LTTE TAKES A BREAK
The LTTE has not left the so called peace process. Both Anton Balasingham and his equivalent GL Peiris in the "government" agree that the LTTE has only temporarily staying away from the "peace process" in order to give time to the "government" to fulfil certain conditions imposed by the LTTE. Nobody has spelt out these conditions in detail but it is not difficult to see what the LTTE is trying to achieve through its decision to keep away temporarily from the "peace process". It is so obvious that one wonders whether the LTTE took this decision in collaboration with the "government", the Norwegian head of the SLMM, the Norwegian ambassador and the American ambassador.
From the day the LTTE took this decision the Non national Rupavahini which calls itself the national Rupavahini has been trying to give publicity to the "public opinion" that the people in the country, hundred percent, want the LTTE to come back to the negotiating table. Nobody interviewed by the non national Rupavahini has said that the LTTE should be defeated or that the "government" should not give into the LTTE demands. It appears that everybody want peace at any cost, even at the cost of establishing an Eelam. If the people are hundred percent of the same opinion one wonders why the non national Rupavahini is giving so much publicity to this public opinion. After all it is the public that is supposed to have expressed their opinion and there is no need for them to be told day and night that they are of a certain opinion, as they know it already. The non national Rupavahini has not forgotten the Anti Sinhala twins Wickramabahu Karunaratne and Vasudeva Nanayakkara in the left out left who have no existence without the publicity given to them by the media and public in addition to listening to their opinion have to listen to the opinion of the twins as well. It is obvious that the Rupavahini is trying to create a public opinion that the LTTE should be brought back to the "peace process" at any cost.
The LTTE through its spokesman and the theoretician Anton Balasingham has stated that the terrorists have not left the "peace process" and have adhered to the ceasefire as agreed in the MoU signed by Velupillai Prabhakaran and Ranil Wickremesingha. What Anton Balasingham says is that the terrorists are good boys and that they have not killed anybody during the last fourteen months or so but they are not prepared to lay down arms as they have to protect the Tamils from the so called Sinhala army. Anton Balasingham uses the words Sinhala Army with such conviction that he hates to find any Tamils in the Sinhala Army. Therefore the LTTE has started to eliminate the Tamils in the "Sinhala Army". However, it is very likely that the retired major general in the SLMM would claim that there is no evidence to establish that it is the LTTE that kills the Tamils, especially those who belong to the intelligence unit in the Army.
The retired major general might even suggest that it is the work of some third force and that the LTTE would never think of killing a person while Velupillai Prabhakaran is "observing sil". However, what is clear is that the LTTE in spite of its numerous statements on the so called ceasefire is continuing with the "war". They are in the process of eliminating the Tamils in the intelligence units of the army and if it is not a violation of the MoU and the "ceasefire" how would the "government" identify it. It appears that as far as some people are concerned if bombs are not exploded in Colombo then there is "peace" in the country. What action has the government taken in order to protect the lives of the Tamils in the Army whether they belong to intelligence units or not. What would happen if the Armed forces began an operation to eliminate the gang of Pottu Amman? The retired major general in the SLMM would use all his influence to stop that operation immediately. The so called ceasefire is not a ceasefire and it has given the LTTE terrorists to strengthen themselves against the Armed forces. The unfortunate thing is that it is happening with the connivance of the "government" and the Norwegians and the others who matter.
In addition to eliminating the Tamils in the Armed forces, the LTTE is in the process of establishing its hegemony in the eastern province. The recent incidents in Muttur could be understood only as a "war" against the Muslims in the eastern province. As there is no Sinhala political leadership in the eastern province the LTTE knows that the Sinhala people in that province could be chased out whenever the LTTE decides to do so. However, with the Muslims it is not the case. Though Rauf Hakeem has been tamed down there are other Muslim political leaders who are prepared to work in the interests of the Muslims in the eastern province. The LTTE wants to ethnic cleanse the eastern province the way it has done in the northern province. When the Tamil racists claim that the northern and the eastern provinces are the homelands of the Tamils it mean only that the Sinhalas and the Muslims have no right to live in those provinces. The LTTE wants to make sure that the two provinces are exclusively controlled by them and to achieve that objective they are prepared to deprive the Sinhalas and the Muslims the right to live in those provinces.
The tamed Rauf Hakeem goes round the so called negotiating table in Thailand, Japan and other countries as a minister of the "government". The LTTE has not allowed him to represent the Muslims at the negotiations. Apparently Hakeem would represent the Muslims at the second round of the so called peace talks, but this second round is something that nobody seems to be concerned with. The first round has already gone into number of sessions and it is very likely that the first round would come to an end only after giving the northern and the eastern provinces to the LTTE. The LTTE and the other Tamil racists would never recognise the rights of the Sinhalas and the Muslims in the northern and the eastern provinces and the western Christian powers would never apply pressure to the Christian dominated LTTE to recognise those rights.
One does not expect America that is involved in a crusade against the Muslims in Iraq and the neighboring countries to come to the aid of the Muslims in the eastern province in Sri Lanka. They would only turn a blind eye to the incidents in the eastern province. I am not suggesting that the USA should get involved in the internal problems of Sri Lanka. In fact the USA ambassador and others should stop making statements and all other activities concerning the Tamil racist problem in Sri Lanka. However, these ladies and gentlemen who are already involved with the problem would never utter a word of sympathy for the Muslims or the Sinhalas in the northern and the eastern province, that would make any effective results.
The decision by the LTTE to temporarily to keep away from the "peace process" is to win certain demands, such as recognition of the sea tigers, the withdrawal of the army from the Northern and the Eastern province, the "deproscription" of the LTTE in the USA, establishment of a LTTE hegemony in the northern and the eastern provinces. It is perhaps done in connivance with the "government" and the Anglo American powers who rule the world and unfortunately there are no other forces that would come forward help Sri Lanka at the moment.
There are some star gazers who are interested in ambassador posts in their retirement trying to pacify the "government" with their two dollar worth advice. They think that the LTTE is really interested in "peace" and that India would come to help Sri Lanka if the need arises. Unfortunately, the present Indian government is not the strongest that India have had since independence, and it is very unlikely that India would do anything to antagonise the USA. When USA with the help of the UK unashamedly attacked Iraq, neither India nor China made any attempt even to protest strongly against the naked aggression of the Anglo Americans. It was left to France and Germany the European continental countries to make some sort of protest against the USA and the UK. When the USA got Japan involved in the so called peace process in Sri Lanka, there was nothing that India did. It was definitely a threat to India's position as a regional power in South Asia but the Indian leaders kept quiet about it.
It is clear that Sri Lanka cannot expect much from India, that is attempting to come into some kind of understanding with the USA over China which is causing many problems for India economically as well as politically. Indo Pakistan problem would pale into insignificance compared to a conflict between India and China. For the same reason China is trying to make a deal with the USA. The outcome of all these is that the USA would more and more establish its position as the world hegemonic power. However, this does not mean that Sri Lanka has lost everything.
It is in this background that the alliance between the SLFP and the JVP would become important. The national forces have to get together, and going beyond that, they have to evolve their own concepts, theories and strategies to fight the non national forces. The western powers know that such an alliance would be a threat to their agenda even in a small country such as Sri Lanka and it is for that reason that they are doing everything to see that the SLFP would not come into an alliance with the JVP. The SLFP is under pressure from various western ambassadors to leave the JVP and enter into a pact with the UNP. The westerners know that it is the only way to tame the national forces as it would bring them under the leadership of the non national forces. If that happens the SLFP would not be able to come to power for decades and it is hoped that the SLFP leadership understands the forces behind these moves.
A reply to Dr. Sumathy would appear next week.
Professor Nalin de Silva
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