Malin Abeyatunge

Last few weeks we were virtually hearing and reading daily ceasefire…….. ceasefire……..ceasefire…ceasefire….ceasefire calls from all corners of the world when the most brutal terrorist organization LTTE aka Tamil Tigers was facing humiliation defeat in the war against the Sri Lankan government armed forces. The western block of countries lead by USA, UK, France, Norway, Sweden , Germany, Switzerland, Australia started begging the Sri Lankan Government for ceasefire….ceasefire.. ceasefire ……..with LTTE. Having experienced many ceasefires with the LTTE over the years where they use ceasefire to consolidate and strengthen their military power, the Sri Lankan Government did not care a bit to their request for a ceasefire.

Two days pause given by the Government on its own during the Sinhale and Hindu new year, LTTE made use of the pause to use the civilians to build a couple of earth bunds and ironically only less than hundred civilians escaped from LTTE captivity during this two day period. The countries mentioned above who were screaming and shouting for ceasefire to save LTTE from defeat underestimated the President and his Government and thought that GoSL would be naƒÆ’†’ƒ”š‚¯ve to listen to their ceasefire scream. They are wrong. The GoSL not so naƒÆ’†’ƒ”š‚¯ve as they would have liked to have thought and will not cow down to any international pressure.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Parroting the information borrowed from pro-LTTE websites , British Foreign Minister David Milliband (or Sillyband) a ferocious ceasefire promoter started screaming within UK and on his special trip to Sri Lanka for an immediare ceasefire in a subtle attempt to give oxygen to LTTE but got bellyful from our President and Defense Secretary to shut up and mind their own business. Having got bellyful from them, Milliband at UN Head Quarters has parroted LTTE website again as “I’m appalled by the reports that have come out of Sri Lanka over the weekend of mass civilian casualties. Our message is a simply one: the killing must stop.

Civilians trapped in the zone, up to 50,000 in an area of just three square kilometers, are victims of a war wither witness.” thus qualifying to be named as a pathological liar. Mr. Milliband got French FM Bernard Kouchner to join him (as Milliband had no guts to go alone) to meet the Sri Lankan officials to scream for a cease fire. Madam Hillary Clinton from another end screamed ceasefire …. Ceasefire…. Ceasefire…to give oxygen to LTTE to show gratitude to LTTE fronts for financing her election campaign. Having received funds from Tamil for Obama for his election campaign.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ President Obama also would have had some obligation towards them. Ceasefire…. Ceasefire… ceasefire… calls continued to come from Canadian politicians mainly from the opposition some of whom were alleged to have been in LTTE’s payroll. Then ceasefire calls came from Norway, Sweden, Germany, Switzerland , Australia and India. Then there were so called Humanitarian organizations like Humans Rights Watch and Amnesty International who were screaming for ceasefire as they know once the LTTE is completely defeated, then they will have to look for another trouble spot in Asia for their living. They will not try Myanmar as it will be their doomsday. The pro-LTTE Tamil Diaspora has skillfully mastered the propaganda and managed to get all powerful countries to speak for them and all our embassies should get a cue from their strategies to counter future propaganda against the legitimately elected Sri Lankan Government. Yet, little they realized that albeit Sri Lanka is a small country, she cannot be kowtowed by any country any more. So it was “ceasefire…. Ceasefire… ceasefire… from all corners and everywhere and GoSL couldn’t care less for that “stupid call” when they were about to bring LTTE to their knees.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The importance and significance of the word ceasefire became very insignificant and meaningless when they call the Government for ceasefire with LTTE. Their request for GoSL for ceasefire with Tamil Tigers came whilst LTTE was keeping Tamil civilians as human shield, whilst LTTE was forcibly conscripting child soldiers, whilst forcibly getting young and old men to join their depleting LTTE cadres at the hands of our armed forces, whilst shooting at fleeing Tamil civilians killing hundreds and injuring thousands of them, whilst using heavy explosives laden trucks with suicide bombers in the NFZ to stop advancing of armed forces, whilst using women suicide bombers camouflaged as fleeing civilians in the NFZ killing many civilians and armed forces involved in civilian escape operations. One can judge the duplicity of the western block mainly USA and UK whilst asking the GoSL for ceasefire with a terrorist outfit committing so much of atrocities on their own people over the last three months, when their forces are pounding the Talibans in Afghnistan and Pakistan killing hundreds of Afghanistan civilians. Why not the NATO calls a ceasefire with the Talibans?

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ President Rajapaksa did not budge an inch from his firm and strong stand in eliminating LTTE terrorist once and for all and told Milliband/Hillary/Kouchner & others a firm “NO’ to any ceasefire with LTTE under any circumstances. Failing to get GoSL agree for a ceasefire, the TRIO USA, Britain and France are trying in a vain attempt to stop the IMF loan $1.5 billion GoSL is currently negotiating with to get a cease fire to save LTTE. They are shedding crocodile tears for the civilians entrapped by LTTE to save LTTE with their ulterior motive to destabilize the Asian block politically and financially. This TRIO again tried with some other countries to get the Sri Lankan conflict into the Security Council agenda but failed miserably thanks for countries like Russia (present chair) and China standing by us.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Latest reports say that our armed forces captured the land held by LTTE bar about 200 sq. meters and their fighting cadre being limited to a few hundreds. Now that the all the civilians have escaped from LTTE captivity LTTE remaining cadres know that their days are numbered and will be subject to a complete onslaught during the next 24 hours, a LTTE unnamed spokesman (What happened to Wellwatte cop Nadesan?) had said “they are silencing the guns” (this is a joke) according BBC report reproduced by BBC (they always do that) “in the name of stopping further blood bath” . The blood bath the LTTE spokesman has referred to may be the remaining LTTE cadres. This is the funniest saying that that has ever come from LTTE in the recent past.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ By the time this letter goes to the press, the infamous TRIO’s continuous scream for ceasefire would have become redundant and obsolete as LTTE would have been completely defeated. They have got find some other issue to scream about on Sri Lankan Government.