Reader's point of view

Will negotiations bring about a solution?

By Aruna Batuvanthudave

'Negotiations' with the terrorists are in fashion again. As always, this is being presented as a wonderful new idea, which has never been tried before. All that has to be done, we are told, is to 'negotiate' with the LTTE, and this problem will be solved. We are given examples from other countries where negotiations have resulted in conflicts being resolved. Our negotiations, apparently, should be aimed at something called 'devolution of power'. 'Negotiate' and 'devolve power', and everything will be fine thereafter, so the story goes.

For these 'negotiations', we are certainly not short of people volunteering to help. They call themselves either 'mediators' or 'facilitators'. The Norwegians are at the head of the queue.

Norway is perhaps the country which has done the most to assist the LTTE, through their government- funded 'non-governmental organizations'. In this context, Norwegian 'mediators' would be like Australian umpires.

The people who propose these 'negotiations' as a way to solve the problem do not, of course, refer to the LTTE as terrorists. Some of their supporters go even further, and question whether there is such a thing as terrorism at all. Recently a lawyer in Canada, appearing for an LTTE fund-raiser who was due to be deported from that country, asserted that terrorism was a "vague political concept", and as such, collecting money for it could not be considered a crime. The judge hearing the case was not very impressed, and the expulsion was upheld. After all, there is nothing vague about mass murder, which is what terrorism is. However it would not be surprising if semantics of this sort become prevalent even here, in order to make negotiations with the LTTE more acceptable to the law-abiding majority of our country.

Let us leave aside for the moment the moral question of whether anyone, let alone an elected government, should negotiate with terrorists. Let us instead be 'pragmatic', and say that anything is all right as long as it works. As mentioned earlier, one of the arguments advanced by the pro-negotiations lobby is, "It has worked in other countries, so it should work here."

The basic fallacy of this argument is that each case is different. Just as there are examples of conflicts which have been resolved through negotiations, there are others which have ended only when the military capability of one side has been destroyed. The causes of, and the events leading up to each conflict is different, the goals of the protagonists are different, and perhaps most important of all, the personalities involved are different. One can negotiate with Nelson Mandela, Yasser Arafat and Gerry Adams. But one cannot negotiate with people like Hitler, Pol Pot and Prabhakaran.

Trying once or twice is understandable. But only the extremely stupid and naive would continue trying, again and again, when the evidence of how the terrorists have benefited, from such attempts in the past, is so clear. On the other hand, perhaps it is too charitable an interpretation to attribute this to stupidity. It is more likely that the people who call for these 'negotiations' know what the results will be, and the advantage that would accrue to the terrorists is exactly what they want.

The question that arises next is what these proposed 'negotiations' are supposed to achieve. The contention of the 'negotiators' is that if sufficient administrative power is devolved to the Northern and Eastern Provinces, the LTTE will give up their campaign for a separate state. Again, this is presented as a novel idea. But the fact is that 'devolution of power' is a concept which has already been tried in Sri Lanka, and has proved to be a complete failure.

Two decades ago, District Development Councils were set up. These were accepted at the time by everyone across the spectrum of opinion, from Tamil political parties to the Buddhist clergy. Everyone except the terrorists, of course. It became even clearer at the 'Thimpu Talks', which followed sometime later, that the LTTE was not interested in negotiating anything. They were not willing to make the slightest compromise on their demand for a separate state.

It should have been clear at least at that point that 'negotiations' and 'devolution of power' was not going to solve this problem.

Instead of recognizing this, the rulers at the time proceeded further down the same path.

With India bringing pressure to bear as well, more power was devolved in the form of Provincial Councils. Far from ending, there was a quantum leap in the intensity of the LTTE's campaign of terror. This makes perfect sense from their point of view. They obviously realize that all they have to do is to continue with terrorism, and more and more power will be devolved to the areas they claim.

At present, the discussion is on devolving still more power in the form of Regional Councils. This is what the so-called 'New Constitutional Proposals' or 'The Package' is for. The LTTE will refuse to accept it. Why should they, when their ultimate goal is now in sight? After this, the only remaining 'Package' left to offer will be 'Eelam'. When the forthcoming round of 'negotiations' also fail to end terrorism, the 'Eelam Package' will be offered. But only after another round of 'negotiations', of course!

Even with the sacrifice of one-third of the country, it is a doubtful proposition whether the terrorists will be satisfied. Going back to the utterances of Tamil racists as far back as the 1920s, it is clear that their designs were for the whole country, and not just for 7000 square miles of the least fertile part of it. It was only when these designs failed that the call for a 'separate state' and a 'Tamil homeland' came to be heard.

The 'separate state' is the base from which the campaign for the rest of the country is to be launched.

The first phase of this is already underway, with the massive influx of Tamils into Colombo and other areas in the west and south acting as cover for the infiltration of terrorist hit squads.

With the destabilization of the entire country already achieved, the capture of administrative power by the terrorists, through their political allies and intermediaries, is only a matter of time. 'Eelam' may not even be necessary.

However, there is one good thing that will result from this.

At least there will be no more 'negotiations'. There will be nothing left to 'negotiate', except the terms of our surrender. In this too, the Norwegians will no doubt be delighted to act as 'mediators'. Or will they only be 'facilitators'?

Interview

LTTE focusing on Jaffna

Since the LTTE lost Jaffna in 1996, their aim is to rebuild their image. The Wanni means nothing. They need Jaffna where their quasi-regime was based, said Army chief Lt. Gen. Srilal Weerasooriya, in an interview with The Sunday Times.

Following are excerpts of the interview:

Q: The strike at Elephant Pass seems obviously an attempt by the Tigers to gain entry into the Jaffna Peninsula. What are your impressions on this?

A:These strikes at Elephant Pass shows their aim is to get Jaffna. There is no Eelam for them without Jaffna. They have nothing to show the world. Since they lost Jaffna in 1996, their aim is to rebuild their image. The Wanni means nothing. They need Jaffna where their quasi-regime was earlier based. We can see the concentration of their cadres in the Wanni and the North and a reduction in Batticaloa since 1997.

Q: Since December the LTTE have tried to break the defences of Elephant Pass. What are your views on this?

A: Elephant Pass is the key to Jaffna. Even historically, from Portuguese times, it is found that whoever held Elephant Pass controlled Jaffna. The Fort Bascula lay in a straight line from Pooneryn to Elephant Pass. It does not exist any more. The Elephant Pass Resthouse, which we are using today, was originally a part of a Fort complex.

There are two main entry routes to Jaffna. One is through Pooneryn and the Sangupiddi ferry to the Chavakachcheri area. The other is through Elephant Pass.

Even before the Eelam war, Elephant Pass was a checkpoint for entry into the Jaffna Peninsula.

Q: These days, is the LTTE aiming at gaining maximum territorial advantage?

A: It appears so. They tried it in the Wanni. Now they are trying to get a foothold into Jaffna.

Q: What is your assessment of the LTTE's military strength after the Wanni episode, stronger or weaker?

A: Although a certain amount of ground was lost by us in the Wanni, in a way, it worked to our advantage. Strategically, Jaffna Peninsula and Elephant Pass are more important.

We were able to inflict more casualties in the immediate aftermath of the Wanni episode.

There were no proper lines. Tractor loads of LTTE cadres were hit by us in the Wanni. Because we contracted our lines, we were able to send reinforcements when attacked. Earlier, we were totally deployed and had no reserves readily available.

Since November, the LTTE have lost well over 1000 men. In the Wanni operation they lost approximately 250. In Jaffna, they have declared over 500 as dead. The number wounded is generally much higher than the declared figure.

Q: What is the situation in the Wanni now?

A: They are focusing on Jaffna. After November, Mannar was attacked. It failed.

Then they tried to attack Poovarasakulam and Iranailuppakulam and failed. There has been no action in that area since December. In Vavuniya, we have caught a lot of infiltrators with explosives and suicide jackets. If there is an attack we are confident we can hold it.

Q: Would you see that the explosions of bombs in public transport is a manifestation of the frustration of the LTTE at their failure to get into the Jaffna Peninsula and an attempt to destabilise the government?

A: Yes, it is part of guerrilla strategy when regrouping. They are trying to discredit the Government by showing its lack of security. It is easy for them to do this because it is an open society in the South. However with increased security checks on the buses and the vigilance of the public the bus explosions appear to have abated. Overcrowding of the buses is another reason for the difficulty in checking.-HF

Spreading 'Bananarchy' and chaos

By Kumbakarana

"Bananarchy is the destruction, mayhem, and terror brought on by bananas. The Bananarchy Gorilla Warfare Method describes how Bananarchists use explosives and other weapons made out of bananas to wreak havoc upon society, the result being a total collapse of government"

The above quotation is taken from a website easily accessed by anyone cruising the Internet especially suitable for budding Tiger cubs to learn the act of destruction freely and from the comfort of their homes.

Apart from the few suicide bomb attacks, 8 bombs exploded in busses during the past few weeks taking several lives and instilling fear and terror far more effectively than any other method has done so far. A new bargaining tool is in the hands of the Tigers ringing the battle cry "change constitution or face anarchy" or in their parlance "bananarchy"

This present chaotic state of affairs is the result of a chain of events that took place in the past few years. It is well known that several lakhs of Tamils from Vavuniya, Trincomalee and Batticaloa settled in urban and semi-urban centres of Sri Lanka, especially along the main roads spreading the Tamil settlements all over the Southern part of the country. Over four lakhs of Tamils settled in Colombo, Negombo and Kandy alone causing the demographic imbalance and social problems. Many of them were brainwashed by the "Gandhian" movement which tried to colonize Wanni region with Tamils of Indian origin to use as a human shield by the LTTE. What happened in the Wanni in the early 1980s is now being implemented in the South where there are new Tamil settlements. Now the LTTE has established connections with the underworld and is constantly exploring ways of creating "bananarchy"

Using terror as a tactic and exploiting the power hungry nature of the bankrupt politicians of the South, Prabakaran is busy stabilising his power bases throughout the Island. The recent Presidential election has proved beyond doubt that the Tigers are now a powerful and an organized force in the South able to spread their propaganda even more effectively than in Jaffna.

Divide and rule is not an unfamiliar concept to us. Be reminded that in 1815, D'Oyly was able to take over the Sinhala Kingdom without firing a single shot. He used gossip and divisional tactics. Present situation is not dissimilar to that process.

Spreading "Bananarchy" i.e., fear and chaos in the South is by no means an indication of a weakened (exhausted by the war in the North) LTTE adopting a bankrupt policy. Instead it is kickoff to a massive politicized war campaign, which uses terror as a prime weapon. Experience of 1987-1989 has clearly shown that minor explosions and political murders are sufficient to create mayhem in the country. Tigers have learnt lessons from the JVP and know that spreading destruction in the South is worth more than capturing Elephant Pass at great cost to their depleted force. So they have devolved their war front and set up a protest campaign in the North and are financing the setting up of a Tamil United Front, which will be used as their agitation and political front in the near future.

No stone will be left unturned in their quest to win the war. True to the Bhagawath Geetha they will use the strategies of peace, charity, dissention and war reversing the order and reading from right to left. The target is to lay the foundation for Tamil Eelam courtesy Norway by the end of the year.

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