Sri Lanka It's Happening

November 11, 2005

Almost everyone I have spoken to this month believes that war will commence if Mahinda becomes the country's next president. You might think these poeple would then choose to vote for Ranil. Think again.

Many people who are clamouring that Ranil Wickramasinghe will yield the North and East to the tigers hadn't visited those regions until after the ceasefire was signed a few years ago. So even if Ranil does the ultimate act of treason, these people will not suffer any real loss.

On the other hand, Sri Lankan army, navy and airforce have been fighting the LTTE for two decades without anything to show for it except for graves that is. There is no reason to believe that if the war commences again, the LTTE can be defeated. All indications are that the LTTE has regrouped and rearmed over the last two years and if push comes to show, the army is in for a real rout.

Fortunately for many of the middle class people whose vote will lead to Mahinda's vitory at the election will not have to goto war. There are hundreds of thousands of impoverished villagers, who will have no choice but to join the army, just so they can feed their aging wives, kids and aging parents.

The Buddhists monks and other extremist sinhala groups campaigning for Mahinda, and the people who will vote for him, vote knowing fully well that they are voting for the death of thousands of Sinhala buddhist men.

Posted by raditha at November 11, 2005 3:31 PM