Sinhala State Terrorism & Western Foreign Policy

[Harold F. Schiffman]

Sinhala State Terrorism & Western Foreign Policy

Written by Vettivel
Sunday, 16 April 2006

Recently Canada listed the LTTE as a terrorist organization and,
meanwhile, it warned the Sri Lankan government to stick to the ceasefire
agreement. Many Tamils are disappointed at the listing, and the decision
sparked many local debates among Tamils.  If Canada found the LTTE to be a
terrorist organization, Canada should have even more reason to ban the Sri
Lankan government. Most Canadian Tamils raise these questions, and most of
those who voted for the current minority Canadian government in the last
election now regret their wrong decision.

Using violence for a political cause is the main reason for the Canadian
ban on the LTTE. The funny thing is that, when a government uses violence,
it means using force, but when an oppressed community reacts violently it
is terrorism. Since the word terrorism is meaningless in current world
politics, then how can a list of terrorists make sense? After all, it is
better to understand what terrorism means to the western world. Does
terrorism mean killing civilians? If yes, then why is the Sri Lankan state
not considered terrorists because they have killed more than 40,000 Tamil
civilians, and, even after the ceasefire, they have killed Tamil civilians
using its state military machine and paramilitaries. The Sri Lankan state
has been well known for killing Tamils even in state prison, Temples,
Churches, Schools, and refugee camps. Therefore, terrorism doesnt mean
killing civilians.

Does terrorism mean using child soldiers? If yes, why is the UK, where the
recruiting age for the military is 16 years,not terrorists. Therefore,
terrorism doesnt mean underage recruitment. Does terrorism mean using
suicide bombing? Did anyone ever hear of suicide bombing before the US
invasion in Iraq? Why is there an increased number of suicide bombings
after the US invasion? The most civilized people dont want to find an
answer for this question. Suicide bombing is a weapon.  Like the cruise
missile, bunker buster, artillery shells, sophisticated tanks, or F18
bomber, human suicide bomber is also a weapon for a weak party that doesnt
have access to sophisticated weapons in the struggle. In the Second World
War, Japan used suicide bombers, the US used nuclear weapons. The deadly
napalm bombs - chemical bombs - were also common used.  The Sri Lankan air
force used napalm bombs and even toilet wastes in Jaffna during the war.
War is ugly, and there is no limitation when it comes to using weapons
against an enemy. In reality, if any of the nuclear nations entered into a
war with another powerful nation, nuclear weapons will be certainly used,
even if the nation knows it is a total destruction. Do any of these
weapons do something different than a suicide bomb? Therefore, suicide
attacks are also not terrorism.

Does terrorism mean using power to achieve political goals? The Sinhala
majority governments goal is to make Sri Lanka a Sinhala country. This is
why they changed the name from Ceylon to Sri Lanka, made Sinhala the
official language, and centralized all power in the Sinhala majority
parliament, and made the minority voiceless. The Sri Lankan government
systematically colonized the Tamil homeland, chased the Tamils away, and
defend the occupied territory by giving weapons to colonized Sinhala thugs
and criminals. The Sinhala government has used military power to suppress
non-violent Tamil protests, and used the military to destroy Tamils
property and life. The Sinhala state is still terrorizing the Tamil
homeland using its military and paramilitaries, and has killed many
Tamils, including parliamentarians and civilian activists. The Sinhala
state has heavily used its power to achieve its goal. The Sri Lankan state
is not in the terrorist list; therefore, terrorism doesnt mean using power
to achieve political goals. Does terrorism means being anti-democracy? The
TNA won almost all the seats in the Sri Lankan elections that were
observed by International monitors. However, a TNA parliamentarian
couldn't even get a visa to enter Canada. The TNA says the LTTE is the
authentic representative of the Tamils, and this was the mandate TNA used
before the election as well.  Unfortunately, being anti-democracy also
doesnt explain terrorism. What we can get from all these arguments is that
terrorism means something else.

 Terrorism really means that, if someone or some organization acts against
a state that has some friendly western states, it is terrorism.
Terrorism really means that, if someone or some organization acts against
a state that has some friendly western states, it is terrorism. It is OK
if the state uses FORCE to oppress any community to maintain stability.
This definition can fit well to the western policy towards terrorism. The
reality is that the current world doesnt care if a small community is
fighting for its rights. The world is ready to compromise a small
community for political stability. By listing the LTTE as a terrorist
organization, Canada has put itself outside the peace process. It can be
noted that the US, UK, India, and Australia already dont have any direct
influence in the peace process because they are prevented from talking to
the LTTE by their own laws.

The problem is that, whether a country has a terrorist list or not, the
LTTE is the authenticate representative of the Tamils, and there will be
no talks without the LTTE. Tamils have completely no trust in the Sri
Lankan constitution or laws. In simple terms, for Tamils, the
Sinhala-dominated state machine is the enemy. This is the naked reality in
Sri Lanka. The western world asks Tamils to get protection from its enemy.
It is almost equivalent to asking Israel to get protection from the Arab
world.  In essence, banning the LTTE means encouraging Sinhala state
terrorists to continue their regular activity of terrorizing the Tamil
inhabitants of the island.


http://www.sibernews.com/the-news/featured-articles/sinhala-state-terrorism-&-western-foreign-policy-200604164209/