Comments to Tamilnet on the impending EU ban on the LTTE
Published on 20 May, 2006
The resolution of the European Union Parliament imposing punitive measures and harshly censuring our liberation organisation is unfair, untimely and utterly biased. This EU intervention will thus emerge as a serious impediment to reaching a just and lasting solution to Sri Lanka’s conflict
The resolution, while demonising the Tamil Tigers for the escalating violence and for the stalemate in the negotiating process, has condoned and complimented the real culprit – the Rajapakse administration – which is instrumental for the state terror and massacres of Tamil civilians that have hindered the resumption of peace talks.
The resolution was certainly one-sided. It blames the LTTE for the increasing violence and for the dead-lock in the peace process. But the Sri Lankan government has been given a mild, sympathetic treatment with compliments to President Rajapakse’s actions. The enormous suffering inflicted on Tamil civilians, the widespread killings and massive displacements caused by aerial and artillery bombardments, the series of brutal murders by Army-backed paramilitaries are conveniently ignored.
The observation in the EU Parliamentary resolution suffers credibility since it fails to acknowledge the appalling conditions of the reality of the ground situation in the Tamil homeland.
The European Union is set to blacklist the LTTE as a terrorist organisation, hoping such a punitive action will force the LTTE to the negotiating table, irrespective of this ground reality. I gravely doubt that the LTTE leadership will bow down to pressure and humiliation. As such this move will be counter-productive. Faced with global isolation and humiliation, the LTTE may be compelled to stay away from further talks.
The impending proscription by the European Union, which has been sympathetic to Tamil grievances, will severely deepen the asymmetry between the Sri Lankan state and the LTTE – a liberation movement – and thus make productive political engagement extremely difficult. Furthermore, this state-biased decision to blacklist the LTTE will boost the Sri Lankan government’s global campaign to cast the legitimate struggle of the Tamil people as a mere phenomenon of terrorism which does not deserve political engagement on its part. The EU intervention will thus emerge as a serious impediment to reaching a just and lasting solution to Sri Lanka’s conflict.