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Conflict and Peace in Sri Lanka: Looking Back and Forth N. Manoharan
It has been more than a year since the Sri Lankan security forces “liberated” the whole of the east from the LTTE and shifted their operations to Mannar in the west with the objective of capturing the remaining “uncleared” areas in one year. How successful has the government been in achieving its objective? The LTTE spoke of “strategic retreat” from the east and vowed to “give a fitting reply to the government”. Were the Tigers able to achieve their goal? Where is the conflict heading? Is there any scope for peace in the near future? Is there any role envisaged for India in bringing about a lasting solution to the ethnic question?
Ethnic Issue: India, Sri Lanka and the International Community N. Sathiya Moorthy
The Boxer Day tsunami, while being destructive in physical terms, proved constructive in strengthening mutual confidence between India and Sri Lanka. People in Sri Lanka were touched when India, reeling under the killer waves itself, dispatched its Navy and Air Force contingents to help in the rescue and relief operations in Sri Lanka. India was the first nation to thus reach out to a shocked Sri Lanka, and others would follow. The fact that India could mobilize the required men, material and military assets required for the relief operations in no time did not go unnoticed in the strategic circles of Colombo. That New Delhi had both the means and methods to rush aid without having to have a military or even a non-military base on the Sri Lankan soil was also widely acknowledged. Even more appreciated was the fact that once again the Indian troops, this time on a rescue mission, did not make any political statement and quietly withdrew from the scene once it was found that the Sri Lankan Government had gotten full control of the situation. Other countries too began rushing men and material for tsunami relief. Their political statement, as loud as their relief aid, was substantive.
Exclusive / Interview ‘I am committed to political solution and ending Tamil civilian hardships’ Rajapaksa: I’ll sell it to the South after clearing LTTE-held territory N. Ram
As for the relationship between the ongoing successful military operations and the political solution, Mr. Rajapaksa made the point that the solution had to be given to the Tamil people, not to the LTTE: “What is the use of giving a solution to terrorists? They are not giving up terrorism.” As recently as October 11, in his address to the All Party Conference, the Sri Lankan President called on the LTTE “to lay down their arms and surrender and enter the democratic political process.”
LTTE Hits a Downward Curve K. J. M. Varma
One major factor in the LTTE’s dwindling fortunes was the steady stranglehold being built by India in Tamil Nadu denying the group the free access that it once enjoyed. Though the DMK, perceived to be sympathetic to Tigers in the past, was in power in the state, the Tigers appeared to be gaining very limited access to supplies through Rameswaram. The semblance of transformation of both the DMK and to an extent of MDMK headed by V. Gopalswamy (Vaiko) came about as the Dravidian parties tasted power at the Centre, silently merging their political interests with the broader strategic interests of India.
TN Coast Remains Tigers’ Supply Line M.C. Rajan
“Smuggling is going on,” says a coast guard official. “It hasn’t come down or stopped. There is no reason to believe that the situation has changed because of increased patrolling and surveillance.” Pro- Tiger groups consider the continuation of the supply line to be a barometer of support for the LTTE. “It is not mere smuggling for a paltry sum,” says pro- LTTE politician and Tamil nationalist Thiagu of the Thamizh Desa Podhudamai Katchi. “It is more an act of commitment to the cause for which the militants are fighting. Blood is thicker than water. Those engaged in ferrying supplies do so out of solidarity.” K. A. Senthil Velan, district superintendent of police, Ramanathapuram, says,“From the seizures made in the past, it becomes clear that the LTTE receives everything — from batteries to beedis.
Recent Developments in Sri Lanka: Travel Experiences S. Y. Surendra Kumar
“Smuggling is going on,” says a coast guard official. “It hasn’t come down or stopped. There is no reason to believe that the situation has changed because of increased patrolling and surveillance.” Pro- Tiger groups consider the continuation of the supply line to be a barometer of support for the LTTE. “It is not mere smuggling for a paltry sum,” says pro- LTTE politician and Tamil nationalist Thiagu of the Thamizh Desa Podhudamai Katchi. “It is more an act of commitment to the cause for which the militants are fighting. Blood is thicker than water. Those engaged in ferrying supplies do so out of solidarity.” K. A. Senthil Velan, district superintendent of police, Ramanathapuram, says,“From the seizures made in the past, it becomes clear that the LTTE receives everything — from batteries to beedis.
Indian Policy and the Sri Lanka Impasse A.Madhavan
There is indeed a conflict of interests because Tamil Nadu fishermen tend to cross the maritime boundary in the Palk Bay to cast their nets around Kacchathivu, the rock islet which Indira Gandhi ceded to Sri Lanka in 1974. The Maritime Boundary Agreement of 1976 gave away the customary right of Indian fishermen to fish in surrounding waters. (A fresh review by both countries of this avoidable friction point is urgently needed, in consultation with Tamil Nadu. India should press for an agreement with Sri Lanka to accommodate fishing by Tamil Nadu fishermen around the Kacchathivu islet. The Joint Working Group must be buttressed by our leaders. Our fishermen have suffered detention and confiscation of their boats and even risked coming under fire by the SLN. This is contradicted by the GoSL, who blame the Sea Tigers. India also needs to redress the Sri Lankan grievance that our fishermen abet the Tigers in their sabotage and smuggling activities).
The Dangers of Tamil Chauvinism Malini Parthasarathy
The latest campaign in Tamil Nadu masterminded by a desperate LTTE must not be allowed to undermine the sound policy decision upheld by successive Indian governments since 1991 to stay out of Sri Lanka’s internal affairs.
Future of the LTTE Gulbin Sultana
Global war on terror, violation of ceasefire agreement, split of Karuna from the LTTE, election in the East and finally the loss of major bastions in the north to the Sri Lankan army have raised a question mark on the credibility of the LTTE to carry on the eelam movement. When many experts and scholars are predicting that very soon the LTTE will only be a name in history, this article argues that the LTTE will maintain a low profile in conventional warfare but continue its unconventional war through guerilla tactics and propaganda. |