Norwegians too are crocodile tearing

The conflict in Sri Lanka has not taken a dramatic turn for the worse for the country as Norway claims but it has certainly taken a dramatic turn for the worse for their friends, the Tigers.

From Ratnajothy Siva in Oslo

(February 13, Oslo, Sri Lanka Guardian) An examination of a statement from Norway addressed to President Mahinda Rajapakse shows the kind of mischievous garbage Sri Lanka had to put up with such foreign elements. Using the late Thamilselvan – Zoo Paa – as their contact man, the Norwegians did a lot of damage by aiding, helping and training the Tigers especially in undersea operations. They had ultimate intentions.

Their involvement, negative in many ways, goes to the time of the Ceynor Project in the north which eventually floundered owing to rampant corruption of the aiding party as well as the receiving party. One is also aware of how the Monitoring group conducted itself.

Even now, Norway is talking about 250,000 people caught up in a desperate situation, a claim that has staled pathetically now to about 100,000 and that is all the fault of Norway’s erstwhile friends, the Tigers. If not for Norway, the LTTE would have folded up long ago. If Norway cannot be fair and just, it is better Norway keeps its silence.

The conflict in Sri Lanka has not taken a dramatic turn for the worse for the country as Norway claims; it has taken a dramatic turn worse for their friends, the Tigers.

This is Norway’s letter to President Rajapakse:

Mr President: The conflict in Sri Lanka has also taken a dramatic turn for the worse, with the loss of thousands of civilian lives in the past few weeks. Every effort must now be made to stop the bloodshed, which has particularly affected the Tamil people. Tamils in Norway have helped to make us aware of the tragedy.

Ever since Norway was requested by the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE (the Tamil Tigers) to facilitate a peaceful solution to the conflict, we have pointed out to the parties that negotiations are the way forward. The ceasefire in 2002 was promising, and with the support of the other Nordic countries we established a unique monitoring mechanism, the SLMM. This saved many lives, and gave rise to the hope that a broader political solution could be negotiated.

The parties did not seize this opportunity. The ceasefire was not respected in the long run, and the parties failed to show sufficient will to proceed. The ceasefire failed, and the SLMM was asked to withdraw one year ago.

Since then, words have given way to weapons. The LTTE is now in a desperate military situation, and about 250 000 civilians are crowded together in a small area where they are extremely vulnerable. We have condemned the fighting, which is causing terrible civilian suffering. Norway, together with the US, Japan and the EU, has urged the parties to enter into negotiations to end the hostilities, and the international community expects a ceasefire to be among the goals of such negotiations.

In the time ahead, it will be crucial to secure the rights of the Tamil civilian population. Norway will work to ensure that the international community continues to play a leading role in this respect, and Norway will remain at the disposal of the parties.

-Sri Lanka Guardian