The US-Lanka anti-terror accord

A NEW dimension has been added to Sri Lanka's efforts to combat and defeat terrorism through the anti-terrorism agreement launched by it with the US.

The thrust in this agreement is the strengthening of cooperation between the countries in what could be called their common struggle against political terror and we have no hesitation in describing this as a forward step in our efforts to rid this region of the scourge of terrorism.

We have had much hair-splitting over the decades over definitions of terrorism but the world recognizes terror when it occurs.

The world reacts with horror and revulsion when it sees the consequences of the use of terror tactics by groups and persons, sometimes professing what may seem to be high ideals: dismembered and lacerated bodies of innocent men, women and children, vast multitudes of immobilized and maimed persons, affected forever by the hellfires unleashed by terror wielders, armies of widows and orphans left behind by casualties in terror attacks and irretrievably ruined public property, to name a few ghastly horrors visited on us by terrorism.

In short, terrorism spawns inhuman violence and demented bloodletting and nothing in the world could justify its occurrence or application.

Terrorism, in other words, is the very anti-thesis of humanity and the states of the world are obliged to defeat terror on a cooperative basis. Through such arrangements mankind ensures that its basic identity is sustained and strengthened as a peace-maker.

We needed to dwell on these points to highlight the importance of states coming together on a bilateral and multilateral basis to combat the terror scourge.

In these endeavours states and peoples would need to be pragmatic and practically-oriented although it does not follow from this position that just anything could be done to defeat the terror threat.

For instance, terror could not be fought with terror. Such a policy only leads to a spiral of violence, leading to the eventual disintegration of societies.

The LTTE remains on the US list of banned terror organisations and there is no doubt that the terror onslaughts suffered by the US, culminating in September 11, have had much to do with the US making common cause with the Lankan State.

We hope these developments would awaken the LTTE into the realisation that their basic approach to resolving their grievances does not have many takers. Contrary to the belief among some that the world would succumb to the wielders of terror, the US-Lanka anti-terror agreement should drive home to the LTTE the futility of persisting with the terror weapon.

The world does not yield to inhumanity and barbarism; it is not cowed by these degenerate tactics. This is the message the US-Lanka anti-terror agreement sends out.

However, this agreement is not all about the application of firm law and order methods to quell terror. There is mention in this agreement of the need to uphold human rights and of the need to deploy humane approaches to conflict resolution.

In other words, nothing which violates human rights standards would be deployed in the fight against terror. We have here then, the broad configurations of a balanced approach to dealing with terror. This is as it should be because we are up against a complex problem which needs to be unravelled sensitively.

On track to the future

WE reported yesterday that the Cabinet has approved the extension of the railway line up to Kataragama from Matara, the current terminus. Our report said that double tracks would be laid to allow simultaneous operations in both directions.

We recall that in the 1990s, the late President Ranasinghe Premadasa too called for a similar project. Although the announcement was greeted with much fanfare, nothing happened in the end. We hope that the incoming President would be able to complete the project during his tenure.

In fact, apart from a little-used extension to Mihintale from Anuradhapura and the widening of the Kelani Valley line to broad gauge, the railways have not really added an inch of track to the network inherited from the days of the British.

On the other hand, we succeeded in either neglecting or destroying the tracks up to Opanaike and Jaffna.

Tram lines, which occasionally surface when the macadam gives way on ceratin city roads, tell their own sad story of sheer neglect. Many developed cities are either maintaining or planning ultra-efficient tram lines, whereas we managed to abandon the one we already had.

Another long-felt need will also be fulfilled just two days before the Presidential Election - the commencement of work on the Colombo-Katunayake express rail link. Again, we hope that politics will not come into play. Whoever wins the election must go ahead with this project for the country's benefit.

Talk of electrifying the railway network has remained just that - talk. It is time we saw some action on this matter.

The bitter truth is that our rail infrastructure is archaic, our trains, even on the low-country lines, are abysmally slow and the service, nothing short of atrocious. The system must be modernised from the ground up.

In this case, the proposed provision of carriages at comparatively lower prices by a local car manufacturer deserves our commendation as it will save millions of dollars in foreign exchange.

The railways must do a lot more to attract more passengers. It has the potential to become the leading player in the transport industry. Initiatives for modernisation, value addition and track extensions can help the railways to get there.