Events in Mumbai last week is a warning to leaders of all countries
that have stood silent and inactive in the face of repeated terrorist
attacks over the years in Sri Lanka.
To those countries that actively supported terrorism in Sri Lanka and
are still providing encouragement to them, it is more than a warning -
it is a sign of things to come.
Norway too actively gave support and succour the terrorists supplying
them with state of the art equipment and knowhow to fight against a
legitimately and democratically elected Government. Then there were the
other countries, Britain, Canada and to some extent Australia that stood
by silent and allowed terrorist supporters to collect vast amounts of
money in these countries to fuel the war that was making victims of
innocent civilians, mums, babies and senior citizens - most of whom were
cut down while they slept - not even aware that they were attacked by
ruthless terrorists who were bent on ethnically cleansing villages of a
population that had lived in these areas for generations.
Other countries like Thailand, Israel and South Africa - all chipped
in to do their bit by supplying weapons and equipment joined into make
this terrorist organisation wealthy and powerful.
While using their baby brigade and women to carry out suicide attacks
on Sri Lanka's people and infrastructure, the 'big-wigs' of the LTTE,
those who received training and knowhow from foreign experts, have now
themselves become experts - in terror. So much so, that now - after
9/11, after the London and Madrid bombings, after the disturbances in
Pakistan it has come home to roost in India.
The growth of the LTTE from a guerrilla terrorist outfit to a
formidable and ruthless terrorist organisation with wealth through its
ships and 'legitimate' business enterprises has now evolved into another
phase.
The LTTE has now become the 'Gurus' for all other terror
organisations that have mushroomed everywhere. The suicide vest
developed by them, the method of using vehicles as bombs to be used
against large targets, the mines and artillery they have manufactured to
cause maximum devastation are now being 'exported' to the new terror
outfits.
They may even be lending their own ships to transport these items and
their expertise at smuggling weapons is something else they can sell.
Indeed, the LTTE has been seen providing training to members of Al Qaida
and other groups.
Some who follow Islam have earned for themselves the reputation of
being extremist and fanatical.
As a result, when a terror organisation acts in the name of Islam,
the whole world sits up and takes notice, while Tiger terrorism goes
unheeded or unheard.
While the Islamic terror groups pick on Westerners - British,
American and Europeans, the Tigers have only been killing other Tamils
or the Sinhalese. Although the LTTE have been canny enough not to kill
or even wound Westerners, they have been using other groups to do their
dirty work for them via the bombs set off in London and Madrid and the
9/11 attacks on the Twin Towers.
Had the world listened to Sri Lanka's pleas for help with the Tamil
Tiger terrorism, had the world even heard the words of the late Minister
Lakshman Kadirgamar who in his address to the UN General Assembly
stated: "Terrorism anywhere is terrorism everywhere", India may not have
had to experience the devastation in Mumbai, London may not have had a
terror attack on the transport systems, Madrid may not have faced a
devastating attack on the morning train and there may not have been a
9/11 in 2001.
If only they had heard Sri Lanka's pleas, having sown the wind, they
may not be reaping the whirlwind today.
Jeanne Jayasinghe - Australia
Saving the elephant habitat of Sri Lanka is a major problem. They are
being killed or maimed by villagers whose lands are being destroyed by
these animals.
The measures taken by the wild life authorities like placing
electrical fences, digging water holes, chasing them to new pastures or
conveying them to reservations have been effective to some extent but
the results are far from satisfactory.
Accidently, I came across an article in a Readers Digist magazine -
'Race to save the Cheetah'. It expresses how a veterinarian, a curator
of a Safari Park in Namimbia - Africa, saved the Cheetahs from
extinction, I concluded, we too could follow suit by adjusting some of
these methods to save our elephants.
Elephants who run amok should be radio collard, with a device under
the car magnetic - a remote controller operating from a distance would
give danger signals making the beast run.
Sirens should be installed in vital places in villages and when
sounded, it would make the animals run. This would be a good warning to
farmers as well.
Wild life workers stationed in risky places is vital - with casual
and voluntary helpers to assist them. In addition to other equipment, a
pack of Hounds should be maintained.
Yes of course, maintaining these units is very expensive. Yet saving
man and beast alike in addition to lands and crops are worthy. In the
long term this is an investment.
The expenditure could be met by setting up an Elephant Conservation
Fund. There are elephant lovers all over the world and organisations to
help.
In a techno-oriented world, using technology to save man and beast it
scientific. Primitive methods are harmful to man and beast alike.
Ashley Lal Jayasekera Ragama
The Indian Premier League which began after the launch of the Indian
Cricket League as everyone with some cricket sense will agree, have now
developed into a huge headache for cricket lovers the world over.
The manner in which the Indian Board is conducting itself over this
development, throws a lot of suspicion of its true motives.
Under the guise of preventing a dangerous 'Packer-type' revolution,
it went about first by insisting on the ICC not accepting its rival's
credentials. Next, it used its 'Money muscle' to twist the ICC into
ordering a ban on players who participated in the ICL. By this action,
they are weakening all other sides the legality of which will be known
soon.
By engaging the best players of cricket playing countries and tying
them up over longer periods, it effectively prevents those players from
representing their country in the longer versions of the game. It also
provides Indian players the opportunity of playing alongside their
counterparts and enabling them identify their strengths and weaknesses.
This also provides its younger players to be developed and ready to take
over from their seniors sooner than later. Although people can criticise
this analysis as baseless, I see the ugly hand of treachery and deceit
behind this whole IPL drama with the sole intention of keeping India on
top of the ratings for a long period of time.
This ill-formed notion that we should not anger India is a
weak-kneed, spineless opinion of the misinformed. True, India has been
our friend and so has been Pakistan. However, Cricket administrations
like Governments change. Such changes propels over ambitions, arrogant
and sleazy characters into powerful positions of Cricket Boards.
The sooner we and other countries woke up to these facts and acted
with more self respect and dignity, the better it will be for our
cricket. In short, the sooner we tell the IPL where to stuff their
hard-nosed rhetoric, the better.
Frank Gunasekera - Dehiwala
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