we have one of the best disciplined armies on earth. this was shown in the months since last december by its superhuman restraint in the face of unprovoked attacks from the ltte. it was the military that kept us from war. in the end it almost sacrificed its commander. its greatness will be shown again in the coming weeks. we should be proud of it and not be afraid to express that pride. leave the whining to people like morquendi who recently wrote a post about how he is sorry for the army.ms. morquendi, army does not need your sympathy, its you who need its protection. realize that before you argue again in the internet.
--
now lets see what the government should do next
government ordered limited air and naval strikes against ltte positions in ltte controlled areas and it is likely that it will continue with this policy of limited strikes in return for any major strike by ltte. its rather unlikely that there was any military value in the targets (though i am not absolutely sure about that). no, the intentions of those strikes were different .
they served two important purposes .
one of them is as a warning to ltte.
ltte was warned that by attacking the army commander they have overstepped the mark and similar attacks will be met with similar strikes. we might even see an attempt at an assassination of some prominent tiger leader by sri lankan special forces. as everybody know bunkerholed pussy lived in terror of our special forces before 2001. imo a bit of terror for him is certainly in order.
second purpose of these strikes is to assure the sri lankans that their government is not totally powerless and that its restraint in face of attacks should not be mistaken for weakness. such an assurance will lessen the tension prevailing in the country, so that when ltte commits its next atrocity, such as a terror attack against the civilians, chance of mob violence breaking out will also go down. that such a riot even if quickly controlled can be manipulated and inflated through propaganda into something like 1983 riot is a real possibility. especially when you consider that a small scale riot lasting 2-3 hours was almost made in to '83 by ltte propagadists and their biased ngo helpers (such as those in centre for policy alternatives-cpa) using false arguments, unsubstantiated claims, and reports plagiarized from pro ltte blogs.
however there are some obvious problem with this. the government must be very careful in its implementation.
in the first place it is highly unlikely that tigers will heed the warning and they will in all probability continue with their attacks. in fact these strikes are, at least partially, what they expected. it was their intention all along to provoke a response from the military or when that did not happen from sinhala mob. they hoped to use such a response as a justification for war. that they decided on a war somewhere in last year was clear from their election boycott on.
so it is of utmost importance that these strikes and possible assassinations be executed with minimal civilian casualties and aimed at ltte installations only. military should give best possible access to the media (especially foreign media) to cover these attacks from its side. that way any attempt on the part of tigers to get some sort of sympathy from exhibiting real or manufactured civilian casualties can be precluded.
meanwhile we should never let international community forget that it is the ltte that is making the provocations not the government. government should display accurately that it only responds as a last resort in a limited way. if we do that international community will continue to condemn the ltte for making the attacks and they will continue apply pressure on the ltte to come back to table as they have been doing for the past few months.
in such a situation ltte will still have to start a full scale war on its own responsibility or come back to talks a spent force. imo they will chose the former before they come back to latter but at least nobody will doubt that they are terrorists and needs to be treated as such.
23 comments:
hey dude, nice post.
SL Army is indeed our pride. Screw any1 who says nething other than dat about our army. Maybe deve made mistakes but in the end dere the people who protect us.
And yeah if any 1 wants to get me back by telling me to go fight or whatever, I'm sorry dat all I do is support my country's army and not actually fight.
I dont see how anyone can justify a random aerial bombardment of Tamil areas bcos suspected LTTE person blew up in Colombo. Govt is expediting the process of alienating Tamils and pushing them more towards the LTTE.
** Govt is expediting the process of alienating Tamils and pushing them more towards the LTTE.
reap what u sow. What else d u think the govt. can do to stay in touch with Praba's foolish games?
Keshi.
"...Just attack the 4 terrorist leaders similar to the way Israel is making targeted Attacks. Then no chit chat, no crying and no whisperin.."
yeah thats right. that's a real sucessful model to follow.
Deane J
Nice post sn. I don't think the aerial attacks have any military significance, except to keep the army from rioting perhaps.
Ideally, a few covert attacks on some top LTTE political/military figures would be better than these bombings. But something is better than nothing.
"such an assurance will lessen the tension prevailing in the country, so that when ltte commits its next atrocity, such as a terror attack against the civilians, chance of mob violence breaking out will also go down. "
Extremely good point. Well said overall.
i have and am going to continue to refrain from making any commentary on the situation that we're facing right now, politically, as i mentioned on indi's blog. i have noticed that getting into politically charged discussions don't work on the net, almost always everything you say gets horribly misconstrued by others who have opinions and are as stubborn about them as you are, everyone is passionate about their point of view and no one really agrees to disagree. you may have noticed that i'm one of the few regular bloggers that haven't made a post about the suicide bombing : it is not that i don't care, it is that saying things on topics like this are mostly futile because right now everything is vague and everyone is hurt and no one really knows what to think. in fact, neither do i. and there is more possiblity than not that, stemming from something i say, i'll be misinterpreted. i'd rather not have that.
however, i'll make an exception for this particular post. i do not think the sri lankan army is our pride. i'm not unpatriotic, i don't hate sri lanka or sri lankans, i am not pro-LTTE. i am not proud of the army, just like i am sure many tamil people are not proud of the LTTE, even though the LTTE claims to be fighting for their 'freedom', just like i am sure many americans are not proud of the bush regiment. i am not proud of war, violence or any establishment that condones or engages in violence or waging war. this is not to say that i don't believe that a nation under threat doesn't need the protection of authorities like the police, the army, the navy and the air force : that would be simply un realistic. to me, war and war wagers exist because that is what we have come to, it doesnt not exist by the choice of the majority of the human race and it doesn't exist for us to be proud of it. it simply exists. it is something i have to live with, one of the unfortunate realities and injustices of life and i am certainly not proud of it, but i do not deny it's necessasity in certain times. personally, i cannot be proud of the sri lankan army as a sri lankan or any other sort of army for that matter, because that would be against the morals, values and ethics i have been taught to live by.
ditto that last post !!
well said Electra :)
Maybe you could have this notion of not being proud of the Armies, if u lived in some kind of another world where no wars or terrorism existed.
Unfortunately none of us living anywhere in this world our safe or protected from this kind of thing. So I damn well am proud of the SLArmy.I believe dat da SL army is what protects the civilians, SL army is what makes colombo a safe place in order that your mom and dad can go to work and make money, to send you to school and care for u... SL army is who sacrificed dere soldiers in order that we Sri Lankans...live atleast the life we get to live.
Its true how fighting is not the proper thing to do. But unfortunately in the world we live in, the Forces are a necessity. For u it may seem like a necessary evil, and I would be lying if I say I dont see it that way...atleast a lil bit, but that does not keep me from being PROUD of the SL Army.
Here's another take on the subject.
http://secular-right.blogspot.com/2006/04/sri-lanka.html
Thanks to everyone for leaving comments.
anon at 4/26/2006 8:09 am:
don't confuse the war with army.
anon 4/26/2006 9:08 am:
I dont see how anyone can justify a random aerial bombardment
is it random? no.
Govt is expediting the process of alienating Tamils and pushing them more towards the LTTE.
i doubt this will make things any worse. as long as it is limited as possible it wont be. and this is certainly preferable to actual war with infantry fighting.
and as keshi asked, what else can government to do? army showed superhuman restraint so far.
keshi:
crashing herself to death just to prove a dumb point...that terrorists are nothing but terrorists! Poor woman, now that she's dead I wonder if she'll ever see what she wanted to see in this life. what a joke!
they are being made use of in order that a certain person (not a nation) may have his way.
My point is, these r women and men fighting for freedom?? For peace? For a separate nation for themselves? They cant even see beyond terror, how can they rule a separate nation? Does anyone here honeslty think that such barbarians would know how to run a nation let alone their own families?
a good point.
what kind of rulers will ltte be ? everyone should think about that.
janapathi:
Just attack the 4 terrorist leaders similar to the way Israel is making targeted Attacks.
only one who count is the prabhakaran. others may make good targets but will not ultimately matter. terrorist groups like hamas etc are different from ltte in that they do not have a single autocratic leader.
~cc~
yeah thats right. that's a real sucessful model to follow.
you are right israel i not completely successful in defeating terrorists there and their tactics wont win here, if p. himself is not killed but targeted assassination of ltte leaders is not a bad tactic.
just mal
to keep the army from rioting perhaps.
??
Ideally, a few covert attacks on some top LTTE political/military figures would be better than these bombings.
they take time.
ddm:
Well said overall
thanks
electra :
i have and am going to continue to refrain from making any commentary on the situation that we're facing right now, politically,.....i'll be misinterpreted. i'd rather not have that.
everybody gets misinterpreted (and not only on the net and not only on politics). imo that should not prevent us from expressing ourselves on any subject anywhere.
it is that saying things on topics like this are mostly futile because right now everything is vague and everyone is hurt and no one really knows what to think.
imo ppl in a democracy should think about politics not just after events like 25th.
this is not a heat of the moment post ideas here were expressed before and when reading others i have the idea that they were also results of long held ideas expressed at an appropriate moment, not random thoughts expressed without thinking.
i'm not unpatriotic, i don't hate sri lanka or sri lankans,
nobody said you weren't.
to me, war and war wagers exist because that is what we have come to, it doesnt not exist by the choice of the majority of the human race
i am not sure it does not exist by choice of the majority
and it doesn't exist for us to be proud of it.
it exist to protect us. we are proud of it . there is a difference.
it was also, in the context of this post, what prevented war from breaking out from december by taking huge number of causalities with discipline and restraint. we should be proud of that and express our pride
i cannot be proud of the sri lankan army as a sri lankan or any other sort of army for that matter, because that would be against the morals, values and ethics i have been taught to live by.
can we be proud of our values but not those who defend them? can we admire non violence but not be proud of the person who does not hit back when hit. can we be proud of our life but not of the person who is willing to lay his life down to protect it?
i do not think the sri lankan army is our pride.
it may not be yours but it is ours. :-)
savi3:
:-)
sla rox:
i agree with most of your comment . thanks.
anon at 4/27/2006 7:07 am.
thanks will check it out
**what kind of rulers will ltte be ?
Thats exactly is my question!
Keshi.
electra has posted her comment and some additions here
Totally agree with you on being proud about the army on the restraint they have shown. Nothing else.
I think more than anything they have been able to do that because of the type of leadership they have been given. Now by that, I do not refer to the higher level of leadership like the Generals and the President. But the lower level leaders, the middle management if you like. The Captains,Leftinents and so on who have been able to restraint there cadres in spite of so much provocation.I am suer they have had to have a lot of talking do.Lot of morale boosting to do. They are the people we should be really proud about.
keshi:
:-)
niroshan:
totally agree with you
its the lower leadership that makes the army what it is. these ppl have been to war and learned.
I hope you're proud of your Army killing civilians.
But wait, they're your Army. They protect the Sinhala people. And randomly killing Tamil people is a part of their job innit?
And Sittingnut, if you're so proud of it why don't you join it?
Actually, why don't you just get a job?
Observations by SLMM Head on Trincomalee & Sampoor
SCOPP Press Release, Fri 28th Apr 11:45GMT. Major General Ulf Henricsson, Head of Mission of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) met with Dr. Palitha Kohona, Secretary General of the Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process (SCOPP) this morning. Major General Henricsson offered his observations following his trip to Trincomalee and Sampoor on 27 April 2006.
He had had the opportunity to make first hand observations on the ground following the limited military operation launched by the security forces on 25 –26 April against identified LTTE targets in the Sampoor area, which had now come to an end. The Major General stated that in his judgment the “Sri Lanka Air Force and Navy had definitely targeted military positions and offices of the LTTE”. He observed that some collateral damage to property had taken place as some of the LTTE offices were situated in populated areas. Such collateral damage was not significant. In his estimation approximately 10 – 12 people may have died. He did not believe that 16 people had died as has been claimed in some reports.
On being asked about the reports relating to a mass exodus of people from the Sampoor area he stated that these were grossly exaggerated. It is normal for people to move away from military targets at times of conflict. Since the bombing ceased, people were slowly returning to their homes and villages. Secretary General, SCOPP assured that the GoSL will take all measures to facilitate the return and rehabilitation of people who had left their homes. He referred to the Essential Services Task Force headed by the Governor of the North and the East, established by the government to facilitate the delivery of essential services to residents of this area.
These observations of the Head of Mission of SLMM clearly support the fact that the security forces had been careful about avoiding civilian casualties. The government security forces had not launched attacks “deliberately and entirely directed at civilian settlements” as claimed by the LTTE (LTTE press statement, 26 April 2006). There has also been no mass displacement of persons from these areas as claimed by the LTTE. The LTTE claimed that as a result of the government’s action more than 40,000 people have been displaced and are languishing as refugees.
The Government Agent of Trincomalee has since confirmed that the total population of Sampoor is approximately 16,600 and that only a small fraction of the population left their homes during the military strikes.
This limited operation by the security forces which has now come to an end, was in response to a sustained campaign of LTTE terror attacks and specific attacks against the Sri Lanka Navy in the Trincomalee area. It was carried out as a deterrent to neutralize the threat posed by the LTTE to the harbour and key naval installations in Trincomalee.
morquendi
I hope you're proud of your Army killing civilians.
But wait, they're your Army. They protect the Sinhala people. And randomly killing Tamil people is a part of their job innit?
as i said i commend them for the restraint shown
so you have proof of random killing of civilians by the 'army'? :-)
if not you are making yourself ridiculous
slmm confirmed yesterday that military strikes were limited and aimed at ltte positions. see above
And Sittingnut, if you're so proud of it why don't you join it?
Actually, why don't you just get a job?
you still don't get it do you? army by showing restraint from dec to 25th prevented war and we are proud of that
and by limited strikes from 25th as explained in the post it was trying to achieve two useful purposes. we will see the results soon.
btw unlike you i have a job and a life.
if you had one you will appreciate what i was talking of instead of being incomprehensibly pro ltte.
ashanthi :
s/nut - you need to read some detailed reports on human rights abuses by the SL army.
and what does that prove?
does that prove they did not show restraint when attacked ?
does that prove ltte did not make daily attacks on military ?
why don't you answer those two questions before posting again.
ashanthi:
All depends on who is on the recieving end of the bullet, don't you think, restraint?
exactly so. didn't ltte kill soldiers during the period from dec to april 25th with out any retaliation sing claymore bombs etc.?
did military retaliate during that time ? no
As you are well aware, the ltte no longer control many of the people that they have trained to be soldiers.
so ltte is not responsible for that attacks. is that what you are saying ?
really ? well you are free to indulge in that fantasy, unfortunately nobody else do that.
You know we both agreed when we were working on the BPP that the first thing that should happen is that troops should be removed from Jaffna
so? what does bpp has to do with this.?
you cry for Sinhala soldier blood when they are killed, you don't cry for Tamil blood. That's not Sri Lankan - it's understandable but it is racist.
i don't cry for ltte blood but i do cry for tamil blood. you should know that read my former posts here. don't accuse me of racism .
i do not cry for everybody however, i don't cry for suicide bombers that is for certain.
I'm on the outside looking in & I don't share your predjudice.
your hasty judgments about sri lanka and sri lankans are quite evident as i have said before
or I'll send you another electronic ear bashing.
will try. but as you know i don't mind ear bashing from you :-)
you don't know how many emails i get for a day, i get hundreds. will try today. most ppl are angry with me for not replying.
as for indi and sophist :-)
you give them enough as it is
as for capitals, i wont read them :-)
you know i love you :-)
i love you too :-)
to ashanthi's hubby etc.
when i say i love ashanthi, i mean her, and not just for being sri lankan. :-)
an army cannot fight a terrorist outfit
i tink u need a political solution
just as we do in Kashmir
saby :
yes, but if they don't want it we will have war :-(
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