Civilians should not pay the price

Jan.12, 2008

Civilians should not pay the price


IT would appear that Sri Lanka is destined to witness more bloodshed. The government in Colombo has rejected a call by separatist Tamil rebels to revive a 2002 cease-fire, a week after the authorities officially withdrew from the truce.
It is not that the offer by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam was any breakthrough. The 2002 truce existed only on paper in the last two years. The rebel group has a record of not respecting the 2002 cease-fire and the government has hit back with force. Violence linked to the Tamil revolt has claimed more than 5,000 people in the last two years.
Obviously, the government wants to gain the upper hand on the ground before renewing its hand at working out a political solution to the decades-old conflict stemming from the Tamils' complaints of discrimination at the hands of the majority Sinhalese.
The government strategy is clear: It wants to pull the military teeth of the rebel movement. Since the government withdrew from the truce on Jan.3, more than 204 people — 195 rebels, six soldiers and three civilians — have been killed, according to the military. While it is difficult to independently verify the authenticity of claims, it would seem certain that the rebels have suffered and are continuing to suffer from the major military offensive under way against their strongholds. That should explain the rebels' unsolicited promise that they were "ready to implement every clause"of the Norway-brokered truce and respect it "100 per cent."
The rebels also said they were "shocked and disappointed that the government of Sri Lanka has unilaterally abrogated" the 2002 cease-fire agreement.
Indeed, the government's rejection of the truce renewal offer is coupled with a promise that it would unveil a political plan on Feb.4, the anniversary of the island's independence from the then colonial power Britain.
The promise shows that the Colombo government is perfectly aware that there is no military solution to the conflict and that the protracted ethnic conflict requires a broad-based approach.
While we do not have details of the plan to be unveiled, we do know that Sri Lanka country a settlement of political, constitutional and other issues without infringing upon the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
In order to work out a political solution, the government and the Tamil community have to move forward, with the former guaranteeing that the Tamils' grievances would be satisfactorily addressed within that framework and the latter publicly abandoning the drive for sedition. However, there is little trust lost between the two, and hence every effort becomes an uphill task even if the two sides proclaim their adherence to these pledges and commitments.
There is room for effective UN involvement. But, at this point in time, the Sri Lankan government is unlikely to accept any mediation because it would see any suspension of its military operations as benefiting the rebels.
Against that backdrop, the international community seems to have little choice in the matter. It will have to wait out until Colombo is good and ready. But in the meantime, there is a pressing need for civilians to be spared from more suffering. That is where the UN could step with observers to ensure that civilians do not pay the price for the conflict by being caught in the crossfire.