A timely call
Sri Lanka’s internal conflict
has been internationalised to a great extent and despite
assurances by successive Governments that it could be solved
internally, foreign Governments have taken a keen interest in
the developments in Sri Lanka.
Apart from Norway, the facilitator of the peace process and
the Co-Chairs, many other countries and multilateral agencies
such as the UN have extended their help and cooperation to solve
the problem.
Even though purists and hardliners many cringe at this
‘interference’ it is not necessarily a bad thing in this
globalised world. One particular aspect of our conflict -
ruthless terrorism - has now become a global phenomenon and the
LTTE has also become a terror outfit with a global reach.
It operates in many Asian and Western countries often under
the cover of front organisations, raising funds for its terror
campaign in Sri Lanka. In the process, the LTTE has become a
danger to those countries and their citizens, especially the
Tamil diaspora.
Terrorism anywhere is a threat to civilised life everywhere.
This is the very reason why the international community is now
reaching out to Sri Lanka in its effort to combat terrorism on
the one hand and establish peace on the other.
Although Sri Lanka needs the support of the entire global
community at this juncture, there is one country without whose
help this conflict would be very difficult to resolve - India.
Demographic and geopolitical realities cannot be forgotten.
It is also well-known that LTTE operatives continue to
operate in Indo-Lanka waters, engaging in gun running. Tamil
Nadu Police have detected LTTE boats heading to and from India
with weapons and explosives. The LTTE’s nascent air capabilities
pose a threat to both countries.
It is thus in the interests of both countries to engage in
joint patrolling/surveillance and work towards enhanced defence
cooperation. In this context, South Asian Parliamentarians’
recent call to India to extend its active support for efforts by
Sri Lanka to find a lasting negotiated settlement is highly
commendable.
“We urge India as the immediate neighbouring power, to
actively support efforts for a lasting negotiated political
settlement,” stated the MPs’ declaration passed at a forum of
SAARC Parliamentarians in Shimla.
This is a timely call to the regional superpower to take
stock of the situation and work closely with Sri Lanka to crush
terrorism. At the same time, Sri Lanka should also work closely
with US, China, Pakistan and all other friendly countries in
order to resolve this vexed conflict.
Sri Lanka has received just such an assurance from a number
of countries at the Asian Security Summit. They have promised
increased assistance to Sri Lanka for combating LTTE terrorism,
including intelligence sharing, a vital component in the fight
against terror.
The gathering and sharing of intelligence is of utmost
importance, especially with regard to the tracking of LTTE’s
weapons shipments. In a significant breakthrough, the Maldives
defence forces recently destroyed a LTTE arms vessel in their
waters.
Such direct action as well as active observations of LTTE
movements are vital to stem the tide of terror. The illicit use
of the territories of some countries by the LTTE, particularly
for arms smuggling and money laundering is also being dealt
with. The coming together of nations to wipe out terror in this
manner augurs well for the future generations. |