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What have the LTTE's NGO/INGO friends being
doing in Sri Lanka?
By: Shenali WADUGE
Sri Lanka's NGO/INGO sector number 3500 (7 per every square mile).
Many of those who question the actions of these "humanitarian aid
workers" base their argument on the type "work" that
has been done by them, why they are unmonitored & why they lack
transparency and impartiality. As the Sri Lanka n armed forces march
to liberate the North of LTTE hegemony what these NGOs/INGOs have been
doing can be finally unearthed (pun intended) & expose who actually
benefited from their "humanitarian" kindness.
Many of the NGOs/INGOs present in Sri Lanka have benefited by the continuing
conflict in the country -the conflict being the very reason why they
continue to remain. The 2004 tsunami was another reason for a further
influx of NGOs into Sri Lanka & four years on it seems the tsunami
victims are still without homes though less than 125,000 were displaced
& the number r of NGOs entering Sri Lanka is ever increasing.
The NGOs/INGOs have enjoyed camouflaging their reason d'etre behind
a crusade to depict Governments as being unconcerned for its citizens
most of all the minorities. Sri Lanka's case has been no different.
Presently we have a chorus of NGOs/INGOs denouncing the decision by
the Government to relocate (local & foreign staff) from Kilinochchi
to Vavuniya. The Government has gone the length by even offering to
continue what they have been doing, if a list of all their activities
is given to the Government.
Furthermore the NGOs/INGOs have even been invited to join the Government
convoys in overseeing the delivery of essential items to those displaced.
Those accepting the "humanitarian disaster" forecast as an
eventuality to the removal of NGOs/INGOs are perhaps ignorant of the
fact that none of the distribution to civilians at any point of time
was directly done by any of these NGOs/INGOs - the distribution of food
items etc has always been channelled through the Government Agent including
all contributions given by WFP & other agencies.
This is however contrary to the statements being publicized internationally
- Sam Zarifi, Amnesty International's Asia Pacific Director, said: "Aid
agencies provided a lifeline to tens of thousands of trapped civilians.
If aid workers are pulled out of the region, food, shelter and sanitation
supplies have even less chance of reaching civilians most in need.'
There are others who cite concerns of monitoring of the items - even
this argument t does not hold true as there is enough evidence to prove
that much of these UN & WFP consignments lie in LTTE hands - a consignment
of ready-to-use high h protein biscuits (a shelf life of 4 years &
usually used by combatants) belonging to the World Food Programme bound
for Vavuniya was apprehended by the Police in Medawachchiya. Only a
few days back a UN bound lorry to the North was found to have hidden
catchments of arms.
As was to be expected the Government's decision to liberate the East
generated the same "humanitarian disaster" scenario by these
NGO/INGOs - it turned out to be just a hallucination for none of what
was projected to happen actually happened. If there were no genocide
by the Sri Lanka armed forces in liberating the East & facilitating
the Government to conduct democratic elections why would these NGOs'
claim or to paint a picture of genocide in the North especially when
the Jaffna peninsula under Government control has over 35,000 troops
stationed there? If genocide is the preferred d topic then LTTE again
must shoulder the blame for a series of low-intensity genocide massacring
innocent Sinhalese & Muslims & even Tamils. There were times
when Sinhalese & Muslims were living in the North - some would say
that during the Sinhala New Year the Tamils would have no bread in Jaffna
a s the bakeries were all run by Sinhalese & had closed for the
holidays. So Sri Lanka should not be surprised when the same "humanitarian
disaster" scenario o is now been projected to take place in the
North - a dwindling area of 4000 sq.km that is being forcefully held
by the LTTE & which the Sri Lankan forces are determined to return
to the State of Sri Lanka.
Returning to the "looming humanitarian crisis" of possibly
200,000 Tamil people, have those pointing their accusing finger at the
Government not asked "Where are these people located"? - They
are trapped in the areas that LTTE has demarcated as their own. These
are innocent victims of LTTE rule - they either have to provide administrative
support to the LTTE or sacrifice a family member when LTTE falls short
of cadres in the battleground.
A few placards in English aim to tell the world of what would happen
if these "humanitarian workers" vacate Kilinochchi. Many of
those not living in Sri Lanka would understand that the people in the
North wish to have protection of these NGOs/INGOs but little do they
wonder who they are seeking protection from? These people are living
in LTTE controlled areas - it implies that these people wish to have
the presence of these NGOs/INGOs to protect them from LTTE in which
case we must immediately ask why are these NGOs/INGOs keeping silent
& prefer instead to join the chorus of anti-Government bellows,
when they realistically should be pressurizing the LTTE to allow these
innocent people & local employees of their organization s to be
released.
If they were really concerned about the welfare of these innocent people
why do these NGOs/INGOs not tell the world especially the UN & the
Donor Countries to demand that all Tamil civilians in LTTE areas be
free to move to safety where the Government is ready with essential
items enough they say to last for 6 months? Surely the vehicles of the
NGOs/INGOS can accommodate at least the women & children in their
journey to Vavuniya? Why didn't a single NGO/INGO make a request or
demand to allow the children & women as well as the elderly to accompany
the UN vehicles towards Vavuniya? Instead it has suited all to solely
blame the Government.
Is Sri Lanka ungrateful to NGOs?
If Sri Lankans feel they have a right to question the ethics &
standards of these "impartial" & "transparent"
agencies & their humanitarian workers there are plenty of examples
to show why there is so much distrust. We can recall how even Kofi Annan
visiting the tsunami hit areas of Sri Lanka issued a statement of condolence
on 7 February 2005 for Kausalyan a low level member of the LTTE, fully
aware that the LTTE was very much a proscribed militant outfit not to
mention that the UN has enough of documentation against the LTTE for
child recruitment.
There are many who would opine that Sri Lanka is ungrateful to the
UN/the INGOs & other NGOs presently involved in various development
& humanitarian programs in Sri Lanka. As a developing nation, saddled
with a conflict that has drawn on for over 25 years due to lack of proper
leadership, we naturally must be grateful to the hand outs of aid etc
that have been given .
But realistically much of this aid has never really been free - whatever
financial assistance we get from the World Bank or the IMF have necessitate
d that we align to their Structural Adjustment Programs (SAP) which
means we must fall in line with any privatization programs to pay back
all loans wit h plenty of interest. This is the way free market economies
run - these loans may have provided immediate monetary assistance but
the eventual burden falls upon the common man thus we see moves to privatize
water etc. Thus, the developing nations as a whole are all servants
of SAP programs that essentially mean more & more privatization
of national assets. Ironically w e see the contrary taking place in
the West where financial crisis has now left these developed nations
with no other option but to nationalize.
But then how have these NGOs/INGOs been suddenly associated with the
LTTE?
It was often said that the mistrust in NGOs/INGOs operating in Sri Lanka
was baseless & lacked any evidence & more often on hearsays.
When the Norwegian People's Aid, a Norwegian Government funded NGO says
its heavy earth moving vehicles, trucks & tractors have been "stolen"
by the LTTE - those who know of NPA track record will immediately recall
how NPA was party to the secret smuggling of arms to an insurgent group
(Sudan's People's Liberation Army) in Sudan. Viewing the massive bunkers
that the army have taken over, the trenches that delay army advances
it is very easy to assume that these trenches, bunkers etc could not
have been built overnight - which immediately necessitates that if these
vehicles etc were "stolen" it should not have taken till the
army's advancement to actually inform the Government. Many of these
NGOs enjoy putting forth figures & reports of what they have done
obviously to generate more funds. If we cant see development in these
areas we can perhaps assume where these funds have gone!
The soldiers who overran the Stanley Base and other camps found electricity
generators, water pumps, tents, water dowsers belonging to INGOs (Media
Centre for National Security).
Despite the presence of over 25 aid & humanitarian agencies in
the Wanni, no impressive construction work was visible as pointed out
by the military on liberating Vannerikulam, Vidalathivu, Thunnukkai
& Mallavi. So where has the aid given by donors & charitable
hearts gone? Very little pressure has even been exerted on the LTTE
to really release the local staff attached to the NGOs/INGOs & UN
Agencies - it does immediately bring to mind the fate of the local staff
of the Action Against Hunger which instead of accepting accountability
for not removing their employees from a conflict zone when all others
had gone to safety, these staff members were forced to remain &
eventually Action Against Hunger found it very convenient to blame the
Government troops for their deaths. We were also made aware of Norwegian
training in Thailand for LTTE sea tigers. There was also speculation
of Norway's role in providing sophisticated satellite & communication
equipment to the LTTE during the 2002 truce.
In another twist the media informs of a senior manager from the Zoa
Refugee Care putting his lot with the LTTE & not joining the rest
of the foreign staff in Vavuniya. Plenty of confusion here because the
Zoa head is now denying anything of the sort occurring. The civilians
who managed to escape LTTE rule who witnessed the fall of the LTTE plane
killing its two pilots have given further vital information that the
flight was manned not by LTTE but mercenaries - a Ukranian & another.
So we are dealing with much more than an "ethnic" "discrimination"
scenario.
Many of these western NGOs have a delusionary outlook of the situation
in Sri Lanka. They should by now realize that what ails the country
is not the straightforward black & white problem they have witnessed
in their climes.
There is a bigger combination involving caste / class / differences
between Jaffna Tamils - Eastern Tamils, the Christian factor - all forms
of differentiations that actually divide the Tamils which are yet to
be resolved. Before going on to a pedestal of self-determination with
none of these exposed & resolved it is futile in carving out a piece
of area & placing it in the hands of an armed group that will kill
all those that oppose their line of thinking which is exactly what happened
to over 55 Tamil leaders in the past.
There are many who enjoy projecting the "racial" discrimination
theme & the LTTE have used this tool for their propaganda &
to justify their right to take up arms. The Tamil leaders in 1945 were
quick to point out to the Soulbury Commission that the Sri Lankan Tamils
were discriminated against - however, here lies one of the most important
& often unquoted examples the Soulbury Commission in fact determined
that the "measures taken by the Government of Sri Lanka were not
deliberate efforts to discriminate against the Sri Lankan Tamils, but
instead, were measures adopted to rectify past injustices, perpetrated
on the larger Sri Lankan nation". "Injustices" to the
Sinhalese by the colonial rulers throughout their reign.
Secessionist thought should not encourage NGOs to be na8Bve or ignore
the fact that they are sympathizing with a fascist dictator who runs
an illegal & illegitimate campaign & moreover these crusaders
of peace & humanitarian issues should not close their eyes to the
fact that the men they are sympathizing with are breaking the very laws
the NGOs are supposed to uphold
- is not child recruitment against UN Convention where it specifically
states that a child should not be separated from his/her parents? We
have heard enough of laments about the humanitarian situation following
the army's advance towards the North but we have not heard any lament
over LTTE's kidnapping of children & turning them into child soldiers....this
is where we question the hypocrisy of these NGOs & INGOs.
These NGOs could be cooperating with the GOSL & working out programs
to train the soldiers to understand their larger role in bridging the
divide instead of immediately descending upon a sovereign nation &
taking on an anti-Government agenda, with provocative actions as was
done by Julian Wilson & his handling of the visitors of the European
Parliament wherein he refused the Government's offer of air transport
to the East citing his wish to be "impartial" -lest he should
offend Prabakaran possibly.
Then having an aircraft to fly from South Africa just to make an one
hour journey to the East which never materialized because the aircraft
had no clearance from the authorities & besides the crew were clueless
of how to get to the East. Wilson's actions was a surprise to even a
member of the delegation - a Conservative British MEP Geffory van Orden
stated, "the Delegation leader held a press conference and issued
an offensive and tendentious press statement - effectively a biased
statement that only served the interests of the LTTE, which certainly
did not reflect the views expressed by the European Parliament, and
which implied that the authorities were responsible for the failure
of the visit to the East. Not surprisingly , there was extensive and
very negative press coverage and the reputation of European Parliamentarians
has been damaged."
What we all wonder is how these NGOs can go beyond their official mandate
- those that are supposed to bring food & medical aid in a terrorist-occupied
town are soon involving themselves in the dynamics of the conflict without
Government approval thereby making the scenario more complicated &
more difficult to comprehend or assess exactly what they are doing in
these areas. Should any sovereign nation sit silent while these unaccountable
NGO elements dictate terms on how to run a country? By creating instability
or projecting such internationally what these NGOs actually do is to
ensure the longevity of their organizations & domination in the
countries that they se t up office in remains intact. Let us not forget
that the on-going conflict i s a major reason for the growing presence
of western NGOs in Sri Lanka, which has now effectively evolved into
a strategic foreign policy of western nations to fund these NGOs to
carry out their agendas.
Having said that, we must appreciate the actions taken by the US Government
which has proscribed the LTTE as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, under
Section 219 of the Immigration & Nationality Act & was re-evaluated
on 2 Nov 2001 & including the LTTE as a Specially Designated Global
Terrorist (SDGT) under Executive Order 13224. 32 other countries have
also banned the LTTE yet there are many NGOs that continue to publicly
promote the LTTE & their "cause". Canada has banned the
World Tamil Movement - a "charitable" & "human rights"
organization for links with the LTTE & providing funds to them.
Countries that provide a strong base of support for LTTE activities
abroad include Canada, the U.S., and the U.K. (ironically the same western
countries whose governments have denounced the LTTE). These countries
are incidentally home to large Tamil immigrant communities & will
explain why some of the parliamentarians in these countries opt to champion
the "ethnic "
problem to ensure they have the votes to remain in parliament.
When humpty dumpty falls....?
The eminent fall of Kilinochchi so far regarded as the de facto capital
of Tamil Eelam will be a political victory for the Sri Lankan Government.
The military victory will come when Mullaitivu also comes under State
control & that will be the next target of the advancing troops.
Many predicted the LTTE would pull out one of its famous comebacks something
more than the gas that the army has been equipped to handle. With the
looming fall of the LTTE - we hear that Tiger leaders are escaping,
some even facilitating their escape but in the days & months to
come we will see how far the cadres can withstand the pressures when
their leaders have deserted them.
Many of the local & foreign NGOs/INGOs that sympathize with the
LTTE cause have now skipped to the notion that the LTTE will still survive
as a guerilla outfit - how much that would bring in foreign funds is
another argument altogether but it depicts the desire of those who have
benefited b y the existence of the LTTE to consider ways in which their
livelihood can still be maintained - the only possible outcome is to
now tie themselves to "development" programs & avoid the
"peace brigades". There are some others who have been quick
to foresee what's to come & are quickly promulgating another theme
by conveniently stacking the blame upon Prabakaran for "failing"
them & attempting to realign their "cause" into a different
modus operandi.
It will come as no surprise to see elements of NGOs also involved in
a newl y articulated quest still with the desire for "self-determination"
very much alive. But, the people having undergone 30 years of hardships
should ask whether they wish to carry the burden another 30 years just
to have a handful of wealthy Tamil leaders prospering from the situation?
This by & large will answer what has happened to the majority of
Tamils who lived amidst the conflict in both the North & East. The
Tamils outside of these areas never suffered - they educated themselves,
they received employment (foreign & local), they are amassing their
wealth & obtaining property. It is time for the people of the North
& East to not allow any more of their Tamil leaders to fool them
into paying for a "dream" that they have which will benefit
only them right through the process even though it is unlikely to materialize.
If we raise an eye brow & claim that the present set of Tamil parliamentarians
are proxy LTTE - it is amply shown in the 2002 statement b y TULF Secretary
General - R. Sampanthan - "Mr. Anton Balasingham explained the
position of the LTTE. The need of the LTTE and the TNA to work united
was accepted by all participants. The exchange of views took place in
a cordial atmosphere. In conclusion the LTTE leader Mr. Pirapaharan
hosted al l participants to dinner".
The people of the North should ask why the Tamil diaspora choose to
arm militants for 30 years instead of developing the North? Why they
prefer bloodshed even now? Why did they not sponsor a child's education,
a village reawakening program instead of pump money towards arming a
group & instructing them to kill? Surprisingly enough it is the
Sinhalese who are now collecting food items & other essentials to
be given to these Tamil people who have lived all these years as hostages
of the LTTE & who have braved the journey to escape the LTTE. The
photos of IDPs accepting the parcels of infant milk powder etc depict
that the majority have actually broken the negative image that the LTTE
has created about the Sinhalese.
If these NGOs/INGOs have been misinformed or misled about the conflict
it can be corrected but if they are functioning with the motive of championing
a separatist state by aligning themselves to an illegitimate & proscribed
group then a sovereign nation has every right to take stern action against
them.
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