By Chandi Sinnathurai
"Peace does not come from the barrel of a gun but is achieved when cultural differences are respected and the fundamental rights of all are recognised and upheld." Archbishop Desmond Tutu
(February 21, Chennai, Sri Lanka Guardian) The UN is beginning to shift its blame on India, for its inaction on the plight of Tamil civilians. This is just the tip of the iceberg. But underneath it all, the international system, is drowned in political hypocrisy, lop-sided justice and bureaucratic bungling.
Yet again, the Rwandan genocide, and the UN's inaction comes to haunt one's memory.
India - the emerging super power has kept its lip sealed only to say that the Tamil Tigers will have to disarm (which is equal to surrender) and only then, will it intervene to sort out the mess in Sri Lanka. India's policy is to rock and pinch. Rock the Rajapaksha regime and pinch the Tigers.
What is so important in asking the Tigers to disarm?
If the Sri Lankan military has already cornered the Tigers and as the state propaganda claims that the Tigers are in their last legs what difference does it make if they surrender their arms are not? Why is it the world powers are so very reluctant to condemn the criminal actions of the Sri Lankan state? Civilans are being killed daily in their hundreds while no international organisation is allowed into the conflict zone to verify the situation! Why? Not a single international body wants to publicly raise that question with the Sri Lankan regime.
What the worldpowers wants us all to believe is that the Tamils (Tigers) are the bad guys and as always, the good guys are the Sinhala State. Isn't this what's happeing in the Israel-Palestine conflict? Sri Lanka is no different.
The international powers do not want to entertain the thought that there are terror states which systematically subjugate certain sections of its people. Sadam Hussein's Iraq was not a terror state UNTIL he began to cross the line of the Imperium (and the West). If international justice, and, international systems including the UN work on this basis, sadly, that will only engender further disillusionment, and will work against all conflict resolutions to world-wide conflicts.
The UN must regain its credibilty and trust particularly among the majority of the peoples of the world. As one renowned scholar in the US commented, the "Majority" are the poor and the subaltern who are struggling for their emancipation.
The UN must be seen by all as a bringer of peace. Not as a circus elephant.
-Sri Lanka Guardian
Home Unlabelled Is Peace Rainbow High? O, Sri Lanka!
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For a stable world order, it has been generally established that states should have the monopoly of violence. No other group with in a state can share it. However, for 3 decades Sri Lanka has allowed LTTE to share this sovereign power. The consequences are catastrophic to the country as all could see including the UN. The current government for the first time in Sri Lanka has taken a determined stand to eliminate a second armed power base with in the country. UN cannot oppose such a step. It can only work towards minimising the collateral damage in such situations.
Secondly, no credible basis could be established against the government for genocide against minority Tamils as majority Tamils live outside the conflict zone and there is no systematic violence against them.
Thirdly, the stories of escapees clearly indicates that the LTTE is keeping civilians as a human shield and deliberately expose them to danger. The shooting of civilian escapees and suicide bombing of IDP registration centres are added proof. It is the diaspora who has a better chance than the UN to stop the carnage if they take a stand against human shields and compel LTTE to lay down weapons and negotiate to enter in to the democratic stream.
The LTTE apologists should realise by now that violence as a tool has passed it's use by date and an alternate non violent path is the order of the day.
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