News Update - 20060331
*** Topics: Human Rights Watch Report, Sri Lanka's emerging tri-polar politics, Future of Geneva Talks, News Roundup ***
When taking stock of what has happened in the last 6 months regarding the SL peace process, the series of events might be confusing, even contradictory. A new president was elected on a very hardline platform of jettisoning the entire peace process and opposing the LTTE, yet he later consents to attending the latest set of peace talks in Geneva. Tamil groups began carrying out guerrilla attacks on SL's forces (most likely with assistance from the LTTE) soon after the election of the hardline president. After a while, the LTTE also entered peace talks, but they did so expecting the SL government to not live up to any promises made. The SL government has reneged on its pledges in the latest talks by stepping up the attacks by its paramilitaries, but other countries claim that progress has been made and look forward to more talks.
If the rising violence by the SL military continues and is met with retaliatory attacks, there may end up being a return to the low intensity "shadow" war between the two sides, or worse. As the two sides oscillate between violence and rounds of talks, the famous quote by Karl von Clausewitz is appropriate -- "War is a continuation of politics by other means." The LTTE has been able to leverage the attacks to bring the SL government to the negotiating table (as suggested in a Tamil Guardian editorial). The talks have brought about little change in the security of civilians, but they have been effective in the levels of credibility that each side earns from the international community, even if ever so slightly. In a way, the war continues on even now, for the two sides have not fundamentally changed -- one side is fighting to gain its own sovereignty, while the other side uses its sovereignty to quell the other side's fighting.
** Human Rights Watch Report:
If proof was ever needed to support the idea that the line between war and politics is blurry, the latest report by the Human Rights Watch about alleged coercion by the LTTE against the Tamil diaspora serves as a prime example.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4807846.stm
Despite the allegations raised in the HRW report, all of us -- as members of the aforementioned Tamil diaspora -- know that the truth of the matter is indeed quite contrary to the image painted by the HRW report.
http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=17505
When publicly confronted about the dubious nature of the report, the HRW was faciing the possibility of losing credibility. A loss in credibility would have endangered HRW's main weapon against its targets -- media attention.
http://www.tamilguardian.com/beta/news_details.asp?newsid=586
This Tamil Guardian editorial reveals the surprising revelation that the SL foreign minister had prior knowledge of details of the report before it was released to the public. The timing of the report, and its one-sidedness only lead to doubts about who or what truly prompted the report. It seems, though, that the SL government approaches politics similarly to war.
http://sangam.org/taraki/articles/2006/03-21_Ignored.php?uid=1602
http://www.tamilcanadian.com/northeastern_herald/pageview.php?ID=1777&SID=362
http://www.eelampage.com/?cn=24999
Maintaing territorial sovereignty of land requires a strong military, but gaining legitimacy is not as straightforward. A favorable opinion is partly won through diplomacy, and it is partly won through the proof of a legitimate government -- effective state structures and everything else that a society needs. The LTTE's Tamil Eelam Police's success has afforded itself legitimacy, but many other sectors of the society are severly lacking without expatriate Tamil help.
http://sangam.org/taraki/articles/2006/03-23_Non-States.php?uid=1609
** Sri Lanka's emerging tri-polar politics:
The election of Rajapakse as president has ushered in a new era in Sri Lankan politics, since his election marks the first time a leader did not come from the ruling families of either the SFLP or UNP parties, each of which are dominated by the close relatives of a single family. At the same time, the country is witnessing the growth of the JVP as a strong political party. In the recent past, the SFLP was perceived to have a stronger Sinhala nationalist element than the UNP. The JVP has adopted an equally extreme brand of Sinhala nationalism in the past 5. The involvement of the previous president (who was also the SFLP party leader) in the peace process has paved the way for the JVP to grow by attracting the Sinhala extremists from the SFLP. The JVP has contested this week's local elections independently of the SFLP in order to measure its strength.
http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=17504
http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=17532
http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=17547
http://www.tamilguardian.com/beta/news_details.asp?newsid=564
http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=17581
http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=17607
The JVP has been aware that Rajapakse has allowed a series events to happen, culminating in the Geneva talks, that all outrightly contradict his presidential election manifesto. The JVP has kept silent on this until now in order to preserve the political mileage it can get from it among the extreme Sinhala nationalists.
** Future of Geneva Talks:
http://www.tamilcanadian.com/pageview.php?ID=3912&SID=39
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/B705512.htm
http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=17540
Interviews from LTTE Political Wing leader Thamilchelvan and Chief Negotiator Anton Balasingham give the latest update on the LTTE's current stance on the current state of peace talks.
http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=17533
http://www.eelampage.com/?cn=24910
The SL government, however, has begun to place conditions and restrictions on the LTTE before its military agrees to any normalization measures.
http://www.eelampage.com/?cn=24956
http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=17527
http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=17531
http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=17554
http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=17555
http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=17569
http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=17577
Despite the fact that the SL military denies involvement with paramilitaries, the SL Army commander claims credit for the covert guerrilla attacks on the LTTE.
http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=17579
There has been a noticable increase in provocative actions taken by the SL armed forces, as well, especially for a two-month period between two rounds of peace talks mean to curb this very same type of violence.
http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=17616
http://www.tamilcanadian.com/pageview.php?ID=3926&SID=63
** News Roundup:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4812094.stm
Eric Solheim will officially step down as the special envoy to the SL peace process after becoming a minister in the new Norwegian government.
http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=17479
http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=17486
http://sangam.org/taraki/articles/2006/03-23_Congressional_Hearing1.php?uid=1610
http://sangam.org/taraki/articles/2006/03-23_Congressional_Hearing.php?uid=1611
The line of questioning by Rep. Brad Sherman in the Congressional hearing strongly challenges the US's continued designation of the LTTE as a foreign terrorist organization. It also hints at fundamental flaws of the principles currently guiding US foreign policy.