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A political theologian-Courtesy The Island 15-01-2008

The policy of the 'West' with regard to our conflict, from the time Norway came in as facilitator or mediator or ‘peace broker, has been " let us support them and give them at least one success whatever may be the consequences for the sovereign state of Sri Lanka". They have closed ranks once again and are crowing about the abrogation of the dead CFA. The Co-chairs who in fact ceased to function with the LTTE pulling out of the peace process on the 23rd of April 2003 have surfaced once again with the abrogation of the CFA. They have expressed their deep disappointment and also expressed their concern at what they describe as the ‘worsening human rights situation in the north".

As stated above the agenda of this so-called ‘international community’ was to obtain for Norway a success story whatever may have been the consequences for the country concerned. The Norway had failed in Africa and the Middle East and they badly needed a success to justify staying out of the EU and projecting herself as peace maker of the world. Pushing the interests of Norway has been the one reason for the EU, the US, Australia and Canada, all countries of the ‘Caucasian circle’ issuing statements bemoaning our abrogating the already dead CFA. The fact that the LTTE had violated with impunity the CFA almost four thousand times, the fact that that the LTTE very nearly sank two troop carriers each with almost 800 men on board when the CFA was in operation. Had they succeeded the Moronic Monitoring Mission would have blamed it on a ‘third party’, as did an utter corrupt scoundrel by the name of Trgvy Tellefsson (a man who was nicknamed ‘ Tricky Tell-lies-son’ by the press, who at one time headed the SLMM) when the LTTE sank a Chinese fishing trawler.

This same scoundrel was responsible for informing the LTTE that the navy had detected an LTTE vessel bringing arms and had wanted the SLMM to send a team to inspect the vessel. The SLMM on receiving the information informed the LTTE and the ship sailed away. They were not a ‘Moronic’ Mission: they were established with a Norwegian head to protect the LTTE. The fact that the LTTE killed off over 40 of our intelligence operatives during the period of the ceasefire, that they assassinated Foreign Minister Kadirgamar and many of their political opponents and those so-called Para-militaries who surrendered their weapons in terms of the CFA; all this was of no concern to the SLMM or the Caucasian circle. They are now shedding crocodile tears claiming that the peace process has suffered irreparable damage due to the abrogation of the CFA.

This CFA which was entered into secretly even prevented our armed forces from protecting the territorial integrity of the country with a clause (1.3) which stated that the forces could not engage in any offensive operations against the LTTE even if the

LTTE was violating the ceasefire! It should not be forgotten that this CFA sought to create a line of control (article 1.4), as in Kashmir, to create the impression that there were two states at war. Yes this CFA sought to demarcate territory; it ceded sovereignty over the areas controlled by the LTTE. This is the CFA which the so-called international community and the NGO community are bemoaning the tearing up of. Another important matter with regard to the ‘international community’ is that they met at various times without representatives of the GoSL and took decisions which affected this country. So much for our sovereignty; they now once again seek to intervene in what is essentially an internal affair of this country on the excuse that the government is not safeguarding the rights of its own citizens.

It has been reported that the European Union has issued a statement expressing deep regret and calling upon the government "to offer a substantial devolution package to the Tamil rebels"!!! Not to ‘the Tamil people’ but to the terrorist LTTE! Surely the EU should know that the LTTE is not interested in devolution but seek to establish a separate state. This statement if true is more than strange, for the European Union and its Parliament have on many occasions condemned the LTTE and many countries of the EU have proscribed the LTTE; if this is indeed true then the so-called Ambassador of the EU in Colombo should be called in and asked for an explanation.

It has been rumoured that the man is an LTTE sympathizer, if the EU statement is correct and it has, as is usual originated from Colombo, then the government must ask for his recall. We cannot allow such people to undermine the sovereignty of our country. There are many such who are taking advantage of us because we are a small vulnerable country and they feel they can do so with impunity. There is indeed a huge job to be done by our missions in Europe to counter LTTE sympathisers in various garbs in Europe. Our missions in Europe are today being undermined not only by the appointment of cronies but by meaningless transfers of able officers to accommodate friends and relations.

There is little doubt that the Tamil Diaspora with the help of the Caucasian Circle led by Norway are seeking to mount an effort to bring about a ‘humanitarian intervention’. The thrust of the campaign to stop the offensive against the LTTE is based on the possibility that a huge humanitarian crisis would be caused by the army moving into the Vanni; they do not know the terrain or that the districts of Mullaitivu and Kilinochchi are not densely populated as is being made out, this of course is not to justify any harm that may come to civilians; that is inevitable in any war and the operation should be as clinical as is possible. It is pertinent to ask the question as to whether the government is capable of launching a pre-emptive diplomatic offensive to counter the attempt of the influential ‘Caucasian Circle’. Does this country not have influential friends outside this circle?

The ‘circle’ are of course not without their local friends ---- the well funded local NGOO and even their friends in the fourth estate have been at pains to state that as a result of the abrogation of the CFA this country has isolated itself from the international community, some have sought to scare the government and have referred to economic sanctions and that the EU was "seriously re-thinking trade benefits granted to Sri Lanka because of human rights concerns". The EU is of course aware that sanctions would affect the people first and that is not what they would wish to happen. That would indeed be a last resort but this country is miles away from such a situation unless interested parties both political and from among the NGOO who are living off the ‘Caucasian Circle’ create the exaggerated impression that international intervention is an imperative.

There was one NGO which questioned as to how the CFA which was acceptable to two previous regimes became unacceptable to this government --- the man perhaps thought that we are naïve --- the first administration foisted the CFA on us the second was as pro-west as the first and was also under pressure from the circle to retain the CFA. Another went to the hilarious extent of questioning whether there was now "A return to war"!! I wondered where he had been living during this past year.

Sri Lanka being economically weak and vulnerable is an easy prey to pick on, hence the bullying. Minorities in India claim that they have problems and are being denied their rights by high cast Hindus, the Muslims in Gujarat, the problems relating to minorities in Assam Meghalaya Manipur and elsewhere in their North East, what have these brave Samaritans done about those situations ----- they dare not speak leave alone take liberties with the Indian government. India perceived a security problem in the 80s when the government of President Jayewardene cozyied up to the west, though the Cold War is over India still would not be happy about the ‘Caucasian circle’ getting over-involved in the affairs of this country. I do hope these do-gooders would take note of this.

To conclude, the issue is not the why the CFA had to be abrogated, for there was more than enough evidence to prove that the CFA was abused by the LTTE to pursue their goal of a separate state. Their intentions were, from the very beginning mala fide; they had acted as they had done on three previous occasions, when they tricked the governments of the day to conclude ceasefire agreements on the understanding that they were interested in a negotiated settlement.

The only issue to my mind is why the government handled this matter in such a clumsy manner; it should perhaps have been done with greater sophistication, sophistication I regret to say, I would not associate with this government. Surely the government could have first consulted India and then informed the international community at a higher level than the heads of missions in Colombo, by sending senior ministers to brief those governments and after showing them the evidence of how the LTTE prostituted the CFA to pursue their goal of a separate state.

We could have, after such briefings, announced that the government was abrogating the CFA as it was a hindrance to arriving at a settlement of this issue. The ministers could also have, on a confidential basis, briefed foreign governments of the basis on which the government intends to address the grievances of the minorities, not just of the Tamil people of Lanka.

A new set of constitutional proposals to address the Tamil grievance that they have no stake in the management of affairs in the areas where they form a majority and also have no say on national issues must be addressed NOW; we must put an end to Majoritarianism which has plagued this country from 1956. THIS CANNOT BE POSTPONED ANY LONGER. This strategy would obtain the support not only of the Caucasian circle but also of India and the rest of the international community to put down the insurgency of the LTTE and its attendant terrorism. and\ restore peace to our country.

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