CLASSIFIED | POLITICS | TERRORISM | OPINION | VIEWS

Ireland and Sri Lanka: Comparing the Incomparable

Dilrook Kannangara

Similar problems have similar solutions, and, dissimilar problems have dissimilar solutions. On a superficial sense, both Sri Lanka and Northern Ireland experienced terrorism. Both terror groups were demanding self-rule; both instigate along racial/ethnic/religious lines; both have political wings; both have the support from a large number of people. However, the two rebel groups are widely different. Former rebel Martin McGuiness hit headlines again with his shallow comparison of the Northern Ireland conflict with the Sri Lankan conflict.

Cart before the horse

The IRA is ruled by Sinn Fein; a group strongly believing in democracy, compromise and on civilised means of conflict resolution. A ceasefire means a ceasefire to them and later the IRA was ordered to decommission its weapons for the ceasefire to hold. And of course, they did so. Under no circumstances, did the IRA overrule the Sinn Fein. Sinn Fein members were not hostages of the IRA; on the contrary, both have mutual respect for each other and always upheld the force of politics over military force.

As regards the LTTE, it is a pathetic story. LTTE has terrorised Tamil politicians into submission. All Tamil political activists who valued democracy and negotiations were gunned down including A Amirthalingam, N Thiruchelvam, L Kadirgaman, etc. LTTE has nominated a group called TNA to do their menial jobs, but not to guide the LTTE. Additionally, the LTTE has its own political wing. This ‘political wing’ has no public support and was headed by the barber of the LTTE leader! This political leader’s only qualification was that the terror leader trusted him with a blade at his neck! He was killed while on a military mission and was posthumously promoted to the rank of brigadier! His successor is no better. He was a former police officer and now runs the LTTE Gestapo. However, he has no say in the LTTE as he is merely an instrument of its all powerful leader – Velupillai Parabakaran.

LTTE agreed to a cease fire (not quite a ceasefire) soon after the West declared war on terror. Unlike ceasefires elsewhere, this one was flawed from the start. It was abbreviated as CFA, which stands for Cease (space) Fire Agreement clearly not a ceasefire. From the day it was signed, LTTE’s firing increased gradually. It had an auspicious start when the navy was confronted just hours after it was signed by sea-going terrorists. Many Tamil democratic politicians, armed forces personnel, members of national intelligence units, civilians and even foreign nationals (Indians and Chinese) were brutally killed. Shiploads of arms found their way to the terrorist den in stark contrast to what the IRA did. It was counted that at least 14 weapons shipments had landed during the heyday of the CFA. Some Tamil political actors were trumpeting the praises of the terrorists instead of guiding them. Surely, the LTTE has put the cart before the horse. There is no sense in ‘talking’ to their political agents who have no power to make decisions and who are appointed (and sacked at will) by the terrorist wing!

McGuiness says the most important ingredient in successful negotiation is the leadership skills of both leaders and their courage. Of course both the Sri Lankan leader and the LTTE leader have all these qualities. The problem is negotiators forwarded by the LTTE have no power to make binding decisions. They lack among many things, leadership and courage! They are essentially not leaders at all. Meanwhile their leader, a megalomaniac, has demanded that he be shot dead if he budges an inch from his demands! Now this is the ground reality. This is what fools don’t realise in asking Lanka to talk to the LTTE.

No compromise

Sinn Fein was very good at negotiations because its members knew how to give and take. There were no absolute demands or demands that may breed further demands. This is widely different to the LTTE, which harps on a mono-ethnic state for Tamils, and they have made it only too clear that they won’t settle for less. Thereby they have left nothing to negotiate! There is absolutely nothing left to negotiate with the LTTE.

In 2003 LTTE came up with ISGA (Interim Self-Governing Authority) proposals and declared that peace talks should concentrate on the implementation of ISGA proposals! This was an order and obviously even the most submissive Sri Lankan leader refused to follow and that ended peace talks started in 2002.

Mono-ethnic

Northern Ireland is home not only to Catholics, but also to Protestants, other Christians and those professing other faiths. Sinn Fein and IRA have never tried to create a state where only one group of people could live. Instead, they have come to terms with other democratic leaders who represent different ethnic groups. This is the way of the civilised, called co-existence. Things would be even better if most Northern Ireland residents can overcome ethnic/religious limitations as people in Sri Lanka practice day in and day out. In Sri Lanka the Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims en masse vote for Sinhalese candidates in presidential elections that elect the all powerful decision maker of the island. From the 1982 presidential election, through the 1988, 1994, 1999 and 2005 presidential elections, all Tamils and all Muslims have voted for Sinhalese candidates, not for candidates of their own community.

However, the LTTE only want Tamils, particularly the Northern Tamils to live in its Tamil Elam dreamland. Unthinkable brutality has been unleashed on Muslims and Sinhalese to leave their dreamland. These include indiscriminate firing at villagers, desecrating their places of religious worship, killing worshipers while in prayer, slaying busloads of priests, cutting down water supply to tens of thousands of families, massacring villages as not seen anywhere in the modern world and other unprecedented brutality on civilians. LTTE claims 37% of the total landmass of Sri Lanka and 65% of the coastline for a mere 6% of the population of Tamils who are living in the North-East.

Has anything similar ever demanded in Northern Ireland?

Rebels fighting for the people verses people fighting for the rebels

Call it liberation; in Northern Ireland, the IRA fought the British army and bore the brunt of it themselves. In wide contrast, in Sri Lanka, the LTTE uses the people whom they say are being liberated, in their frontlines defending LTTE cadres and leaders. Whenever the Sri Lanka army launches an operation against the LTTE, its leaders go into hiding behind the civilians. The IRA never used human shields though it is the main weapon of the LTTE. When Northern Ireland was engulfed in war, the safest places were civilian homes whereas in Sri Lanka the safest place is LTTE leader’s home!

This shows clearly the differing priorities of rebels in Northern Ireland and terrorists in Sri Lanka. While one group fights for its people, the other forces the people fight to save the rebels.

LTTE has killed more Tamils than Sri Lanka troops have. It is the exact opposite about the IRA. The IRA was concerned about its people whereas the LTTE would sacrifice any number of civilian lives at its disposal to get what it wants.

Living with the insurgents and living under terrorists

Northern Ireland residents have not left their homeland in fear of IRA oppression. However, the track record of the LTTE is just the opposite. Tamils have fled the LTTE to live among the Sinhalese in the ‘south’ and nearly a three quarter of a million has left the country. Were the Northern Ireland residents so desperate to go live in England in such large numbers as Tamils in Sri Lanka have done? Have they left the UK/Ireland behind to live elsewhere as a result of IRA activity in such large numbers as Tamils have?

The answers are in the negative.

Sinn Fein supporters are willing to live with their liberators whereas Tamils vehemently reject to live with or under the LTTE. Empowering the LTTE means empowering the oppressors of Tamils. There are plenty of other Tamil and national political groups that represent Tamils and intolerance of these groups by the LTTE only shuts the little window of opportunity to consider negotiations.

Real IRA

This is the issue most would rather avoid. The armed group called the Real IRA still engages in terrorist activity. It is a banned terrorist organisation. They have not given up their terrorist activities in spite of Sinn Fein, etc. joining the democratic mainstream. What about the Real IRA? When will they stop terrorism? Why don’t the British government give whatever they want and satisfy them hoping that it will end their terrorism? Those who cite Ireland as an example conveniently avoid these real issues.

However this development has a similarity with the LTTE. When moderate Tamil groups are willing to settle for a compromise, the LTTE carries on. Their main targets were these moderates. What would have happened if the Real IRA managed to exterminate the Sinn Fein before the Good Friday Agreement? That’s the present situation in Sri Lanka today after LTTE succeeded in killing almost all democratic forces.

Ethnic intolerance among the people

Intermittent killing of civilians based on religion continues in Northern Ireland and tensions run high during religious processions. These are enough evidence to suggest that the fires are still burning beneath the smiling faces of politicians and former rebels. This is again different to Sri Lanka where ‘people at conflict’ – according to the Westerners - are at peace at each others’ religious sites. Both groups patronise Kataragama, St Anthony’s Church-Colombo, Koneswaram, Munneswaram, Nagadeepa, Kelaniya, Kandy, The Madu Shrine, etc., etc. A few dozen Hindu religious processions take place in Colombo every year and in other areas in the ‘south’ without any racial tensions. There has never been any racially instigated violence, intolerance or friction around these shrines. Are we to follow Northern Ireland? If we do, it is simply degeneration from where we are now.

IRA fought for a united Ireland whereas LTTE is fighting for a divide Lanka

What a noble cause the IRA had if they fought for the unification of their country and its peoples? In direct contrast the LTTE is fighting to divide this otherwise undivided country along racial lines. The conflict in Northern Ireland had its players in exact opposition in Sri Lanka.

What would have happened if, hypothetically, the powerful British army and its paramilitaries fought for a united Ireland (the cause of the IRA) and the IRA, hypothetically, fought to divide Ireland? Obviously the British army would have succeeded in defeating the IRA in that event. This is the case in Sri Lanka. Therefore it is fair to say that the case of Northern Ireland and Sri Lanka are exact opposites in this regard and hence the remedies should also be opposites.

The numbers

Even the numbers don’t compare; the Sri Lankan conflict has taken more than 70,000 lives whereas the Northern Ireland conflict took only a fraction of it. The number of IDPs and externally displaced people of each conflict differ even widely. The ratio of combatants to civilians in LTTE controlled area is hundreds of times higher than IRA/Sinn Fein to Northern Ireland civilians. Average earning of a Northern Ireland resident is at least 30 times higher than an average Sri Lankan resident. So many demographic and economic incomparables exist between the two that demands two different solutions.

The landmass, coastline, population distribution and other demographic factors also make the two nations incomparable.

Powerful British propaganda verses media Apartheid against Sri Lanka

Propaganda is part of war and peace. Killing scores in Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, Argentina etc. is backed by the powerful British media, which justifies such genocides. Although British Muslims have aspirations, these aspirations are suppressed by this media. The UK government that refuses to negotiate with terrorists even when its own citizens’ lives are at stake tells Sri Lanka to negotiate with terrorists! On one hand, British troops go plundering civilian houses in Iraq and Afghanistan and on the other provide refuge to terrorists from Sri Lanka, Chechnya, Iran, Pakistan, etc. While not giving an ear to Britain’s home grown terrorism, it professes a negotiated settlement for a terrorist problem far away. What if Sri Lanka tells Britain to find a political solution to its home-grown terrorism? What if Sri Lanka harbours the bombers of 7/7 and asks Britain to negotiate with the Al Qaeda?

Unfortunately nations across the globe are incomparable! Trying to compare the incomparable is an act of mischief.

Sri Lanka is rather similar to what Bolivia went through decades ago when it was defying all free advice, threats and intimidation from hypocrites and was cruising its way to exterminate its iconic terrorists.

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