Destination — separate state

Professor G. L. Peiris, by virtue of being the UNF Government Chief Peace Negotiator, an envious position that propelled him into International limelight when peace talks were held in Hakone, Berlin, Oslo ‘with lots of laughter, hand-shaking, photo sessions and having dinner’ as someone observed, upon LTTE’s pulling out of peace talks since April 2003, has found himself stalemated along with his Tiger counterpart Anton Balasingham (present whereabouts unknown), but still clings to his original ‘paradigm shift" theory when he sees the media revelations of 13 LTTE camps in the southern perimeter of Trincomalee harbour as a ‘spoiler’, the source of information being none other than the US Military Intelligence that says, ‘from this area (where LTTE camps are located), the LTTE have effectively monitored all ship movements, launch suicide and artillery attacks against the (Trincomalee) Naval base and could potentially destroy any vessel coming in and out of the habour’.

This high powered US military report, recently reiterated by the former Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar, is refuted by Prof. Peiris with his own theory. ‘The problem cannot be serious if the camps are not in the government areas’ (September 14 Sunday Times), concluding that these stories to be ‘spoilers’ when positive results were manifest in the (now defunct) peace process.

The vital factor that matters is not whether the camps are located in government controlled or rebel areas, but the determination by the US military intelligence that, ‘suicide and artillery attacks could be launched from the area where the LTTE camps are located’. Why then a factually incorrect version by Prof. Peiris? It is to pull wool over people’s eyes in a vain attempt to camouflage the impending danger eased by the Tigers on this strategically located Naval base.

This is not the first instance that the Professor defended his partners in the ‘peace caravan’, playing into his own goal. When Thailand peace talks were in progress, an LTTE boat laden with claymore mines was seized by the Navy off Trincomalee coast. Again, amidst Berlin peace talks Tigers were caught trying to smuggle arms off Delft. Prof.Peiris, Chief Government Negotiator, instead of protesting this grave violation of MoU, reportedly said that ‘we do recognize that there are ups and downs, but the peace process will go on’, thus leaving more room for the LTTE to engage in further violations of peace.

At the commencement of peace talks, the government lifted the Tiger ban on request that LTTE be treated as an equal partner as the GOSL, ignoring the fact that, LTTE being one of the most ruthless terror organisations in the world, that had dishonoured ceasefire pledges on two previous occasions to revert to war. Making the maximum out of the opportunity, LTTE smuggled shipments of weapons, propagated Eelam ideology through Pongu Thamil in government controlled areas, abducted children for LTTE baby brigade, engaged in 148 violent attacks against Tamil political activists, killed more than 30 government intelligence officers, engaged in ethnic cleansing killing innocent Muslim civilians in N/E and put up LTTE camps in government held areas. Evidently, these are the ‘positive results’ that are manifest in the peace process as claimed by Prof.Peiris. on these ‘merits’ and ‘good behaviour’ the government is offering Interim Administration to Tigers.

Former US Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Ashley Wills, once warned that ‘LTTE’s weapons and armed cadre aren’t protecting Tamil rights, they are prolonging the conflict and delaying the day when Tamils can live in truly peaceful conditions. LTTE’s pursuit of an extreme separatist agenda by violent means, has cost Sri Lanka’s North and East, and the rest of Sri Lanka too, thousands of lives and 20 years of development’.

Like Mahadenamutta that advocated beheading the calf, as a solution to the problem of taking out its head stuck inside a pot, Prof. Peiris is evidently laying the groundwork for the ultimate sacrifice in the name of making peace, Interim Administration for the LTTE, that would lead to Prabhakaran’s ultimate goal, a separate state of Tamil Eelam.
Stanley Weerasinghe
Pannipitiya