Hi Ram:
Thanks for sharing Kamal's letter to the Sentinel and your thoughts on the subject.
I know Kamal does believe in the rule of law, and am sure he too wants the security forces to be accountable.
But he goes to great lengths in trying to explain that 'terrorism' cannot be dealt with gingerly, as if that is what Wasbir wants to do, deal with it 'gingerly'. If one has to draw conclusions from Kamal's note, it would be that Kamal wants to give the 'security' forces free-reign -- as if AFSPA is not enough. In that his opening statement sounds like a mere perfunctory homage to the rule of law, a 'xaliki-snan' .
I was also quite curious about :
>It is a killing field wherethe Army has to fight an invisible enemy, who hides amongst thecommon masses and does not wear uniform.
*** So perhaps it is OK to go shoot first and ask questions later. After all there are 'terrorists' out there, and soldiers are only human, unlike them 'masses' harboring them 'terrorists'. So , let us not make too big a deal of a few of the 'masses' getting rubbed out, no doubt only accidentally! Right ?
> In order to overcome this disadvantage, a soldier must beswift-reacting for which lightening reactions are summoned into actions, whenever and wherever there is an iota of doubt. By being fast and unpredictable, a soldier garners the ability to alarm theterrorist before the latter unnerves him.
*** I didn't realize that Kamal, besides being the good daktor he is, is also a military tactician. Perhaps a specialist in 'terrorist' fighting ? In GW Bush country he has a lot to contribute.
>Under thiscircumstance, human errors are bound to occur occasionally.
*** Of course! Only people like Wasbir tend to make mountains of such molehills. You never can trust these bleeding heart liberal journalists, can you?
>>The Army, in essence, is a well-oiled killing machine, who aretaught to annihilate the enemy. Its mathematics is simple:''anti-national'' means ''you have to eliminate''.
*** The immense power of superior logic exuding thru these observations would be lost on the clueless like myself, had it not been for Kamal's pointing it out ! Well-oiled killing machine! So, occasionally it could veer out of course. Only natural--what do you expect? Are you going to make a federal case out of it? Once the 'anti-national' label is placed on the target, it is OPEN SEASON!
My only question will be about WHO places that target, the anti-national label? And their QUALIFICATION for that? Authority for that?
Ooops! Forgive me. I almost forgot. They have AFSPA. Don't need any.
>Ideally, the Armyis not a force to be unleashed in civilian space.
*** Oh the idealist Kamal! He is all heart, isn't he? Tell you what? If it were for me, I would say ideals schmideals! It is for them bleeding hearts. Real patriots , not to mention real men, don't need that sappy garbage.
>>Since the terrorist almost always hides amongst the common people,the security forces must treat everyone with suspicion and thatkeeps the soldiers on their toes.
*** Now he is talking. The gloves finally came off, didn't they? I knew we could count on Kamal to say it like it is.
"--- terrorist almost always hides amongst the common people,"Wait a minute here! Is Kamal suggesting that the 'common people' AID and ABET them 'terrorists" ? Very interesting indeed. But if that is true, how are they 'terrorists', if the common people are not even terrified of them?
I am glad you corrected that slip of Kamal's Ram, by clarifying that the 'common people' harbor them out of sheer terror, and NOT because them 'terrorist' just might be their own--sons, nephews, friends, in-laws, lovers, what have you :-).
>the security forces must treat everyone with suspicion and that >keeps the soldiers on their toes. This may cause harassment to the >public, but it is the price one has to pay when the security forcesare fighting an invisible enemy.
*** Glad someone put things in perspective. These common masses need to be told in uncertain terms that they are SUSPECT! After all they are the ones causing trouble for the uncommon ELITEs like Kamal and his kind, keeping soldiers in their service on their toes.
>This is precisely why we get toread the news of innocent civilians being killed mistakenly by theArmy.
*** Now we know!
>But then, these cases are exceptions rather than rule.It would be worthwhile to keep in mind that the terrorists are certainly not normal human beings who harbour sentiments such ascompassion and love.
*** Didn't know that. Honest! Call me a fool, but I was under the mistaken idea that 'terrorist' is just a CONVENIENT label to place on other humans who are causing trouble for the good folks, like placing a bulls-eye target on their backs for the well-oiled killing machine to zero in on the kills. Didn't know they are not humans at all. Must be another bunch of 'killing machines' but without the grease and short on fuel.
The fact remains that brutes only understand brute force.
*** Of course! And if the common masses harbor them, they too ought to be treated brutally. And since it is so hard to tell one from the other, what do you expect?
It's all clear now . Thanks to Kamal. c-da :-) PS:
>I hope you are not trying to show that insurgents are innocent and
have played no part.*** How did you guess that Ram? I was trying to slide that in sideways. But you catch me every time . Let me 'fess up here: I was not only trying to shield them 'terrorists', I even had a soft spot for them common masses who harbor them as well. I am another one of those who didn't realize that once they hob-nob with 'terrorists' their innocence go up in smoke and they become fair game.
That, after all is the essence of desi-demokrasy! At 9:06 PM -0500 5/24/07, Ram Sarangapani wrote:
C'da Iam at a slight disadvt.-out of town and on a small keybrd. But will try. I think kjd does make salient pts.Assigning blame to the army is very easy.If one has to it has to be the policy makers, maybe the commanders etc. The usual jawan is probably shipped out of Andhra or Bihar with a very limited knowledge of the local populace. When they get imbroiled in a fracas, innocents get killed or hurt. Yesterday, I wrote how insurgents go hide among the villagers. The poor people, often have little or no option but to give shelter to insurgents, thus inviting the army. The insurgents don't wear uniforms, look and dress like the locals (Assam or Kashmir)and they take full advantage of such situations and their sympathizers are ready to pounce on the army if things go awry. When civilians pay the price, it might be prudent to look into the role also of the insurgents. I hope you are not trying to show that insurgents are innocent and have played no part. And thats about as much I can type on this tiny keybrd. More tomorrow:) BTW KJD just asked I fwd it-he is not a subscriber I think. --Ram On 5/24/07, Chan Mahanta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:Any comments on it on your part ,Ram :-)? c-da At 6:15 PM -0500 5/24/07, Ram Sarangapani wrote:Of Army 'Excess' One of the remarks made by Mr Wasbir Hussain in his column entitled "Men with weapons must have accountability" (The Sentinel, May 19, 2007) could not help but catch my eye. A direct quote, perhaps, would carry the right flavour: "The action of the Army, police or the paramilitary in eliminating any innocent civilian... is unacceptable." True, checks and balances are necessary, and accountability on the part of the security forces must be established and responsibility fixed. However, one must understand that the problem of terrorism cannot be tackled gingerly, nor can it be equated with the delicate act of delivering babies. The counter-insurgency operations are a lethal game that entails>quickness and keenness of perception. It is a killing field wherethe Army has to fight an invisible enemy, who hides amongst the>common masses and does not wear uniform. It is the terrorist whodecides when, where and how, while the soldier is at the receiving>end. In order to overcome this disadvantage, a soldier must beswift-reacting for which lightening reactions are summoned into actions, whenever and wherever there is an iota of doubt. By being fast and unpredictable, a soldier garners the ability to alarm the>terrorist before the latter unnerves him. Time is not on the side of >the soldier, and he lives only if he reacts swiftly. Under this >circumstance, human errors are bound to occur occasionally. >The Army, in essence, is a well-oiled killing machine, who aretaught to annihilate the enemy. Its mathematics is simple:>''anti-national'' means ''you have to eliminate''. Ideally, the Army >is not a force to be unleashed in civilian space. When they aremarshalled into a troubled spot to help civil administration to curb violence, a soldier does not differentiate between a foreign enemy and a home-grown separatist. His only objective is to erase the foe.>Since the terrorist almost always hides amongst the common people, >the security forces must treat everyone with suspicion and that >keeps the soldiers on their toes. This may cause harassment to thepublic, but it is the price one has to pay when the security forces>are fighting an invisible enemy. This is precisely why we get toread the news of innocent civilians being killed mistakenly by the>Army. But then, these cases are exceptions rather than rule.It would be worthwhile to keep in mind that the terrorists are certainly not normal human beings who harbour sentiments such as>compassion and love. Had they been so, they would not have been ableto stand to shoot at another human being's head point-blank - that too, that of a non-combatant civilian. And this speaks volumes of their mental make-up.>The fact remains that brutes only understand brute force.Kamaljit Deka, Sugarland, Texas. _______________________________________________ assam mailing list [email protected] http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
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