Indian intervention to resume Peace talks with LTTE

Stanley Weerasinghe says… Minister P. Chandrasekaran is seeking Indian intervention to resume peace talks with LTTE. "India could bring the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE to the negotiating table, despite their rigid standpoint," the Minister is reported to have said.

The Minister is well aware that, there were disastrous fallouts when GoSL attempted to negotiate peace with the LTTE. During the time of President Premadasa, LTTE massacred 700 policemen, to terminate peace talks, and when President Chandrika Kumaratunga arranged a peace deal, LTTE sank two SLN vessels berthed in the Trinco harbour, to scuttle negotiations. On both these occasions, GoSL had to pay a heavy price for attempting to negotiate peace with the LTTE terrorists.

One time LTTE eastern ’commander’ Karuna revealed that LTTE smuggled 11 shiploads of weapons during the time of the ceasefire Agreement signed by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. Media reported that, when returning from peace talks held in Berlin, the LTTE delegation, of (late) Thamilselvan and his deputy Pulidevan, took 25 undeclared packages to Vanni in two SLAF choppers, later found to have contained underwater scooters, capable of mounting suicide attacks on navy vessels.

These are few instances to show that the LTTE was never interested in fostering peace, but used opportunities offered to buy time, to build up its army and smuggle weapons. Now that the security forces are closing upon several fronts to capture the Tiger domain, interested parties may talk about ’peace’ with a view to liberate the beleaguered Tiger terrorists.

’The recent meeting between Priyanka Vadra and Nalini, a life convict involved in the assassination of the former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, was a significant development .We hope this will be a turning point’, says the Minister. Media reported that Priyanka went to the prison to find out from Nalini, why her father, who had not harmed anyone, was killed. Hence, it is wrong to construe this to be a move to forgive LTTE’s despicable crime.

’The ill will that prevailed in India after Rajiv Gandhi assassination, was gradually disappearing’, is another assertion. We remember one time LTTE ideologue (late) Anton Balasingham too begged for India’s forgiveness, expressing his ’regret’. Recently, India had extended the proscription on LTTE for two more years, considering the intransigence of Tiger terrorism. Hence, there is no room for above assertion.

’The war should end and a permanent solution found to the problems of Tamils’. The Minister is aware that, after liberating the East from LTTE tyranny, people have cast their votes to elect representatives to the newly formed Provincial Council. The Chief Minister elect, S. Chandrakanthan, delivering his inaugural address had vouched to promote ethnic harmony and economic prosperity, to build up shattered lives of the people. Similarly, the security forces are conducting humanitarian operations to liberate the people of North from the vicious clutches of LTTE and solutions could be sought. This is how the war would end.

If the worthy Minister is seeking the liberation of LTTE, classified as the most ruthless terrorist outfit in the world by FBI, he will have to wait till the kingdom come.

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