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SLMM's dangerous indiscretions

HIGHLY controversial statements attributed to SLMM personnel on developments in this country, in some sections of the media, tend to reinforce the impression that the SLMM has either not understood its responsibilities in Sri Lanka or is wilfully and biasedly by going beyond them with the aim of projecting this country in a very poor light.

As far as we can ascertain, and as most fair-minded sections would admit, the SLMM's principal role is to facilitate the strengthening of the Ceasefire Agreement through a careful monitoring of ceasefire violations.

Rather than end up bashing the Security Forces on perceived ceasefire violations and other abuses the SLMM's task is to liaise between the parties to the conflict with the aim of avoiding a recurrence of such violations.

In other words, the SLMM is expected to play a neutral, conflict-defusion role in Sri Lanka.

For the SLMM to take sides on unfounded allegations is a gross and brazen violation of its mandate in Sri Lanka.

Certainly, loud-mouthedly going public on what it considers are irregularities is a highly irresponsible deviation from the terms of the CFA. Through such acts, the SLMM clearly shows that it stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the enemies of the Lankan State.

Such questionable and controversial conduct comes at a time when the LTTE is being increasingly denounced for its outrages by the rest of the world.

While such pressure might make it compulsory on the part of the LTTE to conform to the CFA, the SLMM's controversial pronouncements tend to defuse such pressure and make it seem as if the State is culpable for negative developments in the country.

In short, the SLMM's indiscretions would only help the LTTE and project it as faultless, while undermining the position of the State.

All this would only strengthen the conviction in some quarters that the SLMM is biased against the State but favourably disposed towards the LTTE, which has time and again proved that it is dismissively disinterested in helping to work out a solution to our conflict.

On the contrary, what has been amply evident over the years, is the LTTE's uncontrollable penchant for war and its strong predilection for violating the CFA.

It is now nonchalantly violating the CFA and acting with brazen disregard against the national interest with the hope of opening a fresh chapter of LTTE-spurred bloodshed and war.

If the SLMM has not seen all this already, it is hardly qualified to carry out the tasks entrusted to it. The end result of the SLMM's lack of fairness and neutrality would be an increasingly recalcitrant LTTE; an uncontrollable Frankenstein monster.

The SLMM must rethink its approach immediately and wild, exaggerated allegations against the State, coming off the lips of some SLMM personnel, must stop.

The SLMM's role is, essentially, an unobtrusive one, wherein it helps to strengthen the ceasefire and thereby cooperates in defusing the conflict, rather than contribute towards keeping it going.

The SLMM needs to seriously think on these things.

India's Sri Lanka policy - a projection

THERE are other factors that India needs to bear in mind. If India were to turn a Nelsonian eye to LTTE arms smuggling through Indian waters, it would expand the area of operations of the Sea Tigers and allow the LTTE to rebuild its infrastructure in Tamil Nadu; an infrastructure which over the medium and long term, would support militant or irredentist sentiment.

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Allan Rock's Marijuana Garden

It is amazing. With every Cabinet post, Allan Rock brings down a new series of disasters. He is, in fact, disaster personified. It is difficult to understand why this is happening, since he seems to be a perfectly intelligent person. He left behind a successful legal career when he first ran for Parliament in 1993.

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New romance with an old enemy

WICKREMATUNGA certainly could have done a better job than Sebastian, but he treats her with some oily TLC. Of course, he was egging her on to make use of her to attack President Mahinda Rajapaksa - his latest bete noir. Wickrematunga's plans of making use of his other pet Ranil Wickremesinghe to hammer Rajapaksa went awry with the joint SLFP-UNP MoU.

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Screaming A-Niners beat the genocidal drums of the Tigers

As for the question of genocide, speaking in Paris two days ago, the Tamil leader Anandasangaree has appealed to the international community to help liberate the Tamils from the Tigers. If there is indeed genocide against the Tamils in Sri Lanka, the Tigers are at the forefront of this deadly quest.

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