"Sri Lanka: Notes From A War On Terror"

As the Obama administration weighs its options in Afghanistan, the big question they are most certainly grappling with is: what does it take to defeat an insurgency? And as advisers pour through the history of successful counterinsurgency campaigns, they might be tempted to take a page from a very recent chapter.

Though it didn't make much of a news splash here, in May the government of the small island nation of Sri Lanka finally claimed victory in their 26-year battle against one of the most formidable militant organizations the world has ever known, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, or the LTTE.

The end of what was Asia's longest-running civil war was a historic event. But if history is ultimately written by the winners, then tonight's episode of Vanguard, "Sri Lanka: Notes from a War on Terror," might serve as a small footnote. While some security analysts have hailed Sri Lanka as a case study into how to defeat an insurgency, we learned that it came at a very steep price, one that few Americans would likely be willing to pay.

The LTTE were in many ways the "original gangsters" of modern day terror. Since 1983, they had been fighting for an independent homeland for Sri Lanka's ethnic Tamil minority who have long complained of discrimination at the hands of Sri Lanka's Sinhalese majority.

In their struggle for independence, the LTTE pioneered many of the tactics employed by insurgencies and terrorist groups around the world. Inventors of the suicide vest, the LTTE conducted more suicide operations than Hamas and Hezbollah combined. Innovators in international fundraising, they were able to grow from a ragtag guerilla group to fairly conventional military force with their own army, navy and air force. In short, the LTTE was as powerful and dedicated of an insurgency as any military is likely to face.

At one point, the LTTE controlled up to a quarter of Sri Lankan territory, but by the time we arrived, they had been reduced to a small sliver of land in the north. In "Sri Lanka: Notes from a War on Terror," we explore what was responsible for such a quick turnaround. We examine how after 9/11 the LTTE quickly found themselves on the wrong side of history, and how the government of Sri Lanka was emboldened by the "Global War on Terror" launched by the U.S. and its allies.

We also investigate the excesses of Sri Lanka's War on Terror, like those recently raised in a U.S. State Department report on alleged war crimes commited during the final stages of fighting.

We meet with civilians who have been displaced, women whose husbands have disappeared and journalists who have been intimidated and silenced. We witness the sweeping security crackdown that has taken place across the country under emergency terror laws.

Finally, with ethnic tensions still simmering and no political resolution on the horizon, we question whether military's historic defeat of the LTTE is enough to win lasting peace in Sri Lanka.

"Sri Lanka: Notes From A War On Terror" airs tonight Wednesday, Nov. 4 at 10/9c on Current TV. For more information, visit Current.com/Vanguard.

 

Comments

[jferdy5]

Kryptonite1, good job rooting for Tamil fascism. Perhaps all those dirty Buddhists should get out of Sri Lanka since Tamils are the original natives, or at least that's what the British told me. It seems that Tamil rhetoric about "racial difference" (there's no scientific basis of race, and definitely no evidence that Tamils and Sinhalese are different races) is just pandering to western media sentiments. The fact is, Sri Lanka has been in a bitter ethnic war. Have Tamils suffered injustice? Absolutely. But the LTTE was not a response to injustice, rather it draws from a long line of Tamil fascism that exists in India (ie. Vaiko's race war rhetoric) and Malaysia (Hindraf). A small group of hard core Tamils have always disliked other South Asian languages (hence the derogitory term "Hindian" employed by Tamil fascist groups) and other religions, which is why Tamils organized progroms against Muslims, well documented by the BBC and the New York Times. I do hope that Tamils get better treatment in a united Sri Lanka, and ALL war crimes, particularly those made possible by the support of Tamil terror organizations in Canada, are brought to justice, not just those of the Sri Lankan government.

[leberalist]

To be honest the far bigger terrorist has always been the state of Sri Lanka which governes along lines of language, race and religion. That is why as you note in your article there is no peace in the country even after the ending of the war. The LTTE used violent methods to counter state violence. The difference between the deadly suicide bombing by the LTTE, often targetted, resulted in far fewer casualties than the far more deadly indiscriminate aerial bombings and shellings by the Sinhala Buddhist state against Tamil people which has resulted in more then 100,000 dead civilians as compared to some 4000 Sinhala civilians. The so-called victory rightly belongs to some 20 countries, including the West,India and China, Iran and Russia which supplied WMDs carried out by the Pakistan Air Force. It was not a free gift but paid for by the Sri Lankan government which had spent more than 30 b $ on the wa to keep the Tamils in bondage. If the USA adopts such methods in Afghanisitan victory is assured but it can be done only if it is carried out by war criminals. But this will certainly not be the case under President Obama. The recent fleeing of the former Sri Lankan Army Commander from the USA in order to avoid qestioning by the US State Department underscores the morbidity of the warring.

[truelankan1]

The biggest terrorist has always been the LTTE whom the FBI say as far more dangerous than AL Qaeda! The war in SL was a war between a genuine legitimate democratically elected government of a sovereign nation and a terrorist group the LTTE! LTTE loved violence so much meaning they were such fanatics who only wanted to annihilate Sinhalese entirely! They were simply anti civilizatiOnal fanatical genocidal barbarians! LTTE massacres of innocent Sinhalese and Muslims is well over 200,000! LTTE terrorists used ceasefires to regroup and rearm. Everyday the SLA is unearthing so many destructive weapons and chemicals burried underground! This all proves that LTTE wanted to annihilate Sinhalese entirely!

Funny thing is that LTTE terrorists freely massacre Sinhalese in large scale but when we strike back to kill LTTE terrorists they call it genocide!! What a joke! When the air force bombs and LTTE terrorist camp the famous lie factory tamilnut.com calls it as civilians being attacked!

This war on terror was totally fought on our own! We did not get help from other countries at all! It was the LTTE terrorists who begged the USA and EU to save their criminal terror leadership from death! Sri Lanka crushed the well organized LTTE terrorist network totally on her own! But USA is getting all the help to fight Taliban AL Qaeda but cannot win! USA cannot admit that a tiny nation like SL can win on her own! Thats why they tried to stop our war on terror!

[Kryptonite1]

Hope those Tamils get justice, and their democratic aspirations for autonomy are realized.

[punitham]

Violence is wrong but the LTTE was forced to take up violence because peaceful ,means failed in the 35 years before 1983. The international community that did not pay attention to the state terrorism before the LTTE era continue to ignore the continuing state terrorism:
i. Sri Lanka’s Judiciary: Politicised Courts, Compromised Rights, International Crisis Group, 30 June 2009: Sri Lanka’s judiciary is failing to protect constitutional and human rights. .....
ii. Justice in retreat: A report on the independence of the legal profession and the rule of law in Sri Lanka, International Bar Association Human Rights Institute, 26 May 2009:
Many of the problems identified in the 2001 IBAHRI Report continue to affect the independence
of the legal profession and the rule of law in Sri Lanka and in some respects the situation has
deteriorated significantly. ......
iii. Sri Lanka: Briefing Paper - Emergency Laws and International Standards, International Commission of Jurists, March 2009The ICJ is deeply concerned that the approach taken by Sri Lanka over several decades, and especially in recent years, has resulted in a confusing, overbroad and all-pervasive emergency law framework that fails to protect the rights of its citizens, encourages a culture of impunity for serious violations, and exacerbates ethnic tensions and political divisions. ........

[Ram Muni]

Tamil violence started long before 1983. The illegitimate demands for 50:50 representation in parliament for a 12% minority and retention of their privileged status granted by the colonial government to rule over the majority started even before Independence. The 1983 incident referred to was when 13 unarmed soldiers were killed on the streets of Jaffna by the Tamil terrorists and the reaction to it, down south in the country. The attempt to subvert the history of the land with a fantasy did not find favor with the population.
Those who supported Tamil terrorists came in many guises, and some have been back-tracking from previously held positions. Till the Tamils learn to live in a democracy, obeying its rules with its many limitations, there will be no peace. The Piece of Sri Lanka demanded by the Tamil terrorists for its monoethnic Disneyland is very different from the Peace demanded by the majority.

[Kryptonite1]

It's understandable that the Tamils picked up arms, pogroms do get a little taxing after a while.

[truelankan1]

Oh forgotten the Tamil terrorism on innocent Sinhalese living in the North and East of Sri Lanka well before the 1983 riots? Sinhalese have been living in the North and East of Sri Lanka for milleniums. Here are acts of Tamil extremists before 1983!

So many Sinhalese and Muslims were massacred or chased out of the North and East of Sri Lanka when they have been living their for centuries! Also so many Buddhist monuments in the North and East of Sri Lanka destroyed by Tamil extremists! LTTE atrocities on innocent Sinhalese is infinite! LTTE terrorists never were interested in peace as they used peace talks only to regroup and rearm! Plan of LTTE was to annihilate Sinhalese entirely as they are the worse fanatics ever!