The long-awaited ban

That the ban imposed on the LTTE was long in coming in Sri Lanka, home to the terror outfit, where it waged war for 30 years, while 30 other countries had already proscribed the organisation, may have been perplexing to many.

But it could well be argued that a domestic ban at the outset would have shut the door altogether on resolving issues amicably with a segment which after all are part and parcel of the Sri Lankan community.

All leaders including President Mahinda Rajapaksa kept this option open with the fervent hope of reaching a settlement at a domestic level.There was international pressure too to go for talks and aid made contingent on a negotiated settlement.

The outfit was initially banned in 1998 following the attack on the Sri Dalada Maligawa but this was lifted with the signing of the CFA in 2001 as a condition for the LTTE to participate in peace talks.

Much water had flown under the bridge since then. From the outset it was clear that the LTTE was only interested in buying time while pretending to negotiate. It's time buying tactics and deception was evident from the second round of Peace talks in Bangkok in 2002, where LTTE spokesman Anton Balasingham swore to forgo its demand for an Interim adminstration only to renege on it even before the ink was dried on the document.

Similarly it left the negotiating table at the last Peace confab in Geneva in 2006 protesting against the composition of the Lankan delegation. Therefore the road of the so called peace talks from Thimpu to Bangkok to Geneva was littered with acts of deceit and duplicity on the part of the LTTE.

Yet President Mahinda Rajapaksa stopped short of banning the LTTE in the fervent hope it would renounce violence and enter negotiations. He even opened the doors to facilitate this process through the APRC, even though aware of the poor track record of the outfit.

Even at the height of conflict after Mavil Aru the President resisted calls to ban the organisation keeping this window of opportunity open. But it was clear that time was running out for the Tigers and it was matter of time before it was banned.

When it came eventually it was more or less a fait accompli. This is because the Government had exhausted all avenues to get the organisation to lay down arms and enter talks. The refusal of the Tigers to heed the President's appeal to release the civilians hostage by it was the final straw that broke the camel's back.

It is not as if the LTTE had not used civilians as a human shield before. But that was a time when the offensive was nowhere near or as intense as it is now. The military juggernaut is now rolling inexorable to conquer the remaining vestiges of LTTE presence and the cornered Tiger no doubt will use every trick at its disposal to hold out against the Forces. In the last throw of the dice it is doubtful that it will spare much thought for the civilian population whom it claims to represent. That is why the President realising the gravity of situation made this appeal with the hope that a thereat of a ban would make the LTTE relent. The President had given the outfit several ultimatums to comply with his request. The negative response of the Tigers has demonstrated the LTTE's brutal mindset and shown the world that safety of civilians was of no consequence to it.

The ban would now bring Sri Lanka on par with the rest of the countries who have proscribed the Tigers and would no doubt add a string to the bow of the current battle against the outfit.This will also assist in the unified action that is proposed, to fight terrorism in the wake of the recent Mumbai attacks.

As Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said Sri Lanka has 'formally joined the world order in effectively contributing to dismantle the infrastructure of terrorism.This will now pave the way for effective joint intelligence gathering particularly with India.

The ban would now bring in extra legal provisions to deal with those who aid and abet the organisation over and above the emergency laws or the Prevention of Terrorism Act. For instance any organisation or individual convicted of helping the banned LTTE could face upto 20 years imprisonment.The ban would also now bring in new focus on Sri Lanka by countries fighting the scourge of terrorism.It could also enhance military assistance to the country and put additional pressure on LTTE fronts operating in Western capitals.The ban should also now make local politicians promoting the LTTE cause in Tamil Nadu and the West to think twice since they would come under the scope of the new laws inherent in such a ban.

The proscription of the LTTE would remove the label attached to it as freedom fighters and firmly entrench itself in the roll call of international terrorist outfits.The Government should now make maximum use of the ban to rally international support to dismantle the global terror network of the LTTE.

Our envoys should be activated to redouble efforts to drive home the implications of the ban in their host countries. President Rajapaksa it could be said has ably consolidated the victories on the military fronts by this astute move to ban the LTTE which no doubt will isolate the outfit even further on the international front. Yet he has allowed it a window of opportunity to enter talks providing it agrees to the pre-conditions of laying down arms and renounce its military campaign. So all is not lost for the LTTE if it agrees to the President's terms.