Talking The Talk

The second round of talks begins in Thailand on 31^st October. Reports indicate that the LTTE team is being strengthened with the addition of two well known individuals -Tamil Chelvan, political head of the LTTE and Karuna, head of the military wing in the eastern province. Thisaddition is no surprise as the LTTE had to induct representatives who know the local conditions as all thethree who represented them in the first round were foreign based and the present round is expected to dealwith details of the Joint task force of Sri Lankan Security forces and the LTTE, discussed in the previousmeeting, acceleration of the resettlement of internally displaced persons and the presence of high securityzones of the Sri Lankan forces.

Anton Balasingham arrived a fortnight in advance in Wanni to discuss with LTTE chief Prabakaran and othersas a prelude to the second round. This time he took the normal route through Colombo and not through a thirdcountry. The Norwegian team led by Vidar Hegelsen along with Eric Solheim and others are also in Sri Lanka andthe team is expected to meet Prabakaran before the commencement of the third round of talks. PresidentChandrika cancelled a scheduled meeting with the team on 23^rd on the ground that she had to attenda public rally at Nugegoda and also a cabinet meeting. She attended neither and the media reports say that itwas an intended snub.

The Cease fire continues to hold on despite serious hiccups. In one week over ten people were killed in cease-fire related violations and thanks to the patient efforts ofSri Lankan Monitoring Mission, the situation in all the cases was brought under control. Maj. Gen. TrondFuruhode, chief of SLMM issued a strongly worded statement which said that the incidents showed howirresponsible and destructive elements were trying to break the confidence that has been carefully built upduring the last eight months of truce.

There were three major incidents, although two were connected to each other. The first was the arrest of 22LTTE cadres by the Security forces in the area under their control in Trincomalee. Of these while 20 were letoff, two were produced in the court and it was alleged that while in detention they were severely beaten up.The LTTE in return arrested six soldiers who strayed into the LTTE area with weapons. The soldiers werereleased after the two LTTE cadres were let off. But in a related incident, on October 9, the STF fired at acrowd that had assembled to protest against the beating of the LTTE cadres at Kanjiramkudah in Batticola.Seven in the crowd were killed and many more were injured. In another incident the Police and the Home Guardsattacked civilians in Akkaraipattu, Trincomalee with grenades when three were killed and sixty others werewounded.

The incidents were so serious that even a mild-mannered person like Sampanthan, parliamentarianrepresenting Trincomalee, was forced to say that the "security of the Tamil people can no longer be leftin the hands of Sinhala dominated Army and Police" and that the "security should be entrusted to theTamil youths."

In the first round Balasingham played his cards very well. In the opening speech itself Balasingham made a persuasive case for the administration of the North and Eastto be handed over to the LTTE and he followed it up in his Press conference with another fine performance ingiving the impression that LTTE has given up the demand for a separate Tamil Home land.

In making out a case for the North-East administration he said

The LTTE is the legitimate and authentic representative of the Tamil people.
The LTTE has lived, fought and suffered with and for the people throughout the turbulent times of thewar.
The LTTE has a comprehensive knowledge of the socio-economic needs confronting the Tamil people.
The LTTE has built an effective administrative structure for more than ten years which has sustained thesocial cohesion and law and order.

Therefore, he argued that the LTTE should play a leading and pivotal role in administration as well as theeconomic development of the Northeast.

In what was perceived as a softening of LTTE’s position, Balasingham at the end of the talks said that"The LTTE does not operate in the concept of separate state . . . we operate with the concept of homelandand self determination.’ He also used the word "autonomy" but gave vague definitions that autonomycould mean federal, confederal or regional. To us, it does not look that LTTE has dropped its demand for aseparate state. Not yet anyway. Of late they have reiterated the three Thimpu demands and have maintained thatthe solution should meet the "just aspirations" of Tamils. Nowhere have they defined what the justaspirations would mean.

In another connection while referring to the role of India, Balasingham said that afinal solution should recognise the Tamil rights. He was quick to add that if autonomy was rejected, then afight for "political independence and statehood is the only last resort." His statement could bestbe described as tactical as he could not have said otherwise if the peace talks are to continue.

Crisis in Cohabitation
Ranil Wickremasinghe is somehow under the impression that President Chandrika is the main stumbling block inthe ongoing peace talks and the latter has made no effort to dispel this impression either.

His party’sdrive to strip the President of her powers by the draft 19^th amendment has run into difficultiesfrom two different quarters. After Chandrika warned the members of SLFP that she would take action against theSLFP who vote in favour of the 19^th amendment, many of them developed cold feet and were notwilling to go with the amendment. It was realised by the government that it did not have the two thirdsmajority to get the amendment through.

The Supreme Court in its order on 22^nd October informed thelegislature that it will have to have a nation wide referendum if the powers of the President were to becurtailed. The ruling UNP of the Prime minister is not interested in a referendum and would prefer a snappoll.

Legal experts say that only the President has the powers to call for fresh elections. Either of the twocourses would involve unnecessary expenditure which Sri Lanka cannot afford now and in either case themomentum that has been gained in the ongoing peace talks would be lost.

(Courtesy, saag.org)