In a communiqu‚ released yesterday (January 08) SPUR believes it is more important to place on record some of the beastly acts carried out by the LTTE under cover of the fatally flawed CFA.

Full text of the communiqu‚ released by the HR organisation.

Historical or Hysterical?
Background
Foreign Ministers from Nordic countries that took part in the formation of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission have released a joint statement critical of President Rajapaksa's Government of its withdrawal from the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) with Tamil Tiger Terrorists. They praise the virtues of the CFA whilst paying scant regard to the hundreds of assassinations and thousands of CFA violations perpetrated by the LTTE from February 2002 to January 2008. Rather than refute glaringly obvious misconceptions spread throughout the Ministers joint statement, SPUR believes it is more important to place on record some of the beastly acts carried out by the LTTE under cover of the fatally flawed CFA.

The Nordic Ministers have conveniently avoided any reference to LTTE's unilateral withdrawal from peace negotiations with the Sri Lankan Government after the March 2003 discussions in Japan. The LTTE met Government representatives twice in 2006 after fresh initiatives launched by President Rajapaksa in February and October 2006 prior to once again, unilaterally scuttling the peace process by keeping away from discussions without any legitimate reason.

Unabated LTTE terror
As a human rights organisation focused on facilitating peace in Sri Lanka, SPUR neither praise the virtues of the CFA nor applaud its demise. However, we wish to place on record some of the dastardly acts carried out by the LTTE under cover of the CFA, including the assassination of its Foreign Minister Hon. Lakshman Kadiragamar, the Sri Lankan counterpart of the Nordic Ministers signatory to the joint statement.

Since signing the CFA in February 2002, the LTTE has amongst many other cowardly acts:

Assassinated Hon Lakshman Kadiragamar, Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister and shot dead the Deputy Director General of the Peace Secretariat Mr Katheesh Logeswarn. Both victims were of Tamil ethnicity holding high office in Sri Lanka's Government

Attempted assassination of the Commander of the Army, Lt General Sarath Fonseka using a suicide bomber

Attempted assassination of Hon Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the Secretary of Defence

Failed in an attempt to assassinate the Pakistani Ambassador to Sri Lanka

Assassinated over 50military intelligence officers in cold blood

Recruited over 1000 under aged children to man bunkers and act as frontline cannon fodder (UNICEF December 2007)

Blew up a Navy convoy transferring personnel from Trincomalee in the East to Colombo for recreational leave killing over 100 personnel

Killed over 500 civilians using Claymore roadside mines including over a hundred in one incident in Kebithigollewa, a rural village in North Central Sri Lanka

Attacking Sri Lanka's air force base in Anuradhapura destroying 8 aircrafts valued at $0.4Billion

The list goes on and on including the killing of General Parami Kulatunga, the Chief of Staff of the Army in June 2006. In addition to above serious violations of the CFA, the LTTE continued to build up a significant military arsenal and established saboteurs in key cities such as Colombo and Kandy. These strategically placed terrorists have been instructed from time to time to activate their plans to assassinate Ministers (28 November 2007 attempt to kill Hon Douglas Devananda, Minister for Social Service) or civilians (2 January 2008 Claymore bombing in Colombo) to crate mayhem and possibly, racially centred riots.

The patience and tolerance shown by President Rajapaksa's Government to these blatant LTTE violations of the CFA were roundly criticised by Sri Lanka's citizenry, who correctly hold the democratically elected Rajapaksa Government responsible for providing a safe operating environment for its law abiding people. LTTE's increased propensity to attack innocent civilians, assassinate politicians and its cowardly stance of hiding behind the CFA finally forced the Rajapaksa Government's hand. Inaction and an ongoing commitment to a largely flawed and defunct CFA were exploited politically by the Government's opponents liking it to 'Nero playing the fiddle whilst Rome was burning'.

The LTTE endeavours to strengthen it militarily during the CFA are further exemplified by exposing some of its clandestine activities outside Sri Lanka during the last week including:

Sentencing of Thirunavukarasu Varatharasa, a citizen of Sri Lanka and a member of the Tamil Tigers to almost five years in a US federal prison on charges of conspiracy to provide support to a foreign terrorist organization and the attempted exportation of arms and munitions (including surface to air missiles) in the U.S. District Court in Baltimore on 3 January 2008. When sentencing Varatharasa, U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake said "I have to conclude that he played a very significant role in the attempt to smuggle very dangerous, sophisticated weapons to an organization that would use them to violent purposes".

The arrest of two LTTE operatives Gunaselvam and Jayaseelan on 5 January 2008 in the State of Kranataka in India at Mangalore by the Indian police for credit card fraud and extortion. These operatives were collecting money for clandestinely purchasing war like material in India for use by the LTTE.

On the 2 January 2008, the LTTE exploded a Claymore mine in a busy street in Colombo killing six including two school children and maiming over 25 people. Except for 2, all others affected were civilians. This beastly act was forced by the LTTE on the citizenry whilst the CFA was atleast, officially fully operative.

Questions posed to Nordic Foreign Ministers
What worth is a CFA if the country's Foreign Minister is assassinated during its operative period?

How patient can a Government be, and how can it discharge its obligation to provide a safe heaven for its citizenry facing an onslaught of relentless terror by the LTTE?

Would you, as Foreign Ministers of Nordic countries, consider it appropriate to continue with a CFA agreement that has no operational value except provide the Tamil Tiger Terrorist some form of international cover for their terrorist acts against the peace loving people of Sri Lanka?

The Government had no option but to remove the fig leaf termed the CFA used by the LTTE to cover its repugnant nudity and its ongoing commitment to violence. It had to choose between appeasing the international community and providing a fig-leaf of credibility to terrorists bombing its people, or protect its citizens, public and private assets and infrastructure.

Would you blame the Government for choosing the latter? After all, the democratically elected Government's primary obligations are to its citizenry, not to terrorists or the international community.

SPUR is apolitical, democratic organisation that is against anyone using terror to achieve or promote aspirations. We believe in a negotiated solution to the terrorist problem that is besieging Sri Lanka for the last 25 years. To this extent, we have urged the LTTE to disarm, desist from violence, commit to democracy and enter discussions with President Rajapaksa's Government to usher in sustainable peace. Simultaneously, we have encouraged the Sri Lankan Government to consider devolving power to the Provinces (especially to the North and the East) in line with the 13th Amendment to Sri Lanka's constitution.

The Nordic Foreign Ministers could aggressively impress on the LTTE to desist from attacking civilians and public infrastructure. They could assist the peace process by coming down heavily on LTTE fronts operating with impunity in their respective Nordic countries if the LTTE continued to ignore their wishes. Lame media statements erroneously blaming the Government only embolden the wounded and cornered tiger.

SPUR aspires to a peaceful and free Sri Lanka void of terror, where all its citizens enjoy the fruits of democracy sans ethnicity. SPUR stands ready to assist any entity that subscribes to protecting the unitary status and the territorial integrity of Sri Lanka to make such a dream a reality.

Our assistance extends to even the poorly advised Nordic Ministers.

DR DASARATH JAYASURIYA
PRESIDENT, SPUR AUSTRALIA

Courtesy - Sri Lanka Defence