People talk about "Indian model", "Chinese-Hong Kong model" and to innovate a "Sri Lankan model" as a solution to the North-East crisis. But, before thinking of a model for devolution of political power, can't we adopt the "Sudan Model" to end the violence in the country?
Many peace advocates preach it's too late to talk about dis arming the LTTE, but is it true? I believe it is a myth, all these tiger sympathizers trying to establish as a truth, just like the myth of "LTTE is sole representative of Tamils".
People say what we have here is a civil war. In a civil war, one party bearing weapons is the civilians. So, Sudan's case is the civilians are the tribes carrying weapons. Applying the same principle, if we are also battling a "civil war" who are the civilians? I haven't heard so far that any intellectual saying what we have here in SL is not a civil war. So, definitely LTTE is going to be the set of "civilians" bearing weapons in our case.
So, why some one says it is impossible now to expect LTTE to lay down their weapons? International community urged Sudan's "civilians" to lay down weapons. They expect same from the IRA, Hezbollah or the separatists in Indonesia. Then why the hell aren't they urge for the same thing in Sri Lanka?
At present tigers are experiencing heavy losses in ongoing battles, and they are quickly running out of their "stocks" of weapons. So, they are doing their best to bring in more "supply" to the country. At the same time, LTTE is having heavy barriers to their free flow of weapons into the island. Recently US federals blocked a load of weapons, and the same thing happens all over the world.
If this continue like this; heavy losses to tigers in ongoing battles, and cutting the supply of weapons from overseas, sooner or later tigers will think of adopting their "good old strategy". "Walking into the peace table". They have done so many times before, when they run out of military strengths, and replenish their strengths while sitting on the negotiation table. This time also there's a huge possibility for the same thing happen. All the tiger sympathizers are urging for a truce, just to give a push towards that scenario.
But!
This could be the last opportunity for any Sri Lankan government to urge tigers to lay down weapons. GOSL have given ample time now to tigers to come back to peace table. They have denied it time and time again. But, next time when they volunteer to come into a truce, GOSL should set a condition!
"You should lay down your weapons, to make it a real truce this time"
Now, the same set of people who advocate "It is too late to urge tigers to lay down weapons" would laugh at me.
But, GOSL have all reasonable excuses to set such a condition, given that the tigers have denied ample opportunities to sit in the negotiation table even as a military organization (carrying weapons) through out last 3 years. And the model set by Sudan is a good example for this. Even though the causes of civil wars are different from Sudan to Sri Lanka, it's still a civil war. So, civilians should lay down weapons before sitting for negotiations. Fair enough!
