Use of coercion to force freedom doomed Prabhakaran
Seven
years ago on May 18th 2002, the then Sri Lankan Government started
removing Armed Forces from crucial points in the North in accordance
with a dubious Ceasefire. On May 17th this year, the travesty was
reversed and we are free of terrorism forced on us. There is a story to
be told. Hidden agendas never achieved anything and use of coercion to
wage a freedom fight was doomed from day one.
The Gandhian freedom movement had recourse to high moral principles.
But the LTTE shun such methods in exchange for suicide bombs, guns and
ammunition gathered by extortion of money, banditry and deceit. Even
those self-appointed terror fighters of the West fell for the guile
masked by a massive media blitz. It was hilarious to watch US Secretary
of State Hillary Clinton demanding ceasefire in the midst of Sri Lanka's
valiant fight, about to be won.
Prabhakaran's Epitaph
Velupillai Prabhakaran, often called a 'Supremo', behaved like a God
who brooked no rivals. However, he outlived his worldly suzerainty when
the evil that he perpetrated caught up with him and the death warrants
he issued piled up. Massacre without any compunction had become his
trade mark and ultimately his epitaph.
Looking invincible was the avowed goal he cherished most as he
exhibited unmitigated revolutionary zeal, undying commitment and
ruthless disregard for morality. But it eluded him just like his ability
to usher in Eelam to thousands who paid dearly with their lives, money
and misguided aspirations.
Unparalleled deception
He outwitted governments and their leaders through 37 years of heated
hostility that surrounded him. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam had
seemingly thrived during dozens of high-profile assassinations, four
wars and three ceasefires and many peace processes strung together in an
unparalleled morass of crafty deception. They became the most ruthless
terrorists, according to the FBI of the United States.
The need for cleansing the political discourse of all traces of
brutality which bred an embittering distrust among Tamils is urgent.
Amity and understanding
The large dose of venom Prabhakaran injected into the body politic
must be excreted by dialysis in the form of amity and understanding.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa in his address to the nation on Tuesday
urged everyone to know that the day is not far when the hearts and
feelings of the mothers and daughters who have, today, been rendered
helpless became the collective conscience of the Tamil people.
The whole world witnessed how the civilians were liberated by the
armed forces during the last few days of the Vanni conflict.
The greater battle to winning a durable peace is now on. The sound of
a crushed LTTE and the opening up of our hearts to the trapped civilians
seen in the few days at Puthumathalan area will remain stored in our
collective memories for ever. As the President said the word minority
went out of our vocabulary for good.
It is crystal clear that Tamils won as the LTTE lost.
What the LTTE did for the Tamils was minuscule compared to what they
extracted from them. No one will ever forget Mayor Alfred Duraiappah and
many others after him, or the armed tanks that attacked the innocent
Tamil people who were fleeing Puthumathalan. A new chapter in our
history has just begun. |