Building
up a bombful climate before talking peace
The long distance call was from London to somewhere in the Wanni.
Bala was calling his leader, Velu.
"Thambi, what is all this nonsense about Geneva?"
"Why, Bala, why are you so worried?"
"Why aren't you letting us go to Geneva again?"
"I thought you said it was not comfortable there and that you
had to even share toilets…"
"But
I was counting on another trip to Geneva for the April holiday season…"
"I have changed my plans, Bala…"
"Why is that, Thambi?"
"Well, the official reason is that they won't allow us to take
our men from the East for discussions…"
"But why do we need that, Thambi?"
"Why,
we must discuss with our area commanders before the peace talks,
just like they have their all party discussions in the South…"
"You make it sound as if we are a very democratic organisation,
Thambi…"
"Of course, but what is important is that we avoid going to
Geneva right now…"
"And why is that?"
"Why, we must do so only after a climate conducive for talks
has been created…"
"Yes,
I have heard Thamilselvam saying that, Thambi…"
"But I am not sure you know what I mean by that, Bala…"
"Why, what exactly is the climate you want?"
"A climate where so many claymore bombs have exploded with
dozens being killed, just like we did before the last peace talks…"
"What's the great advantage of doing that, Thambi? After all,
that type of strategy has already got us a ban in Canada and the
European Union maybe next…"
"Well,
I am not saying we should not go for talks, Bala…"
"Then, what is the plan?"
"First, we create this climate of terror with bombs, attacks
on troops and claymore mines…"
"And what happens next?"
"Of course we deny any involvement in any of that and say that
they are due to civilians retaliating to military excesses…"
"And what do we do thereafter?"
"Then, we give all kinds of silly excuses for not attending
the talks like not being able to talk to our area leaders…"
"But
that new Norwegian chap is shuttling to and fro and trying to sort
that out…"
"Then we make another fuss, maybe about the agenda…"
"What do we ask for then?"
"Maybe we will say we'll come for talks but disarming Karuna
must be discussed first…"
"If
they are capable of doing that, they could disarm us too, Thambi…"
"I know that, Bala, but can't you see, I am trying to create
the perfect climate that would be conducive for peace talks…"
"What happens then, Thambi? I must know because I have to do
all the smiling and shaking hands before the cameras…"
"Then, we finally attend the talks for a couple of days…"
"But what will we achieve with all these terror tactics, Thambi?
Won't other countries frown at us?"
"Of course they will, Bala, except one country…"
"And
which country is that?"
"Why, our own. You will find that when we eventually agree
to talk after all this fuss, they will bend over backwards to please
us, just to keep us talking to them and then we can get virtually
anything we want…"
"And what happens after that, Thambi?"
"Then we pull out of talks for the next few months of course…"
"But that might be disastrous, we may be banned in other countries
as well, Thambi…"
"Ah,
don't worry about that, Bala, because I think I should let you in
on a little secret…"
"What secret is that?"
"When it comes to giving in to our demands, I think Mahinda
may be as good as Ranil now…"
The more Bala thought about that, the more he felt like agreeing
with Velu.
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