Protect The Interests Of The Tamil People
While Sri Lankans were lighting crackers and dancing on the streets celebrating the victories in the 25-year-old terrorist war, the picture projected by the international media on Sri Lanka particularly on TV was one of grim horror. Reports spoke of a quarter million civilians caught in the cross fire of the Sri Lanka government forces and the LTTE in the jungles of Mullaithivu. An unknown number of civilian casualties were reported and that some of them, children, who had been grievously wounded, could not be transported out from the area of conflict. Food supplies were running out and the actual plight of the refugees were not known because reporters were not permitted into the area of conflict, the reports added. The TV channels that were constantly beaming these reports were not only of the Western media but Third World channels as well.
These events which followed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the Gaza were projected in a similar light, though lesser in scale, as the Gaza tragedy. The main defence cited by government spokesmen that the civilians were being used as human shields by the LTTE did not seem to have impressed the foreign media. Even though complaints were heard that reporters were not permitted into the theatre of war and hence events could not be reported with certainty a considerable amount of information was unfolded, even video coverage.
The Sri Lankan propagandists have to blame themselves for this global negative coverage. One worthy who was interviewed deniedany knowledge of civilian casualties. The numbers referred to could have been LTTE cadres, he claimed. But on Thursday when a large convoy of injured civilians was brought out of the war zone by the UN to Vavuniya hospital which included 50 children, the credibility of the spokesman would have hit the lowest possible level.
In this instance the outcome of the media war is not what is important but the welfare of civilians estimated at 250,000. President Mahinda Rajapakse on Thursday urged the LTTE to allow the free movement of these civilians within the next 48 hours. He assured all civilians a secure environment. He said he would ensure their physical security and enable peace, freedom and rights of all citizens. The LTTE, he said was now confined to a small area in the Northern Province and a large number of citizens were being forcibly held by the LTTE.
The President's assurances are all very welcome but the big question is whether in this environment he will be able to implement these assurances. Journalists, particularly, are justified in querying how far they can believe in Presidential assurances considering those given to them and implemented. Rajapakse's appeal to the LTTE to permit the free movement of civilians will result in guffaws of Velupillai Pirapaharan even in this time of grave peril. Has the warlord ever granted any request made by Rajapakse or any other Sri Lankan leader?
President Rajapakse must face facts squarely. He cannot do anything to help the civilians being held by the LTTE on his own. He must use his influence with Indian leaders and even Western leaders to get Pirapaharan to release the civilians. They will perhaps ask him to call for a ceasefire which at this stage he is proclaiming his unique victory over terrorism to the world would be unthinkable. So, what would his strategy be to help the trapped civilians? Keep issuing assurances and commit prevarications hoping that over time the issue will resolve itself?
Meanwhile how many civilians will be injured and how many will succumb to their injuries? These are not misfortunes that have fallen on him from the skies. They are the inevitable consequences of the choice of a military option over a negotiated settlement.
On the other hand it could be asked whether a negotiated settlement was ever possible with Velupillai Pirapaharan. Would a person who dreams of creating an independent racist state, considers himself as a deity of the Tamil people, kills his own leaders and people by tens of thousands, makes even children commit suicide, is undaunted by the fact that he is responsible for the deaths of over 70,000 people, kills a head of state, a former prime minister, and countless ministers be willing to compromise for a provincial council and a post of chief minister thrown in?
Mahinda Rajapakse, for whatever reason, to his credit, was the only leader who was not taken in by the dollops thrown in by the LTTE such as ceasefires, viable alternatives and of course a negotiated settlement. There may be many other factors that helped him but he did not stop the military onslaught to give time to the terrorists to collect their breath and come back fighting. That has been the secret of his success.
But victory on the battlefield may not end the conflict which commenced as a guerrilla war. Do we go back to square one as in the times of the Jayewardene government and begin all over again? Even if Pirapaharan disappears, another perhaps worse than him, could surface. How to prevent such a calamity will be Rajapakse's greatest challenge.
The one time fire eating son of the Ruhuna now seems to be mellowed and is talking of a multi-racial, multi lingual, multi religious community. Can he now be capable of getting all major political parties in the south along with Tamil parties to reach a solution to Tamil grievances? In moments of victory, the victors are often magnanimous. Will Mahinda Rajapakse who has been hinting at communal harmony in his recent speeches be genuinely desirous of bringing all communities together once again? To do that he has to strike agreements with the UNP, TULF, TNA, SLMC and many other parties. He had done this to some extent earlier but that resulted not in political unity but political fission of the opposition parties much to his advantage.
Following the euphoria of victory in war has come the announcement of the dissolution of the Western Province Council and elections are scheduled at the end of March. This is Mahinda Rajapakse, the parochial politician, combining victory in war where a great number of people perished in the defence of the country with local government elections. Earlier too he did it with elections to the Eastern Provincial Council, Sabaragamuwa Council and the North Central Provincial Council, all of which he won after winning in the battlefields of the east and parts of the Wanni. Now two more provincial elections - for the North Western Province and Central Province are scheduled to be held alongside the anticipated victory at Mullaithivu. We have noted many a time that for President Rajapakse war seems to be an extension of politics.
Perhaps, after the Mullaitivu victory elections will be held for the first time in the Northern Provincial Council by the saviour of the north.
President Rajapakse has been declaring recently, quite often, that the military operations in the north are being conducted for the benefit of the people - to free them from the rigid dictatorship of the LTTE. Let this interest in the welfare of the Tamil people be evident after elections and thereafter.
(Editorial published in"The Sunday Leader" of Feb 1st 2009)
9 Comments
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Is it possible for 1,000 LTTE cadres to hold 250,000 people at gun point?
It doesn't make sense!
Send International Monitors to see what's going on.
:-)
If anything to go by what is happening in Jaffna, which was "liberated" more than 10 years ago and the east which was liberated nearly 2 years ago, Tamils are not fools to trust Mahinda. In Jaffna and the East people are living in an open prison. Extrajudicial killings, rape, disappearance, Ransom demanding torture is rampant. Recently the innocent civilians who crossed over to the so called "liberated" areas have disappeared never to be seen. Young girls are raped, killed and burnt. Boys are killed and buried.
If this is Mahinda's liberation no one is trusting. No wonder the civilians in Vanni chose to remain in Vanni prefering death to Mahinda's liberation!!
The military operations in the north is just another form of the tyranny of majority
to the crush the democratic aspirations of a people to liberate their nation
The negotiated settlement is always possible with Pirapaharan. But no sinhala leaders will ever think of that. They will face the same fate as SWRD. They want leaders from Tamils like Pillaiyan, Douglus and Tamils to lead a life like our brothers in upcountry.
But there will be many promises to Tamils. I still remember Kumarasooriyar, the appointed MP and Minster for Posts and Telecommunications in Srimavos Govt., promising Mahaveli water will come to north before Year 2000.He told that the land of NCP will be wet by year 2000. and eventually the water will come to North. Land in NCP may get wet but the hearts Sinhala politicians hearts never.
LTTE can be defeated easily if there is a implementation of solution that guarantees the equality and dignity of Tamil people. Will that happen? Wait and see
Whatever peaceful discussions and negotiations the Tamil political parties had with the two main political partes in the south - from the fifties onwards, - were any of them honoured?
The basic agreements of the 2002 agreements were not acted on by the government, for the LTTE to respond - why then blame the LTTE?
How do you expect the Tamils to have any believe on the promises of SL governments?
Even the few Tamils who ventured out of the LTTE areas on the promises of the government were subjected to untold misery. This is why the SL government does not allow any access to reporters to the inside!
There was Sadam Hussein in Iraq. There is Mahinda Rajapakse now in Sri Lanka(SL). In SL there is state repression and genocide against Tamils and there is an armed rebellion against this brutal state oppression, which the government of Sri Lanka calls "terrorism"
There was a need for a political solution and not miltary support to occupy the North East(NE), expand state repression and carry out genocide.
The west had an urgency to get international support for its military adventure in Iraq under the non essential "war on terror". So they entertained repressive states like SL and the Pakis to jump in their band waggon. The prodigals jumped in and SL started dancing recklessly with weapons of warfare to enhance repression and genocide. These weapons have become weapons of Tamil civilian destruction.
This recklesss policy of SL should be rectified immediately by Obama administration. Bob Gates made it clear recently that humanity should work together to extricate repression.
Negotiation for conflict resolution instead of military force is the only answer for SL.
Tamil freeedom struggle started more than 70 years ago, even before Ceylon became a dominion under Britain. Many countries which started freedom struggle after the inception of Tamil Eelam freedom struggle have achieved independence and have progressed economically. African continent gave birth to more than 15 African countries, Yugoslavia and Soviet Union
gave birth to many independent countries.
Negotiations for Independence of Tamil Eelam should commence immediately, if we desire peace in the island. The UN should initiate a resolution in this regard, if the UN is concerned about the safety of Tamil civilians.
Mahinda has not won this war and will never win this war. He is becoming more defiant like Sadam Hussein refusing to permit UN monitors. He is defiant even to diplomats and countries. Soon he will say "to hell with you all". At that time things may be impossible.
>>On the other hand it could be asked whether a negotiated settlement was ever possible with Velupillai Pirapaharan?
Never, nor would any future settlement possible with those with separatist agendas; the only solution to Sri Lanka’s conflict must be one within the sovereignty of the Sri Lankan nation
>>Even if Pirapaharan disappears, another perhaps worse than him, could surface. How to prevent such a calamity will be Rajapakse's greatest challenge.
The nation's ethnic strife can only be conquered through the advancement of a well-thought-out socio-political solution with systematic implementation over time. There are no magic bullets to conflicts with deep social wounds. Ask the Americans? It took them over 100 years after the Emancipation Proclamation to pass the Voting Rights Act in the 1960’s and another 40 years to build an egalitarian society. Reconcialiation on the island will also take time, understanding, and also lots of effort by all the communities.
>>Can he now be capable of getting all major political parties in the south along with Tamil parties to reach a solution to Tamil grievances? … To do that he has to strike agreements with the UNP, TULF, TNA, SLMC and many other parties.
His problem will be more the extremist Sinhalese Buddhist parties who believe that Sri Lanka is the exclusive domain of the Sinhalese and not as much the UNP, TULF, TNA, SLMC.
Here lies the president’s biggest challenge – how to convince the larger Sinhalese masses about bold changes necessary towards democracy and greater devolution against the nationalists' tide? It is to accomplish this objective that he first needs to consolidate political power, mostly at the parliamentary level. Calling elections as early as possible, while the president’s popularity is at the peak is the smart and right thing to do.
-Dias, California, USA
There is no connection to the heading "Protect the Interest of The Tamil People" and the contents. The cause of the misery of the Tamil people is Mahinda himself. He is the one who is staging a premeditated genocide on the Tamil people by raining bombs and shells and getting his security forces to rape and kill and disappear when they cross over to his "liberated areas".
The editorial is painting a picture of Mahinda as a benevolent leader. While the Tamils consider him as butchering demon. Mahinda has not even invited the elected Tamil representatives to the all party conference!! They were not prepared to even share the Tsunami money donated by the international community, among the Tamil people. How can the Tamil people trust the Sinhalese govts? He has appointed a puppet leader in the East and the people are still under armed thugs, facing abductions and extra judicial killings. People in Jaffna even after 14 years of so called "liberation" is living in an open prison under armed dictatorship facing death, distruction and abductions daily!!
It is very convenient to put all the blame on Pirapaharan. Tamil peoples woes started LONG BEFORE PIRAPAHARN WAS BORN AND WILL CONTINUE EVEN AFTER HIM!! Until the planned genocide of the tamils is completed.
Successive Sinhala governments have never been honest in offering a peace deal. Even today, after all these hardships Tamils would never trust Sinhala government to offer a meaningful permanent solution to the Tamil issue, when the Tamils know the chauvinism has only hardened. Expatriate Tamils in particular are concerned more in terms 'social justice' - a term that appeared to have been erased out of the dictionary, just as Bonaparte used to erased the term 'impossible' out of his dictionary. We are also concerned for the welfare of Palestinians in the Gaza and West Bank.
The relentless bombing and shelling of Tamils and displacing them seemingly with no end in sight is a clear sign that the genocidal intent of the Sinhala terrorist government has not diminished one bit. Is this the government that want the Tamils to live under one roof with them? What business has this government got to run it writ over Tamil homeland? When is the occupying Sinhala Army going to get the hell out of Tamil homeland? Why did they invade Tamil homeland in the first place?
Oppressive forces have no place in the Tamil homeland. They should get out forthwith! The easiest way to get the Sinhala Army out of Tamil homeland is to let the Tamil Tigers acquire surface-to-air Stinger or similar missiles. Once a couple of cowardly Kfir dive bombers are downed the civilians would certainly breath a sigh of relief. The other way to end the war is for the international community to stop funding the Sinhala terrorist regime!