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| Sunday, 22 January 2006 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Uproar in House: LTTE ploy to win sympathy Bull's Eye by a Special Defence Correspondent The pandemonium that breaks out often in Parliament is not news to Sri Lankans today but the chaos created by the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MPs last week made news because it has signalled something more than that of the uproar that took place in the past. The alleged gross misconduct by the TNA MPs is apparently on the orders of their supremo Velupillai Pirabaharan.
There is no doubt that such tactical roles were assigned to various pro LTTE agents including politicians such as TNA MPs, media heads and journalists, local and foreign NGOs including those appearing in the guise of human rights protectors and even certain persons in the security forces and the police. Time to time, these manifold forces have come forward arm in arm to bring the Government into international disgrace especially during the early '80s. With the full backing of the above forces, the LTTE, despite their barbaric acts against the security forces and the civilians, was able to gain world sympathy in the past. But later, specially after the 9/11 attack, they lost such sympathy as the international community gradually realised the terrorist acts of the LTTE thereby depriving them of much international support especially huge funds. It is a well-known fact that the LTTE preferred President Mahinda Rajapakse to take over the rule as they expected to use new tactics to create violence and put the blame on the new Government intending to bring the Rajapakse Government into international disgrace as they did in early '80s. Surveillance As a part of this tactic, the LTTE chose to launch main attacks on the Navy as they believed that they would be able to provoke the Navy easier than the Army. Similarly they believed that such constant attacks would paralyse the Navy surveillance in the sea to clear shores for them to unload illegal weapons meant to be used in a possible onslaught on Jaffna city. Clear evidence of this tactical planning of tigers is the exaggerated and false news propaganda on incidents in the North given in the said pro LTTE print and electronic medias. Other testimonies are the so called human rights activists and politicians taking to city streets to protest against security operations and the pandemonium created by the LTTE proxies in parliament. In this manner, the tiger leader's intention would probably be to provoke other young and rebellious parliamentarians especially those from the JVP and the JHU expecting them to interrupt the TNA MPs and stop the hoolinganism. The LTTE would have planned to misinterpret such interruption, if it occurred to say that the Sinhala MPs of the Rajapakse Government have started to harass the TNA members and were trying to chase away the democratically elected Tamils from Parliament. But it is fortunate that our parliamentarians understood this tiger tactic and kept silent over the conduct of the TNA giving a free run to their counterparts. This drama is part of the LTTE coup to regain the lost sympathy from the international community and for that reason they have to prove that the Rajapakse Government is harassing the Tamil Parliamentarians too. If they succeed in this attempt, they would be able to abscond from the peace talks and reorganise the present ailing group with the international funds and other forms of support. The attempt was foiled instantly on Wednesday but similar incidents could be expected in the future as the LTTE leadership is working overtime to create a gloomier situation to disrupt the Government's full effort to start peace talks. It is also obvious that last week's incident was a conspiracy hatched in Vanni and people know that the TNA MPs are just side players of the drama, and they are caught between the devil and the deep sea. Whether they like it or not, they are compelled to act the roles as they have no escape from the consequences by the supremo. None of them want the destiny of the former MP Joseph Pararajasingham to befall them, therefore, people will sympathize with the TNA Parliamentarians when they enjoy full democratic freedom inside Parliament and outside among Sinhalese as they cannot enjoy similar freedom in Kilinochchi jungles. However, it should also be noted that the country's supreme center of democracy should not be used by a terrorist group as a ground for mockery and insult in such a manner. People earnestly expect the Speaker to take firm disciplinary action against those who misbehave in the House. By launching sporadic attacks, the LTTE expects to create panic and tension in society on one hand and on the other hand they expect to keep the forces busy preventing them from organising a major offensive from the LTTE. At the same time, they expect the morale of the forces would decline in the course of time before the escalating violence by the tigers. Through such mental disintegration of the forces, they hope to dissipate the power of the forces including discouragement of recruitment, reduction of procurement equipment, training and new strategies. These acts will also stand in the way of finding a common settlement with the support being extended currently by the international community. Such delay of finding a solution to the conflict would help tigers to drag the conflict situation further where they want to buy time for another strategic step towards their final goals of Eelam. Strangers Nights Some so-called Human Rights NGOs and a minor political party took to the streets to protest against the security operations that were carried out in Colombo to nab organised criminals and drug kingpins in the metropolitan. It is not strange for these organisations to stage such protest as many of them earn their bread and butter from the pro LTTE sympathizers overseas or directly from the LTTE coffers. But it is the prime duty of the military authorities too to plan such operations in such a manner that minimizes the inconvenience to the general public. If the operations were done accordingly, those LTTE agents would fail in their attempt to scream at city gates thereby making no headlines or television footage for the tiger media proxies. If these human rights activists can guarantee the city with no violence and drug abuse, security operations could be blamed. It is welcome that the government has formed an authority to scrutinize the activities of the NGOs in the country, and special investigations should be done in the operations of those NGOs trying to poke their fingers into issues concerning national security. A top military brass said that the Sri Lanka Army often does cordon and search operations in different areas of the Northern peninsular but they are very concerned about the operations that no room is left for the LTTE or their agents to abuse search operations. He said that once security personnel take some residents into custody, they immediately inform of the arrest to the concerned parties including those human rights originations such as ICRC and SLMM. Later the Army would question the suspects in front of the representatives of those organisations. Nobody can find fault with the security forces as things are very transparent. It is simple as that. He argued if it is possible in the North, the operation could be planned better in Colombo to stop the clamour of the NGOs and prevent them to capitalise on security operations and go international with false propaganda to blame the government. It is also worth mentioning that if the Government forces violate human rights in the North and East or any other operational area, one should ask details about such acts from the guardians of human rights such as Amnesty International, SLMM and ICRC. No doubt, hundreds of people, politicians, NGOs and other forces in numbers would inform these organisations if such acts are committed by the security forces. Many of the complaints have been made by the LTTE, which are mostly manipulated by the tigers to blame the government. They use human shields when attacking the forces expecting a full backlash and it is absurd that these human rights organisations take such complaints by terrorist more seriously than the complaints made by the Government security forces. Unilateral investigation by the SLMM on the bomb attack on its office at Batticaloa has now been completed and the SLMM has come to a conclusion that neither the LTTE nor the Government forces has been involved in it but the blame has been put on a third force. It is heartening to learn that the SLMM is very active to conclude the investigations so soon. And it is welcome if the SLMM expedites investigations on other CFA violations by the LTTE since February 2002. One thing is very clear in the SLMM hasty conclusion. They are trying to convince the world that there are para militaries operating in the North and East. If such para militaries are active in the area, it is extremely unfair to blame the government forces for not eliminating them as they did it soon after the CFA implemented. If there are para militaries in the area, it is only after the Karuna group - LTTE split. Demanding Government forces to eliminate their own faction whether it is the LTTE, SLMM or any other party would be ridiculous. |
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From the incident it seems that the TNA appearing in democratic outfit is
deviating from democracy to find solutions to the problems of the Tamils
that they are representing. The commotion by the MPs would be one episode in
the path of the LTTE Ealam drama. However the tiger coup cast on the TNA on
Wednesday became a total flop as no other parliamentarian tried to disturb
the TNA hooliganism in the house. 
