by Hela Puwath

US Embassy in Colombo in a press release states that it has launched a new program to help LTTE combatants reintegrate in to society. It says that The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) will implement the project by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and The Chief Minister of the Eastern Province, Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan [former LTTE commander], alias Pillaiyan, has already participated in an event in Batticaloa.

A noble gesture no doubt, but not without a good dose of suspicion, given the recent (and not so recent) hostilities, of the US embassy in Colombo and the US State Department in Washington, against Sri Lanka.

In addition, consider the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton`s speech in Pakistan just yesterday (October 29th). Hillary Clinton blasted the Pakistan government for not doing enough to eradicate America`s terrorists in return for the $4 billion assistance the US is giving Pakistan. On Al Jazeera one Pakistani said, we are fighting your war . As many political analysts believe, America`s aid is never without strings attached. While not denying that American people are a generous lot, it must be acknowledged that the American Foreign Policy dictates that it puts its money only where American interests are.

Back in Sri Lanka, now comes another US aid project directly to the East, bypassing the government of Sri Lanka by way of its agents, the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION for MIGRATION (IOM)

The IOM, by the way, is not without critics according to No Borders Network (NBN), IOM is an anti-migration organization. It says, They pride themselves to have been involved in the movement of 11 million people (sic), in 2000 they facilitated the movement of about 450.000 people, mostly `return`, `repatriation` or `resettlement` cases.

When the IOM was founded in 1951 it has been intended to create a counter-agency to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Under the leadership of the USA, the IOM, other than the UNHCR has not been based on humanitarian principles but on economical considerations. Their basic policy is not concerned with the well being of people but the well being of economies. [No Border Network] http://www.noborder.org/iom/index.php

So, if we go by NBN`s definition, International Organization for Migration (IOM) is here to make sure that Tamils of the North won`t end up as illegal boat people to burden the Western economies. Now, this is not being ungrateful, or saying that the US embassy`s IOM aid project will not help the people in the North. It sure will.

But our concern is about behind-the-scene activities of foreign agencies with the former terrorist combatants the aid that bypasses the government .

It is a known fact now that, in Sri Lanka most international & local NGOs, Think-Tanks (including the prestigious SARVODAYA), whom we shall collectively call clients , are funded directly or indirectly by rich western countries. The clients` activities, therefore, must serve the interests of their foreign paymasters (as evidenced by Hillary Clinton`s demand from Pakistan) - paymasters, who`s basic policy may not concern the well being of people but the well being of their own economies [paraphrasing NBN].

AID THAT BYPASSED THE GOVERNMENT

Sri Lanka must not forget what happened to the aid that bypassed the government . We now know what happened to all that aid including some of the tsunami aid , and the Wickremasinghe/Prabakaran aid , that bypassed the government`s oversight. Most Western governments and international Aid Agencies demand that their aid be distributed through Western-paid-NGOs and Agents bypassing the legitimate democratically elected government of Sri Lanka. We now know where the aid ended up!

Judging from the massive hauls of arms and other enormous machinery that are being discovered daily, even now, it is inconceivable that these International Agencies and those foreign embassies through whose agents they funneled their aid did not know where their aid was going.

Therefore, now Sri Lanka must ensure that this IOM project and others like it, coming from some foreign governments and aid agencies are not more of those Trojan Horses by other Peace Facilitators .

Paranoid, cynic?

Yes given the Sri Lanka assault by the American Ambassador Robert Blake, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and given the pair`s close association with the likes of financier Raj Rajaratnam, and lobbyist/ lawyer Visuvanadan Rudrakumaran!