LTTE never offered a future for Tamils
Paul Harris
The writer worked in Sri Lanka between 1996 ad 2002 as correspondent
for Jane’s Intelligence Review and the London Daily Telegraph. He spoke
to SPUR with his reaction to current events in Sri Lanka. (Harris was
forced to leave Sri Lanka in November 2002 at 24 hours notice after the
government of Ranil Wickremesinghe pulled his journalist visa. Harris
was critical of the peace process with the LTTE).
“The government of Sri Lanka and its President are to be
congratulated on the prosecution of the war with the LTTE which has been
accomplished with resolve and courage.
This is in stark contrast to the supine efforts of previous
governments who flinched from taking on the LTTE which had, accordingly,
been able to engender a myth of invulnerability.
Unique
Only six or seven years ago, it appeared that Sri Lanka might be
terminally divided: a fate which would have doomed this unique and
wonderful country as a sovereign entity.
“The loss of any civilian life is a matter for profound regret and,
inevitably, many innocents will be victims of this final round of the
conflict.
However, we must not forget the tens of thousands f civilians who
have already died in a war that has gone on far too long.
The end of this war and the extermination of a longstanding terrorist
threat must now be the priority. It is disingenuous of the British and
US governments, supposedly dedicated to the worldwide war on terror, to
call for a ceasefire at this vital final stage in the conflict.
“Foreign journalists who have suddenly arrived in Sri Lanka at this
late stage in a conflict that has gone on for decades are questioning on
channels like the BBC, CNN and Al Jazeera whether real peace can emerge
from ‘the military solution’.
In daily broadcasts they are claiming there is no other Tamil
leadership except the LTTE. Such observations betray their limited
understanding of the conflict.
If there be no alternative leaders, it is because the LTTE has
pursued a specific policy of the eradication of all Tamil politicians
who did not adopt their creed of repression and lack of democratic
choice.
Brilliant
Some of the most brilliant members of the Tamil community have been
cut down, men like Lakshman Kadirgamar, who I was privileged to know and
work with, and countless others in Jaffna who bravely stood out against
the brutality of the Tigers.
“I believe the enormously talented Tamil community of Sri Lanka is
fully able to produce leaders of integrity and ability once one man is
removed from the scene.
I refer, of course, to Velupillai Prabhakaran, one of the most
vicious terrorists the world has ever produced. Let us not forget, the
LTTE is a one man band representing the views and aspirations of its
brutal leader. The LTTE has never offered any sort of a future for the
majority of Tamils.
“Hopefully, at an early date we shall see the capture or death of
Velupillai Prabhakaran, who has inflicted so much misery on all the
peoples of Sri Lanka. To claim him as the representative of the majority
of Tamils is a travesty of reality.”
Courtesy: Spur
Note:
In the autumn of 2004, the LTTE
leadership issued a death sentence on Paul Harris for his writings and
speeches denouncing them.
He has been hunted for the last
four years by LTTE death squads and has lived under the protection of
the British secret service, shifting locations frequently and restricted
in his activities. He now hopes to return to Sri Lanka at an early date.
|