East and the two-legged Tiger beasts...

by Deshaputra

Liberating the East from the two-legged Tiger beasts was a great victory not only to the battling troops, but also the suffering population of that province. Moreover, it was a great victory to the Tamil civilians in Vakarai who were held to ransom as human shields.

In the history of this terrorism of the LTTE, this is the second time, the East has been liberated. Now, the Government must tightly hold on to the East and make concessions even if peace talks resume sooner or later. The LTTE is an entity which makes demands through third parties whenever they are weak. The more they become weak with the gun, they try to emerge stronger at the table. But, they use such opportunities to build up with the gun and stray away from the negotiating table. The people and country have experienced these tactics of the LTTE as much as all Government in the past and present have gone through.

Unfair

When we look back, third party facilitation has not been fair by the ruling regimes. For reasons better known to such facilitators, (the facilitators) have looked more sympathetic towards those who hold the gun in hand to talk peace. Facilitators, in the opinion of this Columnist have not been fair. Monitoring of terror and violence in the East sharply increased due to the lack of foresight and ignorance of such monitors and facilitators.

If one analyses the number of ceasefire violations, it is clear as a crystal that the LTTE side weighs more in the weighing machine. What have the facilitators or monitors done to to warn or educate the perpetrators of such crime? Nothing. When such offences or violations are brought to their notice, the answer is that their scope of operation is limited or that the monitors cannot reach such areas where the crime has taken place.

Has the LTTE stopped terror despite the presence of truce monitors? The answer is - No. The LTTE continued to use terror tactics to build up not only militarily but also to treat the wounded cadres. This argument is greatly substantiated by the detection of a modernised hospital in the jungles of Kanjkudichchiaru. The troops which liberated areas found this high equipped medical hospital built with foreign aid.

Can our Donors answer this question as to how they funded a hospital in the jungles where the LTTE was in control? What was the need to have a hospital in the jungle area where only armed LTTE cadres lived and operated? Wasn't it better for those who funded such a modernised hospital to have located in a town where civilians could have made better use of it? These are issues that the international community should take serious note.

During clearing operations by the troops, they came across tents and other material supplied by NGOs and other donors in LTTE held areas.

Clearing operations

These tents and other equipment have been used by the LTTE for shelter and other needs. How did these items reach the LTTE? The monitors and facilitators seem to have failed in their duty when such anti-human events have occurred. Despite all these failures or negligence by those facilitators and monitors, the Government has not given up hope to move towards peace.

Defence Secretary, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa who escaped at the hands of a suicide bomber in Colombo when a suicide mission was carried out on him, has said that only a genuine LTTE commitment towards peace could halt military plans. The Defence Secretary, has vowed to destroy all LTTE bases and assets if the LTTE continued terror be it the North or East.

Facilitators or Monitors?

If the facilitators or the Monitors want to end this ongoing conflict, they have a role to play. They should pressurise the LTTE to make an honest and firm commitment to resume talks. Such an action will bring relief not to the government but to the people who suffer in the strife torn areas. The facilitators also should realise the fact that any Government could survive under any condition and it is people who are made to suffer when terror organisations raise their ugly heads.

Though belated, the facilitators should accept the fact that it was the LTTE which commenced terror and not the Government or the troops. Despite several instances of provocation, President Mahinda Rajapaksa acted with utmost restraint.

When unlawful and illegitimate organisations strike terror, it is the duty of legitimate Governments to take counter measures to quell violence.

It will be even practised in the countries of those facilitators and monitors if terror groups like the LTTE emerge there. The people of this country want the facilitators, monitors or the mediators to play a just and fair role without fear or favour.

It is only international pressure that could bring the LTTE to the round table. If not one cannot ask a legitimate Government to halt counter measures in the face of offensives.