrest control of the areas around Wanni though successful at the initial stage, later turned out to be debacles, leading to many reversals with Security Forces losing control of Kilinochchi, Paranthan and later the biggest debacle in Elephant Pass losing thousands of soldiers.
But the LTTE too suffered heavy losses during these battles though they were able to effectively resist Security Forces' moves to capture the Wanni. With this background, many are of the view that the Security Forces should think twice before attempting to defeat the LTTE in the Wanni.
Another school of thought is that the Government should exert pressure on the LTTE to enter the path of negotiations without launching military operation to liberate Wanni. This idea is grounded on the premise that such an operation would lead to a negative fall out on the international front.
However, the Government is very clear on this score. It wants to militarily defeat the LTTE prior to implementing any political solution. It is not ready to advocate any political solution without crushing the Tiger outfit.
Another idea gaining currency is that the Security Forces should not step into the Wanni at this juncture and that they should seal off the Wanni and bottle in the LTTE thus starving it of supplies, taking into consideration that the outfit is already running low on ammunition specially artillery rounds. This school of thought is based on the human cost involved in any such operation.
There is a justified reason for this thinking given the long duration such an operation would entail leading to suffering of the civilian population.
The other risk involved, in the quest for capturing the Wanni,is the ability of the LTTE to dig in and use the time lag to lobby international support though the outfit is in a weak position.
On the other hand the international community will not condone, the suffering of the civilian population and such tactic would take a comparatively longer period to deplete the LTTE's war chest.
What the Government should be clear about is that it is impractical to wait for longer period to defeat the LTTE in the Wanni since the latter has mastered the tactics of changing scenarios in an unimaginable time. The best example is the four-year Ceasefire offered to them.
The LTTE used this period to strengthen themselves militarily. Different situation
But the situation today is entirely different from that of the period in which Security Forces made unsuccessful efforts to capture the Wanni from the LTTE grip. The situation is more advantageous towards the Security Forces as they are now in a strong position against the LTTE having liberated the entire Eastern province from the LTTE grip.
There may be counter arguments, for instance in the mid of 1990's too the Security Forces launched operations to capture Wanni when the East was fully under the control of the Security Forces. But the bitter truth is that the Security Forces closed many camps in the East to reinforce the battle fronts in the Wanni.
That was done without any plan to hold the area by using any other means. Troops were drawn for the Jayasikurui operation mainly from Trincomalee and Batticaloa without any deployment of Police or any other force to dominate the area. That enabled the LTTE to move into these territories without any resistance and have their establishment in those parts of the East very easily.
But under the present scenario the Defence authorities have not left any room for the LTTE to raise their head again in the East though they deploy the same battalions who fought the battles in the East to dominate the areas in the Wanni too.
The difference, this time is that when troops are drawn out from the newly liberated areas in the East, the Police and the Police Special Task Force have been given the task to dominate the area without leaving any room for the LTTE to make a come back to the East.
Therefore, the East has been completely sealed off to the LTTE in the wake of any offensive launched to capture Wanni. More than 50 Police stations that are going to be opened in the East will do the role played by the Security Forces earlier.
The defeat of the LTTE militarily in the East would help the Police to run the normal civil administration in the East without any hindrance. Therefore the Tiger outfit cannot expect any help from the East to face any military operation in the Wanni.
Another disadvantageous situation for the Tiger outfit is that they have lost all of their recruitment bases in the North and East with the East fully coming under the Security Forces control, meaning, the LTTE cannot have any reinforcement from the East unlike in the past.
Not only in the East they have lost the other major recruitment base in Jaffna as they have completely loss control over the Jaffna population that is estimated to around 400,000. So the LTTE have to solely depend on the Wanni population that is estimated to be around 250,000 to 350,000, for all their requirements.
Different Tactics
One major factor behind the defeats of the Security Forces in the Wanni was due to the military tactics adopted by them to capture Tiger territory in the Wanni. The Tiger outfit was aware from which direction the troops were heading towards the Wanni when troops were engaged in the 18 month long Jayasikurui operation.
That the military tactics adopted by then Commanders resulted in heavy sacrifices of young lives in the costly operation which failed to realise its objective is only too well known.
One big advantage presently accruing to the Security Forces is that it has good military strategists to surprise the LTTE in many aspects without giving clear signals about troops movement.
Therefore, the Security Forces have now been able to scatter the entire fighting strength of the LTTE into different locations without allowing them to muster their strength at one point and launch massive offensive operation against the troops.
That was why the LTTE publicly accepted that they are now engaged in defensive operations in the Wanni to defend their territories. They are now not in a position to risks to muster their strength at one point as they fear troops infiltrations if they leave any weak link point in their defence lines.
Earlier, the LTTE was able to reverse the military victories in the Wanni mainly due to manoeuvrability of its fighting strength estimated to be around 6,000 to different locations to scatter the troops to different battle fronts.
That was the key factor behind the success of the military tactics of the LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran.
The Security Forces now with a good knowledge of these tactics are now adopting counter strategies used by the LTTE itself to scatter the Forces.
On the other hand the Defence authorities have also taken steps to lessen the additional duties on the Security Forces such as to guard threatened villages, by improving the Home Guard service to a quality service under the Civil Security Department while establishing the State owned Rakna Arakshana Lanka to deploy security personnel to guard economic nerve centres in the South.
Colombo Security
Another key factor that has to be considered is the security in the South as the Tiger outfit which is intent on destabilising the south through their terror activities targeting economic nerve centres and the civilian population.
In this aspect also the Security Forces are now in a better position as the recent operations in the East and also in the South of Mannar have restricted the avenues available with the LTTE to pose a threat to Colombo or any other part of the country.
The loss of the East was a major blow to the LTTE as they made use of the region to bring in explosives and suicide cadres to Colombo. Later they made use of Silavatura Sea Tiger base to implement their terror operations in the South but that option too is now defunct with the capture of Silavathura by the troops.
The only path available to the LTTE to bring in explosives to Colombo is through Omanthai. But, it has become an extremely difficult task with the thorough rigorous checking by the Security Forces at the two road blocks at Omanthai and Medawachchiya.
The fast restructuring of the intelligence networks in the South has also proved profitable for the Security Forces as they could break the LTTE cells in the South during the past one and half years.
That was why the Tiger outfit could not wreak havoc in Colombo by exploding bombs though the LTTE boasted of bringing the fourth Eelam War to Colombo.
The LTTE is facing its worst set back yet in the Wanni in the backdrop of their Eastern debacle. With the deployment of the Security Forces on two fronts in Jaffna and Wanni FDLs the LTTE has to scatter their total strength to defend their territory.
According to intelligence reports, the LTTE has around 6,000 fighting cadres in the Wanni to defend their territory in Jaffna and also in the Wanni.
Wanni situation
They have to depend on some 4,000 cadres to defend the Wanni FDL from Mannar to Kokkuthuduvai. With the major thrust on the West of Omanthai the LTTE have strengthened their presence in its defences West of Vavuniya as they must concentrate on the North Western coast since it is the only life line left for their logistic and other support.
With this severe shortage of man power the LTTE has now deployed civilians and stray dogs to guard the roads in fear of troops infiltrations to their territory and to facilitate 'VIP' movements.
Apart from this the LTTE has to deploy at least 1000 fully trained cadres for the Radha Brigade to provide security for LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran.
Under these circumstances the Tiger outfit has to depend on the civilian population in the Wanni for all their requirements. Therefore, the civilian population in the Wanni are now living under extreme pressure of the LTTE.
The LTTE political leaders have now been deployed to be in charge of military activities. Even LTTE political leader S.P. Thamilselvan has not been spared in this as he has been given the task of defending the Pooneryn sector. Therefore, Thamilselvan has to remove his normal outfit and take cover inside a bunker to accomplish the task entrusted to him.
Balraj, the most senior military leader now with the LTTE is also not in good health like his 52 year old leader Velupillai Prabhakaran who is now ailing due to stress.
Therefore, according to Wanni sources Theepan is the only senior leader with the Tiger outfit and he is not a military tactician like his erstwhile colleagues. The leaders who escaped from the Eastern theatre have no recognition in Wanni and they are reportedly in shock due to the experience they had to face in the Wanni.
The low morale of the LTTE leaders has resulted in a large number of the rank of file ditching the outfit but have to confine themselves within the Wanni since they have to cross LTTE checkpoints even to surrender to the Security Forces.
Even with these reversals suffered by the LTTE capturing the Wanni will not be a cake walk to the Security Forces as the Tiger leader is ready to fight to the last man to defend his territory in desperation.
But the commitment of the Security Forces towards achieving the task even under difficult circumstances coupled with the leadership given by the three Forces commanders will ensure overcoming these obstacles if they launch any operation to liberate the civilian population in the Wanni.
It has thus become the duty of the Security Forces to liberate the innocent civilian entrapped in Wanni at this decisive juncture.
(www.sundayobserver.com)
LTTE's Wanni bastion no longer impregnable
Forces have learnt from past debacles:
Next target: Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa on September 10, spelt out the Government's position with regard to the Wanni, without ambiguity at the ceremony held at the Naval Jetty in Trincomalee, when the nation paid tribute to the Navy men who returned to the Trincomalee port following their biggest victory in the sea.
He was very clear in his message that there will be no room for terrorism in the country and that if Wanni is the last bastion of terrorism that is obviously the next target of the Security Forces.
The Wanni operation is not the only message conveyed by him. He also indicated that the military option will be a backed up vehicle to implement the political solution that may be agreed upon at the All Party Representative Committee to solve the decades long conflict in the North and the East.
This means the Government is very clearly in it's resolve in adopting a politico-military approach to the North East conflict. In other words the Government needs to win the battle against terrorism one hundred per cent to facilitate the implementation of a political solution.
But many are looking forward to the defeat of the LTTE militarily in the Wanni which is considered to be the Tiger stronghold where all its military, administrative and political apparatus are concentrated.
Whether the Government conveys this message or not the LTTE is aware that the Security Forces, if not for the external pressure on the Government to hold back its military operations, will definitely conquer the Wanni to liberate the people from the iron grip of the Tigers.
But there are those who also think it will be suicidal for the Security Forces to step into Wanni.They are of the thinking that the Wanni is impregnable . There are many reasons to support this idea since many attempts to penetrate the LTTE heartland had ended in failure.
Jayasikurui (Victory Assured) the longest and costliest battle fought by the Security Forces to capture a 76 Km stretch of road between Vavuniya and Kilinochchi along the Jaffna Kandy A-9 highway was a classic example giving credence to this school of thought.
The LTTE reacted to this operation, launching a counter offensive "Operation Sei Allathu Sethu Madi" (Do or die) compelling the Security Forces to suspend the battle short of its objective of reaching only the Northern town of Mankulam, 32 Km South of Kilinochchi 18 months after the launch of the battle in May 1997.
Defeating LTTE
The subsequent attempts by the Security Forces, such as Ranagosa operation launched in 1999 to wrest control of the areas around Wanni though successful at the initial stage, later turned out to be debacles, leading to many reversals with Security Forces losing control of Kilinochchi, Paranthan and later the biggest debacle in Elephant Pass losing thousands of soldiers.
But the LTTE too suffered heavy losses during these battles though they were able to effectively resist Security Forces' moves to capture the Wanni. With this background, many are of the view that the Security Forces should think twice before attempting to defeat the LTTE in the Wanni.
Another school of thought is that the Government should exert pressure on the LTTE to enter the path of negotiations without launching military operation to liberate Wanni. This idea is grounded on the premise that such an operation would lead to a negative fall out on the international front.
However, the Government is very clear on this score. It wants to militarily defeat the LTTE prior to implementing any political solution. It is not ready to advocate any political solution without crushing the Tiger outfit.
Another idea gaining currency is that the Security Forces should not step into the Wanni at this juncture and that they should seal off the Wanni and bottle in the LTTE thus starving it of supplies, taking into consideration that the outfit is already running low on ammunition specially artillery rounds. This school of thought is based on the human cost involved in any such operation.
There is a justified reason for this thinking given the long duration such an operation would entail leading to suffering of the civilian population.
The other risk involved, in the quest for capturing the Wanni,is the ability of the LTTE to dig in and use the time lag to lobby international support though the outfit is in a weak position.
On the other hand the international community will not condone, the suffering of the civilian population and such tactic would take a comparatively longer period to deplete the LTTE's war chest.
What the Government should be clear about is that it is impractical to wait for longer period to defeat the LTTE in the Wanni since the latter has mastered the tactics of changing scenarios in an unimaginable time. The best example is the four-year Ceasefire offered to them.
The LTTE used this period to strengthen themselves militarily. Different situation
But the situation today is entirely different from that of the period in which Security Forces made unsuccessful efforts to capture the Wanni from the LTTE grip. The situation is more advantageous towards the Security Forces as they are now in a strong position against the LTTE having liberated the entire Eastern province from the LTTE grip.
There may be counter arguments, for instance in the mid of 1990's too the Security Forces launched operations to capture Wanni when the East was fully under the control of the Security Forces. But the bitter truth is that the Security Forces closed many camps in the East to reinforce the battle fronts in the Wanni.
That was done without any plan to hold the area by using any other means. Troops were drawn for the Jayasikurui operation mainly from Trincomalee and Batticaloa without any deployment of Police or any other force to dominate the area. That enabled the LTTE to move into these territories without any resistance and have their establishment in those parts of the East very easily.
But under the present scenario the Defence authorities have not left any room for the LTTE to raise their head again in the East though they deploy the same battalions who fought the battles in the East to dominate the areas in the Wanni too.
The difference, this time is that when troops are drawn out from the newly liberated areas in the East, the Police and the Police Special Task Force have been given the task to dominate the area without leaving any room for the LTTE to make a come back to the East.
Therefore, the East has been completely sealed off to the LTTE in the wake of any offensive launched to capture Wanni. More than 50 Police stations that are going to be opened in the East will do the role played by the Security Forces earlier.
The defeat of the LTTE militarily in the East would help the Police to run the normal civil administration in the East without any hindrance. Therefore the Tiger outfit cannot expect any help from the East to face any military operation in the Wanni.
Another disadvantageous situation for the Tiger outfit is that they have lost all of their recruitment bases in the North and East with the East fully coming under the Security Forces control, meaning, the LTTE cannot have any reinforcement from the East unlike in the past.
Not only in the East they have lost the other major recruitment base in Jaffna as they have completely loss control over the Jaffna population that is estimated to around 400,000. So the LTTE have to solely depend on the Wanni population that is estimated to be around 250,000 to 350,000, for all their requirements.
Different Tactics
One major factor behind the defeats of the Security Forces in the Wanni was due to the military tactics adopted by them to capture Tiger territory in the Wanni. The Tiger outfit was aware from which direction the troops were heading towards the Wanni when troops were engaged in the 18 month long Jayasikurui operation.
That the military tactics adopted by then Commanders resulted in heavy sacrifices of young lives in the costly operation which failed to realise its objective is only too well known.
One big advantage presently accruing to the Security Forces is that it has good military strategists to surprise the LTTE in many aspects without giving clear signals about troops movement.
Therefore, the Security Forces have now been able to scatter the entire fighting strength of the LTTE into different locations without allowing them to muster their strength at one point and launch massive offensive operation against the troops.
That was why the LTTE publicly accepted that they are now engaged in defensive operations in the Wanni to defend their territories. They are now not in a position to risks to muster their strength at one point as they fear troops infiltrations if they leave any weak link point in their defence lines.
Earlier, the LTTE was able to reverse the military victories in the Wanni mainly due to manoeuvrability of its fighting strength estimated to be around 6,000 to different locations to scatter the troops to different battle fronts.
That was the key factor behind the success of the military tactics of the LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran.
The Security Forces now with a good knowledge of these tactics are now adopting counter strategies used by the LTTE itself to scatter the Forces.
On the other hand the Defence authorities have also taken steps to lessen the additional duties on the Security Forces such as to guard threatened villages, by improving the Home Guard service to a quality service under the Civil Security Department while establishing the State owned Rakna Arakshana Lanka to deploy security personnel to guard economic nerve centres in the South.
Colombo Security
Another key factor that has to be considered is the security in the South as the Tiger outfit which is intent on destabilising the south through their terror activities targeting economic nerve centres and the civilian population.
In this aspect also the Security Forces are now in a better position as the recent operations in the East and also in the South of Mannar have restricted the avenues available with the LTTE to pose a threat to Colombo or any other part of the country.
The loss of the East was a major blow to the LTTE as they made use of the region to bring in explosives and suicide cadres to Colombo. Later they made use of Silavatura Sea Tiger base to implement their terror operations in the South but that option too is now defunct with the capture of Silavathura by the troops.
The only path available to the LTTE to bring in explosives to Colombo is through Omanthai. But, it has become an extremely difficult task with the thorough rigorous checking by the Security Forces at the two road blocks at Omanthai and Medawachchiya.
The fast restructuring of the intelligence networks in the South has also proved profitable for the Security Forces as they could break the LTTE cells in the South during the past one and half years.
That was why the Tiger outfit could not wreak havoc in Colombo by exploding bombs though the LTTE boasted of bringing the fourth Eelam War to Colombo.
The LTTE is facing its worst set back yet in the Wanni in the backdrop of their Eastern debacle. With the deployment of the Security Forces on two fronts in Jaffna and Wanni FDLs the LTTE has to scatter their total strength to defend their territory.
According to intelligence reports, the LTTE has around 6,000 fighting cadres in the Wanni to defend their territory in Jaffna and also in the Wanni.
Wanni situation
They have to depend on some 4,000 cadres to defend the Wanni FDL from Mannar to Kokkuthuduvai. With the major thrust on the West of Omanthai the LTTE have strengthened their presence in its defences West of Vavuniya as they must concentrate on the North Western coast since it is the only life line left for their logistic and other support.
With this severe shortage of man power the LTTE has now deployed civilians and stray dogs to guard the roads in fear of troops infiltrations to their territory and to facilitate 'VIP' movements.
Apart from this the LTTE has to deploy at least 1000 fully trained cadres for the Radha Brigade to provide security for LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran.
Under these circumstances the Tiger outfit has to depend on the civilian population in the Wanni for all their requirements. Therefore, the civilian population in the Wanni are now living under extreme pressure of the LTTE.
The LTTE political leaders have now been deployed to be in charge of military activities. Even LTTE political leader S.P. Thamilselvan has not been spared in this as he has been given the task of defending the Pooneryn sector. Therefore, Thamilselvan has to remove his normal outfit and take cover inside a bunker to accomplish the task entrusted to him.
Balraj, the most senior military leader now with the LTTE is also not in good health like his 52 year old leader Velupillai Prabhakaran who is now ailing due to stress.
Therefore, according to Wanni sources Theepan is the only senior leader with the Tiger outfit and he is not a military tactician like his erstwhile colleagues. The leaders who escaped from the Eastern theatre have no recognition in Wanni and they are reportedly in shock due to the experience they had to face in the Wanni.
The low morale of the LTTE leaders has resulted in a large number of the rank of file ditching the outfit but have to confine themselves within the Wanni since they have to cross LTTE checkpoints even to surrender to the Security Forces.
Even with these reversals suffered by the LTTE capturing the Wanni will not be a cake walk to the Security Forces as the Tiger leader is ready to fight to the last man to defend his territory in desperation.
But the commitment of the Security Forces towards achieving the task even under difficult circumstances coupled with the leadership given by the three Forces commanders will ensure overcoming these obstacles if they launch any operation to liberate the civilian population in the Wanni.
It has thus become the duty of the Security Forces to liberate the innocent civilian entrapped in Wanni at this decisive juncture.
(www.sundayobserver.com)
Next target: Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa on September 10, spelt out the Government's position with regard to the Wanni, without ambiguity at the ceremony held at the Naval Jetty in Trincomalee, when the nation paid tribute to the Navy men who returned to the Trincomalee port following their biggest victory in the sea.
He was very clear in his message that there will be no room for terrorism in the country and that if Wanni is the last bastion of terrorism that is obviously the next target of the Security Forces.
The Wanni operation is not the only message conveyed by him. He also indicated that the military option will be a backed up vehicle to implement the political solution that may be agreed upon at the All Party Representative Committee to solve the decades long conflict in the North and the East.
This means the Government is very clearly in it's resolve in adopting a politico-military approach to the North East conflict. In other words the Government needs to win the battle against terrorism one hundred per cent to facilitate the implementation of a political solution.
But many are looking forward to the defeat of the LTTE militarily in the Wanni which is considered to be the Tiger stronghold where all its military, administrative and political apparatus are concentrated.
Whether the Government conveys this message or not the LTTE is aware that the Security Forces, if not for the external pressure on the Government to hold back its military operations, will definitely conquer the Wanni to liberate the people from the iron grip of the Tigers.
But there are those who also think it will be suicidal for the Security Forces to step into Wanni.They are of the thinking that the Wanni is impregnable . There are many reasons to support this idea since many attempts to penetrate the LTTE heartland had ended in failure.
Jayasikurui (Victory Assured) the longest and costliest battle fought by the Security Forces to capture a 76 Km stretch of road between Vavuniya and Kilinochchi along the Jaffna Kandy A-9 highway was a classic example giving credence to this school of thought.
The LTTE reacted to this operation, launching a counter offensive "Operation Sei Allathu Sethu Madi" (Do or die) compelling the Security Forces to suspend the battle short of its objective of reaching only the Northern town of Mankulam, 32 Km South of Kilinochchi 18 months after the launch of the battle in May 1997.
Defeating LTTE
The subsequent attempts by the Security Forces, such as Ranagosa operation launched in 1999 to wrest control of the areas around Wanni though successful at the initial stage, later turned out to be debacles, leading to many reversals with Security Forces losing control of Kilinochchi, Paranthan and later the biggest debacle in Elephant Pass losing thousands of soldiers.
But the LTTE too suffered heavy losses during these battles though they were able to effectively resist Security Forces' moves to capture the Wanni. With this background, many are of the view that the Security Forces should think twice before attempting to defeat the LTTE in the Wanni.
Another school of thought is that the Government should exert pressure on the LTTE to enter the path of negotiations without launching military operation to liberate Wanni. This idea is grounded on the premise that such an operation would lead to a negative fall out on the international front.
However, the Government is very clear on this score. It wants to militarily defeat the LTTE prior to implementing any political solution. It is not ready to advocate any political solution without crushing the Tiger outfit.
Another idea gaining currency is that the Security Forces should not step into the Wanni at this juncture and that they should seal off the Wanni and bottle in the LTTE thus starving it of supplies, taking into consideration that the outfit is already running low on ammunition specially artillery rounds. This school of thought is based on the human cost involved in any such operation.
There is a justified reason for this thinking given the long duration such an operation would entail leading to suffering of the civilian population.
The other risk involved, in the quest for capturing the Wanni,is the ability of the LTTE to dig in and use the time lag to lobby international support though the outfit is in a weak position.
On the other hand the international community will not condone, the suffering of the civilian population and such tactic would take a comparatively longer period to deplete the LTTE's war chest.
What the Government should be clear about is that it is impractical to wait for longer period to defeat the LTTE in the Wanni since the latter has mastered the tactics of changing scenarios in an unimaginable time. The best example is the four-year Ceasefire offered to them.
The LTTE used this period to strengthen themselves militarily. Different situation
But the situation today is entirely different from that of the period in which Security Forces made unsuccessful efforts to capture the Wanni from the LTTE grip. The situation is more advantageous towards the Security Forces as they are now in a strong position against the LTTE having liberated the entire Eastern province from the LTTE grip.
There may be counter arguments, for instance in the mid of 1990's too the Security Forces launched operations to capture Wanni when the East was fully under the control of the Security Forces. But the bitter truth is that the Security Forces closed many camps in the East to reinforce the battle fronts in the Wanni.
That was done without any plan to hold the area by using any other means. Troops were drawn for the Jayasikurui operation mainly from Trincomalee and Batticaloa without any deployment of Police or any other force to dominate the area. That enabled the LTTE to move into these territories without any resistance and have their establishment in those parts of the East very easily.
But under the present scenario the Defence authorities have not left any room for the LTTE to raise their head again in the East though they deploy the same battalions who fought the battles in the East to dominate the areas in the Wanni too.
The difference, this time is that when troops are drawn out from the newly liberated areas in the East, the Police and the Police Special Task Force have been given the task to dominate the area without leaving any room for the LTTE to make a come back to the East.
Therefore, the East has been completely sealed off to the LTTE in the wake of any offensive launched to capture Wanni. More than 50 Police stations that are going to be opened in the East will do the role played by the Security Forces earlier.
The defeat of the LTTE militarily in the East would help the Police to run the normal civil administration in the East without any hindrance. Therefore the Tiger outfit cannot expect any help from the East to face any military operation in the Wanni.
Another disadvantageous situation for the Tiger outfit is that they have lost all of their recruitment bases in the North and East with the East fully coming under the Security Forces control, meaning, the LTTE cannot have any reinforcement from the East unlike in the past.
Not only in the East they have lost the other major recruitment base in Jaffna as they have completely loss control over the Jaffna population that is estimated to around 400,000. So the LTTE have to solely depend on the Wanni population that is estimated to be around 250,000 to 350,000, for all their requirements.
Different Tactics
One major factor behind the defeats of the Security Forces in the Wanni was due to the military tactics adopted by them to capture Tiger territory in the Wanni. The Tiger outfit was aware from which direction the troops were heading towards the Wanni when troops were engaged in the 18 month long Jayasikurui operation.
That the military tactics adopted by then Commanders resulted in heavy sacrifices of young lives in the costly operation which failed to realise its objective is only too well known.
One big advantage presently accruing to the Security Forces is that it has good military strategists to surprise the LTTE in many aspects without giving clear signals about troops movement.
Therefore, the Security Forces have now been able to scatter the entire fighting strength of the LTTE into different locations without allowing them to muster their strength at one point and launch massive offensive operation against the troops.
That was why the LTTE publicly accepted that they are now engaged in defensive operations in the Wanni to defend their territories. They are now not in a position to risks to muster their strength at one point as they fear troops infiltrations if they leave any weak link point in their defence lines.
Earlier, the LTTE was able to reverse the military victories in the Wanni mainly due to manoeuvrability of its fighting strength estimated to be around 6,000 to different locations to scatter the troops to different battle fronts.
That was the key factor behind the success of the military tactics of the LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran.
The Security Forces now with a good knowledge of these tactics are now adopting counter strategies used by the LTTE itself to scatter the Forces.
On the other hand the Defence authorities have also taken steps to lessen the additional duties on the Security Forces such as to guard threatened villages, by improving the Home Guard service to a quality service under the Civil Security Department while establishing the State owned Rakna Arakshana Lanka to deploy security personnel to guard economic nerve centres in the South.
Colombo Security
Another key factor that has to be considered is the security in the South as the Tiger outfit which is intent on destabilising the south through their terror activities targeting economic nerve centres and the civilian population.
In this aspect also the Security Forces are now in a better position as the recent operations in the East and also in the South of Mannar have restricted the avenues available with the LTTE to pose a threat to Colombo or any other part of the country.
The loss of the East was a major blow to the LTTE as they made use of the region to bring in explosives and suicide cadres to Colombo. Later they made use of Silavatura Sea Tiger base to implement their terror operations in the South but that option too is now defunct with the capture of Silavathura by the troops.
The only path available to the LTTE to bring in explosives to Colombo is through Omanthai. But, it has become an extremely difficult task with the thorough rigorous checking by the Security Forces at the two road blocks at Omanthai and Medawachchiya.
The fast restructuring of the intelligence networks in the South has also proved profitable for the Security Forces as they could break the LTTE cells in the South during the past one and half years.
That was why the Tiger outfit could not wreak havoc in Colombo by exploding bombs though the LTTE boasted of bringing the fourth Eelam War to Colombo.
The LTTE is facing its worst set back yet in the Wanni in the backdrop of their Eastern debacle. With the deployment of the Security Forces on two fronts in Jaffna and Wanni FDLs the LTTE has to scatter their total strength to defend their territory.
According to intelligence reports, the LTTE has around 6,000 fighting cadres in the Wanni to defend their territory in Jaffna and also in the Wanni.
Wanni situation
They have to depend on some 4,000 cadres to defend the Wanni FDL from Mannar to Kokkuthuduvai. With the major thrust on the West of Omanthai the LTTE have strengthened their presence in its defences West of Vavuniya as they must concentrate on the North Western coast since it is the only life line left for their logistic and other support.
With this severe shortage of man power the LTTE has now deployed civilians and stray dogs to guard the roads in fear of troops infiltrations to their territory and to facilitate 'VIP' movements.
Apart from this the LTTE has to deploy at least 1000 fully trained cadres for the Radha Brigade to provide security for LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran.
Under these circumstances the Tiger outfit has to depend on the civilian population in the Wanni for all their requirements. Therefore, the civilian population in the Wanni are now living under extreme pressure of the LTTE.
The LTTE political leaders have now been deployed to be in charge of military activities. Even LTTE political leader S.P. Thamilselvan has not been spared in this as he has been given the task of defending the Pooneryn sector. Therefore, Thamilselvan has to remove his normal outfit and take cover inside a bunker to accomplish the task entrusted to him.
Balraj, the most senior military leader now with the LTTE is also not in good health like his 52 year old leader Velupillai Prabhakaran who is now ailing due to stress.
Therefore, according to Wanni sources Theepan is the only senior leader with the Tiger outfit and he is not a military tactician like his erstwhile colleagues. The leaders who escaped from the Eastern theatre have no recognition in Wanni and they are reportedly in shock due to the experience they had to face in the Wanni.
The low morale of the LTTE leaders has resulted in a large number of the rank of file ditching the outfit but have to confine themselves within the Wanni since they have to cross LTTE checkpoints even to surrender to the Security Forces.
Even with these reversals suffered by the LTTE capturing the Wanni will not be a cake walk to the Security Forces as the Tiger leader is ready to fight to the last man to defend his territory in desperation.
But the commitment of the Security Forces towards achieving the task even under difficult circumstances coupled with the leadership given by the three Forces commanders will ensure overcoming these obstacles if they launch any operation to liberate the civilian population in the Wanni.
It has thus become the duty of the Security Forces to liberate the innocent civilian entrapped in Wanni at this decisive juncture.
(www.sundayobserver.com)
Deadly Sri Lanka clashes spike ahead of rains
Sri Lankan troops claimed they have killed 45 Tamil rebels in the past week as they step up attacks ahead of monsoon rains that will make fighting harder.
Security forces have been trying to push into territory held by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in the past week amid intense resistance by the guerrillas, official sources said.
"As the rains set in by October, it will be difficult to use artillery and tanks," a military official said. "Before the monsoon breaks there will be increased skirmishes along the front lines."
Government figures show over 45 guerrillas have been killed in the past week while the military lost six troopers, as both sides intensified artillery and mortar bomb attacks across their defence lines.
Few casualties were reported by both sides in the previous week.
In the northern peninsula of Jaffna, a road side blast Thursday killed two civilians and wounded another 15 people, including two policemen, the defence ministry said, accusing the Tigers of setting off the blast.
In the island's northwest, a Roman Catholic priest was killed when his vehicle was hit by a blast on Wednesday. The Tigers accused the military of killing the clergyman while the government blamed the rebels.
The defence ministry said the rebels had also tried to infiltrate military positions in Jaffna peninsula and to push further into the northern Wanni region, parts of which form a mini state run by the Tigers.
But defence columnist Namal Perera said security forces had stepped up operations in the past week in a bid to push back Tigers along two fronts in the north, meeting fierce rebel resistance.
The defence ministry's latest figures show 5,415 people have been killed in total in insurgency related violence since December 2005 when a Norwegian brokered true began to unravel.
The figure consists of 1,271 security forces, 3,284 rebels and 860 civilians.
The Tigers have rejected the military's claims but have not said how many fighters they lost during the same period. However the guerrillas say 1,924 civilians have been killed since February 2002.
There is no independent verification of the casualties.
The ethnic conflict, in which the rebels are fighting for an independent homeland for the Tamil minority on this Sinhalese majority island, has claimed tens of thousands of lives since 1972.
Security forces have been trying to push into territory held by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in the past week amid intense resistance by the guerrillas, official sources said.
"As the rains set in by October, it will be difficult to use artillery and tanks," a military official said. "Before the monsoon breaks there will be increased skirmishes along the front lines."
Government figures show over 45 guerrillas have been killed in the past week while the military lost six troopers, as both sides intensified artillery and mortar bomb attacks across their defence lines.
Few casualties were reported by both sides in the previous week.
In the northern peninsula of Jaffna, a road side blast Thursday killed two civilians and wounded another 15 people, including two policemen, the defence ministry said, accusing the Tigers of setting off the blast.
In the island's northwest, a Roman Catholic priest was killed when his vehicle was hit by a blast on Wednesday. The Tigers accused the military of killing the clergyman while the government blamed the rebels.
The defence ministry said the rebels had also tried to infiltrate military positions in Jaffna peninsula and to push further into the northern Wanni region, parts of which form a mini state run by the Tigers.
But defence columnist Namal Perera said security forces had stepped up operations in the past week in a bid to push back Tigers along two fronts in the north, meeting fierce rebel resistance.
The defence ministry's latest figures show 5,415 people have been killed in total in insurgency related violence since December 2005 when a Norwegian brokered true began to unravel.
The figure consists of 1,271 security forces, 3,284 rebels and 860 civilians.
The Tigers have rejected the military's claims but have not said how many fighters they lost during the same period. However the guerrillas say 1,924 civilians have been killed since February 2002.
There is no independent verification of the casualties.
The ethnic conflict, in which the rebels are fighting for an independent homeland for the Tamil minority on this Sinhalese majority island, has claimed tens of thousands of lives since 1972.
"The Office of the High Commissioner for human rights cannot be the new equivalent of an East-India company."
Full text of the speech made by H.E. Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations in Geneva, during the debate under Item 4 on Human Rights situations that require the attention of the Human Rights Council, held at Palais des Nations, Geneva on 24th September 2007
Mr. President, thank you,
I was struck by the expressions of concern about the situation in Sri Lanka by our friends, mainly from the EU which doubtless will be followed by others. It is not the view of Sri Lanka that Sri Lankan matters are exclusively for Sri Lankans alone. There is a common humanity which transcends even those vital notions of popular and national sovereignty. So we do not rule out of court any and all expressions of concern about our situation. However, Mr. President, I must strike several cautionary notes.
Human Rights, Mr. President, are and must not be regarded as a new version of the White Man's Burden. There is far too much naming and shaming going on and its flowing only in one direction. North to South, West to East; a handful of rich and powerful towards the rest of the impoverished. Now that is not in keeping with the spirit of universality and the Human Rights Council. We do not think that any group of countries or any country in particular has some special sensitivity, some special cultivated sensibility concerning human rights; some historic vocation, a civilising mission to defend human rights in our parts of the world. When I listen to my critics, Mr. President, neither my understanding of history, modern history, nor current history, leads me to share any view of moral asymmetry between Sri Lanka and those critics.
We in Sri Lanka are trying to re-unify our little island nation. The Sri Lankan government cares no less for its citizens than those well-intentioned critics do. We all live together in a little island, Mr. President. It's a densely populated island and we do have to care for each other. Sri Lanka being a practising democracy, our citizens are also, and have always been enfranchised. They are also voters. Our government cares for its people as citizens, as individuals and as voters. It would be stretching the imagination to think that others would care for us more than we care for ourselves. We, Mr. President, did not spawn fascism on our soil. We did not have concentration camps on our soil, and we did not set out to conquer the world. We are only trying to defend and re-unify our country.
I heard a criticism of the Sri Lankan government's position, and an endorsement of the critique of the IIGEP. It is a novel experiment Mr. President, in the middle of a conflict, we have invited international observers to help our Commission of Inquiry and to act as observers with an oversight capacity. There are doubtless asymmetries and misunderstandings. But we would also in the same spirit as our critics ask whether an international commission of inquiry had been appointed to find out what happened that night in Stammheim prison, when Andreas Baader, Ulrike Meinhoff and many others were found hanging in their cells. We Mr. President, do not believe in neutrality. We did not adopt a posture of neutrality between fascism and democracy, in order to build up our prosperity. We do not need lectures from those who did.
We shall discuss with High Commissioner Louise Arbour when she visits Sri Lanka about how national institutions can be strengthened with the cooperation of the High Commission. Whether or not to establish a field presence, is a matter for Sri Lanka. The Office of the High Commissioner, Mr. President, cannot be the new equivalent of an East-India company. That, Sri Lanka shall not subscribe to. Thank you.
(www.lankamission.org)
Mr. President, thank you,
I was struck by the expressions of concern about the situation in Sri Lanka by our friends, mainly from the EU which doubtless will be followed by others. It is not the view of Sri Lanka that Sri Lankan matters are exclusively for Sri Lankans alone. There is a common humanity which transcends even those vital notions of popular and national sovereignty. So we do not rule out of court any and all expressions of concern about our situation. However, Mr. President, I must strike several cautionary notes.
Human Rights, Mr. President, are and must not be regarded as a new version of the White Man's Burden. There is far too much naming and shaming going on and its flowing only in one direction. North to South, West to East; a handful of rich and powerful towards the rest of the impoverished. Now that is not in keeping with the spirit of universality and the Human Rights Council. We do not think that any group of countries or any country in particular has some special sensitivity, some special cultivated sensibility concerning human rights; some historic vocation, a civilising mission to defend human rights in our parts of the world. When I listen to my critics, Mr. President, neither my understanding of history, modern history, nor current history, leads me to share any view of moral asymmetry between Sri Lanka and those critics.
We in Sri Lanka are trying to re-unify our little island nation. The Sri Lankan government cares no less for its citizens than those well-intentioned critics do. We all live together in a little island, Mr. President. It's a densely populated island and we do have to care for each other. Sri Lanka being a practising democracy, our citizens are also, and have always been enfranchised. They are also voters. Our government cares for its people as citizens, as individuals and as voters. It would be stretching the imagination to think that others would care for us more than we care for ourselves. We, Mr. President, did not spawn fascism on our soil. We did not have concentration camps on our soil, and we did not set out to conquer the world. We are only trying to defend and re-unify our country.
I heard a criticism of the Sri Lankan government's position, and an endorsement of the critique of the IIGEP. It is a novel experiment Mr. President, in the middle of a conflict, we have invited international observers to help our Commission of Inquiry and to act as observers with an oversight capacity. There are doubtless asymmetries and misunderstandings. But we would also in the same spirit as our critics ask whether an international commission of inquiry had been appointed to find out what happened that night in Stammheim prison, when Andreas Baader, Ulrike Meinhoff and many others were found hanging in their cells. We Mr. President, do not believe in neutrality. We did not adopt a posture of neutrality between fascism and democracy, in order to build up our prosperity. We do not need lectures from those who did.
We shall discuss with High Commissioner Louise Arbour when she visits Sri Lanka about how national institutions can be strengthened with the cooperation of the High Commission. Whether or not to establish a field presence, is a matter for Sri Lanka. The Office of the High Commissioner, Mr. President, cannot be the new equivalent of an East-India company. That, Sri Lanka shall not subscribe to. Thank you.
(www.lankamission.org)
Anandasangaree Dreams of Another Tamil Nadu
Anandasanagree goes with his stubborn assertions about federalism; he claims he loves Sri Lanka and is a patriot. There is no Sinhala patriotism or Tamil patriotism; there can only be Sri Lankan patriotism. He is the leader of the Tamil (emphasised) United Liberation Front and he is talking about federalism based on racial lines! This is nothing but a sectarian attempt to disintegrate the nation and it people. Imagine the Indian model in Sri Lanka; it will create a Tamil Naadu here!! Does the majority Lankans know this? I do not think so.
Have you ever wondered why?
There is a significant political party by the name of-
Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF), but is there a Sinhala United Liberation Front (SULF);
Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), but is there a Sri Lanka Sinhala Congress (SLSC);
Tamil National Alliance (TNA), but is there a Sinhala National Alliance (SNC);
Thamileela Makkal Viduthalai Pulikkal (TMVP), but is there a Sinhala-nation Peoples’ Revolutionary Lions (SPRL);
Illankai Thamil Arsu Kattchi (ITAK), but no SriLanka Sinhala State Party (SSSP)?
All these political parties are supporting racial-federalism, true to their sectarian names. All these political parties at some point clearly, illegally and violently manifested their separatist aspirations as well.
However there are other parties like the Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) – dominated by upcountry Tamils, Upcountry Peoples’ Front (UPF) – dominated by upcountry Tamils, Jatika Hela Urumaya (JHU) – dominated by Sinhalese and National Unity Alliance (NUA) – dominated by Muslims and these parties do not actively work for sectarianism and racial-federalism. Even their names are not based on racial terminology, but rather based on national concepts. If anyone can see this difference, which is not rocket science, he or she can simply understand that the demand for racial-federalism is stemming from race-centred politicians including Anandasangaree.
Just because unaccomplished Anandasangaree was not invited to the grand gala party thrown by accomplished Parabakaran in 2002, he doesn’t become a moderate. He won the UN peace prize by criticising the CFA as all the political parties that were not invited to sign MoUs with the LTTE also did. All the following parties singed MoUs with the LTTE in 2002 accepting it as the sole representative of Tamils: UNP,TNA,SLMC,CWC,UPF,WPF and the then government! Poor TULF leader was not invited and fell from the Tamil Leader in parliament to nobody in no time. It should also be remembered that he never agreed with Lakshman Kadirgaman – the greatest ever Tamil politician of Sri Lanka whose name was even proposed to the post of PM in 2004.
This country has seen many such politicians who amassed goodwill while hiding their true colours only to unleash their stock most opportunistically. Anandasangaree has a lot to learn from Mangala, SB and Ronnie. Else he can remain a political nobody trying to bypass in vain, elections, the legislature and the peoples’ mandate. He should never be allowed to bypass the elected members and their agenda.
Unitary to United – a Shrewd Attempt to make the Majority a Minority
The 24 year old armed struggle is nearing it’s bloody end. Separatists have used the terror created by the LTTE to demand various benefits for them and for their ideologies. They succeeded in getting some of those demands. However, they are unable to make use of terror when their terror gods are no more. Therefore, they are making some frantic attempts to get whatever they can before the last tiger dies.
One such attempt is changing the national identity from unitary to united. The absurdity of this attempt should be visible to anyone with an appreciation for geography. What is the rationale to divide a land mass the size of Tasmania (a state by itself) into governing units like the West bank, Gaza Strip, etc.?
In that case there will surely be a Sinhala United Liberation Front (SULF), a Sri Lanka Sinhala Congress (SLSC), a Sinhala National Alliance (SNC), Sinhala-nation Peoples’ Revolutionary Lions (SPRL) and a SriLanka Sinhala State Party (SSSP) in the ‘states’ dominated by Tamils and Muslims. What’s more there will even be Liberation Lions of Sinhala Lanka (LLSL)! Is this what we want?
Does Anandasangaree want the sixty-year-old train from India to arrive at the Vavuniya train station packed with corpses (even the drivers were slaughtered in the end)? In that case he will have to drive it as he calls himself a ‘moderate’!!
Racial Federalism
The type of ‘united’ nation proposed is a racial set-up and transcends provincial and district boundaries. North and the East is demanded to be demarcated on ethnic Tamil aspirations; two units of the East would be carved out for Muslims and the upcountry would be separated out for the Tamils of Indian origin. This is a unique blend of racism and federalism. If racism and federalism can sit together, that is sufficient not to have a federalist set-up!
In the case of racial federalism, the Sinhalese living in these four units become a minority! This is not at all acceptable for the national majority. They stand to lose in order to make room for racial federalism. What a big joke? If the country had to face so many complications with just two main minorities, imagine the number of complexities ten such minority groups would bring.
The danger of racial federalism is (as pointed out by many thinkers) that it fuels racial violence. Suppose the rights of the ethnic Tamils living in one Muslim dominated area is violated, this will be mirrored in Tamil dominated areas against its Muslims and vice versa. In a matter of few days the whole country will be in fire. Simple things like water can spark enormous bloodshed throughout the country.
Another danger is ethnic isolation. If each ethnic group is going to be pushed into their little enclaves, these will be breeding grounds of further racism. Iraq is a classic example of such isolation.
Racial federalism is unique to this country as nowhere in the world provincial boundaries have been redrawn along racial lines to set-up a federal system!
Real issues that must be encased into a political solution
It is a fact that ethnic cleansing has taken place in the North and the East. It was mainly the Sinhalese and Muslims who suffered due to this barbarism. In this context, the North is 100% occupied by Tamils whereas there is no district Muslims or Sinhalese dominate to such extent. A united country will cement what the LTTE did by not allowing any other races (other than Tamil) to live and work in the North. Under no circumstances such barbarianism should be reinforced.
Owing to not adjusting parliamentary seat allocations and university allocations based on latest population data, a disproportionately huge advantage has accrued to the Tamils at the expense of the other races. This must be corrected as soon as practical. It should be noted that it was Anandasangaree who intervened in blocking these vital corrections in 2002 stating that the census data were wrong! Also disproportionately smaller tax revenue is collected from the North and the East; this also needs to be adjusted soon. Funding allocations to each province and district should reflect it’s contribution to the total tax revenue. Cross subsidising Tamil majority areas by Sinhala/Muslim majority areas (and vice versa) is definitely not acceptable. These disparities must be straitened before any devolution attempt is made.
An unfair disproportionate access to resources also exists across the races. While Tamils have access to all economic resources in the island, Muslims have lesser access. The worst affected are the Sinhalese. This must be redressed immediately. All natural resources in the North and the East should be made accessible to everyone irrespective of race.
A large number of individuals stay in the country illegally; mainly from south India. They must be repatriated soon and should not be allowed to work in this country. There is no doubt that separatists heavily depend on them to bolster their numbers.
This country has one state language as voted by the people. It must remain so unless the people decide otherwise. Separate states that may be created by a federal structure will definitely undermine this. The national government has an additional burden to protect and promote Sinhala as it is only used in this island nation. No attempts to compromise its position should be allowed.
Separate regions in a federalist set-up will tie up with different countries. Tamil dominated regions will align with India whereas Muslim ones will tie-up with Pakistan. This can create unwarranted trouble in this island. Managing a national foreign policy would be impossible.
It is a matter of few years before the next step of autonomy is made by the separatists. Independent nations would be the next step for them and it will be easy with less control exerted by the national government and increased connections with other nations in the region. This is the ridiculous disintegration of this island most separatists dream of.
Unsustainability
A united country would widely disadvantage the majority which will in turn help amass a political wave that will reverse such devolution. Therefore, a united setting as opposed to a unitary setting is instable and unsustainable. If a united nation doesn’t have any sizable benefits for the majority over a unitary nation, there is no logic in supporting such a move; it will anyway reverse.
Ethnic isolation verses ethnic integration
A federal set-up along ethnic lines will further isolate the races whereas what we need is ethnic integration! However, innocently presented, ethnic isolation is cruel and evil. The only ‘good’ it has is the sustenance of race-centred political parties like the TULF so that losers of general elections can make it to the Parliament.
Common sense (no Tamil Elamist got it) should dictate that an island the size of Tasmania cannot feasibly be subdivided into autonomous or self-governing units.
The Bandaranaike bullshit
There is no truth in allegations that Bandaranaike was at the centre of today’s bloodshed. He made Sinhala Only because a staggering majority voted for it at the elections and in parliament. In wide contrast Hindi Only was never voted by the people of India and passed by a single vote in parliament on 14 September 1949; if allegations against Banda are true, India should have fifty Parabakarans. Almost all democratic countries have only one (1) state language and so should it be in Sri Lanka.
Again he is blamed for tearing his federal proposals under pressure. Who authorised him to bring such proposals? No body. Therefore he has no right to continue with them. However, his problem was not having the courage to stand by the decisions; had he enforced Sinhala Only as Hindi Only was enforced in India, there would never have been any Tamil separatism. One language would have bound all Sri Lankans together as in India, Australia, USA, China, Malaysia, etc.
In fact the demand for Tamil Elam (with the same name) was first made by GG Ponnambalam in 1924 and foretold that there would be violence otherwise.
Even he is not to be blamed for the bloodshed today which was caused by the absence of a proper military strategy during the 1970s. Although the army could muddle a revolution in 1971, it was still a ceremonial army. They had zero experience, knowledge or skill in handling guerrilla warfare. Worst of all, the 1970-77 government stubbornly disregarded repeated warnings of impending danger telling that they have killed enough in the South and would not do the same in the North; had they properly dealt with the killer of Alfred Duriappa (mayor of Jaffna) there would never have been a LTTE. Also there passed seven (7) long years of inaction from the Wadukodai resolution to the commencement of war. Had proper action taken, LTTE and the armed struggle would have aborted then and there. How the LTTE collapsed when the Special Forces took up guerrilla warfare is a case in point. Why wasn’t it done 35 years ago?
However, at least now the authorities should learn; there must be army camps in the North and the East and paramilitants should roam the streets long after this war is won. It is very easy for a band of bandits from Tamil Nadu to land in the North and cause havoc.
Anandasangaree must appreciate that politicians the world over do what their voters want and terrorists on the other hand, do what AK-47s want!
When the UNP accepts its blunders why can’t the TULF do likewise?
According to him the Royal Norwegian Government (there are many allegations of terrorist links against them in Sri Lanka, Eritrea, Ethiopia, etc), “Responding to a proposal by the leadership of the LTTE (that bloody Interpol wanted terrorist), the parties agreed (without the knowledge of their voters) to explore a solution founded on the principle of internal self-determination (only the terrorist leader knows what this is as there is no such model in the world) in areas of historical habitation of the Tamil-speaking peoples (history of Sri Lanka goes beyond the 14th century and there are no historical scripts, etc. to justify that there lived Tamil speaking people in any part of the country before the 14th century on a continued basis) based on a federal structure within a United Sri Lanka.”
First of all, it was a proposal by Parabakaran! Who cares about his proposals? Of course the UNP did when the LTTE was powerful, but not anymore. Why can’t the TULF follow suit? Because it can never win a seat in parliament!
Fifty one countries, twenty two organisations and four and a half billion dollars
So much to disintegrate the nation. It doesn’t make any financial sense. Sri Lankan oil reserves in the so-called “areas of historical habitation of the Tamil-speaking peoples” exceed 4.5 billion USD! Sri Lankan Phosphate deposits in Seruwila in the so-called “areas of historical habitation of the Tamil-speaking peoples” exceed 4.5 billion USD! Sri Lankan calcium carbonate deposits in the Jaffna peninsula which is in the so-called “areas of historical habitation of the Tamil-speaking peoples” exceed 4.5 billion USD! Sri Lankan mineral sand deposits in Pulmodei which is in the so-called “areas of historical habitation of the Tamil-speaking peoples” exceed 4.5 billion USD! The worth of the Trino, Point Padro and KKS harbours in the so-called “areas of historical habitation of the Tamil-speaking peoples” exceed 4.5 trillion USD!!
Therefore granting self-determination to part of Sri Lanka that will disown assets worth trillions of dollars doesn’t make any financial, economic or political sense.
He also claims that not granting such self-determination will result in Sri Lanka losing its international honour and prestige, which according to him “is more important than anything else”. Wrong; the most important thing is territorial integrity and sovereignty. We have mortgaged our international honour and prestige many a time to defend our territorial integrity and sovereignty just like all the other countries in the world.
The Tamil homeland
If Anandasangaree agrees to a Tamil homeland in this island, he is an ideological twin of Parabakaran; both have close cousins in Iraq, East Timor, Yugoslavia, Chechnya, etc. If the supporters of racial-federalism have a hint of belief that there is a Tamil homeland in this island, it is time they look at the real Tamil homeland across the Palk Strait. All Tamil songs, movies, sangeetham, natyam, arangeethram, dramas, literature, masterpieces and all other Tamil artefacts are made there. None are made in this island. This is the reality today. No amount of ethnic cleansing can chase away the brave Muslims and scary Sinhalese from the East and no amount of artillery can scare-off the gallant Sri Lankan army from the North. We are here to stay and fight till the last armed Tamil liberator falls dead. And there should be no mercy for the coward hiding behind the child soldier, the pregnant suicide killer and the brain-raped wonder-bra wearing suicide killer-girl.
The Tamil struggle is nearing its bloody end as stated by many foreign defence analysts; without the Tamil Homeland. At least now all moderate and violent Tamil Elamists should stop their struggle and war and look elsewhere for the Tamil Elam; ironically it does exist!
Should India or Malaysia be our role model?
These two countries have used opposite methods to ‘solve’ their ethnic issues. India used separation (Pakistan) and a federal system to ‘solve’ its ethnic related issues. However, these remain far from resolved. A persistent war with Pakistan and more than 25 separatist movements within India, plagues it. Although kept hidden from the world, these internal conflicts (fought along ethnic lines) have made their headlines the world over. Bihar, Kashmir, Mysoor, Assam and many more states are fighting for separation from India for independence; spates of bombings have rocked India signalling the gathering storm. Today the Indian Central government begs at the feet of Tamil Nadu LTTE-worshiping politicians just to stay in power. They are willing to forgive and forget anything that makes the TNs happy; even the killing of their former leader! They declare nuclear facilities as ‘no fly zones’ fearing the Nuxalites will come in Cessnas from Vanni and bomb them! But they are spineless to ward-off the danger. If we follow India, Mr Sangaree, this is where we will end-up!
On the other hand Malaysia also faced ethnic strife and they gave it a different solution. Although administrative provinces exist, Malaysia strengthened the centre as the all powerful governing body and powered the nationalist cause and empowered the majority who were supportive of a unitary Malaysia (although it is de jure federal, characteristically regional legislatures are immensely eclipsed by the centre and have no ethnicity based representation as each state has a unicameral state legislative chamber whose members are elected from single-member constituencies). This solved its conflicts for good; there are no further separatist movements in Malaysia; no bombs go off; no leader is bombed. If anyone wanted to create a Tamil homeland in Malaysia (they tried it), they were rather redirected to where the Tamil homeland is, Tamil Nadu. Some landed in Sri Lanka by mistake. Same with those struggled to carve out a Chinese homeland there.
(http://www.lankaweb.com)
Have you ever wondered why?
There is a significant political party by the name of-
Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF), but is there a Sinhala United Liberation Front (SULF);
Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), but is there a Sri Lanka Sinhala Congress (SLSC);
Tamil National Alliance (TNA), but is there a Sinhala National Alliance (SNC);
Thamileela Makkal Viduthalai Pulikkal (TMVP), but is there a Sinhala-nation Peoples’ Revolutionary Lions (SPRL);
Illankai Thamil Arsu Kattchi (ITAK), but no SriLanka Sinhala State Party (SSSP)?
All these political parties are supporting racial-federalism, true to their sectarian names. All these political parties at some point clearly, illegally and violently manifested their separatist aspirations as well.
However there are other parties like the Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) – dominated by upcountry Tamils, Upcountry Peoples’ Front (UPF) – dominated by upcountry Tamils, Jatika Hela Urumaya (JHU) – dominated by Sinhalese and National Unity Alliance (NUA) – dominated by Muslims and these parties do not actively work for sectarianism and racial-federalism. Even their names are not based on racial terminology, but rather based on national concepts. If anyone can see this difference, which is not rocket science, he or she can simply understand that the demand for racial-federalism is stemming from race-centred politicians including Anandasangaree.
Just because unaccomplished Anandasangaree was not invited to the grand gala party thrown by accomplished Parabakaran in 2002, he doesn’t become a moderate. He won the UN peace prize by criticising the CFA as all the political parties that were not invited to sign MoUs with the LTTE also did. All the following parties singed MoUs with the LTTE in 2002 accepting it as the sole representative of Tamils: UNP,TNA,SLMC,CWC,UPF,WPF and the then government! Poor TULF leader was not invited and fell from the Tamil Leader in parliament to nobody in no time. It should also be remembered that he never agreed with Lakshman Kadirgaman – the greatest ever Tamil politician of Sri Lanka whose name was even proposed to the post of PM in 2004.
This country has seen many such politicians who amassed goodwill while hiding their true colours only to unleash their stock most opportunistically. Anandasangaree has a lot to learn from Mangala, SB and Ronnie. Else he can remain a political nobody trying to bypass in vain, elections, the legislature and the peoples’ mandate. He should never be allowed to bypass the elected members and their agenda.
Unitary to United – a Shrewd Attempt to make the Majority a Minority
The 24 year old armed struggle is nearing it’s bloody end. Separatists have used the terror created by the LTTE to demand various benefits for them and for their ideologies. They succeeded in getting some of those demands. However, they are unable to make use of terror when their terror gods are no more. Therefore, they are making some frantic attempts to get whatever they can before the last tiger dies.
One such attempt is changing the national identity from unitary to united. The absurdity of this attempt should be visible to anyone with an appreciation for geography. What is the rationale to divide a land mass the size of Tasmania (a state by itself) into governing units like the West bank, Gaza Strip, etc.?
In that case there will surely be a Sinhala United Liberation Front (SULF), a Sri Lanka Sinhala Congress (SLSC), a Sinhala National Alliance (SNC), Sinhala-nation Peoples’ Revolutionary Lions (SPRL) and a SriLanka Sinhala State Party (SSSP) in the ‘states’ dominated by Tamils and Muslims. What’s more there will even be Liberation Lions of Sinhala Lanka (LLSL)! Is this what we want?
Does Anandasangaree want the sixty-year-old train from India to arrive at the Vavuniya train station packed with corpses (even the drivers were slaughtered in the end)? In that case he will have to drive it as he calls himself a ‘moderate’!!
Racial Federalism
The type of ‘united’ nation proposed is a racial set-up and transcends provincial and district boundaries. North and the East is demanded to be demarcated on ethnic Tamil aspirations; two units of the East would be carved out for Muslims and the upcountry would be separated out for the Tamils of Indian origin. This is a unique blend of racism and federalism. If racism and federalism can sit together, that is sufficient not to have a federalist set-up!
In the case of racial federalism, the Sinhalese living in these four units become a minority! This is not at all acceptable for the national majority. They stand to lose in order to make room for racial federalism. What a big joke? If the country had to face so many complications with just two main minorities, imagine the number of complexities ten such minority groups would bring.
The danger of racial federalism is (as pointed out by many thinkers) that it fuels racial violence. Suppose the rights of the ethnic Tamils living in one Muslim dominated area is violated, this will be mirrored in Tamil dominated areas against its Muslims and vice versa. In a matter of few days the whole country will be in fire. Simple things like water can spark enormous bloodshed throughout the country.
Another danger is ethnic isolation. If each ethnic group is going to be pushed into their little enclaves, these will be breeding grounds of further racism. Iraq is a classic example of such isolation.
Racial federalism is unique to this country as nowhere in the world provincial boundaries have been redrawn along racial lines to set-up a federal system!
Real issues that must be encased into a political solution
It is a fact that ethnic cleansing has taken place in the North and the East. It was mainly the Sinhalese and Muslims who suffered due to this barbarism. In this context, the North is 100% occupied by Tamils whereas there is no district Muslims or Sinhalese dominate to such extent. A united country will cement what the LTTE did by not allowing any other races (other than Tamil) to live and work in the North. Under no circumstances such barbarianism should be reinforced.
Owing to not adjusting parliamentary seat allocations and university allocations based on latest population data, a disproportionately huge advantage has accrued to the Tamils at the expense of the other races. This must be corrected as soon as practical. It should be noted that it was Anandasangaree who intervened in blocking these vital corrections in 2002 stating that the census data were wrong! Also disproportionately smaller tax revenue is collected from the North and the East; this also needs to be adjusted soon. Funding allocations to each province and district should reflect it’s contribution to the total tax revenue. Cross subsidising Tamil majority areas by Sinhala/Muslim majority areas (and vice versa) is definitely not acceptable. These disparities must be straitened before any devolution attempt is made.
An unfair disproportionate access to resources also exists across the races. While Tamils have access to all economic resources in the island, Muslims have lesser access. The worst affected are the Sinhalese. This must be redressed immediately. All natural resources in the North and the East should be made accessible to everyone irrespective of race.
A large number of individuals stay in the country illegally; mainly from south India. They must be repatriated soon and should not be allowed to work in this country. There is no doubt that separatists heavily depend on them to bolster their numbers.
This country has one state language as voted by the people. It must remain so unless the people decide otherwise. Separate states that may be created by a federal structure will definitely undermine this. The national government has an additional burden to protect and promote Sinhala as it is only used in this island nation. No attempts to compromise its position should be allowed.
Separate regions in a federalist set-up will tie up with different countries. Tamil dominated regions will align with India whereas Muslim ones will tie-up with Pakistan. This can create unwarranted trouble in this island. Managing a national foreign policy would be impossible.
It is a matter of few years before the next step of autonomy is made by the separatists. Independent nations would be the next step for them and it will be easy with less control exerted by the national government and increased connections with other nations in the region. This is the ridiculous disintegration of this island most separatists dream of.
Unsustainability
A united country would widely disadvantage the majority which will in turn help amass a political wave that will reverse such devolution. Therefore, a united setting as opposed to a unitary setting is instable and unsustainable. If a united nation doesn’t have any sizable benefits for the majority over a unitary nation, there is no logic in supporting such a move; it will anyway reverse.
Ethnic isolation verses ethnic integration
A federal set-up along ethnic lines will further isolate the races whereas what we need is ethnic integration! However, innocently presented, ethnic isolation is cruel and evil. The only ‘good’ it has is the sustenance of race-centred political parties like the TULF so that losers of general elections can make it to the Parliament.
Common sense (no Tamil Elamist got it) should dictate that an island the size of Tasmania cannot feasibly be subdivided into autonomous or self-governing units.
The Bandaranaike bullshit
There is no truth in allegations that Bandaranaike was at the centre of today’s bloodshed. He made Sinhala Only because a staggering majority voted for it at the elections and in parliament. In wide contrast Hindi Only was never voted by the people of India and passed by a single vote in parliament on 14 September 1949; if allegations against Banda are true, India should have fifty Parabakarans. Almost all democratic countries have only one (1) state language and so should it be in Sri Lanka.
Again he is blamed for tearing his federal proposals under pressure. Who authorised him to bring such proposals? No body. Therefore he has no right to continue with them. However, his problem was not having the courage to stand by the decisions; had he enforced Sinhala Only as Hindi Only was enforced in India, there would never have been any Tamil separatism. One language would have bound all Sri Lankans together as in India, Australia, USA, China, Malaysia, etc.
In fact the demand for Tamil Elam (with the same name) was first made by GG Ponnambalam in 1924 and foretold that there would be violence otherwise.
Even he is not to be blamed for the bloodshed today which was caused by the absence of a proper military strategy during the 1970s. Although the army could muddle a revolution in 1971, it was still a ceremonial army. They had zero experience, knowledge or skill in handling guerrilla warfare. Worst of all, the 1970-77 government stubbornly disregarded repeated warnings of impending danger telling that they have killed enough in the South and would not do the same in the North; had they properly dealt with the killer of Alfred Duriappa (mayor of Jaffna) there would never have been a LTTE. Also there passed seven (7) long years of inaction from the Wadukodai resolution to the commencement of war. Had proper action taken, LTTE and the armed struggle would have aborted then and there. How the LTTE collapsed when the Special Forces took up guerrilla warfare is a case in point. Why wasn’t it done 35 years ago?
However, at least now the authorities should learn; there must be army camps in the North and the East and paramilitants should roam the streets long after this war is won. It is very easy for a band of bandits from Tamil Nadu to land in the North and cause havoc.
Anandasangaree must appreciate that politicians the world over do what their voters want and terrorists on the other hand, do what AK-47s want!
When the UNP accepts its blunders why can’t the TULF do likewise?
According to him the Royal Norwegian Government (there are many allegations of terrorist links against them in Sri Lanka, Eritrea, Ethiopia, etc), “Responding to a proposal by the leadership of the LTTE (that bloody Interpol wanted terrorist), the parties agreed (without the knowledge of their voters) to explore a solution founded on the principle of internal self-determination (only the terrorist leader knows what this is as there is no such model in the world) in areas of historical habitation of the Tamil-speaking peoples (history of Sri Lanka goes beyond the 14th century and there are no historical scripts, etc. to justify that there lived Tamil speaking people in any part of the country before the 14th century on a continued basis) based on a federal structure within a United Sri Lanka.”
First of all, it was a proposal by Parabakaran! Who cares about his proposals? Of course the UNP did when the LTTE was powerful, but not anymore. Why can’t the TULF follow suit? Because it can never win a seat in parliament!
Fifty one countries, twenty two organisations and four and a half billion dollars
So much to disintegrate the nation. It doesn’t make any financial sense. Sri Lankan oil reserves in the so-called “areas of historical habitation of the Tamil-speaking peoples” exceed 4.5 billion USD! Sri Lankan Phosphate deposits in Seruwila in the so-called “areas of historical habitation of the Tamil-speaking peoples” exceed 4.5 billion USD! Sri Lankan calcium carbonate deposits in the Jaffna peninsula which is in the so-called “areas of historical habitation of the Tamil-speaking peoples” exceed 4.5 billion USD! Sri Lankan mineral sand deposits in Pulmodei which is in the so-called “areas of historical habitation of the Tamil-speaking peoples” exceed 4.5 billion USD! The worth of the Trino, Point Padro and KKS harbours in the so-called “areas of historical habitation of the Tamil-speaking peoples” exceed 4.5 trillion USD!!
Therefore granting self-determination to part of Sri Lanka that will disown assets worth trillions of dollars doesn’t make any financial, economic or political sense.
He also claims that not granting such self-determination will result in Sri Lanka losing its international honour and prestige, which according to him “is more important than anything else”. Wrong; the most important thing is territorial integrity and sovereignty. We have mortgaged our international honour and prestige many a time to defend our territorial integrity and sovereignty just like all the other countries in the world.
The Tamil homeland
If Anandasangaree agrees to a Tamil homeland in this island, he is an ideological twin of Parabakaran; both have close cousins in Iraq, East Timor, Yugoslavia, Chechnya, etc. If the supporters of racial-federalism have a hint of belief that there is a Tamil homeland in this island, it is time they look at the real Tamil homeland across the Palk Strait. All Tamil songs, movies, sangeetham, natyam, arangeethram, dramas, literature, masterpieces and all other Tamil artefacts are made there. None are made in this island. This is the reality today. No amount of ethnic cleansing can chase away the brave Muslims and scary Sinhalese from the East and no amount of artillery can scare-off the gallant Sri Lankan army from the North. We are here to stay and fight till the last armed Tamil liberator falls dead. And there should be no mercy for the coward hiding behind the child soldier, the pregnant suicide killer and the brain-raped wonder-bra wearing suicide killer-girl.
The Tamil struggle is nearing its bloody end as stated by many foreign defence analysts; without the Tamil Homeland. At least now all moderate and violent Tamil Elamists should stop their struggle and war and look elsewhere for the Tamil Elam; ironically it does exist!
Should India or Malaysia be our role model?
These two countries have used opposite methods to ‘solve’ their ethnic issues. India used separation (Pakistan) and a federal system to ‘solve’ its ethnic related issues. However, these remain far from resolved. A persistent war with Pakistan and more than 25 separatist movements within India, plagues it. Although kept hidden from the world, these internal conflicts (fought along ethnic lines) have made their headlines the world over. Bihar, Kashmir, Mysoor, Assam and many more states are fighting for separation from India for independence; spates of bombings have rocked India signalling the gathering storm. Today the Indian Central government begs at the feet of Tamil Nadu LTTE-worshiping politicians just to stay in power. They are willing to forgive and forget anything that makes the TNs happy; even the killing of their former leader! They declare nuclear facilities as ‘no fly zones’ fearing the Nuxalites will come in Cessnas from Vanni and bomb them! But they are spineless to ward-off the danger. If we follow India, Mr Sangaree, this is where we will end-up!
On the other hand Malaysia also faced ethnic strife and they gave it a different solution. Although administrative provinces exist, Malaysia strengthened the centre as the all powerful governing body and powered the nationalist cause and empowered the majority who were supportive of a unitary Malaysia (although it is de jure federal, characteristically regional legislatures are immensely eclipsed by the centre and have no ethnicity based representation as each state has a unicameral state legislative chamber whose members are elected from single-member constituencies). This solved its conflicts for good; there are no further separatist movements in Malaysia; no bombs go off; no leader is bombed. If anyone wanted to create a Tamil homeland in Malaysia (they tried it), they were rather redirected to where the Tamil homeland is, Tamil Nadu. Some landed in Sri Lanka by mistake. Same with those struggled to carve out a Chinese homeland there.
(http://www.lankaweb.com)
Military solution will only make Prabhakaran a legend: Tamil rights activist
Dr Rajan Hoole, a Tamil rights activist who won the Martin Ennals award recently, has warned the Sri Lankan government against killing the LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran. Prabhakaran's destruction through military action would only result in his becoming a more dangerous legend among the Tamil people than he was already, he said.
"Treating the destruction of Prabhakaran as an end in itself, would make him an even more dangerous legend among the Tamils everywhere," Hoole said in a statement on monday.
Reacting to the Sri Lankan Defense Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa's declaration that there would be a political settlement only after the Tamil Tigers were militarily crushed, Hoole said that this was putting the cart before the horse, and would be completely counter productive.
He said that a reasonable political solution, taking into account the long standing aspirations of the Tamils, would have to be offered to the Tamil people as a priority. That would enable them to reject the LTTE's violence, intolerance and separatism.
"The LTTE must be defeated, but the way it is defeated is crucial. Its ultimate defeat could only be achieved by the Tamil people given adequate democratic opportunity," the activist said.
Hoole, who heads the University Teachers for Human Rights (Jaffna), said that without a political solution on offer, it would be very difficult for the Tamil moderates to wean the Tamil masses away from the LTTE.
Tamil moderates, like himself, were having great difficulty trying to convince ordinary Tamils living in the neighbourhood and the Diaspora, that the LTTE had been committing crimes against the Tamils themselves, Hoole said. He was often reprimanded by the Tamil people for exposing the LTTE's violence. Their argument was that there was a powerful government in Colombo "committing terrible atrocities" against the Tamils which had to be fought and in that context, it would not be prudent to expose the wrong doings of the LTTE.
Hoole said that the Sri Lankan government was wrong in taking Indian support for granted. According to him Indian were feeling that if the Sri Lankan government continued to be insensitive to the political demands of the Tamils and concentrated only on military action, a separate "Eelam" might be inevitable.
"Disregarding Tamil aspirations and stocking up an excess of hardware to defeat him (Prabhakaran) militarily, would make him a more dangerous legend, dead or living. People would then remember him not as a villain who brought ruin on the Tamils, but as the man who understood the Sinhalese polity and refused to bow down," Hoole warned.
(http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=6468abcc-2719-49b1-988b-00234579bf97)
"Treating the destruction of Prabhakaran as an end in itself, would make him an even more dangerous legend among the Tamils everywhere," Hoole said in a statement on monday.
Reacting to the Sri Lankan Defense Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa's declaration that there would be a political settlement only after the Tamil Tigers were militarily crushed, Hoole said that this was putting the cart before the horse, and would be completely counter productive.
He said that a reasonable political solution, taking into account the long standing aspirations of the Tamils, would have to be offered to the Tamil people as a priority. That would enable them to reject the LTTE's violence, intolerance and separatism.
"The LTTE must be defeated, but the way it is defeated is crucial. Its ultimate defeat could only be achieved by the Tamil people given adequate democratic opportunity," the activist said.
Hoole, who heads the University Teachers for Human Rights (Jaffna), said that without a political solution on offer, it would be very difficult for the Tamil moderates to wean the Tamil masses away from the LTTE.
Tamil moderates, like himself, were having great difficulty trying to convince ordinary Tamils living in the neighbourhood and the Diaspora, that the LTTE had been committing crimes against the Tamils themselves, Hoole said. He was often reprimanded by the Tamil people for exposing the LTTE's violence. Their argument was that there was a powerful government in Colombo "committing terrible atrocities" against the Tamils which had to be fought and in that context, it would not be prudent to expose the wrong doings of the LTTE.
Hoole said that the Sri Lankan government was wrong in taking Indian support for granted. According to him Indian were feeling that if the Sri Lankan government continued to be insensitive to the political demands of the Tamils and concentrated only on military action, a separate "Eelam" might be inevitable.
"Disregarding Tamil aspirations and stocking up an excess of hardware to defeat him (Prabhakaran) militarily, would make him a more dangerous legend, dead or living. People would then remember him not as a villain who brought ruin on the Tamils, but as the man who understood the Sinhalese polity and refused to bow down," Hoole warned.
(http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=6468abcc-2719-49b1-988b-00234579bf97)
British Police investigating LTTE Human Rights champion
The British police have commenced an investigation into a death threat made by S V Kirubakaran, an LTTE human rights champion who was only earlier this month, submitting before the UN in Geneva that the Sri Lankan state is involved in killings and disappearances. S V Kirubakaran of 9, rue des Peupliers, 95140 - Garges les Gonesse, FRANCE is accused of threatening Douglas Wickremaratne, a British national living in London with the same fate as Lakshman Kadirgamar, the Sri Lankan foreign minister who was assassinated by a LTTE death squad.
Kirubakaran is the General Secretary of the TCHR (Tamil Centre for Human Rights) which represents the LTTE's human rights wing in Geneva, before the UN. Kirubakaran is married to Deirdre McConnell who also works as Director International Programme in the TCHR. This marriage was blessed by the late Anton Balasingham. The husband and wife team makes up the LTTE's human rights presence in Geneva and is at every single human rights forum open to them, which could be used to attack the Sri Lankan state. They use other human rights organisations which have accreditation at the UN to gain access.
Deception is the trade mark of these LTTE human rights champions. Deirdre McDonnell presents herself before the UN in Geneva and New York as being an official of various human rights groups which provides her with access. The UN itself investigated her some years ago for misrepresenting herself as being affiliated to the UN. In Ottawa a few years ago, she turned up at a LTTE event and presented herself as an advocate of children's rights. I was in the audience on that occasion. On the 2nd of June 2000 the "Bangkok Post" a Thai national newspaper exposed her as presenting herself to the Thai authorities as being a representative of Amnesty International. Amnesty International issued a denial. British law enforcement authorities have a comprehensive dossier of her activities.
On 3rd April 2000, the LTTE marched on the UN buildings in Geneva and among the speakers was Deirdre McDonnell. She ended her speech, with a rallying cry in Tamil, "TOMORROW THAMIL EELAM WILL BE BORN FROM BLOOD" ("Naattu-kor Thamil Eelam Nalei Pirakkum", "Naleki Eratthathil Pirakkum") to the great applause of the LTTE supporters in the audience. This was somewhat strange for someone who claims to champion human rights. The event was monitored by law enforcement authorities.
Most of the listed terrorist organisations of the world have their front organisations conducting lobbying operations at UN forums in Geneva and trying to gain accreditation in New York. The Tamil Centre for Human Rights (TCHR) was exposed as a terrorist front before the United Nations (UN) in New York. On the 18th of May 2000, the UN Committee of Non-Governmental organisations published a press release (NGO/345), stating that the Tamil Centre for Human Rights had been refused consultative status because of "concerns raised about its connections with terrorist activities." The concerns were raised by the representative of the United States.
The LTTE front TCHR is frequently quoted in the Sri Lankan press, most recently in the Daily Mirror (15th), without being highlighted as a LTTE front. Like the TRO (Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation) the LTTE front which was delisted by the British Charity Commission, the TCHR craves for recognition and respectability in order to deceive the ignorant, and promote and enhance the politico-military strategy of the LTTE, a listed terrorist organisation.
Douglas Wickremaratne was in Geneva a few weeks ago and his representations at various UN forums was an inconvenience for the LTTE. In order to neutralise this threat the LTTE began a campaign of intimidation.
The Sunday Leader newspaper carried various insinuations attacking and ridiculing Mr Douglas Wickremaratne in their nutshell and paradise columns and simultaneously Mr Kirubakaran began corresponding with Mr Wickremaratne offering various inducements and threats.
(http://www.defence.lk/)
Kirubakaran is the General Secretary of the TCHR (Tamil Centre for Human Rights) which represents the LTTE's human rights wing in Geneva, before the UN. Kirubakaran is married to Deirdre McConnell who also works as Director International Programme in the TCHR. This marriage was blessed by the late Anton Balasingham. The husband and wife team makes up the LTTE's human rights presence in Geneva and is at every single human rights forum open to them, which could be used to attack the Sri Lankan state. They use other human rights organisations which have accreditation at the UN to gain access.
Deception is the trade mark of these LTTE human rights champions. Deirdre McDonnell presents herself before the UN in Geneva and New York as being an official of various human rights groups which provides her with access. The UN itself investigated her some years ago for misrepresenting herself as being affiliated to the UN. In Ottawa a few years ago, she turned up at a LTTE event and presented herself as an advocate of children's rights. I was in the audience on that occasion. On the 2nd of June 2000 the "Bangkok Post" a Thai national newspaper exposed her as presenting herself to the Thai authorities as being a representative of Amnesty International. Amnesty International issued a denial. British law enforcement authorities have a comprehensive dossier of her activities.
On 3rd April 2000, the LTTE marched on the UN buildings in Geneva and among the speakers was Deirdre McDonnell. She ended her speech, with a rallying cry in Tamil, "TOMORROW THAMIL EELAM WILL BE BORN FROM BLOOD" ("Naattu-kor Thamil Eelam Nalei Pirakkum", "Naleki Eratthathil Pirakkum") to the great applause of the LTTE supporters in the audience. This was somewhat strange for someone who claims to champion human rights. The event was monitored by law enforcement authorities.
Most of the listed terrorist organisations of the world have their front organisations conducting lobbying operations at UN forums in Geneva and trying to gain accreditation in New York. The Tamil Centre for Human Rights (TCHR) was exposed as a terrorist front before the United Nations (UN) in New York. On the 18th of May 2000, the UN Committee of Non-Governmental organisations published a press release (NGO/345), stating that the Tamil Centre for Human Rights had been refused consultative status because of "concerns raised about its connections with terrorist activities." The concerns were raised by the representative of the United States.
The LTTE front TCHR is frequently quoted in the Sri Lankan press, most recently in the Daily Mirror (15th), without being highlighted as a LTTE front. Like the TRO (Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation) the LTTE front which was delisted by the British Charity Commission, the TCHR craves for recognition and respectability in order to deceive the ignorant, and promote and enhance the politico-military strategy of the LTTE, a listed terrorist organisation.
Douglas Wickremaratne was in Geneva a few weeks ago and his representations at various UN forums was an inconvenience for the LTTE. In order to neutralise this threat the LTTE began a campaign of intimidation.
The Sunday Leader newspaper carried various insinuations attacking and ridiculing Mr Douglas Wickremaratne in their nutshell and paradise columns and simultaneously Mr Kirubakaran began corresponding with Mr Wickremaratne offering various inducements and threats.
(http://www.defence.lk/)
UK LTTE fronts in major larceny
It emerged yesterday that LTTE front organisations which act as charities have defrauded the British Government to the tune of several million pounds.
"By raising over three million pounds in the UK, without paying Value Added Tax on turnover and transferring over 2.5 million pounds out of Britain since 1995, exploiting the "charity status" it has gained by deception to avoid the payment of corporation tax, the LTTE may have defrauded the British Treasury, Her Majesty's Inland Revenue and Her Majesty's Customs and Excise of over a million pounds," terrorism analyst Dominic Whitman wrote in the Globalpolitician.com website.
Whitman also disclosed that the Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO), closely linked to the LTTE, has declared to the British authorities that since 1995 approximately 2.5 million pounds have gone from Britain to LTTE control, tax free, via the charity under the guise of "rehabilitation work".
The TRO has collected as much as Rs. 56.3 million for tsunami work in the North of Sri Lanka which was supposedly to construct 639 housing units. The entire sum of money has been drawn by the LTTE but only approx 100 housing units have been completed.In August 2005 the UK Charity Commission de-listed the charity TRO from its list of charities for its links with the LTTE.
At the time of its being de-listed it had pounds 1.3 million but the trustees made a mockery of British legislation by registering the same organisation under the name "International Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation (ITRO)" as a company with Companies House UK.
Since 1995, three LTTE British charities and the Tamil Housing Association has raised over eight million pounds. Most of the funds have been attracted as grants from local and central government because of the legitimacy these organisations have derived from being registered charities and a Housing Association in the UK.
In the words of Charles Somasundram, the LTTE activist who wrote in "Hot Spring" magazine, these charities are the brainchild of the LTTE leader Prabhakaran.
The charity work they carry out in the Vanni jungles is minuscule, (a fraction of the 2.5 million pounds that has been sent from Britain) compared to the other organisations such as UNHCR, ICRC, OXFAM etc. who are active in the conflict areas and refuse to have anything to do with the TRO, as they are all aware of TRO's LTTE connections.
In its propaganda the TRO claims that it "works with" organisations such as CARE, MSF, UNHCR and UNICEF in order to gain credibility and legitimacy, Whitman, spokesperson for the London-based VIGIL anti-terrorist organisation, wrote.
The charity work of the Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation is a facade to cover up its primary purpose, which is to raise funds to purchase weapons as commented by Don Gracey, security specialist to the Canadian Senate Committee on Security and Intelligence.
The little work the TRO does in the Vanni jungles is given massive publicity in the LTTE controlled media in order to create a distorted perception among expatriate Tamils, that they are the largest NGO operating in the Vanni jungles, so as to emotionally target them and raise more funds to finance terrorism.
(http://www.defence.lk)
"By raising over three million pounds in the UK, without paying Value Added Tax on turnover and transferring over 2.5 million pounds out of Britain since 1995, exploiting the "charity status" it has gained by deception to avoid the payment of corporation tax, the LTTE may have defrauded the British Treasury, Her Majesty's Inland Revenue and Her Majesty's Customs and Excise of over a million pounds," terrorism analyst Dominic Whitman wrote in the Globalpolitician.com website.
Whitman also disclosed that the Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO), closely linked to the LTTE, has declared to the British authorities that since 1995 approximately 2.5 million pounds have gone from Britain to LTTE control, tax free, via the charity under the guise of "rehabilitation work".
The TRO has collected as much as Rs. 56.3 million for tsunami work in the North of Sri Lanka which was supposedly to construct 639 housing units. The entire sum of money has been drawn by the LTTE but only approx 100 housing units have been completed.In August 2005 the UK Charity Commission de-listed the charity TRO from its list of charities for its links with the LTTE.
At the time of its being de-listed it had pounds 1.3 million but the trustees made a mockery of British legislation by registering the same organisation under the name "International Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation (ITRO)" as a company with Companies House UK.
Since 1995, three LTTE British charities and the Tamil Housing Association has raised over eight million pounds. Most of the funds have been attracted as grants from local and central government because of the legitimacy these organisations have derived from being registered charities and a Housing Association in the UK.
In the words of Charles Somasundram, the LTTE activist who wrote in "Hot Spring" magazine, these charities are the brainchild of the LTTE leader Prabhakaran.
The charity work they carry out in the Vanni jungles is minuscule, (a fraction of the 2.5 million pounds that has been sent from Britain) compared to the other organisations such as UNHCR, ICRC, OXFAM etc. who are active in the conflict areas and refuse to have anything to do with the TRO, as they are all aware of TRO's LTTE connections.
In its propaganda the TRO claims that it "works with" organisations such as CARE, MSF, UNHCR and UNICEF in order to gain credibility and legitimacy, Whitman, spokesperson for the London-based VIGIL anti-terrorist organisation, wrote.
The charity work of the Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation is a facade to cover up its primary purpose, which is to raise funds to purchase weapons as commented by Don Gracey, security specialist to the Canadian Senate Committee on Security and Intelligence.
The little work the TRO does in the Vanni jungles is given massive publicity in the LTTE controlled media in order to create a distorted perception among expatriate Tamils, that they are the largest NGO operating in the Vanni jungles, so as to emotionally target them and raise more funds to finance terrorism.
(http://www.defence.lk)
Sri Lanka Foreign Minister Regrets United States Misperceptions Of his Government’s Efforts to Combat Tiger Terrorism
In his lengthy discussions with United States Congressmen in Washington October 2, Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Bogallagama expressed his regrets that despite positive developments in the internal situation in Sri Lanka, continued concerns have been voiced in recent weeks in the US Senate regarding Sri Lanka while letting the American lawmakers know that it was unfortunate that there were misperceptions concerning the Sri Lanka Government's efforts to counter the terrorism perpetrated by the LTTE.
Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama on Tuesday (02 October 2007) began meetings on Capitol Hill to brief members of Congress on recent positive developments in Sri Lanka and to seek congressional support in the task of restoring peace in the island. He met with Congressman Rush Holt (Democrat/New Jersey), Congressman Scott Garrett (Republican/New Jersey) and Congressman Robert Aderholt (Republican/Alabama).
The Minister emphasized that Sri Lanka was not seeking a military solution to the conflict in Sri Lanka and was deeply committed to finding a durable negotiated political settlement that would be acceptable to all sections of Sri Lanka. To this end the government was proceeding to build consensus in the South around a set of political proposals aimed at solving the conflict through the All Party Representatives Committee (APRC).
He also briefed the congressmen on the efforts taken by the Government over the past year to restore normalcy in the Eastern Province. He said Sri Lanka wanted the Eastern Province that was recently cleared of the LTTE, to be developed as a model in post-conflict re-construction. The majority of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the Eastern Province have been resettled in their homes leaving a balance of around 38,000, who would be resettled shortly upon completion of de-mining. The destroyed essential infrastructure including roads, bridges, irrigation tanks, supply of electricity and water supply was also been restored and most of the schools have been reopened. The Minister said the need of the hour was for livelihood support and that the international community including the USA, EU, Japan, the UN & International NGOs and local NGOs, were supporting the government in these efforts.
Minister Bogollagama also briefed the Congressmen on the action taken by the Government to investigate alleged human rights violations such as abductions, disappearances and killings. The Minister presented a compilation of measures taken to promote and protect human rights while combating terrorism. He explained that the Foreign Ministry has constituted an Intra-Ministerial Coordinating Committee, which meets weekly to review the status of incidents, adding that the progress made through this mechanism helped in making more transparent to the public and the international community, Sri Lanka's proactive stand taken to address alleged violations of human rights.
He expressed regret that despite these positive developments, concerns continue to be voiced in recent weeks in the US Senate regards Sri Lanka, and said that it was unfortunate that there were misperceptions concerning the Sri Lanka Government's efforts to counter the terrorism perpetrated by the LTTE.
Earlier in the day, the Minister assisted by Secretary/Foreign Affairs Dr. Palitha Kohona, Sri Lanka's Ambassador to the U.S. Bernard Goonetilleke and senior officials from the Foreign Ministry and Mission, also met with the Washington based representatives of Amnesty International, and the U.S. Representative for the International Working Group on Sri Lanka and Coordinator for the U.S. NGO Forum on Sri Lanka. Dr. Kohona also met with the Washington based Director/South Asia of Human Rights Watch. (Source: Sri Lanka Embassy, Washington)
(http://www.asiantribune.com/index.php?q=node/7636)
Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama on Tuesday (02 October 2007) began meetings on Capitol Hill to brief members of Congress on recent positive developments in Sri Lanka and to seek congressional support in the task of restoring peace in the island. He met with Congressman Rush Holt (Democrat/New Jersey), Congressman Scott Garrett (Republican/New Jersey) and Congressman Robert Aderholt (Republican/Alabama).
The Minister emphasized that Sri Lanka was not seeking a military solution to the conflict in Sri Lanka and was deeply committed to finding a durable negotiated political settlement that would be acceptable to all sections of Sri Lanka. To this end the government was proceeding to build consensus in the South around a set of political proposals aimed at solving the conflict through the All Party Representatives Committee (APRC).
He also briefed the congressmen on the efforts taken by the Government over the past year to restore normalcy in the Eastern Province. He said Sri Lanka wanted the Eastern Province that was recently cleared of the LTTE, to be developed as a model in post-conflict re-construction. The majority of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the Eastern Province have been resettled in their homes leaving a balance of around 38,000, who would be resettled shortly upon completion of de-mining. The destroyed essential infrastructure including roads, bridges, irrigation tanks, supply of electricity and water supply was also been restored and most of the schools have been reopened. The Minister said the need of the hour was for livelihood support and that the international community including the USA, EU, Japan, the UN & International NGOs and local NGOs, were supporting the government in these efforts.
Minister Bogollagama also briefed the Congressmen on the action taken by the Government to investigate alleged human rights violations such as abductions, disappearances and killings. The Minister presented a compilation of measures taken to promote and protect human rights while combating terrorism. He explained that the Foreign Ministry has constituted an Intra-Ministerial Coordinating Committee, which meets weekly to review the status of incidents, adding that the progress made through this mechanism helped in making more transparent to the public and the international community, Sri Lanka's proactive stand taken to address alleged violations of human rights.
He expressed regret that despite these positive developments, concerns continue to be voiced in recent weeks in the US Senate regards Sri Lanka, and said that it was unfortunate that there were misperceptions concerning the Sri Lanka Government's efforts to counter the terrorism perpetrated by the LTTE.
Earlier in the day, the Minister assisted by Secretary/Foreign Affairs Dr. Palitha Kohona, Sri Lanka's Ambassador to the U.S. Bernard Goonetilleke and senior officials from the Foreign Ministry and Mission, also met with the Washington based representatives of Amnesty International, and the U.S. Representative for the International Working Group on Sri Lanka and Coordinator for the U.S. NGO Forum on Sri Lanka. Dr. Kohona also met with the Washington based Director/South Asia of Human Rights Watch. (Source: Sri Lanka Embassy, Washington)
(http://www.asiantribune.com/index.php?q=node/7636)
LTTE, Norway and natives
My ole school friend Shesha Samarajiwa appears to have shredded the US ambassador in his piece titled "Ambassador Blake lectures the natives" ! Robert Blake is not bad a fellow. His recent "lecture to the natives" and a similar harangue from the British (UK?) High Commissioner could be considered from a much wider perspective. i.e. events during the last century.
Here are a few random examples.
Picking up on bits and pieces of indigenous folklore, Colonial's invent anthropological labels to shower enhanced privileges on a group they referred to as a 'minority' among the natives. Thus inculcating an artificial sense of superiority among this select group over the others -classical divide & rule policy deployed by the Colonials.
Among other things, natives inherited from the departing Colonials a 'Westminster' style of statecraft - governance by the will of the majority. Small group of natives who had it made during colonial regime resent ensuing loss of privilege - begins to agitate. Current incarnation of this long drawn agitation is the self styled Liberation Tigers of Thamil Eelam - LTTE, where ' Eelam ' happens to be the ‘Thamil’ expression for Lanka used by ancient South Indian scholars.
Universal free education churn out large number of educated youths, vying for limited employment opportunities in the state organs. Wide spread inequality in employment opportunities, skewed distribution of national resources etc. trigger an armed rebellion of the youth, primarily in southern area's. This is quelled mercilessly by the state, deploying Sandhurst trained defense personnel. Neither INGO's, NGO's nor enlightened foreign envoys appeared to lecture the natives about human rights or about collateral casualties due to military action at that time.
Red Barna (Norway) secured official approval from Mrs. Srimavo Bandaranaike’s government to set up among other things, communal farms in uninhabited areas in the North. Unknown to the government (Nelsonian eye?) Red Barna surrepetiously shunt Indian plantation workers being repatriated to India under Srima - Shasthri pact, to resettle them in these farms.
Mrs. Bandaranaike nationalizes petroleum and other assets run by British and American interests, earning the wrath of these two countries. In response, IMF tightens the screws creating a crisis in national foreign currency reserves required to import food, leading to wide spread food shortages among the natives. Natives severely punish Mrs. B during election time, electing JR regime in a landslide victory. JR campaigned together with advice from handlers on a pro western election platform, promoting so called open economic policies during the run up for this election.
Reacting to own geo political realities, India recruited groups of rebellious youths in the North and in the East of Lanka, provided training, funding to operate as para-military units.
Turf war ensues among these groups and LTTE emerged as the predominant rebel group. Terrorist activity becomes the prime modus operand for the LTTE who among other things, slaughterer prominent ‘Thamil’ speaking politicians, intellectuals, academics etc. Late President J.R. Jayewardene deployed SLDF to quell terrorist activity of the LTTE. However unlike the southern rebellion, Sri Lanka Defence Force (SLDF) finds the northern opponent to be a more formidable and a resourceful enemy. As a result, response from SLDF escalate to a higher intensity causing wide spread collateral damage. Citing collateral damages caused by SLDF activities as the excuse, India violated Lankan air space supposedly to air drop Lentils - 'parrippu' to beleaguered natives caught in the battle zone.
Israeli defense advisors arrives simultaneously train both SLDF and LTTE - though the government at time appeared to have been unaware about the LTTE angle until much later. SLDF personnel continue to receive training at British, US and Indian training center's while LTTE receives military advise, military training , munitions, funding etc. from the Norwegians.
Handlers continue massaging both parties namely the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) and the LTTE, on the one hand arranging necessary export licenses to acquire high tech weaponry, munitions, training etc., for GoSL. while on the other hand allowing the LTTE to fleece the expatriate Tamil speaking diaspora for funds, engaged in narcotic trade, gun running, procure necessary military counter measures and train in war theaters in other countries. Handlers succeeded even arranging parity of status to the LTTE on par with the democratically elected GoSL at peace carnivals at various exotic locations, without even a peep of a protest from the legally elected administration at that time! Hostilities between the GoSL and the LTTE escalated to facilitate a regime change at the legislature of the natives. Thus paving the way for a formal 'ceasefire' specifically weighted in favor of the LTTE.
Duly elected queen of the natives at that time, publicly pout complaining her childhood playmate had secretly signed a Cease Fire Agreement - CFA without her knowledge, to intentionally bamboozle the natives. And she did just that for quite some time! The CFA, among other things created an exclusive fiefdom for fun & frolics of a group of terrorists. Presumably, human rights or the aspirations of the natives living in the area given to the terrorists were non issues for either the handlers or to those who sang hosannas about the CFA. Transformation of the Liberation Tigers of Thamil Eelam, to LTTE International Inc. occurred during this period. Handlers appointed Norwegians as the official mediator between GoSL and the LTTE and also as official monitors of the CFA. In simple language, the Norwegian 'monitors' were deployed to ensure that the LTTE would securely entrench it self in the land granted to it.
Project carefully crafted by the handlers for over 30 years gutted by the Boxing Day tsunami of ‘2004. One could compare response times for foreign naval assets which rushed to 'assist' during this tragedy to similar response during the carnage caused by hurricane Katrina to inhabitants of New Orleans in the US. Fact that, there were a few covert missions initiated by foreign naval/intelligence operators who made a bee-line to engage in post tsunami humanitarian missions in the Tsunami ravaged land of the natives is not well known. Presumably, handlers needed verification about some important fact, in the aftermath of the Boxing Day Tsunami.
Late Laxman Kadirgamer grasped this reality to deploy well honed diplomatic skills of this illustrious native to good use. A slew of proscriptions follows in many nations, shutting down entrenched operations of LTTE International Inc. whose nefarious activity were tacitly ignored by respective security agencies for decades. No doubt many could recall the spectacle of Richard Armitage and others descending here to literally shake their fists issuing dire threats to the LTTE in front of media! Utter frustration no doubt!!
Second tsunami for the handlers arrived during Nov '2005. One and a half years later, morphed from a largely ceremonial organization a few decades ago, current incarnation of SLDF convincingly demonstrated, determined professional capability that far exceeded operational templates cooked up for them by the handlers. However, it is quite evident that handlers have not given up yet on their decades old project.
Even though lofty ideals such as respect & honor to elders, sensitivity & respect to nature, proper livelihood, respect to each other etc. have been deeply inculcated in the psyche of the natives from very ancient times, some visitors from materialistic western hemisphere appear to think otherwise. One such example is the Mossad agent who worked with SLDF who appear to have spoken his mind, characterizing the natives as “...those who have recently come down from the trees...” in a book he had written. The good gentlemen referred to at the beginning of this essay appear to have uttered similar sentiment but of course greased with a lot of diplomatic finesse! Such derisive holier that thou comments aside, these two gentlemen are trying to say something to the natives. Now, what could that be ?
(http://www.asiantribune.com)
Here are a few random examples.
Picking up on bits and pieces of indigenous folklore, Colonial's invent anthropological labels to shower enhanced privileges on a group they referred to as a 'minority' among the natives. Thus inculcating an artificial sense of superiority among this select group over the others -classical divide & rule policy deployed by the Colonials.
Among other things, natives inherited from the departing Colonials a 'Westminster' style of statecraft - governance by the will of the majority. Small group of natives who had it made during colonial regime resent ensuing loss of privilege - begins to agitate. Current incarnation of this long drawn agitation is the self styled Liberation Tigers of Thamil Eelam - LTTE, where ' Eelam ' happens to be the ‘Thamil’ expression for Lanka used by ancient South Indian scholars.
Universal free education churn out large number of educated youths, vying for limited employment opportunities in the state organs. Wide spread inequality in employment opportunities, skewed distribution of national resources etc. trigger an armed rebellion of the youth, primarily in southern area's. This is quelled mercilessly by the state, deploying Sandhurst trained defense personnel. Neither INGO's, NGO's nor enlightened foreign envoys appeared to lecture the natives about human rights or about collateral casualties due to military action at that time.
Red Barna (Norway) secured official approval from Mrs. Srimavo Bandaranaike’s government to set up among other things, communal farms in uninhabited areas in the North. Unknown to the government (Nelsonian eye?) Red Barna surrepetiously shunt Indian plantation workers being repatriated to India under Srima - Shasthri pact, to resettle them in these farms.
Mrs. Bandaranaike nationalizes petroleum and other assets run by British and American interests, earning the wrath of these two countries. In response, IMF tightens the screws creating a crisis in national foreign currency reserves required to import food, leading to wide spread food shortages among the natives. Natives severely punish Mrs. B during election time, electing JR regime in a landslide victory. JR campaigned together with advice from handlers on a pro western election platform, promoting so called open economic policies during the run up for this election.
Reacting to own geo political realities, India recruited groups of rebellious youths in the North and in the East of Lanka, provided training, funding to operate as para-military units.
Turf war ensues among these groups and LTTE emerged as the predominant rebel group. Terrorist activity becomes the prime modus operand for the LTTE who among other things, slaughterer prominent ‘Thamil’ speaking politicians, intellectuals, academics etc. Late President J.R. Jayewardene deployed SLDF to quell terrorist activity of the LTTE. However unlike the southern rebellion, Sri Lanka Defence Force (SLDF) finds the northern opponent to be a more formidable and a resourceful enemy. As a result, response from SLDF escalate to a higher intensity causing wide spread collateral damage. Citing collateral damages caused by SLDF activities as the excuse, India violated Lankan air space supposedly to air drop Lentils - 'parrippu' to beleaguered natives caught in the battle zone.
Israeli defense advisors arrives simultaneously train both SLDF and LTTE - though the government at time appeared to have been unaware about the LTTE angle until much later. SLDF personnel continue to receive training at British, US and Indian training center's while LTTE receives military advise, military training , munitions, funding etc. from the Norwegians.
Handlers continue massaging both parties namely the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) and the LTTE, on the one hand arranging necessary export licenses to acquire high tech weaponry, munitions, training etc., for GoSL. while on the other hand allowing the LTTE to fleece the expatriate Tamil speaking diaspora for funds, engaged in narcotic trade, gun running, procure necessary military counter measures and train in war theaters in other countries. Handlers succeeded even arranging parity of status to the LTTE on par with the democratically elected GoSL at peace carnivals at various exotic locations, without even a peep of a protest from the legally elected administration at that time! Hostilities between the GoSL and the LTTE escalated to facilitate a regime change at the legislature of the natives. Thus paving the way for a formal 'ceasefire' specifically weighted in favor of the LTTE.
Duly elected queen of the natives at that time, publicly pout complaining her childhood playmate had secretly signed a Cease Fire Agreement - CFA without her knowledge, to intentionally bamboozle the natives. And she did just that for quite some time! The CFA, among other things created an exclusive fiefdom for fun & frolics of a group of terrorists. Presumably, human rights or the aspirations of the natives living in the area given to the terrorists were non issues for either the handlers or to those who sang hosannas about the CFA. Transformation of the Liberation Tigers of Thamil Eelam, to LTTE International Inc. occurred during this period. Handlers appointed Norwegians as the official mediator between GoSL and the LTTE and also as official monitors of the CFA. In simple language, the Norwegian 'monitors' were deployed to ensure that the LTTE would securely entrench it self in the land granted to it.
Project carefully crafted by the handlers for over 30 years gutted by the Boxing Day tsunami of ‘2004. One could compare response times for foreign naval assets which rushed to 'assist' during this tragedy to similar response during the carnage caused by hurricane Katrina to inhabitants of New Orleans in the US. Fact that, there were a few covert missions initiated by foreign naval/intelligence operators who made a bee-line to engage in post tsunami humanitarian missions in the Tsunami ravaged land of the natives is not well known. Presumably, handlers needed verification about some important fact, in the aftermath of the Boxing Day Tsunami.
Late Laxman Kadirgamer grasped this reality to deploy well honed diplomatic skills of this illustrious native to good use. A slew of proscriptions follows in many nations, shutting down entrenched operations of LTTE International Inc. whose nefarious activity were tacitly ignored by respective security agencies for decades. No doubt many could recall the spectacle of Richard Armitage and others descending here to literally shake their fists issuing dire threats to the LTTE in front of media! Utter frustration no doubt!!
Second tsunami for the handlers arrived during Nov '2005. One and a half years later, morphed from a largely ceremonial organization a few decades ago, current incarnation of SLDF convincingly demonstrated, determined professional capability that far exceeded operational templates cooked up for them by the handlers. However, it is quite evident that handlers have not given up yet on their decades old project.
Even though lofty ideals such as respect & honor to elders, sensitivity & respect to nature, proper livelihood, respect to each other etc. have been deeply inculcated in the psyche of the natives from very ancient times, some visitors from materialistic western hemisphere appear to think otherwise. One such example is the Mossad agent who worked with SLDF who appear to have spoken his mind, characterizing the natives as “...those who have recently come down from the trees...” in a book he had written. The good gentlemen referred to at the beginning of this essay appear to have uttered similar sentiment but of course greased with a lot of diplomatic finesse! Such derisive holier that thou comments aside, these two gentlemen are trying to say something to the natives. Now, what could that be ?
(http://www.asiantribune.com)
Parabakaran-centred Thinking
A funny adaptation by covert extortionists is to say Parabakaran (VP) will be very happy if this is done or VP will be very disappointed if this is not done. From Anandasangaree, Rajan Hoole, Thisaranee to Mangala and Ranil, this is a famous citation. But who cares if a particular cause of action makes VP happy, sad, disappointed, etc.? He is already dead currency.
When the LTTE was terrorizing the nation with its guerilla warfare which our security forces couldn’t handle a few decades ago, these extortionists said, unless the government get rid of the equitable university opportunity scheme in favour of the Tamils, VP will be very angry and the war will continue! When the surrender agreement (fancifully named CFA where I wonder what the “F” stood for as ceasefire is one word!!) was in full force these extortionists told the JVP, etc. not to say anything contrary to the ‘spirit’ of the surrender as this would anger VP! In 2006 when the SLAF restarted aerial bombing for very good reasons, these lunatics said VP will be very happy as people will voluntarily flock to his bunkers for safety! Some also said that VP would be happy to see a hardliners’ government as that would justify his violence!
When the security forces initiated their extremely successful strategy of retaliation, these cowards said that such retaliation will make VP very happy as the government forces would ‘degenerate’ into the level of the LTTE! If so, what about the Israeli forces? Now they say VP will become a legend if we do not give them such and such; he will be very happy if no federal setting or other political solution is advanced. So what; who cares about this terrorist, his likes, dislikes and aspirations. The Sri Lankan security forces have enough weapons to make him a non-entity. If not advancing a hasty political solution makes Parabakaran happy, let him be happy; so what? We are not scared of him; we neither hate him. We, the Sri Lankans, simply do not care what VP’s views are. It is as simple as that.
Therefore, it is futile trying to convince the nation that Parabakaran-centred thinking and decision making should continue. Do the Americans, Brits and the Spanish have Bin Laden-centred thinking? Definitely not; they go about their issues irrespective of what the 9/11, 7/7, 3/11 mastermind thinks and feels.
Some even say that if the will of the majority is executed as it should happen in any democratic country, many more Parabakarans will emerge. So what? The army is paid handsomely and equipped properly to kill any and all such terrorists. Let a million Parabakarans come, our gallant forces will send all of them to hell in one MBRL or air attack.
This may be an old strategy adopted by Parabakaran worshippers learnt from the ‘Ummagga Jataka’ (a fascinating Buddhist tale about how espionage was used to deter a powerful invader. When the invader surrounded the kingdom of the great Mahavshada intellectual, he used spies to tell the invaders that each of the invaders’ strategies was futile and each of their strategies in fact makes the inhabitants of the kingdom thrive whereas in fact they were suffering!).
This shows the extreme desperation these so called ‘moderates’ suffer from. They conveniently forget that the world had its share of resourceful terrorists including Ivan the Terrible, Hitler, Polpot, Pinoche, Idi Amin, etc. No one can stop them seeing the light of this world; it is also difficult to stop them as they have the power of Satan vested in them to cause bloodshed. What must be done is to destroy them in time at all cost. It should also be noted that had the killer of the Jaffna Mayor in 1975 was arrested and punished, there would never have been a LTTE. Further, if today’s paramilitaries were deployed in Jaffna from 1976-1983 with necessary impunity, there will never be a LTTE to wage war with the government.
I urge these moderate cowards not to further transact with Parabakaran’s dead currency. Nobody gives a damn about it. I also urge the government not to fall prey into their desperate attempts to force an unpopular cause of action; listen only to the voters and ardent party supporters as they know exactly what to do. It is commendable how Mahinda Rajapakse has courageously and insightfully handled the nation that was surrendered to the LTTE five years before he took office. The surrendered army became a winning army within one year. It should be emphasized that the President’s courage should be measured not by the extent of gratifying the voters of TNA, but by how he has amassed support from his voters and potential voters.
Championing separatists’ demands is not courage, it is cowardice as displayed amply by Parabakaran, ‘Tamil moderates’, the utterly coward Tamil Diaspora who can only finance and cry foul in support of the ‘Tamil struggle’ and cannot actively fight for it and children are forcibly fight on behalf of them! On the other hand, Chandrika did everything to destroy the SLFP votebases by repeatedly brining in unpopular devolution proposals. The JVP went from strength to strength at the expense of the SLFP. Insightful Rajapakse reversed this trend all the SLFP has regained all its lost votebases and today the JVP is looking towards the plantations to strengthen its ranks!! Good luck with their endeavors!
These moderate cowards are rather encouraged to make Sri Lanka-centred decisions instead. For instance, from a national point of view it is better to retain the unitary status as it is the most distant form of governance from disintegration; the Army, etc. must be given proper leadership so that they will crush the terrorists; aborted resettlement schemes and the Mahaweli scheme must be revived to develop the country; rule of law must reign supreme.
Let me point out another potential time bomb these ‘Tamil moderates’ will bring. When the war is over it is a must that all natural and other resources are exploited for national economic revival. Mannar oil, Pulmodai minerals, Eppawala minerals, Jaffna peninsula calcium carbonate deposits, huge arable land in Vanni, etc. must be used for national development as these were kept away from the national economy for decades. However, when plans are developed for the use of these, ‘Tamil moderates’ will cry foul! Why? Although these moderates try hard to hide their stripes, they are for the mythical Tamil homeland and will be utterly offended if the resources of that mythical state is used by Sri Lanka!! I urge the government to make it a point to use the resources in the North and the East for short term and long term economic returns as soon as possible. Hair splitting arguments on the best use of these resources should not be allowed to interfere with the decision to use them. Even Australia exports minerals in their crude state and Sri Lanka is justified in doing same. Absence of economic resources will eventually deter all separatists and international interferers.
Now the moderate cowards are panicking because if the security forces make Parabakaran minced meat, their begging bowl will be lost for good! When this happens, we can actually sit down and discuss what the political solution should be to advance the aspirations of Sri Lanka. There is no point crying about Tamil aspirations at the feet of the Sinhalese and the Muslims; they have their own aspirations; and those aspirations must be met before the aspirations of others to be considered. Above all the nation has its own aspirations; one such aspiration is the continuation of its pristine bravery amply displayed by ancient kings. The nation looks forward to accommodate trillions more in an undivided land. If the moderate cowards thought only they have aspirations, they are megalomaniacs themselves.
It’s high time that Sri Lankans learnt how to brand good and evil based on the intentions harboured by political entities and not on their displayed and self proclaimed statuses. A separatist is a separatist whether he is a moderate, terrorist or a member of the clergy. A few critical statements against the LTTE does not make one an enemy of the LTTE; compared to MBRL and heavy aerial bomb attacks by the security forces, these verbal bashings are nothing for the LTTE; they are in fact like the pats of a lover for the LTTE!! Anybody can criticize the LTTE today as it is weak, but only a few brave men can bomb them; and that’s all that matter now, not worthless and harmless words.
And politicians should learn how to priorities the interests of their particular voters; if they fail, their voters will send them home until true representatives are elected.
(http://www.lankaweb.com)
When the LTTE was terrorizing the nation with its guerilla warfare which our security forces couldn’t handle a few decades ago, these extortionists said, unless the government get rid of the equitable university opportunity scheme in favour of the Tamils, VP will be very angry and the war will continue! When the surrender agreement (fancifully named CFA where I wonder what the “F” stood for as ceasefire is one word!!) was in full force these extortionists told the JVP, etc. not to say anything contrary to the ‘spirit’ of the surrender as this would anger VP! In 2006 when the SLAF restarted aerial bombing for very good reasons, these lunatics said VP will be very happy as people will voluntarily flock to his bunkers for safety! Some also said that VP would be happy to see a hardliners’ government as that would justify his violence!
When the security forces initiated their extremely successful strategy of retaliation, these cowards said that such retaliation will make VP very happy as the government forces would ‘degenerate’ into the level of the LTTE! If so, what about the Israeli forces? Now they say VP will become a legend if we do not give them such and such; he will be very happy if no federal setting or other political solution is advanced. So what; who cares about this terrorist, his likes, dislikes and aspirations. The Sri Lankan security forces have enough weapons to make him a non-entity. If not advancing a hasty political solution makes Parabakaran happy, let him be happy; so what? We are not scared of him; we neither hate him. We, the Sri Lankans, simply do not care what VP’s views are. It is as simple as that.
Therefore, it is futile trying to convince the nation that Parabakaran-centred thinking and decision making should continue. Do the Americans, Brits and the Spanish have Bin Laden-centred thinking? Definitely not; they go about their issues irrespective of what the 9/11, 7/7, 3/11 mastermind thinks and feels.
Some even say that if the will of the majority is executed as it should happen in any democratic country, many more Parabakarans will emerge. So what? The army is paid handsomely and equipped properly to kill any and all such terrorists. Let a million Parabakarans come, our gallant forces will send all of them to hell in one MBRL or air attack.
This may be an old strategy adopted by Parabakaran worshippers learnt from the ‘Ummagga Jataka’ (a fascinating Buddhist tale about how espionage was used to deter a powerful invader. When the invader surrounded the kingdom of the great Mahavshada intellectual, he used spies to tell the invaders that each of the invaders’ strategies was futile and each of their strategies in fact makes the inhabitants of the kingdom thrive whereas in fact they were suffering!).
This shows the extreme desperation these so called ‘moderates’ suffer from. They conveniently forget that the world had its share of resourceful terrorists including Ivan the Terrible, Hitler, Polpot, Pinoche, Idi Amin, etc. No one can stop them seeing the light of this world; it is also difficult to stop them as they have the power of Satan vested in them to cause bloodshed. What must be done is to destroy them in time at all cost. It should also be noted that had the killer of the Jaffna Mayor in 1975 was arrested and punished, there would never have been a LTTE. Further, if today’s paramilitaries were deployed in Jaffna from 1976-1983 with necessary impunity, there will never be a LTTE to wage war with the government.
I urge these moderate cowards not to further transact with Parabakaran’s dead currency. Nobody gives a damn about it. I also urge the government not to fall prey into their desperate attempts to force an unpopular cause of action; listen only to the voters and ardent party supporters as they know exactly what to do. It is commendable how Mahinda Rajapakse has courageously and insightfully handled the nation that was surrendered to the LTTE five years before he took office. The surrendered army became a winning army within one year. It should be emphasized that the President’s courage should be measured not by the extent of gratifying the voters of TNA, but by how he has amassed support from his voters and potential voters.
Championing separatists’ demands is not courage, it is cowardice as displayed amply by Parabakaran, ‘Tamil moderates’, the utterly coward Tamil Diaspora who can only finance and cry foul in support of the ‘Tamil struggle’ and cannot actively fight for it and children are forcibly fight on behalf of them! On the other hand, Chandrika did everything to destroy the SLFP votebases by repeatedly brining in unpopular devolution proposals. The JVP went from strength to strength at the expense of the SLFP. Insightful Rajapakse reversed this trend all the SLFP has regained all its lost votebases and today the JVP is looking towards the plantations to strengthen its ranks!! Good luck with their endeavors!
These moderate cowards are rather encouraged to make Sri Lanka-centred decisions instead. For instance, from a national point of view it is better to retain the unitary status as it is the most distant form of governance from disintegration; the Army, etc. must be given proper leadership so that they will crush the terrorists; aborted resettlement schemes and the Mahaweli scheme must be revived to develop the country; rule of law must reign supreme.
Let me point out another potential time bomb these ‘Tamil moderates’ will bring. When the war is over it is a must that all natural and other resources are exploited for national economic revival. Mannar oil, Pulmodai minerals, Eppawala minerals, Jaffna peninsula calcium carbonate deposits, huge arable land in Vanni, etc. must be used for national development as these were kept away from the national economy for decades. However, when plans are developed for the use of these, ‘Tamil moderates’ will cry foul! Why? Although these moderates try hard to hide their stripes, they are for the mythical Tamil homeland and will be utterly offended if the resources of that mythical state is used by Sri Lanka!! I urge the government to make it a point to use the resources in the North and the East for short term and long term economic returns as soon as possible. Hair splitting arguments on the best use of these resources should not be allowed to interfere with the decision to use them. Even Australia exports minerals in their crude state and Sri Lanka is justified in doing same. Absence of economic resources will eventually deter all separatists and international interferers.
Now the moderate cowards are panicking because if the security forces make Parabakaran minced meat, their begging bowl will be lost for good! When this happens, we can actually sit down and discuss what the political solution should be to advance the aspirations of Sri Lanka. There is no point crying about Tamil aspirations at the feet of the Sinhalese and the Muslims; they have their own aspirations; and those aspirations must be met before the aspirations of others to be considered. Above all the nation has its own aspirations; one such aspiration is the continuation of its pristine bravery amply displayed by ancient kings. The nation looks forward to accommodate trillions more in an undivided land. If the moderate cowards thought only they have aspirations, they are megalomaniacs themselves.
It’s high time that Sri Lankans learnt how to brand good and evil based on the intentions harboured by political entities and not on their displayed and self proclaimed statuses. A separatist is a separatist whether he is a moderate, terrorist or a member of the clergy. A few critical statements against the LTTE does not make one an enemy of the LTTE; compared to MBRL and heavy aerial bomb attacks by the security forces, these verbal bashings are nothing for the LTTE; they are in fact like the pats of a lover for the LTTE!! Anybody can criticize the LTTE today as it is weak, but only a few brave men can bomb them; and that’s all that matter now, not worthless and harmless words.
And politicians should learn how to priorities the interests of their particular voters; if they fail, their voters will send them home until true representatives are elected.
(http://www.lankaweb.com)
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