Malin Abeyatunge

The IslandƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Special Correspondent S Venkatanarayan reported on 19/7/11 that Ms Clinton has said: “We do not believe that there are any terrorists who should be given safe haven or a free pass by any government, because left unchecked the consequences of that kind of terrorist activity or intimidation can become very difficult to manage and control.”. Mark the highlighted words. How about LTTE? While Hillary Clinton is uttering the nonsense, USA has made a safe haven ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ and a free pass for the LTTE terrorist rump which is still ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ a banned terrorist outfit. Is the ban for name sake like no action talk only (nato).? HasnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t the USA made a safe haven for remnants of LTTE?. We are aware that before the LTTE was defeated militarily, the LTTE activists among the Tamil Diaspora had a ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ free go to do anything what they want to keep the LTTE war machine going like fund raising, money laundering, procuring arms, trafficking human cargo and drugs etc with the blessings of the American State and the politicians. Recently, an American Congressman took the initiative in showing the Channel 4 fiction film in Washington to hail the LTTE terrorists and bash Sri Lanka. True the USA government managed to arrest and jail few LTTE men for procuring arms but that was only a tip of the iceberg.

This is what Hillary Clinton had ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ said on her presidential campaign in 2007 quoteƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ I believe that terrorism is a tool that has been used throughout history to achieve certain objectives. Some have been ideological, others territorial. There is personality driven terrorist objectives. The bottom line is that you cannot lump all terrorists together. And I think weƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ve got to do a much better job of clarifying what are the motivations, the raison dƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢etre of terrorists (sources Asian Tribune 2007 November).

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ She categorized terrorists as bad terrorists (probably meant Muslim terrorists)and good terrorists(definitely LTTE). What made Hillary Clinton to categorize terrorists good and bad perhaps to put LTTE into the Good Terrorist category as she was supposed to have received funds from LTTE for her presidential election campaign. However, when the Sri Lankan Diaspora found out that LTTE was also funding her election campaign, her Email was bombarded with thousands of protest Emails by patriotic Sri Lankans spread all over the world where finally she had to ask her election campaigner to refuse to accept any funds received from LTTE Diaspora. A Tamil organization called ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…- Tamils for ObamaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ also campaigned for President Barack ObamaƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  but I donƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t know whether there had been anyƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  transactions of funds between them..

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ I wish to reiterate what former President George Bush (Jnr) had to say about terrorists. He said ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Terrorist is always a terrorist wherever they are. We have no business with the terroristsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚.

LTTEƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s remnants living in States (most of them being naturalized American citizens) have made it a safe haven for their struggle to carve monolithic ethnic enclave for Tamils in Sri Lanka with the blessings of the current USA regime. They are also kind of terrorists wearing different masks. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The self elected head of the Trans National ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Govt of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) V. Rudrakumaran has been indirectly acknowledged by the current regime by not taking any action against TGTE and Rudrakumaran is moving freely with congressmen of both democrats and republicans. Even the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Robert O. Blake has had interviews with him and when protested, he defended his stand and TGTEƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s stand in AmericaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s democratic society. So, for Hillary Clinton and her regime, they are not terrorists who fight for separatism in her books ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ but a Muslim cleric who conducts religious classes (like ChristianƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s bible studies. Sunday school etc) will be treated as a terrorist supporting Muslim fundamentalists like Al Qaeda, Talibans, Jemia Islamia (JI)etc. IsnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t it double standards again? Oh pardon me, I forgot that she has good and bad terrorists!

INDIA-Beware

Now she has turned to India to support eradication of terrorism. If India needs any help as to how to eradicate terrorism, she should turn to Sri Lanka for right guidance asƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Sri Lanka is the only country to date to defeat the scourge of terrorism on her soil. USA with all that NATO power is still struggling to crush Talibans and Al Qaeda. But USA boasts of killing unarmed Osama bin Laden. When she is in India she sings lullaby to please India and when she is in Pakistan she does the same thing to please Pakistan. Literally it says that a woman has sixty four charms (Maayam heta hatarak) and Hillary Clinton has mastered in using them very craftily in wagging her tongue. But I doubt that India will be gullible to fall into her trap.

The US Secretary of State during her visit to Chennai is reported to have stated that the US is looking at “some innovative and creative ideas to break the impasse over the Sri Lankan Tamil issueƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚. I begin to wonder whether she meant breaking the impasse by creating an ethnic enclave for Tamils. ThatƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s what USA and the west have been trying in the past ( as in Sudan) by supporting, appeasing, mollycoddling, protecting, nurturing and providing safe haven to LTTEƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  to establish their Eelam. Thanks for the right and courageous leadership of the President Rajapaksa, his Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the tri forces, Sri Lanka was saved from a catastrophic ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ calamity.

While promising to help India to tackle terrorism, she and her State department continue to ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ harass and humiliate Sri Lankan Government at every turnƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  bringing pressure for the UNSC to bring war crime charges against Sri Lanka. Suffice to mention here that USA never supported or protected Sri Lanka in combating the scourge of LTTE terrorism other than few bits and pieces of training.

It is interesting to note that, Hillary Clinton has visited Tamil Nadu leaving aside all other states. IsnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t this bit dicey? Is it for commercial gains or political gains? We see this as another move to bash Sri Lanka with the help of TN CM Jayalalitha. Or is it the first step towards balkanizing India so that USA can stamp its foothold in India and destabilize the Region?. Indian centre politicians should be mindful of this meeting with TNCM as USA may be havingƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  some sinister plans. What happened in Yugoslavia may happen in India. Such a disaster will have impact on Sri Lanka as well.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Malin Abeyatunge

27/7/2011