Hindu Editorial:

Standing reality on its head

The denial by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam of involvement in the claymore mine attack that killed 13 Sri Lanka Navy sailors last week, and its assertion that it is "not involved in any activity that breaches the ceasefire agreement," is breathtaking for the total suspension of disbelief it demands.

Who else if not the LTTE? The Tigers want the world to believe this is the work of independent "civilian groups" who are against the presence of Sri Lankan troops in the "Tamil homeland." This is impossible to swallow. No organisation other than the LTTE is in a position to carry out such an attack in Northern Sri Lanka; in any case, setting off a claymore mine is not civilian activity.

The blame for this and other provocative acts right through December - 33 security forces personnel have been killed in these incidents, making this Sri Lanka's bloodiest month since the signing of the February 2002 ceasefire lies squarely with the LTTE.

The dastardly assassination of Joseph Parajasingham, an MP belonging to the pro-LTTE Tamil National Alliance, by gunmen inside a church in eastern Sri Lanka on Christmas eve does not alter the fact that the LTTE is trying to set the stage for another Eelam war.

This killing underlines the problems in the East following Karuna's revolt and breakaway. It reiterates the urgent need to strengthen the ceasefire, an agenda item the LTTE has been putting off on one pretext or another. The Sri Lankan security forces have shown exemplary restraint thus far. They are aware that retaliation could mean the end of the truce.

The claymore mine massacre came days after an appeal by Norway, the European Union, the United States, and Japan the co-chairs of the fast-weakening peace process to the LTTE to desist from violence. It is deplorable that the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader, Vaiko, sought to mislead Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the near-war situation the LTTE an organisation designated as terrorist and banned by India has created in Northern Sri Lanka.

With counter-charges of "repressive brutal attacks" on Tamil civilians by soldiers in Jaffna, Mr. Vaiko, a strong supporter of the Eelam cause, evidently hopes to throw a damper on the forthcoming visit of President Mahinda Rajapakse, who wants India to play a role in ending the conflict and ensuring that Sri Lanka remains one country.

Unfortunately, after all these years in which more Sri Lankan Tamils have been killed by the LTTE than by Sinhala soldiers, the MDMK leader continues to hold on to the delusion that Tamil interests are identical with those of the Pol Potist group for which he lobbies so hard.

The truth is they have never been farther apart. The sooner Mr. Vaiko understands this, the more constructively he can support the long-suffering Tamils and help them gain a federal solution within the framework of a united Sri Lanka.