LTTE- noble freedom fighters or evil scum?

The LTTE are GONE.My mother says its been going on for almost 30 years.30 years of war,bloodshed and destruction.And what have they achieved in all that time? A country devastated by years of instability.A Tamil community that is now severely demoralised. Assasinated Prime ministers and various other officials. And the charming concept of suicide bombers.

Thank you,Velupillai Prabhakaran. We're really going to miss you.

I have no sympathy for the LTTE.And that's how I thought everyone felt. Mass murdering,child soldier recruiting,cyancide capsule wearing terrorist outfit? The normal response should be NO THANK YOU! But there are so many people, people who are otherwise upstanding model citizens, who are in silent support of their efforts.

I get that we're Tamil and they're Tamil. I understand and condemn the years of oppression the Srilankan Tamils have faced under the Sinhalese government.I even accept that as more powerful nation it is our duty to protect the interests of our Tamil cousins in Sri Lanka.But empathising for their sufferings and supporting a guerilla army with a penchant for blowing up stuff are two very different things.

Its cliche,it sounds naive and trite -but when you KILL PEOPLE you automatically become one of the bad guys.It sounds like a childish distillation of a very broad and complex issue( one which, admittedly, I know little about) but sometimes you have to step back and look at things in black and white. And when you do I can't see how the the LTTE can be viewed as anything other than what they are-terrorists.

They may have lofty ideals and they are fighting for a noble cause.But the indiscriminate bombing of your own country, your own people is not a way to affect change. The road to Hell, as Madonna sings in one of her songs, is paved with good intentions.

And as for the sudden outpouring of sympathy and grief from certain political parties on this side of the Palk Strait? Trusting politicians is never wise but its the last thing you want to do in an election year.

Also, fasting for four hours in demand of a cease fire is NO BIG DEAL. I do it everyday between breakfast and lunch. The only diffrence is my fasts aren't televised. And what a televison program that was! The aged and ailing politician refusing both food and water until the safety of his people in another country is secured. How noble,how selfless! Just like Gandhi years before.And yet I doubt Gandhi had an air cooler and a television crew standing by.

Not to mention mutliple wives.

Shame on all of us for electing him back into office.