Sri Lanka It's Happening

February 12, 2006

First we had peace with honour. That is during the first sixty days of Mahinda Wickramasinghe's presidency more than a hundred soldiers, sailors and policemen died. Many were killed by claymore mines, other died from gun shot injuries.

The armed forces were powerless to shoot back. The president who was elected to power thanks to the LTTE, had ordered the armed forces not to do anything that would jeopardize the ceasefire. Hang on a second, didn't the presidents' partners say the peace fire would be abolished? didn't the president himself promise to amend the ceasefire if he is elected? Sorry I don't remember. I am a Sri Lanakan.

Many say 'The Land of Amnesia' is a better name for the country. If newspaper reports are anything to go by it would seem that Tamil Eelam is a better name. Ranil lost the presidential election because the extremist buddhist monks and the sinhala hardline JVP whipped up nationalism saying Ranil would give a separate state (Tamil Eelam) to the LTTE. Now with Mahinda as president the country is governed from the Wanni headquarters of the LTTE.

According to the newspapers, the MP who defected from the UNP to Mahinda's camp (another Mahinda) was promised the Reconstruction and Development Agency to look after. Now that promise is to be broken (like a thousand promises made before the election). Apparently the LTTE does not want him to have this job. They would prefer to have their intemediary with the president, hold that post.

Another potential UNP defector has not been allowed to cross over either. It was widely speculated that the UNP's chief negotiator with the LTTE during the peace talks, Prof. Pieris had been invited to act as chief negotiator for the next rounds of talks. The LTTE apparently had refused to negotiate with him. Now peace with honour means the LTTE get's to pick the Sri Lankan team of negotiators.

What's really laughable is that Prof Pieris is now giving tution to the chief negotiator.

Posted by raditha at February 12, 2006 6:01 PM