14.9.2008
By Janaka Perera
"When
you sleep with dogs you get up with ticks all over your
body," goes a pithy Sinhala saying. This is what
has happened to most INGOs operating in LTTE dominated
areas. Having been infected with 'tick fever' they have
no alternative but to obey the Tigers' dictates and leave
their possessions at the disposal of the terrorists. Of
course several of these do-gooders were willingly serving
the LTTE's cause in the name of humanitarian services.
One of them was the Norwegian 'People's Aid' which gave
over 30 vehicles for use by the LTTE. These are in addition
to medicines, medical and communication equipment and
other items that the INGOs allowed to fall into Tiger
hands.
However
the government's 'quit-the-Wanni' request to INGOs has
pre-empted any possible moves by one or more of their
kind to do an 'ACF' in the North's operational areas.
The French 'humanitarian' agency (ACF)'s despicable action
in Mutur two years ago proved that these INGOs are ever
ready to sacrifice the lives of their local employees
(citizens of the host country) if it serves organizations'
dubious and political ends. But the government has now
seen through this.
On
the pretext of engaging in development projects in the
Tiger-dominated Wanni, about 20 INGOs entrenched themselves
in Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu and surrounding areas soon
after the so-called ceasefire was signed in 2002. But
their fraud was exposed when the security forces entered
the district after six years. According to military officers
the INGOs had launched not a single development project
in the area.
The
ICRC apparently is determined to remain in the Wanni.
Needless to say the Tigers are elated over it for more
than one reason. The most important of them is that they
can always make use of the ICRC's communication equipment
for their own purposes since Sri Lanka Air Force bombings
have effectively destroyed some of the LTTE's facilities.
Last
week the reported Sri Lanka Air Force strike at LTTE's
intelligence nerve centre in Kilinochchi seemed to have
rattled some INGO employees who fled to state-controlled
areas. This comes as no surprise since some of their offices
were located very close to the SLAF targets, forming part
of the terrorists' human shield. This is obviously what
the Tigers want and the INGOs willingly or unwillingly
are playing into their hands.
So
if and when a exploding SLAF bomb damages an INGO office,
causing casualties among its employees or the LTTE's civilian
hostages the UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon can perhaps
express 'concern' over increasing hostilities in the North
and condemn "civilian killings by Sri Lankan security
forces" - but maintain a deafening silence over U.S.
Special Forces carrying out ground assaults inside Pakistan
without Islamabad's prior approval. We all know a recent
U.S. bombing raid on a remote Afghan village killing over
90 civilians (mostly children).
Responding
to the Sri Lanka Government's order to quit the operational
areas, the 'National Peace Council' states:
"The
primary duty of any democratic government is to ensure
the security and sustenance of the people it governs.
No section of the people, whether or not they are under
rebel control, can be excluded from this democratic duty.
If circumstances do not allow the government to fulfil
this duty, it needs to permit others to do so. The government
needs to treat international humanitarian agencies as
its partners filling a void that it is unable to fulfil.
Their work needs to be facilitated and not curtailed."
If
it is not the rebels but the government's duty to sustain
the people, then will this 'peace council' admit that
the rebels have no right to control any part of the country
and thereby obstruct the government in the performance
of its duty by the people? So far the NPC has made no
such admission. Instead they have always wanted the Tigers
to eat the cake and have it at the same time – to
give the LTTE a status equal to that of the country's
legitimate government at the 'negotiating table.'
The
current 'humanitarian concerns' of the INGOs over the
Wanni situation is reminiscent of India's dubious 'humanitarian'
role when the Sri Lankan Security Forces were on the verge
of routing the LTTE in 1987. Now, 21 years later Government
troops have almost returned to the same position of strength.
And again we see devious attempts being made to stem the
Security Forces' advance.
The
so-called Tamil National Alliance has already called on
"the international community to help evict the Sinhala
Forces from the Tamil Homeland and recognize the right
for self-determination of the Tamils." We have sneaking
suspicion that the 'international community' the TNA means
is India. Perhaps they must be thinking of the time when
Delhi offered transport to move Sri Lankan troops out
of Jaffna when the LTTE nearly recaptured the area in
2000.
There
are only two ways of providing humanitarian services in
the Wanni.
1.
The Tigers must lay down their arms (this will not happen
because they have boasted that they will fight to the
last Tamil).
2.
Civilians must leave the Tiger-dominated areas so the
GOSL and the LTTE can battle it out causing no harm to
non-combatants.
If
the NPC and other assorted NGOs and INGOS are really keen
on performing humanitarian services they should prevail
upon the LTTE to permit Wanni residents to move into State-controlled
areas which are away from the battle front. Which of the
two is truly humanitarian – allowing the people
and the INGOs to remain in the thick of battle or getting
both to move into safer areas where the needs of displaced
people can be effectively met with no fear of being hit
by bombs or artillery shells?.
What
the NPC and other 'peaceniks' should keep in mind is that
this is not a war between two countries – although
the LTTE thinks so (Tamil Eelam versus Sri Lanka). So
there is no immigration issue involving people or organizations
moving from Wanni to areas where no battles are raging.
It is a movement within the same country and the government
in power has all the right to make decisions on it. After
all these INGOs are here because the Sri Lankan State
has issued visas to them to enter the island. They have
to bear the consequences of the failure to accept such
decisions.
To
an intelligent observer the 'neutrality' of these INGOs
and NGOs especially those funded by the notorious 'peace
facilitators' (the Norwegians) is intriguing. It recalls
the Portugal's self-proclaimed neutrality in World War
II. Then Goa was her colony while the rest of the Indian
sub-continent was under the British. This dubious neutrality
however did not prevent Lisbon from turning a blind eye
to a German ship in Goa's harbour, giving to the Nazi
High Command vital information on British Naval movements
in the Indian Ocean. But the British saw through this
'neutrality' and blew up the enemy vessel by sending a
special commando team. Portugal discovered the attackers'
identity long after the war. What a remarkable similarity
to Oslo's 'neutral' peace games in Sri Lanka!
Coming
back to INGO antics it is a relief to note that GOSL has
at last paid heed to calls by the World Alliance for Peace
in Sri Lanka (WAPS) and many other like minded organizations
to investigate the improper conduct of NGOs in relation
to the authorised codes of conduct, registration regulations
and country's criminal code. Human Rights and Disaster
Management Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe has ordered that
all the NGOs and INGOs operating in Tiger areas should
declare their assets. If any such organization is found
to have helped the LTTE, stern action would be taken against
them.
According
to Social Services Minister Lionel Premasiri, only 2500
of over 3500 NGOs and INGOS have been registered. It is
a well-known fact that these NGOs allocate 70 percent
of funds - given to be utilized for development purposes
- towards their 'administrative' needs – salaries,
perks, foreign travel, seminars etc.
WAPS
spokesperson Ranjit Soysa has underlined the transparency
of NGO dealings with regular reporting to a government
institution under the purview of the President and/or
the Ministry of Defence.
Courtesy - Asian
Tribune