LTTE shows its true colours

The LTTE has again proved beyond doubt that they are true Barbarians and a blood-thirsty bunch of terrorists. Last week's inhuman attack on the diplomats by the Tigers clearly proves that they even bite the hands of those who lend them a helping hand.

The high-profile diplomatic delegation went to Batticaloa on a goodwill mission. Their intention was to ascertain the damage done by the LTTE due to its terrorist attacks and plan humanitarian missions to provide relief to those who have been suffering as a result of the war.

Most of them are Tamils, the community the LTTE claims to be the sole representatives of. Over the years the Tigers have been making a baseless claim of being the sole representatives of the Tamil community. The Tigers have not done anything but only added misery to that very same community. The LTTE does not even want anyone to come to the North or East and engage in humanitarian acts; not even foreign missions.

By launching a cruel mortar attack on diplomats, slightly injuring the Italian and US Ambassadors in Sri Lanka, the LTTE has sent out a clear warning to the international community that they should mind their own business. In other words, the LTTE terrorists do not want anyone to come even close to their forcibly held territory, not even to play a Good Samaritan's role.

No doubt the diplomats went to Batticaloa with the best of intentions.

They were only keen in gaining first hand information about those who are suffering as a result of the LTTE's continuous violence and find a remedy and plan future humanitarian missions to be carried out.

The LTTE terrorists were fully cognizant of the visits by diplomats and the intentions of those visits. Most foreign missions and the international NGOs (INGOs) had informed both the Defence Ministry and the LTTE about the planned visit well in advance. Hence, the Tigers' baseless claim that they were unaware of such a visit is baseless and totally unacceptable.

It is a crying shame that some foreign missions in Colombo and international organisations are trying to put the blame on the Government and the Defence Ministry. A few of them are blindly sympathetic towards the Tigers. That is perhaps why they can't even understand the cruel and inhuman acts of the LTTE even at a time when the Tigers attack the diplomats. On the other hand, the LTTE attack on the diplomats is a good eye-opener to all, especially to the foreign missions here and the INGOs and NGOs. Most of them are in the habit of taking things for granted when the Government and the Ministry of Defence warn them to avoid risky areas in the North and East. Most of them feel that the defence authorities are merely trying to cover up things, each time their travel request to the North and East is rejected.

But now, it has been proved beyond any doubt that the Defence Ministry and the Government have been acting in a highly responsible manner, considering the security and safety of the diplomats and INGO representatives here.

The pertinent question is, who organised that ill-fated tour to the East? Who initiated such a move, despite the early warnings by the defence authorities? The Ministry of Defence has given clear instructions to the foreign missions and the INGOs to refrain from travelling to those high-risk areas in the North and East at this juncture. But, according to high ranking Defence Ministry officials, some diplomats and INGO representatives feel that the Ministry is turning down their travel requests due to extraneous reasons. According to Ministry officials, the authorities have been compelled to issue security warnings and reject travel requests by diplomats from time to time. This was solely because there was a grave security threat amidst continued LTTE terror acts.

A request by an Ambassador of a Western country to tour the East was turned down thrice. A similar request by another Western ambassador to tour the thick jungles of Kokkadicholei too was rejected due to security threats. Many INGOs and NGOs made similar travel requests to the Ministry of Defence, especially to high risk areas facing the LTTE mortar fire.

It is indeed heartening to see the keenness of the international community to engage in humanitarian acts in the North and the East. We commend those honest acts. At the same time, we totally reject the unholy attitudes adopted by some foreign missions and the INGOs when their free movements to the North and East are turned down. Some of them even exert pressure on the defence authorities to facilitate their free movements to areas of their choice.

During the previous administration, most diplomats and NGO representatives, under the cover of the so-called CF Agreement, travelled to the North and East like nobody's business. In most cases, Defence Ministry approval was not sought. Will any other country facing this type of high terrorist risk permit such free movement?

The capture of several LTTE bases has proved the type of activities that some INGOs have been engaging in. Relief supplies and material which were meant to benefit innocent civilians were found at those LTTE camps.