This is war against terrorism fought with surgical precision

The Armed Forces ensure civilians held hostage escape is their primary aim and over 200,000 have escaped as never ever before anywhere.

By Mohan Gunaratnam and Roshanti Arasakularatne

(May 15, Jaffna,Sri Lanka Guardian) Ex Sri Lankan Police Constable, Ex Constable General of the LTTE and now the LTTE political chief Balasingam Nadesan seems having problems understanding English. In a statement he emailed to the Associated Press, he praised President Barak Obama “for passionately talking about the plight of Tamil civilians and calling for urgent actions to alleviate the mounting humanitarian crisis.”

But he conveniently overlooked the key message of President Obama’s message and that was calling the Tigers to surrender.President Obama further appealed to the Government of Sri Lanka to find various ways to alleviate the sufferings of the hostages held by the Tigers.

In the entire military campaign connected with the civilians and the No Fire Zone (NFZ), the primary consideration of the Armed Forces have been to create ways and means for the civilians to escape and there has been ample evidence that it is the Tigers who have been preventing this by shooting at the back of the people who tried to escape.

The supposed to be statements from two doctors within the NFZ has also been exposed as fake. Firstly, the Department of Health has not heard of Dr Shanmugarajah since last October and he has been known as a virulent Tiger activist. Dr Varadarajah may not be in existence.

There was never any need for the Armed Forces to attack the NFZ hospital. The LTTE needed such an attack to discredit the Armed Forces and what better than a hospital? Isn’t this what they did to the Jaffna Hospital to provoke the Indian Peace Keeping Force to attack it in the belief the LTTE cadres were inside the hospital and attacking the IPKF. This is has been the regular pattern of the LTTE to expose the people to the attacks of the Forces.

Anyone who understands how the Armed Forces are carrying out the mission can appreciate how they are making it possible for the civilians to escape and the more they do, the more the Tiger remnants with their leaders are exposed.

LTTE planning a horrendous display of terror

We have news that the LTTE has a final plan which if it materializes can have horrendous consequences. It appears they have positioned below the surface barrels of phosphorous gas just deep enough to be exploded that could cause untold harm to the civilians and also an army of suicide bombers ready for their grand finale of terror.

This is war. This is war nations like the US and the UK are convinced necessary against terrorism. Unlike the US Forces in the Middle East, Sri Lanka is fighting this with surgical precision. Over 200,000 people held hostage as human shield by the Tigers out of probably no more than 250,000 have been enabled to escape from the Tiger claws.

Where in the world has such an enormous rescue mission undertaken? Why is it difficult for some states in the west and international organizations to understand this truth?

What is the game Mr Anandasangary, a former Member of Parliament is playing? He may know his Wanni better than many people but can he understand the mechanics of war against terrorism? He has also written many letters to his Thambi Prabhakaran and has he ever responded to them? Instead of offering dynamic leadership and support the cause of anti-terrorism and plan, seek and submit plans for redevelopment of the Wanni, Mr Anandasangary is engaged in writing letters that have no vigour in them. Now he has let go a missile and for what purpose!

Another factor about this war is that there are people who are lining up their own personal interests under some pretext or other. Taking a stand against the war will please a number of countries in the west and also international organizations and there is money in it and opportunities in the west too.

Refugee claims in countries like Canada, Denmark, Norway and few others are especially strengthened by the continuing communal hostilities in Sri Lanka. If refugee applications in Canada are checked it would be found a lot of the protesters for the LTTE are people who have claimed refuge blaming the Tigers for their plight in, and flight from Sri Lanka.

It is indeed tragic that a well planned and disciplined war effort is being fought against a brutal terror outfit and when it is about to be successfully completed there are countries, organizations and individuals trying their best to line up and strengthen their interests and even devious plans. The Tamilnadu politicians are a good example of this shady artfulness.

In respect of the statement by President Obama which the LTTE Political Chief Nadesan could not understand, Sri Lankan Foreign Secretary Palitha Kohona said the government was "extremely reassured" by Obama's call for the rebels to lay down their weapons and release the civilians, and he denied the government was firing artillery into the densely packed war zone.

-Sri Lanka Guardian