How to prevent a Tiger resurgence

By R. de Silva
Letter to the Editor

(April 04, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) With the conventional phase of the ongoing war fast winding down to a very satisfactory conclusion, the principal overriding national question to be answered will be : How did Sri Lanka come so near to being divided into two states at the hands of a ruthless terrorist outfit that secured physical control over more than 15,000 sq. km. of land, in a long-standing insurrection against a succession of democratically elected governments ? Who were the nations, organizations and people who assisted the terrorists in this revolutionary and unlawful venture ? How does this nation prevent the recurrence of a process where in less than a generation a handful of unsophisticated criminals built LTTE International Inc. into the most powerful, well armed, equipped and feared terrorist outfit in the world ?

The answers to these important national questions can only be fully answered by a government-appointed high-level Commission, which hears the evidence, examines the people who come forward or are summoned to testify, reviews available documentation and directs the investigations that require to be done, all in the paramount interests of peace and prosperity in this country, paving the way for accelerated development activity after some thirty years of dislocation. These thoughts are currently prompted by several events and published news items of recent days.

First, there was the government's public revelation in March that the state-of -the-art military arsenal, including light aircraft, printing presses and TV/radio communication equipment recently discovered by the armed forces had been secured by the terrorists upon being officially cleared from Colombo port through customs, and approved transportation procedures through Omanthai checkpoint, duly authorized by government officials presumably working in connivance with the LTTE. If this is correct, who were the politicians then in power and government officials responsible for these actions, designed to ultimately help overthrow the elected government and actively assist in open revolution, but meanwhile leading to the subjugation of a substantial part of this country.

Second, the government has recently realized that many foreign-funded NGOs and international NGOs active in this country, have in various ways financed and actively assisted the terrorist movement. The armed forces recently found ample stocks of gasoline, fleets of vehicles, heavy earth-moving equipment, even empty container shells left behind by NGOs to be misused by the terrorists! How does Sri Lanka prevent a recurrence ? What central institutions and procedures are required to monitor such anti-national activites ? What foreign-funded think tanks are engaged in colouring the truth ? Which nations are motivated to use local organizations to assist in subverting the elected government and what current activities have to be stopped ? Are foreign-funded NGO officials misusing the liberties afforded by freedom of expression in this democracy ?

Third, international news media recently broadcast the campaign by senior Democrats in the U.S. to set up a "Truth Commission" to investigate and identify what laws of the U.S. were broken and what constitutitonal safeguards were overriden during the last eight Bush years to encroach on personal freedoms, legalise and practice torture, authorise imprisonment without trial and ignore various other protections afforded by the rule of law.This effort is not aimed at embarking on a McCarthyist witch hunt, but to introduce the legislative safeguards and executive orders necessary to prevent a future government from acting illegally in the future.

Fourth, this potential US precedent raises several issues relevant to Sri Lanka : Can a political functionary, who is a Presidential appointee, without the prior approval of the elected President and Parliament ( the very source of his political status ), enter into a ceasefire agreement with terrorists which directly negates the established mandate of the armed forces carrying out the orders of the commander-in-chief, who is the President ? Can such a person concede de facto exclusive military/physical control over several administrative districts to a terrorist insurgency, which has no legal status, to the exclusion of the country's police, courts, tax authorities and armed forces on his sole authority ? Can he authorise them to enter other parts of the country under full government control, for so-called "political work" and thereby de facto infiltrate the entirety of Sri Lanka ? Could these and similar acts authorized by the CFA be interpreted to ultimately assist in the overthrow of the elected government in power ? Did the thousands of infractions of the CFA by the LTTE, when ignored by the then government, have the effect of allowing the terrorists to stabilize their illegal occupation of Sri Lanka's territory ? Was the cumulative effect of all these concessions made to the terrorists to bring much closer the prospect that they might unilaterally declare a separate state ? How did Sri Lanka come to agree to a foreign nation, which was and is unquestionably an active and committed collaborator of the terrorists, becoming the mediator in an armed uprising between terrorists and a democratically elected government ?

Lastly, the most recent terrorist attack aginst our cricket team, shows the internationalization of the terrorist threat against Sri Lanka's citizens in any part of the world. Therefore, the proposed Commission could usefully investigate the LTTE's presence and links in many continents with like terrorist groups and the potential for violence against our nationals. Accordingly, under what nom-de-plumes has the LTTE operated abroad ? What actions should the government take in collaboration with other countries to bring these organizations to book ? A recent newspaper article warned that foreign governments should be alerted to the LTTE's "significant presence in the underworld, dealing in arms smuggling, narcotics transportation and lucrative street crime, eg. credit card fraud, human smuggling, fake immigation document issue, extortion, etc." The same article referred to LTTE links with major foreign terrorist and criminal organizations, the mutual exchange of information and arms supplies, logistical and operational training and the perfection of suicide technology. Since very little is known about these international illegal activities, a Commission can pave the way for their eradication and advise the government on a course of action to end these deliquencies in the interests of future peace and the safety of Sri Lankan citizens overseas.

In conclusion, the areas of inquiry identified above are illustrative and not meant to constitute the complete terms of reference for a future Commission to review war time activities, and fix accountability and bestow penalties where that may be justified. The ultimate objective is that we may all look forward to a peaceful, united and development-oriented country once more.

-Sri Lanka Guardian