Give in to Prabha and peace will dawn’

Janaka Perera

Yesterday’s (August 17) incident at Vihara Maha Devi Park is clear evidence of the biggest stumbling block in prosecuting he war against he Tiger terrorists. The whole farcical anti-war exercise is still baffling to the ordinary citizen.

In any war two sides are involved and if peace is to be secured obviously the message should effectively reach both sides. The so-called National Anti-War Front reminds us of the folk tale of the farmer who severely beat a deer skin at home whenever wild animals ate his crops.

Going by the argument of these `peace’ advocates) it appears that they want President Rajapaksa as Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces to unconditionally halt operations against the LTTE no matter the Kebithigollewa massacre, Mavil Oya (Aru) incident, Loganathan killing, the attempt to assassinate EPDP’s Sivadasan, the Pakistan High Commissioner etc. etc.

These anti-war jokers appear to willfully ignore to the fact that it was the LTTE that launched unprovoked attacks on government troops within a couple of months after the President assumed duties and not the other way about.

Ostensibly, the `peace’ brigade is protesting against the JVP and the JHU though they are not involved in military operations. The hidden agenda of these `peace makers’ however is that they want the armed forces to be reduced in strength if not disbanded, to withdraw troops from the North and East and treat Army Commander Sarath Fonseka as a war monger since he has wowed to continue he battle against the Tiger terrorists.

No police baton charged these bogus peace demonstrators so that they could shout to their hearts content and beat anyone who tried to obstruct them. But these self-styled Gandhi’s and Martin Luther Kings do not have the guts to march o Kilinonchchi and face event he Prabhakaran’s firing squads in for the sake of peace.

The `peace’ crusaders real `anti-war’ message is: ``Society is to blame for his (Prabhakaran’s) thuggery and he has every right to continue to be a thug until we meet his demands. So, for `God’s sake’ do not provoke him and get more people killed. Stop fighting against him right now and allow him to have his way – the only way to ``lasting peace.’ If this is not done we hold you (the government, the JHU and JVP) responsible for the war”

Wonder why these peace jackasses did not hold a demonstration opposite the Pakistan High Commission (after the assassination attempt on the High Commissioner) demanding that Islamabad immediately stop giving military assistance to Sri Lanka? Perhaps the jokers forgot all about it. Had they staged such a demonstration it would have provided us with some light entertainment.