The right to life and military strategies!

- The Sudar Oli Editorial

(September 21, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) The Sri Lankan ethnic problem and the resultant civil war have reached a serious situation. It appears that there can be great human tragedy.

Being greatly perturbed over the grave crisis of the current human tragedy in Vanni, Co- Chair countries, that are Lanka’s donor countries are scheduled to hold urgent deliberations in the next few days in New York.

The war is intensified in Wanni. Around 200, 000 people have been displaced with the ongoing war. The number of displaced people can increase by 1000’s. That is the fear lurking in every body’s mind.

The UN agencies and the international organizations that had been rendering humanitarian assistance to the unfortunate displaced people have vacated from Vanni following an exit notice by the Lankan government. Therefore, it is feared the humanitarian problem and the human tragedy can worsen.

It is in this back ground that the Co-Chair countries – USA, Japan, Norway, EU, and France – are to hold an urgent discussion under current situation relating to humanitarian problems in Vanni.

Meanwhile, the government has made an allegation that the LTTE is using CS gas to attack the government security forces and it has warned that it could use more dangerous chemical weapons against the LTTE. Therefore, there has arisen a precarious situation that both sides can use such chemical weapons.

Therefore, it can summarized that the purpose of the urgent meeting of the Co-chair countries is to address their minds on these two vital issues namely humanitarian problem and the use of chemical weapons.

It is also expected that the Co-chair countries will explore the possibilities of resolving both issues.

The Defence Secretary has stated that the Sri Lankan government cannot compromise its military strategies according to the agenda of the UN, international non governmental organizations or internal non governmental organizations.

At the same time, there is another problem. It is the safety of the lives of the innocent civilians. It is expected that the Co-chairs will give priority to these issues.

(An English translation of the Editorial in The Sudar Oli, a Tamil daily, based in Colombo.) - Sri Lanka Guardian