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Sunday, 15 March 2009

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Global front against Tigers

The international community is now closing ranks against the LTTE. It is no secret that certain sections of the international community earlier had an element of sympathy towards the LTTE which portrayed itself as the ‘liberators’ of the Tamil people.

But the latest events in the Wanni have diminished the little faith they had in the LTTE, that it could yet enter into a peaceful settlement with the Government.

The terror group’s continuous harassment of civilians and the targeting of innocent civilians through human bombs have been condemned universally. Just last week, the EU passed a resolution calling on the LTTE to release the civilians held forcibly by them.

Now two senior international figures have joined in the chorus of international voices calling on the LTTE to give up violence.

The British Shadow Defence Secretary Dr. Liam Fox and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are two very different personalities, but both have a deep interest in Sri Lanka, having visited the country and forged lasting links with local leaders.

Fox, who had a hand in some previous peace initiatives in the island, personally met President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Friday and Clinton spoke over the phone from Washington, but their message was essentially the same: The international community is with Sri Lanka as it battles terrorism.

This once again proves that terrorism has no place in the modern world and that countries battling terrorism have the fullest support of the global community.

They have also exposed the LTTE as a terror group that has no interest in liberating the Tamil people at all. It was evident all along that LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran was not interested in a political solution to the issues in Sri Lanka and the Tamil people, but in establishing a personal freedom for himself, Fox has said.

This assessment of the LTTE leader is spot-on, as Prabhakaran had plenty of opportunities under various Governments to resolve the issue. He spurned all these offers and opportunities and tightened his grip on the Wanni civilians.

Even as the battles draw to a close, he is keeping thousands of civilians against their will, to be used as human shields. Liberating them is the Government’s mission - this is why the operation is called a humanitarian mission, not simply a military drive.

As President Rajapaksa has explained to Dr. Fox, the next step will be evolving a political solution that will address the genuine grievances of the minorities. This will be an opportunity for the Tamil Diaspora, sections of which now fund the LTTE, to help develop the North and the East, as Dr. Fox has outlined.

This is also an opportunity for the international community to firmly back Sri Lanka to eradicate terrorism, as the elimination of terrorism in one country is a victory for the whole world. Terror groups are closely linked, with extensive international operations. Terrorism is a transnational, transboundary phenomenon.

No country can ignore acts of terrorism in another. It is in this context that we should applaud Clinton’s acknowledgement that Sri Lanka is now on the verge of defeating terrorism. This presented a great opportunity to restore peace, leading to reconstruction and rehabilitation in the country, she has told President Rajapaksa.

President Barack Obama has vowed to continue the US campaign against worldwide terrorism. The US was one of the first countries to ban the LTTE and has arrested dozens of LTTE operatives on its soil.

It has also banned several LTTE front organisations. There is no doubt that the Obama administration will be with the Sri Lankan Government all the way as it seeks to end LTTE terrorism once and for all.

In this quest, the Government and the Security Forces have been extra careful to avoid any civilian casualties. The LTTE and its sympathizers have tried in vain to paint a picture of a massive ‘humanitarian catastrophe’ or even genocide, but they have not been able to convince the international community.

On the other hand, they are blaming the LTTE for virtually keeping around 70,000 civilians hostage. President Rajapaksa has reiterated the Government’s position with regard to the civilians, noting that the Government has declared humanitarian corridors and safe zones for them. They too will be liberated when the Forces regain the last remaining Tiger territory soon.

As President Rajapaksa has assured Secretary of State Clinton, their liberation will be complete when they are rehabilitated, resettled and granted democracy, which the LTTE has denied to them for decades.

The LTTE’s tyranny did not permit any alternative voices to emerge, but the establishment of democratic structures will enable the people to elect their own representatives to manage local affairs.

It is up to the Tigers to decide whether they too want to be part of this process even at this late stage or face obliteration at the hands of the Security Forces in the weeks to come.

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