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Bull's Eye by a special defence correspondent

Once war ravaged Kilinochchi today stands peaceful as the Government forces observe the CFA strictly and this has enabled the LTTE to use the town as their meeting point with the outside world. Small eating houses, guest houses and office buildings are being expanded to accommodate more customers while the wayside shops and the street vendors are selling fancy goods and 'kottakelingu' and Palmyrah juggery to eke out a living symbolic of some benefits of peace. The LTTE's willingness to come for peace talks has been another relief with more hope for the Tamils in Kilinochchi. Although the LTTE has attached many of their cadres as part time workers to these establishments, overall economic activities in the area are on the increase heralding a better future for the ordinary people.

All of a sudden, peoples' hopes were shattered last week after they listened to a few eminent religious leaders and scholars who talked emphasizing the need for going to war again to win the rights of the Tamils. The meeting called 'Peoples' Convention' had been organized by the LTTE, as a part of their new propaganda strategy to counteract current development locally and internationally. Among the speakers were Jaffna Bishop Rev.Dr.Thomas Saundranayagam, Trincomalee Peoples' Federation President V.Vigneswaran, Vice Chancellor of the University of Jaffna Prof.S.Mohandas, Bishop Rev.Jebanesan of Church of South India, Rev.Fr.Karunaratnam- Nesohr and Maulavi S.M.Zahir of Jaffna Mosque.

People were surprised as to why these speakers talked about war while the LTTE has agreed to peace talks.They did not know that the LTTE was trying to get international sympathy again saying that the Tamil rights would be suppressed again by the Government after the coming election.

When the Prime Minister is uniting progressive forces for his campaign, the LTTE' is unhappy over such developments as they would be unable to handle such a formidable coalition especially when JVP and JHU are also constituents. An LTTE strategy to defeat such national forces is to tell the world that a future government under Premier Mahinda Rajapakse would not seek a solution to the Tamil problem and therefore they should go to war. Creating this perception in the minds of common people in the South would help them to ensure the victory of Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, whom they can handle easily according to their whims and fancies as they did in 2001.

Through the message of all speakers, they tried to arouse the sentiments of people asking them to pressurize the LTTE to go to war. Although the entire world knows that these religious leaders and scholars living under LTTE extortion are working to fulfill their agendas, their surprising behaviour especially of those in robes representing Jesus Christ and Allah, would definitely hurt the feelings of other devout followers of Christianity and Islam.

For further clarification I quote Jaffna Bishop Dr.Saundranayagam: "There is always a limit to the patience of a nation of people yearning for freedom and justice after having failed to achieve it through peaceful and democratic means for five decades" Does the Rev. Bishop mean LTTE terrorism when he refers to peaceful and democratic means? Did he mean that Tamils are a separate nation? Or is it that he just read out a statement provided to him by the LTTE?

The most ridiculous speech was made by Maulavi Zahir. We know that he has no courage to speak against the LTTE and live in Jaffna but he has insulted the entire Muslim community by such a talk. I quote:"

Tamils and Muslims have been isolated by the cruel Sinhala nation. We are no longer prepared to be in isolation and we should be more vigilant from this year. The Sinhala forces invaded the land of Tamil speaking people. The Sinhala government acted against the Tamils and in order to preserve our heritage, the struggle was born. Now the time has come for Muslims who act together shedding differences to win the struggle for Tamils. There are Muslim bodies buried in the martyr's grave".

Maulavi Zahir is also mandated by Allah to propagate peace and his behaviour is a serious concern to other Muslims. If Maulavi Zahir does not know the LTTE's derogatory harassment and callousness towards Muslims who lived in the North and East during the last two decades, his ignorance should be regretted and the best thing is for Maulavi Zahir to make a short visit to a few displaced persons' camps in Puttlam and listen to the agony of thousands of Muslim inmates who were chased away by the LTTE from their ancestral homes in Jaffna, Vavuniya, Mullaitivu and other areas of the North. At the same time, he should verify with the LTTE whether the Muslim bodies buried in LTTE martyrs' graves were of those hacked to death during Jumma prayers in Kattankudi by the LTTE or thousands of other Muslims felled by the LTTE for not taking their orders.

These is clear evidence that the LTTE is aiming to convince the international community that despite the LTTE commitment to peace, they are pressurized by ordinary people to go to war and prove that they are the sole representatives of the Tamils and put the blame on the people on the one hand and on the other to create a fear psychosis in the minds of people in the country in general that the LTTE would start a war again if Prime Minister Rajapakse is elected President.

Why were they in such a hurry to organize such a convention and renew their propaganda against the Government?

Has the Government violated the CFA threatening the LTTE's political activities in Government controlled areas? It has not.On the other hand it is the LTTE that has launched 113 attacks killing 11 security personnel, 20 civilians, six politicians and injuring 64 security men and 22 civilians during five weeks starting from July 1.

Therefore the counter propaganda against the LTTE should have been increased by the Government but what has happened is its opposite. This is because the Government does not have a powerful propaganda machinery.

It is also inadequately aware of the need to tell the world community of terrorist tactics of the LTTE and convince the international community that they are not freedom fighters.

Any Government when it is threatened by a terrorist group should expect to face terrorist tactics. In our country, it is unfortunate that peace loving people here have to contend with a terrorist biased mediator to handle the peace process. With their full blessings, the LTTE is changing their tactics accordingly to hide their ugly face from various crimes they committed including the killing of Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar. Now they fear that the issue would come to the world leaders' discussion table during UN's 60th anniversary in New York .

It is expected to discuss new strategies and build consensus among world leaders to agree and focus on long plans to combat world terrorism during this UN anniversary which coincides with the fourth anniversary of the 9/11 terror attack on New York.

Despite the failure of the Peoples' Convention in Kilinochchi, the LTTE would hold its second and third sessions in Mannar on September 28 and in Jaffna on September 30. Though the LTTE targeted 100,000 participants at the Kilinochchi meeting, having provided free meals, transport and other kinds of manipulation, only 30,000 turned up as such unconventional happenings were not new to residents in this area and they were pretty much fatigued of the LTTE's hoodwinking tactics.

There are a very few forces that dare to stand against terrorism in this country. But more forces, some knowing the true face of terrorism and others with misleading norms are backing the LTTE today to carry on their secret war and terror to eliminate all democratic forces opposing LTTE terrorism. Anybody irrespective of his or her community, religion, policy or any other ideas who opposes the LTTE 's separatist war would not be able to escape from the LTTE gun today. Peace is most welcome as a solution to the issue but how could such a terrorist outfit be allowed to carry on their crimes freely when there is a democratically elected government?.

It is high time that the Government sets up a special unit at least to counteract LTTE's false propaganda and tell the world what they are really doing. Minister Kadirgamar's killing could be used as a dynamic force to launch such an international awareness campaign amalgamating the diplomatic, professional and other resources of various institutions including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Mass Media.

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