Meenakshi Ganguly in openDemocracy:
A military that counts seized landmines but not killed or wounded civilians is a cause for concern. The LTTE, which has refused to let tens of thousands of civilians flee the fighting, shows as little regard for civilians. But that’s not a standard Sri Lanka’s government should try to emulate.
Tens of thousands of terrified civilians are trapped in a dangerous conflict-zone. The military says that the remaining LTTE cadre – along with their leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran – have effectively hidden themselves among the civilians in a government-declared “no-fire zone”. As the military plans the final defeat of the LTTE in this twenty-six-year conflict, the fact that the army has repeatedly and indiscriminately shelled these zones means that fear for the safety of civilians has increased.
A brutalised country
This terrible plight of civilians is hardly surprising.
The LTTE has itself long been responsible for horrific human-rights abuses. These include forcibly recruiting people to serve its cause; turning schoolchildren into combatants; using Claymore landmines and human-bombs; indiscriminate killings and outright murder. During the 2002-08 ceasefire, the LTTE continued to commit systematic human-rights abuses, not least in the territory it controlled. More:
Images show Sri Lankan forces bombing civilian safehaven
Jeremy Page in the Times:
Confidential UN satellite images leaked yesterday appear to show that the Sri Lankan Air Force bombed a safe haven for up to 150,000 civilians fleeing fighting against the Tamil Tigers.
The images contained in an internal UN report may constitute the strongest evidence yet of violations of international humanitarian law or war crimes, according to human rights activists. The report by Unosat, dated April 26, provides detailed images of the tiny strip of beach and coconut grove – now covering only 3.8sq miles (10sq km) – where the army has pinned down the Tigers along with thousands of civilians.
The Government declared the area a safe haven or “no-fire zone” on February 12, urging civilians to seek shelter there, and has repeatedly denied using heavy artillery or aerial bombs to attack it. More:
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2009 is different from 2002, The world has lost patience with violent means of protests. Hamas, Lashkar, Jaish e Mohammad, Taliban, LTTE the list is a bit lengthy.
There is no question that rights of the Tamils need to be addressed through constitutional amendment that is a separate issue however.
The LTTE is a violent, take no prisoners, no concern for human life, cynical towards any peace effort, founders of the horrific human bomb and human shield organization.
They double dealt with the Government of India and had the audacity of assassinating Rajiv Gandhi on the assumption that he might have sent the IPKF back. The Sri Lankan armed forces have had no option but to fight them, they capitulated for far too long. Typically when the shoe is on the other foot LTTE crys wolf, human rights abuse and orchestrates a global PR effort.
LTTE as an organization needs to be exterminated to a point of extinction and a condition that this kind of organisation will not be tolerated in a civilized society..
Indeed the rights of Lankan Tamils needs urgent restoration, for which the Government needs to be held accountable by their own citizens and the world community.
I hope the author does not set similar conditions on Indian security forces in North East and J&K in India.