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By V. S. Sambandan
Demanding "a change in the composition" of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, the Opposition said, "India and two other countries should be invited to carry out the monitoring of unlawful LTTE activities at sea". "We note with concern that the naval conflict is fast becoming a regional problem relating to movements in the Indian Ocean", the senior Opposition frontbencher, Lakshman Kadirgamar, told reporters here, expressing confidence that the proposal "will be well-received" by the Government of India. Mr. Kadirgamar, who had accompanied the President, Chandrika Kumaratunga, recently to India, said the subject was not discussed at any level during the visit. The latest Opposition demand comes after Monday's unilateral suspension of talks by the rebels as well as the backdrop of a spurt of naval incidents involving the LTTE's sea wing and a recent Initial Discussion Paper by the SLMM. The Opposition parties criticised the SLMM's idea that the Sea Tigers be treated as a de facto naval unit as "preposterous" and said the Mission was "contemptuous of Sri Lanka's sovereignty and is heavily biased in favour of the LTTE". While the Opposition named India, it had "not yet decided" on who the other countries would be for monitoring the LTTE's movements at sea. Malaysia, Thailand and China were the countries mentioned. "As recent incidents at sea have shown, grave damage could be caused, not only to the sovereign interests of Sri Lanka, but to the sovereign interest of our northern neighbour with whom we are linked, and will continue forever to be linked, by timeless bonds of history and common interest," Mr. Kadirgamar said. "India's concerns for the future of Sri Lanka in relation to her own interests deserve our respect and highest consideration," the former Foreign Affairs Minister who is presently Ms. Kumaratunga's senior adviser, said. India, which twice attempted to help find a negotiated political settlement, has maintained a distance since the withdrawal of the Indian Peacekeeping Force and later the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi. The LTTE remains a banned terrorist organisation in India and its leader, V. Prabakaran, a proclaimed offender. Both these attempts were marked by serious internal political differences as well as contradictory Tamil positions. The latest request is also to be seen against the backdrop of the ruling United National Front's line-up of an international safety net. One major criticism of the negotiations has been its exclusive nature of a dialogue between the LTTE and the UNP Government. Calling for greater inclusiveness in the negotiations, Mr. Kadirgamar said the Opposition parties called for "fuller and wider participation in the ongoing talks" of those who have legitimate claims to voice the aspirations of the various communities. The Opposition wanted the UNP Government "to insist that the LTTE should make a public declaration renouncing all forms of threat, duress and violence for continuing with the talks". It also wanted an "unequivocal statement" that "de-commissioning" would be an "indispensable part of the process of negotiation".
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