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| Sunday, 25 December 2005 |
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Govt firm stand suits LTTE fine Bull's Eye by a Special Correspondent The explosion of two vehicles with 13 naval troops aboard on Friday by the LTTE has raised a question whether the LTTE has unilaterally broken the CFA and declared war against the troops instead of coming on to the peace table. Amid this escalating violence in the North, the security in the area has reached a decisive point today.
Despite the warning by the Co-Chairs of Sri Lanka Peace Process, the LTTE's hegemonic behaviour seemed to create panic and tension in the entire country. Violence has been escalating in Jaffna and incidents following one after the other are reported daily, some may be manipulated by the tigers to put the blame on security forces. One such incident could be the rape and killing of a young girl in Pungudutiv. The President's prompt action to appoint a commission to probe the incident would be a timely act as to divulge the truth behind this mystery because it is of paramount importance for the security forces to maintain good rapport with the Jaffna residents to maintain law and order as more incidents of this manner are imminent within the next few days in the peninsular. While the situation in the North is brewing hot, other Tamil politicians who lost their bases in Colombo and in the upcountry trying to fish in troubled waters is pathetic. Their short sighted plans could bring more harm to the majority Tamils though they may not approve of the political views of these immature MPs. No Sri Lankan would hesitate to commend the former CWC Leader Saumyamoorthi Thondaman for his far-sighted vision where he organised the upcountry Tamils towards a peaceful struggle and work with any party in power to win their rights. But his junior, Arumugan Thondaman's short sighted political vision could have many consequences to the upcountry Tamils if he joins the LTTE and invites them to operate terrorism from Thondman's hide-outs in his constituencies in the hills. Upcountry Tamils rejected Thondaman in the last Presidential election as they learnt of his ulterior motives and in retaliation, he would have plans in his mind to invite terrorism to the upcountry and destroy the youth there and it is the bounden duty of the other democratic Tamil political leaders to make aware of these hidden monsters and organise people not to fall prey to them and get destroyed. They should now start instant dialogue with the Government to plan rapid development schemes in the hills and eliminate unemployment and poverty which could serve as elements to possible terrorism. Thondaman, as he is not in a position to return the money he allegedly obtained from the UNP cannot join President Rajapakse's government and this could have been the reason for him to have a sudden compassion for the Tamils and work to form a joint alliance with the other Tamil parties. However, LTTE leader Velupillai Pirabakaran might not take him seriously as he could guess what Thonda is up to. Newspaper reports saying that Thonda is seeking permission from the LTTE to join the President on his tour to India well explain to what extent the LTTE has control over Thonda even before they come to any agreement. This shows that Thonda's decision to join the LTTE makes him a LTTE prisoner in the hills while throwing the upcountry innocent estate Tamils to unwanted troubles and tribulations. So the responsibility of any future troubles in the hills should be taken by Thondaman. However, no upcountry Tamil would approve of Thonda's utopia and support him as none of them want to jump from the fire to the frying pan for the sake of the comfort and prestige of a single person. On the other hand, it seems that plans are afoot to drag the city Tamil youth too towards a crisis in the name of better bargaining for Tamils. The Leader of the Western People Front Mano Ganeshan's meeting with the LTTE Political Wing Leader S. P. Thamilselvam seemed to be the initiative of such a new threat to the peaceful lives of the city Tamils. The city Tamil youth who enjoys more posh and comfort than the upcountry Tamils would never condone Mano Ganeshan's attempt to ride on their shoulders towards another utopia in the Western province. However, both leaders who met Thamilselvam were not privileged to meet the LTTE Leader as he might not be interested to kill time. And the discussions they had with the Political wing leaders are also not divulged. After all, it is not announced whether the LTTE is interested in forming such an alliance with both Thonda and Mano. Thondaman's proxies made a big ha ho during the past complaining that his security was curtailed and his visit to the Vanni could be to beg them to spare him, and if it is the case, (President Rajapakse in lighter vein has also asked Thondaman about this during a meeting at India house) the readers should pardon him for his political play. News from the East confirms that the LTTE is trying to disturb the harmony maintained between the Muslims and the Tamils. It also reported that such clashes have already displaced Muslims in Toppur, Kinniya and Muttur. Hundreds of Muslim residents have been forced to live in displaced camps. This could be another tactic of the LTTE to strengthen their operations as such activities could be leaked to security forces if Muslims move in their areas. While the situation is gradually developing to a crisis, the role of the SLMM is felt strongly but as the mediators of the conflict their silence is puzzling to the public. People do not expect the situation to worsen in the presence of a strong mediator. Meanwhile the Government's decision not to change the venue of peace talks would be seen as playing into the hands of the LTTE. They wanted the Government to stand firm which would help them to make excuses to avoid peace talks. Changing of a venue is immaterial if talks are going to start and agreeing to have talks in any country would prevent the LTTE from escape from the peace table. Then the Government can convince the international community that the tigers are not committed to peace as they boast about.
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