According to a news item in
the Colombo daily “The Island,” Sri Lanka intelligence services have received
information that around 150 terrorists who returned to Sri Lanka from India
were now hiding in the North and the East. They are reported to have undergone
“a special arms training at three secret camps in Tamil Nadu” to carry out a
de-stablisation campaign.
Three alleged LTTE cadres
arrested after a member of the Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP) was hacked
to death gave out the information when they were interrogated.
Quoting police sources the news item said the suspects claimed they had fled to India after the LTTE’s defeat and underwent “refresher military courses” in secret locations in Tamil Nadu before returning to Sri Lanka disguised as fishermen. As the LTTE links of the three suspects were established, they had been handed over to the Terrorist Investigation Department, police sources added, according to the report.
This news story makes a
curious reading on three counts:
·
The report says: “Their target
was to sabotage and disrupt the on-going reconciliation process by creating
trouble in those areas, police sources said.” How extraordinary for the
fledgling LTTE in its second incarnation to decide there is an “on-going
reconciliation process” I thought the general complaint of Tamils everwhere was
the reconciliation process on its death bed was being resuscitated. Of course,
the procedure on how to resuscitate is still being debated between the TNA and
the government. It is even more curious that the LTTE.2 had identified and
eliminated the EPDP member apparently as the “key element” to the
reconciliation process.
·
A second aspect is the timing
of the story. It comes when Sri Lanka caught in the web of UNHRC
resolution and its aftermath is groping to evolve its own action plan (not the
one asked for by the resolution) on how to handle the aftermath. In this state
of flux, the anti-India lobby, which was sent to the cleaners, has found a
fresh reason to flourish in India’s “betrayal” at Geneva. So stories like this
suitably worded provide substance to resurrect India bogey and drive a wedge
between India and Sri Lanka. It suits the China lobby of nationalists also.
·
Then there is this bit about
the clandestine entry of 150 of these LTTE men into North and East in the
disguise of Indian fishermen. Ever since the Eelam war ended, the Indian
fishermen poaching in Sri Lankan waters have been an inconvenient problem for
both Sri Lanka and India. The livelihood of Sri Lankan fishermen from the North
have been under threat from Indian fishermen poaching in Sri Lankan waters
after the war time ban on fishing was lifted. The issue provides the grist for
the mills of anti-Sri Lanka lobby in Tamil Nadu as much as anti-India lobby in
Sri Lanka. So if the LTTE cadres returned clandestinely from Tamil Nadu
disguised as fishermen, it shows how villainous Indian fishermen are and as a
corollary India.
This kind of story suits the
remnants of LTTE embedded among Sri Lanka. It lifts up their status to a new
level because it confers extraordinary capability to them. Three years after
the rout of LTTE, they have been able to recover their strength to motivate 150
youth to undergo arms training in India and clandestinely reappear in Sri Lanka
to perform the ‘Phoenix from ashes’ act. So they must be having a formidable
outfit in India and elsewhere with suitable connections in the North and East
of Sri Lanka.
I do not know whether the news
story is true or not. But it may well be an inspired story by one of the
clandestine agencies of government for its own internal or external goals. It
could also be inspired psy-war from the self styled Transnational Government of
Tamil Eelam (TGTE). If it is true it is dangerous; if it is inspired it is
mischievous aimed at undermining India-Sri Lanka relations.
Such reports have the
potential to erode credibility and instil strong suspicions both in India and
Sri Lanka particularly when their relations are at low ebb. As both countries
have their share of “wreckers” public mood can be turned it into a precarious
state of paranoia to cause immense damage to India -Sri Lanka relations.
It is not only Sri Lanka or
TGTE, but Tamil Nadu has its own share for this downslide in India-Sri Lanka
relations. After the Indian vote in Geneva the rival Dravidian parties – the
DMK and the AIADMK - in Tamil Nadu would have realised the potential Sri Lanka
Tamil issue holds in their power game.
Already the Tamil Nadu Chief
Minister Ms Jayalalithaa’s acerbic reaction to India’s vote indicates the shape
of things to come in this combat – insistence on slapping trade sanctions on
Sri Lanka and demand an international inquiry into war crimes allegations
against Sri Lanka.
And the easiest option for the
DMK, drifting under the geriatric leader M Karunanidhi, is to add more decibels
to Ms Jayalalithaa’s demands and “poraattam” to prove its blue blood ‘Dravidian
credentials.’ The Kalaignar in a futile move to counter the Iron Lady has
lamented his life’s desire was to see an independent Eelam. Though this was
probably thought of as a weak repartee, it points to the worst manifestation of
the DMK-AIADMK rivalry.
Ms Jayalalitha’s demands bear
remarkable similarity to those of some of the human rights bodies and Eelam
lobbies of the Tamil Diaspora, and the TGTE. And these organisations would not
miss any political opportunity in India to muster Tamil Nadu’s support to add
to their ‘legitimacy’ and strengthen their credentials in the internecine fight
for leadership among rival groups of the Tamil Diaspora.
These international elements
supported by fringe parties in Tamil Nadu are likely to call for action against
Sri Lanka and take up the call for India and international community to act on
the eve of London Olympic Games starting on July 27. This could prod both the
DMK-AIADMK to take their competing interest in Sri Lanka Tamil issue as part of
a vituperative war of words.
Ms Jayalalithaa used to be considered arch enemy of the LTTE, when Prabhakaran was alive. She has emerged as the darling of Eelam lobbyists after her spectacular success in Tamil Nadu elections using Sri Lanka war crimes issue as a trump card. So the Sri Lanka Tamil issue will be pursued by her in full throttle for two years to reap maximum benefits in the parliamentary polls 2014.
Ms Jayalalithaa used to be considered arch enemy of the LTTE, when Prabhakaran was alive. She has emerged as the darling of Eelam lobbyists after her spectacular success in Tamil Nadu elections using Sri Lanka war crimes issue as a trump card. So the Sri Lanka Tamil issue will be pursued by her in full throttle for two years to reap maximum benefits in the parliamentary polls 2014.
She is showing more interest
in national issues including foreign policy, as she aims for a national role.
Her visibility is increasing in the national political arena. So India’s moves
on Sri Lanka will continue to come under her critical scrutiny.
Of course, it is no
consolation that these developments are a direct consequence of the UPA
coalition leadership’s inability to assert its authority. Nor to lament that it
was aided by Sri Lanka’s inept and unimaginative handling of the war crimes
allegation and Tamil reconciliation issue in the aftermath of Eelam War. The
events have overtaken that stage of political development.
So the options for Government
of India on Sri Lanka are few because it may take quite some time for Sri Lanka
to “forget or forgive” India for its “betrayal” at Geneva. But fortunately in
both countries people who believe that both India and Sri Lanka should strive
for win-win relations outnumber the “wreckers” of such relationship.
Considering this, leaders of both countries have a clear cut tasks at hand.
India should immediately take
serious notice of any reports of Eelam separatists taking refuge in Tamil Nadu
to gather support or undergo training. It should tighten up actions to prevent
such resurgence of separatism. It should take action to weed out suspicious
elements immediately. Ms Jayalalithaa’s support is essential for New Delhi to
succeed in this effort. So, the issue should be handled collectively and not
merely as a foreign policy challenge or as a problem for the Home Minister (who
hails from Tamil Nadu) as well.
Sri Lanka has perhaps a much
easier task as its army is in full control of the potential nurseries of Tamil
separatism. However, that will not suffice; unless it speedily addresses the
national reconciliation issue and improve its state of human rights record, it
will continue to allow space for Tamil separatism to germinate and flourish. If
it does an honest job of it, it need not worry about campaigns of its
detractors among Tamil Diaspora as they will not carry conviction.
In a nut shell, both India and
Sri Lanka have to immediately attend to these subterranean threats to their
relation, lest they aggravate the wounds of the Geneva encounter, and stall the
process of its repair and revamp.
Courtesy: South Asia Analysis Group Note no. 646 dated April 2, 2012
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