The greatest betrayal in Sri Lanka
Aravinda Gautamadasa, The Island, Asia News Network, Colombo
There is many a betrayal in the long history of Sri Lanka and they have all ended in death or tragedy. May these be a grim reminder to the government and peace-makers of the atrocities of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam (LTTE) in the name of peace.
The North-East merger in 1987 at the behest of the LTTE has now turned out to be a contentious issue in the ongoing peace process.
In 1990, then president Ranasinghe Premadasa tried his hand at peace-making with the help of the then Secretary to the Treasury as his confidante.
His approach was appeasement of the LTTE. A repeat performance is enacted today. The Tigers were given arms and ammunition and lorry-loads of cement all gratis. In addition, they were given money in the form of cheques freely issued by the secretary.
It will be interesting to note that this treasury official fled Sri Lanka with the death of the President in 1992 only to return to Sri Lanka in January 2002 with the UNF government assuming power, to be appointed an adviser.
During the talks at Hilton with President Premadasa, the Tigers managed to inveigle the President to order a surrender of police personnel in the East.
When Assistant Superintendent of Police Ivan Boteju replied that they will all be killed it had no effect. The fate of the 700 police personnel who surrendered is too well known and painful to be repeated. Their remains are lying in unmarked graves somewhere in the East. This was a great betrayal unmatched in the history of Sri Lanka. All these officials who connived with the president in this ill-fated episode and other acts are accountable and need to be brought to justice.
The recent Aturugiriya safe house fiasco was done by none other than the Ministry of Interior who ordered the raid on this safe house. They arrested those who were present, who were members of the deep penetration unit of the army responsible for many a covert operation against the LTTE in the uncleared areas and killing top LTTE cadres.
Faulty military strategy is a common feature in many a war. An example is " the charge of the light brigade" where 600 cavalrymen rode to their deaths. In contrast, wanton acts of a betrayal by rulers and public officials as mentioned above are inexcusable. These are acts of treachery and high treason and should not go unpunished. They should be brought to trial either in person or in absentia to be tried by special tribunal as is done in the case of Milosevic.
The government is talking peace with indignity and servility. They appear to be chasing rainbows after donating the pot of gold to the Tigers. When will all these betrayals end?