The pen is mightier than the gun

L. I. Keerthisinghe, Attorney-at-Law

It is clear that the world is now convinced that an important element in the resolution of this problem is to show the LTTE where it stands and marginalise it because it will not come into the democratic process.

The Hindu (Editorial, 2nd June, 2006)

Solution: The time has now come, when the Sri Lankan nation comprising of the Sri Lankan people from all races and creeds and the international community should learn to call a spade, a spade. The LTTE led by its leader Velupillai Prabhakaran has subjected the Sri Lankan Nation which includes our Tamil brethren to lies, terror, torment and evil.

Our President Mahinda Rajapaksa, in a laudable genuine attempt to inform the true nature of the LTTE to the world, never so far attempted by anyone of our previous Heads of State, in the article titled 'Taming the Tiger' (published in the Daily News - June 3, 2006) states: '...that alone makes it abundantly clear that Tigers are no longer interested in pursuing the peace process.

Instead they seek to foment inter-communal strife through unprovoked acts of aggression, in order to boost their support among the Tamil community and raise further funds from exiles'.

The recent violent incidents perpetrated by the LTTE such as using child soldiers to gun down 12 unarmed civilians, sending a brainwashed pregnant mother to be, as a suicide bomber to kill the army commander and attacking a shipload of 700 unarmed soldiers at sea among other incidents, while feigning to talk peace, indicate the falsity of their intentions to pursue the peace initiative.

The question then arises, are we to return to a full scale armed conflict or a fully blown war to tame the Tigers? In the writer's personal opinion and the majority of free men in the world the answer would be a resounding 'no'. As Abraham Lincoln once said, "Among free men there can be no successful appeal from the ballot to the bullet".

Lincoln in his message to the Congress on July 4, 1861 further said: "...ballots are the rightful and peaceful successors of bullets." Then, what would be the answer to terminate the brutal activities of the LTTE in the name of a purported liberation struggle for the Tamil people? It is a fact that all races in Sri Lanka have lived together in peace and harmony as brethren for quite a long period of time until a band of persons under the leadership of Velupillai Prabhakaran formed the LTTE in May 1976. If one were to type the name 'Prabhakaran' in the Google search bar all the information about the man and his cult would be accessible.

How could the Tigers advocate peace and come into the democratic process with a leader like Prabhakaran is only too obvious from the portfolio of information available on the internet. The Interpol has designated this person as a wanted man. An Indian court has sentenced the said person to death for the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi. The High Court of Colombo in Sri Lanka has sentenced the same person to 200 years for setting the Central Bank building ablaze using explosives which killed hundreds of persons.

It is obvious that many in this country and abroad including the Tamils are struck with fear to voice their anger and suffering under the brutal dictatorship and tyranny of the gang leader, who controls their lives and holds the Sri Lankan Nation to ransom by fear and tyranny.

A similar fear psychosis was seen during the times of megalomaniacs and tyrants such as Hitler and Pol Pot. Hitler declared himself to be the saviour of the German people and engaged in genocide of the Jews. Millions died due to the madness of Hitler. Innocent children and women were gassed to death.

The world watched in utter horror and helplessness. Anyone who spoke up or protested was assassinated by the Gestapo.

Today the pistol gangs of the LTTE accomplish this task without any hindrance to the amazement of the Sri Lankan people who watch in desperation at the inability of the intelligence network of the Sri Lankan Government to curb such killings. One of the reasons for their inability is the assassination of top intelligence officers and the cry of the protection of the human rights of those arrested or detained for investigations during cordon and search operations.

The people who rise to protect the human rights of persons who are detained for investigations are dumbstruck to raise their voices for the innocent child in the womb of the pregnant Tamil mother to be, who was made a suicide bomber or the 12 innocent unarmed civilians killed by Tiger child soldiers as a training exercise in military warfare. Do they hear the wails of the families of those unarmed innocent civilians killed in sport?

It is in the interests of a person who is wanted for criminal activities and sentenced to death in India to prolong the so called 'ethnic crisis' and live in luxury throwing grand birthday fiestas for his progeny rather than work or negotiate for the welfare of the Tamil people.

Funds are pouring in and the leaders of the LTTE are living in luxury travelling under State protection to other countries to wine and dine and spread fear among the Tamils abroad and extort further funds.

If not for the so called 'Tamil cause (Oscar Wilde said in The Picture of Dorian Gray: 'I can stand brute force, but brute reason is quite unbearable'.) espoused by the LTTE, could its leaders live in the lap of luxury and travel around the Globe wasting the time and the funds of the Sri Lankan Government, our Tamil brethren and the international community, who are now beginning to rise from their deep slumber and see things in their true perspective?

An indepth study of the ISGA proposals put forward by the LTTE indicate their need to legitimize the control they have over the occupied areas as well as the entire North-East and gain, administrative, military and financial control over the entire North-East. (even the hyphen between the words North and East has been dropped to indicate that it is one territory).

Their need to obtain supremacy over a separate region of the sea may have arisen from a perusal of the provisions of the Montevideo Convention for separate states, which indicates a separate territory as a pre-requisite for a separate State.

What then, is the solution to the problem facing the Sri Lankan Nation today? At the outset of this piece, I have quoted from the Editorial of The Hindu. The answer lies in the marginalisation of the LTTE, not by war, but by exercising patience over their brutal, violent activities. The more unarmed innocents they kill, the more the world will marginalise them and identify their true nature. The Sri Lankan Security Forces must defend themselves and the public. What happened to Hitler and Pol Pot finally is no secret to anyone living today.

As the Buddha said hatred begets more hatred. It is by kindness the hatred can be soothed. Then one may ask 'is the Sri Lankan Nation to surrender and watch in silence while the killings go unabated?' The Government must fortify and provide security to all vulnerable villages and the cities and strengthen its security establishment and intelligence services.

A civil defence force comprising of retired officers of the armed forces and the police has to be immediately established. Intelligence advisors from foreign security establishments must be appointed. The ability of the LTTE to strike at will must be reduced using relevant security arrangements.

Instead of wasting money and time on an unreachable peace, the Government should call upon our Tamil brethren sans the LTTE, here and abroad to come to a negotiating table and voice any genuine grievance they have and remedy such grievances.

The LTTE must lay down its arms before they are to be permitted to negotiate any issue. If the LTTE wants other armed groups to be unarmed what is their special right to carry arms themselves under the Sri Lankan law? When did they obtain a mandate from our Tamil brethren, here and abroad, to fight a war with the Sri Lankan security forces? As John Locke said: 'Wherever law ends, tyranny begins'.

The international funding of the LTTE must be totally weakened by proper dissemination of information on the internet and through our embassies abroad.

Our Tamil brethren should realise the manner in which a 12-year-old Tamil boy was shot by the LTTE a few days ago for refusing to be a child soldier. Since the LTTE operations began Tamils have died at the hands of the LTTE in vast numbers and the Tamils abroad are terrorised to make funds available for these atrocities.

Aren't they funding the killing of their own people? Even Tamil writers and learned men such as Dr. Neelan Tiruchelvam have been gunned down by the LTTE without any qualms.

It is a shame that our Tamil brethren abroad surrender without a protest and hand out their hard earned money, such educated persons at that.

Photographs and accurate accounts of all brutal killings by the LTTE must be made available to the international community in vivid detail, no sooner such information becomes available.

The true nature of the LTTE then, would be seen by the international community including the donor countries. the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the media and the Government Information Department have to play a vital role in this matter. Thus by the might of the pen and not by the bullets from the gun will the LTTE be defeated in the near future.