[b]Co-Chairs meet in Oslo on Friday while appealing Lankan government for restraint[/b]
By Daya Gamage – US National Correspondent for Asian Tribune
[b]Washington, D.C. 28 April (Asiantribune.com):[/b] Ambassadors from Sri Lanka’s main donor countries met Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapakse on Thursday to urge his government for restraint while arrangements are under way for the Co-Chairs to meet in Oslo on Friday to discuss the volatile situation in Sri Lanka.
The Colombo-based ambassadors expressed that they understood the government was provoked in the aftermath of attack on its army headquarters.
The situation in Sri Lanka deteriorated after a suspected Tamil Tiger suicide bomber blew her up within the premises of the Army headquarters in the capital city of Colombo killing nine and severely injuring the army commander Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka, and subsequent security forces air attacks on LTTE stronghold in the eastern part of the island nation.
http://www.asiantribune.com/show_news.php?id=17775
Co-Chairs meet in Oslo on Friday while appealing
[quote="true.reporter"]North-East people who were born after 83, knows Sinhalese as occupiers, bombers and killers. (I met children who have never seen a train!, and they think Sinhalese does not want to give train service to Tamils)
[/quote]
You write many good points.
But it becomes irrational when you try to explain the tamils misery on the backs of the sinhalese.
Do you think, Sri Lankan government will help the LTTE to establish an Eelam at the expense of GOSL?
If the tamil children do not have proper education, and havn't seen a train or any other modern day devices, who is to be blamed for that.
[b]Those chlidren surely had seen AK-47s, RPG and claymore mines. They most likely know how to take apart a rifle and put it back together.[/b]
Who brought the tamils to this end?
You talk about old and mid generation tamils only know any good about sinhalese. I do not believe that for a moment.
The old and mid generation tamils are poisoning the minds of the new generation tamils, if any are allowed to survive, by supporting the terror groups.
Sinhalese also had our share of killing of the sinhalese youths in 1971 during the JVP armed struggle.
Many sinhalese were killed by the armed forces and bodies were left to float on Kelani river.
Sinhalese are not holding a grudge against the GOSL for those killings.
The tamil terrorists are waging a war against the GOSL the same way the JVP did, but you have included an ethnic flavour to it.
SL will be better off, the day old and mid generation is removed from the SriLankan politics.
Co-Chairs meet in Oslo on Friday while appealing
[quote="A Norwegian"]
Perhaps; but I am not Norway. So I can come up with any suggestion I want, as can you.
You criticized Norway for "ignoring the local sentiments," which is surely unfair. It is not Norway's role to conduct polls, and if it tried to there would be an outcry. Norway has been asked by the GOSL to facilitate talks between it and the LTTE, and that is what it is doing.
[/quote]
Good escape!!!
I thought norwegians are a different breed and their loyality lies in Norway. I was wrong.
You are right when you said,"You criticized Norway for "ignoring the local sentiments," which is surely unfair."
Local sentiments are a SriLankan matter.
[b]As far as I think, SriLanka should get rid of the tigers and negotiate with the tamil groups and parties, that want a settlement peacefully.
SL should not bow down to the terror and no negotiations with terrorists other than any cease fire.
Let the terror consume by itself.[/b]
Co-Chairs meet in Oslo on Friday while appealing
[quote="indrajith"]Situation has changed in many ways since the last election you are quoting I presume in 1977, twenty years ago when there wasn't a bloodthirsty LTTE representing the Tamils as the sole representative.
[/quote]
I agree.
But, if you're interested in uniting the island, only way is to deal with the old or mid generation people from north-east. They very well know the good side of Sinhalese. But, the new generation does not know any 'good' about Sinhalese. North-East people who were born after 83, knows Sinhalese as occupiers, bombers and killers. (I met children who have never seen a train!, and they think Sinhalese does not want to give train service to Tamils)
.
Co-Chairs meet in Oslo on Friday while appealing
No.
Co-Chairs meet in Oslo on Friday while appealing
[quote="A Norwegian"]
Naturally, forcing anyone to live in a Tamil republic/province of a federal Sri Lanka against their will would be unacceptable from a human rights standpoint. I don't think anyone is proposing that. Tamils and others who prefer to live elsewhere in the country must of course be allowed to.[/quote]
Could you kindly clarify what you mean by this para, It reads like the Sinhalese,Tamils and the Muslim communities living in the east for centuries could move to another part of the country if they don't like to live under a LTTE Tamil republic/province.
Did you mean a mass migaration and ethnic cleansing of Muslims and Sinhalese population from the east like at the time of the 1947 division of India?
Co-Chairs meet in Oslo on Friday while appealing
Your courage in saying that Tamil people will take care of LTTE is very brave and commendable but the reality is they will take care of people like you the moment the thought enters your mind.
Up to now everybody that tried to take care of them don't exist physically only in name and in graveyards either in one piece or in several pieces.
Co-Chairs meet in Oslo on Friday while appealing
Situation has changed in many ways since the last election you are quoting I presume in 1977, twenty years ago when there wasn't a bloodthirsty LTTE representing the Tamils as the sole representative.
We need to ask the generation born between 1977 and now too since this is going to affect their lives and future.
It's not the same anymore with different groups vying for power in the east, so it's best to ask the democratic opinion of the people by means of democratic ways.
What's the difficulty in asking for the opinion of the people living there and why should anybody fear and feel reluctant to do so?
If they like to live under the LTTE regime and to have a joined state they will vote yes,then no problems.We have to respect their verdict.If they say no then the Tamil seperatists have to respect the democratic wish of the citizens and agree for a just and a fair solution for all communities not just for the Tamils.
Even then in 1977 the majority Muslim and Sinhalese areas elected their own representatives and didn't vote for a seperation or any amalgamation of the provinces.
Co-Chairs meet in Oslo on Friday while appealing
[quote="A Norwegian"]
In this case there is a reasonable compromise solution available in the form of a federal state with autonomy for the northeast. And both parties have signalled willingness to go in for such a deal, which is great progress in itself.[/quote]
Sorry.
In the last democratic elections held in the north-east, people of north-east over whelmingly voted for separation. Therefore, anyone who believes in democracy would treat them as a separate nation.
Since then, both nations were 'talking' about re-uniting but not successfull.
A reasonable solution will become available only when:
- SLA vacates north-east,
- Democracy is established in north-east (don't worry, tamils will take care of ltte, if ltte resist, there will be thosands of karuna in north-east)
- This north-east government can nogotiate with southern counterparts on re-uniting the island
.
Co-Chairs meet in Oslo on Friday while appealing
[quote="A Norwegian"]
In this case there is a reasonable compromise solution available in the form of a federal state with autonomy for the northeast. And both parties have signalled willingness to go in for such a deal, which is great progress in itself.[/quote]
Sorry both parties haven't agreed to a form of Federal State and what you mean here I believe is Mr Ranil Wickremesinghe agreeing on his own without consulting the Sinhalese and the Muslim population or without a referendum in the East to grant a federal state for 5 or 10 years without any democratic elections to the Prabhakaran group.
Just the opinion of a person in charge of one political party not the opinion or the policy of the others in Sri Lanka or the people living there in the east.
Co-Chairs meet in Oslo on Friday while appealing
[quote]Norway's only involnement is to monitor the CFA, [/quote]
No, that's the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, in which all five Nordic countries take part. The Norwegian role is a little more expansive than that.
[quote]not to come up with suggestions how the country could be best seperated. [/quote]
Perhaps; but I am not Norway. So I can come up with any suggestion I want, as can you.
You criticized Norway for "ignoring the local sentiments," which is surely unfair. It is not Norway's role to conduct polls, and if it tried to there would be an outcry. Norway has been asked by the GOSL to facilitate talks between it and the LTTE, and that is what it is doing.
However, (i) there are good reasons to proceed as the GOSL has chosen to do; (ii) what the final solution will be, if any, is to be decided by the parties alone; (iii) it's nonetheless pretty obvious that some sort of federalist arrangement is the only modus vivendi these can possibly be expected to agree on, and that (iv) the alternative to such agreement is war which will end in stalemate and return everyone back to square one, unless a miracle occurs.
Co-Chairs meet in Oslo on Friday while appealing
[quote="A Norwegian"]It is true that the final status negotiations should include representatives of both the Muslim minority and of non-LTTE Tamil factions, including that of the Colonel.
However, the basic framework must be fleshed out between the two main antagonists: the GOSL and the LTTE. The other factions can be introduced later and take part in negotiating the details. Given the epic challenges involved in getting even these two to meet and talk, any broader process is unlikely to be feasible. Such dilemmas are common in peace processes around the world; there is often a trade-off between "depth" and "speed," and some concession must be made to the latter to get any traction at all.
Naturally, forcing anyone to live in a Tamil republic/province of a federal Sri Lanka against their will would be unacceptable from a human rights standpoint. I don't think anyone is proposing that. Tamils and others who prefer to live elsewhere in the country must of course be allowed to.[/quote]
Norway's only involnement is to monitor the CFA, not to come up with suggestions how the country could be best seperated.
IF there will be any sepearation there will be mass exodus from the north-east part of SL to the south.
That has to be factored in to the equation.
'a Tamil republic/province of a federal Sri Lanka'
I believe it will be lot more land allocated for so few people dominated by mostly tamil LTTE.
Co-Chairs meet in Oslo on Friday while appealing
It is true that the final status negotiations should include representatives of both the Muslim minority and of non-LTTE Tamil factions, including that of the Colonel.
However, the basic framework must be fleshed out between the two main antagonists: the GOSL and the LTTE. The other factions can be introduced later and take part in negotiating the details. Given the epic challenges involved in getting even these two to meet and talk, any broader process is unlikely to be feasible. Such dilemmas are common in peace processes around the world; there is often a trade-off between "depth" and "speed," and some concession must be made to the latter to get any traction at all.
Naturally, forcing anyone to live in a Tamil republic/province of a federal Sri Lanka against their will would be unacceptable from a human rights standpoint. I don't think anyone is proposing that. Tamils and others who prefer to live elsewhere in the country must of course be allowed to.
Co-Chairs meet in Oslo on Friday while appealing
[quote="A Norwegian"]
In this case there is a reasonable compromise solution available in the form of a federal state with autonomy for the northeast. And both parties have signalled willingness to go in for such a deal, which is great progress in itself.
[/quote]
This is exactly what I meant by the rehtoric.
what you said would have been the case before the split of the Karuna group.
[b]Now, SriLankans do NOT recognize the tigers as the "Voice of the Tamils".[/b]
Because there are more tamils in Total, like to live in GOSL controlled areas and on the side of the Col. Karuna.
Just because tigers(or any other terror group to that matter) want to control part of the land, does not mean muslims and the anti-tiger tamils sould be ignored and abandoned by the GOSL.
[b]This is the critisism Norway is getting by ignoring the local sentiments for the sake of the peace facilitation.[/b]
If SriLankans agree to any solution, means they are submitting to the tiger terror to avoid the suicide attacks.
Tell me which country in Scandinavia will do that?
Co-Chairs meet in Oslo on Friday while appealing
For lasting peace to be achieved, no matter who is facilitator, both parties have to genuinely prefer a compromise to the alternative.
In this case there is a reasonable compromise solution available in the form of a federal state with autonomy for the northeast. And both parties have signalled willingness to go in for such a deal, which is great progress in itself.
But unless both parties really and sincerely want this in deed as well as word, -- and have the guts to trust each other at least minimally -- then of course no amount of "convincing" by any third party is going to work. It will then be just as futile as the talk of the guns that has already been tried at the cost of 65,000 lives.
Only the Sri Lankans themselves can make peace.
Co-Chairs meet in Oslo on Friday while appealing
[quote="A Norwegian"]If the Sri Lankans go to war on each other again, the only silver lining will be that the $4,5 billion aid package can be redirected to recipients among whom it is more likely to be productive.[/quote]
[b]No body wants lose out of the $4,5 billion aid package which can be for the benifit of the SriLankans.
But can the SriLankans get it without submitting to the tiger terror tactics and the demands?[/b]
If the norwegian peace facilitators can convince the tigers to abandon the violance and then ensure the SriLankan government fairly distributes the aid package and make GOSL accountable in doing so with ramifications on the deviations,
will be more of a benefit the peace than the all the rehtoric going around the peace facilitation.
Co-Chairs meet in Oslo on Friday while appealing
once again our inteligence service didn't understood tactics of LTTE, in several times i have developped in this forum that the LTTE kill the personnes some strategique time. why they tried to kill army commender. see what happens in last year. one week before LTTE had killed sivaram who have played double game with sri lankan inteligence service and also with LTTE. why they choised the one week before the 1 st may to kill him they need to show their stregnth to world. that's why they try to kill army commender. they want to show tamil people with them. they have failed the act but there will be lot of people in their may day parade in the world with this attak.
but once again one reality we can see they can't go the war despite of army air attaque. we must be understood the tactics of LTTE. our intelleigence service must be vigilence also in july and august of vaccacens periode in europe they will kill lot important people next summer periode. this is the reality of LTTE. intrenational community must be take the action against the terorisme by law and order not by words.
Co-Chairs meet in Oslo on Friday while appealing
If the Sri Lankans go to war on each other again, the only silver lining will be that the $4,5 billion aid package can be redirected to recipients among whom it is more likely to be productive.
Co-Chairs meet in Oslo on Friday while appealing
I hate to say this ....
But I told yous about this situation months ago.
We NEED to wipe out these terrorists - peace deal or no peace deal.
Liberal use of NAPALM now highly recommended! Set the entire noreatern seaboard alight!
Co-Chairs meet in Oslo on Friday while appealing
Now is the time for Pirabakaran find an another place to build his bloody land(Punith Poomi), maybe in the juncle in Norway with bears. Jaffna tamils already through them out to Vanni in the middle of the 90's with help of SLA.
Days are counted for Pirabakaran with his bandits on this Oslo meeting.