The true story of IPKF in Sri Lanka

“While the Sri Lankan government is attempting to attack and capture Wanni, the European Union has insisted that the government allow the Co-chairs and the Norwegian facilitators to travel to the Wanni to meet the LTTE to deliver key messages -- including a request to resume the peace process, to observe humanitarian access and to respect human rights.”
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by Suppriya Makenthiran

(April 03,Toronto, Sri Lanka Guardian) The abrogation of the defunct Ceasefire Agreement by the Rajapakse government, condemned universally by the international powers, will have serious consequences, due to the withdrawal of the Nordic Monitoring mission.

Many Singhalese leaders already see the final lapse of the Tamil struggle for rights but by all accounts that is premature. The Battle of Vanni is yet to come. As an observer of military strategy, I feel that the outcome of the advance into Vanni will be different from the Sri Lankan army’s successful advance into Batticaloa.

The people of Vanni will be united in the defence of their homeland against the Lankan armed forces. Contrary to government propaganda, the people of Vanni are not waiting with open arms to receive the armed forces as liberators, though maintaining the supply of arms and ammunition may be a difficult factor.

Sri Lanka has General Sarath Fonseka for whom because of the strength of the armed forces and the weak position of the Tamils in the East, the conquer of Vanni is imminent.

But that is not so in Vanni. Prabaharan is a master strategist, and he may sacrifice the East to maintain hold in Vanni. The invasion of Vanni is going to be the decisive battle. The Tamils are sizeable in numbers though the figures do no match that of the Sri Lankan forces.

After the withdrawal of the Tigers from the East and Silavathurai, the army has not advanced into Tiger territory. They are making dubious claims of having captured some bunkers and trenches for the last ten months.

Singhalese extremists want no federalism or quasi federalism, no devolution, no peace talks, no Nordic Monitors, no nothing.

During Operation Agne Keela, when the army tried to advance towards Elephant Pass, Prabaharan let Tamil women force defend the frontline. Crack fighters were waiting on the second defence line, in case the army broke through. But that did not happen. Agni Keela was a disaster. The recent attempt under Mahinda administration, by the SL army to capture Elephant Pass, also was a debacle and ended the same way.

It appears that, to avoid the debacles of Jeyasikuru and Agni Keela, the SL army may advance from Mannar to Poonahari along the coast ie. A32, and not along A9. It is going to be a long haul. The Singhalese army would be walking into Tamil areas and the fight there is going to be bloody and bitter.

With its economy in ruins, the Rajapakse government, which is printing money, may go bankrupt. Things can go from bad to worse. My fear is that there is going to be a blood bath on both sides. We can only pray that it will not happen.

Fighting terrorism in Sri Lanka is synonymous with denying justice to the Tamil people and oppressing them. The arbitrary detention or journalists and the winding up of the international commission of Inquiry by the International Independent Group of Eminent Persons (IIGEP) - headed by former Indian Chief Justice P N Bhagwati and stringent condemnation of human rights violations by the British government and by European Parliament member over the past few months, has not deterred Sri Lanka from pressing the panic button and continuing its unilateral war against Tamil nationalists.

Though the author does not agree with the term “terrorist threat” used by the British foreign minister, it is pertinent to understand the full import of what Lord Malloch-Brown told the UN Human Rights Council. Saying Britain accepted Sri Lanka "facing considerable terrorist threat", the minister told the UNHRC: "The international community condemned terrorism, but countering terrorism required respect for human rights."

Speaking at a meeting with expatriate Tamils at the British Foreign Office on February 25, Lord Malloch-Brown said the government of President Rajapakse had "made political process secondary to military process."

Tamils find the resolve of the British government encouraging. The British Foreign Minister has said that, "We are going to go on pushing hard to put the political negotiation back on track and this will not be done from a bilateral position but by working closely with Europe, UN and the Commonwealth.

While the Sri Lankan government is attempting to attack and capture Wanni, the European Union has insisted that the government allow the Co-chairs and the Norwegian facilitators to travel to the Wanni to meet the LTTE to deliver key messages -- including a request to resume the peace process, to observe humanitarian access and to respect human rights.

With Human Rights Watch saying recently that at least 1,500 people "disappeared" between 2006 and 2007 -- mostly ethnic Tamils living in the island's restive north and east, Sri Lanka has much explaining to do to the international community.

S. Makenthiran is a graduate of the University of Ceylon, Colombo and a Fellow of the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants of UK. He has served in Sri Lanka and different countries in Africa including Zambia, Malawi and Botswana. He was a World Bank Project Finance Officer, before immigrating to Canada. In Canada he works as an accountancy, financial and tax consultant. He may be contacted at makenthiran@yahoo.com

- Sri Lanka Guardian