Who will bell the cat?

LTTE terrorists and their sympathisers, over the years, have resorted to various ploys and stratagems to sully Sri Lanka's image and bring its valiant Security Forces into disrepute. The terrorist outfit, before it was crushed militarily three years ago, massacred hapless civilians whom they had forcibly held as a human shield.

Even after the Tiger leaders were vanquished, the LTTE rump continued relentlessly with their vile campaign to sling mud on the Security Forces to undermine their splendid achievements. The concocted stories provided enough and more ammunition for certain Western countries and international organisations to intensify their campaign of levelling war crime charges against Sri Lanka.

Local agents of International Non Governmental Organisations (INGOs) are no exception and have conveniently 'credited' the killings and abductions due to personal reasons to the Government account. The so-called 'white van drama', enacted by local INGO goons who thrive on foreign funding, has helped certain sections in the international community to tarnish Sri Lanka's image in the eyes of the world and, moreover, questioned the discipline of the Security Forces which were maintained at the highest professional level during the humanitarian operation.

The latest incident was reported by the pro-LTTE media, including the one-time mouthpiece of the terrorist outfit - Tamilnet. It reported the killing of Eshwaradasan Ketheeswaran, a 28-year-old youth in Trincomalee, alleging that the Security Forces had a hand in his death.

It alleged that Ketheeswaran, a young cricketer deported from the UK in 2010 and lived alone at Paalaiyoottu, Trincomalee, had been killed by the Security Forces last April. It even said that he had visited his aunt on April 18 and gone shopping subsequently. According to these reports, Ketheeswaran, on his return, had told his relatives that some unknown persons had been loitering near his house. It claimed that he was killed thereafter when he left the house.

Due to the untiring efforts of law-enforcing officers, the exact circumstances that led to his death have now been disclosed. Though Tiger sympathisers made a song and dance of his death, in actual fact it is far different. The police, having investigated the circumstances of his death, has now sought Interpol assistance to apprehend his wife - the chief suspect.

Two suspects had been arrested earlier after extensive investigations. It is said that one of them had developed an illicit relationship with Ketheeswaran's wife. The suspect, a pilot, had committed this dastardly crime on his lover's bidding. It has been also disclosed that the wife had given the suspect Sterling Pounds 1,750 to execute the contract.

This is merely one of the many instances where Tiger sympathisers had made a concerted effort to discredit the Government. These spin doctors, by levelling baseless allegations against the Security Forces, do their utmost to mislead the international community and simultaneously influence human rights organisations. Such cooked up stories influence Government officials of certain Western countries and thereby prevent the deportation of Tamils from the UK and other countries. Similarly, it would be only a matter of time before the killing of the Canadian passport holder Anthonypillai Mahendrarasa will be uncovered. The Government will leave no stone unturned to go that extra mile to establish the motive behind the incident and the LTTE rump's efforts to woo the international community would be defeated. Tiger sympathisers and asylum seekers paint a dismal picture of Sri Lanka before the international community so that they could achieve both goals - to migrate to a Western country while discrediting the Security Forces and the Government.

Such incidents in the past would have perhaps influenced certain countries to level war crime charges against Sri Lanka. The recent UNHRC Resolution against Sri Lanka could have been also influenced by certain sinister campaigns of this nature.

It is deplorable that certain Western politicians need to depend heavily on the votes of adopted Tiger sympathisers for their political survival. Hence, it is not surprising why some Western politicians dance to the tune of Tiger sympathisers.

Some Western countries are even reluctant to acknowledge the fact that Sri Lanka was the only country to eradicate terrorism. This, perhaps, could be the reason as to why they are determined to intimidate Sri Lanka and venture to tell us where we ought to locate our military camps. President Mahinda Rajapaksa told a large gathering of Sri Lankans who staged a peaceful demonstration in support of the President in front of Hotel Hilton in Park Lane, London last week, that the Government would not allow any force on earth to snatch away the hard-earned peace and freedom that people are enjoying today.

It is puzzling as to how pro-LTTE demonstrators, near the same hotel, waved LTTE flags although this terror outfit is a banned organisation in the UK and the European Union.

Nevertheless, President Rajapaksa threw caution to the winds and emerged like a true lion and assured Sri Lankan expatriates that he was ready to do anything to safeguard the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the motherland. Despite some Colombo-based diplomats turning defence experts overnight to advise Sri Lanka on reducing the military presence in the North and the positioning of Army camps there, the looming threat of the LTTE re-emerging cannot be ruled out. Hence, it is of utmost importance for Sri Lanka to be ever vigilant on the ex-LTTE cadres' activities.

The detention of 151 Sri Lankans, off the Kollam Coast last weekend, is proof that the LTTE is making an insidious attempt to regroup in far-off countries such as Australia, according to The Asian Age. The Kerala Coast is emerging as a hot transit spot for Sri Lankan Tamils who seek illegal migration. According to intelligence agencies, the frequent illegal migration is part of the LTTE rump's attempt to regroup its cadres.

Intelligence sources believe that the majority among the illegal migrants may not have any LTTE links. However, the fact that there might be a few LTTE followers or sympathisers among them cannot be ruled out. In these circumstances, Sri Lanka is not in a position to relax security measures overnight. Would any person or country, who pontificates to us on military positioning, take responsibility in the event something goes wrong?