Ogres and Tigers

The Monsters that devour children 

Seen through rose-colored glasses, everything will look rosy for sure. Tigerland, the land of milk and honey behind the pearly gates of Omanthai, is no exception.  It is a paradise where people live in peace and harmony. So claim the LTTE supporters living in foreign countries, even though none of them are ready to go to heaven, from their supposed hellish western life!

So obviously, those who see no evil of LTTE, will speak no evil of it. They have nothing but praise!

        Like the AK-47 clad school children parading through pre-invasion Baghdad and the admirers dancing in the streets of Pyongyang to mark the 65th birthday of 'invincible brilliant commander', we have 'Upsurged' Citizens Forces brandishing 2 by 4s to liberate our land, under the 'guidance' of our own version of 'invincible brilliant commander'.   (To create an illusion of an armed-to-the-teeth force and to get its followers excited, LTTE decorates only those on the front line with real McCoys at the photo ops).

 Excited by this show of strength, political analysts in Tiger controlled media claim creation of independent Tamil Ealam is around the corner, though the corner seems to be somewhere in a 'galaxy far far away'.

        The propaganda machinery of LTTE is in full force bombarding the diaspora with news and views of how their National Leader will lead tamils to 'lie down in green pastures and lead them beside still waters' in the promised land.

When a tiger becomes a shepherd, of course, 'thou shalt not want' anything!

We have no shortage of the blessed ones who 'believe without seeing'.  The enlightened, comfortably living in the West, always believe in their Saviour's miraculous powers to lead them to salvation.

        Non-believers, or infidels, who dispute these rosy claims are accused of heresy or treason and deserve to be tied to the post and burnt at the stake... or at least tied to the Lamp post and shot. Anyone who foolishly chooses another path to salvation is self-sentencing himself to death by assassins.

Presidents, Prime Ministers, politicians, rival militants, journalists and human rights watchdogs are not immune to the wrath of 'War'Lord of Wanni.

        When LTTE can't get its hands on any of them, assassination takes another form... character assassination.

        Political analysts who can't differentiate CIA from MIA will accuse them of being agents of some evil empire hell-bent on destroying their dream.

          'Kanthas and Kadambas' who are making a political living out of their 'Letters to the Editors', along with the notorious websites run by those who possibly sharpened their political teeth on Jaffna walls as graffiti writers, will 'cow-dung-sling' (a traditional tamil form of mudslinging) their way to Ealam, while hiding behind anonymity and enjoying immunity from defamation suits.

The blessed ones who can't distinguish between RAW and POW will sing 'Hallelujah' for 'delivering us from Evil!'. For them, any tamil killed by LTTE is a traitor and any tamil civilian killed in crossfire is a collateral damage.

        Simply put, no one is safe from Tigers, if they happened to disagree, even 'respectfully', with them.

Either you praise the lord in chorus... or else!

        Human Rights violations by LTTE are documented by watchdogs, local and international, from time to time.

UTHR (University Teachers for Human Rights), which was nominated for Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders (MEA) by Amnesty International for its tireless work of documenting atrocities by all parties involved, was demonized by LTTE and its mouthpieces in every imaginable way.

LTTE hooligans distrupted the meetings organized by Human Rights Watch, in Toronto and London, to release its report on LTTE's child soldiers. (Then LTTE shamelessly went on to quote HRW to accuse Karuna faction of abduction of children.) Amnesty International, UNICEF, UNHCR and any other organization dared to accuse LTTE of rights violations are villified in Tiger media.

        Even Norway and Eric Solheim are not exempted when they fall short of LTTE's expectations. They, every now and then, get royal mud treatment in tamil media. Unlike the monks and comrades who make fools of themselves by parading in front of Norwegian missions with their antics, LTTE does it cunningly and tells the tamils through its media not to trust Norway as it is there to promote only US interests.

Yes, Only "In 'Sun'God we trust!"

        Unaware of the malicious campaign in LTTE-controlled tamil media and enjoying the royal treatment by LTTE in Wanni, Solheim and Brattskar toast to their hosts.

        If prominent people suffer this fate, what protection does an ordinary tamil have?  

        Reports coming out of Wanni tell tales of  'Big Brother' watching (in this case, Little Brother, Thamby!) every move with the help of LTTE-issued ID cards, monitored phone calls, prohibition of Cell phone and internet usage and, above all, the omnipresent tiger intelligence. We've even heard of a story of a man's hand being chopped in public for voting in the last election.

        Though people living in Jaffna learnt to co-exist with the armed forces, LTTE tried every trick to distrupt the normal life. From claymore mines to 'killing by unknown persons', it tries to provoke military to kill innocent tamils, so it could use it for propaganda purposes. After the closure of A9 highway, LTTE tried to draw a picture of a huge humanitarian disaster, saying people are about to die of hunger.

But, in Jaffna there are more people died in the hands of LTTE than of hunger.

        Even people living abroad are not beyond the reach of long arm of the tiger. Taking the diaspora for a goose that lays golden eggs, LTTE use fear and intimidation to get it toe the line. Hapless victims of 'Stockholm Syndrome', they are left with no choice with the threats of harming their relatives back home and denial of 'Right of Return'.

        Regardless of where they live, tamils are under the iron grip of LTTE.

        Things changed drastically with the recent outbreak of war. Losing territories one after another and losing battle-hardened warriors along, LTTE accelerated its forced conscription of children.  

        Like the God of Abraham asking him to sacrifice his first-born to Him, our Sungod is asking each family to sacrifice one child for him. Well... for the Nation. No one is spared from this, with the exception of the families of Great Heroes and current LTTE members. Of course, immediate families and relatives of top commanders and the families which could bribe their way to spare their children are out of the current recruitment drive.

        Unlike the same god who sent his son to earth to die for the sins of the world, our Sungod sent his first-born abroad, away from the war he thrust on his own people, and is asking 'One per household for the Nation(al leader)'.

Time and again, International community and organizations accused LTTE of recruiting children and demanded it to stop. Despite the threats of 'targeted measures', LTTE continues to conscript underage children with impunity. Thinking it can fool the international community, once in a while LTTE ceremonially 'hands over' a few underaged children, who allegedly joined them 'willingly'. A catholic priest who sought asylum in Heaven is always in hand to bless the ceremony.

When there are no volunteers enlisting for the current war, tigers, like ogres, are snatching children from their houses.

The forced conscription has its social implications. It is forcing parents to get their children married at earlier ages to avoid conscription. Sensing a pattern, LTTE annulled all the marriages from July 2006, making them null and void.

Now brides and grooms are dragged from their homes against their will to undergo military training.

So much for the matches made in heaven!

Democracies may have laws forcing 'mandataory military training'. It is the society's willingness to defend itself from possible threats. Even the countries that enact the draft, have various exceptions and legal safeguards to challenge the laws all the way to Supreme Courts. When the public opinion goes against the draft, they always have ambiguous slogans "Conscription if necessary, but not necessarily conscription" (as war time canadian prime minister William Lyon Mackenzie King said).

When worse comes to worst, draftdodgers can flee to other countries. None of them are dragging children from their homes.

Having found a loophole, LTTE came up with an explanation that could leave the UN legal experts covering their faces in shame. As LTTE is 'no longer an “armed group” but is indeed a defacto-state', 'LTTE takes the position that it is not covered by Article 4 of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Child on “Children Affected by Armed Conflict”, which states, “Armed groups that are distinct from the armed forces of a State should not, under any circumstances, recruit or use in hostilities persons under the age of 18 years.”. As 'Convention on the Rights of Child permits the armed forces of the State to recruit those over the age of 15' LTTE is 'entitled as a "functioning defacto-state" to recruit those above the age of 17.'

Bravo! Now, show us a state, de facto or de jure, that drags newly-weds and children from their mothers' clutches, to mandatory military training?

Tamils in diaspora, who have been praising Great Heroes as long as they are somebody else's children, find it shocking to hear their loved ones are being dragged from their homes. It is very hard to digest when tiger terror is beginning to hit home. News is reaching the expats, one by one, how the children, of their own and extended families, are taken from home. But it is too late for them. The Frankenstein they created has turned on them.

Many of them are afraid to come forward with their stories, due to the fear that their loved ones would be hurt by LTTE. LTTE is warning the families not to talk to anyone about the abductions.

Besides, it would be a futile battle against a monstrous Goliath, simply exposing the whole family to LTTE wrath, jeopardizing their safety. Nowhere to turn, many choose to cry in silence.

For others, who are yet to be affected or have managed to be out of it, this is simply a collateral damage.   

Yes, you can't make an omelette without 'sacrificing' some eggs! They may say.

Even if they can't digest it, they sweep it under the carpet, not to damage the 'greater cause'.

But, one man decided to say 'Enough is enough'.

He courageously came forward 'voluntarily and under no compulsion, threat or fear' and wrote a letter seeking international help to get his niece, who was forcibly taken from home. But by giving details of his family living in the LTTE controlled area, he exposed them to the fury of the tiger. 

The cry for help seems to have fallen on deaf ears.

LTTE apologists can brush this off an isolated incident. They may even call him 'a traitor'. But this is only a tip of the iceberg. The magnitude of this crisis can only be comprehended with the LTTE's official slogan 'One per household for the Nation'. Each and every household is now affected by these abductions and forced conscriptions. The way LTTE recruits and trains these unwilling warriors shows that it is preparing to get them slaughtered on the frontlines, while experienced fighters defending the top leaders and their families.

This is a text book example of LTTE terror and a litmus test for IC and Norway. International community (IC), and especially Norway, has an obligation to the tamil people to intervene in this matter.

IC, so far, is calling LTTE to get back to the table, thinking that's the only way to achieve peace and rights for tamils. And LTTE is accusing IC for its inaction on tamils' plight. But now, tamils are suffering in the hands of LTTE. LTTE is denying the same rights to tamils it professes fighting for.

Immediately, IC and UN have to intervene and secure the release of the person abducted and bring the family to safety. And they have to investigate the allegations of forced recruitment. Only if IC guarantees the safety of these witnesses, others will courageously follow suit. If IC let them suffer in the hands of LTTE, no one will want to suffer the same fate. Protection for the witnesses is very important for others to come forward.

Above all, UN has to impose the 'targeted measures', if LTTE is unwilling to cease the practice. IC can not leave tamils at the mercy of LTTE.

Among the IC, Norway has a big role to play here. Norway is being singled out, since it seems to be the only one that has the direct line to God... or at least to his middlemen. Norway still makes 'routine' visits to Wanni to talk to the 'political leadership' about the CFA which itself was decalred 'defunct' by none other than LTTE.

Norway has an obligation to tamils for giving them much hope with its facilitations. After all, aim of the facilitation is to help achieve rights for tamils.

What is Norway going to say?

Is it going to protect innocent tamils by securing the release of the abducted girl and ensuring the safety of her family and investigating the widespread abuse?

Or is it going to conspire with LTTE to cover it up by washing its hands and saying 'This is beyond the scope and mandate of our mission'?

Time is running out. It is time someone acts before LTTE 'paved paradise and put up a' gigantic Great Heroes cemetary. Or even worse... a mass grave!

George R.Ckrushchev