Shenali Waduge

The Indian Premier forewarned of IndiaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-inclinationƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ to vote against Sri Lanka in Geneva on 20^th March 2012. Just the day prior Sri Lankan President sends a letter to Indian Premier seeking IndiaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s support. We know that India cared little for that letter though immediately after voting against Sri Lanka as damage control India sends President Rajapakse a letter explaining IndiaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s stand. Yet, what is unforgivable is that a country that gave us Buddhism was to eventually give us 30 years of terrorism and continues to attempt to destabilize us.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ What was it that India said it would not do ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” ah yes, it would not vote for ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-country-specificƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ resolutions. Can India explain to us if the US Resolution against Sri Lanka also applies to other countries as well? Then India wants us to believe that India took great pains to ensure an ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-element of balanceƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ and had done some tweaking to its wordings. If we know India too well, all these tweakings would have been ONLY to ensure that India had a say in every international interference that would take place hereafter. The Indian premiers love letter eventually comes to what India is pushing towardsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚devolutionƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ and he subtly says it is ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-not movingƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ and so India feels the Resolution will encourage ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-actionƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚. Which means India would probably want to take the role of monitor or supervisor to ensure the clauses of the Resolution are adhered to. This is what India is likely to suggest eventually to UNHRC if they feel Sri Lanka is not carrying out any of the recommendations.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The Indian premier tells President Rajapakse that when India excluded the words ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-must acceptƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ or ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-must doƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ from the language of the Resolution, India went ahead to vote. Simply because India went to great lengths to change the language of the Resolution we are to forgive India and also forget that India was chanting it would not vote for country-specific resolutions. But Indian premier doesnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t mention any excuse for that in his letter.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ LetƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s take stock of things. LTTE became a fully armed terrorist movement because its men were trained, armed, financially supported and provided other logistics to carry out a prolonged conflict in Sri Lanka by no other country than India. Can India deny this? Just listen to top anti-terror expert Dr. Rohan Gunaratne 23 May 2011 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VA04-XfL6O4.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Can India deny that it played key roles in all of the 5 peace talks/negotiations & ceasefires held and would have seen for itself that these were going nowhere except to buy time for the LTTE to regroup. Did India not allow this simply because it was IndiaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s desire to have an unstable Sri Lanka?

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Can India deny too that 2 incidents that took place (arrival of IPKF & Rajiv GandhisƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ assassination in 1991) could have put an end to the LTTE if only India desired to and allowed the Sri Lankan Governments to crush the LTTE. Why did India not chose to avenge the deaths of IPKF soldiers nor Rajiv Gandhi was it not because IndiaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s doctrine of destroying Sri Lanka was more important?

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ We do not want to hear any more of IndiaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s excuses regarding LTTE because we are very much aware of the truth and IndiaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s guilt.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Therefore, India in reality plays no role in the success story of LTTEƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s ultimate defeat though for camouflage purposes India insists our leaders acknowledge this. We donƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t even want India to thank us for eliminating the LTTE for all these are nothing but hollow statements meant to satisfy the ignorant and attempts to change history.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ We would like to keep history very clear and will continue to say that India was solely responsible for the LTTE terrorism that prevailed in Sri Lanka for 30 years. All others that joined the bandwagon came in much later simply to advance their interests as well. These are all part & parcel of global politics but India has no excuse for what it did to Sri Lanka is something unforgiveable.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Thus, if India is biting its nails over loosing its sphere of influence in the light of Sri Lanka seeking assistance from other nations can it blame Sri Lanka instead of itself?

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Would any friend set up camps that trained militants? Would any friend give arms & financially support these militants? Would any friend allow oneƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s country to be used as a transit point for the logistics required to carry out a prolonged conflict? IndiaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s doctrine for its neighbors was nothing other than to destabalize them. After destabalizing Sri Lanka what does India do? It cries over the security risk for India and uses that to diplomatically get advantages for India! These are nothing other than below the belt tactics upon a nation that has done India no wrong.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The destabalizing factor was such that even Rajiv GandhiƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s assassination made little difference. He was killed just 4 years after signing the Indo-Lanka peace accord in 1991 and it took 8 years for India to sentence those caught and even 20 years after no one has been hung since RajivƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s widow has sent a letter pleading clemency! If the widow doesnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t want to seek justice who should! This is something we could never understand.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ In our eyes the only way India could have washed its shame would have been to avenge the killing of Rajiv Gandhi which India chose not to do. Simply banning it but allowing LTTE to prevail has only left Sri LankanƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s feeling that Prabakaran was of more strategic interest to India than RajivƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s death.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  After over 20 years and when Sri Lankan forces have eliminated the LTTE & Prabakaran, India has no right to say that RajivƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s killers have been avenged! Let us remind India that it did nothing against the LTTE when it killed over a 1000 Indian peace keepers.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Both these anti-Indian events took place after the Indo-Lanka peace accord which equates to mean even the LTTE did not approve of the Accord nor the 13^th amendment to the constitution & the provincial council system therein. If so, it is not difficult to realize that India artfully introduced the Accord simply to trap Sri Lanka a step closer to engulfing it some time or the other and India was in no hurry to see that happening. If this is not the case it is extremely difficult to understand why a country which creates a monster, feeds it with arms & ammunition, watches it kill even Indians and totally disrupts normalcy of a country should do nothing when it could but when that monster is about to be crucified pulls out every diplomatic statement possible and then starts chanting something to the tune of IndiaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-moral obligationƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ to free Sri Lanka and provide justice, dignity & self-respect for the Sri Lankan TamilsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦.and India expects Sri Lanka to be grateful to India and shower blessings.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ThereƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s more ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” India even finds fault with LTTE interfering into IndiaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s internal affairs & financing Indian politicians. We know who these are but then what is laughable is Sri Lanka is being blamed for even that. This is just like US going after something called the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-war on terrorismƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ and invading nations to take over their natural resources!

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ So India creates the monster and pays it to create anarchy in Sri Lanka and then India blames Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s leaders for allowing LTTE to prevail. Are we laugh or cry?

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ There is no obligation left for India other than to apologize to Sri Lanka and publicly too for the entire world to hear.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ A country that militarily threatened to intervene if we did not let the psychopath killer Prabakaran loose does not even deserve to have even diplomatic niceties showered upon them.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The entire charade that India put around the closing months of the LTTEƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s downfall was nothing but a sham. All those foreign trips made by Indian officials and our own representatives having to utilize our taxpayers money to visit Delhi to apprise them of the situation in Sri Lanka is nothing that a sovereign nation should have had to do especially when these trips were to visit the very country that started the killing machine.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Playing football with terrorism will only leave oneƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s own goalpost exposed as India has come to realize. From all corners India is being attacked and if that is not enough IndiaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Congress is unlikely to come out of its election defeats. We always believe there is something called nemesis and when a country plans to rock the peaceful existence of another that evil will return to oneƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s own doorstep as India is now experiencing. None of this is what we islanders wish for India it is their karmic fate though it is the leaders who are totally responsible.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Its time Sri Lanka took some hard decisions. We cannot reiterate enough that we need to clean up our stables at the same time when we know that whatever good we did does not hold water in the eyes of global institutes supposed to be championing peace, it is time we take decisions for which constitutionally we have every right as a sovereign country even against the intelligence agencies who would have comfortably made their inroads.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Surely Sri Lanka can be ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-inclinedƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ to do as Sri Lanka sees fit too.