A Lankan lovefest in the land of 'love'
'We want a Tiger economy'' said Anton Balasingham at the opening ceremony of the peace talks in Thailand, and you could see the contingent of Thais guffaw immediately, reacting to the pun. The local press hardly picked it up.

The Thais know that the Asian Tiger economies have been Asia's most resilient and powerful. Anton Balasingham's pun - lost in the peace euphoria - perhaps best indicates that he has fine tuned his antennae to the nuances of this peace process.

Thailand's relative economic prosperity would not have been lost on any of the delegates, particularly on the government side. Rauff Hakeem and G. L. Peiris were seen working the press on may of the evenings, at the 5000 room Ambassador City Jomtien Hotel, after the day's peace sessions had been adjourned at the nearby Sattahip Naval base. "These Sri Lankans - the one thing they are good at is talking,'' wrote a Thai lady, to the Thai newspaper The Nation. She said she runs a restaurant with her husband in Arugam Bay in Eastern Sri Lanka, and told the Thai readers that the Sri Lankan government nor the Tigers 'have done anything for the environment or the people in the Eastern stretch near Arugam Bay' from where she runs her business.

These are the peace talks of the cheque book and the ledger. G. L. Peiris when asked by me whether he would go so far as to say that peace will follow automatically if the economic issues are addressed, says "you could say that - - the economy is the main factor, even though other factors come into it.''

A Thai journalist wrote to The Nation on the first day of the talks that though war may have retarded the economy in Sri Lanka, the country has more respect for the environment and has no extreme fondness for tourists as Thailand does. A journalist friend of mine who joins me strolling down Pattaya's Walking Street watching the raucous din and all those old white men with young Thai women in tow, says "compared to Thailand, Sri Lanka has no choice.''

Thailand has 10 million tourists coming into the country per year - and you could compare and contrast that to Sri Lanka's figure which is counted in lakhs.

Perhaps Milinda Moragoda, the Sri Lankan team's Mr Economy, was too shy to be seen walking on Walking Street - even though he toured the economy sections of the Sri Lankan airlines flight chatting to most of the Colombo contingent en route to Thailand for the talks.

So these are the talks of the economy, and it doesn't seem to be accidental that they are taking place in Thailand, because primarily the United States wanted these talks to be held at the Sattahip Naval Base, or so we hear.

These are the talks that the international media went ga-ga over. The Wanni press conference was an acknowledged disaster for the Tigers, since when Anotn Balasingham has learnt the value of cultivating the press. Balasingham caused a minor rugger scrum-down at the end of the opening ceremony at the Ambassador City Jomtien, when he had the entire international press pack eating out of his hand, near the press enclosure. If there is one real hint that the Tigers may actually be seriously considering entering the democratic political process, it is that Balasingham is becoming media savvy.

There were zero discordant notes at the Thailand talks, in contrast to the Killinochchi media exercise in April. Between the Sri Lankan delegates and the LTTE delegates, it was a lovefest. Between Anton Balasingham and the media, it was a lovefest. Between the Sri Lankan delegates and the media it was a lovefest. Hmmm, somebody told me that it is not for nothing that Thailand is called the land of love.

Then, there was this convulsion of euphoria created by Balasingham throwing the biggest and juiciest bone to the media hounds. "The Tigers do not operate within the concept of Eelam or a separate state,'' he said.

One wire service report said the media was stunned. Thrilled was more like it. As a Sri Lankan, I had to hold a miniature press conference, explaining to the international media who were besieging me with the question "is this really the first time the LTTE has renounced a separate state?''

Apparently Prabhakaran said more or less the same thing in a Heroes Day speech last year, but nobody was listening. Then, he had to do an about turn at the Killinochchi press conference when somebody asked him "should your cadres shoot you down if you give up the demand for Eelam?''

Anton Balasingham may have said that "self determination has several meanings.'' But he said unequivocally - 'we do not operate within the meaning of a separate state - we need autonomy or self government in our homelands. If this is not granted - we will have to pursue a separate state as a last resort.'

There are no certainties in life save for death and taxes- but there is a certainty here. These talks will not breakdown anytime soon.

When I ask a question about the interim administration, Anton Balasingham wants to know to whom I addressed it. I say "to any one of the chief negotiators.'' He smiles impishly. We scribes consider this one delegation. Balasingham and G. L. Peiris have congealed into a single large entity.

Some people back here feel it is a managed act by both sides, and that the joke is on them. Says one arch critic of the process in Colombo, that the Tigers will not exit the peace talks anytime soon but "will one day, create the conditions for their exit.''

One thing the Tigers have been known for is an impetuosity that broke the natural order. They will create chaos out of any ordered system, with one bomb at the right place and the wrong time.

But, in Sattahip, the Tigers seem to be the order. Mr Hakeem tells me that he wants to walk in with a separate Muslim delegation at the next round of talks, and some scribes say that he is the only fly in Balasingham's ointment.

But the Norwegians, and the consequent international following for these talks have made it certain that this is no simple rumble in the jungle. The process is structured, ordered to the point of being predictable, and fully media friendly. It has to be said that it is a tough act for even the most persistent of critics to pick holes in.

But 'the Sri Lankans are good at talking', and the macro level of criticism will come later from Sri Lankan detractors. This is only a micro level article in the immediate aftermath... In Sattahip, this was the overwhelming atmosphere. Who knows, people may say one day it was like a narcotic, an artificial high. It was all feel good, in a fell-good resort, in a country which fairly smiles at you from the time you step down from the aircraft and dares you to fell bad in this feel-good Kingdom! But for those who are responsible for the negotiations, you have to hand it to them. They could certainly not have asked for a better start.

Back to Top

Back to Columns

Copyright © 2001 Wijeya Newspapers Ltd. All rights reserved.
Webmaster