LTTE terrorists facing critical choice

THE brutal slaying of scores of civilians in Welikanda in the East, grimly underscores the timeliness of the EU ban on the LTTE. Inasmuch as the world would welcome a decision by the LTTE to help in kickstarting the stalled peace process in Sri Lanka, it considered with grave concern the Tigers' continued intransigence and their tendency to unleash bloodshed with what seems to be complete disregard for their obligations under the Ceasefire Agreement.

It is the latter, repelling aspects of Tiger conduct which have prompted the EU ban on the LTTE. We hope, along with the Government, that the EU listing of the LTTE would compel the Tigers to reconsider their stance and re-enter the negotiatory process with a view to working out a political solution to the conflict.

The country's expectation is also likely to be great that the Government's continued commitment to the negotiatory effort would spur the LTTE in the direction of fully participating in the political process aimed at resolving the conflict. We have it on the authority of President Mahinda Rajapaksa that the Government would press ahead with the negotiatory process towards evolving a political solution "based on democracy and human rights, that meets the aspirations of all communities," and which would preserve Sri Lanka's territorial integrity and unity.

Given this backdrop, the wisest course of action the LTTE could take - if it is sincere when it says that it has the interests of the Tamil people at heart - is to cooperate with the State in working out a political settlement. Nor should there be any hope in any quarter that the State would now gravitate towards a military solution, in the belief that the LTTE has suffered a political setback in the international sphere. This would amount to completely misreading the Lankan State's intentions and its fundamental approach to ending our conflict.

The Government fully realises the costly, catastrophic consequences which would befall the country by going for the military option. However, it does not follow from this position that it would allow the national interest to be harmed by the LTTE. The State is duty-bound to defend the interests of Sri Lanka, come what may, and the LTTE would do well to take note of this vital truth.

The State is also mindful of the fact that the LTTE should be sharply differentiated from the Tamil people. The Government is duty-bound to protect and serve the latter but would not tolerate destructive, lawless conduct by the former. However, the State would cooperate fully with the LTTE if it opts to re-enter the negotiatory process.

The State fully comprehends the motives behind the EU ban on the LTTE. It is meant, basically, to compel the LTTE to rejoin the political process. The LTTE would do well to interpret this ban in the correct spirit and take the most judicious course available to it. That is helping to bring peace.

The Tigers should acquire a sound grasp of the critical issues facing it. Clearly, international opinion is staunchly opposed to LTTE terror. It wants the Tigers to re-enter the peace process in earnest. The LTTE would do well to follow this course for the sake of the silently suffering North-East people.

Priceless legacies

Buddhists all over the world would have heaved a sigh of relief after hearing the news that the Borobudur Buddhist temple complex was left unscathed in the massive earthquake that rocked Java.

It nevertheless caused grief among Hindu devotees as the quake toppled intricately carved columns and dislodged numerous massive concrete blocks at Prambanan, a spectacular Hindu temple built in the ninth and 10th century.

Both are cultural and religious legacies left by a generation gone by. Borobudur, built between 750 and 850 AD, is one of the biggest Buddhist temples in the world. Although Indonesia itself has only a limited Buddhist population, Borobudur attracts thousands of overseas Buddhists and other visitors every month. On the other hand, Hinduism is widely practised in Indonesian islands such as Bali.

This points to the importance of preserving our cultural and religious monuments from the elements, natural disasters and even the maniacal actions of misguided individuals. One of the most poignant examples for the latter is the Taleban's wanton destruction of the Bamiyan Buddha statues in Afghanistan. Virtually the whole world - not only Buddhist countries - condemned this action and appealed to the Taleban to spare these historic statues.

Such intolerance cannot be condoned under any circumstances. Almost all Buddhist countries including Iran, Pakistan and Indonesia are preserving their Buddhist heritage. Similarly, predominantly Buddhist and Hindu countries are preserving historic monuments and places of worship belonging to other religions.

That said, UNESCO and individual countries should draw up a programme to ensure the protection of religious and cultural monuments in all eventualities. After all, they are priceless gifts from the past to the future.

Media and the LTTE

Media plays a key role in any conflict situation. It has the major task of creating a positive mentality among the people, keeping the friends happy, make sure the rest of the world stays interested in the conflict but ensure that they do not bring down a negative impact on the issue and make sure the moral of the enemy is very low. This was seen in all the major wars in the world over and it has been proved that the media played a vital part in the outcome of these conflicts.

'The Memons - Important Muslim minority of Sri Lanka'

The Memons of Sri Lanka constitute a small but important minority community in the island, numbering a mere 7000 persons in a nation of over 20 million. Their contribution to the national life of the country has nevertheless been significant.

A tribute to Colonel Muthaliff

Colonel Thuwan Nisham Muthaliff who fought the Tiger terrorists gallantly to preserve the unitary status and territorial integrity of the motherland, took leave of us as a patriotic war hero on May 31, 2005 at 7.50 a.m, exactly a year ago.

Book Review: Public-private sector partnership in economic development

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