Terrorism, Violence, and Reconciliation
by Bob Rae
Over thirty years ago I flew standby from Belfast to London – and the plane made an emergency landing in Manchester. All passengers were taken to a hangar and interviewed at length by the Central Intelligence Branch of Scotland Yard. We were told at that time that a bomb had been found on board. Many years later I read an account of this incident in a book on the history of the Royal Ulster Constabulary. It turned out that one of the passengers on the plane was heading to Buckingham Palace to be honoured by the Queen. It also so happened that the pin meant to conduct the charge from the timer to the bomb had been covered by a single coat of paint, and thus the bomb failed to explode.
A couple of weeks ago I met with Gerry Murphy, a former leader of the IRA who is now a member of the Northern Ireland cabinet. I told him this story, and he expressed scepticism and disbelief about it – he explained that he was in jail at the time, and it was not IRA policy to attack planes in this way. I told him that I could only tell him what happened, and the explanation I had seen in what was by all accounts a reasonably objective history of the RUC.
If the bomb had gone off, it would have preceded the Air India bombing by a dozen years. As fate would have it, I spent nearly a year of my life studying that atrocity and writing about it in “Lessons to be Learned”.
That meeting, the experience with Air India and the subsequent talk I gave to a Sri Lankan peace group in Toronto prompts these thoughts. The use of violence against civilians to further a political cause is the simplest definition of terrorism. As a tactic it is meant to strike fear in an opponent as well as intimidation in the civilian population. It is deplorable because it is so brutal, so random, so hurtful. Less understood is that the tactic itself is only possible when the terrorist group is convinced that the cause justifies the awful means, that there is no other avenue for success, and that the sacrifice of life ( in the case of suicide bombing, the life of the perpetrator) is sanctified and made more holy by the loss of blood.
But the use of the label should not lead us to the conclusion that only a military victory will lead to the end of terrorism. So it is that that the Irgun group in Israel was eventually absorbed by the Likud, the PLO changed its charter, the African National Congress abandoned the military struggle in favour of peaceful political change, and Gerry Murphy of the IRA can tell me over a cup of tea that Martin McGuinness and Ian Paisley are working well together in Stormont Castle in Belfast. Change can happen, and effective diplomacy and politics can trump terrorism. It is a terrible thing, and an awful tactic, but if politics can be creative and decisive enough it can be abandoned. “Once a terrorist, always a terrorist” is ironically not true.
Bob Rae visits the Church Wellesley Village, Mar 16th 2007 – bobrae.ca
The leaders of Northern Ireland should be going around the world explaining how it can be done. Sri Lanka is once again in the grips of a terrible violence – from all sides – which has at its roots a belief from both the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and the government of Sri Lanka that guerilla and military activity are in fact the only way to “resolve” the conflict. But wiser voices know that won’t happen. Deep change on both sides, and a willingness to accept the legitimacy of the other are at the heart of any successful political dynamic for peace and reconciliation. No one should under-estimate how difficult it is, but neither should anyone accept the alternative, which is more killing, more loss of life, more destruction, more pain, more suffering. And the desert that remains will not be called peace, because the underlying sources of the conflict will have gone unresolved. There is nothing stable about oppression.
The Law and Society Trust (http://www.lawandsocietytrust.org/), an NGO in Sri Lanka put out a recent document which numbered the killings and disappearances in Sri Lanka from January to August 2007 at 1212 people. This includes 23 humanitarian workers and 8 media personnel and averages 5 people per day. Hundreds of thousands have been displaced from their homes in the most recent fighting, which has in the last couple of years included the assassination of the Foreign Minister, the deputy head of the Peace Secretariat in Colombo, and the Political Director of the LTTE. I knew each of these last three – all Tamils of great distinction and very different points of view.
Denouncing terrorism, and putting in place measures to deal with it, are both essential. None of us are free from its consequences. But that in itself is not enough. We also have to work for the changes that will lead people to abandon violence as a tactic. To those who say it can’t be done, the answer is look at the countries that have managed to put this behind them, and the political leaders that have abandoned violence because other routes were ultimately more productive.
There are lessons here for Afghanistan as well, but of that more later.
[Bob Rae was Ontario's 21st Premier, from 1990 to 1995. He has experience at the highest levels of government in Canada and was an active participant in some of the most the important constitutional talks of the day. Most recently, Bob Rae ran for the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada in 2006 - bobrae.ca]
Sam Thambipillai said,
November 29, 2007 @ 9:45 am
We, in Sri Lanka, can learn a lot from the article written by Bob Rae on Terrorism, violence and reconciliation.
One major difference between Northern Ireland and Sri Lanka is that British troops never killed civilians. Sri Lankan soldiers kill Tamil civilians in areas under their control. Cultured and barbaric approach to solving problems yield contrasting results .
When Sri lankan state is carrying out terrorism and violence against Tamils, it is foolish to expect the Tamils to keep quiet. Violence for self defence and protection are accepted norms in the UN charter. No one expects people to die under an insane group of people or people who are barbarous. This explains the violence or counter violence from the LTTE.
Reconciliation in Northern Ireland came after the granting of the legitimate political rights of the people. This was also true with South Africa or any other country that successfully carried out reconciliation. In Sri Lanka, the legitimate right of Tamils to have their independent sovereign state of Tamil Eelam is far from being considered.
Britain was credible. If Britain agreed to do something, the leaders kept to the last letter of what was agreed and implemented. In contrast, in Sri Lanka, any agreement with Tamils are always abrogated by the Sinhalese, even if witnessed by the International Community. Oslo agreement and subsequent agreements in peace talks is a classic example.
Unless Tamil Eelam is granted to the Tamils in the North East, there could be no reconciliation. Peace with justice was preceding reconciliation in Northern Ireland. It would be foolish to believe that there is a shorter route in Sri Lanka for reconciliation.
Devinda Fernando said,
November 29, 2007 @ 3:57 pm
*** Unless Tamil Eelam is granted to the Tamils in the North East, there could be no reconciliation. ***
“No Compromise” is the Stubborn Single-minded Lunacy we have been hearing from V. Prabharkaran and his Rabid Diaspora Followers for two Decades….. The IRA may have entered the Political System but the British are not out of Ireland as their Demands have been since they began their Terrorism. The IRA COMPROMISED! And they have peace….
How many times have Sri Lankan goverments offered Federal Solutions, Devolution of Power…. Basically how many times have the GoSL offered COMPROMISE….? Many times! Almosyt every Successive GoSL has offered the Tigers something,….
Now How many times has Prabharkaran Accepted,…..
Z-E-R-O!
I rest my case…..
kill them all, the LTTE must be wiped out. FULL STOP
Dr KC said,
November 29, 2007 @ 6:33 pm
I 100% agree with Sam Thambipillai with his concerns about state terrorism. My serious concern is that the ‘tit for tat’ strategy has dangerously gone out of control. On our side the LTTE overstepped the legitimate scope of arms resistance and as a result the LTTE has been banned by over 30 major actors in the international community and its leaders are hunted by the Interpol. This is a major issue here and we have to examine this scenario very carefully to advance our struggle. The current face and the strategy is of the LTTE are not acceptable to the IC. We have no option other than growing up to learn this hard fact.
The LTTE has to show that it consists of responsible and law abiding governors to govern an emerging nation. Only then the IC will formally recognise our right to self determination.
Therefore the LTTE will have to take tangible and painful steps to restore the trust and respect to our struggle. For the sake of our future children, will the LTTE radically review its strategy?
Dan said,
November 30, 2007 @ 12:41 am
Sam Thambipillai, the previous government under Ranil Wickremasinghe was fully committed to a federal solution and went out of its way bending backwards to please the LTTE. But what did the LTTE do? It walked out of peace talks YET AGAIN leaving the government embarassed and having to face a Sinhalese majority who felt they had been taken for a ride. Every time there has been peace talks it is the LTTE that has walked away from the table. Now the LTTE is going to pay. There can be no peace without first wiping out the Tamil Tigers. Only then can there be a political solution.
Saravanaraj said,
November 30, 2007 @ 1:14 am
“How many times have Sri Lankan goverments offered Federal Solutions, Devolution of Power…. Basically how many times have the GoSL offered COMPROMISE….? Many times! Almosyt every Successive GoSL has offered the Tigers something,….”
Good Question? Are you questioning pre LTTE or post LTTE, I would like to remind you that LTTE is active since 1983 but the Tamil question not answered since Sri Lanka’s independence.
Then why GOSL offered solutions only to Tigers?????
The GOSL not offered anything during non-violent protest period but replied with strong state sponsored violence. Because unfortunately We Sri Lankan believe in Violence despite the followers of Haimsha and Buddhism . As citizen we have a responsibility “NOT TO PROMOTE VIOLENCE”.
Let me leave you with the following quote “An eye for an eye will make our world blind”
tulasi said,
November 30, 2007 @ 1:33 pm
In my estimate, The LTTE, and the very existence of Tamil-speaking people in Sri Lanka, are two different things. The LTTE is the end product of 60 years of discrimination aganist the Tamils. The underlying problem in this country today is one of ATTITUDES. Devinda’s veiled comments are indeed reflective of the views held by the majority community in general- DESTROY THE TAMILS ONCE AND FOR ALL!
Gamini said,
December 3, 2007 @ 1:07 am
The previous govt, rightly or wrongly made historic consessions to accomodate Tamil demands. This may not have been entirley what the tigers required but nontheless they were historic consessions and provided potential for hope.
And how did the LTTE reciprocate ? did they extend the hand of cooperation, did they make an effort to negotiate in good faith ?
No they took advatage of a good opportunity to restock their depelted supplies and take out political opposition.
That is why the Sri Lankan people and slowly the world do not trust the tigers, and see them as the major obstacle to peace.
People in this forum will lay blame for the plight of Tamils in Sri Lanka at the feet of everyone eles ( Sinhala chauvinist, India, Brahmins, US, Muslims etc etc) except for the tamil leadership.
Devinda Fernando said,
December 3, 2007 @ 6:44 pm
*** DESTROY THE TAMILS ONCE AND FOR ALL! ***
Misquotation and Deceptive Propaganda, what more can one expect from Lunatic Tiger Supporters? Of course they have been practicing the Art of “Bluring the Line between Truth and Fiction” for Two Decades now…
I said wipe out the LTTE, not Tamils…. Most Tamils are nothing to do with the LTTE, sorry if you have trouble believing this concept.
Sam said,
December 6, 2007 @ 3:53 am
I’m afraid the LTTE is responsible for the current quagmire. They were the ones who abused the ceasefire with Ranil and went about killing so called ‘traitors’ and setting off claymore mines that killed soldiers on a weekly basis. There was no retaliation whatsoever from the government side, instead LTTE cadres were given free flights on airforce planes and their cadres were treated to the best hospitals in Colombo. Then the LTTE unceremoniously walked away from peace talks for the umpteenth time. Assasinated Sri Lanka’s TAMIL foreign minister, enforced a boycott by stamping on the democratic rights of Tamils, which lead to a Mahinda win. Unlike Ranil, Mahinda is not going to bend to the fancy of the LTTE. And now we have all but undeclared war.
Do you honestly believe the LTTE has the interests of the Tamil people at heart? Wake up and smell the coffee Tamils. Seriously.