Performance of LTTE pilots was like the ghost visiting Fazackerley
by Prof Rajiva Wijesinha
The air raid by the LTTE that took place on Friday evening was an extraordinary event, with an added human interest inasmuch as it happened while the Minister of Disaster Management and Human Rights was entertaining Sir John Holmes to dinner. Sir John, like Colonel Fazackerley in the poem of that name, was magnificiently calm throughout the episode, while SMS alerts proliferated around the table.
Fazackerley in the poem is a colonel who is visited by a ghost while having dinner in a castle he has just bought. The ghost howls and rattles his chains but the colonel calmly continues with his meal, while telling the ghost that he really should not make such a nuisance of himself. The ghost, who had successfully frightened all previous tenants, gets more and more upset, but there is nothing he can do. If I recollect aright he finally vanishes up the chimney and is never heard of again.
The poem seemed particularly apposite since, apart from the horror of some people being killed, and more injured, the performance of the pilots, as surrogates for Mr Prabhakaran, was rather like that of the ghost. Ghosts, it should be noted, are generally frightening creatures, and the damage that might have occurred should not be dismissed lightly. After all it was a considerable achievement to have got two planes airborne from a small patch of jungle, to have flown them all the way to Colombo, and to have done much damage to the Inland Revenue Building with one of them.
But this certainly was not an embarrassment to the government of Sri Lanka, as one media outlet claimed, suggesting that it gave the lie to the government claim that the LTTE was almost finished. On the contrary, had it not been for the dead and wounded, one would have almost thought it was a performance the government had ordered, to make crystal clear what it has continuously asserted, that the LTTE is still a force for terror, and that we cannot relax.
The forces have almost wholly destroyed the pretensions of the LTTE to being an orthodox fighting force, and that is just as well, since they have for years been pretending to be precisely that, with a ‘national’ army and navy and police force and most recently an air force. They engage in formal training and, though this includes barbarous rituals, there is a veneer of orthodoxy about this training, even of children, that has taken in a number of gullible foreigners, in addition to the more gullible members of the diaspora who continue to fund what they think is the core of a future nation.
That game is now over and, if the President pursues swiftly his vision of a united pluralistic Sri Lanka, it is not likely to start again. But, as government has never hesitated to declare, the sudden surprise attacks of a ruthless and efficient terrorist outfit will not be got rid of so easily. That is why our security system has to be tight, that is why we still need our forces to maintain the vigilance and care that has lessened but not eliminated horrendously destructive acts. In that respect, the air raid was an object lesson for Sir John of the importance of security also in the Welfare Villages in Vavuniya where, amongst thousands of poor abused civlians finally escaping to freedom, there may lurk one or two suicide bombers, waiting to pounce. And even one suicide bomber is one too many, so we absolutely must take every precaution to prevent the type of slaughter that took place on February 9th, when women and children who thought they were on the threshold of freedom were killed by a woman who pretended to be like them, escaping from Tiger control into the safe haven of government territory.
The precautions we have taken, which should under no circumstances be reduced at this crucial stage, have however lessened the destruction that Tiger ingenuity had for so long perpetrated. And even the episode of the planes was in retrospect rather like the last rattling of his chains by the castle ghost, the damp squib with which the two planes exploded indicating that the ghost’s luck is fading. It may only have been good fortune that prevented the planes destroying an air force building, or the airport, but as it happened the destruction of some floors of the Inland Revenue Department building could not have brought much joy to Tiger hearts. After all that skilful flying over jungle and sea coast and city, a few tax files cannot be seen as feathers in the caps of the latest human sacrifices to the desperation of the ghost.
But a few more civilians have died, and sadly we know that the ghost will continue to kill civilians, Tamils now, but also Sinhalese and Muslims if he has half a chance. There may be no more planes left, but we cannot be sure, and we certainly know that there are hundreds of guns and heavy weapons still in terrorist hands. Given the entrenched habits of the ghost, using any weapon that lies to hand to kill any available victim, we cannot therefore relax in our efforts until all those arms have been surrendered. We must, as previously, take all care possible to avoid civilian casualties, knowing now from what happened from January 26th onward, as indicated by the UN report of the shooting that day as coming from LTTE territory, that the Tigers will happily sacrifice civilians if there is the slightest chance of the blame falling on Sri Lankan forces.
But, as the record of the Sri Lankan forces has shown over the past few years, we know how to take care of civilians, our civilians, which is perhaps what makes this natural to us, unlike in other contemporary theatres of war. Working with that knowledge we have to make sure that the struggle against the forces of terror continues, until the ghost vanishes up the chimney, and not only Sir John but all Sri Lankans can eat and sleep and work in peace.
(Prof Rajiva Wijesinha is Secretary - General, Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process and Secretary , Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights)
26 Comments
Prof. Wijesinha,
"But, as the record of the Sri Lankan forces has shown over the past few years, we know how to take care of civilians, our civilians, which is perhaps what makes this natural to us, unlike in other contemporary theatres of war"
Oh really?
Why is then the US spearheading along with the co-donors for R2P (Right to protect) civilians in Mullaitivu if that is the case. Anyone wish to find out more on this please read the February 22nd, Sunday Times.
My understanding was, R2P to be used only and when the "Sovereign" country neglect it's civilians and cause bodily harm to them intentionally.
Please correct me if I'm wrong.
Enough is enough Prof. Wijesinha. Your government is no lesser evil than the "Nazi Regime".
Bombarding IDP's without any conscience and abject disregard for the lives of Tamil civilians.
Ghost will never leave you and your "Junta Government" until those guilty of "Crimes against humanity" brought to justice!
Tigers do not have a vast territory to defend. So, they will have to return to their 'hit and run' Guerilla warfare in which they are the masters. Targets in southern Srilnaka were spared in general but will come under Tiger's offensive more and more.
As they took two years to gather intelligence, plan and attack 'poonakari' in the past, they may plan major attacks on the Srilankan army at the time of their choosing and one by one.
Their planning & intelligence apparatus appears to be quiet efficient. That is why they could withdraw their men and weaponary without much loss from each area.
The recent air attack on colombo further demonstrates their organizational skills and resolve.
Tiger's poliitical wing head had said even three months back that they will target Srilanka's economic targets even if they happen to lose all their territory. It appears that the Tigers had understood that they may have to vacate most of their areas to minimize the damage to their resources. So, they must have made their alternative plans to hide their arms and ammunition and use them again at the appropriate time. They also have succeeded in keeping their casualities to a bare minimum.
So the 'ghost' is not likely to disappear soon but will continue to haunt.
I am not sure who give infomation to these So called Spin doctors, they are keep missing one point. LTTE is not confine to the samll patch of land They are World wide and deep rooted in the Tamil Community. They have lost only two pilots and they still posses " KNOW HOW" knowledge of making Subamrines and Small air craft that can be lethal.
Sinhalease are Lions and the Tamils are Tigers! State of Sri Lanka is creating more Tigers than ever before. Diaspora are more into proving to the world, that Tamils are not Safe in the hands any Sri Lankan Government's. Sri Lanka is much more in trouble than before. Its surly creating Tamil Eelam for the Tamils, and it is not too far away.
Dear Rajiva,
There was absolutely nothing extraordinary about the LTTEs air raid on Friday. It was something that had been long anticipated. The event does have certain possible implications which if found to be relevant would expose a dimension to the conflict that has hitherto not had to be taken into account and which may turn out to be of considerable concern - but this is not the subject of your writing and so I will not comment on it. Your writing is all about how in your mind you have equated the air raid and the dynamics that lie beneath it, to Charles Causley's humorous poem. It seems in your mind, the air raid was something funny, the suffering, death and destruction that accompanied it a mere aside, and here we have before us what has become the Sri Lankan National Crisis.
We have come under the sway of men and women who enjoy actively causing suffering, death and destruction and who are busily engaged in consolidating and institutionalizing and legally protecting their worldview - and THIS is the Sri Lankan National Crisis. These men and women can actually be seen libidinously giggling at their handiwork when confronted with it - just as you have seen the air raid as funny. These are men and woman who find torturing and killing people exciting, funny and sexy.
There is nothing admirable in the air raid itself. It is an act designed to cause suffering, death and destruction conceived of by men and women who enjoy engaging in such acts, but to you it was an act worthy of admiration, in your own words ". . . a considerable achievement to have got two planes airborne from a small patch of jungle, to have flown them all the way to Colombo, and to have done much damage to the Inland Revenue Building with one of them". You do not see anything sickening in the putting of effort and resources into planning and executing such a task.
The cruel and murderous actions of men and woman who derive pleasure from causing suffering, death and destruction are a serious problem and have to be countered but pitting one set of murderers against another is not the answer to this problem. Killing journalists to suppress the media, murdering people like Lasantha, abducting people in white vans, demanding ransom, torturing and killing, subverting the legal and democratic process, dictating what people can and cannot believe in and forcing people to lead their lives in a particular way and instituting a reign of terror is not an acceptable response. In fact it is the kind of response that gives rise to ghosts - the shadows of the tens of thousands of murdered, tortured and terrified sent to their untimely graves - and these ghosts are your source of merriment? And so like Fazackerley, with cavalier disregard for the ghosts of the murdered ". . . with a smile that was hard to define", Colonel Rajiva goes in to dine that on the morrow the murder may continue unabated.
That smile Rajiva, that "smile that is hard to define", that is the smile that dawns on the face of a fascist when he contemplates the helplessness of his victims against his superior force and seemingly limitless power over them. I do not know how you have come to be this way, but what you have made of yourself you can also change, so change you must as fast as you can "for the times they are a changing".
Yes, your intellectual power is just sufficient to teach literature for O/L students. Please keep away from politics. That will be good for the country in the long run.
The Real face of a Fake Liberal: Your words echo your servitude to racism.
And we are happy you have officially accepted that the army kills civilians.May be, Holmes might have assured you of no-intervention in that dinner.
An absurd article or a ghost article?
"Horror of pepople being klled" - I wonder if he is referring to the government killing or the organised killing of 1983?
"LTTE a force of terror" - I wish the government would be peaceful instead of a much worse form of state terrorism - like aerial bombing of civilians, children and schools.
In an unacceptable situation, is the writer looking for a ghost?
Dear Prof
Thank you for an interesting piece of writing. It is a nice analogy of the ghost and Colonel Fazackerley. I have to confess I have not heard of that poem. Not surprising as I am not as well read as you.
You have expressed sorrow at the civilian causalities of the civil war. Please show same magnitude of sorrow and sympathy to the suffering of Tamils of Sri Lanka. LTTE attitude of “anything goes for Tamil Eelam” caused much misery to the Tamils and Singalese of our country.
Please also condemn the excesses of Sri Lankan forces that have and are causing much suffering to our brothers and sisters. You may call them exceptions, and you may be right they are exceptions but each one violation of basic human right is one too many. I am borrowing your terminology there sir.
Your portfolio gives you the capacity to talk about Human Rights in our country. Please use that and you learned knowledge and skills to improve human right situation in our country.
Not one security personal faced justice for mass killings of singalese youth in the oppression of JVP in late 80s and 90s.
Please do something to avoid history repeating itself.
Thank you.
Yes, sounds very promssing, start with changeing the name of sri lanka and its lion flag.then start paying compensation to milions
of tamils who lost their lives and livelihood. Ya looking forward to that day.
It is pitty, Prof Rajiva Wijesinha is actually Secretary - General, Secretariat for Coordinating the War Process. Prof go and read some books, peace doesn't come through war and killing the people, claiming to be living in the same nation !. are you invading another nation, looks so, the world will wake up soon and make another nation in former Ceylon. 2000 Tamils are already dead by your war recent efforts.
Dear Prof Rajiva,
I am a Tamil and always love Ceylon as I remember my home country. I find your article to be very thought provoking. I think the the Tiger Terrorist must give up now and the Tamil diaspora that is supporting the LTTE Terrorist must stop funding them. Enough is enough. LTTE Terrorist has done more harm to the Tamil people in Sri Lanka than the Tsunami did in 2004. So Please stop funding the Tiger Terrorist from all over the world and make Sri Lanka a better place to live for the Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim people.
Thank you.
Arul.
Dear Prof Rajiva,
I am a Tamil and always love Ceylon as I remember my home country. I find your article to be very thought provoking. I think the the Tiger Terrorist must give up now and the Tamil diaspora that is supporting the LTTE Terrorist must stop funding them. Enough is enough. LTTE Terrorist has done more harm to the Tamil people in Sri Lanka than the Tsunami did in 2004. So Please stop funding the Tiger Terrorist from all over the world and make Sri Lanka a better place to live for the Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim people.
Thank you.
Arul.
Well written Prof. look at some of the comments ( written in good english-implying that the authers represent a high calebre) Where were these people when thousabds of Sri Lankans dies on the road to work-for thirty years, for god shake. These people must have chose to turn a blind eye to these LTTE acts-why? they were freedom fighers! I really cannot understand how these so called educated tamils kept silent all this time and are now comming out with all sorts of stories of 'human suffering'. I can only tern this tamil racism-I am sorry
This spin doctor once a fire-breathing liberal - one of the trio with some brains and learning - has come out with yet another unconvincing white-wash job. His colleague, also with a beard, has been recalled from Geneva so that he does not create further damage to an administration that hardly needs any coaching in making enemies in the international diplomatic sphere. The latter seems to flow naturally from Brothers Inc
and their close network of clueless cohorts. Professori, what a shame Temple Tree walahs telephoned the Press and "suggested" that the entire air-raid fiasco be given a flavour of a Govt victory - which the kept-press immediately did. The lucrative Air Force chief must be saved at all costs, what? But the world thinks differently. Here is a modern airforce - equipped with the most sophisticated gear bought at the usually highly inflated Prices (if it pleases these bleeding hearts, many other rogue governments do this today as well) that is unable to bring down for abt an hour after they were tracked on radar two basic flying objects (usually used for insecticide-spraying in the US, Canada, Brazil and Argentina)One might even say our Airforce virtually escorted the so-called LTTE planes to their HQ, which was really the target. I the LTTE wanted to create mayhem and death of civilians they could easily have chosen different targets. And you have the gaul to claim this to be a Govt victory, blah! Rambukwwella will now come on TV and in his usual wisdom say "the attack was really to destroy Prabakaran's Income fax files." Sir, There is egg on the face of MR, the Army Chief and the Govt by this audacious move by the other side.
The truth is (assuming it is an LTTE job)they were telling the Tamil people
"Yes, we know our people are being massacred from the air day and night over
several weeks; We know India and the world are only paying lip servicewhile the Tamil population in the Wanni is being reduced genocidally. Now by this act we have proved to you it is only the LTTE that is willing and able to hurt those who are engineering your gradual liquidation." The targets were kamikaze attacks on the Airforce HQ and the air-force planes/helicopters at Katunanayake. The other lesson to draw from this is that the LTTE may very likely attempt other
attacks by air on both political and military targets. Clearly, the Tigers are very much alive and kicking in the Wanni. VP and friends have not high-tailed it to Malaysia/Thailand/S.Africa/Norway (where else) All this is giving a lie to the tall claims of the once-Tamil and now Sinhalese (his own claim) of good General SK, whom Gothabaya R claims was described as the "world's greatest Army General" by - of all people - by Mr Narayanan, the glum-faced Indian advisor. Professori, are you aware Sinhalese - the old Cbo 7 types, the new intruders with dirty money
and the very rich - are slowly leaving the country to greener pastures at least to save their hides whispering to their friends the Govt cannot control upcoming events. Are we seeing a repeat of Saigon 1975 here? Embassies are sending out memos to the govts Cbo is a dangerous place to visit - even on urgent business. The only answer is to leash
JHU, Wimal Weerawansa, Ranawake and the lot and save the country from distingegration. Remember, India is once again on the "solution only via
talks mood" and so is the UN and every other country with a diplomatic presence here.
ISS
Rajiva Wijesinha,
The stated targets of the LTTE planes were the Sri Lankan Air force HQ and the SLAF base at Katunayake airport which are both military targets. This is more than can be said for the targets of the SLAF.
This was an attempt by the LTTE to protect Tamil civilians by neutralising the SLAF.
You can spin as much as you like but successive Sri Lankan government has turned Sri Lanka into a banana republic. The "Tamil problem" did not materialse from thin air. It is only a problem because of the lack of good governance, justice and basic human rights.
Amost everyone can see it other than die-hard facists such as yourself who benefit from this police state.
Segaran
Hi,
I read few news papers article etc. One of them is yours. When majority sinhalese write something, they say it is our people (Tamils). Tamils are not your people they are sri lankans. Can we say sinhalese are our people?.
This reflects your army commander's comment. They can live with us....
Regards
kumna
If the state terrorist stop terrorizing and stop the genocide of innocent Tamil civilians, the LTTE and the Tamils will quit the armed struggle. You should keep your Sinhala military thugs in south and not in North and East.
Prof Rajiva thinks that just because they are in the majority and being in power they have license to kill the manority. May be that is why he does not call his government which is killing on the average 100 unarmed civilians,(babies,toddlers,children, men woman,old and infirm) a TERRORIST GOVERNMENT!! He is accusing LTTE of recruiting children, what about his government which is KILLING CHILDREN. What do you call a government which kills children by bombing?
His writing does not potray him like a Secretary-General, Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process
Dear Prof. Wijesinha,
I'm glad to read that Sri-Lankan armed forces are a professional outfit, who upholds human rights without any reservation or compromise.
Proud to be a Sri-Lankan! I couldn't ask anymore!
One humble or naive question for you.
Why is then the International Community and Human Rights Watch accusing our "Professional Armed Forces"
of "Slaughtering" the hapless Tamil IDP's? and demanding an end to "War on Terror", this include the country that coined this phrase, US.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?sectionName=HomePage&id=d5d31074-7959-4bf4-a79f-09748aa9522e&MatchID1=4932&TeamID1=7&TeamID2=8&MatchType1=1&SeriesID1=1247&PrimaryID=4932&Headline=US+asks+Sri+Lanka%2c+LTTE+to+discuss+ways+to+end+hostilities
Arul;
I think you need to update yourself with the current events in your "Ceylon" now called Sri-Lanka.
Many things have changed for worse. ie;Ceylon armed forces represented Multi-ethnic then and today's Sri-Lankan armed forces composed entirely of Sinhalese ethnic so are the government officials, the Army Commander is making political statemets and the Political leaders are making Military deadlines etc.. except, the "Ceylon Railways" trains still plying between Colombo and Galle, after all these decades.
By the way Sir, trust your mindset is still sharp.
You have posted your comments twice with in 2 minutes span.
Banda; Comparing The Government of Sri-Lanka to LTTE is comparing Apples to Oranges. The Government is signatory to United Nations resolution on Human Rights and the LTTE is merely an organization, banned by many countries for their violent agitation.
Tamils are not racists, in fact we opted to remain in "Ceylon" with fellow countrymen unlike Muslims of the Indian continent, who agitated for separation. We, now regret not doing that then, Who knew the Sinhalese had a hidden agenda to suppress the minorities.
Professor Wijesinha,
Here is a good article for you to read. This is actually posted today in this web-site by Mr. Sarath Kumara.
I'm quite impressed with your title. It's like appointing "NAZI" Adolf Hitler to look after the well being of the Jews!
http://transcurrents.com/tc/2009/02/human_tragedy_continues_in_nor.html
Budusaranai Mr. Sarath Kumara!
The problem with Banda is that he only sees what he wants to see!! has he ever been to the North and East? Has he ever gone after his government's MIGs and helicopters have discharged their bombs on the innocent civilians? A government has a responsibility to protect its citizens!!
LTTE was only defending the Tamils by whatever means available to them. STATE TERRORISM started killing the tamils long before the LTTE was born!! STATE TERRORISTs bombed churches, schools, hospitals, abducted, tortured, extra judicial killings, rapes, burning libraries too many atrocities commited which resulted in young men taking up arms to defend themselves.
Sinhalese thinks that they can commit any crime on Tamils, but they have to grin and bear it!!
A morally bankrupt professor delivering the sermon from the pulpit of the devil - praise the devil - carnage will be delivered . Dementia is irreversible !!
It seems Prof Rajiva Wijesinha is confused between fictitious works and Reality.
This (the non-recognition of and being out of touch with reality) is a very serious problem and treatment may be possible, but sadly some cases are too far gone.
Also, as is most likely, this Sir John Holmes couldn't care less - he is being paid and he is being fed and he is being entertained.
And when the time comes for him to speak he knows what words he should utter.
So why should he worry about the suffering?
There is one thing one must say of Dayan Jayatilake - a regular contributor to these lively columns. He follows readers' comments and responds - contributing to an exchange of views and useful discussion - hallmarks of a learned man possessing the moral strength to defend his position. I wish
Rajiva Wijesinghe would do the same. It will be lovely if the 3rd bearded man
of GoSL's trio of thinkers Dr Palitha Kohona joins in these discussions as well.
By the way, it was Jayadeva Uyangoda who observed all 3 men of some learning in the govt (referred here) sport beards.
ISS
It's like appointing "NAZI" Adolf Hitler to look after the well being of the Jews!" I really like the phrase describing Rajiva. It fits Dayan Jayatilake also!!
Romesh Sinnia has put it in a nutshell. Congrtulations!!