The Hindu : Understandable concerns

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Apr 14, 2003

Opinion

Opinion - Editorials

Understandable concerns

ONE YEAR AND two months after the ceasefire came into force in Sri Lanka and brought a respite from two decades of ethnic violence, apprehensions have begun to be expressed about the direction of the peace process amid a growing realisation of the dangers inherent in tangoing with the leadership of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. As she certainly must have done during her two days of extensive discussions with Indian leaders in Delhi last week, the Sri Lankan President, Chandrika Kumaratunga, made out a crystal clear case for reassessing the strategy for peace during an exclusive interview to this newspaper. "There is almost a de facto separate state in the north... They (the LTTE) have got (from the peace process) much more than what they have been able to get by fighting," she said, underscoring her deep concerns over the way the Norway-facilitated process between the Government of Ranil Wickremesinghe and the LTTE has been moving and the course of its direction for the integrity of the island republic. Her adviser and former Foreign Minister, Lakshman Kadirgamar, has averred that the LTTE has been consolidating its position and entrenching itself under the cover of the ceasefire. A negotiated settlement of the ethnic crisis is the only option, Ms. Kumaratunga herself reiterated, disputing suggestions that her current concerns stem partially from partisan politics in the context of the inconvenient political cohabitation of the President and her Prime Minister belonging to rival parties. Clearly, the time has come for re-evaluation — to salvage and save the peace before the LTTE, true to character, decides to sabotage it finally, as it did in 1995.

Judging by the manner in which the Wickremesinghe Government has been accommodating the LTTE demands over the months, continuing the process appears to have itself become its primary domestic political goal. As the donor countries hold a preparatory meeting to assess the war-ravaged nation's requirements of assistance and the parties to the parleys prepare for the next round, the pointers of the past few months must be a definitive guide. The naval clash which resulted in three members of the Tamil Tigers blowing themselves up with their boat off the northern coast and which nearly torpedoed the Berlin round of talks in early February cast a shadow over the entire process. The Tigers hotly denied the charge that they had broken the ceasefire agreement by taking weapons into an area controlled by the Government side. The verdict of the ceasefire's international monitors, that the Tigers' motive was the smuggling of arms, should have alerted the Government side. It did not. The donor nations may decide to wait and see if the ceasefire is being scrupulously observed before agreeing to release additional assistance. The incident must be seen for what it is: the naivete of continuing to trust the LTTE and its leader, Velupillai Prabakaran. The Berlin round's agreement on addressing the issue of broader human rights was acknowledgement that the Tigers persist with their despicable practice of recruiting child soldiers. Their denial has failed to convince the international community which continues to hear of reports to the contrary from areas under the LTTE's control.

As India continues its hands-off policy, it must be wary of suggestions from all sides in Sri Lanka that it play a proactive role. While understanding the genuine concerns voiced by Ms. Kumaratunga, who has a deep and abiding suspicion of the Tigers and their chief, New Delhi will watch closely the way the peace process evolves. It will also hope that the leaders of the majority Sinhala community display better vision and arrive at a consensus on the ethnic issue that will end the exploitation of their differences by the separatist killers. Debilitating, destructive rivalry among them has been the bane of the island republic for more than four decades. Both the main Sinhalese parties must share the blame, but by agreeing to treat the Tigers as the sole representative of the Tamil community, the United National Party of Mr. Wickremesinghe must perhaps bear the greater responsibility.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Opinion

Stories in this Section

Understandable concerns

Securing railway safety

Sangh Parivar in Government

Avoid confrontation

India can write off Iraqi debt