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Mumbai is Burning: Are These
Terrorists Any Different From LTTE Terrorist?
S. Hewage
It was a very sad day for the people of Mumbai, and the whole of India,
for what happened yesterday, and I really hope they feel the pain that
many Sri Lankans have endured during the last few decades. While my
heart goes out to the victims and their families, I also believe this
dastardly act was an abject lesson for Indian politicians and bureaucrats
who feel that it is their God-given right “to poke their noses
in” on the war against LTTE terrorism by the armed forces of Sri
Lanka. They constantly feel obliged to tell the Sri Lankan government
leaders how to protect their civilians, and how important is a political
solution, etc, etc, thinking that this problem of terrorism is unique
to Sri Lanka.
This is a moment of truth, for Indian political leaders and bureaucrats,
who have never shown a genuine friendship and solidarity with the people
of Sri Lanka in their protracted war against the Tamil terrorists (LTTE).
In many occasions, not withstanding the fact that India trained, armed,
and provided the logistics to the LTTE terrorists to carry out attacks
against civilian installations such the central bank, and the Colombo
world trade center, India prevented the Sri Lankan army from finishing
off the LTTE terrorists.
While I sincerely feel sorry for the victims and their families affected
by this wonton crime, I also feel that India as a country needs to learn
a lesson from this kind of tragedy: the lesson is that terrorism is,
no matter in what country, or in what city and what group is responsible
and whatever their objectives, it is a barbaric act that must be condemned
unreservedly. You should never suggest, for whatever your domestic political
compulsions, that a legitimate nation-state should negotiate with terrorists.
Terrorists have no boundaries or rules of engagement, and their only
motive is to terrorize the people until they get what they want, and
that is the cardinal truth Indian politicians and bureaucrats must learn
from yesterday’s attack.
India cannot go on preaching to its neighbors the importance of negotiations
with terrorists in order to please its own ethnic minorities for political
reasons. India cannot fight terrorism on its own borders while asking
its neighbors to do otherwise. That will never work with terrorists
as they learn from each other. India is the home to over 80 million
Tamils. To please that 80 million Tamil population, India has been interfering
with Sri Lanka’s own effort to deal with LTTE terrorism. As far
as South Indian politicians are concerned, there are no terrorists in
Sri Lanka, but only innocent civilians. They have been demanding that
the government of Sri Lanka must stop the war. What happened in Mumbai
yesterday has been happening in Sri Lanka for the last 20 years in cities,
villages, railway stations, bus-stations, and shopping centers.
But in responding to yesterday’s attack, Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh, preached from a completely different text:
"It is an act of cowardice which the people of India would fight
back. It is time to be united and render the moral support to the security
forces.”
Perhaps this is a tragic reminder to Indian political leaders and
bureaucrats that “what goes around comes around.” India is
fully responsible for the present tragic situation in Sri Lanka. India
trained the LTTE, armed them, and provided logistics to destroy the
little island. What was the reason? The mighty India felt that little
Sri Lanka will economically prosper, will open their economy to the
outside world, and will align with the western powers. India wants its
neighbors to be “kowtowing,” and does not like its neighbors
doing business with other nations. India is profoundly an insecure nation;
despite its recent economic developments, Indians are very parochial,
and as such, they constantly feel threatened by their small neighbors.
For that reason, they will do anything to sabotage the political stability
and economic growth of the neighboring countries. Perhaps, it is good
that India should taste its own medicine every now and then.
If we review what Indian politicians and bureaucrats have frequently
recommended to Sri Lankan leaders on how to arrest the problem of terrorism
in the island nation, yesterday’s attack in Mumbai can also be
interpreted as the result of "not enough devolution of power for
the minorities." Therefore, as Indian politicians tell Sri Lankans,
"a military solution is not feasible for the problem.” India’s
“military may kill the rebels, but India will not have those Muslims
on its side.” However, “a political solution that will meet
the aspirations of those communities can work." Therefore, “all
security personnel attending the scene should avoid killing the innocent
civilians.” Manmohan Singh should immediately call an all-party
conference to prepare a package of “devolution” to fulfill
the “legitimate aspirations” of those rebels who attacked
Mumbai. Perhaps, Sri Lanka should send a consignment of “relief
items” to affected innocent civilians to be distributed through
the “Indian Red Cross.”
One can only hope that this “Indian medicine” will work
better on the ills of India than it has in Sri Lanka.
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