Just as much as Perry does not have a guide in Kilinochchi to tell him that tipping is not expected, so the international system has painted the world so black and white between the system of nation-states and the 'terrorists,' that they cannot understand a place that is somewhere in the middle - a territory with nascent state structures, yet not yet recognized. Perry grapples with the paradox in front of his eyes. -- Editor
How Much to Tip the Terrorist?
Traveling
in
Tamil
Tiger
territory,
TIME's
Alex
Perry
realizes
his
waiter
may
be
part
of
the
world's
most
accomplished
insurgency
by
Alex
Perry,
September
26,
2005
Crossing borders has been an arduous business since 9/11, and entering northern Sri Lanka is no different - if anything the delays are longer, the checks more thorough and the wait, outside a row of wooden sheds in a baking tropical sun, more grueling than arriving at Heathrow or JFK. In those places, of course, immigration officials are trying to keep terrorists out. Here, however, the officials are the terrorists.
The
Tamil
Tigers
would
dispute
that
tag,
of
course.
Like
other
guerrillas
and
suicide
bombers,
they
prefer
the
term
"freedom
fighters."
But
the
Liberation
Tamil
Tigers
of
Eelam
(L.T.T.E.)
are
proscribed
by
the
U.S.
and
the
U.N.
as
terrorists,
and
even
without
that
official
sanction,
their
record
in
22
years
of
civil
war
with
the
Sinhalese
of
southern
Sri
Lanka
speaks
for
itself.
They've
assassinated
the
heads
of
several
branches
of
the
Sri
Lankan
armed
forces,
a
president,
and
a
former
prime
minister
of
India
(Rajiv
Gandhi);
they've
blown
up
half
the
national
airline
and
held
off
two
national
armies
(Sri
Lanka
and
India);
They
are
credited,
if
that's
the
correct
term,
with
raising
suicide
bombing
to
an
art
form,
with
explosives
strapped
to
the
body,
and
cars
and
boats
in
ever
more
sophisticated
fashion.
And
their
prowess
in
guerrilla
warfare
and
and
arms
smuggling
has
earned
them
a
reputation
as
the
world's
most
effective
insurgent
outfit.
And
that
reputation
has
allowed
them
to
turn
the
export
of
their
expertise,
weapons
and
assassins
to
other
terror
groups
into
a
billion-dollar
business.
After
9/11
the
Tigers
feared
they
would
eventually
fall
foul
of
the
new
U.S.
war
on
terror,
and,
partly
to
avoid
that,
quickly
agreed
a
ceasefire
with
a
new,
more
moderate
government
in
Colombo,
under
which
they
opened
up
their
territory
(the
north
and
east)
to
all
except
government
troops.
But
since
there
was
no
question
of
giving
up
the
dream
of
an
independent
homeland
for
which
they
had
fought
so
long,
they
set
up
formidable
new
borders
around
"Eelam"
to
underscore
the
impression
of
sovereignty.
Entering
Tigerland
today
means
a
vehicle
search,
a
bag
search
and
a
body
search,
three
separate
checkpoints,
four
immigration
checks
and
interviews
or
checks
with
11
separate
officers.
Once
inside,
the
traveler
finds
the
Tigers
have
stretched
the
idea
of
a
separate
nation
as
far
as
they
can.
They
run
their
own
courts,
police
and
army,
and
their
own
hotels
and
restaurants.
They
build
roads.
They
distribute
tsunami
aid
(with
far
more
efficiency
than
the
government
to
the
south).
They
even have
their
own
traffic
cops.
Once you finally clear the border and settle into the Tiger-owned A9 Guesthouse in the Tiger administrative capital Killinochchi, sip a Tiger-served beer and tuck into Tiger-grown rice and Tiger-cooked curry, it becomes impossible to think of your hosts only as rebels. Whether previously you saw them as mad bombers or brave martyrs, it becomes plain that the Tigers also have other identities: bureaucrats, firemen, nurses, farmers, restaurateurs and video store entrepreneurs. There are those who resist this complication. They say it humanizes evil and that if someone is a terrorist or supports terrorism, that's all you need to know. Such certainty may be appealing in a post-9/11 world. Then again, few people would prefer a suicide bomber over an officious border guard. And when a rebel becomes a teacher - when a sword turns into a plough-share - shouldn't we be grateful? These questions weigh heavily on Sri Lanka as it contemplates the November 17 presidential election, where the choice is between opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, who began the original peace process, and prime minister Mahinda Rajapakse, backed by Sinhalese nationalists who, while not openly advocating war, oppose the current ceasefire. Whatever the answers, the residents of Tigerland say there is one unquestionable upside to the detente, as long as it lasts. With battle-hardened guerrillas for traffic cops, no one's yet been known been known to speed in Tamil Tiger territory.
Response from Mr. Thangevelu
Dear
Editor,
The
news
story
filed
by
Alex
Perry/Kilinochchi
captioned
"How
Much
to
Tip
the
Terrorist?"
is
fairly
accurate
except
in
regard
to
the
following:
(1)
"And
that
reputation
has
allowed
them
to
turn
the
export
of
their
expertise,
weapons
and
assassins
to
other
terror
groups
into
a
billion-dollar
business."
This
is
a
false
and
total
fabrication
and
betrays
the
typical
mind-set
of
western
journalists!
If
you
accept
the
fact
that
Sri
Lanka
is
an
island,
how
is
it
possible
for
LTTE
to
"export
of
their
expertise,
weapons
and
assassins..."
Who
are
the
middlemen
negotiating
purchase
of
arms
from
the
LTTE?
Does
the
LTTE
have
weapon
manufacturing
industries
in
the
NorthEast?
Do
they
have
the
expertise
to
manufacture
arms?
If
yes,
how
does
it
square
with
the
allegation
the
LTTE
is
smuggling
weapons
into
their
territories?
These
are
all
fanciful
stories
and
your
correspondent
fell
for
them
hook,
line
and
sinker.
(2)
"After
9/11
the
Tigers
feared
they
would
eventually
fall
foul
of
the
new
U.S.
war
on
terror,
and,
partly
to
avoid
that,
quickly
agreed
a
ceasefire
with
a
new,
more
moderate
government
in
Colombo"
-
The
LTTE
declared
several
unilateral
ceasefires
even
before
the
9/11
attack.
The
LTTE
declared
ceasefire
from
24th
December
2000
to
midnight
24th
January
2001.
This
ceasefire
was
ignored
by
the
Government
of
Sri
Lanka
(GOSL),
which
launched
the
Agni
Keela
military
offensive
in
April,
2001
that
proved
a
unmitigated
disaster
for
the
Sri
Lankan
army.
The LTTE declared another ceasefire, from 24 December 2001 until midnight on 24 January 2002. It was this ceasefire that was accepted by the government and an agreement signed on February 22, 2002. (Please see relevant press reports below)
Why should the LTTE be afraid of the USA? The USA has already declared the LTTE as a foreign-based terrorist organization as far back as 1997, notwithstanding that the LTTE does not fit the definition of a terrorist organization.
The LTTE as a military organization has definite goals with a military commander and a military chain of command. They fight conventional warfare which no other guerrilla organization anywhere in the world is capable of. Ms. Karen Parker, human rights lawyer says as follows-
" The LTTE are organized militarily. The LTTE uses traditional, modern military weaponry in its combat against the military forces of the government of Sri Lanka. The LTTE uses a variety of military tactics, including open warfare, raids or guerrilla warfare. The government armed forces use similar military means against the armed forces of the LTTE. Most armies in the past 200 years have utilized essentially the same tactics. The war in Sri Lanka may be characterized as a civil war or war of national liberation in the exercise of the right to self-determination. A civil war exists if there is armed conflict inside one country between government armed forces and at least one other force having an identifiable command and having sufficient control over territory to carry out "sustained" and "concerted" military action and the practical capacity to fulfill humanitarian law obligations.The LTTE has clearly met this test for more than 10 years. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, or LTTE, is not a " terrorist" organization, but rather an armed force in a war against the government of Sri Lanka. Characterization of the LTTE as a "Terrorist" organization is politically motivated, having no basis in law or fact."
LTTE
Press
Statement,
21
December
2000
Released
by
LTTE
International
Secretariat,
211
Katherine
Rd,
London
E6
1BU,
United
Kingdom.
phone
:
44
20
8503
4294
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The
Liberation
Tigers
of
Tamil
Eelam
(LTTE)
in
an
official
statement
issued
today
from
its
headquarters
in
Vanni,
northern
Sri
Lanka,
announced
the
declaration
of
a
month
long
unilateral
cease-fire
as
a
gesture
of
goodwill
during
the
festive
season
to
facilitate
and
promote
initiatives
towards
a
peace
process.
'Mr. Velupillai Pirapaharan, the leader and military commander of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, has issued orders to all units and combat formations of the Tamil liberation army to cease hostile military actions against the Sri Lanka armed forces from midnight 24th December 2000 to midnight 24th January 2001', the LTTE's statement declared.
'We make this declaration of cessation of armed hostilities unilaterally hoping that the Sri Lanka government will reciprocate positively and instruct its armed forces to observe peace during the festive season of Christmas, New Year and Pongal (Hindu Harvest Festival). Our decision to cease armed hostilities should be viewed as a genuine expression of goodwill indicating our sincere desire for peace and negotiated political settlement. We offer this space of peace to facilitate and promote initiatives to create congenial conditions of normalcy de-escalating the armed confrontation', the statement said.
'If
Sri
Lanka
responds
positively
by
ceasing
armed
hostilities
against
our
forces
and
takes
steps
to
implement
the
Norwegian
proposal
of
mutual
confidence
building
measures,
the
LTTE
will
be
prepared
to
extend
the
period
of
peace
to
create
cordial
conditions
for
a
stable
cease-fire
and
direct
negotiations',
the
statement
further
stated.
LTTE
declares
unilateral
ceasefire
[TamilNet,
December
19,
2001
-
11.45
GMT]
The
Liberation
Tigers
of
Tamil
Eelam
(LTTE)
have
declared
a
month
long
unilateral
cessation
of
hostilities
as
a
goodwill
measure
during
the
festive
season.
The official statement issued by the LTTE on Wednesday and published in the pro-LTTE website Tamilnet, stated that the declaration of a month long "unilateral cessation of hostilities" is a goodwill measure during the festive season "to facilitate and promote initiatives towards a peace process."
The LTTE's observation of the cease-fire is due to begin at midnight on 24 December 2001, and continue until midnight on 24 January 2002.
The full text of the press release is as follows:
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in an official statement issued today from its headquarters in Vanni, northern Sri Lanka, announced the declaration of a month long unilateral cessation of hostilities as a goodwill measure during the festive season to facilitate and promote initiatives towards a peace process. The LTTE's observation of cease-fire begins at midnight on Christmas Eve, 24 December 2001.
"Mr. Velupillai Pirapaharan, the leader and military commander of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, has issued orders to all units and combat formations of the Tamil liberation army to cease all hostile military actions against the Sri Lankan armed forced from midnight 24 December 2001 till midnight 24 January 2002," the LTTE's statement declared.
"Encouraged by the collective mandate for peace and ethnic harmony given by the Sinhala and Tamil masses at the general election, the LTTE leadership has decided to declare, unilaterally, a month long cessation of armed hostilities during the festive season of Christmas, New Year and 'Thai Pongal' (Hindu Harvest Festival) as a gesture of goodwill to facilitate the promotion of peace initiatives. We fervently hope that the new government of Sri Lanka will reciprocate positively to our goodwill gesture and instruct its armed forces to observe peace during this period. Our decision to cease armed hostilities and observe peace during the festive season should be viewed as a genuine expression of goodwill, demonstrating our sincere desire for peace and negotiated political settlement. We are confident that the new government will utilise this space of peace to implement goodwill measures to create congenial conditions of normalcy in the Tamil homeland by withdrawing the economic embargo and other restrictions and prohibitions imposed on our people," the statement said.
"If the Sri Lanka government reciprocates positively to our goodwill gesture and ceases armed hostilities against our forces and takes immediate steps to remove the economic embargo and other restrictions, the LTTE will favourably consider extending the period of cease-fire to create cordial conditions for a stable peace and de-escalation," the statement further said.
###
Posted September 28, 2005