By Amantha Perera
The
Tigers should take the blame for the
resumption of fighting with the
government forces that has led to
hundreds being killed within the first
two months of this year, the
International Crisis Group (ICG) said in
a report last week.
The
ICG also faulted President Mahinda
Rajapakse for allowing the extremist
parties to dominate his policies.
"Much
of the blame for the resumption in
violence lies with the LTTE; its
ceasefire violations and abuses of the
population under its control pushed the
government towards war," ICG said in a
report titled Sri Lanka's Return To War:
Limiting The Damage.
The
Brussels based ICG said that the Tiger
strategy to provoke the government into
retaliatory strikes may have worked too
well for their own good.
"The
Tiger strategy was to shore up internal
support by provoking a Sinhala
nationalist reaction; it worked,
although the insurgents may come to
regret their approach."
The
report also said that President Mahinda
Rajapakse had allowed nationalists
parties to dominate his policies.
"President Mahinda Rajapakse has also
overplayed his hand. Relying on support
from Sinhala extremists, he has let them
set an agenda that allows only for a
military approach."
The
report said that donors and the
international community should move
beyond limiting their criticism to
statements. "Governments and
multilateral organisations that have
traditionally supported Sri Lanka should
move beyond expressions of displeasure
at the abrogation of the ceasefire
agreement."
The
ICG also warned that the current phase
of the war was the worse ever with a
brutal counter insurgency and the total
militarisation of areas under Tiger
control - "The current conflict is worse
than what preceded the 2002 ceasefire.
The government's counter-insurgency
campaign is more brutal and
indiscriminate, the terror and criminal
activities of its Tamil proxy forces
more extensive and blatant."
The
ICG also said, "The Tigers have fully
militarised life in areas under their
control and returned to brutal attacks
on Sinhalese civilians, intent on
provoking even worse retaliation."
The
ICG added that the 2002 ceasefire had
run its course and recommended a fresh
approach to negotiations and possible
dialogue. It said that, "The Co-Chairs
of the Tokyo Donors Conference (Norway,
Japan, the US and the EU) no longer
have, as such, a clear peacemaking role;
and there needs to be deepened
cooperation between India, the EU and
the US, with the goal of eventually
developing a more politically powerful
contact group."
The
report also sought international
cooperation to close down the LTTE
international financial network and to
gather evidence for possible prosecution
of Karuna in the UK.
ICG
also called for target sanctions against
the Tigers and the TMVP for continued
child recruitment.
