Two kings in Lanka

The historical poem "Mahavamsa", a count of eight centuries the kings of Sri Lanka, includes the legendary fighting the Sinhalese king against a king Dutugamunu said Tamil usurper Elara, who had seized the north after invading the island from India with his troops. In battle, Dutugamunu stood before his enemy and the two fought on the backs of their elephants, until the Sinhalese mortally wounded with a dart at Elara, older and less agile.

"The water tank is red red with the blood of the dead," cries the poem about the battle. Of that history has been more than 2,100 years, but Dutugamunu is today one of the most beloved by the nationalist elements of the Sinhalese majority, which dominates the state in the Indian Ocean island. In Sri Lanka keeps running blood. And it's no secret that its President, Mahinda Rajapaksa, dreams of emulating the legendary Dutugamunu, in view of the military surge has brought to its knees in the north to the Tamil Tigers.

"If there were civilians there, we would soon destroy even a day," replies the other end of the line military spokesman in Sri Lanka, Udaya Nanayakkara. In the past year and a half, the troops have conquered a territory larger than the province of Seville, about 14,800 square kilometers and have cornered the Tamil Tigers (LTTE) in a jungle in the northeast corner of Sri Lanka.

But his successful offensive, supported by an overwhelming superiority of arms and an army 15 times more numerous than the guerrillas, now faces the barrier humanitarian aid organizations and various powers remind the Government: UN says that in recent guerrilla strongholds there are 250,000 civilians trapped and helpless before the government aircraft bombing, fighting and alleged incessant pressures-and-shots of the guerrillas to not flee the last areas under their control.

"We can not give a deadline, because we have to minimize the harm caused to civilians," Nanayakkara said. That is also the Sri Lankan government's official version, but so far the factor has not stopped previous civil progress. And the standalone versions are very nice: the UN spokesman in the country, Gordon Weiss, last week accused the army of a slaughter of 52 civilians died. Reason for the hawks in the government calling for the evacuation of foreign aid: the witnesses are at risk because they pose a risk.

"We have about 20 workers in the field, but I can not specify where they are. Some are with patients, others have been displaced. We are concerned about hygiene, shelter, medicine. Since late January has not been possible to carry humanitarian aid to war zones, "says the Red Cross spokeswoman, Sarasi Wijeratne. His is the only organization authorized by the contenders to operate.

The antipathy of both sides for the standalone versions crystallizes in the difficult working conditions faced by the Red Cross in its relief efforts to civilians or banning reporters access to the battlefields. In the environment outweigh the threats and murder against journalists, as the famous case of editor Lasantha Wickramatunga. Critical of the government and aware of his danger, Wickramatunga, shot his way to work on January 8, left ready for a devastating article that was published after his death:

Others walked, he wrote in reference to President Mahinda Rajapakasa-in the shadow of death that your Presidency has been for the freedom they once fought hard. You can never forget that my death took place before your eyes. As anguished as I know you'll also know that you will have no choice but to forgive my murderers. "

"It's just another murder," he later told the BBC the defense secretary, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa (blood brother of the president). He himself, considered one of the toughest defenders of the final solution against the guerrillas, was the subject of an assassination attempt by the LTTE. As was the current chief of staff Ceylon, Sarath Fonseka, who heads the Army operations.

The offense of Fonseka and Rajapaksa clan has so far had an undoubted success: the LTTE has shifted from controlling large swathes of eastern and coastal north where the Tamils ​​have more presence, to be cornered in an area of ​​140 square kilometers in Mullaitivu jungle areas, the historic feud that has always retreated when things against the Army got rough.

But things look bad for the guerrillas, worse than other times, according to the Army, the LTTE has only 600 guerrillas "in direct control disposal", which are surrounded by some 50,000 soldiers covering all sides. He even speculates the possible sea escape their supreme leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran, as his old hideouts fall one after another in the hands of the troops.

The Tamil Tigers are aware of its obvious military inferiority, so his strategy so far has been based on as much as possible to resist the advance and retreat of the troops taking with civilians when their positions were untenable. Using this technique, limiting their losses, they say, have so far lost their fiefs main their de facto capital, Kilinochchi, the strategic Elephant Pass and Mullaitivu town.

The strategy has the support of one of its most experienced wings: the division of advertising, communications expert and counter-information from sites like Tamilnet, in English, or Puthinam, in Tamil, with trying to attract the attention of the diaspora and the international community to achieve a cease-fire or mediation. These days, the Tamil media are recreated in attacks against hospitals, shooting at civilians and, in short, the word "genocide."

In this beautiful island of India hanging on maps and in the offices, the indictment raises old ghosts in the minds of the Tamil community. Comprise 18 percent of the population, or approximately two million people (no reliable census) but have seen since independence the state was built by the Sinhalese majority following exclusionary criteria and even discriminatory. A widely cited example is the declaration of Sinhala as the sole official language.

So the guerrillas underpins their messages with references to discrimination, genocide. And yet, apart from that there is no independent verification of their claims, a possible mediation of the international community or a ceasefire are proving difficult. Mainly because the Government of Sri Lanka feel too close to military victory as a carrot to accept different, but also because India, the main regional power, rubs his hands with the possibility of Prabhakaran's head, responsible for the murder of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

But the pressure on the government increases. India, which provides a quiet supply weapons to the island can not afford to support Rajapaksa too openly because this would earn the wrath of its own Tamil population, 66 million people who share culture and traditions with their "brothers" of the north Sri Lanka. And the United States, the European Union Japan and Norway have requested a temporary ceasefire to allow trapped civilians to flee. Rajapaksa even received a call from the UN secretary general, Ban Ki Moon, who asked him to stop the fighting a few hours. "Thank you for your interest, sir, but it is not possible," Rajapaksa said.

The government estimate, the coffins of soldiers arriving each month to Colombo, the humanitarian crisis or possible international scolding are a price worth paying: for the first time in decades, Rajapaksa has managed to convince the population that is possible to sweep the guerrillas militarily, who at 25 years of existence is one of the bloodiest organizations worldwide and has kept the country divided in two with his violent challenge.

Since the beginning of the war in 1983 almost 100,000 people have died, as told by phone the Minister of Minorities, Dev Gunasekara, between sporadic outbreaks of ethnic violence, military actions or attempts suicide Division of the guerrillas, the Tigers Black, who was photographed with its supreme leader before going to certain death and dragging with them you get in your way.

Tamil guerrillas like to cultivate the mystique of the revolution: its symbol is a roaring tiger uniform and go as if they were. With the uniform, get a cyanide pill to be swallowed as if capturados.Cuentan-or had-with an air force (a couple of Czech-made aircraft) and a Armada.Hasta this offensive the army, had set up a mini de facto state hospitals, police, courts and customs of their own.

And at the same time maintaining discipline among their ranks with an iron hand and fed with a striking loyalty marketing attention (to sell patriotic songs online), thanks in part to funds raised by contributions from the powerful Tamil diaspora in abroad, where they developed a powerful system of client connections that go from Paris to Toronto and was hit hard from 11-S in New York.

Prabhakaran has shown himself always offensive disregard of human rights. Militant from the origin of the guerrillas, has committed several murders he has ordered another as the Rajiv Gandhi mentioned and is wanted by Interpol for multiple counts. Dryness gives an idea of ​​the expulsion order of 80,000 Muslims living in the Tamil areas, who set a deadline (completed) within 24 hours. They left with nothing.

In its relentless race for the independence of the Tamil minority and establish itself as the unique voice of ethnicity in Sri Lanka, Prabhakaran has not hesitated to eliminate its political opponents, near or far-, using child soldiers, and to resort to attacks suicide or shot in the neck to end any dissent or threat.

So capture the Tamil leader would head to crown the best military offensive Rajapaksa. It would be a blow, the total defeat and a violent symbolic strikes a Elara Dutugamunu stripped of his former righteousness. But when the Sinhalese king key will end the dart to the guerrillas, will the real challenge: making the Tamils ​​feel comfortable in Sri Lanka.

It is not easy. For the next day, the government is preparing for several detention camps to house Tamil refugees, similar to others that languish Muslims. In the Tamil area, the LTTE has dominated political life until the point where military to dismantle a vacuum will probably dangerous to the community, which will be disorganized. For the Tamils, the challenge will be to build a political movement away from violence.

Put another way, depend on their ability to adapt to the day after, but also the hitherto nonexistent compassion and magnanimity of Rajapaksa, when the blood stops flowing.

As if the president lacked will, history offers clues: despite its defeat, the invader King Elara went down in history as a righteous king and respected, who managed to ensure consistency throughout their subjects regardless of their ethnicity. After defeat in the battlefield, Dutugamunu himself regretted his action and ordered the fallen king cremated with honors. The pain was so great that he ordered to build a mound. "He never knew the joy, remembering the destruction of both his enemies and his own soldiers," the "Mahavamsa". Let's see.