The UN's Ludicrous Response to Sri Lanka
Within the last three months, 6,500 Tamil civilians have been killed, 14,000 have been injured and almost 200,000 have been forcibly detained in military-run camps by the Sri Lankan government as part of its campaign to annihilate the separatist Tamil Tigers (LTTE). In its most recent attempt to address this situation, the UN Security Council has demanded that the LTTE simply surrender to the Sri Lankan government. Regardless of one's opinion of the LTTE, the idea that it would be willing to surrender under the present circumstances is ludicrous. As the Country Director of a prominent international NGO* put it, "asking the LTTE to lay down arms - really stupid - why not just ask them to shoot themselves in the head?" His comment was probably an understatement.
Because it suspects that any one of them could have connections to the LTTE, the Sri Lankan government is holding virtually every civilian who emerges from the war zone indefinitely in "barbed-wire internment camps" in which there are "regular rapes and killings", according to Medico International, "enforced disappearances" according to Human Rights Watch, and "overcrowding, malnourishment, dehydration and limited medical facilities" according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Admitted LTTE members would almost certainly be subjected to even more egregious abuses at the hands of the worst human rights violator in South Asia. It is therefore unsurprising that LTTE members, regardless of their ideology, would prefer a relatively quick death via explosion or cyanide capsule rather than surrender and risk being tortured, raped, starved and/or imprisoned prior to being killed.
While the US's suggestion that the LTTE surrender to a third party is more reasonable, it is also completely unrealistic. In a recent interview, Sri Lanka's Defense Secretary made it clear in no uncertain terms that Sri Lanka would never consider such a proposal, stating that the US "should be ashamed of that kind of request. We will not hand [LTTE members] over to anybody."
If the
international community is genuinely committed to ending the fighting in Sri
Lanka, it needs to take practical steps, such as invoking the Responsibility to Protect doctrine and deploying an international
monitoring mechanism, in order to create conditions in which both sides would
be forced to agree to a ceasefire.
*Name has been withheld to protect the individual's safety.
Too many festering conflicts have resulted when the losing side has been protected by the international community. What insurgent group would not attack when if they win, they win and if they lose the international community will save them?
Sri Lanka has fought the Tigers for 25 years now and with a chance to eliminate the Tigers as a significant movement there is unlikely to be much that the international community can do to pressure Sri Lanka short of military intervention. What pressure do you think Sri Lanka would consider to be more important than winning a civil war?
What Sri Lanka needs to understand is that they are going to re-light the fires of Tamil resentment if they continue to mistreat civilians. In their own interests they need to provide the best conditions possible for the civilians consistent with security needs -- providing food, shelter, medical care and access to fair assessment of past rebellion or current security risk. Sri Lanka will not benefit if they construct Guatanamo on steroids.
On all the costs of providing food, shelter etc. the international community appears ready to help.
May 9, 2009 10:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
"What pressure do you think Sri Lanka would consider to be more important than winning a civil war?"
Sri Lanka conspicuously avoids committing human rights violations in the presence of the international community. No foreigners have been killed as a result of the 26 year long conflict, and the government has taken careful measures to bar all foreigners- including aid workers and journalists- from the war zone, detention camps (with the exception of one "model camp" constructed for their benefit) and even the hospitals where war victims are taken. An international monitoring mechanism would be enough for them to stop committing atrocities.
Furthermore, a few years back, “expressing concern” was enough for the Sri Lankan government to reconsider its policies. That’s definitely no the case anymore, but real consequences like sanctions are likely to have at least some impact on their policies.
"What Sri Lanka needs to understand is that they are going to re-light the fires of Tamil resentment if they continue to mistreat civilians."
I completely agree, but it will take much more than decent camps for them to quiet the fires they have already relit. Specifically, the government need to cease the constant human rights violations against Tamils throughout the country, which include arbitrary arrests, abductions (an average of 4-5/day), torture, vastly inferior access to public services as compared to the Sinhalese, language rights violations, etc. Ultimately, they need to restructure the entire government by devolving power into a federalist system, a la Spain, Canada or India, to give Tamils some degree of self-determination within the confines of the state.
May 10, 2009 3:20 AM | Reply | Permalink