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| Sunday, 8 August 2004 |
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Tigers to keep peace Eastern Corridor by Rashomi Silva Military analysts here aired an upbeat note when they said the former warring parties will hold on to the fragile peace bid despite the irritation faced by both parties. In the meantime, political analysts stressed the importance of the early resumption of peace talks to minimise deterioration of civil life in the troubled East. Executive Director of the Centre for Policy Alternatives Dr. Pakiyasothi Saravanamuttu said for the resumption of talks, bold and imaginative steps should be adopted by both parties. "The government as well as the LTTE will have to clear their position with regard to the negotiations, both parties will take quite a bit of time to do that,". He insisted that the longer they take to clear their positions, life in the East will deteriorate on a daily basis raising serious concerns. The deteriorating state of affairs in the East claimed more than a dozen lives last month, unidentified gunmen who apparently have a free run over the province took at least six lives during the previous week. "The killings seemed to be politically motivated. Most of the slain men were from rival political factions of the LTTE," Army sources from the East said. In another incident of politically motivated violence, two men on a motorbike lobbed a grenade at an EPDP office in Valachchenai on Tuesday, injuring five EPDP members and a Police constable on guard. The most recent killings, reported at the time of writing, were that of a 24 year-old youth from Kaldavali and another youth from Welikanda Mutugala. Sources from the East said both young men were believed to be supporters of a rival political party of the LTTE. The Tamilnet website commenting on Tuesday's incident said the political office was in fact a paramilitary camp assisting the Army in their operation in the East. The allegation was however vehemently denied by Military spokesman Col. Sumedha Perera. What logically follows from all the political related killings and violence is that the East is swarmed with armed gangs who have zero tolerance for those holding different views and political opponents. TNA warns Amidst the worsening situation in the East, TNA legislators last week argued that establishing an Interim Self Governing Authority was crucial to prevent secession. "The ISGA is the fundamental instrument to provide the Tamils with sufficient powers to rule themselves, Tamils have no alternative other than secession, if the ISGA is not accepted," The Tamilnet quoted TNA MP, M. K. Sivajilingam as saying. Quoting another TNA parliamentarian Gajendra Ponnambalam on Thursday, it said the patience of the Tamil people is fast running thin as the Tamil people continue to be denied the fruits of peace of the last two-and-a-half years. The statements of both Sivajilingam and Ponnambalam contain a note of warning. They hint on a possible outbreak of war if their solicitations were not heeded. But the analysts in Colombo said the LTTE would first want to come out as a united and strong force before confronting the security forces. Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a senior military official said the LTTE was not just yet ready to fight a war. "The Vanni leadership still may have strong fighting units with him whereas Karuna has only a few senior cadres to back him and therefore the break-away of Karuna may not affect their fighting capabilities, but what is more important is that Karuna still enjoys popular support in the East, specially in the Batticaloa and Ampara Districts". "Despite what they say, the resumption of peace talks will only be a second priority," he said. However, to be fair by the TNA legislators, one has to admit that the peace dividends of the past two-and-a-half years are yet to be felt by the people in the North-East. One of the main reasons for the LTTE to walk out from the negotiating table last year was the slow nature of the implementation of the development initiatives. But there is another aspect the TNA has overlooked. That is if the peace dividends are to be felt in the North-East, the LTTE for their part should recognise the need for pluralism and uphold the principles of democracy and humanity. The security forces too need to adopt a more humane attitude towards the people in the areas, analysts in Colombo added. |
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