CLASSIFIED | POLITICS | TERRORISM | OPINION | VIEWS

Desmond Tutu Must Shed his Apartheid Policy against Sri Lanka

Dilrook Kannangara

According to the Holy Bible Saint Paul was a brutal killer of Christians until he received enlightened by God upon which he became an ardent and fearless promoter of the Christian faith. There are many instances where resolute fighters have fallen prey to the same thing they fought against. Unfortunately this is the same case with Desmond Tutu in a bad way. His Apartheid policy against the democratic nation of Sri Lanka is undeniable. He may deny it if hypocrisy overtakes him as it has happened many times.

Tutu has been a strong supporter of Israeli action against terrorism. This is a good endeavour as Israel has a right to protect itself from a number of terrorist groups trying to obliterate it. Every right thinking individual should salute him for his support for a just cause. However, why doesn’t he hold the same view about Sri Lanka which is fighting a similar war in its defence against disintegration and for the protection of civilised and democratic way of life? The answer lies in Apartheid, once again. The Jewish state fought for the abolition of Apartheid in South Africa in its own terms. Tutu received ample support from Israel in his fight against the oppressive policy. However, that doesn’t entail him to support Israel but not Sri Lanka in their joint fight against terrorism. Sri Lanka also contributed to the struggle against Apartheid in little ways it could. In fact there are more suicide bombers in Sri Lanka than Israel, Palestine and Lebanon combined and Tutu must extend even bigger support to Sri Lanka.

There are mainly children, young men, pregnant women and young women used by the LTTE to attack civilian targets. A very large number of explosive devices including ‘explosive bras’ that are used to hide explosives were smuggled into government controlled areas in the south by the LTTE during 2002-2005 making full use of the lax security that prevailed then. The reason for lenient security arrangements was a “ceasefire” the government and the LTTE entered into which collapsed the next day when the LTTE as usual started exploiting the agreement. The very next day LTTE attacked the Sri Lanka Navy and within a few weeks started killing Tamil democratic activists, local government administration agents, members of security establishment and parliamentarians. Tamil tigers managed to kill one of the most valuable assets Sri Lanka had while the “ceasefire” was in full force. It was the nation’s Foreign Minister, Lakshman Kadirgamar who was also a Tamil. Also during this time the LTTE managed to plant many of its “sleepers” – suicide bombers awaiting instructions to carry out barbaric terror missions against carefully selected civilian targets – in civilian areas in the south that are outside battle zones.

Since then every month the LTTE unleashed sheer terror against civilians in government controlled areas. Many bomb blasts all of which were targeting civilian targets, assassinations, vandalism and other terror acts were committed by the LTTE. Although the government used all channels available to curtail these acts, it succeeded only in a few number of times. LTTE terrorists have infiltrated into civilian areas very skilfully. Their suicide bombers lead normal lives until they get a ‘calling’ from their superiors to kill civilians. These elements are extremely difficult, if not impossible to detect. Even the techno-savvy American, British, Russian and Israeli armies have failed to stop terrorists. Sri Lanka being a poorer and a weaker country stand lesser chance. However, Sri Lanka is faced with the most ruthless terrorist group in the world much worse than Al Qaeda, Hamas, Hezbollah or Taliban. Also they exploit exceptional kindness, humanity and compassion the Sri Lankan majority heaps upon its society and strangers. A classic example is the assassination attempt on the Army Commander by a pregnant suicide bomber in 2006. She managed to kill dozens severely injuring the Army Commander. She escaped security checks, restraint measures and even offered other comforts by soldiers due to her condition only to kill the very same people who were kind to her. There is a popular video footage of a LTTE suicide bomber blowing her up in an attempt to kill a senior Tamil parliamentarian. This suicide bomber has used an explosive packed bra to do so. Although checkpoints exist at various places and at the entrance to the Ministerial office that was bombed, thorough body searches as in other countries are not performed respecting privacy of individuals. This is another successful attempt by the LTTE to exploit the respect the Lankan society affords to females. This is the LTTE and this is their modus operandi.

However, the government must protect the innocent, the public infrastructure and everything that this nation holds dear. There is no way a democratically elected, democratically operating and eventually democratically stepping down government can turn a blind eye to this situation. Additionally, unless the government comes to their rescue, people are going to take matters into their own hands as they are not ready to be slaughtered like lambs. In 1983 a barbaric terror act by the LTTE which killed 13 policemen sparked riots that killed thousands and made hundreds of thousands homeless. Although this was a miniature version of what happened in India, Pakistan, South Africa, Sudan, Rwanda, Malaysia, the US, etc. it shook the society with horror. To make matters worse more than 54% of the island’s Tamil population today lives among the majority in government controlled areas to evade the brutal LTTE. Any repetition of 1983 would result in millions of casualties today.

Therefore the government forces take tried and tested, legal and effective security measures to curb these acts of terrorism skilfully unleashed by the LTTE. These measures include arrest as it happens around the world. Terror suspects are arrested and questioned upon which they are released. Of course some suspects are required to be further remanded and this is done going by available laws. A few suspects who have proved to be hardcore terrorists, abetters of terrorism, sleepers and the like are handled according to the provisions of the law democratically enacted for the safety of the society. These are standard measures practices right through out the civilised world. These measures have been very effective compared to lesser harsh methods. LTTE terrorists with their global network of hired communication professionals and sympathisers have launched a world-wide smear campaign against Sri Lanka to stop these security measures. They exaggerate the situation to get maximum leverage in favour of the LTTE. Only an extremely minute percentage of the total population is affected by what is alleged to be “forced disappearances”. People have been generally safe thanks to few tough measures taken by the security forces. If these measures are stopped, that allows many more LTTE suicide bombers to operate in civilian areas. This is the end they have in mind.

The government of Sri Lanka must use any and all means at its disposal to provide security to its people. Twenty million individuals’ right to life is much more important than mere human rights of a few hundred. This is a vital compromise that must be made in order to avoid many a bloodbath.

Tutu fails to see the good the Sri Lankan government is doing which is unparallel to the most humane government in the whole world. Sri Lanka is the only country in the world that is providing free food, fee medicine, free public administration, free education and free medication facilities to the enemy which is also a terrorist group. There is nothing that can stop the Lankan government from following the footsteps of the coalition forces in Iraq/Afghanistan or the Israeli defence forces that closed down vital supplies to its enemies. Not only this will accelerate the defeat of the enemy but also it will save millions of dollars that can be used for the betterment of civilians in government controlled areas.

Tutu also fails to appreciate the decent disposition of the Sri Lankan forces which is undoubtedly exemplarily. Although this war has been raging for three decades and although most LTTE cadres (and hence suspects also) are women and children the number of sexual offenses committed by Sri Lankan security forces is astonishingly low. The Indian Army (IPKF) that was in the North-East of this country from 1987 to 1990 committed far more sexual offences. Even the mentioning of the IPKF sends shockwaves down the spines of those Tamils who lived in those areas. Their experience is no different to what the Afghans, Iraqis, Sudanese, Congolese and even some Japanese are going through today. Worse crimes occurred in Manchuria, China, India, Germany, Turkey, etc. in the recent past. However, the decent conduct of the Sri Lankan forces has been out of this world. If Tutu does not have the faculty to understand these good deeds, he has failed to appreciate the kindness of God Almighty vividly displayed from the soldiers of this little island.

Sri Lanka is an economically backward country struggling with manyfold problems while spearheading the global war on terror in order to protect its civilised and democratic way of life which it has enjoyed for over 2,500 years. There can be no compromise on the right to life of twenty million peace-loving citizens of this country. Even if it takes the government to take daring steps to supersede the ever increasing ruthlessness of the LTTE, all peace loving men and women must support the Lankan government. Israel and Sri Lanka are both fighting the same enemy which South Africa will also have to fight pretty soon. Although Jesus said that God will eventually separate the good from the evil on the Judgement Day, we cannot wait till then to be free from terror; we, Sri Lankans want LTTE terrorists defeated and annihilated as soon as possible. That is the only sustainable way to ensure that human rights are protected.

Its either Sri Lanka or Terroristan that can emerge victors of this war; therefore crippling Sri Lanka’s efforts to defend itself amount to supporting the other. The Apartheid Policy against Sri Lanka apparently followed by some purported human rights warriors must end.

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