AN INTRODUCTORY NOTE by Michael Roberts, 11 November 2024
Brig Retd Hiran Halangode sent me the Memorandum presented below as a RESPONSE to one of my reprinted articles on ‘’Religious Strands in the SL Tamil Rebellions of the 1970s to 2009.’’[1] As indicated by him, the memo presents a series of desultory thoughts and do not amount to a thorough-going academic essay. However, they serve as an incentive towards reflection. I have taken the liberty of inserting highlights to spotlight especially significant or controversial thoughts.
SL Army troops in defensive positions in the Vanni circa 2008
BRIG. HIRAN HALANGODE (retd) in Response to MR On Fri, Nov 8, 2024 …… presenting …… https://thuppahis.com/2022/10/02/religion-within-tamil-militancy-and-the-ltte/
Hi Michael,
An excellent effort. I have a few points which may be of interest to you. Random thoughts in fact.
Most of the early Tamil militants, who were mainly from the Karaiyar caste being fishermen, were involved in smuggling even before we got our independence. The government response was the formation of the Ceylon Army led TaFII (Task Force Anti-Illicit Immigration) in 1952, which helped to curb the migration of South Indian Illicit Immigrants (II’s) to Ceylon, but failed to prevent smuggling which continues to date due to a lack of clear cut Rules of Engagement (ROE). The detection of explosives and detonators in the early 1970’s was ignored by the governments that were in power during this period. This has now developed into bottom trawling of our marine resources, illegal trade in drugs and narcotics, smuggling of contraband and criminals between South India and Sri Lanka. This is the main threat to our National Security at present. We still have failed to find a permanent solution.
Similarly, in the late 70’s and early 80’s the rise of Tamil militancy was not addressed by the JR Jayewardene (JRJ) government who were more focused on economic development. The Tamil militants led by Prabakaran and Uma Maheswaran systematically eliminated the Tamil policemen who had identified the Tamil gangsters and militants. The murder of IP Bastianpillai near Madhu was one significant instance. Then the Tamil politicians and administrators who opposed the Tamil militants were killed. The LTTE and other militant groups also led daring raids on banks and other financial institutions like goldsmiths which created a sense of fear amongst the Tamil people in the North. With the Law and Order situation getting out of hand the JRJ government ordered the Sri Lanka military to eliminate Terrorism in the North with immediate effect which required special rules to track, find and prosecute the militants almost overnight. Sadly, the lack of intelligence, the support for the militants from the Tamil population in the North and ability to speak and the inability among the security forces to converse in Tamil seriously impacted government efforts. Since the main opposition was the TULF since 1977, they opposed government efforts to control the Law-and-Order situation in the North and made a hue and cry in parliament and amongst the Indian government officials who, in turn, pressured the Sri Lanka rulers in. The Police who were responsible for the Law=and-Order situation were unable to respond to the widespread violence in the North during this period. Thus, the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) of 1979 was introduced. This was a reaction to the widespread violence in the North.
In the eyes of the majority of peaceful Tamils in the North this PTA Act was a draconian piece of legislation but it served the purpose of the government forces because by the early 1980s violence had ceased and the Tamil militants had fled to South India. However, India and the international community believed in the propaganda created by the Northern politicians, journalists, NGOs and a few public officers and penalised the government of Sri Lanka to such an extent that the conflict dragged on for 33 years. Sadly, it has not brought the peace that the people of this country desired. Note, for instance, that the the UNHRC annually continues to pass strictures on the government of Sri Lanka who defeated the LTTE in May 2009. The Executive Summary of the Human Rights report for 2023 by the UNHRC is as follows.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY – During the year, the government of Sri Lanka released on bail dozens of suspects held under the Prevention of Terrorism Act. Police also issued new guidelines to respect the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or intersex persons and stop arrest and harassment of transgender persons. In March the government indefinitely postponed local government elections, citing a lack of funds, and the terms of local councils across the country expired.
Significant human rights issues included credible reports of: arbitrary or unlawful killings, including extrajudicial killings; torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment by the government; harsh and life-threatening prison conditions; arbitrary arrest or detention; serious problems with the independence of the judiciary; transnational repression against individuals in another country; arbitrary or unlawful interference with privacy; serious restrictions on freedom of expression and media freedom, including violence and threats of violence against journalists, unjustified arrests of journalists, and censorship; substantial interference with the freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of association, including overly restrictive laws on the organization, funding, or operation of nongovernmental organizations and civil society organizations; inability of citizens to change their government peacefully through free and fair elections; serious government corruption; serious government restrictions on or harassment of domestic and international human rights organizations; extensive gender-based violence, including domestic and intimate partner violence and sexual violence; crimes involving violence targeting Hindus, Muslims, Christians, and Tamils; laws criminalizing consensual same-sex sexual conduct between adults, even if the laws were not enforced; and crimes involving violence or threats of violence targeting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or intersex persons.
The government took minimal steps to identify and punish officials who may have committed human rights abuses.
A word about an Insurgency in which SUBVERSION is a hidden modus operandi of the insurgents. According to the Wikipedia, ‘’Subversion’’ is described as follows.
Subversion (Latin subvertere: overthrow) refers to a process by which the values and principles of a system in place are contradicted or reversed, in an attempt to transform the established social order and its structures of power, authority, hierarchy, and social norms. Subversion can be described as an attack on the public morale and, “the will to resist intervention are the products of combined political and social or class loyalties which are usually attached to national symbols. Following penetration, and parallel with the forced disintegration of political and social institutions of the state, these loyalties may be detached and transferred to the political or ideological cause of the aggressor”. Subversion is used as a tool to achieve political goals because it generally carries less risk, cost, and difficulty as opposed to open belligerency. Furthermore, it is a relatively cheap form of warfare that does not require large amounts of training. A subversive is something or someone carrying the potential for some degree of subversion. In this context, a “subversive” is sometimes called a “traitor” with respect to (and usually by) the government in power.
Terrorist groups generally do not employ subversion as a tool to achieve their goals. Subversion is a manpower-intensive strategy and many groups lack the manpower and political and social connections to carry out subversive activities. However, actions taken by terrorists may have a subversive effect on society. Subversion can imply the use of insidious, dishonest, monetary, or violent methods to bring about such change.
Therefore, without addressing the core issues of Subversion, Sabotage, Espionage and double agents in Sri Lanka, there are no clear-cut legal countermeasures to arrest, detain and prosecute those involved in violence or their masterminds. These must be clearly spelled out in the Law, on how to tackle subversives who employ such subversive methods. This remains one of the most difficult issues faced by the government and its Law enforcement agencies. Hence to nip an insurgency in the bud the government and international agencies like the UN have to find legal counter-measures to pro-actively counter violence in societies/countries that follow the democratic way of life.
ADDITIONS
Brig Halangode’s Moment of Farewell …
A ‘moment’ when he challenged Alan Keenan’s reading of the Eelam War …. See https://thuppahis.com/2019/04/04/former-army-officer-highlights-alan-keenans-misrepresentation/
I am interested in Asian history.