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Act now! India tells Sri Lanka
Thursday, 6 July 2006 - 5:17 AM SL Time
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After some hesitation and much thinking, India has finally given Sri Lanka its most trenchant message since a peace process began four years ago: Act now, politically, to keep the island nation united.
In his meetings with President Mahinda Rajapaksa and other Sri Lankan leaders over two days, Indian Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran told them that Colombo needs to get serious about devolution of power if it wants to end Tamil separatism.
Sri Lanka was told that its Norway-brokered 2002 ceasefire agreement with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was the start of a peace process, whatever the flaws, and could not be an end by itself.
The polite Indian missive was: the Sri Lankan leadership has to get its act together and devise ways of politically resolving a conflict that has raged for almost a quarter century with no end in sight.
India`s understanding is that the security situation in Sri Lanka is very serious and only a working and widely acceptable package that devolves power to the minorities - the absence of which gave birth to Tamil militancy a long time ago - would lighten up the end of the tunnel.
The Sri Lankan decision to set up an All Party Conference and other similar steps aimed at preparing a devolution package has been noted, but the view here is that this should not become a dragging affair.
Saran also conveyed to Rajapaksa, on behalf of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, that India stands by Sri Lanka`s territorial unity and opposes terrorism in all forms. India was also ready to share with Sri Lanka its expertise in constitutional matters, an offer that has been made in the past too.
At the same time, however, Sri Lanka needed to act - and fast.
A similar message was also conveyed to opposition leader and former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. Saran, who returned from Colombo late on Tuesday, did not meet leaders of any other political party, ostensibly due to lack of time.
India has been repeatedly telling Sri Lanka`s two main parties - the Sri Lanka Freedom Party and the United National Party - the need to get together to evolve a political answer to the ethnic conflict, whatever their other differences.
Rajapakse stated that he too favoured power sharing with minorities but his leading ally, the Sinhalese-Marxist Janatha Vimukti Peramuna (JVP), was opposed to any devolution that gave the hint of a federal framework of governance.
Many Sinhalese consider `federalism` a stepping stone to separatism, a view not shared by even moderate Tamils opposed to the LTTE.
Some political actors in Colombo have been telling Indian officials that an `Indian model` of governance - akin to what Indian states enjoy - could be ideal for Sri Lanka.
But all these terminologies fall much short of what the LTTE desires.
The Tigers, who are outlawed in India, remain loyal to their campaign for a Tamil homeland in the island`s northeast though they have in the past agreed to look at credible alternatives.
The Indian message to Sri Lanka is also more or less what other international actors in the peace process have been telling Colombo in recent times, privately and publicly.
But there is a growing feeling, right or wrong, that Sri Lanka is not taking advantage of the international sanctions against the LTTE to realise that there can be no military solution to the conflict.
Any full-scale war in Sri Lanka will have major repercussions on India. The number of Tamils fleeing the island to take refuge in Tamil Nadu has touched the 4,000 mark, and that itself is a sign that all is not well in Sri Lanka.
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Mahabala
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 5 Jul 2006 22:23:58 GMT Report for Abuse
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President Mahinda:
Every body tell you this though you act as a dumb!
Many people reiterated that you must defeat the terrorism, safeguard the country, address the issues related to minority Tamils and establish democracy in N_E region as soon as possible. However, you have simply disregard all these requests and let the maximum possible disasters by waiting forever. This will lead not only the bad reputation of leadership of sri lanaka but also a threat to the peace of the globe.
A. LTTE is fast developing many sophisticated techniques such as:
1. Out reach to the south via artificial millineries
2. Use of explosive transportations all aver the country including deep south
3. Creating an atmosphere that all Army and other intelligence buy by LTTE
4. Creating frustration among Sinhalese and loosing the mentality of army
5. Allow to loose the common sense of terrorism and by allowing to too much exposure of terrorist act
6. allowing time to develop all kind of mindsetting including various kinds of suicide attempts by LTTE
7. Allowing to gradual development of all kind of arsenal in N_E without stopping spreading of them (Army to navy to airfare to air-force+suicide to chemical and biological weapons to purchase or creation of small dirty bombs
8. Creation of atmosphere that no any reaction from general public on disasters (creation of nonsense ethnic group)
9. Creation of politically unstable and uncontrollable country (see already, JUH, JVP and others are not happy with you)
10. creation of very ugly leadership when we see from outside the country.
B. Example from other part of the world:
When north Korea developed missiles and nuclear arsenal, everybody disregarded it by saying 'they cannot do that, we are superior' Now it became a global threat finally.
Similarly, everybody disregards the capability of LTTE terrorists. But there is a clear indication that the LTTE is a global threat. No any other terrorist group has a well trained suicide army in the world but LTTE does. Just by providing them with access to airplanes and navy forces, you are mahinda, creating a global threatening situation. Sparing a simple insecticide in a populated area can create a significant (several thousand) disabilities and side effects on human being. Thus, I am sure this LTTE is not only a local threat but also a global threat. In addition, the bottom line is giving bad example of all possible bad (uncivilized) war methodology to the rest of the world.
Mahinda, It is time to think!
Mahinda, it is time to act.
Edited By - Mahabala - 5 Jul 2006 22:53:11 GMT |
DrAkai
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 5 Jul 2006 22:27:37 GMT Report for Abuse
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'Act now',
yes, he has another 5 and bit years to go so not in a hurry. Perhaps at the cost of a few more bomb explosions and innocent lives. |
tarquin
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5 Jul 2006 22:29:58 GMT Report for Abuse
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'Act now! India tells Sri Lanka'
Did any sinhala government ever listen to anybody about the dangers of the ethnic strife? From Colvin R de Silva, to India, to Ranil Wickremasinghe to now India again and the USA keep warning the sinhala governments to accomodate tamil grievances. So far their pleas have fallen on deaf ears.
India said this many times before but the chauvinist sinhala governments were hell bent on suppressing tamil rights.
It is interesting that today the outgoing US ambassador also berated the SL government for the callous disregard they show towards the tamil people's grievances and the SL military's criminal murderous acts towards the tamil civilians.
Will the sinhala government ever listen? I don't think so. |
Gaja
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 5 Jul 2006 23:22:19 GMT Report for Abuse
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India has been repeatedly telling Sri Lanka's two main parties - the Sri Lanka Freedom Party and the United National Party - the need to get together to evolve a political answer to the ethnic conflict, whatever their other differences
This is what I also said when I said that Ranil ought to have been included in the CFA team. INDIA SHOULD HAVE ACTED THEN. Those who 'instruct' from a higher position must 'show' their packaged answer.
Gaja Lakshmi Paramasivam from Australia |
Bheesan
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5 Jul 2006 23:27:25 GMT Report for Abuse
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| These Indian jokers make me laugh. Were they able to implement their own rules and resolutions at the Thimpu talks with LTTE. Ultimately they had to lose so many indian soldiers and their own PM and stii so far nothing. India I tell you just f..k off. You have created this problem. You have fuel thiss problem. If you are genuine there would have been many things you could have done to stop very early stage. Now just pi.s off. |
Mahabala
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5 Jul 2006 23:42:17 GMT Report for Abuse
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Gaja:
This president does not listn. When your student do not listen, what did you do?
Love and Peace
Mahabala |
Mahabala
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5 Jul 2006 23:43:16 GMT Report for Abuse
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Captain98:
Your comments are excellent. Great job TC. |
DVLADV
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 5 Jul 2006 23:43:38 GMT Report for Abuse
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I think you have got it upside down. I is Sri-Lanka that is crying at India's feet begging for help.
This is the politically correct way of asking SL to Fu@) O88 and p1$$ on itself without bothering India. |
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