And this bit of text explains quite well why I've been ranting and raving about "the world" lately in my blog:
Disturbingly, another factor may also be involved. Racism. I often wonder why the Fight Against Terrorism seems to be a white man's fight, and when in the word's of Teddy Roosevelt, our "little brown brothers" stand up for themselves, somehow charges of abuse and rights violations are leveled by the West.Its incredibly frustrating to see how (primarily) western governments are politically trying to destroy Sri Lanka even at this time. Its only the politicians though - their own militaries and intelligence agencies etc. are fully aware of what's going on, what happened etc. and have never done anything negative. Its the paid for, bought-out politicians who only care about their own careers and not their country, who are trying to destroy us.
When the U.S. invaded Iraq, with the full cooperation of the U.K., many civilians were killed. As have been killed in Afghanistan. Not to mention abuses at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay.
Perhaps the specter of a developing nation conquering terrorism is galling to us in the developed world, knowing Osama Bin Laden has eluded our best efforts to capture him.
We seem to suffer from Empty Nest Syndrome. We need to accept that our former colonies have grown up - and can now stand for themselves.
Jim's closing comments are also quite illuminating of the double standards that we are meted out:
And the hatred continues. One angry commenter to my last story in the Huffington Post hoped the LTTE remnants would assassinate Sri Lanka's president and defense minister. In the U.S., threatening the life of the president is a prisonable offense.I wonder whether the world will ever be able to treat all people equally.
The Sri Lanka government has no intention of allowing one of the world's largest terrorist organizations back into its nation -- anymore than the U.S. would allow Bin Laden to renounce violence and run for the U.S. Senate.
4 comments:
When the government proclaims that not a "single civillian was killed by shelling" that isn't dishonesty - its an attempt to equate Tamils and Tigers. This wasn't a war to liberate the Tamils from the LTTE, it was a war to liberate the Sinhalese from the LTTE. I agree that it was a war that had to be fought and the LTTE had to be destroyed but it had to be done with some concern for civilian casualties (instead, the government exhibited no concern and underscored their intentions by keeping the World's media out).
When the USA and UK invaded Iraq, the World's media was "embedded" and they were able to report on what happened. When the Iraqui national archives were looted by some US Troops it was headline news and that helped stem the tide. The world's media has played an invaluable role in checking abuses like Abu Gh'b and Gitmo. Those countries have processes that deal with such abuses and more often than not, the outcome is right and not wrong.
Contrast that with Sri Lanka's history of presidential commissions that have never ever held anybody accountable for any excess.
Besides, the war against the LTTE couldn't have been won if the UK, EU and the USA didn't outlaw the LTTE and shut down their lethal networks. Under the circumstances, they have a right to question the prosecution of Sri Lanka's war.
Postscript:
What Sri Lanka doesn't need at this time is for the "intelligensia" to start barking at the moon, like the rest of the pack of rabid dogs that pose off as our leaders & elders.
Elsewhere in a different posting, you (Sanjiva) correctly point out that the LTTE/Prabhakaran was the symptom and not the problem. If you have that level of awareness, then ignorance is not your refuge for your "us against the world" attitude.
Lets get real Sanjiva.
Sri Lanka is her biggest enemy and every time we bark at the moon, we're sapping ourselves of the energy to look at our own reflection in the water.
Sri Lanka can be better than that! You can be better than that!
Gini says:
"When the government proclaims that not a "single civillian was killed by shelling" that isn't dishonesty - its an attempt to equate Tamils and Tigers. This wasn't a war to liberate the Tamils from the LTTE, it was a war to liberate the Sinhalese from the LTTE. I agree that it was a war that had to be fought and the LTTE had to be destroyed but it had to be done with some concern for civilian casualties (instead, the government exhibited no concern and underscored their intentions by keeping the World's media out)."
Gini is entitled to his/her own viewepoint on these matters. However, I'd rather subscibe to the alternate point of view that no war in this world can avoid civilian casualties. None of the battles carried out by those self-appointed guardians of human rights (EU, US included) right down the ages through to the present times were without large-scale civilian casualties, ever.
From the alternate point of view once again, I'd rather laud the SL government's success in saving over 250,000 Tamil civilian than harp on the 5000 or 7000 or even 20000 civilians that are purported to have been killed. This is tragic without a doubt, but let's also not forget that this situation was brought about by the most ruthless, unprincipled, and cowardly terrorist group of all time holding civilians hostage to their unscrupulous designs.
Civilian lives lost, whatever the number may be, is a small price to pay for getting rid of this menace for all time. To have done otherwise would have been to give a further lease of life to a band of international outlaws who took advantage of every ceasefire to create further mayhem. Had the Sri Lanka government called off or scaled down the offensive on account of the risk to the civilian hostages held by the LTTE, this would undoubtedly have led to more than 20000 deaths over the next several years.
The international community understands this well. They know it would have been impossible to eliminate the LTTE without civilian casualties. Of course, they also know civilian deaths are not politically acceptable, let alone the humanitarian aspect to it.
Politicians will play politics everywhere in the world. It's the civilians who pay the price. This is an unalterable reality. Not a reality we can or should be at peace with, but an unalterable one nonetheless.
Finally, I too believe this was not a war to liberate the Tamils from the LTTE. It was a war to liberate the Sinhalese and Tamils from the LTTE. There are a large number of Tamils who simply hated the LTTE. They are relieved as well. However, I also do think it would be correct to say that this was also a war to liberate the northern province Tamil from the clutches of the LTTE. I believe the northern Tamil will be relieved as well.
The challenge for the nation now is to integrate these unfortunates into the nation community and give them a sense of belonging, a sense of hope for the future. The task is an onerous one. It won't be easy. But I believe it will be accomplished for the reason that no one in their right senses, repeat no one, will want to see the birth of a secessionist/ terrorist movement ever again.
sure, civillian casualties are unavoidable but the display of disregard for civillian casualties is avoidable.
also, you don't "save" people to put 'em in concentration camps. no it was not a war to liberate the tamils from the ltte. to what end, so that they could be handed over to the angelic tag team of douglas devanada and karuna?
In my opinion, Prabhakran and Karuna are no different... two thugs fell out. Same goes for Douglas.
this was a war that had to be fought. the ltte had to be destroyed, the sinhala people had to be free of the LTTE menace.
now it is up to the sinhala people to free the whole of sri lanka of terrorism. yes, terrorism is alive and well in sri lanka. ask Poddala Jayantha and he'll confirm that his abduction and assault was not the imagination of "self-appointed guardians of human rights(EU, US included)"
Post a Comment