Of humanitarians and bullies

By Dimuth Gunawardena

"If you let a bully come in your front yard, he'll be on your porch the next day and the day after that he'll rape your wife in your own bed." -Lyndon B. Johnson-

Sri Lanka is a sovereign territory that is now being fundamentally battered by two major forces in their bid to save the LTTE leadership. One the UK, USA, EU, India led western strategic alliance within and outside the UN system. The other is the local NGO and INGO groups working hand in glove with the above forces.

One of their main gripes is about INGOs, NGOs and the media not being given full access to the few square kilometres in which Prabhakaran and his remaining cadres are trapped. It is not an easy demand for any self-respecting Government to concede given the long and considerable history of overt and covert support that INGOs, NGOs and personnel therein have given the LTTE. It is natural, therefore, for the Government of Sri Lanka to err on the side of caution, for there is no telling what these individuals may do and because there is reason to believe that their activities may very well compromise national security interests.

One will recall that Sri Lankan armed forces were able to sweep through vast tracks of territory decimating the enemy once NGO’s/INGO’s were banned from these area. One of the primary reasons for the success was that the LTTE lost one of their main sources of logistical and fuel supply. Military sources also now wonder, after studying some of the sophisticated weaponry that has been recovered from the LTTE, why they did not use such in combat.

One of the primary reasons could be that the main source of training in handling some of those weapons which were the expatriate staff of the NGO’s/INGO’s and other foreigners who come in as ‘independent’ observers or with media accreditation. Perhaps they never got the chance to share the knowhow.

We learn reliably that Dr Pakyasothi Saranavanamuttu of the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) has called for a "Closed Door" discussion with the Diplomatic Community on the Trincomalee High Security Zone (HSZ)/ Special Economic Zone (SEZ) at JIAC Hilton on the 11th May 2009 at 18:30 hours. The issue of the Trincomalee HSZ/SEZ requires public and international discussion, he believes.

The CPA no doubt is hoping the diplomatic community can generate greater discussion on the Trincomalee HSZ/SEZ. Although basically the strategic port of Trincomalee is under the control of India for all intents and purposes, Sri Lanka’s largest and most important Naval and Air Force bases which are of vital importance for anti-LTTE operations are also located here. Furthermore the Eastern Naval Fleet which has created an effective naval blockade off the No Fire Zone (NFZ) preventing the LTTE leadership escaping also operates from the Trincomalee base.

The CPA’s purpose, then, is clearly sabotage. Sending such people to the newly cleared areas, Relief Centres for IDP or Prabhakaran’s bunker in these circumstances is not only downright stupid but worse, suicidal!

Eric Sholheim even after the LTTE attack our embassy in Norway has the audacity yet again to issue statements on behalf of that organization, now widely accepted as the world’s most ruthless terrorist operation. It is interesting to locate this development in the context of heightened naval activity and the discovery of submarines parts now being found in the NFZ. According to intelligence sources, a Norwegian subject by the name of Christy Reginold Lawrence (bearing Norway passport no – 98 K 0822326/1 and residing in 1270 Oslo Skattekommune: Oslo) who owned the naval and submarine bases of the LTTE in Thailand and was convicted in Thailand is now in the NFZ.

This naval warfare expert is reportedly now laying out plans for the escape of the LTTE leadership over the next few days. What raises eyebrows amongst defense and counter terrorism experts is the development of underwater craft and submersible vessels for terrorist purposes. There are unconfirmed reports of transfer of technology and resources among sea pirates (i.e.:- Somali issue) and such terrorist groups, which poses a threat to commercial trade and economies. Increased diversionary naval activity of the LTTE bears testimony to this.

According to Aseb Asrat of the World Food Programme (WFP) the GOSL has shipped more than 3,000 Mt of food items to the NFZ from February to April (3 months). But the truth, according to civilians who succeeded in fleeing the area, is that the LTTE takes over these items and sells it to the poor civilians.

Most of the LTTE surrenders’ in the IDP camps are now being protected by Sri Lanka Army because many of the civilians whom they held hostage, whose little children were taken into combat, whose relatives were shot when trying escape, whose sons legs were chopped off in front of families for trying to escape to a batter land are now plotting revenge.

Unsubstantiated, loosely thrown words, pictures, satellite photographs, inflated civilian casualty figures and such paint a familiar picture. The artists of such propaganda are not interested in 'civilians'. Had that been the case they would have by now rushed to Afghanistan. They did not and will not. It is not surprising because it is well known that Hillary Clinton, US Secretary of State, accepted monies from the LTTE and that the only 'civilians' that David Miliband, the British Minister of Foreign Affairs, has to worry about the next election.

If ever there was unwelcome foreign dignitary to be snubbed in Sri Lanka it was Milband. Milband who has been described as a congenital idiot in Sri Lanka is also a coward too in the best of British traditions. He was afraid to come to Sri Lanka alone, he thought of adding full international pressure by bringing two other ladies in waiting. So he had to bring his consorts the French and the Swedes. Sri Lanka was clearly not happy with the look-ins that such people were demanded.

I mean these are the British that got some terrorist on a hunger strike to New York to plead a case for the LTTE. It is a small wonder then that the Indian, Chinese, Sri Lankan embassies London and Oslo are being attacked by the LTTE. The lawlessness in the streets of London has only started; the fun has just begun, but when the illegal LTTE operation in Europe begins to crumble Britain will have to pay for its share of sins.

Isn’t it strange that those who would jump into the river Thames or are dying to go on hunger strikes regarding the plight of civilians, remain mum about those civilians who have come over to the Government-controlled areas? Are civiliansnot held hostage by the LTTE somehow lesser human beings to this diaspora? It is indeed ironical, under the circumstances, that it is the so-called 'racist, Sinhala Buddhist Chauvinists' who are today at the forefront of all relief activities for these IDP's. But Miliband does not get the point. Neither does Hillary Clinton.

Milband, Kouchner and Hillary Clinton, will once again travel to New York next week aimed at a high profile campaign to put Sri Lanka into the Security Council in their last ditch effort to save the life of one of the world’s most ruthless terrorists, Prabakaran. They will no doubt have to answer a very serious question regarding civilians: 'Are civilians in Afghanistan (not necessarily being held hostage) less worthy of concern than those in Sri Lanka?' The world knows the difference. Those civilians they are concerned about in Sri Lanka are being represented (without permission) by people who have the power to vote people out of power in London. Well, Hillary is not exactly in London, but she has accepted money from the LTTE for her (failed) Presidential election campaign.

Jayalalitha has said that on the basis of the Indian invasion of Bangladesh she will ensure that Indian troops are sent to Sri Lanka. This is great! In the recent past, except during Mumbai attacks (where they came out glowing) Indian military has never been tested to its full. Sri Lanka should encourage this line of thinking and in a country (Sri Lanka) where more than 27 people per sq Kilometre are armed (8.85 % of the total population) it would most certainly be very interesting scenario to see the Indian Jawan taking on the Sri Lanka people.

Be it Jayalalitha or Karunanadhi who wins in Tamil Nadu, he/she will do exactly what MGR did to Sri Lanka after the elections.

But for Sri Lanka what is more prudent is more than election rhetoric, the "hate factor" towards Sri Lanka generated in India by the Indian public as evidenced in the recent NDTV debate that both spurs and forces politicians in Tamil Nadu and the bureaucrats in New Delhi alike to pander to anti Sri Lankan policies and activities of destabilisation through agencies like the RAW. Rahul Gandhi’s recent statement on Sri Lanka is a case in point: "We are completely against Sri Lankan aggressive behaviour in the area".

He may very well be alluding to the fact that Sri Lanka could end becoming breeding ground for terrorism like the LeT in Pakistan. He may also be thinking of turning Sri Lanka into a 'protectorate' like Sikkim fulfilling the strategic needs of India and its allies the USA and UK in the Indian Ocean.

It is not a small wonder then we have so called Sri Lankan born terrorist experts who were espousing Indian solutions in the past based in South East Asian universities trying to penetrate our Military and Intelligence services since of late. The RAW operations against Sri Lanka in the future will never be like that of the past where they created and ran the operations of the LTTE. Under the guise of helping our people in the North and the East, any new government in India will do exactly what it did just recently did in Nepal, political destabilisation and chaos in Sri Lanka.

It is okay for this axis of evil to bomb hundreds of civilians in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Pakistan. They will however not suffer a scratch on a civilian held hostage by the LTTE. The ace hypocrite Robert O Blake, the US Ambassador to Sri Lanka, is yet to utter a single word about how his country bombed civilians two days running, costing over 130 lives, including women, children and the elderly. We are yet to hear David Miliband, Des Browne and other 'concerned' Brits talk of a 'humanitarian ceasefire' in the US-led war against the Taliban.

If Browne, Miliband and Clinton are really keen on getting the Sri Lankan issue on the agenda of the UN Security Council, they will have to first deal with China and Russia whispering a deadly no-starter, 'remember what the US did and is doing in Afghanistan?' QED. It is heartening that in a world of bullies and hypocrites, Sri Lanka still has powerful friends. Indeed, with Pakistan, Nepal, and Sri Lanka all now sufficiently destabilised by India and and aligned with all weather relationships with China, it is a matter of time before the whole region becomes a threat to the strategic interest of the USA, UK and India. Chew on that Mr. Mukhejee and Dr. Manmohan Singh.

There is an old saying that he who controls Sri Lanka controls the Indian Ocean from Strait of Homus to Malaccan Straits. If the western world can send such a massive armada to the Strait of Homus to catch some Somali pirates then what would they do to an 'incorrigible' Sri Lanka that is calling its bluff? It is 'logical' therefore for these western forces to work with the LTTE to neutralize this threat the Govt. of Sri Lanka (GOSL) poses.

This is the reason for leaking forged satellite photographs, or newspaper of the calibre of the New York Times quoting from terrorist websites such as “Tamilnet”. We should not be too surprised if USA/UK sponsored security council sanctions like on Iraq which killed half a million children.

It is all for their love of "Humanitarianism" you see..........

- Asian Tribune -