Rajapaksa Security; Lankan

Insecurity
| by Tisaranee Gunasekara-AUGUST 21, 2014
Terrorists resemble one another: state terrorists, respectable
members of o!ernment, an" pri!ate terrorists, ma"men actin#$ in the name of
!arious o"s, %hether Go", &llah, or 'eho!ah#$ (o% much loner %ill %e inore that
fact that all terrorists scorn human life an" fee" off of one another)
*"uar"o Galeano +(o% ,uch Loner)-
+ &uust ./, .0/1, 2olombo, Sri Lanka Guar"ian - 3ionist ultras, the sort %ho "ecry
4inyamin 5etanyahu for "o!ish ten"encies, ha!e a ne% role mo"el: Sri Lanka$ ,r$
5etanyahu is bein ure" to learn from the Lankan e6ample of 7resolute use of military
force8 an" i!e (amas 7the thrashin it "eser!es8 $
5akba on%ar"s, Israel has %on e!ery %ar it %ae"$ &n" yet the 9alestinian issue
remains, a 7rin"stone of conflict8 %hich :crushes an" ero"es our li!es, our hopes an"
our humanity;, as the internationally acclaime" Israeli %riter <a!i" Grossman
lamente", last month $
The lesson is ob!ious: military !ictories are absolutely possible; military solutions are
absolutely impossible +barrin successful enoci"e, %hich is har"er to achie!e in
to"ay8s %orl"-$ Israel tops the Global ,ilitari=ation In"e6 $ It follo%s a policy of =ero-
tolerance to%ar"s those it "eems 7terrorist8$ It has an unfailin patron in the >S$ &n"
yet, peace an" normalcy continue to elu"e Israel$ &n" so lon as the 9alestinian issue
remains unresol!e", any military !ictory Israel achie!es %ill become a pyrrhic one
politically$
The Rajapaksas coul" ha!e learnt from Israel8s strateic failure an" opte" for a
"ifferent path, post-%ar$ 4ut they "i"n8t, because of i"eoloical con!ictions an"
political e6pe"iency$ So fi!e years after the annihilation of the LTT*, Sri Lanka
remains ra""le" %ith suspicion, hate an" "isharmony, a to6ic place in %hich see"s of
ne% conflicts are erminatin$
Sri Lanka an" Israel can in"ee" learn from each other, !aluable lessons on ho% not to
%ae %ars an" ho% not to buil" peace$
The Rulin Siblins, like their 3ionist fans, "o not accept the e6istence of an ethnic
problem$ They rear" Lanka as the Sinhala-4u""hist (oly Lan" %here the minorities
e6ist on sufferance$ 2onse?uently they consi"er minority rie!ances as illeitimate an"
inimical, ipso facto$ They see any minority 7problem8 as purely a national security issue,
%hich must be resol!e" throuh harsh la%s an" police@military actions$ The /Ath
&men"ment still e6ists, albeit in a !astly truncate" form, not because the Rajapaksas
accept the nee" for political "e!olution, but because they are loath to seriously
antaonise In"ia, yet$ The !arious Rajapaksa-attempts at craftin 7homema"e
solutions8 are merely e6ercises in pre!arication an" "eception$
Gotabhaya Rajapaksa reiterate" this %orl"!ie%, aain, in an opinion piece %hich
appeare" un"er his name in 9RIS,, the maa=ine of the 2entre for 2omple6
Bperations +22B- %hich is attache" to >S <epartment of <efence $ ,r$ Rajapaksa is
often the harbiner of the chanes his more astute brothers are plannin$ (is %or"s,
%ritten for an official &merican au"ience, are important in un"erstan"in %hat miht
befall Sri Lanka "urin a thir" Rajapaksa term$
The Gotabhaya <octrine
Gotabhaya Rajapaksa claims that :Sri Lanka must learn the lessons of its past, an"
ensure that history is not repeate";$ In"ubitably; but e!erythin "epen"s on ho% the
past is percei!e"$ &ccor"in to Rajapaksa-ren"ition, past "i" not contain 7Sinhala
Bnly8, Stan"ar"isation or other Sinhala-supremacist e6cesses$ *elam Car ha" no
political root-causes$ Tamil separatism %as purely a result of Tamil "esire for
separation$
Gi!en this perception of the past, the future can ha!e only one moul" D harsher la%s,
increase" militari=ation an" reater repression$
,r$ Rajapaksa i"entifies se!eral national security problems confrontin Sri Lanka$
The possible re-emerence of terrorism;$
Real Taret D T5& an" other "emocratic Tamils$
There are roups e!en %ithin the "emocratic mainstream#$$that obtain fun"in from
the LTT*8s international net%ork an" pro-LTT* elements o!erseas#$Thouh they
appear to ha!e a "emocratic face, their actions an" remarks clearly sho% that the
e6tremist separatist i"eoloy has not yet "isappeare"$ Their ultimate objecti!e is
achie!in the "i!ision of Sri Lanka$ &s a result of their actions an" statements, it is
!ery much a possibility that certain ra"ical elements %ill feel empo%ere" to once aain
attempt to take up arms in the name of separation$ This is a major national security
threat that nee"s to be taken %ith the utmost seriousness$;
It cannot be a coinci"ence that ,r$ Rajapaksa8s si"ekick 9rof$ Rohan Gunaratne
recently criticise" the o!ernment for allo%in the T5& to enae in politics, post-
%ar $ 9ost-election, this 7mistake8 miht be rectifie"; the T5& miht be proscribe", on
terrorism chares$
The emerence of other e6tremist roups8$
Real Taret D the 'E9@Southern opposition$
These are the remnants of the ra"ical roups that %ere in!ol!e" in pre!ious
insurencies$ Some#$$are tryin to#mobili=e people to once aain take up their
e6treme left %in causes$ There is information that some of these roups ha!e starte"
to establish ties to LTT*-linke" aents#$$ Some of their acti!ities inclu"e ra"icali=in
stu"ents an" encourain them to take to the streets in !arious protests$;
9ost-!ictory, the Rajapaksas miht unleash a %a!e of repression taretin political,
tra"e-union an" stu"ent acti!ists$ The more acti!e members of the >59 too can be
!ictimise"$ Bnly a pro-Rajapaksa opposition %ill be permitte"$
The %orsenin of ethnic "i!isions an" communal !iolence8$
Real Taret D ,uslims$
<urin the perio" of the %ar, it %as not only the Sinhalese an" Tamil communities
that %ere affecte" by the terrorist separatism of the LTT*, but also the ,uslims$ In
this en!ironment, the ,uslims also starte" to orani=e for their o%n protection aainst
the LTT*$ Since the LTT*8s "efeat, some of these roups ha!e beun to enae in
acti!ities that stem far beyon" self-protection$ There is information that some of these
roups ha!e e!en trie" to link up %ith lobal Islamic terrorist orani=ations#$ there
are some forein roups that %ish to encourae Sri Lankan ,uslims to i"entify
themsel!es more %ith the lobal ,uslim community#$$This tren" has been
particularly pre!alent in the post-September // %orl" in %hich a ten"ency amon
certain roups to try an" influence the lobal ,uslim community to%ar", reliious
e6tremism has become !isible$;
&nti-,uslim hysteria %ill be use" to keep the economically har"-presse" Sinhala
majority ?uiescent$ & bous ISIS-threat miht be use" to buil" an anti-Islamic bri"e
to ,r$ Rajapaksa8s a"opte" homelan", the >S&$
5on-tra"itional technoloy-"ri!en threats, inclu"in social me"ia8$
Real Taret D Rajapaksa critics an" %hate!er that is left of the anti-Rajapaksa
opposition$
The final threat#$is the emerence of ne% technoloy-"ri!en me"ia, inclu"in social
me"ia sites such as Facebook, T%itter an" other %ebsites#$$ Those %ith !este"
interests can e6ploit social me"ia, causin problems#$by circulatin certain i"eoloies
online an" mobili=in an" orani=in people$ This can be "one %ith a minimal physical
presence, an" therefore constitutes a threat that is "ifficult to contain throuh the
tra"itional tools of national "efense$;
2onclusion : :&lthouh Sri Lanka to"ay has no imme"iate re?uirement for offensi!e
military operations, it is of the utmost importance that security measures not be
rela6e"#$$ Still it is essential that the military remain in strateic locations throuhout
Sri Lanka$ 9articularly in the 5orth an" *ast#$;
The %ritin on the %all cannot be clearer$ 9ost-presi"ential poll, the Rajapaksas %ill
mo!e %ith utmost ruthlessness to neutralise all threats to familial rule an" "ynastic
succession un"er the uise of ensurin national security$ Cith suspicion, intolerance
an" hatre" enthrone" as patriotism, Sri Lanka %ill become a "isease" society at %ar
%ith itself, at in"i!i"ual, political, ethno-reliious an" class le!els$
1. http:@@%%%$jpost$com@Bpinion@Fun"amentally-Freun"-<efeatin-terrorists-
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2. http:@@cco$"o"li!e$mil@files@.0/1@01@SirILankasI5ationalISecurityIcorrecte"
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3. http:@@%%%$nytimes$com@.0/1@0G@.H@opinion@"a!i"-rossman-en"-the-
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5. http:@@cco$"o"li!e$mil@files@.0/1@01@SirILankasI5ationalISecurityIcorrecte"
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L$ It %as a ra!e error to allo% the T5& %hich ha" links %ith the LTT* to remain in
politics D 9rof$ Rohan Gunaratne D Lanka"eepa D ./$H$.0/1
G$ The other threats i"entifie" are The challenes of maritime security an" bor"er
control, The ro%th of orani=e" crime an" Forein Interference in "omestic
affairs$
9oste" by Tha!am