U.N. offers to direct aid in divided Sri Lanka;
civilians put politics aside
By Paul Wiseman, USA TODAY
Sri Landa's minitory, the Tamil Tigers, are refusing aid relief for their rebel held villages.
But Sri Lankan government authorities say the Tamil Tigers have turned away aid shipments coming from the south, commandeered aid so they can deliver it themselves and intimidated Tamils who wanted to accept relief from the government. Sri Lankan army officials on Sunday accused Tamil Tigers of torching a camp for the homeless in the northern city of Jaffna as a reprisal against tsunami victims who had been getting military help. On their Web site, the Tigers charged on Monday that government soldiers set the fire.
"Each side has its own political interests," said Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, executive director of the Center for Policy Alternatives, an independent think tank in Colombo. The Tigers "very much want to call the shots. They want to be in control. They don't want anyone to have the perception that they are unable to cope."
In an ironic twist, the Tamil Tigers, known for their tactics of young suicide bombers and human shields (not unlike Muslim terrorists), target not infidels - but Sri Lankan Muslims and the Sinhalese majority.
It was only a matter of time before the terrorist mentality took precedence over the needs of those affected by the tsunami. The UN has offered themselves as the aid "referee" between the country's divided populas.
By contrast, the US Aid Coalition has defty put itself first in line for relief to the predominately Muslim Indonesian victims, usurping any attempts by terrorists to "win the hearts and minds" by providing their particular form of aid and achieving any notion of "obligation" by the recipients.
For those in the rebel held villages, I can only sympathize. But it should become apparent who genuinely cares for their plight, and who does not. I'm quite sure those under the thumb of the Tigers would take help from whomever gets there first.
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