Sri Lankan Buddhist monks call for Indian intervention

By V.S.Sambandan

COLOMBO, May 1. With the LTTE continuing with its advances in the northern Jaffna Peninsula, there has been a call from hardline Buddhist monks for an Indian involvement in the crisis, including military assistance.

The call, coming in the immediate wake of the Elephant Pass debacle of April 22, is to be seen in the backdrop of the Opposition by the Buddhist clergy to a Norwegian initiative as well as the Indian ban on the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). While opposing the Norwegian initiative Buddhist hardliners had said that if there were any country to intervene in Sri Lanka, it would have to be India.

The calls by the leaders of the Buddhist clergy is in direct contrast to their stand taken during the induction of the Indian Peace Keeping Forces (IPKF) in 1987 under the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord and comes at a time when Sri Lanka has been pushing the line for the past few years that the island's ethnic conflict was essentially ``internal'' in nature. The Buddhist hardliners have already opposed a Norwegian effort to initiate direct talks with the Tigers.

Political observers here see the Buddhist hardline clergy call as one ``to fight somebody else's war''. Recalling the 1987 experience, observers feel the call ``should not be taken seriously'' and that it would turn out to be seeking a ``marriage of convenience.''

However, political analysts also see a situation in which the ``Sri Lankan state is going to be considerably weakened'' if the Tigers were to maintain their advances into Jaffna.

At another level calls for military assistance or intervention, would also have to be seen in the consistent stand taken by the Sri Lankan Government, especially since the last days of the IPKF, that the conflict was essentially ``internal'' in nature. In addition, Left radical groups such as the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JNP) have been maintaining that ``interventions'' of any nature into Sri Lanka's internal issues would be opposed.

The present mood among those who have followed the conflict at close proximity since the early 1980s is that there should be a ``cessation of hostilities'' before matters get out of hand. Even on that score, doubts exist as to whether the Government could offer a ceasefire from what could be considered a ``position of weakness.'' Politically too, there are little options left, especially with the ruling People's Alliance (PA) and the Opposition United National Party (UNP) blaming each other for the military reversal. With Parliamentary elections scheduled for August, the Sri Lankan politico-military setting is set for serious months ahead as the LTTE war machinery keeps advancing towards Jaffna.

Army concedes loss

The Sri Lankan Defence Ministry today conceded the loss of Pallai - a key town ahead of Jaffna to the LTTE. A Defence Ministry statement said the troops deployed at Pallai were withdrawn with ``heavy casualties'' following an LTTE advance in the area.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : International
Previous : Pak. regrets misreporting to IMF, to refund loan
Next     : Indian professor honoured in U.S.