Monday May 25, 6:10 am, Breaking news:
COLOMBO (AFP) – Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers have admitted for the first time that their leader was killed by government troops a week ago, but the remnants of the rebels appeared split over the future of their struggle.
Well, not so breaking. But the mainstream media appears to not be concerned with the ending of an over 30 year civil war. This is slightly surprising because in the struggle the United States finds itself in, with American forces under routine suicide attack...
...one would think we would care about the pioneers of the modern day suicide belt being defeated.
"We announce today with inexpressible sadness and heavy hearts that our incomparable leader, the supreme commander of the LTTE, attained martyrdom fighting the Sri Lankan government," Pathmanathan said in a statement on Sunday.
But in a telephone interview with the BBC, Pathmanathan said the Tigers, whose conventional army has been decimated, would now use non-violent methods to campaign for an independent ethnic homeland.
Why does an civil war in an island on the other side of the world matter to us? Well it mattered to Barack Obama 10 days ago:
WASHINGTON, USA (May 14. 2009) President Obama called on Sri Lankans to stop their war-crime tactics and stop the violence.
Obama: "I urge the Tamil Tigers to lay down their arms."
Many presidents have said similar things in the 30 year Sri Lankan civil war, but Obama is different in that... the Tamil Tigers actually DID it.
This news of the Sri Lankan victory against Tamils has significance in regards to the Taleban in the latest Swat Valley offensive. The Sri Lankan victory proves that in 2009 a paramilitary group with popular support by the civilian population in a specific region can be defeated by a strong central government.
Pakistan finds itself in a similar situation with the Taleban today. The Sri Lanka government practiced similar tactics in dealing with the Tamil Tigers as the Pakistani government did with the Taleban for many years. However the new ruling government in both nations recently decided to greatly escalate attempts to crush the resistance once and for all. The Sri Lankan government tactics in this new offensive were clear early on: Announce the military was moving into the area, civilians who fled were put into refugee camps, anyone who stayed was tasked with surviving a tremendous artillery barrage. The civilian death toll has also greatly escalated in the recent months.
Basically they killed everyone who did not flee the fighting.
War crimes and genocide accusations have been hurled at the Sri Lankan government. These accusations have been thrown at both Sri Lanka and the Tamil Tigers for years. But it appears the fighting is over in Sri Lanka.
From reports I have seen on BBC and heard on NPR, Pakistan's government is proceeding with the same strategy in their new offensive against the Taleban.
If Sri Lanka's example is a guide, expect the Taleban to be crushed by September 2009. We may be approaching the end of the paramilitary group known as the Taleban. They Taleban paramilitary forces are currently stuck between a rise in Nato troop deployment in Afghanistan, and a Pakistani military that is no longer quietly supporting them.
Do not be surprised if the Taleban falls this year as the Tamil Tigers did. Should Sri Lankan and Pakistani officials be prosecuted for war crimes in their violent crackdown on civilian areas that support the resistance forces? No. The United States also suffered a bloody civil war, and Lincoln never was brought before an international criminal court for his actions during Sherman's march to the sea.
UPDATE: "Sri Lanka's defence secretary has rejected the Tamil Tigers' offer to enter a democratic process after their military defeat by government forces." This is how its done, unconditional surrender. Pakistan should follow the Sri Lankan lead, and I believe they will.