Eric Solheim
Kumaratunge had been approached by the Norwegians, to arrange a truce with the terrorists, with the Norwegians in the saddle as facilitators; her reward allegedly was to be a million US dollars which is the cash component given personally to a Nobel Prize winner.
Most political observers agree that Norway played a dishonest role during Sri Lanka’s long drawn out campaign against terrorism; these same observers claim they see a similarity in today’s situation where much money is being thrown around to lubricate the circus of crossovers to the opposition.
Norway is a member of NATO - the US global military arm, the activities of which confounds the rationale for its establishment - and has been involved with the US in other suspicious ‘Conflict Resolution’ manipulations. Kumaranatunge, the horrible twin, reportedly flush with foreign funds, is credited with destroying the will of the people to fight terrorism in the country by staging ‘Sudu Nelum’ street dramas, throughout the country; she instilled fear in the people that the deadly terrorists were unbeatable.
Brainwashed by Kumaratunge, the people of this country discouraged their children into joining the military; those whose children had already joined the service were deceived by Kumaranatunge’s duplicity and parents made no attempt to stop their children deserting the ranks. There were times when the military could hardly sign ten persons into their ranks during recruitment drives at the height of terrorism.
The depleted military units - exhausted, overburdened and with many wounded in the ranks - doggedly fought on despite the odds; many brave sons and daughters of Sri Lanka were needlessly killed and maimed due to, critics say, the contemptible leadership of Kumaratunge; some describe it as downright treacherous.
The funds for the mind manipulating ‘street Kolamas’ were provided by Norway. Kumaratunge, as is often her style, spoke from both sides of her mouth; paying lip service to fighting terrorism while putting the larger part of her energies to weakening the military and creating the necessary ground conditions to justify negotiations and the surrender of land, sea and political control to the terrorists; she paid scant regard to the brave lives that were being senselessly sacrificed due to her duplicitous conduct.
Critics contend that a demoralized military was important for Kumaratunge; a dispirited military only strengthened her hand to call for a truce with the terrorists and that was a step closer to her dreams of pocketing the alleged one million US dollars for herself and a badge from Nobel which Norway had reportedly pledged.
With the Norwegians standing by in the wings, Kumaratunge dispatched a delegation to Delhi. With an Indian General Election around the corner - and an Indian sensitivity to Western intrusion into the region - a firm NO from Delhi in 1999, in response to a request from the ‘Chandrananda De Silva’ delegation to bring Norway in as a mediator in the hitherto internal problem of SL, saw Kumaranatunge’s dream of a million US bucks evaporate into thin air. In 2000 however, with Fjortoft’s ‘persuasive’ powers, for the first time in the history of the then 17 year war, Kumaranatunge internationalized Sri Lanka’s internal problem, bringing in Norway as a ‘mediator’.
This was the beginning of the fraying away of Sri Lanka’s sovereignty. Sri Lanka was now fair game for the US led Western International community.
In February 2002, Terrible, the other Evil twin, made his move; Wickramasinghe -Kumaratunge’s Prime Minister – signed the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) between Sri Lanka and the terrorists, on behalf of the government of Sri Lanka. The deal was brokered by Norway.
Norway with four other Nordic states (SLMM) were the ‘referees’, commissioned to monitor and make judgment on Sri Lanka’s conduct in the sovereign state of Sri Lanka.
Between the two, Horrible and Terrible ceded to the terrorists, nearly half the land mass of the island, 2/3 of the island’s coastline, virtual control of the island’s territorial sea and ensured the withdrawal of Sri Lanka’s military from locations vital for Sri Lanka’s defence.