A unique act of kindness
It is incredible, it is unbelievable. It happens only
in Sri Lanka.:
Gomin DAYASRI
Where in the world do you knowingly treat your enemy before engaging
him in combat? It is happening all the time in Sri Lanka, hardly anyone
talks about it anymore. It is time those interfering meddlesome
foreigners and our ‘greater than god’ human rights angels learn of it.
Probably they do know, but pretend not to know. Unfortunately, in the
war effort, we have not learnt the skills in blowing our trumpet nor are
we pied pipers who have mastered the art of playing that signature tune,
which is played to perfection by the LTTE. Though in politics, we
surpass many.
Who else feed the enemy troops, maintains a network of roads for
their troops to move, provides the asphalt to build roads which they
extend to runways to fly light aircraft, provides hospitals and supplies
medicine to rehabilitate and rejuvenate the injured terrorists and makes
them return to the battle ground? We pay for the doctors and nurses
ministering the terrorists.
Education
The children in LTTE controlled areas are provided with an education
for which we pick the bill including the salaries of teachers. The State
pays the salaries of public servants to provide for welfare services
including childcare and maternity and infant mortality services for the
families and children of the terrorists. Public works including
sanitation and the administration for the North is paid for by those
taxed in the South. It has happened under every administration during
the 30 year war. Indeed it is an old story that needs to be retold.
LTTE women cadres being treated by Armed Forces |
Do these Human Rights screamers ever murmur a word of the
contributions we make both to civilians and terrorists in areas under
LTTE control? Do they stricture the LTTE for siphoning the provision
meant for civilians being transferred to the combat zone? Those who play
Santa to terrorists would not mind if the sledge carries contraband to
the LTTE dreamland provided they hitch a ride.
Fulfilling obligations
In fact some were in the business in disguise traveling in 4x4
foreign funded NGO vehicles ostensibly to serve the civilians but to
provide a pipeline of funding to the terrorists. Inquire which other
country maintain an armed force to fight terrorism and provide the
infrastructure for the terrorists to fight the government forces. Test
their limited IQs by asking them to name another country? Those
suffering from NGO delusions can only pique.
We are fulfilling our obligations to our citizens in the North but
the terrorists stealthily grab the provision for themselves. In the
uncleared areas the distribution is still in the hands of the LTTE-so to
transfer it to their own pocket is elementary. Eventually, except for
the leadership in the LTTE most of the LTTE cadres will be rehabilitated
and become peaceful citizens. They will with time realize the folly of
the LTTE in damaging the Tamil community killing and harming their own
people. In Parliament today sitting as members are former terrorists who
have become model democrats, having benefited from the hospitality in
prison and enjoyed an amnesty, they have been enlightened and
voluntarily converted themselves.
Soldiers helping a Tiger women cadre |
Most are now from the South but traffic in the future will be heavy
from the North. Today the former terrorists in the democratic process
hate their former comrades in the LTTE most. If any country is in need
of experienced trainers to proselytise terrorists to democrats ask an
NGO to set a recruitment agency here in Sri Lanka.
We are not a bunch of zombies to be ignorant of this sequence of
events but stand helpless watching at least a fraction of the supplies
percolate down to the people. Otherwise nothing will reach the people as
there is no other corridor to touch base for the moment and we are
compelled to watch the LTTE loot.
Ease
We have to ease the desperate plight of our own people in the North
however unscrupulous the LTTE are known to be. This can be overcome by
only chasing the Tigers away from their own den and saving the people in
the North trampled under their heavy boot at whatever cost.
Why don’t the defenders of human rights demand that the LTTE permits
provisions dispatched for civilians reach destination unobstructed? They
don’t and they want not to, for they care more for the LTTE than for the
civilians trapped in the North as a human shield to protect them. The
LTTE depends on the civilians for their own salvation. In other parts of
the world the complaint is that provisions sent to distressed persons
are forcibly acquired by State authorities and Government troops. In Sri
Lanka there is a reversible reaction in operation-the Government sends
the provisions supervised by the Armed Forces delivered under the
auspices of UN/Red Cross protection. There is never a complaint of our
troops pilfering the provisions destined to the North.
Misplaced priorities
Why could not the NGO community living along with the LTTE in
Killinochchi persuade and convince them to resist from such highway
robbery without preaching to us on human rights? The human rights
interventionists if so concerned, as they assert-should have formulated
a mechanism where the aid flow could have continued without hindrance to
the North especially the essential items before they left Killinochchi.
Their misplaced priorities are located elsewhere.
LTTE bunkers made out of grabbed provisions given for the
civilians |
Undoubtedly, the conditions of the civilians would improve once the
LTTE is comprehensively defeated as the banditry will be no more.
Presently Tigers kill or imprison those who disobey, drive the innocent
to the battlefield to be maimed, capture those refusing to join and
inflict punishment as a deterrent to others, arrest parents if they
prevent the conscription of their children, seize the goods meant for
the people, destroy property built for public benefit as they retreat,
deny education for the children, separate forcibly children from their
parents, lift young girls from homes and dispatch them to camps for
military training, place a gun in the hands of kids dress them in battle
fatigues and position them in the war zones to be human fodder.
Are those champions of human rights suffering from a blurred vision
that they see nothing? Are these prohibited topics in their human rights
lexicon to remain silent as dumb mutes? Are they wittingly or
unwittingly deaf, that they do not hear the plea of innocent Tamils? Of
course those in the academic mafia are in the counting house counting
out their dollars with their human rights passport as a cover.
Those Western human rights exponents who fault Sri Lanka forget to
examine the scenes closer home. It is interesting to compare the
situation in Iraq when the US Forces invaded the city of Faluja in 2004.
They began the ground attack with the infantry conquering the Falluja
General Hospital. The front page of the New York Times (8.Nov 2004)
reported “patients and hospital employees were rushed out of hospital
rooms by armed soldiers and ordered to sit or lie on the floor while
troops tied their hands behind their backs”. A supporting photograph was
also published and presented as a gallant accomplishment of the US
Forces.
Treat at our expense
Instead we treat their soldiers at our expense and send them back to
the battle field after recuperating. They enter the hospital for surgery
at Killinochchi in civilian clothes with gunshot injuries but knowing
well they are LTTE cadres does not mean the doctors paid by the State;
in a hospital maintained by the State, turn them away. Without a trace
of discrimination surgery is performed gratis, medicine given free and
nursing provided at no costs for the LTTE wounded.
It was confirmed by ‘BBC and Reuters in a report by Dr Sami al-Jumaili’
of US war planes bombing the Central Health Care Centre in Falluja
killing 35 patients and 24 staff members. Dr Eiman al Ani of the Falluja
General Hospital stated the entire Health Centre shortly after the
attack collapsed on the patients. If this happened in Sri Lanka, the
dignitaries in our foreign embassies would have engaged themselves in a
talkathon.
The leading medical journal of UK ‘Lancet’ in October 2004 reported
the death toll associated with the invasion and occupation of Iraq may
be higher than 100,000.World Food Programme reported “significant
countrywide shortages of rice, milk and infant formula”.
Acute malnutrition doubled within 16 months of the occupation of Iraq
to the level of Burundi, well above Haiti and Uganda, a figure that
translates to approximately 4000000 Iraqi children suffering from
‘wasting’ , a condition characterized by chronic diarrhea and dangerous
deficiencies of proteins .We provide food, childcare, maternity care and
free education to the children in LTTE controlled areas.
If the LTTE provided more space all the facilities offered to the
people in the South would have reached them.
Sadly the LTTE robs their own people of what is provided by the
Government and charitable organisations both local and foreign.
This is not an unusual phenomenon among terrorist organisations
worldwide for their survival.
Here in Sri Lanka under UN/ICRC supervision we transport food
supplies to the affected areas in our vehicles at our expense to our
citizens. This is amidst the attempts of the LTTE to disturb the
supplies and create a situation to get international attention. We ferry
the food provisions supplied by India to the people in the LTTE
controlled areas.
The US military denied access to the Iraqi Red Crescent to Falluja
which amounts to a gross violation of international humanitarian law.
‘Sir Nigel Young CEO of British Red Cross’ condemned it as a dangerous
precedent.
We provide safe passages for the civilians to make the crossing to
Government controlled areas and on arrival make them welcome and provide
facilities which they admit are superior to what they had to endure
under the LTTE.
Strength and determination
The UN Special Rapporteur on Right to Food Jean Zieglar accused US
and UK troops in Iraq of “breaching international law by depriving
civilians of food water in besieged cities as they seek to flush out the
militants”. He also alleged that US Forces “cut off or restricted food
and water to encourage residents to flee before the assault”. He further
stated” using hunger and deprivation of water as a weapon of war against
the civilian population {in} flagrant violation of the Geneva
Conventions” (‘Reuters 15 October 2005’).
After a 30 year war in a highly affected economy, we still have the
strength and the determination to provide welfare facilities to people
in the LTTE controlled territory. Compare it with the facilities the
LTTE is providing the Tamil people?
Is it fair criticism to fault us for human rights violations
especially when we have freed the people in the East and provided them
with an opportunity to enjoy the benefits of democracy and launched on a
campaign to usher development and rehabilitate the people.
Why cannot those who criticise ask themselves have not the conditions
in the East improved after the LTTE was ousted? Compare life then to
now.
The Government must be criticised and condemned for its lapses for
democracy to flourish. It cannot be limited or restricted or truncated.
The priority is to free the people from the menace of terrorism. Are
you with us or with the terrorists? |