A dangerous trend
Posted on May 16th, 2009
Editorial, The Daily News
The spate of attacks on Sri Lankan embassies in Western capitals continue with hardly any meaningful action taken to rein in the situation. First, it was the attacks on the Lankan Consulate in Canada followed by sieges on the embassies in Paris, London, Denmark and Oslo.
The latest attack targeted the Lankan Embassy in the Hague. Not only that, the pro-LTTE mob also extended their attacks to the Chinese Embassy in London -China being a consistent advocator of non interference in the affairs of Sri Lanka.
Of course, Sri Lanka’s Mission in Madras has borne the brunt of these attacks from the Tiger backers inspired by power crazy politicians of Tamil Nadu. The indulgent attitude of most Western Governments towards the Tamil diaspora have egged on these elements to flex their muscles even thumbing their nose at local law enforcement.
It is no secret that politicians in the West depend on the vast Tamil Diaspora in their home constituencies at elections and are pandering to their whims. This was apparent recently in Canada, Britain and also in Norway which is yet to take any substantive action on the brazen attack on the Lankan Embassy. Ditto for Paris and London.
The Tiger lobby is so powerful in Britain, it had successfully pushed for many debates and Question Time discussions in the House of Commons on alleged atrocities against Tamils in Sri Lanka.
Though now the problem appears to have come home to roost for London, where pro-Tiger demonstrations have turned out to be most strident in recent times, with no less an institution than the British House of Commons coming under seige of the demonstrators.
It is indeed supreme irony that British legislators who made loud cries against the battle against terrorism in Sri Lanka are today, prevented from entering the House of Commons by the very people who inspired their outcries.
Today, we carry in our newspaper the London episode where Britain’s Parliament Square has been virtually taken over by pro-LTTE demonstrators even blocking the access of MPs into Parliament which led to an incensed Speaker of the House of Commons Michael Martin to charge that the “Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) demonstration on Monday hijacked the British Parliament obstructing duties of elected members”.
One MP was held up for one hour and 10 minutes in the vicinity of Parliament Square before the Police were able to sort out the traffic. According to the report, although permission was granted to only 50 demonstrators, they (the agitators) had been SMSing supporters to converge on Parliament Square with kith and kin and children in tow. The Speaker also went on note “to hijack an important part of this city with hunger strikers, tents and food stalls but no toilet facilities is not the proper way to conduct a demonstration”. The stink is bound to spread to other Western capitals if this development is allowed to continue unchecked.
The unfolding developments are no doubt an eye opener to the Western Governments who had been treating the pro-LTTE lobby with kid gloves. So much so, they are now a law unto themselves. But the matter goes much beyond the law and order issue in those countries and even affects by-lateral relations between nations.
For what is unfolding today tantamounts to an infringement of the sovereignty of a State as represented by a foreign mission, under laid down protocols and conventions governing diplomatic relations.
By their indulgent attitude what these Governments have done is encourage attacks on a foreign state by proxy. Sri Lanka being a member of the UN should take up the matter with the World body since it goes in to very pith and substance in the relations among the comity of nations as underlined in the UN Charter. If not things are bound to deteriorate further with the whole structure of diplomatic relations coming under threat. We say this because there is bound to be more violent activity targeting our embassies abroad with the end of the LTTE drawing near. It is indeed strange that the very countries who have grouped together in the fight against global terrorism have been permitting such proxy attacks on sovereign states as has been happening with the spate of unchecked attacks on Lankan missions overseas and lukewarm response to vociferous Pro-LTTE demonstrations in Western capitals.
Will western countries tolerate groups such as Hamas and Al-Quaeda parading its streets bearing their flags and ensigns?
Did not the British authorities know that when giving permission for such a demo in Parliament Square, they were condoning agitation by a terrorist group against a sovereign state. Both Britain and Canada should end its duplicitous conduct if they are to be taken seriously as states committed to defeating global terrorism as they loudly proclaim