Last chance to save the country

The military defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam has offered the rulers of war-torn Sri Lanka what is perhaps their last chance to learn from past mistakes, take immediate action to reconcile with all their people and move the country forward to the benefit of all.

Therefore, the need of the hour is for genuine measures meeting the aspirations of not only Tamils, but Muslims, too, who suffered a great deal though they were not party to the ethnic war. If reconciliation does not take place, it will be a disaster for generations to come, to the detriment of all but the warmongers and merchants of death who thrive on others' misery.

Only a month ago, defeating the Tigers, who were hell-bent on creating a racially segregated Tamil state in the north and east of Sri Lanka, seemed like an unattainable goal.

However, this became a reality over the weekend, when Velupillai Prabhakaran and his top leaders, including his son, were reported to have been killed and the Tigers were finally smashed after years of fierce fighting with the government forces.

The Tigers perished, proving once again the old adage that those who live by the sword die by the sword. The government's announcement of Prabhakaran's death and the Tigers' destruction brought relief and joy to the entire country, which had lived in fear for more than a quarter of a century.

The response was spontaneous and, as expected, there was jubilation all over - including among some Tamils in the north who had suffered under the Tigers' oppression.

Unlike in the past, there was no violence during the celebrations and the authorities have taken adequate precautions to ensure public safety. Throughout its military campaign against the Tigers, the government was very careful to point out that it was not at war with the Tamils, and thus the defeat of the insurgents was not the defeat of the ethnic group they claimed to represent.

Nevertheless, some Tamils in the north were demoralised that the group that had sought to 'liberate' them had been crushed without achieving anything concrete after a quarter century of death, destruction, untold misery and suffering. They feel that they are in a worse plight today than they were three decades ago when the Tigers took up their armed struggle.

Almost a million northern Tamils now live in all corners of the world. Some of them have gained economically and improved their living standards. Nevertheless, they have lost a great deal as second and third generations in the diaspora have slowly been absorbed into societies in their host countries, cutting them off from their roots.

The Tigers, who came to be because of the political decisions of the ruling elite and its determination to remain in power, antagonised the entire country, including its own people, with its atrocities. Its oppressive policies, including the forced recruitment of child soldiers and extortion, incurred the wrath of its own people.

The Tigers 'ethnically cleansed' the Muslim population from the north. In Jaffna, Muslims were driven out of their homes and lands with only two hours' notice, the clothes they were wearing and 150 Sri Lankan rupees (Dh4.79).

Even a two-month-old baby's milk bottle was taken away. For the past 19 years, more than 130,000 Muslims have suffered in refugee camps in appalling conditions. In the east, Muslims lost their land, their livelihood and their lives. In some instances, bodies were burnt so that they could not be properly buried.

The Tigers were offered several opportunities to abandon the armed struggle and enter into mainstream politics and signed numerous agreements with successive governments. However, they failed to take up these opportunities due to their uncompromising approach.

Meanwhile, developments on the international political scene also affected the Tigers. Whereas many Western nations had once sympathised with the group, it was ultimately banned in more than 30 countries and restrictions were put in place to prevent the Tamil diaspora from funnelling an estimated sum of around $300 million a year to the Tigers.

Countries such as India, Pakistan, China and Russia supported the Sri Lankan government, while the US and Britain, which hosted the Tigers' unofficial headquarters, retained some degree of sympathy for the insurgents.

Under the existing circumstances, the Tigers are unlikely to regroup. They have been well and truly defeated.

Latheef Farook is an independent writer based in Colombo.