Surrender, says President Obama to the Tigers

During the next few days when the Tiger terrorists are ferreted out, it will be of great interest to know how many countries and INGO and NGO personnel have been part of this terror activity with their expertise. There is every possibility some of these personnel have become marooned in the Tiger bunkers.

By Jacinta Cruz and Susan Mathai

(May 14, Washington, Sri Lanka Guardian) President Barack Obama, the man who brought fragrant freshness to the US presidency that touched rock bottom in morals, ethics and honesty when it was bushwhacked for eight long years, has rightfully called upon the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam to surrender.

At least he has the good heart to tell them so and not or else take the cyanide as we did several weeks ago.

President Obama has also told the Government of Sri Lanka to seek various ways to alleviate the suffering of the innocent civilians held hostage by the Tigers.

President Obama surely must have recognized that nearly 200,000 people have been able to escape the claws of the Tigers and the Sri Lanka Armed Forces have shown exceptional discipline and skill but more than that exceptional restraint.

In contrast to the voice of President Obama, the German Bundestag has taken an aggressive posture against Sri Lanka which is totally unacceptable. Ending the LTTE menace is an obligation the Government of Sri Lanka has for its people and there is no question of any deal with the LTTE. Is the German government trying to call the tune in respect of Sri Lanka and expecting other nations to do so as well?

Germany gives soft support to the US in its fight against terrorism in Iraq and Afghanistan and provides base facilities to the US Forces in Germany. This is certainly doublespeak on the part of the German Bundestag.

Why is this so difficult for many people to understand and appreciate? What kind of interests are blinding the German Bundestag to the realities in Sri Lanka?

It is also a well known fact the sensational press is quick to descend anywhere to make news that will go to great lengths by twisting, turning and massaging news, so much so if President Obama used imported mustard for his burgher, they will make news to show that he is unpatriotic. In fact that is what they did recently.

Don’t we all know how the press – the paparazzi – hounded the poor Princess Anne and virtually raced her to a terrible tragedy? All that they need is snippets of news bits to make mountains out of them to serve the addiction of people for sensational news especially if they can consign them to the stinks of the gutters.

No Armed Forces anywhere in the world in recent decades have fought a terrible war as the Sri Lankan against the most brutal terrorist force in the world with the kind of exceptional discipline they have shown. They have put to shame even those of the US, UK and other countries who have centuries of experience warfare. Ever since Mavil Aru two years ago, Sri Lanka’s Armed Forces have with systematic surgical precision conducted a disciplined war. This is against the very force that demanded to be the sole voice and to make sure of it killed its own leaders and even caused great devastation among its own people.

This terror force even converted a rich agricultural area where no one went hungry, dismal and desolate and even grabbed their young people and children into their forces. Hundreds of them have perished. When we raised alarms about child conscriptions and wanted the UNICEF to act immediately nothing was done except to issue tame statements. Whose interests were UNICEF people stationed in Sri Lanka doing at that time?

The LTTE has over the years created a massive underworld, the like of which will put to shame any other such organizations to shame whether from China or Sicily or anywhere. Their resources are vast and colossal from drugs to alien smuggling and arms trade and merciless extortion from the Tamil Diaspora.

The majority of the Tamil Diaspora is against the LTTE but it has been hijacked by sinister people many of them on their face look honest and sincere and make themselves accepted as leaders of the community. But theyare part of the dark forces who made a lot of hay harvesting government grants on such excuse or other.

In Canada the Tamil Eelam Society and even the World Tamil Movement collected millions from the federal and provincial governments under false premises. Tiger funds extortionists drive flashy cars, live in palatial houses and reach out aggro-style to others, the arrogance that marks a Tiger agent; or that is what they claim to be.

Their demonstraions in Toronto and Ottawa marked such an attitude substantially.

We have warned of such people over the years but those unfamiliar with the cultural lifestyles of the Tamils mistook their silence as supportive of the Tigers. The Tamils are not community oriented; they are individualistic divided as they are by all kinds of social prejudices especially caste and class.

The people of Jaffna look down upon those of Batticaloa and Mannar, even worse, Tamils of the hill country are contemptuously called vadakathaiyars, as from India and therefore from the coolie class, literally outcastes.

While people from Valvettiturai will marry women from Pungudutivu, Uduppiddy will not marry Valvettiturai. It is crazy but tragically true. This is why Tiger extortionists have been able exploit this community.

Another terrible aspect is that people do not read deep, try to understand various dimensions to an issue, analyze and reach a decision by themselves. A drop of gossip will travel fast multiplying like the way a tiny accorn became a terrible monster on what a speeding rabbit said about danger on the roll behind.

The best example is that of the Armed Forces reported as having pelted bombs on a hospital in the no fire zone. Why should they do it even for once when all that they are trying to do in respect of the civilian hostages is to find means of helping them to escape? They even airlifted some of them. How can such a charge coming as it does from Tamilnet be believed?

Isn't there a chance that the most of the dead are either forced cadres and those trying to escape? Where are the dead and injured LTTE fighters? Has there not been a revolt among the cadres especially when they were forced to take up arms?

The numbers within the no fire zone claimed as 50,000 just cannot be true unless they are standing on each other's shoulders within such a tiny space. Tamilnet may claim 100,000.

One can see the difference with what President Obama has said from that of the British Foreign Minister Millibank who gives an appearance of wanting to take revenge on the President of Sri Lanka and more especially on the Defence Secretary for reading the Riot Act to him and his French counterpart.

Foreign Minister Millibank by his behaviour is insulting the people of Sri Lanka and it is also but right the Norwegian government makes it clear to Eric Solheim that Sri Lankan matters are out of bounds to him.

If terrorism in Iraq is not good for the distant USA or even UK, it is worse for Sri Lanka because the terrorism is among us and we have the right to root it out. Those international organizations that have capitalized on the problems people of Sri Lanka are undergoing must respect our rights.

During the next few days when the Tiger terrorists are ferreted out, it will be of great interest to know how many countries and INGO and NGO personnel have been part of this terror activity with their expertise. There is every possibility some of these personnel have become marooned in the Tiger bunkers.

The unfortunate part of the Tamil Diaspora is that it has been hijacked by late teenagers mostly from the universities whose voice has become loud, hoarse and aggressive bereft of all decencies that are part of the democratic way of life. By some strange twist of fate, their activities have been so counterproductive that the whole world has recognized the LTTE as a brutal and ruthless force.

People who have made the best of it are the paparazzi who have not had anything so sensational since they raced Princess Diana to her death.

-Sri Lanka Guardian