How Sri Lanka defeated the LTTE

[ganulv]

A piece from last Friday at Salon.com about the Sri Lankan military’s role in the country’s economy. [LINK]

[davidbfpo]

Elsewhere on SWC and SWJ Blog the Sri Lankan option, the final or most recent stage in the conflict have been discussed. It maybe worth checking in.

First 'Nigeria Military Studies Sri Lankan Tactics for Use Against Boko Haram', with an exchange:http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/nig...nst-boko-haram

Second 'Can the Sri Lanka Army be Described as a Counterinsurgency Force?', a SWJ article:http://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art...surgency-force

[Ray]

Much of what is stated is from the military standpoint.

A conflict is not purely military. It has it historical and sociological issues that make it a military issue.

The LTTE case is unique and one has to understand.

The animosity of the Buddhist majority towards the Tamil is historical and they don't honestly recognise that Tamils belong to Sri Lanka. Therefore, there is no love lost if the Tamils exist or they are wiped out.

The animosity is more intense because the Tamils flourished under the British since they learnt English and were in positions of influence that were open to the 'natives'.

On the other hand, the majority Buddhist Sri Lankans looked upon the British as interlopers who came to subjugate them. They boycotted the British and did not learn English and so were left out in the blue whereas the Tamils (who in the first place the Buddhists did not feel belonged to Sri Lanka or Ceylon then) were ruling the roost, after the British.

One of the thing the Sri Lanka Govt did was abolish English and adopted Singhalese Only (the majority Buddhist's language) so that the Tamils did not have the advantage. Then more restrictions were placed. This cause the Tamil heartburn and the LTTE was born.

Therefore, given the equation, wiping out the Tamils ruthlessly and without a care for Human Rights, was not taken to be a crime, and instead applauded.

[JMA]

Well put...

Therefore, given the equation, wiping out the Tamils ruthlessly and without a care for Human Rights, was not taken to be a crime, and instead applauded.

Indeed, and as I have said before, this approach to any conflict can not be adopted by any western country directly or even through proxies.

[davidbfpo]

Just discovered an old, 2013 review of 'Total Destruction of the Tamil Tigers: The Rare Victory of Sri Lanka's Long War' by Paul Moorcraft; it was in The Spectator, but the only complete online review is elsewhere and is an exact copy:http://sangam.org/review-total-destruction-tigers/

Amazon USA:https://www.amazon.com/Total-Destruc...0%99s+Long+War

Amazon UK:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Total-Destr...paul+moorcraft

Two quotes from the review:

The simmering idea that permeates this book, that ultra-violence is a way, albeit a bloody one, effectively to conquer insurgency, is therefore predicated on a false idea that the Tamil issue is now resolved.

Then a list of the 'Colombo's approach' from an Indian expert:

Political will
Go to hell (Ignore domestic and international criticism)
But keep important neighbours in the loop
No negotiations
Control the media
No ceasefire
Complete operational freedom
Promote young and able commanders