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| Saturday, 20 November 2004 |
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The rush to talk should not forget the children The budget cat is now out of the bag. Whether it is a budget with a smile or groan as one newspaper asked on Thursday will depend on the interests of those who study it. No budget can be expected to please all the people in all ways possible. There are some who would be pleased and some displeased. Any overall judgment of the budget should be made on whether it serves the development of the country, while paying attention to the needs of various sectors and interest groups. If the budget, with whatever cause for criticism it may have, does in fact serve the overall interests of nation building through the emergence of a development based economic policy it will be laudable. Its absence should be the only reason to reject it as a failure. Ready for talks Two days before the budget proposals were revealed by the Finance Minister, President Chandrika Kumaratunga made an important statement on the other major item that was holding the interests of the people. In a nationally telecast interview in Sinhala she said: "The Government of Sri Lanka was prepared to resume direct negotiations with the LTTE at any time, 'even within this month'. All that is necessary for the resumption of direct talks have been created and the two major political parties agree on need to resume direct negotiations." In a few words she threw the gauntlet at the LTTE, and made people understand that any delay in resumption of talks lay with the LTTE and not with the Government. She flatly denied the stories of any secret message from Prabhakaran, and was able to say with confidence that the two major parties had reached agreement on the key issues involved. The President further explained that there wasn't a world of difference between the SLFP and JVP, as many have been trying to make out, over the need to resume negotiations. No sooner had the President's comments had been made Thamilchelvan, speaking in Kilinochchi, reiterated that the resumption of talks should be based on the ISGA, and no other proposal or document. He added a new dimension to the LTTE's conditions by wanting to first know the position of all parties of the Government on the LTTE's demands. The Oslo Agreement or Statement is obviously out, till the LTTE gets the interim administration it wants under the ISGA. This is typical of the LTTE's delaying tactics. While saying it is keen to resume talks, it keeps on placing one condition after another that can only lead to a delay in negotiations. If the LTTE is so keen on knowing the exact position of parties that comprise the UPFA government on its demands, it would also be interesting for others to know the stand of all sections of the LTTE regarding the national issue. For instance, has the LTTE arrived at any consensus with the Karuna faction that has openly disagreed with the policy decisions taken at the Vanni? As each day passes it is becoming increasingly clear that the LTTE is not the sole representative of the Tamils of Sri Lanka. As the larger armed group among the Tamils, the Government has recognized the LTTE as the representative of the Tamils for purposes of negotiations, as clearly explained by the Japanese Special Peace Envoy Yasushi Akashi, after his recent visit to Sri Lanka. In such a situation it is not up to the LTTE to keep placing such obstacles to the early resumption of talks. The children of war As the LTTE thinks of more conditions to delay the resumption of talks, it is also necessary to raise the question as to why there should be such a rush to resume negations in the face of the LTTE's continued violations of the Cease Fire Agreement, especially in the conscription of child soldiers and killing of political opponents who have entered democratic politics. The most recent exposure of the LTTE's record on recruiting children to carry arms came from Human Rights Watch, which issued as 50-page report "Living in Fear: Child Soldiers and the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka". "The ceasefire has brought an end to the fighting, but not to the Tamil Tigers' use of children as soldiers," said Jo Becker, children's rights advocacy director for Human Rights Watch, and a co-author of the report. "Many Tamil families who expected a 'peace dividend' now expect an unwelcome visit from armed Tamil Tiger recruiters." The report includes firsthand testimonies from dozens of children from northeastern Sri Lanka who have been recruited by the Tamil Tigers since the ceasefire came into effect. Children described rigorous and sometimes brutal military training, including training with heavy weapons, bombs and landmines. Children who try to escape are typically beaten in front of their entire unit as a warning to others. It says the Tamil Tigers have recruited at least 3,516 children since the start of the February 2002 ceasefire with the government, according to cases documented by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). The agency states that this figure represents only a portion of the total number of children recruited. This is a very serious condemnation of the LTTE's behaviour since the signing of the CFA. Those who urge the early resumption of talks under any conditions would do well to consider the plight of these children and those of others to be forcibly recruited in the future, before making their recommendations. Little purpose can be served in talking with people who have no respect for any of the norms of Human Rights, especially when it comes to the rights and treatment of children. Interestingly, the recently established Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers is urging the United Nations to start prosecuting those who recruit children as soldiers. At a time when such international interest is being built up over child soldiers, it may be useful to consider asking the LTTE to at least implement a six-month moratorium on the recruitment on child soldiers, and the release of all they now hold, before any talks could resume whether based on the ISGA or not. Every word that Thamilchelvam, Balasingham and Prabhakaran utter is tainted with the cry of these children, who are the real future of a Sri Lankan nation. Their cries for freedom and liberation should not be forgotten in any rush to talk with their captors. |
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