H. L. D. Mahindapala

Europe has two major anti-Sri Lankan, pro-Tamil Tiger bases headed by ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” .a). Fr. S. J. (IƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢m-a-Tamil-first-and-a-Christian-later) Emmanuel, President of the Global Tamil Forum, located in Germany with links to UK and b). Perinpanayagam Sivaparan (better known as Nediyawan, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-the Tall ManƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚) who runs the Tamil Coordinating Committee (TCC) in Norway. Wikipedia records that ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-TCC handles millions of Norwegian krone stolen from diaspora Tamils, and procured from legitimate and black market businesses. He later took control of a majority of the LTTEƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s overseas dealings and institutions. This was done after he was appointed chief of the Diaspora Affairs of the Organization.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ Norway is also the base for TamilNet ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” the main anti-Sri Lankan propaganda medium along with the BBC Sinhala program.

Unable to face the uncovering of his underhand dealings when he was a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-facilitatorƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ of peace: Solheim has hit back in the Norwegian media accusing his Sri Lankan critics as liars. His crooked deals in handling the Sri Lankan crisis make him the last man who can claim to speak the truth. That apart, what has he done about the racist lies propagated by TamilNet located in his own backyard? Norway, which pontificates to Sri Lanka about upholding the law, knows that these activities are in violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1373 and yet it has done nothing about it. Is this the act of a friendly nation ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” particularly a country that claimed to have acted in restoring peace in Sri Lanka?

Reports indicate that Fr. Emmanuel is playing second fiddle to Nediyawan, which makes Norway the leading base for anti-Sri Lankan activities in Europe. Overall, both are in the business of running a common front to attack Sri Lanka from their foreign bases. Since Norway has become the safest, strongest, and the most thriving base for anti-Sri Lankan activities in peace-time what does it say about NorwayƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s motives and activities during the war-time? Just to jog the memory, before Ketheeswaram Loganathan, the anti-Tiger Tamil peace activist, was killed in Colombo by the LTTE at the height of the Vadukoddai War he was first attacked and hospitalized with severe head injuries in Oslo. These LTTE assassins were living under the protection given by Norway. It is also known to Norwegian authorities now that PrabhakaranƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s avowed successors are regrouping and reinforcing anti-Sri Lankan forces under the command of Nediyawan with a nudge-and-a-wink from Solheim & Co., in Norway.

With this naked anti-Sri Lankan record (Norway would not allow Al-QaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢eda to carry on similar activities on its soil) it is totally unrealistic to expect Norway to come to the aid of Sri Lanka in a meaningful and genuine way to build peace and reconciliation. Besides, Nediyawan is too well entrenched in Norway, with a sizable Tamil vote bank, for Solheim to tighten his grip on him now. Nor will Solheim ever dare to take on Nediyawan. If at all it will be the other way about: Solheim will have to dance to the tune of Nediyawan. Opening the doors to Solheim is like opening the doors for Nediyawan to come in through Solheim, his backdoor.

Despite his protestations, it is generally recognized that Solheim has been always ready, willing and able to play the dirtiest games against Sri Lanka, He did it when he came in the guise of a peace ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-facilitatorƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚. He was covertly acting hand in glove with India, Balasingham, the West, and the Tamil diaspora, to undermine the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Sri Lanka ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” a maneuver which became abundantly clear in the Ceasefire Agreement. He bent in every which way to elevate the Tamil Tigers to be on par with the Sri Lankan state. His boozing buddy, Balasingham was insisting on this parity of status to carry on negotiations and any deviation from this position was resisted by him with threats to halt negotiations.

And he did. When the LTTE was not invited to the talks in Washington, because America had designated them as terrorists, Anton Balasingham took umbrage saying that the LTTE was not given parity of status with the Sri Lankan government and refused to proceed with negotiations. At one stage, it went as far as Adele Balasingham insisting that her husband be addressed as ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Your ExcellencyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚, and Vidar Helgesen, Deputy Foreign Minister, endorsed it, according to Sri Lankan diplomats participating in the first round of peace talks in Sattahip, Thailand. So Solheim went all out to side with Balasingham hoping that he could win him over for him to succeed as a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-peace facilitatorƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚. His partisan role in siding with Balasingham at peace talks was so naked that it disgusted the respected non-governmental Sri Lankan delegates like H. L. de Silva and Gomin Dayasiri. As the representative of the international community Solheim misread, misinterpreted and misrepresented the ground situation — a decisive factor that led not only to the prolonging of the agony of war but also dragged the misled Tamils to Nanthikadal.

Solheim turned a blind eye to the atrocities of the Tamil Tigers which made them believe that they could commit any crime and get away with it because he was there to give international cover for their Vadukoddai violence endorsed in the Vadukoddai Resolution. Solheim too relied heavily on Vadukoddai violence as a leverage to thrust the CFA down the throat of the nation. His tactic has been to use the Vadukoddai violence to extract the maximum from the Sri Lankan government. Besides, for him to succeed as a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-peace facilitatorƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ he had no other source of power or strategy other than to let the Tamil Tigers bludgeon the Sri Lanka government with Vadukoddai violence, even if that violence leads to committing war crimes and crimes against humanity. Increase in Vadukoddai violence would give him a solid argument to force the Sri Lankan government to give in to the extremist demands of the Tamil Tigers. He knew that he would be the biggest loser if the Tigers lost.

It is with this objective in mind that he attempted to frighten President Rajapakse by telling him that he knows Prabhakaran well (meaning his military capabilities) and that the President can never win. Solheim was trying to save his skin and he could achieve that only by saving the Tigers. PresidentƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s reply was succinct and prophetic: ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-He comes from the jungles of the north. I come from the jungles south. LetƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s see who will win!ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚

Solheim and Balasingham formed a mutual admiration club and he swallowed all the theoretical mumbo-jumbo fed to him by Balasingham. An analysis of SolheimƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s interventions would reveal that he too believed in the invincibility of the Tamil Tigers ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” the bunkum fed to him by Balasingham. That is why he told the President that the Tamil Tigers cannot be defeated. The intransigence of Tamil Tiger politics was also based on the belief that they were indestructible. Consequently, Solheim and the international community (along with the idiotic NGOs) came to the conclusion that the only way to tame the Tigers was to give into their extremist demands. No one expected the Tigers to drown, once for all, in Nanthikadal. That was also the end of SolheimƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s reputation as a peace-maker.

His fatal mistake was in following Balasingham blindly. Both relied on Vadukoddai violence to achieve their political goals. Both worked jointly to reduce the power of the state and rein in the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-paramilitariesƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ — i.e., the anti-Tamil Tigers militants, a clause included in the CFA. The CFA gave full military, administrative and political powers to the Tigers and stipulated that the state should crack down on ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-paramilitariesƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The Tigers, in the meantime, went on the offensive violating 95% of the CFA terms and conditions, according to the Nordic Peace Monitors. They had no intention of stopping at the CFA because would have stopped the pursuit of next higher goal after the CFA ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” Eelam.

Neither Solheim nor Ranil Wickremesinghe realized their folly in trusting the Tamil Tigers to adhere to their CFA. Both owe an apology to the people of Sri Lanka for the blood-letting they caused in the guise of making peace. Solheim and Wickremesinghe were stupid suckers who fell for the duplicitous politics of the Tigers. What did they achieve in the end except to prolong the agony of the people?

Having done their worst both Solheim and Wickremesinghe are ganging up again to take Sri Lanka back to the CFA. The return of Solheim to Sri Lanka will only help to go in that direction. Did the nation make all the sacrifices for the triumph of Solheim and Wickremesinghe? Besides, Solheim cannot step into Sri Lanka with a clear conscience as long as NediyawanƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s base in Norway is protected by his government. Can any sensible Sri Lankan trust this Nordic back stabber to be impartial and work for peace and reconciliation? Whose side will Solheim take when NediyawanƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s group has a political clout in Norway with the likes of Solheim dependent on the Tamil vote for electoral survival? Remember how David Milliband and Bernard Kouchner came rushing in to appease the Tamil vote bank in their respective constituencies?

Even a cursory glance at the role played by Solheim will confirm that his coming is not in the best interest of Sri Lanka. President Chandrika Kumaratunga pin-pointed it precisely when she wrote to Ranil Wickremesinghe, the then Prime Minister, saying: ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-I observe that the powers and function which by the (CFA) agreement are vested in the Norwegian Government travel far beyond the role to a facilitator for expected negotiations towards a political agreementƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦.This is the first time in the history of post-independent Sri Lanka that foreign government is being authorized to draw demarcation lines on the soil of Sri Lanka.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ And she added: ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦the submission of such matters to the binding authority of an individual nominated by a foreign government appears to be wholly inconsistent with the sovereignty of the people of Sri Lanka. (The Hindu, March 2, 2002).

Then in October 2003 she asked for the replacement of Maj-Gen Tryggve Tellefsen, Chief of Monitoring Mission, for leaking information to the LTTE vessel engaged in smuggling arms. This tipped off the Tiger boat to escape the Sri Lankan Navy engaged in tracking it down. Perhaps, the most telling stricture was made by the Jaffna-based University Teachers for Human Rights (UTHR). It hit the nail on the head when it blasted the Norwegians for turning a blind eye towards the violations of human rights by the LTTE even after signing the Ceasefire Agreement.

UTHRƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢sƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  bulletin of December 3, 2002 wrote: ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-For a country like Norway, which portrays itself as a front-runner in human rights and child rights, legitimising repression in the interests of making peace, could cause enormous problems in the future. There are grave implications for the entire region. One hopes that before it is too late, Norway will see that the road to real peace lies in demanding accountability from all the actors, especially the Sri Lankan state and the LTTE, and not in strategic appeasement.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ It added that Norway was ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”ignoring the LTTEƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s misdeedsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢, including the recruitment of child soldiers. The organization was also critical of the LTTEƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s continuing attacks on Tamil opposition groups as well as provision in the MoU giving LTTE access to government-controlled areas for political work with no similar freedom given to other political groups.

In bulletin no. 32, released on May 2, 2003, UTHR charged Norway and Japan, the main external actors dealing directly with the LTTE, for not making the terrorist groupƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s assassinations and other attacks on its political opponents a critical concern in the peace process. It said: ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Their bottom-line has appeared to be that human rights must be pushed, but not beyond a point where the LTTE might break off talks. This may partially explain why the LTTEƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s continuing attacks on Tamil opposition groups have not featured as a critical concern in the peace process, even though any entity promoting resolution of this conflict would unhesitatingly acknowledge how critical democratic participation is to lasting peace.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚

It is this Solheim who told BBC that war crimes in Sri Lanka must be investigated by the international community. This puts Solheim in an awkward position:ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  isnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t he also guilty of providing diplomatic and material assistance to the Tamil Tiger war criminals? If so shouldnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t he also be investigated by the international community? Also, is he coming here to shake hands and fraternize with ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-the war criminalsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ he referred to in his BBC interview, or is he coming here to set a trap to catch the war criminals? Besides, the internal politics of Norway, dependent to a certain extent on the Tamil vote bank, has serious implications for Sri Lanka. Not only Erik SolheimƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s partisan role but even the current domestic politics of Norway, influenced particularly by the Tamil political activists, makes it clear that Norway has lost its credibility and its neutrality. With such a record can Norway maintain honest and friendly relations with Sri Lanka? It is a short-sighted policy to imagine that Solheim or any other Norwegian politician will abandon their self-interests and go out of their way to help Sri Lanka.

From the domestic perspective, Norway will be welcomed by Ranil Wickremesinghe, Lakshman Kiriella, Ravi Karunanayake, TNA, Jehan Perera (he survives on Norwegian funding) because SolheimƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s re-entry into Sri Lankan politics provides easy access to Norwegian funds and international diplomatic support to back up their anti-Sri Lankan activities. NorwayƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s increased presence will facilitate the local Quislings to influence international opinion through Norway. Consequently, Norway will be an additional headache to the government since it is bound to put additional strains on the coalition, some of whom (Wimal Weerawansa and JHU) are opposed to Norwegian interventions in Sri Lanka. The inevitable public protests and the natural suspicions of Norwegian presence in any visible form are likely to provoke more political unrest. The government will be forced to face unnecessary embarrassing situations which can turn ugly, and even lead to international incidents.

In other words, the coming of Norway will exacerbate divisive tensions not only on ethnic lines but also within the government ranks. Norway which came in as the solution became the problem with its grossly obvious partisan role. There are no promising or positive signs that Norway will change its colours now. So why invite them now unless our intention is to grab the snakes running wild in Norway and tuck them inside our sarongs?