The several thousand Tamil civilians being placed in jeopardy by the LTTE as the end game draws to a close shows the LTTE’s persistent and callous disregard for its loyal supporting cast of civilians drawn into the separatist Eelam cause.

Pressured by the LTTE’s supporting diaspora, legislators and diplomats in countries like the US, Canada, UK and Australia where there are sizeable Sri Lankan Tamil populations, are calling on Sri Lanka’s government for a Ceasefire, without independently researching and familiarizing themselves with the LTTE’s operational strategies,which show clearly that to the LTTE, which has no concern whatever for the people under its control, other than for how innocents lured into LTTE service could be used in order for the Tigers themselves to survive, a ceasefire or truce is only a means to survive for future rounds of war. 

These internationals must surely know that they too are being used by the terror outfit as pawns, to assist the group during its “human shield” strategy.  Thus, the ”human shield” necessitates international groups to reassess their position as it becomes clearer that they must develop more nuanced strategies for supporting civilians while alienating the terror group.

The LTTE’s hope is that “intervention” in the guise of saving the civilians will somehow come to pass.  Whatever precautions the SriLanka Army takes to protect the remaining civilians, the final confrontation would doubtless be a harsh one, and would be the point at which the world would have to take the firm stand against terrorism’s ruses and support the Sri Lanka government. The “human shield” consideration should not supercede the routing of the terror group at this final stage, for it would leave a terrible example of the world’s incompetence, and lead to more widespread use of this terror strategy.

If the LTTE is allowed to succeed in using the ”human shield” in Sri Lanka, this will fast become the newest ploy used in copycat style by intransigent terror groups the world over. Sri Lanka with its long conflict and LTTE terrorist dimension, has become the laboratory and leader for the world’s terror outfits today, especially in the use of suicide tactics. In this scenario, it is critical that the world gets the Sri Lankan experiment to yield the right and desired results.  The dilemma for all concerned now, is how to deal with the inevitable killings as the army squeezes the “human shield” into the No-Fire Zone through the finals days of battle. The military has stated that it has an assured strategy for rescuing the civilians still left in the No-Fire Zone.
As always, prevention is better than cure, so the real answer to terrorism is to nip things in the bud so that terror groups never are given the chance to start up and flourish the way the LTTE had been enabled. Sri Lanka’s current regime is the first democratic government of the modern world forced to face the predicament of the terrorist “human shield”, and deserves special support from the international community of Human Rights organizations, Media and the Diplomatic communities during these excruciatingly difficult final days of confrontation between the military and the terrorists.

The bravery of Sri Lanka’s soldiers who gave their lives for the country and for their peoples will forever be etched in Lanka’s history, and as an example of a terrorist group acknowledged as the world’s most ruthless, being routed.  Sri Lanka’s history will record the excessive price in men and treasure paid by the nation for having kept the LTTE in business for so long, especially through a foolish Ceasefire Agreement that yielded territory and gave extended life to the LTTE.

Dr. Mahes Ladduwahetty 
(via e-mail)