Protect The Interests Of The Tamil People

While Sri Lankans were lighting crackers and dancing on the streets celebrating the victories in the 25-year-old terrorist war, the picture projected by the international media on Sri Lanka particularly on TV was one of grim horror. Reports spoke of a quarter million civilians caught in the cross fire of the Sri Lanka government forces and the LTTE in the jungles of Mullaithivu. An unknown number of civilian casualties were reported and that some of them, children, who had been grievously wounded, could not be transported out from the area of conflict. Food supplies were running out and the actual plight of the refugees were not known because reporters were not permitted into the area of conflict, the reports added. The TV channels that were constantly beaming these reports were not only of the Western media but Third World channels as well.

These events which followed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the Gaza were projected in a similar light, though lesser in scale, as the Gaza tragedy. The main defence cited by government spokesmen that the civilians were being used as human shields by the LTTE did not seem to have impressed the foreign media. Even though complaints were heard that reporters were not permitted into the theatre of war and hence events could not be reported with certainty a considerable amount of information was unfolded, even video coverage.

The Sri Lankan propagandists have to blame themselves for this global negative coverage. One worthy who was interviewed deniedany knowledge of civilian casualties. The numbers referred to could have been LTTE cadres, he claimed. But on Thursday when a large convoy of injured civilians was brought out of the war zone by the UN to Vavuniya hospital which included 50 children, the credibility of the spokesman would have hit the lowest possible level.

In this instance the outcome of the  media war is not what is important but the welfare of civilians estimated at 250,000. President Mahinda Rajapakse on Thursday urged the LTTE to allow the free movement of these civilians within the next 48 hours. He assured all civilians a secure environment. He said he would ensure their physical security and enable peace, freedom and rights of all citizens. The LTTE, he said was now confined to a small area in the Northern Province and a large number of citizens were being forcibly held by the LTTE.

The President's assurances are all very welcome but the big question is whether in this environment he will be able to implement these assurances. Journalists, particularly, are justified in querying how far they can believe in Presidential assurances considering those given to them and implemented. Rajapakse's appeal to the LTTE to permit the free movement of civilians will result in guffaws of Velupillai Pirapaharan even in this time of grave peril. Has the warlord ever granted any request made by Rajapakse or any other Sri Lankan leader?

President Rajapakse must face facts squarely. He cannot do anything to help the civilians being held by the LTTE on his own. He must use his influence with Indian leaders and even Western leaders to get Pirapaharan to release the civilians. They will perhaps ask him to call for a ceasefire which at this stage he is proclaiming his unique victory over terrorism to the world would be unthinkable. So, what would his strategy be to help the trapped civilians? Keep issuing assurances and commit prevarications hoping that over time the issue will resolve itself?

Meanwhile how many civilians will be injured and how many will succumb to their injuries? These are not misfortunes that have fallen on him from the skies. They are the inevitable consequences of the choice of a military option over a negotiated settlement.

On the other hand it could be asked whether a negotiated settlement was ever possible with Velupillai Pirapaharan. Would a person who dreams of creating an independent racist state, considers himself as a deity of the Tamil people, kills his own leaders and people by tens of thousands, makes even children commit suicide, is undaunted by the fact that he is responsible for the deaths of over 70,000 people, kills a head of state, a former prime minister, and countless ministers be willing to compromise for a provincial council and a post of chief minister thrown in?

Mahinda Rajapakse, for whatever reason, to his credit, was the only leader who was not taken in by the dollops thrown in by the LTTE such as ceasefires, viable alternatives and of course a negotiated settlement. There may be many other factors that helped him but he did not stop the military onslaught to give time to the terrorists to collect their breath and come back fighting. That has been the secret of his success.

But victory on the battlefield may not end the conflict which commenced as a guerrilla war. Do we go back to square one as in the times of the Jayewardene government and begin all over again? Even if Pirapaharan disappears, another perhaps worse than him, could surface. How to prevent such a calamity will be Rajapakse's greatest challenge.

The one time fire eating son of the Ruhuna now seems to be mellowed and is talking of a multi-racial, multi lingual, multi religious community. Can he now be capable of getting all major political parties in the south along with Tamil parties to reach a solution to Tamil grievances? In moments of victory, the victors are often magnanimous. Will Mahinda Rajapakse who has been hinting at communal harmony in his recent speeches be genuinely desirous of bringing all communities together once again? To do that he has to strike agreements with the UNP, TULF, TNA, SLMC and many other parties. He had done this to some extent earlier but that resulted not in political unity but political fission of the opposition parties much to his advantage.

Following the euphoria of victory in war has come the announcement of the dissolution of the Western Province Council and elections are scheduled at the end of March. This is Mahinda Rajapakse, the parochial politician, combining victory in war where a great number of people perished in the defence of the country with local government elections. Earlier too he did it with elections to  the Eastern Provincial Council, Sabaragamuwa Council and the North Central Provincial Council, all of which he won after winning in the battlefields of the east and  parts of the Wanni. Now two more provincial elections - for the North Western Province and Central Province are scheduled to be held alongside the anticipated victory at Mullaithivu. We have noted many a time that for President Rajapakse war seems to be an extension of politics.

Perhaps, after the Mullaitivu victory elections will be held for the first time in the Northern Provincial Council by the saviour of the north.

President Rajapakse has been declaring recently, quite often, that the military operations in the north are being conducted for the benefit of the people - to free them from the rigid dictatorship of the LTTE.  Let this interest in the welfare of the Tamil people be evident after elections and thereafter.