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Talks a chance to discuss differences in civilised manner - Bangkok Post

Sri Lanka's peace process will be long and difficult and stretch the Thai patience and diplomatic ability, the prestigious Bangkok Post said yesterday in an editorial.

Titled 'Helping Sri Lanka make lasting peace' the editorial said the talks, aimed at bringing reconciliation to the island once known as Serendipity, will give Sri Lankans a chance to discuss their differences in a civilised manner.

"Governments can compromise, terrorists can recant, warring parties can reach agreement for reconciliation. One hopes this will be the outcome of the Sri Lankan talks," the Post editorialist wrote.

The editorial in full: "It is starting to look like Sri Lankans may actually sit down to try to thrash out their differences over a negotiating table, rather than over the graves of their fellow citizens. After 20 years of war and four months of arguing, representatives of the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam may be headed for Bangkok within a month.

"The plan is to begin talks that will bring reconciliation to the island once known as Serendipity. Thailand has agreed to be the host for these talks. The bargaining will be long and difficult. It will stretch the Thai patience and diplomatic ability.

"Thailand is not a negotiator in these talks. That job belongs to Norway. The Europeans have been acting to bring together the Colombo government and the rebels. Their war has killed 64,000 citizens, but has devastated the nation even far beyond that terrible statistic. Every Sri Lankan has been touched by the conflict. The economy of the country has been so badly skewered by the war that it will take decades to return to normal.

"Thailand cannot continue to act as it has and authorities would do well to announce changes before they open negotiation sessions. The Tamil Tigers have long mistaken Thai hospitality for a licence to smuggle arms, organise terrorism and help to conduct a war against a friendly government. For unacceptable reasons, certain influential Thai groups have helped the Tamil Tigers up to and including supplying them with arms. All this must change, and may be changing.

"Police last week served notice in Phuket that things must be a little different. They broke up an attempt to load smuggled military weapons on to a waiting boat. The destination of the arms may have been Sri Lanka, or possibly the Indonesian island of Aceh. Either way, such smuggling must stop. Indeed, both the current and previous governments have given solemn assurances to Colombo and Jakarta they would crack down on the arms trade.

"The arms smuggling is only a symptom of the overall problem. The Tamil Tigers have long been known as ruthless terrorists who have tried to undermine and overthrow friendly governments. The group is blacklisted in nations around the world.

"The attempt by the Tigers to destabilise and overthrow the Indian regime through the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi in 1991 was one of their worst atrocities, carried out by a woman suicide bomber. The Tigers have killed numerous Sri Lankan officials and virtually every fair-minded Tamil politician in the nation. They have never apologised for their collateral damage of hundreds of deaths of innocent bystanders.

"The Tigers have uprooted or exterminated virtually all Muslims in their regions. The United Nations and Amnesty International just last month condemned their forced use of child soldiers -- the day before six girls escaped from a Tigers induction centre, the oldest of whom was 14 years. India demands the extradition of Tamil Tiger leader Velupillai Prabhakaran on murder charges. The United States, many European nations and other countries forbid fund-raising by Tamil Tiger recruiters, who are known to have used blackmail to extort money for the anti-Colombo war.

"The Norwegian peace efforts and Thai hospitality now will give Sri Lankans a chance to discuss their differences in a civilised manner. It is entirely up to the people of that war-torn country to decide on the future of their nation. Governments can compromise, terrorists can recant, warring parties can reach agreement for reconciliation.

"One hopes this will be the outcome of the Sri Lankan talks. In the meantime, Thai officials must make it clear they support the legal government in Colombo and cut off all links that seem to aid the rebels."

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Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
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