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Only with few days left to go for the Thailand based direct negotiations between the Colombo government and the Tamil Tigers, the main organ of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), The Tamil Guardian attacked India as a country shedding “crocodile tears” for the hardships of the Tamil community. Writing a leader editorial praising Sri Lanka’s Prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe for the de-proscription of their group in Sri Lanka the September 11 issue of the main organ of the LTTE based in London in an obvious reference to India said , the “forces in South Asia inimically opposed to the LTTE is palpable.” Attacking India for “contemptuously” dismissing “the core issues underlying the Tamil freedom struggle whilst shedding crocodile tears” for the Tamil hardships the leader editorial of the terrorist organ meanwhile had more kind words for the United States and Britain. The LTTE organ said, “Meanwhile the United States and Britain last week welcomed the deproscription and urged the seeking of a peaceful resolution to Sri Lanka’s conflict.” The editorial also attacked former Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka, Lakshman Kadirgamar for his diplomatic lobbying –“which resulted in the LTTE being banned abroad.” The current Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka, Tyronne Fernando has publicly attacked Kadirgamar’s diplomatic campaign as counter productive in a pro-LTTE Colombo weekly, the Sunday Leader. Anyway the LTTE organ claimed, “the international ban on the LTTE have not affected military balance on the island , but have –by reducing the significance of the underlying issues –prevented the political activity and stifled the discussions and debates necessary ?.” In fact, the chief negotiator of the LTTE in an earlier statement made in London protesting against the British ban on their group has said that in fact the illegal contribution of LTTE sympathizers in the United States to the LTTE coffers to buy sophisticated military equipment had been doubled since the group was banned in the US. A Canadian LTTE worker, V.Thangavelu claimed not a cent had been frozen from a LTTE account in the United States or Canada since the group was banned in those countries. Attacking the opposition People’s Alliance for banning the LTTE in 1998 the LTTE organ said, “Ostensibly it was meant to stifle the movement’s future growth. However in the period since the LTTE expanded its troop levels, transforming itself into a powerful politico military formation with a conventional army in the process.” But human rights organizations have accused the growth of the fighting forces was only rapid with the passive support of the Ranil Wickremesinghe administration which allegedly did nothing against the smuggling in of arms and wide spread child abductions and adults for conscription against their will. Praising high the pro-government rally organized by Karu Jayasuriya , September 9 , christened “the Jana Bala Meheyuma” the LTTE organ said, “Undoubtedly nervous of the opposition gaining political mileage by whipping up and exploiting nationalist sentiment among the Sinhala people , the UNF this week organized a massive show of public support to reassure the international community and to undermine the opposition’s efforts.” But independent observers have commented that the government rally was filled with many thousands of Indian Tamil plantation workers brought from upcountry tea plantations by pro-government Indian Tamil Ministers using state owned buses and it did not reflect any Sinhala sentiment in the South. M.Susiriwardena the secretary of the Ministry of Transportation in fact admitted in a BBC Sinhala language interview that the government indeed used hundreds of buses owned by the state and said similar moves had been practiced by all governments in the past. Frances Harrison the BBC correspondent in Colombo reported , “The supporters were brought into the capital by the state run bus company , which cancelled many of its normal routes and some pro-government unions required their members to attend.” Harrison also said a large number of Tamil plantation workers participated. Meanwhile, probably sensing that the opposition could encourage government MP’s to cross over to defeat the government the LTTE editorial said, “The Norwegian peace initiative’s fortunes depend critically on the future stability of the UNF administration.” (02/09/11 go2lanka.com) |