Massacre versus Collateral Damage

How countries tie themselves up in knots, justifying one war while condemning another. Britain, which has been in the forefront of protests against Sri Lanka's victorious assault on the Tamil Tigers, has lined up behind the United States in support of Pakistan's drive against the Taliban in Swat. 'There will be consequences', Gordon Brown thundered, when the Lankans refused to cease fire. No such threat has been directed at Islamabad from 10 Downing Street, even as entire towns are destroyed by the Pakistan army's artillery and millions are driven from their homes.
The Times of London claimed, citing an unnamed source, that more than 20,000 Tamil civilians died on the beach that witnessed the final conflict between government forces and the LTTE. If, indeed, so many civilians were killed, an impartial enquiry ought to be conducted to determine if the actions of Sri Lankan armed forces constituted a war crime. Funny thing is, while Tamil parties cried themselves hoarse for weeks about the plight of trapped civilians, not a single Tamil politician has raised his or her voice against the government of India's stalling, at the United Nations, of any international investigation of the last battle.