As the armed forces move nearer to Kilinochchi, the defensive measures brought to bear against them get ever more intense. They also tend to lose sight of rationality. Thus, over the last few days there has been an extraordinary escalation of allegations about an incident that took place in the early hours of Saturday November 29th.

By December 1st, TamilNet claims 'Three bombs exploded first time. Second time, when the bomber returned after 5 minutes from the opposite direction, there were 3 more blasts. But, the third time, bombs exploded with a parachute effect, like an auto explosion,' said the head of the camp of the Internally Displaced Peoples (IDPs) that came under indiscriminate attack by the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) in the early hours of Saturday. Many children fled into the jungle during the five-minute window before the aircraft returned for the second attack. If not for the fast action of Ketheeswaran, the head of the settlement, and Pulendran, an intrepid IDP, in escorting and moving IDPs away from the refugee camp, the cluster bombs would have wrought havoc killing many, according to the refugees who escaped. TamilNet interviewed both Ketheeswaran and Pulendran, and several wounded civilians for this feature.' 

Heroes and buzzwords 

Having heroes who can identify a parachute like effect in darkest night is certainly a tremendous advance on the anonymous informants of previous days. In the first report, it is just unnamed medical authorities who are quoted as claiming that the episode was a 'terrible midnight aerial attack on refugee camp'.   They are replaced the next day by unnamed eyewitnesses who could it seems identify OFAB cluster bombs, and discuss the capacities of MiGs - again Russian, obviously seen as an emotive buzzword, replacing the Ukranian Kfirs of the previous day. By the third day, details are thorough, three separate sorties, a five minute window to explain why casualties were so low despite cluster bombs being used, even a suggestion that the cluster bombs were an afterthought.

Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha

Secretary General Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process

Some of the pictures that accompany the TamilNet stories are horrifying, though most of those injured seem likely to recover soon. This does not mean that the Sri Lankan Air Force can be absolutely certain that there was no collateral damage. But, in a context in which generally planes carry only a couple of heavy bombs intended to do maximum damage to military targets, when there seems a desperate attempt to use as many buzzwords as possible (Russian equipment, cluster bombs, indiscriminate bombardment, indiscriminate attack, one of the deadliest, indiscriminate non-nuclear weapons on the planet, genocidal attack), one assumes a discriminating audience would realize that the reality is very different from what is projected. 

Human Rights Watch as an auxiliary force

The multiple use of the word 'indiscriminate' brings to mind Human Rights Watch, which first apart from the LTTE propagated this canard. Sure enough, HRW, having launched its assaults on the Eastern Province last week, returned to the North, with another memorable fusillade, in which it demanded that 'The Sri Lankan government should stop playing games with aid organizations'. Evidently, HRW thinks that the agony Sri Lanka forces are going through, trying to breach the Great Wall of Kilinochchi that was so painstakingly built with equipment taken in by aid agencies, is a game. This may to HRW be lifesaving work, but others would recognize that it has caused death and destruction.

Lifesaving work continues, led by Sri Lankan government agencies, supported by the UN and all those aid agencies who have decided to assist without sitting on their high horses and demanding a monitoring role they showed themselves quite incapable of fulfilling. The ridiculous creature who, as part of his campaign against the Sri Lankan government, flourished in Geneva a document in which the LTTE demanded that civilians dig bunkers, was just one in a line of romantic vitalists, as Nietschze was described, who end up prescribing destruction in pursuit of sentimental goals. Enrolling as an aid worker in particular contexts seems to suit such personalities, detracting from the genuine good work most aid workers do.  HRW itself has created a world in which humanitarian operations are restricted, not bothering to consult actual workers on the ground, or the last report the UN issued after its visit to the area. HRW asserts that 'the restrictions on humanitarian operations have prevented the distribution of India's aid to date', obviously not concerned about the cyclonic conditions that led to delays. Sadly for HRW, its assault was published in Sri Lanka on the very day the first tranche of Indian aid went in. It is unlikely, however, that HRW will now apologize to the Sri Lankan government, and concentrate its fire on God instead for the inclement weather - just as it is unlikely that TamilNet will attack God's indiscriminating rain for claiming the lives of two flood victims in Mullaitivu last week, as duly reported by the Government Agent. 

It is now forgotten that it was precisely in the years after the referendum (celebrated it should be noted by those who now criticize a democratically elected government) that we had our worst period of governance. Remembering all that, we need to be very wary of those who try from outside to tell us what is acceptable, since what is acceptable to their agenda is not what will benefit the Sri Lankan people.

Rajiva Wijesinha