The Hindu : Opinion / Letters to the Editor : Sri Lankan crisis

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Monday, May 04, 2009
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Opinion - Letters to the Editor

Sri Lankan crisis

The editorial “Sri Lanka: what needs to be done” (May 2) has rightly underscored the need for effective humanitarian pressure on the LTTE to release the civilians it is holding hostage in the do-or-die battle with the Sri Lankan security forces. The emaciated outfit is clearly unable to withstand the fierce onslaught. It is still not too late for the LTTE to lay down arms and pave the way for a negotiated settlement.

P.K. Varadarajan,

Chennai

While everyone is concerned about the hardship the Sri Lankan Tamils are undergoing, it is ridiculous on the part of the western countries to pressure President Mahinda Rajapaksa to declare a ceasefire. It has been conclusively proved that the LTTE is not interested in a peaceful and negotiated settlement of the decades-old turmoil. Mr. Rajapaksa has no option but to fight the LTTE.

It is one thing to ask for minimising, if not preventing, civilian casualties but quite another to mount pressure on the government to stop the war. It is important for India not to grant political asylum to top LTTE leaders, including Velupillai Prabakaran.

B.V. Kumar,

Nellore

The idea of a separate Tamil state in Sri Lanka may well have been mummified. But the Tamils’ aspiration for freedom and equality is very much alive. Colombo’s achievement of confining the LTTE to a seven square km stretch is only half the battle won.

The task of rehabilitating the Tamils and reconstructing the north which has been ravaged in decades of ethnic strife and terrorism, and working out a political solution which will address the genuine demands of the Tamils, is huge. Although President Rajapaksa has demonstrated a positive attitude on the issue, he would certainly need the support of the international community to rebuild the nation.

Sunieta Ojha,

New Delhi

Once the LTTE is decimated, the Rajapaksa government should show real compassion for the Tamils and their rehabilitation. By its words and deeds, it should assure them of a decent and dignified peaceful life with equal political and economic rights as the Sinhala majority. International aid agencies and donors should have more access to the war affected places. The LTTE’s ghost should not be used to deny the Tamils equal rights and opportunities.

G. Kulandaivelu,

Panruti

The ethnic problem eludes a solution because of the Sri Lankan government’s failure to understand the core issue. The rise of extremism in the island nation was a response to the ethnic bias of chauvinistic Sinhala elements. A separate Tamil Eelam is not a pipe dream but a way forward towards a permanent settlement.

D. Anandkumar,

Chennai

A large number of Sri Lankan Tamils have been uprooted from their homes for no fault of theirs. The LTTE should not only be pressured not to use civilians as a human shield but also to lay down arms and cooperate in finding a peaceful solution to the humanitarian crisis in Sri Lanka.

S. Janakiraman,

Coimbatore

I was shocked on reading media reports that it was the Indian government under Indira Gandhi that provided arms training to the LTTE and other Tamil militant groups in Sri Lanka. Do we have a moral right to blame Pakistan for giving military training to militants in Kashmir? India should apologise to Sri Lanka for blatantly violating the sovereignty of a neighbouring country and for being at least partly responsible for the atrocities committed by the LTTE against humanity.

S.P. Asokan,

Chennai

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