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What's up, LTTE? The LTTE's ceasefire violations since the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) or the ceasefire agreement was signed, reads like a never-ending list of deliberate provocations aimed at the Sri Lankan government. Initially there were the Pongu Thamil political programmes which continued to use provocative separatist slogans, and of course, there was the refusal to open the A-9 highway at the proper time. Recently there has been the sea movement of LTTE cadres, and Anton Balasingham's "peeping over'' Foul Point from his sea plane, to see what's happening there, which was in clear violation of aviation regulations, and the ceasefire agreement. There was also Balasingham's by-passing normal immigration procedures to land his sea plane directly in Iranamadu by circumventing entry through a regular immigration port. There was the unloading of long range guns, which the government is refusing to confirm, and then there was the presence of a flotilla last week in Trincomalee in which Pottu Amman is said to have been present - an incident which triggered a dramatic standoff which had repercussions as far as India due to Pottu Amman's possible presence. Finally, there was the movement of weapons across the Eastern seaboard, which was exposed when the Navy blasted one of the boats carrying arms and ammunition. There is a limit
to testing the patience of any government, which has pledged itself
to observe a ceasefire with a rebel group. What is the motive of
the LTTE in carrying out all of these flagrant violations of the
ceasefire process? Are these their version of what they call "confidence
building measures''? Is it also why they want the proscription on
their organization removed as one of the same measures of "confidence
building?'' The Norwegians have told the government that they made a mistake, and that the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (headed by the Norwegians) "forgot'' to inform the Sri Lankan government of LTTE movements via the Eastern seaboard. This is a horrendous "lapse'' to say the least, and it is definitely tantamount to a vote of no confidence on the SLMM. But to whom does one appeal from the SLMM? It is becoming clearer by the hour that the LTTE is not playing by the rules, which is not surprising at all, and that the Norwegian brokers are turning a Nelsonian-eye to all this in the hope of not upsetting the "Peace Process". The Prime Minister is urging the South to remain calm amidst all this bedlam, until, he says, the LTTE is brought to the negotiating table. But to what extent can the Southern constituency remain quiet in the face of blatant and regular ceasefire violations by the LTTE? If this is how the LTTE conducts itself when there is a ceasefire agreement on, and when the world is ostensibly watching the LTTE with an element of suspicion, what is in store for this country when the LTTE actually begins to run a one party interim council in the North and the East? The LTTE stand repeatedly has been that the organization needs to be treated as an equal partner at the forthcoming negotiations in Thailand. But is the LTTE qualifying for equal status by carrying out this grossly unequal number of ceasefire violations. They are only proving to the world that "The Boys will be Boys" and the LTTE still a terrorist organisation. |
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