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Ban Ki-Moon and Barack Obama |
Accusations, counter accusations, denials and
denunciations notwithstanding there was a lot of killing
in the Wanni over Vesak and in that perversely and
ironically designated No-Fire Zone. This column does
not need to list out the full catalogue of killing that
took place over this period which resulted in the UN
talking about a “bloodbath” and the international
community — from the foreign ministers of the UK and
France, to the President of the US and his Secretary of
State and finally the UN Secretary General all appealing
to the two sides to stop the bloodshed.
Specific messages were addressed to the LTTE regarding
their barbaric practice of using civilians as a human
shield and of shooting at those who attempt to escape
and to the government regarding the horrific use of
heavy weapons against civilians in the zone, which the
government insists it ceased using weeks ago. In this
period the makeshift medical facility was hit and hit
and hit again.
The carnage
The
Russians, the Chinese and the Japanese along with the
Vietnamese and Libyans are firmly behind the government
and have ensured that Sri Lanka stays off the official
agenda of the Security Council. This week though, the
scale of the carnage resulted in all members of the
Security Council signing on to a statement to the press
deploring the situation and calling for an end to the
carnage.
The
statement included condemnation of LTTE terrorism and
called on them to surrender. It also expressed “deep
concern” about the continuing reports of the use of
heavy weapons by the government.
The
Security Council statement in diplomatic parlance is
seen as a ratcheting up of pressure on both the LTTE and
GOSL. Yet since the level of pressure the international
community can bring to bear on the LTTE has been
marginal, it is the GOSL that in effect has to deal with
the brunt of international attention.
Worrying consequences
In
other related developments, the government and its
allies succeeded in preventing a special session of the
UN Human Rights Council on Sri Lanka — there will be an
informal meeting.
With
potentially greater and worrying consequences is the
statement by the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
that it is not appropriate at this time to consider Sri
Lanka’s IMF loan application until there is a resolution
of the conflict.
At
home the apparatchiks and self styled patriots, from
platforms and in the press, laud the Rajapakse regime’s
chutzpah and heroism in taking on the jaded imperialists
who dare intervene in our internal affairs — halt the
world’s greatest hostage release operation and decisive
defeat of the world’s most ruthless terrorist
organisation.
The
reasons for the angst and anguish of the Western states
in particular, our local Kautilyas have us know, is the
electoral clout of the Tamil diaspora currently engaged
in hunger strikes, disruption of traffic and litigation
in the great metropolises of the West.
Frenzied theses
And of
course there are the fish in the
Indian Ocean. I have also seen one explanation from the heart of
the Chinthanaya stable that suggests that since we are
now the epitome of Sinhala Buddhist culture, the agents
of Christian modernity have sworn to destroy us.
As far
as I know the local Kautilyas have yet to stun us with
their frenzied theses on why the Chinese, the Iranians
and the Libyans are so helpful to us in our heroic
struggle. Sinhala Buddhist culture; string of pearls;
realpolitik?
There
surely must be some cause for concern within the
corridors of power of this regime as to why the
conventional military defeat of the LTTE is being
accompanied by such deterioration in our international
relations? Our interests are ill served by this crude
populism and cheap machismo. Is it the case that this
is the foreign policy of the Chinthanaya, designed and
therefore endorsed by the President himself? What would
Lakshman Kadirgamar say to all of this? Would he have
allowed things to come to this?
There
could be more surprises to come from across the Strait,
when the rival alliances’ prospects for power become
clear. Admittedly positions can shift once the votes
are counted, but for the record the position regarding
Sri Lanka should give the regime here some cause for
concern.
And the fat lady isn’t done with singing…
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