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.