The Sri Lankan government's latest offensive into the rebel-controlled North and East of the island is nearly at an end, which could mean the extinction of the Tamil Tigers as a coherent political unit. The civil war between the Tamil LTTE, who want a separate state, and the government troops, who want to keep the Tamils within the Singhalese controlled state as second-class citizens, has been raging since 1983. It has spawned one of the most well-armed and well-organised rebel groups in the world (the LTTE had seven airstrips and a comprehensive air force), as well as spurring the invention of suicide bombing, which was eventually exported to the Middle East. This is the closest it has come to actually concluding. Or so the Sri Lankan President, Mahinda Rajapakse, would have you believe.
The civilian crisis is already becoming obvious, as the Sri Lankan government has made no promises about the safety of the 250,000 civilians trapped in the Northern regions of the island as the Sri Lankan army presses in for the kill.
What is less obvious is the very real possibility that a Sri Lankan victory against the Tamils will severely injure prospects for actual peace. The desire for an independent Tamil Nadu obviously won't die with the last Tamil Tiger. By destroying the coherent and well-articulated movement of the Tamil Tigers, the Sri Lankan government is obviating any possibility of reaching a settled peace. Instead of having to deal with a political group with representatives, aims, and methodologies, Rajapakse is going to have to deal with a bunch of suicide bombers, guerrilla attacks, and a sullen Tamil minority that doesn't want to be integrated.
The Sri Lankan government is swapping a military conflict for a humanitarian catastrophe.
Posts
1 comments:
Haha. You should talk to my Mom about this one. Only true love will bring positive developments.
In all seriousness though I see your point and it makes perfect sense, however it will be interesting to see what develops in the next few years.
Post a Comment