What have the LTTE’s NGO/INGO friends being doing in Sri Lanka?

Sri Lanka’s NGO/INGO sector number 3500 (7 per every square mile). Many of those who question the actions of these “humanitarian aid workers” base their argument on the type “work” that has been done by them, why they are unmonitored & why they lack transparency and impartiality. As the Sri Lankan armed forces march to liberate the North of LTTE hegemony what these NGOs/INGOs have been doing can be finally unearthed (pun intended) & expose who actually benefitted from their “humanitarian” kindness.

[ad#200×200]Many of the NGOs/INGOs present in Sri Lanka have benefitted by the continuing conflict in the country -the conflict being the very reason why they continue to remain. The 2004 tsunami was another reason for a further influx of NGOs into Sri Lanka & four years on it seems the tsunami victims are still without homes though less than 125,000 were displaced & the number of NGOs entering Sri Lanka is ever increasing.

The NGOs/INGOs have enjoyed camouflaging their reason d’etre behind a crusade to depict Governments as being unconcerned for its citizens most of all the minorities. Sri Lanka’s case has been no different.

Presently we have a chorus of NGOs/INGOs denouncing the decision by the Government to relocate (local & foreign staff) from Kilinochchi to Vavuniya. The Government has gone the length by even offering to continue what they have been doing, if a list of all their activities is given to the Government.

Furthermore the NGOs/INGOs have even been invited to join the Government convoys in overseeing the delivery of essential items to those displaced. Those accepting the “humanitarian disaster” forecast as an eventuality to the removal of NGOs/INGOs are perhaps ignorant of the fact that none of the distribution to civilians at any point of time was directly done by any of these NGOs/INGOs – the distribution of food items etc has always been channeled through the Government Agent including all contributions given by WFP & other agencies.

This is however contrary to the statements being publicized internationally – Sam Zarifi, Amnesty International’s Asia Pacific Director, said: “Aid agencies provided a lifeline to tens of thousands of trapped civilians. If aid workers are pulled out of the region, food, shelter and sanitation supplies have even less chance of reaching civilians most in need.’ There are others who cite concerns of monitoring of the items – even this argument does not hold true as there is enough evidence to prove that much of these UN & WFP consignments lie in LTTE hands – a consignment of ready-to-use high protein biscuits (a shelf life of 4 years & usually used by combatants) belonging to the World Food Programme bound for Vavuniya was apprehended by the Police in Medawachchiya. Only a few days back a UN bound lorry to the North was found to have a hidden catchment of arms.

As was to be expected the Government’s decision to liberate the East generated the same “humanitarian disaster” scenario by these NGO/INGOs – it turned out to be just a hallucination for none of what was projected to happen actually happened. If there were no genocide by the Sri Lanka armed forces in liberating the East & facilitating the Government to conduct democratic elections why would these NGOs’ clamor to paint a picture of genocide in the North especially when the Jaffna peninsula under Government control has over 35,000 troops stationed there? If genocide is the preferred topic then LTTE again must shoulder the blame for a series of low-intensity genocide massacring innocent Sinhalese & Muslims & even Tamils. There were times when Sinhalese & Muslims were living in the North – some would say that during the Sinhala New Year the Tamils would have no bread in Jaffna as the bakerys were all run by Sinhalese & had closed for the holidays. So Sri Lanka should not be surprised when the same “humanitarian disaster” scenario is now been projected to take place in the North – a dwindling area of 4000 sq.km that is being forcefully held by the LTTE & which the Sri Lankan forces are determined to return to the State of Sri Lanka.

Returning to the “looming humanitarian crisis” of possibly 200,000 Tamil people, have those pointing their accusing finger at the Government not asked “Where are these people located”? – They are trapped in the areas that LTTE has demarcated as their own. These are innocent victims of LTTE rule – they either have to provide administrative support to the LTTE or sacrifice a family member when LTTE falls short of cadres in the battleground.

A few placards in English aim to tell the world of what would happen if these “humanitarian workers” vacate Kilinochchi. Many of those not living in Sri Lanka would understand that the people in the North wish to have protection of these NGOs/INGOs but little do they wonder who they are seeking protection from? These people are living in LTTE controlled areas – it implies that these people wish to have the presence of these NGOs/INGOs to protect them from LTTE in which case we must immediately ask why are these NGOs/INGOs keeping silent & prefer instead to join the chorus of anti-Government bellows, when they realistically should be pressurizing the LTTE to allow these innocent people & local employees of their organizations to be released.

If they were really concerned about the welfare of these innocent people why do these NGOs/INGOs not tell the world especially the UN & the Donor Countries to demand that all Tamil civilians in LTTE areas be free to move to safety where the Government is ready with essential items enough they say to last for 6 months? Surely the vehicles of the NGOs/INGOS can accommodate at least the women & children in their journey to Vavuniya? Why didn’t a single NGO/INGO make a request or demand to allow the children & women as well as the elderly to accompany the UN vehicles towards Vavuniya? Instead it has suited all to solely blame the Government.

Is Sri Lanka ungrateful to NGOs?

If Sri Lankans feel they have a right to question the ethics & standards of these “impartial” & “transparent” agencies & their humanitarian workers there are plenty of examples to show why there is so much distrust. We can recall how even Kofi Annan visiting the tsunami hit areas of Sri Lanka issued a statement of condolence on 7 February 2005 for Kausalyan a low level member of the LTTE, fully aware that the LTTE was very much a proscribed militant outfit not to mention that the UN has enough of documentation against the LTTE for child recruitment.

There are many who would opine that Sri Lanka is ungrateful to the UN/the INGOs & other NGOs presently involved in various development & humanitarian programs in Sri Lanka. As a developing nation, saddled with a conflict that has drawn on for over 25 years due to lack of proper leadership, we naturally must be grateful to the hand outs of aid etc that have been given. But realistically much of this aid has never really been free – whatever financial assistance we get from the World Bank or the IMF have necessitated that we align to their Structural Adjustment Programs (SAP) which means we must fall in line with any privatization programs to pay back all loans with plenty of interest. This is the way free market economies run – these loans may have provided immediate monetary assistance but the eventual burden falls upon the common man thus we see moves to privatize water etc. Thus, the developing nations as a whole are all servants of SAP programs that essentially mean more & more privatization of national assets. Ironically we see the contrary taking place in the West where financial crisis has now left these developed nations with no other option but to nationalize.

But then how have these NGOs/INGOs been suddenly associated with the LTTE? It was often said that the mistrust in NGOs/INGOs operating in Sri Lanka was baseless & lacked any evidence & more often on hearsays. When the Norwegian People’s Aid, a Norwegian Government funded NGO says its heavy earth moving vehicles, trucks & tractors have been “stolen” by the LTTE – those who know of NPA track record will immediately recall how NPA was party to the secret smuggling of arms to an insurgent group (Sudan’s People’s Liberation Army) in Sudan. Viewing the massive bunkers that the army have taken over, the trenches that delay army advances it is very easy to assume that these trenches, bunkers etc could not have been built overnight – which immediately necessitates that if these vehicles etc were “stolen” it should not have taken till the army’s advancement to actually inform the Government. Many of these NGOs enjoy putting forth figures & reports of what they have done obviously to generate more funds. If we cant see development in these areas we can perhaps assume where these funds have gone!

The soldiers who overran the Stanley Base and other camps found electricity generators, water pumps, tents, water dowsers belonging to INGOs (Media Centre for National Security).

Despite the presence of over 25 aid & humanitarian agencies in the Wann, no impressive construction work was visible as pointed out by the military on liberating Vannerikulam, Vidalathivu, Thunnukkai & Mallavi. So where has the aid given by donors & charitable hearts gone? Very little pressure has even been exerted on the LTTE to really release the local staff attached to the NGOs/INGOs & UN Agencies – it does immediately bring to mind the fate of the local staff of the Action Against Hunger which instead of accepting accountability for not removing their employees from a conflict zone when all others had gone to safety, these staff members were forced to remain & eventually Action Against Hunger found it very convenient to blame the Government troops for their deaths.
We were also made aware of Norwegian training in Thailand for LTTE sea tigers. There was also speculation of Norway’s role in providing sophisticated satellite & communication equipment to the LTTE during the 2002 truce.

In another twist the media informs of a senior manager from the Zoa Refugee Care putting his lot with the LTTE & not joining the rest of the foreign staff in Vavuniya. Plenty of confusion here because the Zoa head is now denying anything of the sort occurring. The civilians who managed to escape LTTE rule who witnessed the fall of the LTTE plane killing its two pilots have given further vital information that the flight was manned not by LTTE but mercenaries – a Ukranian & another. So we are dealing with much more than an “ethnic” “discrimination” scenario.

Many of these western NGOs have a delusionary outlook of the situation in Sri Lanka. They should by now realize that what ails the country is not the straightforward black & white problem they have witnessed in their climes. There is a bigger combination involving caste / class / differences between Jaffna Tamils – Eastern Tamils, the Christian factor – all forms of differentiations that actually divide the Tamils which are yet to be resolved. Before going on to a pedestal of self-determination with none of these exposed & resolved it is futile in carving out a piece of area & placing it in the hands of an armed group that will kill all those that oppose their line of thinking which is exactly what happened to over 55 Tamil leaders in the past.

There are many who enjoy projecting the “racial” discrimination theme & the LTTE have used this tool for their propaganda & to justify their right to take up arms. The Tamil leaders in 1945 were quick to point out to the Soulbury Commission that the Sri Lankan Tamils were discriminated against – however, here lies one of the most important & often unquoted examples the Soulbury Commission in fact determined that the “measures taken by the Government of Sri Lanka were not deliberate efforts to discriminate against the Sri Lankan Tamils, but instead, were measures adopted to rectify past injustices, perpetrated on the larger Sri Lankan nation”. “Injustices” to the Sinhalese by the colonial rulers throughout their reign.

Secessionist thought should not encourage NGOs to be naïve or ignore the fact that they are sympathizing with a fascist dictator who runs an illegal & illegitimate campaign & moreover these crusaders of peace & humanitarian issues should not close their eyes to the fact that the men they are sympathizing with are breaking the very laws the NGOs are supposed to uphold – is not child recruitment against UN Convention where it specifically states that a child should not be separated from his/her parents? We have heard enough of laments about the humanitarian situation following the army’s advance towards the North but we have not heard any lament over LTTE’s kidnapping of children & turning them into child soldiers….this is where we question the hypocrisy of these NGOs & INGOs.

These NGOs could be cooperating with the GOSL & working out programs to train the soldiers to understand their larger role in bridging the divide instead of immediately descending upon a sovereign nation & taking on an anti-Government agenda, with provocative actions as was done by Julian Wilson & his handling of the visitors of the European Parliament wherein he refused the Government’s offer of air transport to the East citing his wish to be “impartial” –lest he should offend Prabakaran possibly.

Then having an aircraft to fly from South Africa just to make an one hour journey to the East which never materialized because the aircraft had no clearance from the authorities & besides the crew were clueless of how to get to the East. Wilson’s actions was a surprise to even a member of the delegation – a Conservative British MEP Geffory van Orden stated, “the Delegation leader held a press conference and issued an offensive and tendentious press statement – effectively a biased statement that only served the interests of the LTTE, which certainly did not reflect the views expressed by the European Parliament, and which implied that the authorities were responsible for the failure of the visit to the East. Not surprisingly, there was extensive and very negative press coverage and the reputation of European Parliamentarians has been damaged.”

What we all wonder is how these NGOs can go beyond their official mandate – those that are supposed to bring food & medical aid in a terrorist-occupied town are soon involving themselves in the dynamics of the conflict without Government approval thereby making the scenario more complicated & more difficult to comprehend or assess exactly what they are doing in these areas. Should any sovereign nation sit silent while these unaccountable NGO elements dictate terms on how to run a country? By creating instability or projecting such internationally what these NGOs actually do is to ensure the longevity of their organizations & domination in the countries that they set up office in remains intact. Let us not forget that the on-going conflict is a major reason for the growing presence of western NGOs in Sri Lanka, which has now effectively evolved into a strategic foreign policy of western nations to fund these NGOs to carry out their agendas.

Having said that, we must appreciate the actions taken by the US Government which has proscribed the LTTE as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, under Section 219 of the Immigration & Nationality Act & was re-evaluated on 2 Nov 2001 & including the LTTE as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) under Executive Order 13224. 32 other countries have also banned the LTTE yet there are many NGOs that continue to publicly promote the LTTE & their “cause”. Canada has banned the World Tamil Movement – a “charitable” & “human rights” organization for links with the LTTE & providing funds to them.

Countries that provide a strong base of support for LTTE activities abroad include Canada, the U.S., and the U.K. (ironically the same western countries whose governments have denounced the LTTE). These countries are incidentally home to large Tamil immigrant communities & will explain why some of the parliamentarians in these countries opt to champion the “ethnic” problem to ensure they have the votes to remain in parliament.

When humpty dumpty falls….?

The eminent fall of Kilinochchi so far regarded as the de facto capital of Tamil Eelam will be a political victory for the Sri Lankan Government. The military victory will come when Mullaitivu also comes under State control & that will be the next target of the advancing troops. Many predicted the LTTE would pull out one of its famous comebacks something more than the gas that the army has been equipped to handle. With the looming fall of the LTTE – we hear that Tiger leaders are escaping, some even facilitating their escape but in the days & months to come we will see how far the cadres can withstand the pressures when their leaders have deserted them.

Many of the local & foreign NGOs/INGOs that sympathize with the LTTE cause have now skipped to the notion that the LTTE will still survive as a guerilla outfit – how much that would bring in foreign funds is another argument altogether but it depicts the desire of those who have benefited by the existence of the LTTE to consider ways in which their livelihood can still be maintained – the only possible outcome is to now tie themselves to “development” programs & avoid the “peace brigades”. There are some others who have been quick to foresee what’s to come & are quickly promulgating another theme by conveniently stacking the blame upon Prabakaran for “failing” them & attempting to realign their “cause” into a different modus operandi.

It will come as no surprise to see elements of NGOs also involved in a newly articulated quest still with the desire for “self-determination” very much alive. But, the people having undergone 30 years of hardships should ask whether they wish to carry the burden another 30 years just to have a handful of wealthy Tamil leaders prospering from the situation? This by & large will answer what has happened to the majority of Tamils who lived amidst the conflict in both the North & East. The Tamils outside of these areas never suffered – they educated themselves, they received employment (foreign & local), they are amassing their wealth & obtaining property. It is time for the people of the North & East to not allow any more of their Tamil leaders to fool them into paying for a “dream” that they have which will benefit only them right through the process even though it is unlikely to materialize.

If we raise an eye brow & claim that the present set of Tamil parliamentarians are proxy LTTE – it is amply shown in the 2002 statement by TULF Secretary General – R. Sampanthan – “Mr. Anton Balasingham explained the position of the LTTE. The need of the LTTE and the TNA to work united was accepted by all participants. The exchange of views took place in a cordial atmosphere. In conclusion the LTTE leader Mr. Pirapaharan hosted all participants to dinner”.

The people of the North should ask why the Tamil diaspora choose to arm militants for 30 years instead of developing the North? Why they prefer bloodshed even now? Why did they not sponsor a child’s education, a village reawakening program instead of pump money towards arming a group & instructing them to kill? Surprisingly enough it is the Sinhalese who are now collecting food items & other essentials to be given to these Tamil people who have lived all these years as hostages of the LTTE & who have braved the journey to escape the LTTE. The photos of IDPs accepting the parcels of infant milk powder etc depict that the majority have actually broken the negative image that the LTTE has created about the Sinhalese.

If these NGOs/INGOs have been misinformed or misled about the conflict it can be corrected but if they are functioning with the motive of championing a separatist state by aligning themselves to an illegitimate & proscribed group then a sovereign nation has every right to take stern action against them.

By Shenali Waduge
– Asian Tribune –