CLASSIFIED | POLITICS | TERRORISM | OPINION | VIEWS

Closure of A-9, Tamil sufferings, the four footed Tigers, the TNA MPP, International crocodile tears and the Government of Sri Lanka?

Sudath Gunasekara. President Mahanuwara Senior Citizens Movement .

I quote below few highlights from a long list of highly publicized news items that flooded the media in the past few days.

1 "Closure of the A 9 is a blatant violation of the CFA". BBC Nov.5

2 "Tamils facing death due to starvation due to the closure of A-9 Shivajilingam TNA
MP in Chennai Nov 5 (Zeenews.com)

3 "Closure of the A-9 a gross violation of the CFA' International Monitoring Committee

It is quite strange that this mounting excitement and emphasis on A-9 began to surge the pro-LTTE propaganda machinery only after the LTTE walk out from the Geneva talks demanding that the A-9 should be opened as a pre-condition for talks and when the government refused to re-open it. The government only in late August for highly sensitive security reasons closed down this road, where as it had been closed down for nearly two decades by the LTTE prior to 2002. From the above media reports it appears that people are suffering and dying only now, where as no body suffered or died when it was closed for 20 odd years by the LTTE. This to me is nothing but only another well orchestrated international LTTE propaganda racket carried out by their agents to embarrass the government of Sri Lanka.

Besides the need for national security, utterly inhuman and barbarous obstructions imposed by the terrorists for free vehicular movement on this road, and other terrorist activities like extortion, abductions, kappan collection and imposition of heavy taxes on all vehicles, and all goods and passengers moving through this road, thereby causing exorbitant price increases and inconvenience to the people and way lading and looting by the LTTE, high jacking heavy consignments of fuel and obstruction of transport of food and medicine etc also compelled the government to take this action.
This decision was based on three major issues. First, the need to minimize threats on national security, second, arrest exorbitant increase of prices of consumer goods and all other items which caused enormous hardship and misery to the people and third, to control building up of the enemy strength by way of money in billions and acquisition of additional military equipments.

Under these circumstances naturally the government was forced to take this measure as a part of its legitimate duty by the people. Nevertheless the government promptly agreed to open it, if the LTTE is willing to stop all above illegal activities and not obstruct the free passage of vehicle, goods and men on this road. The LTTE did not agree. So the Government decided to keep it closed. If the LTTE agreed to the government's proposals the government would have opened it the next day. It is as simple as that. Every one who knows the LTTE mentality knew that they are not interested in any negotiated settlements. They only wants war because it is their bread and butter. Naturally they will not like the closure of "the gold mine that was-A 9" for them.

So now the question arises as to why the so-called International Community and the pro-Tiger media including the BBC have started to make a big fuss of it and support a world acclaimed terrorist outfit and issued red notices on the popularly elected legitimate government of the country that has every right to act in the interest of the security of the country.

Another pertinent question I am compelled to ask is why are these LTTE friends kept silent as if they were deaf, dumb and blind, when the Tigers kill all those who are opposed to them, irrespective of whether they are Sinhalese, Tamils or Muslims. Their killing spree extended even beyond international boundaries. For example they also killed Rajeev Gandhi the Prime Minister of India, Premadasa the President of Sri Lanka, all the future potential Sinhala leaders such as Gamini Dissanayaka, Lalith Atulathmudali, Ranjan Wijeratna, and Denzil Kobbekaduwa, Tamil leaders like Luxman Kadiragamar, Amrithalingam, Thiruchelvam, Dureiappa, to name only a few. Then look at their other horrendous records. They bombed the Katunayaka Airport, Kolonnawa oil Tanks complex, The Central Bank and many other nerve points of the economy. They also murdered hundreds of devotees at the Sri Mahabodiya, nearly destroyed the Sri Dalada Maligawa (both of them considered as the Palladiums of the Buddhist world), butchered nearly 40 Buddhist monks at Arantalawa, murdered some 600 odd unarmed police officers after blind folding and driving them in to the jungle in the eastern Lanka. At Arantalawa where nearly 100 innocent villagers who had nothing to do with the war were blasted and only just few weeks ago they butchered over 100 odd unarmed Navy men on their way home to see their wives and children, again at Habarana a place far away from the war affected area.

Where were these International Communities, the apostles of Human rights, the sacred watchdogs of freedom of the Press, International media men, the MPP of the TNA and the Indian advisors like Vaiko? What they were doing then? Have any one of them uttered a single word on such inhuman barbarian activities of the Tigers. . None of them dared even to issue a two-line statement at least condemning those activities.

Now is it not in defense of those very brutal killers that these shameless champions of human rights and peace mongers have now come forward to rescue their friends. What a shame on you? Remember the hell hath no fury enough for you villains.

On the top of these heinous records, now they are threatening the government to blast the nations Reservoirs, hospitals and schools, if their requests are not granted.

Now what do you great men say about these threats? I am sure they will definitely classify them too as legitimate rights of the tigers and blame the Sri Lankan government if it takes measures to counter them.

The only valid conclusion one can arrive at on this behavior on their part is either they are anti-government and 100% pro-LTTE or else they are just reproducing what their LTTE buddies in the Vanni are pumping in without any idea as to what the real ground situation is. A third possible speculation is that they must be lavishly remunerated by the dirty LTTE pay list as some one has pointed recently.

The second important issue I want to clarify is why these 'all transparent" International Community and International media. Agencies and the TNA MPP did not raise this issue when the LTTE had kept A-9 closed for nearly two decades before February 2002.

Where were these TNA MPP, the champions of the Tamil people and the blind eyed human rightist LTTE pay role men were hiding and what were they doing all this time? Were the Tamil people of these regions better off then. Were they not starving to death then? What did they do when the LTTE destroyed the Jaffna Railway line? Why do they keep mum without uttering a word against he LTTE who keeps the railway destroyed and closed for over two decades which is very much cheaper, faster and safer than the A-9 as a mode of transport? My next question then is why this blatant and naked duplicity? Doesn't that show their obvious nudity and also their partiality to the tigers?

In my opinion the government should never open this until the LTTE agrees to the terms and conditions laid down by the government and abide by its legitimate requests. The government should also tell the International friends and peace brokers to prevail on the illegitimate LTTE, without aiming their guns at the legitimate government, which has a legitimate right to deal with this bunch of illegitimate terrorists and their sadistic accomplices.

Meanwhile we now see an attempt being made on the part of the government to open an alternative road to Jaffna and it is also reported that the government is awaiting the LTTE consent through Norwegians to start this work. In the first place why does the government want to go for a new road, obviously at exorbitant cost, at a time like this when there are three routs already available, namely the A-9, the railway and the sea? Of cause the air is also available as a fourth alternative. The government I think should go all out and get these existing roads opened before they think of any new roads.

The second issue, rather ridiculous and shameful too is as to why the government seeks LTTE permission to open a road on its sovereign territory? The other thing I cannot understand is even if the government opens another road with or without the consent of the LTTE what is the guarantee you have that, that road will also not have the same problems faced by the A-9? A third pertinent question arising from this issue perhaps more important is how can a government govern a country if they cannot get a closed road within its territory opened up without the permission from a bunch of illegitimate terrorist of few hundreds who have taken to arms to overthrow it? Does that amount to accepting by the government the existence of another separate state and separate sovereign government within the soils of this land?

Instead of trying to construct a new road to Jaffna, (which is of cause a good investment in the long run) why cant the government find the way "to the Kilinochchi bunker of Prabhakaran and the head quarters of these barbarians" as a brilliant man called "cobra" has pointed out in his comment responding to this issue in the Asian Tribune of 06th instant and open up the road to sanity and peace for every body living within this Island nation.

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