SARRC summit in Colombo

- The Sudar Oli Editorial

(July 28, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) SARRC summit is scheduled to be held in Colombo this week. SARRC countries are concerned about the security of their leaders, since it is hosted in Sri Lanka, where there is a war going on. Countries like India even sent their high power delegation to discuss matters relating to security in advance. India even stressed that they should monitor the air space during the holding of the Summit. Security concerns were rather high in Colombo but the LTTE's unilateral declaration of ceasefire has in a way defused the tension.

Yet, neither the government nor other establishments are prepared to relax the security precautions. They certainly have good reasons for doing so. An allegation has been made that an intelligence group of a country in the region is responsible for the suicide attack opposite the Indian High Commission in Kabul.

In such a backdrop India cannot be unconcerned about the security of their leader even though the LTTE has declared a unilateral ceasefire. At the same time, it cannot also be ruled out that some undesirable forces can commit violence and put the blame on the LTTE in order to discredit that organization, which has anyway earned the goodwill of the IC by proclaiming a truce.

Therefore, it is essential that all sides must act with prudence and caution. In Sri Lanka, the government has failed to grasp all opportunities to find a political solution and is engaged in a war causing serious human tragedy and this issue cannot be easily ignored merely as an internal problem.

Therefore SARRC must address its mind to the problems of the Tamil people in the wake of the ceasefire offered as a matter of goodwill towards the international community and particularly to the countries in the region.

It is, therefore, a sacred responsibility of the SARRC Summit to explore ways and means of alleviating the sufferings of the people and saving them in this hour of human tragedy!

(An English translation of the Editorial in The Sudar Oli, a Tamil daily, based in Colombo)
- Sri Lanka Guardian