Sinhala State Terrorism & Western Foreign Policy

by Vettivel

Recently Canada listed the LTTE as a terrorist organization and, meanwhile, it warned the Sri Lankan government to stick to the ceasefire agreement. Many Tamils are disappointed at the listing, and the decision sparked many local debates among Tamils. If Canada found the LTTE to be a terrorist organization, Canada should have even more reason to ban the Sri Lankan government. Most Canadian Tamils raise these questions, and most of those who voted for the current minority Canadian government in the last election now regret their wrong decision.

Using violence for a political cause is the main reason for the Canadian ban on the LTTE. The funny thing is that, when a government uses violence, it means using ‘force,’ but when an oppressed community reacts violently it is ‘terrorism.’ Since the word ‘terrorism’ is meaningless in current world politics, then how can a list of terrorists make sense? After all, it is better to understand what ‘terrorism’ means to the western world.

Does terrorism mean killing civilians? If yes, then why is the Sri Lankan state not considered terrorists because they have killed more than 40,000 Tamil civilians, and, even after the ceasefire, they have killed Tamil civilians using its state military machine and paramilitaries.  The Sri Lankan state has been well known for killing Tamils even in state prison, Temples, Churches, Schools, and refugee camps. Therefore, terrorism doesn’t mean killing civilians.

Does terrorism mean using child soldiers? If yes, why is the UK, where the recruiting age for the military is 16 years,not terrorists. Therefore, terrorism doesn’t mean underage recruitment.

Does terrorism mean using suicide bombing? Did anyone ever hear of suicide bombing before the US invasion in Iraq? Why is there an increased number of suicide bombings after the US invasion? The most civilized people don’t want to find an answer for this question. Suicide bombing is a weapon. Like the cruise missile, bunker buster, artillery shells, sophisticated tanks, or F18 bomber, human suicide bomber is also a weapon for a weak party that doesn’t have access to sophisticated weapons in the struggle. In the Second World War, Japan used suicide bombers, the US used nuclear weapons. The deadly napalm bombs - chemical bombs - were also common used. The Sri Lankan air force used napalm bombs and even toilet wastes in Jaffna during the war. War is ugly, and there is no limitation when it comes to using weapons against an enemy. In reality, if any of the nuclear nations entered into a war with another powerful nation, nuclear weapons will be certainly used, even if the nation knows it is a total destruction. Do any of these weapons do something different than a suicide bomb? Therefore, suicide attacks are also not terrorism.

Does terrorism mean using power to achieve political goals? The Sinhala majority government’s goal is to make Sri Lanka a Sinhala country. This is why they changed the name from Ceylon to Sri Lanka, made Sinhala the official language, and centralized all power in the Sinhala majority parliament, and made the minority voiceless. The Sri Lankan government systematically colonized the Tamil homeland, chased the Tamils away, and defend the occupied territory by giving weapons to colonized Sinhala thugs and criminals. The Sinhala government has used military power to suppress non-violent Tamil protests, and used the military to destroy Tamils property and life. The Sinhala state is still terrorizing the Tamil homeland using its military and paramilitaries, and has killed many Tamils, including parliamentarians and civilian activists. The Sinhala state has heavily used its power to achieve its goal. The Sri Lankan state is not in the terrorist list; therefore, terrorism doesn’t mean using power to achieve political goals.

Does terrorism means being anti-democracy? The TNA won almost all the seats in the Sri Lankan elections that were observed by International monitors. However, a TNA parliamentarian couldn't even get a visa to enter Canada. The TNA says the LTTE is the authentic representative of the Tamils, and this was the mandate TNA used before the election as well. Unfortunately, being anti-democracy also doesn’t explain terrorism.

What we can get from all these arguments is that terrorism means something else. Terrorism really means that, if someone or some organization acts against a state that has some friendly western states, it is terrorism. It is OK if the state uses “FORCE” to oppress any community to maintain “stability.” This definition can fit well to the western policy towards terrorism. The reality is that the current world doesn’t care if a small community is fighting for its rights. The world is ready to compromise a small community for political “stability.”

By listing the LTTE as a terrorist organization, Canada has put itself outside the peace process. It can be noted that the US, UK, India, and Australia already don’t have any direct influence in the peace process because they are prevented from talking to the LTTE by their own laws.

The problem is that, whether a country has a terrorist list or not, the LTTE is the authenticate representative of the Tamils, and there will be no talks without the LTTE. Tamils have completely no trust in the Sri Lankan constitution or laws. In simple terms, for Tamils, the Sinhala-dominated state machine is the enemy.  This is the naked reality in Sri Lanka.

The western world asks Tamils to get protection from its enemy. It is almost equivalent to asking Israel to get protection from the Arab world. In essence, banning the LTTE means encouraging Sinhala state terrorists to continue their regular activity of terrorizing the Tamil inhabitants of the island.

• View a printer-friendly version of this article