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Rajapaksa’s vow to end LTTE terrorism |
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Harjit Singh
Sri Lanka celebrated the 60th anniversary of its Independence from British rule on Feb. 4 with a vow by President Mahinda Rajapaksa to bring an early end to LTTE terrorism and take the country back to a peaceful path. However, his determination to end the civil strife and defeat the LTTE was accompanied by some of the deadliest terror attacks. There were suicide attacks in Colombo and a claymore mine blast killed many bus passengers in the north of the country in the preceding two days.
While the Government forces have stepped up attacks on LTTE positions ever since President Rajapaksa unilaterally terminated the ceasefire brokered by Norway, the Tamil Tigers outfit, weakened by sustained hammering from the armed forces and the air attacks has resorted to suicide attacks targeting civilian positions. There is no doubt that the Government forces have succeeded in weakening the LTTE strength. Its supply routes in the Palk Straits, used by LTTE boats to smuggle in weapons and other essentials have been plugged by laying sea mines. The killing of the leader of its political wing chief, Thamilselvan, has come as a great setback to LTTE supremo Prabhakaran. Prabhakaran himself is said to have been wounded in an air attack on an LTTE position and unconfirmed reports say he has been taken out of the LTTE stronghold of Kilinochchi for medical treatment. Prabhakaran has not appeared in public or issued a statement ever since the claim by Government forces in November last that he was hurt in an air raid.
There have been more and more daring raids on key LTTE installations including the headquarters of its intelligence wing and the Sea Tigers. That there have been no retaliatory attacks by the LTTE and that they are merely resorting to suicide bomb attacks in revenge speaks volumes about the weakening of their strength and the inability to take on the military. The Government hopes that once Prabhakaran is killed or captured, there will be no leader in the outfit matching his stature and like the JVP which turned into a political force once its leadership was eliminated, the LTTE too would be more amenable to accepting a settlement on the devolution of powers to the newly created Provincial Councils within the framework of the Sri Lankan Constitution. Already, the All-Party Committee has submitted its report on the devolution of powers which is under the consideration of the Government. The sincerity of the Government to implement the committee’s recommendations, would further isolate the LTTE from the Tamil-speaking people of the island country, thus weakening it politically too after losing out to the military on the ground. Already the Eastern Province has been cleared of the LTTE hold and with the territory being controlled by the Tamil Tigers in the North also gradually passing into the hands of Government forces, Sri Lanka is inching towards the return to an era of peace and development.
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