HOLLOW VICTORY IF WE DO NOT UNITE

We thank the President of Sri Lanka and its armed forces for this quick and efficient way the civilian hostages were rescued. This might be a lesson for the large western powers including the US, to learn from these folks how they minimized collateral damage in the war zone.

In war this is not new. One can go back to the second half of the seventeenth century, when the international community tried to limit the suffering of civilians and ‘Human Shields”. In recent history, human shields were used by a Unionist commander in the American civil war. Similar practices were carried on by the British during the South African Boer War, by the French in the Franco-Prussian war and both the Germans and British in World War I and II In the very recent times, cases were reported in the Iran-Iraq war, the Gulf War, The Nato campaign in the former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, the Russia-Chechyna conflict, the second Gulf-War, and the Palestinian conflict. Today we hear the same thing happening in Afghan-Pakistan border war, Swat valley, where human shields are used by the Taliban, and the NATO forces are killing many civilians in spite of smart bombs and smart missiles! In Sri Lanka many thousands of civilians were used by the Tiger Terror outfit, and Sri Lankan army very carefully and efficiently taking well over two months to clear 5 square miles of land killed mostly all the terrorists and few hundred civilians, in spite of all the care.

We hear that the EU is trying to pass a resolution condemning Sri Lanka for the way they eliminated the Tiger Terrorists. We do not understand these EU leaders -when they go an attack other countries with impunity, and kill thousands literally the world over, it seems the rest of the world has to take it lying down. But when a democratically elected government like Sri Lanka handles its internal matters, then the western world is up in arms. Nobody gives a hoot for your bellicose warnings.

I might suggest to the leaders of SAARC, to pass a resolution in their group condemning the actions of the EU and praising how Sri Lanka with tenacity and grit against all pressures went against them and at last beat the terrorists in their homeland.
We in the US and especially the Obama administration should learn from Sri Lanka and go forward fighting the Taliban and Al Qaeda. Let me remind the Obama administration that Sri Lanka fought a bigger threat alone and without US and EU money and arms and beat the most RUTHLESS GROUP in the world.

Finally let me remind the Sri Lankan government it is time now for them to go forward and begin implementing the 13th Amendment of the Constitution, working hard to reunite the displaced people, after clearing the land mines and booby traps left behind by the Tigers and above all ,as said by the President of Sri Lanka to hold parliamentary elections as soon as the conditions warrant, so these folks who have been denied a voice by the ruthless Tigers now can begin the process of reintegration and nation building with the rest of this great country we all call paradise.

Thank You.
Dr C.K.Fernando
Chairman- Sri Lankan Americans for Obama. Com