Sri Lankan conflict in the eyes of The Hindu

The leading Indian newspaper The Hindu focusing on the war against the LTTE terrorists in the North and about the Tamil civilians held by the LTTE as a human shield in their shrinking territory had continued a balanced news coverage and editorial comment while also publishing comments of the public in the letters to the editor columns.

We give our readers a glimpse of The Hindu stories, letters and cartoons published more recently regarding the issue, giving an indication of the sentiments and judgement of the newspaper and Indian citizens, our neighbours about this vital issue in our country.

Giving a wide spectrum of news and views on the issue in Sri Lanka The Hindu did not try to defend the LTTE terrorist group that was banned in India and the reflections of that newspaper including its editorials had been fair by our government and the armed forces.

The Hindu on January 18 after the visit to Colombo by Indian Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon carried a prominent Page One story, “We’re committed to political solution, says Rajapaksa. But terrorism will be dealt with firmly and militarily he tells Menon.”

The Colombo datelined story by Muralidhar Reddy said “President Mahinda Rajapaksa asserted that while his government was committed to a political solution to the problem of ethnic relations in the island nation, it would deal with terrorism firmly and militarily.

“Mr. Rajapaksa made the observations when Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon called on him in Kandy and exchanged views on a wide range of issues of concern to India and Sri Lanka in general and the current situation in the island nation in particular, in the context of the war between the military and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.”

The Hindu story emphasized that after a 90 minute meeting with President Rajapaksa the Indian Foreign Secretary had said the relations between India and Sri Lanka had “never been so close, so warm and so deep”.

During the last few months when even some Sri Lankan newspapers and some local political personalities were trying to fish in troubled waters by trying to pull the wool over the eyes of the public by hinting or directly saying the government’s firm policy of defeating the LTTE militarily will not be witnessed by India, The Hindu and a large number of Indian citizens who wrote letters to the editor of the newspaper had more sense and responsibility to understand that a terrorist outfit cannot be anything but terrorists whatever name it called itself.

On January 7 letters to the editor column published this interesting letter by Comdt. G.V. Mathew (retd.)

Kilinochchi and after

The editorial “Kilinochchi and after” (Jan. 5) was timely prophetic. The death knell of the LTTE is loud and clear. Its chief V. Prabhakaran squandered away the opportunities for a peaceful and honourable settlement of the ethnic issue of Sri Lankan Tamils. His uncompromising attitude caused the death of many innocent people and, now, the LTTE’s downfall.

“It is now time for President Mahinda Rajapaksa to display magnanimity and statesmanship and offer a fair deal to the Tamils within the framework of the Sri Lankan Constitution. It is also for the Sri Lankan Tamil groups to come together and negotiate an honourable settlement.”

“Colombo: We will destroy LTTE shortly - Safe zone not being bombed” The Hindu lead story on page one, February 2. “Amid claims by the military of further advances into the last two remaining settlements of the LTTE, Sri Lanka Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Sunday asserted that the forces would shortly destroy the Tigers...

With little known about the fate of 1.2 lakh civilians in the battle zone, as per the government assessment, the Defence Secretary urged the international community pressure the LTTE to provide safe passage for the people trapped there.

Mr. Gotabaya Raja- paksa reiterated that there would be no ceasefire with the LTTE and the military would destroy the LTTE shortly...

“We have designated a safe area for them. Wait and see what would happen in another five days. As the troops move closer civilians won’t wait there to die. They know exactly what is happening” he was quoted as saying...

In the Letters to the Editor column on Saturday, January 31 Mr. R. Ponnarasi of Vellore wrote, “The suicide of K. Muthkumar, the 26 year old youth who immolated himself to protest the killing of Sri Lankan Tamils was unfortunate.

Perhaps the people around him could have prevented the death had they been more alert. The attack on the Bank of Ceylon in Chennai by a group of lawyers following the suicide is condemnable. Instead of dealing with the Sri Lankan issue emotionally our political leaders should approach it democratically.”

Mr. Gururajan Ramachandran of Udhagamandalam wrote, “President Rajapaksa’s invitation to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi to visit Sri Lanka and persuade the LTTE to lay down arms was a master-stroke.”

It was evident from Tamil Nadu government’s latest stand that we can discuss the internal matter of a foreign country only in a restrained manner.

“It is another matter, that all these days the government was exhorting the Centre to ask Colombo to enforce a ceasefire.”

The Hindu on January 18 on page 1

“LTTE using Tamils as a shield in war by a special correspondent

“CHENNAI: Accusing the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam of using the Tamils as a shield in the war against the Sri Lankan Army, AIADMK general secretary Ms. Jayalalitha rejected the argument that the outfit was the sole representative of the Tamils.

“The killings of innocent Tamils can be avoided if the LTTE allows them safe passage, she told reporters at the party headquarters here on Saturday. She argued that the Sri Lankan army’s intention was not to kill Tamils.

“But the killings of innocents inevitable in a war. No country is an exception.

“She even took exception to the usage Eelam Tamils, saying it could not be used since there was no separate Eelam. Instead she preferred the word Sri Lankan Tamils.

“As for the demand for India’s intervention to ensure a ceasefire Ms. Jayalalitha said there was a limit to how far one country could interfere in the internal affairs of another country.

“While her party was for securing the rights of the Tamils on par with those of the Sinhalese, the fact remained that the LTTE was a terrorist organization,” she was reported adding that it was banned in India.

The cartoon strip in the editorial page on January 7 portrayed the once powerful tiger keeping its four paws squarely over Sri Lanka gradually shrinking its area of control until at last it had to climb two stools the last one barely able to carry its weight.

The editorial on January 27

End Game in Sri Lanka

“The conventional military game is up for Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, or very nearly so. That is the message sent out to the world by the capture of the Tigers main garrison town Mullaitivu, situated in the silver situated between a lagoon and the Indian Ocean, by the 59 division of the Sri Lankan army three weeks after 57 division took Kilinochchi.”

With the territory controlled by Velupillai Prabhakaran’s organization shrinking from 15,000 square km in August 2006 to 350 square km today, with its fighting cadre strength down to 1000 with its senior leaders hiding in pockets of jungle or on the run, Army Commander Lt. Gen Sarath Fonseka was not exaggerating when he announced that the 25 year war was “95 percent over”.

“Desperate actions such as blowing up a tank bund to flood a section of the A35 Paranthan-Mullaitivu main road and adjacent areas and laying land mines to prevent civilians fleeing to government controlled areas say it all about the LTTE’s plight and character.

“For the terrorist organization the last 30 months have been one unbroken series of miscalculations and military debacles. The Sri Lankan armed forces have been on the roll ever since they tasted success in the Mavil Aru operation - provoked by the severely weakened LTTE’s foolish act of shutting the sluice gates and denying water to more than 30,000 civilians - in the Eastern Province.

The real surprise has come in the Northern Province where, beginning in March 2007 the Sri Lankan army, air force and navy have simply decimated the Tigers. The army’s offensive has come on several fronts. It currently involves five offensive divisions and three task forces rapidly closing in on the top LTTE leaders and fighting cadres who have nowhere to hide...

“But there is little doubt that politically speaking the game is up for Mr. Prabhakaran and his organization, which is banned or designated as terrorist in about 30 countries including India, United States the United Kingdom and in the latest instance Sri Lanka. It is certainly too late for any bailout package, if that was ever on anybody’s practical agenda.

The immediate priority must be ensuring the safety of Tamil civilians officially reckoned to be in the range of 100,000 to 200,000 who the LTTE evidently has

No compunction in using as a human shield. That is the most sensitive humanitarian challenge before the Sri Lankan government.

“Assuming it will be met successfully so that offensive military operations including the final mopping up, can end in few weeks, President Mahinda Rajapaksa - whose political stock in the South can be expected sky high - must ensure that there is no triumphalism.

“Most important, he must seize the moment to build a national consensus on an enduring political solution based on substantial devolution of power to the Tamils within a united Sri Lanka.”

A second cartoon more recently, January 28 depicts the tiger holding civilians tied to its stripes.