Monday, 26 June 2006

http://www.spur.asn.au/SPUR_20060626_Parami_Kulatunga.htm

SPUR Condemns the Tamil Tiger Terrorist Assassination of General Parami Kulatunga and calls for Zero Tolerance of Terrorism

Major General Parami Kulatunga

The legally elected President of Sri Lanka, His Excellency Mahinda Rajapaksa and the Government lead by the Prime Minister are obligated to provide the necessary security for all its citizens living in our blessed motherland, Sri Lanka. There is no possibility of hand-balling this responsibility to a third party as the responsibility lies fairly and squarely on the broad soldiers of the Executive President who is the supreme commander of the armed forces safeguarding the Nation against internal and external security threats.

SPUR unreservedly condemns today’s suicide-bomb killing of General Parami Kulatunga, the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army, a number of other officers and civilians. Areal bombing of LTTE targets is insufficient to counteract this dastardly act. It is time for the Government to suspend the CFA, ban the LTTE and carryout limited military action coordinated by the Joint Operation Command to provide security for the Nation. This is the least it could do to respect a gallant Army Commander, with over 30 years of dedicated service, who ultimately had to sacrifice his life in the line of duty to protect the territorial integrity of Sri Lanka. 

It is common knowledge that the Tamil Tiger Terrorists have begun Eelam War IV. Unlike on previous occasions, the LTTE has planned this time to launch the war on a number of unconventional fronts under cover of the Ranil Wickremasinha’s treacherous 2002 Cease Fire Agreement. Under the Eelam War IV strategy, the Tamil Tiger Terrorists since January 2006:

1.       Assassinate and ambush military personal throughout the Island as evidenced by over 500 deaths of military personnel including that of General Kulatunga.

2.       Indiscriminately kill Sinhala, Muslim and Tamil civilians in the North and East of Sri Lanka as evidenced by over 1000 civilian deaths including 70 killed in one day in Kebithigollewa in early June and 12 Sinhalese labourers executed in Welioya by shooting them in the head (Nazi style) after forcing the victims to dig their own graves in May.

3.       Attack Buddhist temples, monks and religious devotees to provoke communal riots by the civili population as evidenced by the week’s attack on the Somawathi shrine in the Pollonnaruwa district.

4.       Ethnically cleanse the North and East of Sri Lanka of the Sinhala and Muslim population as evidenced by the number of unceasing attacks on villages such as Awaranthulawa, Kok Eliya and Welioya abutting areas illegally occupied by the LTTE.

5.       Destroy non military economic targets as evidenced by the failed attack on Sri Lanka’s main sea port in Colombo.

6.       Spread misinformation to discredit the Government and denigrate Sri Lanka in the eyes of the international community as evidenced by the LTTE killing refugees inside a church in the Mannar district and then blaming the deaths on the military as a convenient diversion to the Kebithigollewa massacre.

The Tamil Tiger terrorists have responded to the President’s overtures for a cessation of hostilities by brutally snuffing out the life of General Kulatunga in a premeditated attack. The Government’s token response for LTTE’s violent actions in the past has been limited to air attacks that appear to have no discernable impact on terrorists. SPUR believes that the time for token gestures or limited reprisals has passed.

SPUR calls for Zero Tolerance of Tamil Tiger terrorist violence from now on and urge the Government to act on a number of fronts as follows:

1.       Isolate the enemy: Immediately reinstate the ban on the LTTE listing it as a terrorist organisation in Sri Lanka. All formal and informal contact with the group by anyone, including the Norwegians should cease immediately.

2.       Suspend the 2002 ceasefire: Launch a limited military attack against the LTTE to safeguard some of the areas threatened by the LTTE infiltrations in Sri Lanka’s North and the East.

3.       Educate the international community: Dispatch a ‘high powered’ parliamentary delegation to key countries around the world lead by the Prime Minister. The delegation consisting of Mr Anandasangaree the leader of the TULF, Ms Ferial Ashraff representing the Muslims, a representative of the UNF, the JVP and the JHU should leave immediately to explain the reasoning behind the Government’s action and to solicit unqualified support including military assistance to curb the menace of terrorism.  An experienced diplomat such as the retired General Janaka Perera, the current Ambassador to Indonesia, could provide the secretarial support for this delegation.

4.       Invite trusted parties within Sri Lanka’s Parliament to form a multi-party ‘Security Cabinet’: This small cabinet, chaired by the President, should be responsible for all military and economic activities and should run for at least one year or until the LTTE terrorist threat is neutralised.  

5.       Empower the military forces to control terrorism: The military should be empowered, resourced and equipped adequately to take decisive actions against the LTTE including the raiding of Tiger bastions in Killinochchi and Mullativu if necessary to restore democracy.

6.       Urge all civilians to be vigilant against potential attacks by terrorists on civil and economic targets: Launch a “be Alert - not Alarmed” type citizens initiative to flush out terrorists camouflaging as civilians in major towns such as Colombo, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya and Galle including investigating the merits of broadening the concept of “home guards” throughout the Nation to provide security for all citizens.

7.       Restore the currently suspended ‘Prevention of Terrorism Act’ immediately: This is required to empower the law enforcing agencies to act decisively with authority to provide security for all Sri Lankans.  

SPUR believes that a multi-pronged set of actions like the one proposed above is the only way to restore democracy and bring peace to Sri Lanka.

Since of recent, the Tamil Tiger Terrorists have always acted soon after one of their brutal terrorist acts by carrying out another brutal attack on Tamil civilians, and then blaming the military personnel to divert the world’s attention from the original brutal act. This was evident after the bomb blast that killed 70 civilians including children at Kebithgollewa. Soon after that the LTTE attacked a church in Mannar, threw a hand grenade at the church and coerced the sheltering people to blame the military for the attack.

We urge the Government to be vigilant for an LTTE attack on Tamil civilians to divert attention from Gen Kulatunga’s assassination. The Government must speak with one voice through its media unit and react quickly, proactively to alert the international community and especially media to LTTE’s gutter strategy.

The Government must act decisively. SPUR demands zero tolerance of Tamil Tiger terrorism.

Dr D Jayasuriya

Society for Peace, Unity and Human Rights in Sri Lanka (SPUR)

Reg No. A 003 07777 M

PO Box 4066

Mulgrave    VIC 3170

Australia

The URL of this Media Release is http://www.spur.asn.au/SPUR_20060626_Parami_Kulatunga.htm