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| Sunday, 8 January 2006 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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The
political intent of LTTE military strategy
One who knows the enemy and knows himself by J. Vitarana
If there is a single word that defines the present moment, especially in Jaffna, Trincomalee and to a lesser extent in Colombo it is anxiety. In fact, anxiety is written in the face of Sri Lanka. What has given rise to this unprecedented anxiety? Has it suddenly descended from the skies or is it a result of a long process of events that has reached the climax recently? We tend to believe the latter. After the initial euphoria the Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) has not produced the desired results. The continued violations of the CFA running into thousands of incidents and the repetition of the same type of violation with impunity has given rise to frustration all round on both sides of the ethnic divide. The breakdown of talks between the Government and the LTTE in April 2003 was a turning point after which the LTTE began a systematic campaign of CFA violations, which has reached a new peak at present. One could recall that Clause 2.1 of the CFA that prohibited extra-judicial killings, abductions and attacks on civilians was never adhered to. It was a dead letter. Even child conscription outlawed by the United Nations and prohibited by the CFA continues unabated. Of late the LTTE has begun targeting security forces personnel and installations using hit and run tactics. Though a new factor in the present situation, it was not without precedent in the military activities of the LTTE. There is only a single difference. It does not claim responsibility for the attacks unlike in the past. They blame it on others - "Third parties". Yet the veil is wafer thin. Frustration alone would not have produced anxiety. Two other factors operating in tandem have acted as a catalyst that caused this anxiety. The first factor comprises deliberate acts taken by the LTTE to cause alarm which include forcible eviction of sections of the civilian population from Jaffna and their resettlement in the Vanni, the concentration of their military cadres in close proximity to the Forward Defence Lines of the security forces establishments, the advance of their artillery positions so that military establishments in the peninsular come within their target range. The other factor, operating in tandem as described earlier is a calculated campaign by a section of the media that war is imminent. A war hysteria has been unleashed despite assurances by both sides to the conflict that they would still seek a negotiated solution. If war is not imminent why is the LTTE behaving in a manner as if they are preparing to launch an offensive to take control of Jaffna? The fall of Jaffna was a blow the LTTE could not digest. In 2001 they declared an offensive to take over Jaffna but were halted at the doorsteps to the city. Then followed the military stalemate, which gave rise to their unilateral declaration of ceasefire and the CFA a year later. Their strategy at the moment seems to be to fake an intifada type of operation without going into an all-out war using the people and a "Third Party" so as to hide their complicity and actual control of the operation since the CFA prohibits such actions. Whether they could succeed is a moot point since the security forces already know their game plan. In the speech delivered by Prabhakaran in their Maaveerar Day last year he hinted at carrying forward the People's Struggle for Elaam. This was on the LTTE agenda even during the UNF days following the breakdown of bilateral talks. It was only interrupted by the tsunami and a resumption of it could have been the logical conclusion any vigilant observer could make. It is either the inability to discern this factor or deliberate political intention to create panic among the population that has made a section of the media to create the impression of an imminent resumption of a new Elaam war. It must be recalled that these media analysts started beating war drums even in the run up to the Presidential polls once they came to know of the LTTE inspired boycott of the poll. They were associating a UPFA victory with imminent war. The LTTE read the election result differently. It saw President Rajapakse as a pragmatic politician who would not unleash war. The political aim of their present military strategy is to seek maximum advantage for themselves at talks that would have to be held in the not too distant future. They cannot wave off with disdain oft repeated appeals by the President for talks and the pressure of the international community and the facilitator to re-start negotiations. Besides the global political environment is getting hostile to such intransigence and enough warning signals have been flashed by the international community including the co-chairs of the Tokyo confab. In this volatile and provocative situation the government and the security forces have acted with extreme restraint. They are continuing to do all in their power to bring back normalcy in the North East and ensure the safety of the people throughout the country. Cordon and search operations It is in the context of the developments in the North East that cordon and search operations in Colombo and elsewhere in the south as well as in Jaffna have to be looked into. They are an imperative of the time. To refrain from doing so would expose the people to the danger of terror attacks, which no self-respecting government could do. As has been reported these operations have helped to minimise the damage and prevent certain attacks. Of course, there may be a degree of harassment but they have been reduced to a minimum. In certain cases where there is doubt about foul play the Government and the President in particular has not hesitated to take immediate action to launch full scale investigations as for example in the case of the death of five students in Trincomalee last Monday. As everyone now agrees the quickest way to diffuse the situation is to have talks between the two belligerent parties and the government is ever ready for it. The cordon and search operations, especially those in Colombo and suburbs have another focus. It is also directed at roping in underworld elements evading arrest, eradicating the drug menace and cleaning up vice spots that operate under various pretexts. As we report elsewhere this campaign has already brought results. An old game A section of the media is up to an old game. Right throughout the tenure of the earlier PA Government they have been playing up non-issues or issues of no significance to embarrass it while relegating to the background much more vital issues for the public. The so-called handbag controversy is an example. Now it is a threat or a virtual threat on the life of Maharaja Chairman Rajamahendran in which an accusing finger is pointed towards certain government politicians including the Prime Minister. Electronic media is bombarding the listeners and viewers with the story 24 hours of the day and the print media afraid of being left out pontificate even in editorial columns on the dangers to freedom of expression citing the Rajamahendran issue. NGOs endowed with fat purses containing easily earned foreign exchange add to the chorus and spread the word across the globe with the assistance of the usually hostile agency presses that never fail to report negatively on Third World countries. All this is while the victim Rajamahendran is not even willing to give a statement to the police and cooperate with the authorities. As one commentator put it there is nothing in the whole issue more than
the SMS joke on electronic media during the Presidential poll. Anyway it is
time the media behaved more responsibly without taking political vendettas
and spoiling the good name of the country. |
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