A welcome development

Tamil Nadu politicians have been making noises over the humanitarian mission launched by the Sri Lankan Security Forces in the North, saying the operations amounted to 'genocide' of the Tamil civilians there. This is a preposterous claim, given the well-established fact that the Security Forces adhere to a strict Zero Civilian Casualty Policy. Many Indian observers themselves have dismissed this claim by a section of Tamil Nadu politicians, pointing out that there is no proof of such genocide whatsoever.

India was the first country to ban the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), after the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi by a Tiger suicide terrorist in 1991. This is not the only terrorist act committed by the LTTE on Indian soil - it eliminated many rival Sri Lankan Tamil political leaders in Tamil Nadu itself. India recently extended the ban on the LTTE by another two years. India's ruling Congress Party has very clearly stated that it would never forgive the LTTE for slaying Rajiv Gandhi.

It is thus an offence in India to speak on behalf of the LTTE, a banned organisation. Nevertheless, this is precisely what some politicians in Tamil Nadu have been doing in recent weeks, organising protests and rallies calling for a halt to military operations in the North. The Indian Central Government authorities have distanced themselves from these sentiments, noting that the issue is a very much an internal affair of Sri Lanka. However, it has expressed concern over the welfare of civilians in the conflict zone. The Sri Lankan Government has reassured India on this count at the highest levels and Indian relief goods were distributed among the Vanni population with the fullest cooperation of the Lankan civilian and military authorities.

In fact, it is the LTTE which is solely responsible for the plight of these civilians. It is keeping them hostage, to be used as a human shield and as a base for forced recruitment. It was just a week ago that the Human Rights Watch slammed the LTTE for this practice and called on it to allow the free movement of civilians. The Government, on its part, had created a humanitarian corridor for the civilians to move into cleared areas. It is a pity that certain elements in Tamil Nadu have conveniently ignored these facts in their campaign to whip up communal emotions.

Now Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi has warned that such acts would not be tolerated in his State and stern action would be taken against the perpetrators. This is a timely warning. Any help, even indirectly, to the LTTE at this stage will only be further detrimental to the cause of Tamil civilians who are about to be liberated by the Lankan Security Forces. It was clearly evident that the aim of some elements in Tamil Nadu was seeking a halt to the Forces' advance, not necessarily ensuring the welfare of civilians.

India, and indeed the whole world, was shocked by the carnage unleashed by terrorists in Mumbai last month. The unprecedented terror attack, quickly named India's 9/11 by the media, has strengthened the resolve of ordinary Indians and Indian authorities to flight terrorism. In this backdrop, it is almost suicidal for any political entity in India to be seen overtly or covertly supporting a terror group in another country. Given that the LTTE is already banned in India with a track record of terrorist activity in Tamil Nadu - many LTTE operatives are still being nabbed by the Q Branch of the State Police - it would not be very prudent on the part of anyone in Tamil Nadu to voice support for the LTTE.

The time has come for increased cooperation between India and Sri Lanka and also at SAARC level to combat terrorism as the whole of South Asia is affected by this scourge. Border surveillance, patrolling mechanisms, intelligence sharing etc must be enhanced to prevent infiltration by terrorists. As the Mumbai terror attack very clearly exemplified, terrorism has become a truly global phenomenon which can affect any country at any time. It deserves a truly global response. There are no 'good' terrorists - terrorism anywhere affects peace everywhere. All those wielding authority in every country must unequivocally condemn terrorism and work against it. Only by depriving terrorist groups of such moral and political support can we hope to extinguish the flames of terror.