Assasinating Kadirgamar, the visionary
by Aziz HANIFFA
For years, I feared it was more than a distinct possibility, perhaps
only a matter of time, given the utter ruthlessness and singleminded
discipline and determination of the LTTE, which had made him their prime
target.
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Lakshman Kadirgamar |
Yet the assassination of Sri Lanka's [Images] Jaffna-born, Tamil
Christian, Oxford-educated Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar has left
me numb, because besides the personal tragedy, this very well could also
sound the death knell for the floundering Norway-backed Sri Lankan peace
process.
LTTE: Back to terrorism
To me, Kadirgamar was not just a brilliant and quintessential
diplomat, a statesman par excellence without a single communal or racist
bone in his body, but a dear friend with whom I would meet regularly for
more than a decade each time he would visit Washington.
On many occasions, it was not even for an interview, but simply to
chat and exchange notes on what was going on in Sri Lankan politics as
well as in the American and the international scene.We would spend a
considerable amount of time simply talking about mundane
things like like how our respective high schools -- St Thomas' (mine)
and Trinity (his) -- were doing that particular year in rugby (since
both of us were rugby players in a bygone era). And he would always
inquire about my well-being and how my life was going and repeatedly
request me to visit Sri Lanka more often. Whenever he was scheduled to
visit Washington, the Sri Lankan embassy officials would track me to
slot a meeting, no matter how hectic or tight his schedule.To me it was
such a joy to know that I had this opportunity to spend quality time
with someone who had become not just an assured great interview but a
close friend at least every couple of years and sometimes even annually.
Over the past few years, ever so often I would ask him about the LTTE
giving him top billing on their hit list and how he lived in the shadow
of this threat. |
