A timely appeal

One of the highlights of President Mahinda Rajapaksa's Budget Speech in Parliament on Thursday was his use of Tamil on two occasions to directly address the concerns of the Tamil community, especially those in the North.

The President had a special message for the civilians in the Wanni, around 200,000 of whom are forcibly held back by Prabhakaran for deployment as a human shield. Prabhakaran, who recently admitted that the Forces are knocking on the gates of Kilinochchi, does not want the civilians to leave the area as that will make it easier for the soldiers to bring down his edifice.

The President's message was simple: The days of suffering of Wanni civilians would soon be over as heroic soldiers are on their way to liberate the Northern masses living in fear of the LTTE.

In the meantime, he said, the civilians should not seek help or shelter from the LTTE whose only intention is to use them as a human shield. The civilians are also a source for conscription to the depleting LTTE ranks.

This message is significant in many ways. The Government has instructed the Forces to strictly adhere to the zero civilian casualty policy in their humanitarian mission in the North. A similar policy was successfully followed in the East, which was liberated last year. The only incident in which civilians were either killed or injured in the East involved the LTTE's use of civilians as a human shield of which the Forces had no prior knowledge at that time.

In contrast to the apprehensions expressed by many local and international figures, the Government continues to send food convoys with the help of the UN and the ICRC to the Wanni hinterland. It is no secret that some of the food stocks are pilfered by the LTTE but the Government has not made that an excuse to halt the supply of essentials to the Wanni.

In fact, for the last 25-30 years, Sri Lankan Governments have been sending food to the Wanni for the welfare of civilians there, knowing very well that at least part of it is forcibly taken by terrorists. As President Rajapaksa recently said Sri Lanka is the only country where the authorities send food to the very terrorists fighting a democratically elected Government.

Another factor is that the Government has arranged a safe humanitarian corridor for civilians to come to cleared areas such as Vavuniya. The LTTE is not allowing civilians to use this passage, but some brave civilians have risked life and limb to try other ways and means to escape the clutches of terrorists. Some have used small dinghies to cross over to cleared areas by sea. These civilians who have been warmly welcomed by the Forces tell a tale of woe with regard to the suffering experienced by civilians still trapped in the Wanni.

The displacement of civilians is a temporary phenomenon in any conflict. This was amply demonstrated during Operation Riviresa in 1995 when nearly all the civilians who left their homes returned to Jaffna and other areas in the peninsula once the Forces liberated it. A similar 'home coming' was witnessed in the East as well.

We recall that President Rajapaksa also addressed the UN General Assembly in Tamil in September, becoming the first world leader ever to do so. Addressing both the UN and Parliament in Tamil sends another, even more significant message to the Tamil community here and abroad - that the Sri Lankan President and the Government are deeply committed to safeguard the rights of Tamil citizens and uphold the Tamil language on par with Sinhala.

Inherent in the President's sentiments is the message that this is a battle only against terrorism of the LTTE - it is not a campaign against the Tamil people. He has reassured India and the international community on this count.

This is exactly what he meant when he addressed the people of the Wanni on Thursday - "I extend my hands of cooperation to you and your children with sincere love and affection without being confined to narrow boundaries of ethnic and religious differences. Let us march together towards a better future for Mother Lanka."

That should be the ideal goal of every Sri Lankan - a land of plenty and peace where all can co-exist in harmony. The foundation for that objective should be built not only in the battlefronts of the Wanni but also in our hearts and minds.