Military
Cutback and Separatism in Sri Lanka
RECENT
Indian delegation, led by opposition MP in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj, requested
Sri Lankan government to scale down military deployment in North. However,
military cutback due to political pressure can strengthen the separatist
movement, which is trying to undermine the hard- won peace. Therefore, the
government should reduce Armed Forces in North after careful analysis of the
security needs of the country.
Nevertheless, the government rejected the call for the
removal of Security Forces from North saying that such a request is
unreasonable. What the government accepted was to reduce Armed Forces and to
hand over military occupied areas to civilians gradually.
Indian
delegation seems to have considered the military deployment as an obstacle to
reconciliation. They forget, or pretend to forget, that Security Forces defeated
terrorism, which many believed unwinnable, and brought about peace after three
decades of conflict. Therefore, it is absurd to consider military presence in
the north as a hindrance to peace.
Nationalist Agenda more
