Have The LTTE Been Contained Effectively And What Next?

All things considered and given the facts surrounding the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) at the present time, it appears that they have either been cajoled into a degree of resignation about pursuing their terrorist objectives orperhaps decided of their own cognizance that discretion is the better part of valour.While there remains the reluctance on the part of the astute observers to associate their decision to wisdom as opposed to cunning they have indeed indicated that this is not a time for them to pursue any further insurgent activities against the Government of Sri Lanka with so many hypothetical cannons from various points of scrutiny pointing directly at them.

What with the unwavering warnings from Uncle Sam and the condemnations of the International Community it seems an opportune time to withdraw from hostilities as the deck seems stacked against them towards their downfall should they persist.There is also the consideration that all the bravado shown by them towards maintaining a degree of belligerence against the Armed Forces is a mere baring of fangs where they might not necessarily have the wherewithal towards a full fledged confrontation, mainly due to the lack of manpower, being a depleted force after the Karuna defections as well as the onslaughts of the Tsunami where child recruits doth not an elite fighting force make regardless of what armaments they might have by way of replenishments and Sri Lanka needing to take some comfort in the knowledge towards posterity! After all "Ship's Cats never navigate and neither does the barking of dogs bring down the moon!" as the tigers have suddenly been pushed into a catch 22 situation which the Government of Sri Lanka languished in for aeons while the world was coming to terms with the realities of who the LTTE really were and hardly an axiom to be linked with being freedom fighters!

It has been said that "He who fights and runs away lives to fight another day, an adage which seems to have permeated into the mindset of the LTTE at operational level and running away will hopefully be their most popular pastime and perhaps even their best bet towards survival as they have once again shown reluctance to lay down arms, come clean of their terrorist objectives while negotiating legitimately on behalf of their kindred Tamil community which would be the logical thing to do towards their survival although they appear to have chosen a devious path which permits them to regroup and should be watched very closely despite their rhetoric. After all they are a group of unrelenting terrorists who no longer have the real bargaining chips beyond their killer instincts to negotiate a settlement to the real issue at hand which is a lasting peace, something which they have shown time and time again through their responses and what could never be accomplished by intimidation or coercion.

Thankfulness as opposed to graciousness has to be the mood of the Government of Sri Lanka now that the sporadic cowardly attacks on the Armed Forces have stopped even temporarily where credit as due needs to be given to the least likely of sources, Nordic mediator Eric Solheim who has, to all appearances carried the day towards implenting at ground level the cessation of the surge of violence with of course the helping hand by the US warning the Tigers to which a degree of respect appears to have been shown.

While it does appear to be a willingness on the part of the LTTE towards compromise in the best interests of peace, to some it appears to be unconvincing and a hard sell as a genuine and sincere response, given their track record but the Sri Lankan Government will have no choice beyond acceptance while keeping a wary eye open for any tell tale signs of a ruse. Despite the folk hero accollades Eric Solheim seems to be enjoying consequently it must be remembered that it is this very same individual who together with his Norwegian cronies provided many platforms of connivance for the LTTE towards many of their devious activities on record and is no angel of mercy! The attitude of "What If The The Calm Does Not Last " might be one of wisdom , and the Tiges who have been purported through known intelligence reports of having fortified their resources during the lull in attrocities which has lasted into a third year should never be dispelled as contained by any stretch of the imagination.

For whatever time the calm remains in Sri Lanka there will be attempts towards its exploitations relative to the needs of both sides. one a legitimate entity and the other a group of proscribed fully armed unrelenting terrorists where regardless of the latter's ambits the Government of Sri Lanka needs to put together a concerted effort towards rallying all the forces(not necessarily of a military nature only!) against the LTTE and in particular the Tamil factions greatly opposed to the wiles and guiles of the Prabhakaran/Thamilselvam brigade. These are the real representations of the Tamil community estranged and far removed from the mainstream LTTE truly deserving their dues and the freedom to carry on with their lives unhampered by the dictates of insurgents together with all freedom loving sons and daughters of Sri lanka with no affiliations to any terrorist objectives which is the urgent and imperative panacea the Sri Lankan Government needs to search for with regard to resolving the nation's woes.An all out condemnation of the LTTE from their own community could perhaps be the ultimate deterrent towards dismantling whatever ambitions they have towards continuing their objectives and the first step towards their elimination!

The Sri Lankan Tamil community and the international community must be convinced beyond the LTTE rhetoric, of their right to sustenance of any sort (being unrelenting terrorists!) that the Government of Sri Lanka without reservation will emphasize their own commitment to peace outside a terrorist friendly framework through legitimate means incorporating the needs of all Sri Lankans which would naturally incorporate its Tamil community on whose behalf the issues of restitution primarily rests as they are the primarily grieved entity if the preambles which refer to whats gone wrong in Sri Lanka could be cited towards the greater consolations required to establish the much needed peace!.