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A deplorable incident

The LTTE is on the brink of total defeat for the first time in its 30-year history. Although the LTTE has suffered severe reversals in the intervening years, it is under the Mahinda Rajapaksa administration that the terror group faces total elimination.

With thousands of trained cadres including senior leaders killed, all the strongholds gone and very little territory left, the LTTE knows its days are numbered. It has tried every ruse in the book to get the operations in the North stopped, so far without any success.

One of these tactics adopted by LTTE sympathizers and front organizations around the world is organizing demonstrations by the Tamil Diaspora against the Sri Lankan Government. They have exploited the freedom of assembly and free speech guaranteed by the written and unwritten constitutions of these countries to hold demonstrations against Sri Lanka, openly waving Tamil Eelam flags and shouting anti-Sri Lanka statements. Several of these protests turned somewhat violent.

But these are minor incidents compared to what happened in Oslo, Norway on Sunday, April 12. LTTE operatives who were holding a demonstration raided and severely damaged the Sri Lankan Embassy there, apparently without being challenged or stopped by Norwegian law enforcement authorities.

This is indeed a very serious incident, given that an embassy premises of any country is regarded as sovereign territory of that country under international law. Sri Lanka was well within its rights to express shock and indignation at this serious violation of diplomatic norms and its sovereign territory.

It appointed special representatives for the Sri Lanka Peace Process and was one of the Co-Chairs of the Peace Process with US, Japan and EU. Although subsequent UPFA Governments had reservations about both the ceasefire and peace facilitation, Norway remained as the facilitator.

Norway was among those countries that opened their gates to Sri Lankans affected by the Black July in 1983 and consequently hosts a significant percentage of the worldwide Tamil Diaspora. It is well known that LTTE sympathizers are among them. There is no indication that Norwegian authorities had cracked down on these activities at any time.

Several independent observers had also expressed concern over the Norwegians’ involvement in transferring high-powered radio equipment to the LTTE during the ceasefire period and very recently, moves to arrange contact between the LTTE’s chief arms dealer KP and a senior UN official.

Now the latest incident leaves another question mark. As far as we know, Norwegian authorities had granted permission for this demonstration. It goes without saying that in the normal course of events, security cover for the demonstration, the public and surrounding buildings should have followed almost automatically. Sri Lankan authorities routinely provide heavy security to the Royal Norwegian Embassy whenever there is a demonstration in Colombo against Norway’s role in the peace process.

It has been provided security even during other demonstrations that had nothing to do with the peace process. That is because Sri Lanka has a duty by another sovereign nation to protect its embassy.

Yet, Sunday’s events in Oslo unfortunately indicate that the same protection and security had not been extended to the Sri Lankan Embassy in Oslo. This is indeed a huge failure on the part of Norwegian authorities and a major breach of trust. All Sri Lankans are disappointed that a friendly country could not protect the Sri Lankan embassy during what clearly appeared to be a well-planned attack by pro-LTTE elements.

The Norwegian Government, being fully cognizant of the modus operandi of the LTTE ought to have ensured the provision of adequate security to the diplomatic premises and agents of the Sri Lanka Government as obligated by the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of April 18, 1961.

Article 22(2) of the Convention casts a special duty on the receiving State “to take all appropriate steps to protect the premises of the mission against any intrusion or damage and to prevent any disturbance of the peace of the mission or impairment of its dignity.” What is even more alarming is that requests for adequate security for the Mission had been made repeatedly by the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Norway. It is apparent that such requests have not been considered seriously.

The Norwegian Government should apprehend those responsible for this vicious attack on the Sri Lankan Embassy and literally be on guard to prevent any more incidents of this nature. All Western countries where LTTE operatives are active should provide protection to the Sri Lankan missions in the light of this incident. It is time that they cracked down hard on LTTE elements, thus helping Sri Lanka to crush terrorism.

LTTE:

The collapse and after

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