Opinion

Practice what you preach!

By Lankawansha

Over the past few years, several countries, INGOs and UN bodies have expressed concern over civilian casualties during Sri Lanka's relentless battle against terrorism.

Influenced perhaps by the false propaganda of the LTTE or the organised campaigns by the Tamil Diaspora in those countries, a section of the international community has intensified their campaign calling for a ceasefire in Sri Lanka.

Knowing only too well that they are on their last legs, the Tigers are projecting the civilians' issue and the humanitarian aspect to win international sympathy. They have succeeded to a great extent, judging by the international pressure that has been mounting and the numerous calls for a ceasefire.

The Tigers even cooked up stories on the air raids to slow down the current humanitarian operation to rescue innocent civilians.

Some countries seem to be going that extra mile to shield terrorist leader Velupillai Prabhakaran and his remaining cadres. This may be the reason behind the recent calls for a ceasefire, proposal to hand over Prabhakaran to a third party and a general amnesty to the LTTE terror outfit, regardless of the ruthless acts of the Tigers during the past three decades.

The Security Forces are making every attempt to maintain zero civilian casualty rates and have earned a name as the most disciplined army in the world. They have made every endeavour to rescue civilians from the jaws of the Tigers through various humanitarian missions.

However, the LTTE's propaganda wing and a section of the international media are concocting stories to tarnish the image of our valiant soldiers and project a gloomy picture on the earlier successful air raids before the No Fire Zone was declared.

But what have those people, who have been preaching to us on the safety of civilians and shedding crocodile tears on the sufferings of civilians held by the LTTE, done in Afghanistan? The tragic irony is that those who advocate peace talks with the LTTE don't adopt the same policy on Al-Qaeda.

Has the definition for terrorism been changed when it comes from the West to this part of the globe?

Last week's US air raids in Afghanistan killed over 100 civilians, including children and women. But lo and behold there were hardly any 'concerns' by INGOs or the international community. None of the human rights organisations which issues a plethora of statements on the situation in Sri Lanka, have barely uttered a word on the bombings in Afghanistan.

The Pentagon has made a solemn promise to launch a joint investigation with the Afghan government into Monday night's deadly US air strikes. Officials in Afghanistan have estimated that around 100 civilians died in the attack on Bala Baluk, a Taliban-controlled area in Farah Province near the border with Iran. If confirmed, it could be one of the highest civilian death tolls since the US-backed invasion in 2001.

According to media reports, villagers brought truckloads of bodies, most of them women and children, to the provincial capital. Unconfirmed reports said children, women and the elderly had gone to the village of Gerani to escape fighting between the Taliban and the Afghan National Army (ANA) but the compounds where they took shelter had been bombed.

A similar US bombing raid in August last year in Azizabad killed 90 civilians, though the officials had originally said no civilians died.

Though it later issued a directive intended to reduce the chances of similar mass civilian deaths, a similar mass scale aerial bombing on a civilian target took place again.

Media reports said Afghan President, Hamid Karzai had criticised the US bombing raids as counter-productive, and called on the US for restraint in bombing areas where civilians might be at risk.

The random US bombardment in Afghanistan, conducted from time to time, has led to catastrophic results as statistics show that over 2,000 civilians had been killed last year alone.

We are at a loss to understand the deaf and blind role played by some international human rights organisations, INGOs and the so-called champions of democracy and human rights? Are these double standards - one for the West and another for the East?

Human rights' violations and civilian casualties is certainly a matter of concern for one and all. This is preciously why the Sri Lankan Government and its Security Forces are making every endeavour to rescue innocent civilians from the clutches of the terrorists. The Security Forces have been conducting humanitarian operations in the North with the utmost care and respect for civilians.

Terrorism in any part of the world should be defeated at any cost. There is no gainsaying it. Following the 9/11 attack in the US, the global opinion against terrorism reached new heights. We wholeheartedly support the initiative of the United States and Great Britain to counter international terrorism.

The same policy should be extended to any country where terrorism exists. It is well worth reiterating what President Mahinda Rajapaksa emphasised at the UN General Assembly in 2007, "Terrorism in any part of the world is terrorism and should be defeat in equal fashion. There are no good terrorists and bad terrorists". The end result of terrorism anywhere in the world is identical as terrorism leashed only agony for civilians.

Hence, there should be unified world opinion against terrorism. No mercy whatsoever should be shown to terrorists. No country should turn a Nelsonian eye to terrorism and they must support each other to eradicate terrorism. The world's superpowers could play a vital role to put a permanent end to end terrorism by making a concerted global effort to eradicate terrorism once and for all.