I might also add "Go tell that to President Sarkozy of France" for, he
will be sending additional French troops to Afganistan soon! Every
conflict has a solution however long it takes. That end, is the very
end of the conflict itself. The World wars, the Korean war, the
Vietnam war, the Vietnamese war against Cambodia's Pol Pot, the
Peruvian war against the Sandanista did have the end of defeat for the
enemy and was followed by the restoration of peace. Why prevent Sri
Lanka from following a similar course especially when the government,
the majority of citizens and the soldiers are yearning for the defeat
the LTTE and the dawn of peace in the country?
U.S. Army soldiers from K Troop, Third Squadron, Third Armored Cavalry
Regiment detain an Iraqi teenager after a rocket propelled grenade
attack on U.S. troops in Mosul, 360 kilometers (225 miles) northwest
of Baghdad, Iraq on Monday, March 31, 2008. (AP)
Can our NGO bosses justify the invasion of northern Iraq by Turkey, a
member of NATO, with NATO supplied arms and kill Kurds if there was no
military solution to their problems? If there is no military solution
why is NATO fighting in Afganistan even after Al Queda extended an
invitation to talk peace? If there is no military solution why are the
allied forces fighting in Iraq at enormous cost in men, material and
money? It is not a matter of friendly war games in these two
countries. It is of paramount im****tance to kill as well as debilitate
the perceived enemy before he kills others. It is, also propelled by
the desire to impose a solution economically and politically
favourable to the invaders of both Afganistan and Iraq. We saw this
starkly illustrated in Kosovo.
The province of Kosovo within Serbia had an ethnic and a religious
problem which degenerated to a terrorist problem. The UN and NATO
forced the Serbians to talk peace with Kosovars. It took them nowhere
and Kosovo was brought under UN control, but as terrorism continued
unabated, the Serbs fought back with equal ferocity. NATO then ignored
all niceties of diplomacy, flouted international law and guarantees of
territorial integrity, and cast aside the UN itself, and unilaterally
resorted to a military solution. NATO bombed Serbia continuously for
over two months into submission. It destroyed roads, bridges,
communication centres and TV networks, schools, hospitals and
government buildings and factories. It killed many Serbian civilian
citizens. It captured the perceived enemy, the Serbian President Mr.
Milosovic In short this military adventure was a success and had the
eventual solution in the unilateral declaration of independence of
Kosovo from Serbia. Economically this solution was favourable to NATO
as oil from the Caspian Sea could be routed through Kosovo and access
was now available to exploit the vast mineral resources in Kosovo.
Politically, as a new ally of NATO, Kosovo could be pitted against
Russia if and when necessary, as evidenced by the huge US army base
being constructed and expanded in Bondsteel within Kosovo. So who says
there is no military solution to problems? Is it the case that
military solutions ought to be pursued and are acceptable only if
executed by NATO and the EU? No, the rich and the mighty are not the
sole inheritors of this planet.
Vellupillai Pirapakaran believes in a military solution, and in fact,
he recently announced that he will obtain a Kosovo-type solution for
his Eelam. One ought to accept his obdurate consistency in resorting
to both terrorist and military action to create his dream Eelam. Velu
appears to be convinced that the profits to be won by war outweigh the
risk and losses incurred. As far as we know the NGOs, the INGOs, the
Foreign VIPs and other Human Rights Hypocrites have yet to tell him
directly that there is no military solution, and that he should lay
down his arms and seek negotiation. Only Mr. Anandasangaree has
directly and publicly told him that there is no military solution and
that he should seek peace by laying down his arms. This advice has
been ignored by the warlord. Given this situation why should a
democratically elected government not meet force with force and defeat
the enemy?
Nearly two centuries ago a savant advised his countrymen that all
those who desire peace should prepare for war (Qui desiderat pacem,
praeparet bellum). This applies most cogently to the modem world as it
is beset with insidious terrorism on all fronts. The objective of the
present military campaign of the government is simply the defeat of
LTTE terrorism in our land. It Is clearly not directed at Tamils. This
is verifiably true, because the Security Forces are engaged in mortal
combat only in the areas under the control of the LTTE. The Tamils
living elsewhere live as normal a life as other Sri Lankans, enjoying
the same social benefits of free education and healthcare and
suffering the same economic hard****ps. The majority of the people, the
entirety of the security forces and the government of the day do
believe that the LTTE can be and ought to be defeated. There can be no
peace so long as Velu controls land and retains armed cadres ready to
kill and destroy property at his behest. The eastern province is an
outstanding example of prevailing peace after the LTTE guns have been
silenced.
It will certainly take time for the eastern province to revert to
democratic normality by way of elections to local bodies. In the
meantime we should expect demands and posturing for positions of power
and prestige by various interested parties based on communal
ethnicity. One can only advise our misguided politicians that the
economic and social development of -the eastern province is for all
persons living there and therefore cannot be confined to one ethnic
community as against another. This was the sectarianism we had under
the LTTE. This was what our soldiers got rid of at great sacrifice.
Therefore we simply cannot go back to this state of affairs. The local
eastern politicians should grab this op****tunity to usher in a
political culture de novo wherein every one counts. This process will
be greatly helped if the TMVP cadres do surrender their weapons
voluntarily and are then provided security by the government.
I do believe that there is a military solution to our terrorist
problem. Military force is necessary to eliminate terrorism and the
persons prosecuting terrorism in our country. I do accept that our
Security Forces have the capacity, ability and the motivation to
defeat the LTTE as they did in the eastern province. Once this is
achieved, there will be the space available to initiate a political
arrangement that will satisfy, 'if not all the people all the time, at
least most of the people most of the time. This is the democracy of
everyman as practiced everywhere.
In the case of Serbia/Kosovo, NATO acted as the prosecutor, judge,
jury and executioner in puni****ng the Serbs for the mistakes of their
politicians. We see a similar posturing taking place in the case of
Sri Lanka's mortal combat against, what the FBI has declared to be the
most ruthless terrorists in the world today.
They are holding the Damoclean sword of Human Rights over our heads to
punish our country economically by withdrawing the privilege of GSP+
for our Apparel Manufacturers. Unfortunately the Human Rights
situation in Sri Lanka did deteriorate and did provide the op****tunity
for these counterfeit moralists to take the country to task. Now the
situation has vastly improved and many impartial institutions are in
place and active to improve as well as prevent the infringement of
Human Rights. No recognition has been accorded to these improvements,
or any allowances made for the plight of the people blighted by
terrorism. We have been repeatedly warned that there is no military
solution to our problem and the military campaign against the LTTE
should be stopped. As pointed out above, these very same countries do
engage in military actions and ignore the Human Rights of the people
of the countries they have invaded. This is the disgraceful hypocrisy
of some of the rich and powerful nations in the west. They will
certainly add to their crime of snobbish arrogance and uncaring
irresponsibility if they do withdraw the GSP+ which benefits thousands
of indigent women workers in the Garment industry in Sri Lanka. What
has the EU got to gain by puni****ng ordinary working women just so to
appease the LTTE which they have condemned and banned as a terrorist
organisation??
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