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| May 22, 2000 | ||
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a familiar old ghost the war between Sri Lankan troops and the LTTE has
returned to haunt India. It is a complicated tale of bloodshed, intrigue
and most of all, irony. For, India has trained LTTE cadres, helped broker
a peace for them, defended them, fought them and eventually lost a prime
minister to them.
In 1984, India Today (issue dated March 31) ran an expose detailing how the Tigers were being secretly trained in Indian camps, with the implicit approval of prime minister Indira Gandhi. Her reaction to the story was vitriolic. Her son Rajiv, also prime minister, then tried to broker peace by sending Indian troops to Sri Lanka in1987. In a tragic irony, the IPKF ended up fighting the LTTE, a traumatic confrontation that culminated in 1,500 Indian soldiers returning home in body bags. The gruesome finale arrived with Rajiv's assassination by an LTTE suicide bomber in 1991. Much of the conflict centred on Jaffna, which through the years changed hands four times. Now with Jaffna poised to fall into the Tigers' hands again, the tragedy has come full circle. It leaves India again precariously perched like a tightrope walker. Domestically it is an issue, for turmoil in Sri Lanka routinely spills over into Tamil Nadu politics. India can't support the repression of the Lankan Tamils; neither can it, in view of similar troubles back home, support a secessionist group. Furthermore, India cannot allow foreign intervention for that diminishes its sphere of influence. All these interests have to be considered as India makes its move. But it is the Tigers' remarkable revival that has garnered most attention. Our story focuses on their tactics, their style of command, and how 7,000 men have sent an army into retreat. As Deputy Editor Raj Chengappa, who spent time in Sri Lanka last week, says, "The surprising resurgence of the Tigers has meant everyone, including India, must re-evaluate their strategies." Clearly, this ghost will continue to
haunt us. .
(Aroon Purie) |
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