“It is high time humanitarian missions take steps to ensure that their missions are not dirtied by these events anymore. Humanitarian activities as well as human rights must be ends in themselves not means to other ends. If used as arteries feeding terrorism, eventually they will run dry collapsing the entire system.”
by Thomas Johnpulle
(October 03, London, Sri Lanka Guardian) May be Tigers and sympathetic humanitarian organisations haven’t still grasped the seriousness of the situation. Gone are the days when the elected government pleaded on bended knees to the extortionists. The present government will not give any concession to the LTTE, directly or indirectly. Therefore if they think transporting bombs onboard lorries carrying ‘humanitarian supplies’ will be pardoned, they are gravely mistaken. Holding people captive and feeding upon their food and medicine is one thing, using humanitarian supply systems to transport war-like items is another which will not be tolerated. Humanitarian agencies and district secretariats must ensure that they and their staff don’t fall into the level of terrorists because if they do, continuation of their work in Sri Lanka will be at serious risk. They should ensure the safety and reliability of hired lorries and their drivers.
Humanitarian supplies are essential for the people still trapped in Vanni and any abuse of government concessions will delay, impede, halt or jeopardise supplies. These people are under enormous difficulties for no fault of theirs; further torturing them for a failed extortion exercise is not fair.
Two lorries with C-4 explosive and over 25,000 batteries (an embargoed item) were found on September 30. Earlier an Italian national working for the Dutch relief agency Zoa was found to have defied the government order for all international non-governmental organizations to leave Kilinochchi by September 29. He has been ordered to leave the country. In another development 22 Global Positioning Systems (GPS) were caught at the entry/exit point heading north. These three incidents are only the ones that were caught; many materials may have crossed the checkpoint unnoticed.
It is high time humanitarian missions take steps to ensure that their missions are not dirtied by these events anymore. Humanitarian activities as well as human rights must be ends in themselves not means to other ends. If used as arteries feeding terrorism, eventually they will run dry collapsing the entire system.
Security forces may be able to capture Kilinochchi along with its government hospital which is the largest in Vanni. Its impact on the LTTE would be humongous as the largest medical facility opened to their fighters would no longer cater to them. The injured will turn dead and simply the death count will increase. Coupled with stiffer battles yet to come, this will accelerate the demise of the LTTE. Do we still need this armed liberation struggle that failed to achieve anything but cemeteries? - Sri Lanka Guardian
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