Will Phoenix Rise Again?

Will Phoenix Rise Again?

PriyaRaj .

It seems to be a very normal day in the battlefield of Vanni, the rattling sounds of the machine guns, the thundering from heavy weapons fire and the cracking of sniper fire, all clearly painted the reality of the situation in black and white. Smoke and dust surrounds the area. Trees and bushes were on fire. Fireballs were raining from the sky. The roars from the diesel engines of the battle tanks and armored personnel carriers, these are all familiar noises from the battle that was raging around Vanni. The situation looked worse than in a nightmare. But suddenly there was a sound from one part of the battlefield, this sound was not from a cracking Sniper or the Thunder of a shell, this was a sound that does not seems to be appropriate at the surrounding situation. The sound that began somewhere in a corner, spread like wild fire, all around the battlefield, changing the scenario in a second. It took some time to understand that this sound was “Laughter”. Even the cadres manning the guns firing in to the enemy were laughing. A joke cracked from one cadre that sparked this chain reaction was continuing for a while, echoing among landing shells, whispering bullets and burning trees. This is nothing new to the battlefields of Tamil Eelam. This war is not fought by Army or trained fighting machines, but by People who have risen up against tyranny, oppression and genocide. There are so many fundamental differences between people at war and armies at war. Armies go to war with weapons and salaries in their pockets. People also take weapons to war but with their own lives in their pockets. When they fight for their lives they know the value of the lives of their enemy too. They are not trained fighting machines but people with feelings like everyone else. When witnessed at closed hand the motivation, anger and the raging thirst for freedom along with human compassion makes this people’s army more powerful than any other.

Thomas Jefferson once said “When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed; that whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.

As Jefferson clearly explains, now the time has come for the Tamil people to institute their own Government. Incite their independence. But how one wonders, when governments, diplomats and even common people talk about the inevitable end of the LTTE in the battlefields of Sri Lanka, How can the Tamil people achieve their independence? Do these Governments, diplomats and others really know the history? This is not to compare the past victories of the LTTE or the Historic events that has unfolded several times in the battlefields. Those who would have studied these events will be even careful enough to use the word “set back”. The Sri Lankan Governments mouth pieces and the supporting actors of it all are in one voice predicting the so called inevitable. The shrinking territory, the great victory celebrations of the SL Government, The silencing of the independent media, the eviction of the UN and the NGO’s ,the unlimited military support from Sri Lanka's neighbors and the last but not the least the SL’s propaganda machinery, all together have contributed to this “inevitable scenario” of the end is near. The Tamil people on the other hand have started to sink into these scenarios and have started using their hearts instead of their minds. People are dying, the territories are shrinking, and the international community is either silence or has taken sides. Even the Northern Light Samaritans are asking the Tamils to surrender to the evils. Tamils spend most of their days and nights sleepless and with fading hope. What will tomorrow bring, Will we ever be able to live with dignity again? Hopes are shattered and dreams are fading. When LTTE is gone, who will be there to win back their rights? Who will have the power to negotiate a settlement? LTTE doesn’t come from the moon; it’s the sons and daughters, brothers and sisters of the Tamil people. Will they all have to perish their lives for nothing? Thousands and thousands of Tamils, boys and girls died in the hands of the successive Sinhala Governments. Will it be in vain? The Answer is a definite ‘NO’.

The Phoenix will Rise again.

This is not a hope to keep the candle burning. This is a fact. The Tamils have always been united in their quest for freedom and self-determination. When all possible ways to win back their freedom was crushed with military means, they created the LTTE. This organization belongs to the Tamil people. Its members are the sons and daughters of Tamils. They are the ones who took this struggle to new heights and into the International arena. With its superior military strategy, it brought the Sri Lankan government on to its knees, thus bringing the International attention for the Tamils. LTTE is well integrated into the hearts, minds and even into the homes of the Tamil people. It is the most powerfull liberation organization that the world has ever seen. No other organization in the world had their own administrative structure, Army, Navy, Air force and all type of institutions needed for a self governing body. In one word they had their own Country. LTTE is lead by none other than Prabaharan. He has proved time and time again that he was the best strategist in the world. Not even the best military analysts could read his mind or predict his move for the past 30 years the movement existed. LTTE has been a very closed organization, even the commanders in LTTE were handed information only on a need to know basis. Each and every department functioned on its own. Secrecy and surprise has been the motto of LTTE. Their worldwide network and their intelligence network have been even praised by several scholars and defense analysts.

It will be even foolish to think that such an organization with a talented leader was unaware that the war will come to a situation like this. And even go to the extent of dreaming that with this kind of capacity and with a Leader like Prabaharan, who has astonished the world in several occasions with his surprising military strategies, LTTE will go down in history as a failed organization with failed strategies. Then it will be a great miscalculation. LTTE is a well oiled machine; every part will do its job in whatever circumstances. They wouldn’t move their time table or even change their strategy for anything or anyone. They will be focused on their final goal. When the truth is unveiled, the world will be more than willing to accept.

Most of the people believe that the Sri Lankan Army has the upper hand in the ground as its forces has conquered most of the territory the LTTE controlled. If only loosing land or territory will decide the future, Then Russia would not have existed. Hitler’s “Germania” would have been created. Jews had no land at all, but now no one dares to land on Israel’s territory. Abraham Lincoln once said “Force is all-conquering, but its victories are short-lived”. This is the truth on the ground in Vanni. It seems that the LTTE has been so far employing ”The Fabian strategy” which is a military strategy where pitched battles are avoided in favor of wearing down an opponent through a war of attrition. While avoiding decisive battles, the side employing this strategy harasses its enemy to cause attrition and loss of morale. Sun Tzu's Art of War states, “Be extremely subtle, even to the point of formlessness. Be extremely mysterious, even to the point of soundlessness. Thereby you can be the director of the opponent's fate”. Remember, a cobra will never strike until its 100% sure about the outcome. It will even crawl backwards silently. With the venom ready in its mouth, it will wait for months to find the right time. When the strike comes, it would have achieved its goal.

It’s time the Tamils in Sri Lanka and around the world rally around the LTTE and tell the world in one voice that we will not accept anything less than our right to self–determination.

It would be appropriate to quote a modified version of the famous speech by the U.S president in the movie “Independence Day”.