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| Sunday, 21 September 2003 |
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Continuing Chapter II of T. D. S. A. Dissanayaka's latest in the 'War or Peace in Sri Lanka' series titled Peace: At What Cost? to be released shortly. The Naval action by the SLNS "Sayura" on March 10, 2003 left an indelible mark on the ceasefire. No longer could the detractors of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe accuse him of bending over backwards to be helpful to the LTTE at the expense of the nation. Now the burning question was, how will the ceasefire be affected by the naval action? Will the ceasefire itself last? This was the question which everybody ranging from the sublime to the ludicrous was asking. On the issue of the options open to the LTTE, an expert in the true sense of the word is retired Foreign Secretary Bernard Tillakaratna, now 76 years old. I have a habit of doing a walk in the morning and dropping in at his home for a chat. I once asked him, "Bernard, if the LTTE decides to abrogate the ceasefire and go to war what will India do?" Bernard Tillakaratna was our expert on India ten to twenty years ago. He had five postings in India, as Second Secretary and Trade Commissioner in Bombay (1953-1956), First Secretary in New Delhi (1961-1963), Deputy High Commissioner in New Delhi (1968-1970), High Commissioner of Sri Lanka in India (1982-1989) and High Commissioner again 1994. Besides, he was a personal friend of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi at a time when the LTTE was truly powerful both in Sri Lanka and India, and Foreign Secretary from 1989-1994. "Jungle it is a difficult question you ask me. The crux of the problem is what Prime Minister Atal Beharii Vajpayee will do, especially against the background of his present problems with Pakistan and with the next general election only one year away." "Can you remember you asked me the same question when Jaffna was on the verge of falling to the LTTE in April 2000? Even when the President sent Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar as a special envoy to plead that the Indian Air Force bomb Elephant Pass and other forward operational bases of the LTTE, Prime Minister Vajpayee only promised us humanitarian assistance in the event of Jaffna falling to the LTTE. That was the moment of truth. He then ordered the Indian Navy to stand by to evacuate our troops if Jaffna fell. There was never a question of Canberra jet bombers being alerted at their base in Bangalore or Mirage fighter-bombers standing by their base at Trivandrum for operational missions over the Jaffna peninsula." "The situation was very different in the time of Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. He repeatedly told me that if the LTTE captured Jaffna he will send the Indian Air Force to bomb Jaffna. He repeatedly sent messages to President J. R. Jayewardene through our friend Mani Dixit (High Commissioner of India in Sri Lanka and later Foreign Secretary of India) that the Indian Air Force will bomb Jaffna if the LTTE captured the peninsula. That was well and good in theory. In practice, in 1987 when General Kobbekaduwa won the battle at Vadamarachchi and was poised to capture Jaffna the next week, Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi almost sent the Indian Air Force against us. That was the huge difference between theory and practice. In theory, the entire scenario changed after the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) was sent here in 1987 and left in humiliation in 1990. Firstly they left without victory. Secondly President Premadasa wanted them to leave. Thirdly Prime Minister V. P. Singh made it an election issue to withdraw the IPKF. "Rightly or wrongly, India perceives herself as a major regional military power in this part of the world, ever since the Indo-Pakistan war of 1971 which gave birth to Bangladesh. Therefore to India the end result of the expedition to Sri Lanka was a humiliation". "Bernard, the situation is very different once again be it in theory or in practice. As of February 22, 2002 there is a Ceasefire Agreement signed in public. What will India do against the background of all these new developments?" "India will give us humanitarian assistance. That is the foreign policy of India, as of now. Remember India will do what is in the interests of Mother India irrespective of which party is in power. That is the foreign policy of India. Personalities do not come into the equation on issues of foreign policy, in India. "Jungle", what do your powerful colleagues at Havard have to say"? "So many of my American colleagues at The Harvard Centre for International Affairs became famous Ambassadors. They are now in retirement but still in touch with the CIA. They all tell me the same story." "According to the Pentagon, the Military capability of the LTTE is at a maximum with the ability to capture the Jaffna peninsula despite the likelihood of heavy casualties on both sides. All the victories of the LTTE were in the North, namely Elephant Pass (2000), Killinochchi (1999), Mullaitivu (1996), Pooneryn (1993) and Mankulam (1990). They did not fight one battle in the East in twenty years. The Jaffna peninsula and the Wanni put together makes the Northern Province. That is just not enough to make a State of Tamil Eelam". "So 'Jungle' what you imply is that the LTTE will not risk a war, because they have so little to gain and so much to lose." "Correct, that is my perception as of now. However the possibility of another bout in the Civil War can never be written off or taken lightly. We have 27,000 to 28,000 troops in the Jaffna peninsula. They include our elite troops, the Commandos and the Special Forces. Besides, we have more elite troops in Vavuniya and Minneriya. They can be flown in at short notice either in fixed wing aircraft to Palali Air Force Base or by helicopter to the battle front itself. Remember the battle at Alampil near Mullaitivu in 1996. Lieutenant Colonel Fazli Laphir commanding a battalion of Special Forces fought with total disregard for his own safety. He was posthumously awarded the Parama Weera Vibushanaya our version of the Victoria Cross. Lieutenant Colonel Raj Wijesiri commending another battalion of Special Forces was seriously wounded with a bullet entering his torso under the shoulder and exiting through his waist. Then Lieutenant Colonel Prasanna de Silva also from the Special Forces volunteered to replace his brother officers, one killed in action and another wounded in action. He also fought with total disregard for his own safety. Somehow he survived the battle and was also recommended for the Parama Weera Vibushanaya which so far has been awarded only posthumously. Therefore the Tri Service Gallantry Awards Board awarded him the Weera Wickrema Vibushanaya, our second highest decoration for gallantry. He is now a full Colonel serving in Jaffna with the Special Forces. Colonel Raj Wijesiri is also serving in Jaffna with the Special Forces. Both are due for promotion to the rank of Brigadier". (To be continued next Sunday) |
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