A threat to peace

IT WAS just yesterday that we commented on the LTTE's barbaric act of slaying seven soldiers in Jaffna. Now the LTTE has repeated the crime, in an almost identical fashion with yesterday's killing of six soldiers.

As usual, the LTTE is likely to deny any involvement in this dastardly act and instead blame it on third parties. Knowing how the LTTE operates, this is not surprising. But the method of the attack and the audacious manner in which it was carried out clearly point to the LTTE.

Several countries have already condemned the twin slayings, which have shattered the atmosphere of 'no-war' that existed in the Northern region. But mere words will not suffice to halt the LTTE's killing spree. The international community, especially the four Co-Chairs, must come down hard on the LTTE. More sanctions, as envisaged in the recent UN resolutions against terrorism, are called for.

The LTTE has not formally announced that it is withdrawing from the ceasefire. Such a course of action requires two weeks' notice to facilitators and the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission. The latest killings have thus taken place while the ceasefire is fully operational for all intents and purposes. It is clear that the LTTE is paying lip service to the ceasefire while continuing its violent behaviour.

As we said yesterday, these are dangerous times. The Security Forces must be extra vigilant in the coming days, since the LTTE may escalate such attacks to provoke them into retaliatory action. That is exactly what the devious leaders of the LTTE seek, so that they can tell the international community that the war was re-started by Government Forces.

To their credit, the Government and the Security Forces have acted with utmost restraint amid the spate of killings perpetrated by the Tigers. They have upheld their commitment to the Ceasefire Agreement, pointing out the need to revise and strengthen it to minimise violations.

President Mahinda Rajapakse has maintained throughout that he is for peace. In fact, he began the process of political consultations with leading political parties yesterday. That process must be expedited in view of the latest developments in the North.

Southern political parties must reach a consensus that will be a formidable barrier for the LTTE to continue on the path of violence. We must not lose sight of the fact that the ultimate solution has to be a negotiated political settlement.

Improving the train service

Transport Minister A.H.M. Fowzie, being the dynamic man he is, has already started to implement plans for improving the transport sector under the able guidance of President Mahinda Rajapakse.

He has already visited several bus depots and train stations and instructed officials to get their act together. We reported yesterday that Minister Fowzie was now drawing up plans to set up a railway workshop for manufacturing carriages required for the train service locally.

This is a timely move, given that Sri Lanka has to spend millions of dollars to import rail carriages. The foreign exchange thus incurred for carriage imports can be channelled for other improvements to the railways system. Besides, the project will create employment for a considerable number of youth.

Installing additional carriages will however be meaningless if they are not maintained properly. The shoddy state of rail compartments has put off many prospective rail travellers, in spite of the cheaper fares. This should be addressed to draw more travellers to the trains.

The Ministry should also go ahead with proposed extensions to the rail tracks. Extending the rail track to Kataragama, for example, will benefit a large number of travellers to the deep South. More such extensions should be considered, especially in conjunction with improvements to the road network.

Most countries have integrated bus-train timetables to ensure that passengers alighting a particular train can immediately board connecting buses to interior destinations. This has to be considered for the benefit of commuters around the island.

The railway's potential for goods transport has also not been explored fully. Transporting freight by train is a cheaper alternative. Work on the proposed Ratmalana-Katunayake rail link should also be expedited. A world-class rail system will be a great asset to the country's transport infrastructure.