Question:
On 19/05/2009, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa announced on television his government's victory over the Tamil Tiger fighters, stating, "Our motherland has been completely liberated from separatist terrorists." State television had aired the body of the leader of the Tamil Tiger fighters after the battles between the government and the Tamil Tigers had ceased. The Chief of Staff, General Sarath Fonseka, commented on this event by saying, "A few hours ago, the body of the terrorist leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, who destroyed the country, was found." The President attempted to calm the fears of the anxious Tamil population, saying, "Our goal was to save the Tamil people from the grip of the rebels, and we must all now live as equals in this free country."
What is the reality of the conflict in Sri Lanka? Is it a local, regional, or international conflict? In whose interest was the outcome of this conflict? Can it be said that the conflict on the island has ended, or does it have subsequent repercussions?
Answer:
To answer these questions, we say:
The conflict between the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil Tiger fighter movement has been described as one of the longest-running conflicts. Its reality is that it is a struggle between America and Britain over the control of strategic Sri Lankan waters. The conflict was fueled through regional powers in the area, namely Pakistan and India.
Sri Lanka's importance lies in its geographical location; it is 19 miles away from the southern Indian coast, meaning it sits on one of the most important waterways connecting West and East Asia. It is 22 miles from the narrowest point of the Indian subcontinent, known as the Palk Strait. America has repeatedly sought to control the Palk Strait to turn it into an American military base to aid its control over the Indian Ocean and the oil routes from the Middle East and Africa reaching China, thereby limiting China's ambitions for maritime expansion toward the West. Immediately after the September 11 attacks, US Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld sought to consolidate US-Sri Lankan relations. Control over the Palk Strait threatens the waterway connecting India to its eastern states, which would force India to travel around Sri Lanka, significantly increasing travel distance and costs. Furthermore, control over the Palk Strait limits India’s ambitions as a regional state and its expansion toward the East. This is what prompted China to strengthen its military relationship with the Sri Lankan government, providing it with weapons and military equipment. It is worth noting that India’s failure to control the Palk Strait means British interests in the region are affected. For hundreds of years, Britain has sought to control the Indian Ocean to dominate the region's waterways and supply Eastern markets with goods. Conversely, American control over the Indian Ocean and the Palk Strait harms Europe alongside Britain. Thus, controlling Sri Lanka is a very important goal for America, enabling it to manage Chinese threats and limit British and European influence in South Asia and the Near East.
The conflict began when Britain brought Tamil citizens from the Indian state of Tamil Nadu to work on coffee and tea plantations, turning the island into a major plantation for tea and coffee production. However, the Sinhalese Buddhist majority resented British colonial treatment, particularly the preference shown to the Hindu Tamils over them. Sri Lanka’s independence from Britain in 1948 confirmed the bitterness of the relationship between the two sects. Successive Sinhalese governments intentionally delayed granting appropriate political rights to the Tamils living in northern Sri Lanka. Consequently, the Tamils lost confidence in their political leaders and the Sri Lankan political setup, which never treated them fairly. This led to the emergence of several armed movements, the most famous of which was the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), formed in 1976 led by its founder, Velupillai Prabhakaran. The movement's goal was to create an independent Tamil state called "Tamil Eelam" in the north and east of the island. The movement did not gain popular support until the 1980s, especially after the failure of the constitutional reform attempt in 1983.
The movement was infiltrated by agents of the British, Indians, and Americans, leading them to fight other armed movements. However, Britain had the upper hand, particularly during the eras of the Congress Party in India. In 1980, Britain pushed India to intervene in the issue of the Tamil Tigers and the Sri Lankan government to counter growing American influence on the island. This was under a cover acceptable to the Sri Lankan government: preventing Indian Tamils from joining the Tamils in northern Sri Lanka to separate the north from the rest of the island. The truth, however, was that the Congress government in India at the time noticed that the Sri Lankan army was on the verge of eliminating the Tamil Tigers. Indian intervention continued ostensibly in a political form, and covertly as support for the Tamil Tigers, until the Indian government managed on 29/07/1987 to conclude a peace agreement between Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Sri Lankan President Jayewardene. Because of this agreement, the Sri Lankan government granted a set of privileges to the Tamils, including power-sharing in the Tamil region and allowing the presence of Indian peacekeeping forces in exchange for India not supporting armed Tamil movements.
India's failure to occupy part of Sri Lanka led to a humiliating withdrawal of Indian forces. America then exploited the feelings of hatred toward India to intervene between the Tamil Tigers and the Sri Lankan government. However, America preferred strengthening its relations with the government over the movement; thus, the relationship between America and the Sri Lankan government grew, especially after the events of September 11. America recently gave the green light to the government to eliminate the Tamil Tigers within the framework of the global "war on terror," as America saw fit to build strong military and economic ties with Sri Lanka. In 2002, Washington managed to reach an agreement allowing US warships and aircraft to use Sri Lankan territory. In 2002, US President Bush met with Sri Lankan Prime Minister Wickremesinghe at the White House and obtained an agreement for peace and economic development in Sri Lanka. America and Sri Lanka signed the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) in 2002. The biggest loser from this rapprochement between the two countries was Britain, which found itself isolated for two reasons: First, the loss of the Indian Congress Party in the Indian elections and the victory of the Janata Party, which opposed adopting a hostile stance toward the US military and economic agreement with Sri Lanka. Second, the Sri Lankan government came under American influence, meaning Britain's only option was to support the Tamil Tiger movement until it was recently eliminated.
America waited for the election of President Mahinda Rajapaksa in 2005 to ensure the Sri Lankan government’s support for eliminating the Tamil Tiger movement. In reality, Mahinda Rajapaksa’s election campaign was based on his promises to eliminate the Tamil Tigers, especially since he formed an alliance with the extremist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) party and extremist Buddhist monks. America welcomed the re-election of Mahinda Rajapaksa; US State Department Deputy Spokesman Adam Ereli stated in a press conference in Washington, "We will continue to maintain our countries' historical relationship. We look forward to cooperation with President Mahinda Rajapaksa because he has addressed many qualitative challenges." Through Mahinda Rajapaksa and his brother, the Chief of Staff, America was able to eliminate the Tamil Tiger fighters. Realizing the significance of the American-Sri Lankan agreement, Britain, India, and Europe exerted every effort to prevent Mahinda Rajapaksa's government from eliminating the Tamil Tiger fighters.
America supported Mahinda Rajapaksa’s government with effective weaponry through Pakistan. In March 2006, Sri Lanka requested Pakistan to provide it with a rocket launcher system when President Mahinda Rajapaksa visited Pakistan. In May 2008, Sri Lankan Chief of Staff Fonseka concluded an agreement with Pakistan to purchase 22 Pakistani Al-Khalid tanks worth $100 million. Additionally, Pakistani authorities provided Sri Lanka with a large amount of weaponry worth $65 million. On 19/01/2009, in a meeting between Pakistani Defense Minister Syed Athar Ali and his Sri Lankan counterpart Gotabaya Rajapaksa in Rawalpindi, the two parties agreed to enhance military cooperation through joint military exercises and the exchange of intelligence information to combat terrorism.
When repeated victories were achieved against the Tamil Tigers, Britain and its agent, India, along with Europe, sought to achieve a reconciliation between the government of Mahinda Rajapaksa and the Tamil Tigers. Their aim in brokering peace was to prevent the elimination of the Tamil Tigers. Britain and India raised their voices, citing the killing of Tamil civilians in the ongoing conflict. Britain, India, and Europe were active in recent days urging a ceasefire and encouraged Tamil protesters around the world to demonstrate against the killing of civilians by Mahinda Rajapaksa's government. As for America, it played with words regarding peace and a ceasefire while encouraging the Sri Lankan government to reject them, then supporting it through Pakistan. All this led Mahinda Rajapaksa to reject peace offers and ceasefire proposals. Thus, the Sri Lankan government ignored those calls and successfully crushed the Tamil forces—that military organization that controlled vast areas in the north of the island, commanded a police force, and boasted of its navy and air force.
The defeat of the Tamil Tigers means that Indian and British influence in the north of the island has receded to a great extent. This gave America the opportunity to consolidate its control over Sri Lanka and establish permanent military bases in the country. It also allows America to control the Palk Strait and intensify its naval presence in the Indian Ocean to face Chinese threats. Furthermore, America can use Sri Lanka to pressure India—especially after the Congress Party returned to power in India for another five years—to follow American policies in the region once again. In any case, much awaits Mahinda Rajapaksa to mend relations with the Tamils and harmonize with their political demands. Because America is aware of this, it preempted the matter by providing Mahinda Rajapaksa’s government with aid through the International Monetary Fund to achieve those demands. Sri Lanka's stability is a vital interest for America, and a look at the history of the region shows that Britain and its agent, India, will work to rebuild their influence in Sri Lanka anew. While the Anglo-American conflict may have subsided for now, it is not yet over.
28 Jumada al-Ula 1430 AH 23/05/2009 CE