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'Never equate polpotist LTTE with the GoSL' says
The Hindu
(By:Walter Jayawardhana)
In a leading article Chennai's 'The Hindu' said the
world while expressing its concern for Tamil civilians trapped in a war
should never equate the Polpotist outfit called the Liberation Tigers of
Tamil Eelam (LTTE) with the legitimate elected government of Sri Lanka.
In a glowing tribute to Sri Lanka's armed forces the
Hindu said, "The government and the armed forces have so far shown
admirable restraint in the face of serious provocation. It is indeed a
testing time for the Sri Lankan state, which needs all the help it can
get to protect the lives and welfare of innocent citizens."
"The Sri Lankan army's advance into the last remaining
sliver of territory under the LTTE's control has been delayed entirely
due to the presence of a large number of civilians the LTTE is holding
as a human shield," said the editorial indicating Sri Lankan army's care
for the civilians.
The following are some excerpts from the editorial:
"The suicide bombing - which killed 15 civilians and
injured 45 others, including a Minister of the Mahinda Rajapaksa
government - outside a mosque at Akuressa in the Matara district of Sri
Lanka's Southern Province is yet another act of desperation by a
terrorist outfit fighting for its life.
Cornered by the Sri Lanka military in an area of about
45 square kilometers in the Mullaittivu district in the North, the
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam is demonstrating afresh that there is
no question of its changing its stripes. On the night of February 20,
Colombo witnessed the bizarre spectacle of two LTTE light wing aircraft,
on a mission to crash land on the Air Force Headquarters and air base at
Katunayake, being shot down. The government, anticipating such acts of
excitative terrorism from the Tigers, has repeatedly warned the public
to be vigilant. The mosque in the Deep South turned out to be a soft
target because the possibility of the LTTE striking so far away from its
bases was considered low.
"The Sri Lankan government has been quick to
acknowledge the security lapses that led to the Matara carnage. It has
announced special security guidelines to be followed for events that
involve the participation of VVIPs in any part of the country. The
Tigers are engaged in acts of wanton death and destruction even as they
face elimination as a conventional military force.
The Sri Lankan army's advance into the last remaining
sliver of territory under the LTTE's control has been delayed entirely
due to the presence of a large number of civilians the LTTE is holding
as a human shield.. The Rajapaksa administration is faced with an
unusual challenge. First and foremost, it needs to ensure the safe
passage of Tamil civilians caught in the crossfire. With reports coming
in of a severe shortage of food and other supplies, the government needs
to act fast and with foresight, especially considering the suicidal
tendency that seems to have gripped a beleaguered LTTE leadership.
The government and the armed forces have so far shown
admirable restraint in the face of serious provocation. It is indeed a
testing time for the Sri Lankan state, which needs all the help it can
get to protect the lives and welfare of innocent citizens. Meanwhile,
while justly registering concern over the fate of Tamil civilians, the
rest of the world must avoid any tendency morally or politically to
equate the two combatants - a legitimate government and a Pol Potist
organisation that is committed to separatism and is a past master in the
arts of terrorism. " |
