mawatha silva

The Global Tamil Forum (GTF)

2010-03-06T16:59:00.002+05:30

The Global Tamil Forum (GTF) saw delegates from 14 countries gather in the UK House of Commons to be addressed by speakers from across the political spectrum, including parliamentarians, councilors and prospective parliamentary candidates.

Some Tamil delegates were also invited in for a private meeting with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

Following is the full text of the address by British Foreign Secretary David Miliband to members of the GTF at the House of Commons on 24 February 2010:

I want to very warmly welcome all of you to the House of Commons if you’ve come from around Britain, and welcome you to Britain, those of you who’ve come from around the world. I think that it is very significant indeed that the Global Tamil Forum should have brought people together from fourteen countries. That in itself is a huge achievement. It is a reflection of the breadth of the Tamil diaspora around the world and I hope it speaks to a unity that will serve the rights and hopes of the Tamil people in Sri Lanka.

It’s also important to recognise the history that’s associated with Britain’s relationship with Sri Lanka. Father Emmanuel spoke about this. And I hope that not just historians, but Tamils will come to look back on this meeting in this building as being a time and a moment of significance for the future of Sri Lanka.

I also want to recognise on the platform with me here are three Members of Parliament who have played an outstanding role in the British debate about the future of Sri Lanka. Virendra Sharma on my right, Keith Vaz, Siobhain McDonagh have all been stout defenders of the rights of all Sri Lankans and I think it is right not just to recognise the role of Governments, but to recognise the work of parliamentarians and also to recognise the work of community groups. Some of them made by Tamils, but others made by churches, made by other groups of British people who’ve seen the plight in Sri Lanka and wanted to respond to it and I think it’s important to recognise that this is a grass roots movement in Britain, not just a Government led movement.

I also want to say that the foundation of the Global Tamil Forum, the inauguration of its international work, is an important moment for politics and above all politics in Sri Lanka, because there is no substitute for political voice in asserting political rights. Tamils know to their cost the price of violence against them and in their name. We know that the civil war is over, but the civil peace has yet to be built and it is the dedication of this organisation to build a lasting equitable and endurable political civil peace that I think is the test of all of our effort.

I want to commend very, very strongly your decision to, not just to support non violence, but to advocate non violence. I think that history has shown time and again that lasting peace is not found through weapons and through warfare but through politics, however hard it is to persevere with it. We’ve seen this in our own United Kingdom, notably in the state of Northern Ireland, but also in other parts of the world and the road ahead no doubt will be long and hard in some ways that I will describe in a moment. But I think the founding commitment not just to a fully inclusive political process, but to support non violence as the means to achieve it, is something that speaks to the deepest values of the Tamil people and actually, as I will say later, to the deepest values of people everywhere.

Perhaps I should say why I’m here. It’s not just that London is the venue for this important meeting. It’s that the importance of establishing a lasting peace in Sri Lanka matters. It matters because of the deep links that exist between Britain and Sri Lanka, the deep links that exist between British people and Sri Lankans of all kinds, and it’s also that the future of Sri Lanka is important for the future of South Asia more generally. And I think that any Foreign Secretary would want to be here to listen, but also to support about the way ahead.

For twenty six years all the peoples of Sri Lanka suffered from the effects of civil war, but we know that while all communities were hit, the Tamil communities were the worst hit. We know that during the conflict Tamils were in every day fear for their lives, trapped between Government forces and the LTTE, many thousands killed we know, seventy thousand in total from all communities. Thousands more injured or maimed which often is not mentioned in a grim recitation of statistics.

We know that civilians were displaced, individuals, children separated from their families, homes and livelihoods destroyed and we know also that the Tamil diaspora around the world reflects conflict and it reflects fear around the world. We are proud in this country, very proud, of the contribution that British Tamils are making to our country. You are our neighbours, our friends, our relatives. We’re proud of your role in business, in commerce, in politics. But you know very deeply that you would like to be making a contribution above all in Sri Lanka and it is that tension, that dual focus first of all on Britain and first of all, and secondly on Sri Lanka, that brings us together.

It’s also important to say as Tamils lived in fear, some expelled from their country, that they, you also lived in the shadow of the LTTE, a terrorist organisation which committed countless atrocities itself, which refused to tolerate dissent, which forcibly recruited children as soldiers and which again refused to allow Tamil civilians to escape from the fighting. I think it’s important to say those things as well.

And we know that today land mines are still scattered across the former conflict zone, the lack of infrastructure and the lack of electricity, the lack of irrigation, poverty rates in Tamil areas are at least double those in the other provinces. And after the spike in violence that preceded the end of the civil war, nearly a hundred thousand Tamils still remain in the IDP camps, unable to return to their homes. And I will never forget the faces that I saw in the IDP camps in Sri Lanka ten months ago. I will never forget the stories that I was told of innocent people separated from their families, of brutalisation and of profound fear about the future. And whenever I think of that statistic of a hundred thousand people still in IDP camps I think of individual men, women and in some cases young teenagers talking to me about all they wanted was to be treated as a decent human being, able to go about their lives in a decent way. And that’s what motivates me and it’s what motivates the Prime Minister and it’s what motivates the Government to believe that the aspirations of the Tamil people expressed as the hope of a decent life alongside others in Sri Lanka is something that should motivate us in the future.

We try in the short term to alleviate the suffering. We try to send money and we do send money, tens of millions of pounds are sent from Britain by the Government. But I know many millions of pounds are sent by the Tamil communities too to try to make a difference through the humanitarian agencies who should be given far greater access and freedom of movement. We also continue to urge the Government of Sri Lanka to return the remaining IDPs to their home areas, to grant full access to NGOs and we do not forget either the eleven thousand five hundred or so ex combatants also still in camps.

Now despite the scale of this humanitarian crisis and the need for us to focus on it as a matter of urgency, we do not forget the longer term, because anyone who cares about the future of Sri Lanka knows that it will not be built by aid alone. It must be built through a new political settlement. Since the end of the civil war, since the re-election of President Rajapaksa, as we look forward and await the parliamentary elections, we continue to make the case that the President should use his mandate for a real drive for national reconciliation, a real drive to respect the rights of every single Sri Lankan, a real drive to fulfil the commitments, constitutional and other reforms, that would make a difference.

Now to do this there needs to be greater effort to respect the rights of all Sri Lankans. It is because of our concern about the implementation of core commitments in respect of human rights conventions that we along with twenty six other members of the European Union supported the European Commission’s recommendation to suspend Sri Lanka from the benefits of the GSP+ trade programme. We did, we did so because trade and values need to be linked. We did so because the rules of the GSP programme put values at their heart. Those values are values of civil and political rights, because we are concerned about violence and allegations of malpractice in the election campaign and of course there are also important commitments made by the Government in respect of media freedom. There is also the issue of the arrest of the presidential candidate who like anyone else arrested should be treated in accordance with Sri Lankan law.

We also believe that as well as the GSP issue there is an issue of history because history is there to be learned from. We can not live in our history, but we have to learn from it and I think that my reading of reconciliation around the world is that if history is buried then reconciliation never happens. We have recently celebrated the twentieth anniversary of the release of Nelson Mandela and the commitment to expose history to the full glare of publicity, the commitment to reconcile history as well as reconcile people has been an important part of the South African experience and I think is an important lesson from the South African experience. That is why we continue to call as a Government for a process to investigate serious allegations of violation of international humanitarian law by both sides in the conflict. If credible and independent, such efforts could make an important contribution to reconciliation between Sri Lanka’s communities.

I’ve also said repeatedly that the concern with civil and political rights today, concern with the history, concern with the IDPs, feeds in to a constitutional point that there needs to be a genuinely inclusive political process in Sri Lanka which involves all communities of Sri Lanka. It’s important to say that whenever a British Minister says this, there are accusations that we are trying to tell Sri Lanka how to govern or run its own affairs. I want to refute that very, very clearly, because the shape of any future political settlement is for the Sri Lankan people, all the Sri Lankan people recognising all their rights, including minority rights, it’s for them to determine. But we will continue to be an advocate for the universal human rights that we believe underpin the basis not just of democracy, but of decent societies everywhere.

I just want to conclude on the following point. Politics is about Governments, it’s also about people, it’s about people in countries that are trying to chart a peaceful future, but it’s also about those with links around the world and that relates to the significance of today’s event. This democratic group, this heartily engaged forum is well placed to influence debate, well placed because of its commitments and well placed because of its contacts.

And it is my view that political reconciliation will require the active engagement of Tamil communities around the world. It will require you to speak up for your values of non violence. It will require you to speak up for a vision of a decent Sri Lanka that respects all its people and it will require you to speak up for a spirit that recognises that if people can not find a way to live together they will drift apart.

These commitments are easy to say, especially easy to say from the relative comfort of a democratic country like the United Kingdom. But it’s important that we say that we are in solidarity with all those Sri Lankans, whatever their background, who want to live up to the commitments in the Sri Lankan constitution and who want to live up to the founding ideals of a country that respects every single one of its citizens without fear or favour. The struggle for equality and democracy is one that should unite all Sri Lankans and all Governments around the world. On behalf of the UK Government I can assure you it does. Thank you very much indeed.

Velupillai Pirabaharan is the leader of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and also the National Leader of Tamil Eelam.

2009-12-02T03:06:00.003+05:30

Valvettithurai was one of the important Northern ports during the period of the Jaffna Kingdom and even before. It served as a bridge between northern Tamil Eelam and the port of Kodikkarai in Tamil Nadu. The people of Valvettithurai are brave sailors who traveled the stormy seas and amassed great wealth through trade. This sea-port has earned an indelible fame in the annals of Tamil Eelam. This is because it is the birthplace of Pirabaharan, founder of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Liberation (LTTE), who with popular support of the people is leading the Tamil Eelam National struggle. He is now unanimously accepted as the National Leader of Tamil Eelam. He was born in this historic village on 26th, November 1954.

“Thirumeniyar family” is one of the reputed families in Valvettithurai. Thirumeniyar is one of 4 sons born to Iyampillai Velayuthar. His brothers are Gnanamoorthiyar, Puniyamoorthiyar and Arumugathaar. Thirumeniyar’s maternal uncle Ponnambalam was a successful businessman and was conferred with the title of Mudali during the Dutch period. Thirumeniyar Venkadasalam alias Thirumeniyar Periyathambiyar erected the famous Vaitheeswaran Sivan temple of Valvai according to the wish of his father.

The temple construction commenced in 1867 and was consecrated in 1883. He renovated two more temples viz Vaikunthap Pillayar and Puddanip Pilaiyar temples. He also built many Madams for the use of pilgrims at Mullaithivu. The family also built two more temples. Valvai Muthu Mariamman temple and Nediyakadu Pillaiyar temple. Another family called Methaiveedu Nagalingam lived in the adjoining town of Point Pedro. This family was also reputed for building many temples in this area. These two families were joined together through marriage. Thiruvenkadam Velupillai of Thirumeniyar family married Paarvathy of Nagalingam family.

Pirabaharan was the youngest child born in that family. Pirabaharan has one elder brother and two elder sisters. All of them are happily married and settled down in life. One of his sisters, Vinothini Rajendram is in Canada. The other sister and brother are living in Denmark.

Pirabaharan's father served under the Ceylon government as a District Land Officer for several years. Pirabaharan’s father and mother are domiciled in Tiruchi, Tamil Nadu at present.

Pirabaharan had his education upto 10th grade at Sithamparam Vidyalayam in Oorikkadu, Valvettithurai.

In those days the sole ambition of children from affluent and middle class families was to receive good English education and then seek employment abroad or secure employment in the government. But from his childhood days Pirabaharan's way of thinking was completely different.

When he travelled with his father to the other parts of Ceylon he saw for himself how the Sinhalese policemen ill-treated innocent Tamil people by kicking and beating them. Such incidents caused shock and pain and left deep scars in his psyche.

Especially, the first major genocidal attack against the Tamils during 1958 affected his mind profoundly. Still in his teens, he heard numerous heart-aching stories of inhuman and brutal murders of Tamils by racist Sinhalese goon squads and thugs.

He heard at first hand from a widowed mother who is well known to his parents the anguish and pain she suffered. How Tamil children were killed by heartless mobs by throwing them into cauldrons of boiling tar. How a Hindu priest was burnt alive at a temple in Panadura. So when he came to know how the unfortunate Tamils have been at the receiving end of horrible attacks at the hands of Sinhalese goons, he developed deep sympathy, love and a firm resolve to defend the defenseless the Tamil people.

So he perfected an irresistible urge in his mind to free the Tamil people from the clutches of the oppressive Sinhalese government. He came to the firm and resolute conclusion that the only way to confront the racist Sinhalese government which used military might against the defenseless and innocent Tamil people is through armed struggle.

So during his student days, he and his friends learnt the art of making improvised hand grenades. On one such occasion a grenade exploded accidentally and he received burnt marks on his leg. After medical treatment the burnt area became black. This earned him the nickname 'Karikalan' (person with a blackened leg) when he was still a young lad.

The standardization system introduced by the Sinhala government in 1971 acted as a stumbling block against Tamil students gaining entry to Universities after finishing high school. Pirabaharan who studied upto 10th grade could not continue his studies because of his involvement as a liberation fighter.

Pirabaharan's parents were completely unaware of his clandestine activities. But the opportunity for the parents to know of his clandestine revolutionary activities came knocking at the door on its own.

One day a posse of policemen came in search of Pirabaharan. They knocked at the front door of his house at the unholy hour of 3 a.m. in the morning. Immediately on hearing the knocks, Pirabaharan immediately knew it is the Police had come in search of him. Sensing trouble, he vanished thorugh the back door into the darkness of the night without anyone's knowledge.

Pirabaharan’s mother opened the door and was startled to see several policemen in khaki uniform standing in front of the house. She was shocked because at that time she was unaware of Pirabaharan’s involvement in any ‘clandestine movement’. Finally, after a thorough search of the house a disappointed Police went back empty handed failing to apprehend Pirabaharan. He was only 19 years old at that time and he never returned home thereafter.

When his father came to know of his involvement in revolutionary activities, he went to Pirabaharan’s hideout and brought him back home.

Pirabaharan told his parents "I will never be of any use to you or to other members of the family. Let there be no trouble for you because of me. Please allow me to go my own way. In future never expect anything from me." So saying he left the house. Then he plunged himself fully in the clandestine activities of the movement. He became a full time activist living under ground and moving from place to place to escape arrest by the Police.

His Early Comrades in the Revolutionary Movement

2009-12-02T03:04:00.002+05:30

"Thambi"His early comrades in the movement were youngsters and relatives from his own village of Valvettithurai. This is to be expected when a revolutionary movement is launched by someone still in his teens. Such a situation is unavoidable and quite natural.

The Birth of the New Tamil Tigers
During the early part of 1970, strong repressive measures unleashed by the government against Tamils and the blatant discrimination perpetuated against them in all spheres of life created a strong wave of resentment among Tamil youths. They were itching to launch some retaliatory action against the Sinhalese chauvinistic government. Neither the Tamil political parties nor the Sinhalese leftist organizations understood the simmering mind-set of the Tamil youths.

The Tamil youths thought that there were no Tamil political leaders or organizations to stand up and fight on behalf of the oppressed Tamil people. Although the Tamil leaders engaged themselves in various non-violent struggles for more than 30 years, they were treated like outcasts by the government. No one listened to their protests in Parliament. Their protests echoed like cries in the wilderness.

The leftist parties which became victims of Sinhalese chauvinism after 1956 worked against the Tamils. So they too completely ignored the political struggle of the Tamils. Therefore, the Tamil youths were not prepared to trust these leftist parties as well.

Under these circumstances a student movement was started in 1970 under the name “Thamizh MAnavar PEravai” ('Tamil Students Union'). The TSU brought together all the Tamil students and mounted several protest demonstrations, rallies and processions against standardization to University admissions introduced by the government. The TSU became a powerful force among the Tamil students. Tamil youths gradually began to realise that only through an armed revolutionary struggle that Tamils could liberate themselves from the tyranny of Sinhalese hegemonic rule.

The TSU grew to become a very strong organization. Pirabaharan was in the forefront as the leader of the militant wing. As he was the youngest person in that group he was fondly called 'Thamby' (younger brother) by other members of the group. Even today there are people who call him by this name. At the beginning, these young men learnt the art of making hand grenades and using firearms all by themselves. There were about 25 young men in this militant group, all of them close associates of Pirabaharan hailing from Valvettithurai.

During this time to show their opposition to the government, 4 youths under the leadership of Pirabaharan decided to set fire to a government owned Ceylon Transport Board (CTB) bus. But half way. through fear the other three ran away. Only Pirabaharan who was only 16 years-old at that time boldly set fire to the bus and returned. Pirabaharan’s boldness earned the admiration of every one without exception. Those members of the group who were older than him admired Pirabaharan’s bravery and his ability to execute successfully all the difficult tasks assigned to him. All members reposed confidence in Pirabaharan who became symbolic of Tamil militancy and forerunner of Tamil militant movement.

At the same time, the Sinhalese government which was closely monitoring the activities of the TSU attempted to suppress it by using brute force. Some members of the TSU were arrested and tortured by the police. Unable to bear the torture, a few of them broke-down and spilled the beans. In the process they unwittingly betrayed their colleagues to the police. Then the Sinhala police started to hunt down members of the militant group. They arrested many of them, locked them in prisons and tortured them. It was during this period the 4th Storey building in Colombo Fort became famous for torturing Tamil youths. Not wishing to take unnecessary risk, Pirabaharan went over to Tamil Nadu.

Pirabaharan did not stay long in Tamil Nadu. He returned to Tamil Eelam during the early part of 1972. There was an urge among the various revolutionary youths who remained scattered for a revolutionary leadership to head a strong revolutionary movement wedded to revolutionary political philosophy. It is under these circumstances the New Tamil Tigers was launched by Pirabaharan in the middle part of 1972. He was only 17 years- old at that time. The movement was organized with very strict code of conduct and discipline from the very beginning.

Chapter 1: New Tamil Tigers and Their Activities

2009-12-02T03:02:00.003+05:30

Pirabaharan was both the leader and military commander of the “ New Tamil Tigers”. From the very beginning, Pirabaharan himself personally recruited brave young men committed to self-sacrifice and revolutionary flavour to the movement. He himself provided them the required military training and political indoctrination.

(1) First Military Operation
The first military operation of the “ New Tamil Tigers' was carried out under the command of Pirabaharan on July 17th 1975. Alfred Duraiappah, the then Mayor of Jaffna and S.L.F.P. Jaffna electorate organizer was the first victim. He was shot dead when he came to worship at the Varatharajah Perumal Temple at Ponnalai. After the successful operation the Tamil Tigers escaped in the Mayor's car after snatching the keys from the driver.

The credit for planning, executing and leading the first operation successfully goes to Pirabaharan. This incident became a strong warning signal to those Tamil traitors who wanted to betray the Tamil people’s liberation struggle. Above everything, this incident gave confidence to the freedom-thirsty Tamil youths in their long and difficult march towards Tamil Eelam. Many youths joined the movement in the fight against internal and external enemies under the able and trusted leadership of Pirabaharan.

(2) “New Tamil Tigers”
The clandestine movement needed large amount of funds to operate underground. Therefore, they were forced to rob government owned banks to finance their activities. Although the Sri Lankan government collected revenue in the form of taxes from all the people, it neglected completely the Tamil areas in national development schemes. Pirabaharan, therefore, felt that it is not immoral to rob the government to finance the Tamil liberation struggle. So on 5th March 1976, Pirabaharan with his comrades entered the People's Bank branch at Puthur in broad light and took away 5 lakhs in cash and 2 lakhs worth of jewelry at gunpoint.

After the murder of Alfred Duraiappah and the bank robbery the government set up a special intelligence squad in the North. It was created by the Police Headquarters in Colombo with the sole purpose of completely wiping-out the New Tamil Tigers. This division commenced its work in Tamil areas with the help of informants and traitors.

(3) Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam

Jaffna Public Library The “ New Tamil Tigers'” organization took the new name of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on May 5th 1976. Pirabaharan remained the political leader and military commander. Some stringent rules and regulations in force during the time of the New Tamil Tigers were relaxed and new regulations were introduced with the object of facilitating the participation of all people in the Tamil Eelam liberation struggle.

Furthermore, Pirabaharan constituted the organization as an urban guerrilla movement with the objective of carrying out a long drawn-out people’s war for the national liberation of Tamil people.

With prophetic foresight Pirabaharan realized that the guerrilla method of warfare is the only viable option for unarmed and numerically smaller nation to fight against the military might of the Sinhala chauvinistic regime. He also correctly anticipated that a guerrilla warfare will be a fore-runner to a full-blooded armed mass liberation struggle in which everyone will participate.

By way of explanation Pirabaharan said "Guerrilla warfare is really mass struggle. It is not in conflict with mass struggle. Guerrilla warfare is the highest form of mass struggle. When it takes root in the hearts of the entire populace and reflect their aspirations it becomes a mass struggle. My object is to achieve this purpose of making all take active part in this guerilla warfare."

In this liberation struggle, leader Pirabaharan divided the military activities of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam into three main divisions.

1.Eliminating Sri Lanka’s police spies and Tamil traitors who help them.
2.Crippling the administrative structure of the Sri Lankan police force functioning in Tamil Eelam.
3.Destroying army troops and camps by mounting covert and overt attacks and bring them under LTTE control followed by setting up civil administration appropriate to the Tamil people through which self-rule is established in Tamil Eelam.
On July 02, 1976 Nadarajah, Manager Petrol depot. from Urumpirai was shot dead.
On Feb 14, 1977 police constable Karunanithy was shot dead at Maviddapuram.
On May 18, 1977 two policemen bearing the same name Shanmuganathan were shot dead at Inuvil.
(In August 1977, the UNP. government successfully carried out a genocidal attack on Tamils' throughout the island.)
On January 27, 1978 Kanagaratnam, TULF candidate for Pottuvil was shot at Colombo.
On April 07, 1978 Inspector Bastiampillai, who gained notoriety for torturing Tamil suspects at the CID office on 4th floor, and four other police officers were killed in the jungles adjoining Madhu church in Murungan.
On April 25, 1978 for the first time LTTE issued a statement publicly claiming responsibility for military operations from the days of New Tamil Tigers to LTTE totaling 11 military operations.
On May 19, 1978 a “Law proscribing the LTTE” was passed by the Sri Lanka Parliament. This law gave very wide powers to the army to eliminate LTTE cadres.
On September 07, 1978 a “ New Constitution” was passed by the UNP government of J.R Jayawardene which relegated Tamil language to 2nd place.
On December 05, 1978 Rs.12 lakhs was robbed from the government owned bank at Thirunelveli after killing two policemen.
On July 20, 1979 J.R.’s government passed the Prevention of Terrorism Act to strengthen the previous law which proscribed the LTTE. Under this law a person can be detained incommunicado for 18 months without trial or charges.

On the very same day of the passage of the Prevention of Terrorist Act, a state of Emergency was declared in the Northern province. Immediately, J.R. dispatched his nephew Brigadier (Bull) Weeratunga to the North with instructions to “Destroy terrorism in all its form” in six months, that is on or before December 31, 1979.

When the Sri Lankan government under J.R. intensified military oppression of Tamil people and launched a no-holes barred war to destroy the LTTE completely; Pirabaharan decided to strengthen and expand both military and political activities to confront government’s counter insurgency plans. Towards this end, he decided to suspend all military actions temporarily during 1979 and 1980 and concentrated all his attention in strengthening and expanding the Tiger organization.

It was during this period he drafted a full-fledged ‘revolutionary political doctrine’ through which he intended creating an army of fighters who were politically conscious. During this period establishing LTTE branches for the purpose of forging friendly relations with progressive movements remained one of Pirabaharan’s high priority.

On May 31, 1981 the Sinhala army and police together with UNP thugs set the Jaffna city on fire. They burnt to ashes the Jaffna library considered one of the best in South Asia that contained priceless collections of more than 94,000 books and rare manuscripts.

The Eelanadu newspaper publishing house was also burnt down. The duo who spearheaded the Tamil cultural genocide were two senior cabinet ministers known for their chauvinism, Cyril Matthew and Gamini Dissanayake of the UNP government. Gamini Dissanayake later became the leader of the opposition and UNP presidential candidate in the 1994 elections. He was killed in a suicide attack on October 24, 1994.

At this stage, Pirabaharan wanted to make the Sinhala chauvinistic government to realise the fact that Tamils cannot be cowed down through state terrorism and violence. So he gave orders to his cadres to mount attacks against government troops. The attacks gradually became escalated in frequency and intensity.

The First Attack against the Sri Lankan Army
On October 15, 1981 the Tigers launched their first attack against the Sri Lankan army by attacking an army truck which came along K.K.S road in Jaffna town. Two soldiers were killed and their arms taken away by the LTTE. In the history of the Liberation struggle of Tamil Eelam this was the first attack on the Sri Lankan army.

On July 02, 1982 four soldiers were killed and three wounded in an attack that took place at Nelliady. The dead soldiers’ arms and ammunitons were also taken away by the LTTE.

On September 29, 1982 the Tigers exploded land mines to cause damage to navy trucks coming on the Ponnalai causeway from Karainagar Naval base as a mark of protest to J.R. Jayawardene’s visit to Jaffna for an election campaign.

On October 27, 1982 the Tigers attacked Chavakachcheri police station and killed 3 policemen and wounded three more. During this successful attack Tigers captured a large quantity of arms and ammunition. Following this attack many police stations in the North were closed and police administration became thoroughly disorganized and paralyzed.

On February 18, 1983 two policemen attached to the Point Pedro police station were shot and killed.

On March 4, 1983 the Tigers launched an attack on a convoy of army vehicles at Umayalpuram near Paranthan and fought face to face with the army for an hour. In this encounter one armoured vehicle was damaged and five soldiers were seriously wounded.

When the Government .Agent of Jaffna wanted to convene a ‘security conference’ at the Jaffna Secretariat to discuss ways and means of maintaining peace and security in the Northern region, the LTTE to show their opposition to the Sri Lankan government bombed and blasted the Jaffna secretariat building just one hour before the commencement of the conference.

On May 18, 1983 the government decided to hold local government election in the Northern province. LTTE leader Pirabaharan appealed to the people of Tamil Eelam to boycott this election. He issued a clarion call urging all Tamils to free themselves from the election mirage of the Sri Lankan government and to reject the government administrative machinery. He further appealed to all the people to rally around the armed struggle for freedom.

On April 23, 1983 as a warning to all those Tamil traitors who were supporting the Sinhala chauvinistic government, three UNP supporters were shot dead by the Tigers. As a result of this military operation, many Tamil candidates who stood for elections on the UNP . ticket backed away and many more deserted the UNP.

On May 18, 1983 on local government election day and just an hour before closing of the poll, Tigers attacked army and police personnel who were guarding the election booth at Kantharmadam, Nallur and killed one soldier and wounded two policemen and two soldiers. The Tigers recovered a RPG automatic rifle from the dead soldier.

Rattled by the successful attacks on the armed forces by the LTTE, J.R. Jayawardena’s government gave full powers to the army to shoot down any suspected freedom fighter ( in government parlance terrorist) at any place and to bury the dead without postmortem examination or judicial inquiry.

At midnight on 23rd July 1983, an assault group consisting of 14 Tigers, including Pirabaharan, lay in ambush at Palaly road at Thirunelveli. The assault group’s command was given to Lieut. Sellakkili by Pirabaharan. When the army convoy arrived at the exact spot, Tigers commenced the attack by activating the land mines. Thirteen Sinhalese soldiers were killed in this attack besides capturing some weapons. Pirabaharan alone shot and killed 7 soldiers in this attack.

This attack shook the Sinhala army establishment and they were thoroughly shaken up. Exploiting the incident as an excuse, the Sinhala government, which was waiting eagerly for such an opportunity, unleashed racial riots throughout the island. It was a well-planned pogrom and thousands of Tamils were brutally murdered. Tamil women were raped. The economic base of Tamils in Colombo were totally destroyed. This genocide was carried out by Sinhalese thugs ably aided and abetted by the army, police, cabinet Ministers, Members of Parliament and yellow-robed Buddhist monks.

Only after this holocaust, the Tamils fully realized that they and their progeny can never live in peace and security unless they free Tamil Eelam from the clutches of the Sri Lankan terrorist state and make it an independent political entity. This great awakening galvanized ordinary people to join the freedom struggle. Many young men and women fired by revolutionary fervour queued up to join the LTTE.

Chapter 2: Tamil Eelam War 1 (August 1984 - July 1987)

2009-12-02T02:59:00.001+05:30

Jolted by the July 1983 pogrom that was engineered and executed by the Sri Lankan government against the Tamil people, large number of young men and women joined the LTTE. The ranks of the LTTE swelled many-fold. Guerilla formations multiplied. Under these conditions, Pirabaharan with the objective of converting these formations into a uniformed revolutionary people's army took steps to expand their political and military activities. So from July 1983 to February 1984, Pirabaharan temporarily suspended all military operations and instead drew up mass training programs and expanded both political and military structures.

Thys the turning point in Tamil Eelam freedom struggle commenced with the genocide of July 1983. During this critical period Pirabaharan stood like the eye of the storm against all odds, proving himself equal to all opposition. He easily emerged as the only great leader to take Tamil people’s liberation struggle successfully forward.

Intervention of India

2009-12-02T02:58:00.000+05:30

Pirabaharan with Charles Anthony
During these years, the Indian government which was closely monitoring developments in the island of Ceylon and the direction of the liberation struggle, especially the political and military maneuvers of the LTTE leader Pirabaharan, decided to intervene. Prime Minister Indra Gandhi decided to intervene on the basis of July 1983 pogrom against the Tamil people.

In July 1983, the Indian government to advance its own geo-political interests in the Indian ocean, decided to bring the island of Ceylon under its sphere of influence by applying political and military pressure.

The Indian government through RAW provided arms and training to the cadres belonging to the various militant groups fighting for the liberation of Tamil Eelam. The Indian government strategy was to give extra arms and money to some of the movements, so that it could manipulate at will the military balance between them in such a way as to bring the LTTE and its leader, who took an uncompromising stand on the question of Tamil Eelam liberation, under its control. If this was not possible then to destroy the LTTE completely.

Pirabaharan who was sharp enough to see through the Indian government's machinations drew up his own plans. While accepting Indian government offers of arms and training, he secretively and without the knowledge of the Indian government and its spy agency RAW managed to induct supplies of arms and ammunitions necessary for a liberation war into Tamil Eelam.

Military operations commenced on 24th February 1984. Under the leadership of Pirabaharan armed struggle in Tamil Eelam became intensified. Tiger formations launched systematic and continuous guerilla attacks on the army and killed hundreds of soldiers. The infuriated army in retaliation attacked and killed unarmed civilians. Yet the people of Tamil Eelam in spite of the suffering were highly elated at the unprecedented military feats of the Tigers under the leadership of Pirabaharan.

On October 24, 1984 Prime Minister Indra Gandhi was killed by her own bodyguards. Rajiv Gandhi who was an air pilot by profession and the eldest son of Indra Gandhi was appointed Prime Minister of India. He had no experience in politics and entertained wrong notions about the ethnic conflict raging in Sri Lanka. He was ignorant of the dynamics of the Tamil Eelam liberation struggle, especially about understanding Pirabaharan. Right from the time of assuming office, he failed to appreciate the fact that Tamils in Sri Lanka suffered oppression at the hands of the Sri Lankan government and they have been denied even the basic rights as a people. Hence he started acting favorably towards the Sinhalese government and in hostility to the Tamil Eelam freedom struggle. This attitude created tensions between the Indian government and Pirabaharan, more precisly between Rajiv Gandhi and Pirabaharan.

Pirabaharan at the age of 31 married Mathivathani, an under-graduate student of the Jaffna University in 1984. She is from Punkudutivu, an island situated off the Jaffna peninsula. They have two sons and one daughter.

Talks At Thimpu

2009-12-02T02:57:00.000+05:30

Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi collected a coterie of ‘special advisors’ around him by-passing officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in dealing with the island’s ethnic problem. Especially, he ignored A,P. Venkadeswaran, foreign secretary of India who was then forced to resign his office. Rajiv Gandhi’s antagonism towards Venkadeswaran might be due to the fact he was a Tamil. This led to a situation where Rajiv Gandhi’s own whims and fancies became India’s official foreign policy.

Right from the beginning of 1985, the Indian government started applying undue pressure on the LTTE and Pirabaharan to stop guerilla attacks against the army. It arranged a cease- fire between the Tigers and the Sinhala armed forces beginning 18th June 1985. Under Indian government mediation, negotiations began at Thimpu, the capital of Bhutan. All the Tamil liberation groups-ranging from the moderate TULF to the LTTE - jointly enunciated “four cardinal principles” that should form the basis on which a solution to the Tamil national problem should be found. The "four cardinal principles" better known as Thimpu principles in Tamil political discourse are:

It is our considered view that any meaningful solution to the Tamil national question must be based on the following four cardinal principles:

1.recognition of the Tamils of Ceylon as a nation;
2.recognition of the existence of an identified homeland for the Tamils in Ceylon;
3.recognition of the right of self determination of the Tamil nation; and
4.recognition of the right to citizenship and the fundamental rights of all Tamils in Ceylon.
The Sri Lankan Government headed by J. R. Jayawardene rejected these proposals in toto resulting in a stalemate in talks. In the meantime, the Sinhalese army breached the cease-fire by killing more than 200 Tamil civilians in Trincomalee and Vavuniya. The talks then collapsed for good when Tamil representatives withdrew. During this time Pirabaharan was having consultation with his area commanders about the cease-fire, the talks taking place at Thimpu and future plan of action.

Following the failure of the talks at Thimpu, Anton Balasingham, political advisor to LTTE, was forcibly expelled from India by the Indian authorities. This action brought about deep cleavage and sharp conflict between Pirabaharan and the Indian government. Yet Pirabaharan made clear the LTTE's stand towards India. He declared "We need India's goodwill and assistance. At the same we do not like India imposing its decisions on the people of Tamil Eelam, against their wishes. Our people have the inalienable right to decide about their own future."

But the Indian Prime Minister and the Indian government failed to comprehend Pirabaharan’s commitment and his determination to liberate the people of Tamil Eelam. In October, 1986 the Indian government pressured the Tamil Nadu Chief minister to confiscate LTTE’s communication equipment. The Tamil Nadu police arrested Pirabaharan and other LTTE cadres, took them to the police station and locked them up. They were treated like ordinary criminals by the police.

Fast unto Death

2009-12-02T02:56:00.000+05:30

Pirabaharan with MGRIn this situation, there was a big question mark about Pirabaharan’s next move. Contrary to everyone’s expectation, the youthful leader of the armed movement and the terror of the Sinhalese armed forces, commenced a fast unto death on November 22, 1986. He said that he will not give up his fast unless and until the Tamil Nadu government hands back the communication equipment confiscated. His fast unto death caused shock among all and sundry. Having fully understood the firm determination of Pirabaharan, the Tamil Nadu government gave in and returned back the equipment. Reciprocating the gesture of the Tamil Nadu gopvernment, notably its Chief Minister M.G.Ramachandran, Pirabaharan ended his fast. Later at a press conference reporters asked a barrage of questions about his fast.

Reporter: " Since you have come out victorious in your non-violent campaign, why can't you adopt the same method of warfare even in Sri Lanka? What is the necessity for an armed struggle?"

Pirabaharan: "India is the only country in history which gained its independence through non-violent means. India understands the sacredness of non-violent struggle and hence victory for my non-violent Satyagraha. But Satyagraha will not work in racist Sri Lanka which is bereft of any humanism or sense of justice. Hence the armed struggle as the only alternative in Tamil Eelam."

Bangalore Conference

2009-12-02T02:55:00.002+05:30

When Sri Lanka President J.R. Jayawardene came to Bangalore to participate in the SAARC annual conference, Pirabaharan who was in Tamil Nadu was taken there along with his political advisors to hold talks with him. Indian government informed Pirabaharan about President Jayawardene’s proposal to give the Northern province to the Tamils, but divide Eastern province into three parts among Tamils, Muslims, and Sinhalese.

Pirabaharan rejected this proposal out of hand as completely unacceptable. He asked “ When we are demanding the merger of North and East into one, how could we then accept the proposal to divide two into four?”

It was at this Bangalore conference that Jayawardene via the Indian government made an offer to make Pirabaharan the Chief Minister of the Northern Province.

To this offer Pirabaharan gave a fitting reply “This is a deceptive and a dubious trap conceived to exterminate the Tamil race. Chief Minister is a puppet post which the President could dismiss at his own whim and fancy. It is a post with no substantial powers in which you cannot render any meaningful service to the people at all.” He rejected the offer out of hand with the contempt it deserved.

Returning to Tamil Eelam

2009-12-02T02:55:00.001+05:30

Pirabaharan realised that as long as he stayed in India, there is bound to be pressure brought on him by the central and state governments. He can be even murdered in Delhi or Madras and thereby bring to an end the armed struggle for Tamil Eelam. On the whole he sensed a lurking danger to his life as long as he continued to stay in Tamil Nadu. Convinced that only his return to Tamil Eelam will help intensify the armed struggle, he returned to Tamil Eelam on January 3, 1987.

While Pirabaharan’s return made the Sri Lankan Government and the army panic-stricken, confusion gripped the Indian Government and its intelligence outfit RAW. The Indian government evolved a master plan to intervene militarily in the war between the LTTE and the Sri Lankan government. Towards this end India wanted to give indirect military help to the Sri Lankan army to take on the LTTE. Simultaneously India wanted to pose off as the “Saviour” of the Tamil people from the genocidal attacks launched by the Sinhala army.

On May 1, 1987, in his May Day address to the people of Tamil Eelam Pirabaharan said,

“We have to win our freedom through armed struggle and by shedding of blood. There is no other easy way or alternative left for us. Either we perish as slaves or fight with arms and live as free people. This is our political fate. All of us make a firm resolve on this May Day. That is, an independent Tamil Eelam is the only solution and the ultimate solution to our problem. To secure this goal of an independent Tamil Eelam, let us all fight to the last sacrificing our lives, limbs and souls. Let this be our May Day resolve and proclamation!”

Direct Military Intervention of India in Tamil Eelam

2009-12-02T02:53:00.000+05:30

On July 24, 1987, some Indian officials met Pirabaharan in Jaffna and informed him that Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi wants to meet him and talk to him on a very important subject. So saying they tried to fly him to Delhi post-haste.

On the backdrop of this political turnaround, Pirabaharan addressed a message to the people of Tamil Eelam which read as follows:

“I can assure you that today the Tamils have chosen a leadership which can win for them their goal of Tamil Eelam. I am fully confident that I can carry out this tremendous responsibility vested on my shoulders by you truthfully, sincerely and courageously. I do not believe any ad hoc solution will solve our problem. I am working hard to arrive at a solution which will guarantee permanent peace, bright and prosperous future for all Tamils. I believe that solution is an independent Tamil Eelam. Today, on an official invitation extended by Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, I am leaving Tamil Eelam for India.”

Thereafter, he left for Delhi in an Indian army helicopter sent by the Government of India. On the way Pirabaharan stopped at Madras and had talks with the Chief Minister M.G. Ramachandran. Nobody knew why he was invited to Delhi in such a mighty hurry. When he and his advisors arrived in Delhi they were lodged at the Asoka Hotel.

In Delhi, the Indian high Commissioner for Sri Lanka J.N. Dixit , Foreign Ministry Secretary K.P.S. Menon and other officials met Pirabaharan. They told him for the first time about the proposed ‘Indo- Ceylon Agreement.’ The officials showed him a copy of the draft agreement, but took it back immediately. Pirabaharan firmly refused to accept the draft agreement. Several attempts were made to coax Pirabaharan into falling in line, but he stood his ground.

Then they told him Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi wanted to see him and talk to him. But even after the lapse of four days, there was no rendezvous with the Prime Minister.

J.N. Dixit, former High Commissioner and a key advisor to Rajiv Gandhi during these political developments has given a clear insight into the Indian mind-set and the policy options discussed in the corridors of power in Delhi. In his book Assignment Colombo ( Konarak Publishers, 1998), he reminisces candidly:

“My advice to him (Rajiv Gandhi) after the failure of our initiatives at the Bangalore SAARC summit was that India's purely mediatory efforts were not likely to succeed. I was of the view that India had to shift its role from that of a mediator to a peace-maker and the guarantor of such peace if the crisis in Sri Lanka was to be resolved. It was also my considered opinion that the LTTE's insistence on the creation of a separate Tamil state in Sri Lanka, based on ethnic, linguistic and religious considerations, would have far-reaching negative implications for India's unity and territorial integrity too. The LTTE's clandestinely publicised objective of a Greater Eelam would have its impact notably on India but the rest of South-East Asian countries with Tamil populations.

I was convinced that the LTTE's objective of creating a separate political entity, purely on the basis of language, ethnicity and religion, would be a challenge to the plural multi-dimensional democratic identity of India as well as other similarly placed countries in the region. Having seen the LTTE in operations, both in the political and military fields, I also felt that, despite the legitimacy of the Tamil aspirations articulated by it, the LTTE was essentially an authoritarian organisation that relied on violence to settle all differences of opinion.

An example of the mindset of LTTE leadership is provided by a report about a journalist asking Pirabaharan some time during 1986 as to who were his role models in politics and military operations. First came Subhas Chandra Bose in all the power and majesty of his position as the supreme commander of the Indian National Army.

The other name Pirabaharan mentioned was the American actor Clint Eastwood in his personification as the hero who avenged injustice with ruthless violence. I cannot vouch for the total authenticity of this story for the simple reason that this was not said to me. But I am inclined to believe in the veracity of such a response by Pirabaharan, given his intense commitment to the Tamil cause and his personality as a militant leader. My suggestions to Rajiv Gandhi were based on these assessments.”

When they found Pirabaharan will not accept the agreement, the Indian government immediately brought representatives of the other servile Tamil Groups who were in Tamil Nadu to Delhi. As to be expected, these groups without as much as batting an eye lid, readily gave their consent to the agreement. Then Rajiv Gandhi announced that everyone, barring the LTTE leader Pirabaharan, have accepted the agreement. Further he announced that he was flying to Colombo to sign the agreement on July 29, 1987.

Only after these developments Rajiv Gandhi met Pirabaharan. Pirabaharan pointed out to him the many short- comings in the agreement. Yet the Indian officials told the mass media that Pirabaharan has given his consent to the agreement. However, Pirabaharan issued a press statement denying government’s claim. In the mean time ‘black cats’ commandos were posted to guard the Asoka Hotel where Pirabaharan was lodged. It tantamount to a virtual house arrest and keeping the LTTE leader incommunicado.

Indo - Sri Lankan Pact
Indo - Sri Lanka agreement was signed in Colombo by Rajiv Gandhi and J.R. Jayawardene on July 29, 1987 without obtaining the consent of the LTTE leader and the Tamil people. Displaying sheer arrogance as Prime Minister of a regional superpower and stupidity as a politician, Rajiv Gandhi signed the agreement with President J.R. Jayawardene, mainly to safeguard the geo-political interests of India. This he did after locking up Pirabaharan, who was leading the liberation struggle of the Tamils with the sole aim of establishing an independent Tamil Eelam, in a Delhi hotel. Rajiv Gandhi who returned to India after signing the agreement met Pirabaharan and gave some assurances to him. After receiving those assurances Pirabaharan returned to Tamil Eelam.

Suthumalai Declaration

2009-12-02T02:52:00.000+05:30

LTTE leader Pirabaharan explained clearly the political stand taken up by the LTTE about the Indo-Sri Lankan Accord at a historically important mammoth gathering of several thousands of Tamils at Suthumalai on 4 August 1987. In the presence of Indian Army personnel, newspaper reporters and the people of Tamil Eelam he explained the LTTE position thus:

“Today we are handing over the arms we took for the liberation and emancipation of our people to the Indian Government. From this very moment of surrendering our arms we are also entrusting the safety of our people in the hands of the Indian government. When the Indian government takes over the arms served as a shield and the only protection of our people, it is also taking over the great responsibility to protect the people of Tamil Eelam. The handing over of our arms only signifies this exchange of responsibility. At this juncture if we do not surrender our arms, a very unfortunate situation will arise whereby we will be forced to clash with the Indian Army. We do not want this unfortunate situation to arise under any circumstances. I am fully convinced that an independent state of Tamil Eelam is the only permanent solution to the problems faced by the Tamil people of Tamil Eelam. I will continue the struggle politically for this goal of Tamil Eelam. In the interest of our Tamil people, circumstances might compel LTTE to take part in the interim council or contest elections. But I will not participate in any election at any time. I want to announce this categorically here and now.”

After this, on the orders of Pirabaharan, LTTE cadres began handing over their weapons to the Indian Army at Palaly Military Camp.

But Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi failed to keep his promises he gave to Pirabaharan. Instead he kept on procrastinating and skilfully inducted the other Tamil traitor groups based in India into Tamil Eelam and directed them to engage in anti -LTTE and anti-Tamil activities.

The Supreme Sacrifice of Thileepan

2009-12-02T02:51:00.001+05:30

Thileepan with LTTE leaderAt this point of time, Martyr Thileepan, with the approval of Pirabaharan decided to undertake a fast unto death to expose the treacherous role India was playing as the supposed “Saviour” of the Tamil people. This was also meant to be the next phase of the liberation struggle.

On September 15, 1987 Thileepan (Rasaiah Paarthipan) who was the LTTE's political wing leader for the Jaffna district commenced his fast over the following demands from the Indian government. (The Indian army was in de facto control of the peninsula during this time)

1.All Tamils detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act should be released.
2.The colonisation of traditional Tamil areas by Sinhalese under the guise of rehabilitation should be stopped forthwith.
3.All such rehabilitation should be stopped until an interim government is formed.
4.The Sri Lankan government should stop opening new Police stations and camps in the Northeastern province.
5.The Sri Lankan army and Police should withdraw from schools in Tamil villages and the weapons given by the Sri Lankan government to 'homeguards' should be withdrawn under the supervision of the Indian army.
Citizen Committees, trade unions, students unions, teachers associations, religious leaders, all held meetings and discussed the issues relating to Thileepan's fast. They passed resolutions and submitted memorandums to the overall commander of the IPKF, Lt. General Depinder Singh requesting the Indian authorities to intervene and stop the fast and initiate immediate efforts to set up the interim administration in the Northeast.

But nothing moved fast enough to stop Thileepan’s martyrdom. The Indian government turned a blind eye. It did not realize the gravity of the situation or the dire consequences that are bound to flow following Thileepan's death. Thileepan attained martyrdom on the 26th of September 1987. There was widespread grief in the Northeast There can be little doubt that Thileepan's martyrdom had a profound effect on every Tamil soul in Sri Lanka. Thousands of people from the North and East poured into Yaazhpaanam as the news of his death spread like wild-fire.

Judged by past events, everyone expected a violent reaction in the Northeast following Thileepan's martydom, but to everybody's surprise the funeral turned into a peaceful day of mourning. LTTE members moved in decisively to curb any kind of violence. They moved all state owned buses into depots and guarded them. They also provided cover to government institutions after some attempts were made to set fire to them. The Tamil daily Eelamurasu as well as the TV Nitharsanam carried the LTTE leader, Piabakaran's appeal to the people not to destroy or damage public property, as this was the property of people of Tamil Eelam.

Black flags were seen everywhere - along roads, top of houses, churches, temples, trees and public buildings. Thousands of wailing and sobbing men, women and children followed Thileepan's last journey. His body was covered with the red flag of the Tigers. Thileepan's body was taken on a decorated car through villages for the people to pay their homage and last respects. It was finally taken to Suthumalai where it was kept for public viewing. Thileepan’s body partswere donated to the medical faculty of Jaffna University according to his last wish.

Thileepan's martyrdom brought sadness and sorrow and also fear among many people. Most of them had genuinely believed that India would intervene at the last minute on humanitarian grounds and stop the impending disaster. They began to have doubts about India's conduct. They began to say 'this could have been avoided' and 'India should have moved fast' and 'India should not have let this happen' and so on. In short the people felt it was a great betrayal by ‘mother’ India. Tamil dailies began to carry articles criticising the handling of the whole issue by the Indian authorities.

In a statement released by LTTE leader Pirabaharan on the occasion of Thileepan’s martyrdom, he said, inter alia,

“The entire Tamil speaking people in the North and East should rally round the LTTE in this non-violent struggle. We can achieve our goal of Tamil Eelam only by the united and concerted effort of the entire Tamil masses. This is the only way we can show our gratitude to Thileepan for his un-comparable sacrifice and martyrdom in pursuit of our cause.”

Heroic Death of 12 Liberation Fighters

2009-12-02T02:50:00.000+05:30

After the death of Thileepan, Sri Lankan navy arrested 17 senior LTTE cadres, including 2 senior commanders Pulendran and Kumarappa off Point Pedro coast. They were brought to the Palaly Army Camp and detained. Pirabaharan registered a very strong protest against this unlawful and high-handed action of the Sri Lankan government when there was a cease-fire and a general amnesty in force. He urged Indian as well as the Sri Lankan governments to release the LTTE cadres immediately.

In the meantime, the hawkish Minister for National Security Lalith Athulathmudali was insisting that all the arrested LTTE cadres to be brought to Colombo to face charges. He threatned to resign his cabinet portfolio if his demand t was not complied with by President Jayawardena.

On account of India’s betrayal, 12 out of the 17 liberation fighters committed suicide by swallowing cyanide. Pirabaharan issued a soul -stirring and strongly worded statement to the people of Tamil Eelam. He asked:

“If the Indian government would have demanded the Sri Lankan President Jayawardene to release all those men who were arrested , then these unwarranted deaths would not have taken place. In this respect India has totally failed to honour its commitment, exercise its authority and fulfill its moral responsibility to protect the lives of the liberation fighters and the Tamil people. If India has forsaken this great moral responsibility, then there is no meaning in the Indian Peace Keeping force lingering in Tamil Eelam. Now we have to question their motive for remaining in our soil. Are they staying here to protect President Jayawardene, the Sinhalese Army and treacherous Tamil groups and help them to exterminate the liberation fighters of LTTE? It is an unpardonable crime indeed that instead of protecting our fighters and leaders, India was handing over them to the Sinhalese Army. By this treacherous act. the IPKF has committed an unpardonable crime against the people of Tamil Eelam. Under these circumstances we have decided not to abide by the cease-fire agreement!”

Chapter 3: Indo - Tamil Eelam War

2009-12-02T02:48:00.001+05:30

The war between LTTE and IPKF broke out on October 10, 1987. On October 11, Pirabaharan wrote a letter to the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, M.G.Ramachandran explaining the circumstances that led to the break-out hostilities. He wrote,

“As a consequence of the unjust and tragic death of our commanders and fighters, violence erupted everywhere in Tamil Eelam. Racial riots broke here and there. India had leveled false accusations against us stating that we were responsible for the violence and we tried to break the agreement. As a result, a conspiracy was hatched in Colombo between Indian Defense Minister Pant, Indian High Commissioner Dixit, and Indian Army Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Sunderji n one side and President Jayawardene and National Security Minister Lalith Athulathmudali on the other side. J.R. Jayawardene had announced the banning of LTTE and the nullification of the general amnesty given to LTTE cadres. Indian Defence Minister Pant declared that India had decided to take strong military action against the LTTE.

Following such belligerent threats and unilateral action, the IPKF launched a vicious military attack on the LTTE fighters using tanks and artillery. On the morning of October 10, 1987, IPKF entered the offices of two Newspapers in Jaffna (Eelamurasu and Murasoli) and arrested all the workers. They then dynamited and blasted the machinery and equipment in those offices. At noon, the Indian forces tried to break out from Jaffna Fort into Jaffna town. When we tried to check their advance, the Indian army fired back. The LTTE in turn was compelled to return fire in self-defence.

The Indian army started shelling residential areas using heavy artillery and tanks for hours together. Their attacks increased in intensity and frequency. Because of these indiscriminate attacks, not only the Tiger fighters but also the civilians are dying in their hundreds. It was obvious the Indian Army had orders from Delhi to exterminate the Tigers even if that meant killing large number of civilians. Surrounded on all sides by the Indian Army, we are fighting in self- defence. We bear arms for a cause so that it is nobler to die fighting rather than be captured alive and die in disgrace. “

The war went on with great intensity. It took one long month for the Indian Army to capture Jaffna peninsula. Pirabaharan himself took command and led the fighting.

Pirabaharan finally decided that guerilla warfare is the best method to fight the Indian armed forces. So he withdrew with his fighters into the jungles of Vanni in Tamil Eelam.

From the Vanni jungles the guerilla war continued. There were heavy causalities on the Indian side. Unable to confront the Tigers in battle, they turned their anger against the people and killed innocent civilians. They killed several women after raping them.

While the war was in progress, Pirabaharan wrote to Rajiv Gandhi on 12/10/1987, 14/10/1987 and 13/01/1988. He informed him that if a cease-fire is declared and an interim council for Northeast is set up in accordance with the promise made to him, the LTTE was prepared to hand over arms. But Rajiv Gandhi wanted to kill Pirabaharan and then completely exterminate the entire LTTE fighters thus putting an end to the goal of an independent Tamil Eelam. So far from halting the war, he inducted more than 150,000 Indian soldiers into Tamil areas to execute his plan. As a result the war continued unabated.

All the Tamil groups which took up arms to fight for the liberation of Tamil Eelam turned traitors to the Tamils by forsaking the ideal of Tamil Eelam. They slavishly sold their souls to the governments of India and Sri Lanka and played the role of paid mercenaries and Quislings.

But Pirabaharan was the only leader who boldly stood up against Indian military aggression after rallying around the Tamil people of Eelam, cutting across caste, religion and regional barriers. While the whole world stood aghast in wonder, the tiny Tamil Eelam army fought the mighty Indian army like a ferocious Tiger. Even the Sinhalese people admired Pirabaharan as a first rate military commander who stood against foreign invasion. When the war was raging in full fury during the middle part of 1988, Pirabaharan came to be hailed as the’ National Leader of Tamil Eelam’ by the Tamil people in Tamil Eelam and other parts of the world.

Martyrdom of Mother Poopathy

2009-12-02T01:26:00.000+05:30

When Tamil women unfolded the flag of revolt against the Indian invading army, Mother Poopathy of Maddakkalappu in South Tamil Eelam started a fast unto death putting forward two demands:

1.Stop the war; and
2.Start negotiations with the LTTE .
But Premier Rajiv Gandhi who lauds Gandhian non-violent principles pooh-poohed her fast. Mother Poopathy sacrificed her life and became a Martyr on April 19, 1988. Tamil Eelam National leader Pirabaharan issued a statement eulogizing her noble sacrifice. He said:

"Among the Martyrs who created history by sacrificing their precious lives in the cause of our sacred war of liberation of Tamil Eelam, Mother Poopathy secures an exalted place. She who renounced her life as an ordinary woman, a mother, head of a family and desires sacrificed her very life for the empowerment of her people and the liberation of her race. The war of non-violence she launched against the tyranny of the Indian army had made the land of Gandhiji bow down its head in shame! She did not die as an ordinary human being. Her supreme sacrifice raises her as the symbolic awakening of the motherhood of Tamil Eelam."

National Heroes Day (November 1987)

2009-12-02T01:24:00.000+05:30

When Eelam war was raging with fury, every day liberation fighters were laying down their lives at the altar of Tamil Eelam liberation. On November 27, 1989 from his dense jungle hideout, Tamil Eelam National Leader Pirabaharan proclaimed that “November 27” on which day the first liberation fighter attained martyrdom in the cause of Tamil Eelam will be commemorated as “ National Heroes Day.” He said ,

"Today is a very important day in the history of our liberation struggle. We have proclaimed this day as the National Heroes Day to remember the 1307 martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the noble cause of liberating Tamil Eelam. For the first time we are commemorating National Heroes Day. It is customary for Remembrance Day to be commemorated in many countries in the world in memory of soldiers who fought and died for the liberation of their motherland and soldiers who died in battle defending their countries' freedom.

You know that all these days we have been commemorating days when individual fighters attained martyrdom. But from this year onwards we have proclaimed one particular day of the year to remember and commemorate the death of all the heroes who attained martyrdom. Hence we have declared November 27 as the National Heroes Day, the day our first LTTE fighter Shankar sacrificed his life on the battle field. So we have proclaimed this day as our National Heroes Day.

There is a tradition among our people. It is to give prominence to those who hold high positions and those who are wealthy. Likewise in our liberation struggle in order not to separate the leaders and praise their accomplishments only, we have taken a decision to celebrate National Heroes Day with the objective of treating every fighter on an equal footing.

So by commemorating all the fallen heroes on a sepcified day not only we treat the leaders as well as the ordinary fighters equally, we also commemorate jointly all the fighters who laid down their lives. Otherwise in course of time only the leaders will be remembered and honoured while the rest will fade into oblivion. So to avoid giving prominence to a selected few and to remember all on the same day we decided to celebrate this National Heroes Day.

As far as a Nation is concerned, if it does not honour its heroes, intellectuals and women it will become barbaric and destroy itself. We have in our country great intellectuals. When compared with other countries our Tamil women are highly venerated in our society. At the same time there was a paucity for brave warriors. But today on this National Heroes Day we have accomplished a sea change in our society. Yes we have started to honour our heroes as well."

Talks Between Sri Lankan Government and LTTE

2009-12-02T01:23:00.000+05:30

Pirabaharan with his lieutenantsPremadasa who assumed office as the new President in 1988, repeatedly invited the LTTE to come for talks. Since Pirabaharan too was keen on ending Indian aggression in Tamil homeland, he decided to accept the invitation of Premadasa. Due to the clever diplomatic move of our leader National Leader Pirabaharan, relationship between India and Sri Lanka turned sour and became hostile. President Premadasa publicly called the Indian army to quit Sri Lanka.

The situation became a thorough embarrassment for the Indian army which came on the invitation of the Sri Lankan government to enforce so called peace. The Indian army withdrew from Tamil Eelam in disgrace in March, 1990 after tasting defeat and humiliation at the hands of the LTTE.

The military challenge posed by the regional super power was defeated by the LTTE due to Pirabaharan’s superior military strategy and skillful political maneuvering. The areas vacated by the IPKF swiftly fell into the hands of the LTTE. The mercenary force created by the Indian army under the style ‘ Tamil National Army’ (TNA) disintegrated and fled unable to face lightning strikes launched by battle-hardened and committed LTTE fighters. A majority surrendered to the LTTE with their arms. Northeastern Provincial council, the illegitimate child of the equally illegitimate Indo- Ceylon Accord collapsed like nine pins.

Tamil Eelam National Leader Pirabaharan emerged from his hide-out in Vanni. Talks between Sri Lankan Government and LTTE continued. At the end due to the treachery and the deception resorted to by Sinhalese chauvinism, the peace talks broke off abruptly without finding a meaningful solution to the ethnic conflict.

Chapter 4: Tamil Eelam War II

2009-12-02T01:21:00.001+05:30

LTTE negotiators on several occasions repeatedly brought to the notice of the Sri Lankan government the excesses committed by the Sinhalese police and the army. But the government remained cold to these excesses and this caused relationship between the LTTE and government to become contentious. On June 10,1990 an encounter took place between the Sinhalese police and the LTTE over an incident of violation of human rights committed against a Muslim resident by the Sinhalese police at Kalmunai. This encounter ended in a full-scale war between the police and the LTTE.

Although Tamil Eelam National Leader Pirabaharan took immediate steps to bring the war to an end, the LTTE committed to safeguard the Tamil people and their homeland was left with no alternative but to confront the war unleashed by chauvinistic Sri Lankan government and its Sinhala army. Both were hell-bent on a genocidal war against the Tamils to rob them of their traditional homeland.

On September 1, 1991, National Leader Pirabaharan met newspaper reporters of Tamil Eelam and explained to them about the prevailing political and military situation. He said,

“Many of the army camps which existed when Tamil Eelam war II started, have now ceased to exist. Because army camps at places like Kokkavil and Mankulam were destroyed by our LTTE forces, a greater part of Vanni region had come under our control. With the destruction of Jaffna Fort, Jaffna town too has been liberated.

During the fight at Elephant Pass, for the first time we engaged the Sinhala army face to face in a conventional warfare. We fought with a numerically superior army and checked its advance for a very long period. If we get panicky over heavy casualties suffered at Elephant Pass, we can never hope to continue this war.

We should consider our losses as steps for future growth. During the 43 days battle ( 10/7/1991 to 23/8/199 ) we lost 564 fighters. But on the enemy side large number of Sinhalese soldiers died during the prolonged fighting. When compared with enemy losses, ours cannot be described as excessive. People who are undergoing untold sufferings will naturally feel alarmed as to what next. However, they must rally around in large numbers. Losses suffered in battle must be replenised then and there. People must fully identify themselves with us and understand our hardships and sufferings.

We are always ready to hold talks with the Sri Lankan government without any preconditions. But the government should create the necessary environment for holding such talks. In the island of Ceylon, the LTTE is only fighting against the Sri Lankan government forces. As such I feel there is no necessity for the Indian government to get worried about the LTTE. The hill country Tamils should realize that all their woes are caused by the continued betrayal by their leaders. The liberation struggle of Tamil Eelam cannot be destroyed by any kind of weapons or by any bombings.”

Various speech, interviews, statements.

2009-12-02T01:03:00.000+05:30

On September 1, 1991 BBC London correspondent Chris Morris had an interview with the Tamil National Leader Pirabaharan. During this interview Pirabaharan said,

“First and foremost the Sinhalese people must recognize the basic principles underlying the national problem of the people of Tamil Eelam. They are, recognition of the Tamil Homeland, recognition that Tamil people constitute a Nation and the Tamil people right to self-determination. Only on the basis of this recognition can peace and amity prevail between the two races. We never force our young men to join the fighting force. The truth is because of the oppression of the Tamil people through state terrorism and its impact on our society, our youths are voluntarily joining the LTTE. Many parents bring their children, both boys and girls, to join our fighting forces at our public meetings. We are providing such young children schooling facilities and give them training in various vocations. We never send young children to the battlefront.”

LTTE Women Organization
In the beginning of 1984 for the first time those girls who gave indirect support to the LTTE started to contribute their share in the liberation war spearheaded by the LTTE. With the approval of Tamil Eelam National Leader Pirabaharan they were given training in the use of fire-arms. When the Indo-Tamil Eelam war broke-out on October 10, 1987 they directly joined the war front. Upto now they are fighting bravely accomplishing many feats of valour.

In a message given by the National Leader Pirabaharan related to the Women Wing, he said,

Women constitute a majority among the Tamil population. If they continue to lead a servile life, it will be difficult to transform our freedom struggle into a national liberation movement. Realizing this fact our movement gave top priority for women’s liberation. Women were politicised and made to join our fighting forces. By this we ushered in a gigantic revolution among women in Tamil society. A revolution that never took place in the annals of Tamil history has taken place in Tamil Eelam. Women consigned to the kitchen from time immemorial now bear arms and don army uniform. Today the women folk which remained dormant for a long time. Now it has awakened fully and stands as an important arm of a mighty revolutionary force. Our women fighters by their brave accomplishments have proved to the world that they are in no way inferior to men fighters in bravery, sacrifice, and thirst for freedom.”

LTTE Students Organization
The future of a country always depends on its younger generation. Therefore, it is imperative that this generation must be brought up as intelligent, efficient and responsible citizens. To meet that goal, it is very important that we give them proper education. Towards this end LTTE Students Organization was formed on the orders of our leader.

Sea Tigers

When we trace the growth of the armed struggle, one can observe very clearly the indispensable part played by the surrounding sea of Tamil Eelam. Knowing this historical importance, our leader Pirabaharan formed the ‘Sea Tigers’ as a division of the LTTE in 1984. Today the Sea Tigers have grown in strength as to pose a challenge to the Sri Lankan navy. On March 01, 1992 Women Wing of the Sea Tigers was formed. Women Wing’s feats of chivalry are on par with that of their male counter-part.

Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO)
Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) was formed in 1985. Regarding its necessity Leader Pirabaharan said,

“People of Tamil Eelam are facing two battle fronts. One front is the liberation of our homeland from the invading Sinhalese armed forces. The other front is the production of food to counter the tyrannical economic blockade of the Sinhalese chauvinistic government. Just as the heart regulates the blood circulation and helps the body to conquer diseases, so also the TRO should increase food production which is the life-blood and foundation for the final victory of the liberation of Tamil people.”

The growth of TRO in Tamil Eelam has helped many families to be self-employed with out depending on relief assistance.

Tamil Eelam Economic Development Organization (TEEDOR)
On May 6, 1994, our leader after honoring and giving awards to the best farmers of Tamil Eelam said,

“Tamil Eelam is a fertile land gifted with many natural resources. It possess water, land and human resource potential enough to achieve economic self-sufficiency and development. Nature’s gift of resources must be identified and put to maximum use. Production must be increased to meet the economic needs of the people by careful planning and research. Agriculture and industry are the pivotal bases for economic development and growth. As such we should concentrate our energies on developing agriculture and industry. To achieve this goal ‘Tamil Eelam Economic Development Organization (TEEDOR) has launched several productive projects. All these activities must be intensified further so that an independent Tamil Eelam will not have to depend on other countries, but stand on its own legs economically.”

Black Tigers – Men of Steel
Black Tigers are men of steel in their determination to achieve their goal of Tamil Eelam. In a statement National Leader Pirabaharan issued to mark the occasion of Black Tigers’ Day on July 5, 1993, he said,

“The era of Black Tigers began with Capt. Miller. A fighting force imbued with the spirit of supreme self-sacrifice unheard and unseen in the annals of history anywhere in the world before came into existence in Tamil Eelam.. These Black Tigers are of miracle birth and a class by themselves. They are of gentle heart but with iron will. Their love of humanity is so great they sacrifice their dear lives so that others may live. In the words ‘Black Tiger’ , black stands for iron will and unshakable resolve. Looked at another angle, it can also signify darkness which symbolizes secretiveness and mystery. Hence, the word Black Tiger can have many meanings and many interpretations. It is this secretiveness which is the prime factor for their decisive operational victories. This is an era of Black Tigers. During this era our liberation struggle will assume new dimensions. These warriors who have conquered death will create new history and light the torch for the dawn of freedom of our future generations.”

March 8 Womens’ Day
On Mach 8, 1992, on the occasion of the World Women’s Day in Pirabaharan issued a statement. In that statement he said,

“When we talk about the freedom of women we refer to their freedom from political oppression and economic exploitation. So our struggle for the liberation of women is advanced on multi-dimensional fronts viz. national liberation, societal liberation, and economic liberation. This is not a struggle against oppression of men over women, but an intellectual fight against ignorance about male chauvinism. As such this ideological struggle must have the aim of changing the hearts of men.”

Tamil Eelam Military Academy
In a message to commemorate the first anniversary of the Tamil Eelam Military Academy sent on September 19, 1991 Pirabaharan said

“ The Tamil Eelam Military Academy is one of my dreams. A new and younger generation of youths should blossom out as the future architects of my country. This new and revolutionary generation should consist of persons who are able, intelligent, patriotic, brave, sincere and modesty. Only this generation should emerge as the architects, administrators and rulers of our country.”

Chencholai Kids Club
On instructions from leader Pirabaharan, the Chencholai Kids club was inaugurated on October 23 1991 to take care of girls who had lost their parents and/or guardians. On this occasion, he sent a message which read,

“Under the environment of a historic war of liberation we are planting these young seeds at Chencholai campus. It is my desire that these young seeds must take deep roots and grow up one day as an intellectual reservoir of Tamil Eelam I convey my greetings for this revolutionary venture to thrive well and prosper.”

The Tamil Eelam Police Force(TEPF)
On November 1991, Pirabaharan officially inaugurated the Tamil Eelam Police Force committed to serve the security interests of the Tamil people. The TEPF came under the direct control and supervision of leader Pirabaharan. Outlining the activities of the TEPF Pirabaharan said,

“Members of the police force will always be men of exemplary conduct, honesty, fairness, and discipline. They will serve as people’s servants with a high sense of commitment to ensure social justice and social progress. They will move with people with a spirit of love and dignity in tune with our culture. They will be completely free of all anti-social crimes and serve the people with patriotic feeling, all the 24 hours of the day. The aim of our police force is not to catch the criminals and bring them to courts to be tried, but mainly to work with all their might to prevent crimes from being committed in the first place. Thereby they will work towards the goal of building up a crime-free social order in Tamil Eelam.”

Note - It is important here to remember that the Tamil Eelam Police force started their training on June 1, the day when the Sinhalese police set fire to Jaffna Public Library and burnt it down to ashes.

Inspecting Police Recruits Parade
Tamil Eelam PoliceLTTE Art and Cultural Organization
Our language, art and culture have taken deep root in our soil of Tamil Eelam for a very long period in the history of the Tamils. Our arts and cultural heritage are the very soul of our motherland. Keeping this basic truth in mind the first “Muththamizh Celebration” was conducted by the LTTE art and cultural organization on July 15, 1992. In a statement sent to this celebration Tamil national leader Pirabaharan said this,

“Today it has become imperative to transform our liberation struggle into an people’s struggle in which the entire people of Tamil Eelam should take an active part and from this very broad base we have to build up our national resistance movement which has become an unavoidable and undispensable historic necessity. To fulfill this enormous objective, the creative activities of our art and literary men should play the most important part.”

Broadcasting Service –Voice of Tigers
On the first anniversary of the Voice Tigers Radio, Tamil National Leader Pirabaharan sent his felicitations in which he stated,

“ A vicious and malicious propaganda campaign has been unleashed against us by our enemy, the Sinhalese government, and its mercenary Tamil treacherous groups. Hence, the Voice of Tigers should stand up and act as the voice of truth in countering enemy’s false ideological war. The Voice of Tigers should resound as the war drum of “Sathiya Yuththam” (“War of Truth”).”

Education Development Board of Tamil Eelam
On February 13, 1993, Tamil Eelam National Leader Pirabaharan issued a statement congratualating the students who came out successful in the Tamil Eelam General Certificate of Education Examination conducted by the Educational Development Board of Tamil Eelam. In this statement he said,

“Education is very essential for the growth of humanity and social development. In fact it is the root of human development. We never showed any discrimination between those who opted to dedicate themselves for the social emancipation of our community and the right of students to carry on their education. Both are indispensable for the progress and smooth functioning of our society. Today the combination of education and war have become a historic necessity. As much as war is an armour for education, so is education a shield for war. Today in Tamil Eelam, education remains in a state of neglect.

The Sri Lankan government is willfully neglecting the education of the children of Tamil Eelam. Our students have to study against heavy odds, hardships and insurmountable difficulties. In spite of all the hardships and obstruction when our students prepare for their examinations their examination are not conducted as scheduled. When examinations are held, the Sri Lankan armed forces disturb and disrupt the peace. Only after surmounting such difficulties that our students sit for their examinations. Under these circumstances our Tamil Eelam educational development board has successfully conducted the Tamil Eelam General Certificate of Education Examination which is equivalent to the G.C.E O/L examination successfully. I commend this effort with all my heart and also at the same time congratulate all those students who passed this examination.”

The Law College of Tamil Eelam
In his address at the Law College of Tamil Eelam on January 25, 1993 Tamil Eelam National Leader Pirabaharan said,

“We are now moving forward to our goal of an independent state of Tamil Eelam. We must lay the foundation for such a state from now itself. Because judiciary is the most important arm of the state administrative machinery we are giving the best training to you, our liberation fighters. In the administration of justice, the role of judiciary is important. Only those who possess integrity, morality, compassion and self-discipline should man the judiciary. In the beginning we created “Reconciliation Boards”, but you are aware that it committed many mistakes. The judgments given by this body came for criticism and adverse comments by the people. Judgments were not rendered in an un-selfish, impartial and fair manner. A justice system consisting of members drawn from the LTTE, which has a reputation for discipline and order, will be the foundation for a strong government and a highly disciplined society. Only when social justice is nurtured properly can society rise to new heights.”

Swearing in ceremony of Judges and Lawyers of Tamil Eelam
The following is the address by Tamil Eelam National Leader Pirabaharan at the swearing in ceremony of the judges and lawyers of Tamil Eelam Justice Department on August 19, 1993. He said,

“Our people believe fully that if liberation fighters took responsibility for the administration of justice system, they will ispense justice with fairness. People think so because they know fully well that their precious lives for their noble cause of the liberation of their motherland. Therefore, the people are really happy. At this memorable occasion when you, the liberation fighters are taking oaths to shoulder this sacred responsibility, I am confident that you will discharge your duties with integrity and impartiality to fulfill the great expectation of the people. It is said that what you learn is like a handful of sand and what is not learnt is as large as the universe. As such try to learn much from worldly experience. You will receive sound knowledge of men and matters only through personal experience. Try to understand the aspirations of our people, remove all contradictions and mete out justice to them with partially from a completely neutral stand. Of course you will meet with difficulties when you discharge your duties justly and honestly. But never severve from the path of truth and justice for which have iron determination and strong willpower together with extreme boldness.”

Taking of Oath by Judges and Lawyers of the Justice Department of Tamil Eelam
Tamil Eelam National Leader Pirabaharan spoke at the swearing –in- ceremony of the Judges and lawyers of Tamil Eelam Justice Department which took place on August 19, 1993. He said,

“Our people fully expect that when our liberation fighters assume the responsibilities of judges and lawyers, they will weigh the issues and mete out justice dispassionately and fairly. People know fully well that our fighters are those who are prepared to lay down their lives for a noble cause. Therefore, people feel happy when you assume responsibility for the justice system.

I am therefore confident that you will discharge your duties with integrity and responsibility in fulfilling the great expectation of our people. It is said that what we learn is just a handful of sand and what is not learnt is as large as the universe. On this basis you should strive to learn from your worldly experience. Only through personal experience you can acquire full knowledge. You should consider it your duty to understand the feelings of our people, resolve their contradictions and dispense justice to them. There will be always difficulties when you discharge your duties justly and honestly. But never waver from the path of truth and justice when you perform your duties. For that you should possess an iron will and courage.”

Kantharuban Arivucholai

2009-12-02T01:02:00.001+05:30

On November 13, 1993, National Leader Pirabaharan inaugurated Kantharuban Arivucholai. In his inaugural address he said, “Mother Tamil, who is the common mother for all of us, has embraced all these children. All our fighters are the brothers of these children. They have become an inseparable part of the LTTE family. Going beyond individual family, beyond its circle of relations these children will grow up as members of a much wider family. They will in future become the architects of our country. The environment in which they are growing up love of their land and affection for the people will take deep root in their minds. Endowed with such noble qualities they will receive good education and become the builders of our nation ready to be of service to our people. On one hand we are fighting to redeem our land of Tamil Eelam and on the other hand we are engaged in social programmes and projects to uplift children. But for all these schemes to succeed, the society must wholeheartedly co-operate with us.”

Note - Kaantharuban was a youngster who voluntarily joined the movement after he lost his parents and had no one to support him. Later he sought permission from the LTTE leader and became a Black Tiger. He attained martyrdom. Kantharuban had one last wish which he confided to our leader thus “I was an orphan, but you took me into the fold of the LTTE family and made me somebody. Same way please take all the orphans of Tamil Eelam and redeem them from their wretched state of being orphans.” It is to fulfill his wishes that the institution was named Kantharuban Arivucholai.

Permanent and Lasting Peace in the Island
On September 13, 1994, Mrs. Ananthi, reporter from B.B.C. Tamil Service interviewed Tamil National Leader Pirabaharan. Responding to a question put to him, he answered thus,

“We like the talks to take place in an environment of peace and friendly atmosphere. It is the responsibility of the Sri Lankan government to create such a conducive situation. Ordinary Sinhalese masses are not in favour of this war. We know very well that they are yearning for peace. The results of the recent elections clearly prove this reality. We too want peace. We want permanent peace to prevail so that all people could live a normal life.

Today, war is the greatest stumbling block The war must be brought to an end. It is those people who started the war against the Tamils who should come forward to stop the war. The Sinhala Nation should realize that the Tamil problem can never be solved through military means. Only by fulfilling the political aspirations of the Tamil people can a solution be found to end the racial conflict. This can be achieved through peaceful means. This should be made known to the Sinhalese chauvinistic politicians and militarists by the Sinhalese people themselves. We love the Sinhalese people and we are not their enemies. The racial chauvinistic elements are responsible for the contradictions that arose between the Tamils and the Sinhalese people. The Sinhalese people themselves must identify the chauvinist elements among themselves and ostracize them. Only then will permanent peace prevail in the island of Ceylon."

Reflection of Velupillai Pirabaharan

2009-12-02T00:58:00.000+05:30

Nature is my friend. Life is my philosopher. History is my path-finger.
Fear is the outcome of weakness, a coward’s friend, an enemy of firmness. Fear of death is the cause of all human fears. One who wins the fear of death wins himself. He is the one who wins the freedom. From his mental prison.
Whether we like it or not the change has occurred, struggle is our life and life is struggle.
I always give less importance to speech, Only after growing up in action that we should begin speaking.
Rather than idleness of people, it is the activeness of people that turns the wheels of the struggle.
I understand the dignity of a life, but our right is much more dignified than life, our freedom, and our self-respect.
We are not politicians, we are freedom fighters.
We have sowed the seed of an ideal, we grow it by irrigating with the blood of our martyrs. This seed will grow up into a luxurious tree and make our martyr’s dreams a reality.
The liberation Tigers are not different from the people. The Liberation Tigers is a people movement. The people are the Tigers.
To govern does not mean imposing the rule in the people or exercising the authority on the people, Governing is a work of service to the people, a service directing the people for good life.
The Tamils bowed their heads when repeatedly knocked and lived as slaves with shame. The greatness of getting them to live with self-respect was the work of out liberation movement.
Although the Tamils live widely all over the worlds, it is in Tamil Eelam that there is awakening of the national spirit. It is in Tamil Eelam the national personality is born. It is Tamil Eelam there are external signs of a separate state.
The struggle for the ideal of women liberation is a fiery child that was born on the laps of the liberation movement.
The strength in numbers or the strength in arms does not determine the victory in a battle. The firm determination, bravery, and the love of liberty are the qualities that determine victory.
My comrades whom I loved as my life, my generals who have been fighting along with me shoulder to shoulder, my fighters whom I fostered for several years, When they fall in the battle field my heart bursts. Yet in that grief I do not languish. All these losses add strength to my will towards my ideal.
The patterns of battle may change, but our battle ideal will never change.
If we do not win our freedom we have to live as slaves, we loose our self-respect and live in shame, live in eternal fear and suspense, get wiped out step by step. We have no alternative but to fight for freedom.
A liberation worrier’s death is not a normal death occurrence. This death is a historical incident. It is a miracle of high ideal becoming a reality. In fact a liberation fighter does not die. The fine of ideal which was his life never burns out. That fine of ideal becomes a historical force and captures the heart of others. It wakes up the national spirit of a race.
The ‘Cyanide’ is the symbol to show that we are dedicated to our ideal. As long as this cyanide hangs on our neck we will not fear any force in the world.
Whether it be non-violent struggle or armed struggle our liberation was has reached world’s peak.

Sri Lankan Army Atrocities

2009-11-02T18:29:00.006+05:30

The heartbreaking Damilvany Gnanakumar story is one many yet to be told. She was released recently from a Sri Lankan concentration camp. I would imagine for a hefty sum of money. These SL Government‘s acts of mercy does not come cheap nowadays.

For those four months, the 25-year-old British graduate was imprisoned behind razor wire inside the Sri Lanka’s grim internment camps, home to nearly 300,000 people.
The last time she publicly spoke about the conflict was from the hospital where she was working inside the ever-shrinking war zone in Sri Lanka’s north-east. Then, the Sri Lankan army had surrounded the small sliver of land where the remnants of the Tamil Tiger guerrillas held out and where hundreds of thousands of civilians had taken refuge. She had been in despair: a shell had just struck the hospital and dozens were dead. “At the moment, it is like hell,” she said then.
The young mother was standing by the side of the road, clutching her baby.

The baby was dead.

Damilvany Gnanakumar watched as she tried to make a decision. Around them, thousands of people were picking their way between bodies strewn across the road, desperate to escape the fighting all around them. “The mother couldn’t bring the dead body and she doesn’t want to leave it as well. She was standing … holding the baby. She didn’t know what to do …

At the end, because of the shell bombing and people rushing – there were thousands and thousands of people, they were rushing in and pushing everyone – she just had to leave the baby at the side of the road, she had to leave the body there and come, she had no choice.

And I was thinking in my mind ‘What have these people done wrong?

Why are they going through this, why is the international government not speaking up for them? I’m still asking.” Gnanakumar was one of a small group of medics treating the wounded and providing a running commentary to the outside world from behind the lines. For months she had managed to stay alive while around her thousands died.
At night, she lived in bunkers dug in the sand. During the day, she helped in the makeshift hospitals, dodging the shells and the bullets, tending the wounded and the dying, as the doctors tried to operate with butchers’ knives and watered-down anesthetic. Now her damning account provides a powerful rebuke to the claims of the Sri Lankan president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, that the defeat of the Tamil Tigers was achieved without the spilling of a drop of civilian blood.

Usually the Sri Lanka government’s ground forces, done regular air raids by air force Kfir jets. But in early January artillery barrages began, forcing the population to move. That was when the reality of the war hit Gnanakumar for the first time. “It was raining and … you could see everywhere on the road the blood is running with the water and the bodies were left there because there was no-one to identify who was dead and who is alive, the bodies were just laid down on the floor and that’s the first time I saw dead bodies and wounded people crying out, shouting.”
Wherever they stopped, they built a bunker, digging down until they could stand up in the hole, cutting down palm branches and laying them across the top for a roof and packing sandbags on the top and around the sides.

As the frontline advanced, trapping as many as 300,000 people inside a shrinking enclave of LTTE-held land, Gnanakumar went to the makeshift government hospital, which had moved into a former primary school, and volunteered to help, dressing wounds and administering first aid. As the fighting intensified, they were treating as many as 500 people every day in two rooms. “They had a shortage of medicine but they had to somehow save the people. The last two weeks or so there was a shortage of everything.” With replacement blood running out, she had to filter what she could from the patients through a cloth before feeding it back into their veins.
When the anaesthetics ran short, they diluted them with distilled water. “I watched when there was a six-year-old boy,” she said. “They had to take off the leg and also the arm, but they didn’t have proper equipment, they just had a knife that the butchers use to cut the meat, and we have to use that to take off his leg and arm. He cried and cried.”

As the army closed in, it got worse.
“People were running and running to get them safe away from the shell bombing, but they couldn’t and it came to a point where we thought we are all going to die, there is no way we can be safe anymore here, but we just have to take it. I mean, you can’t get out of the shell-bombing. I didn’t think that I would be alive and I would be here now. I said OK, I’m going to die, that is the end of it. “One day I was inside the [operating] theatre and the next room was bombed. We had a lot of the treated people left in the room for the doctors to go and monitor and they all died in that shell bomb. And they [the Sri Lankan forces] again bombed the hospital and one of the doctors died in that.” Inside the hospital, there was no respite. Gnanakumar could not take any more. On 13 May the hospital had been hit, killing about 50 people. “The bunker right next to ours had a shell on top of it and there were six people in the same family died and three were wounded. “I saw them … suddenly I start hearing people are crying out and I thought, it has to be somewhere really close … I came out of my tent and I saw blood everywhere and the people – I couldn’t even imagine that place, there was blood and then the bodies were into pieces everywhere . In the last five days, she says, she believes about 20,000 people died. The UN has acknowledged the true death toll may never be known.

Freedom of speech is non-existent in Sri Lanka

2009-10-23T20:18:00.002+05:30

In the guise of fighting terrorism, the Sri Lanka government has muzzled and suppressed the independent press to the degree that no single publication or electronic media outlet in Sri Lanka is allowed to practice journalism in the way it ought to be.

Dissent is non-existent, self-censorship the order of the day; the ultimate victim – the ordinary citizen of Sri Lanka whose sources of information have dried up so completely that his only version of events mirrors that of the regime of the day. Sri Lankan newspapers are forced to practice a Goebbelian form of reportage, thanks to totalitarian control over the media.

Joseph Goebbels was Adolf Hitler’s most powerful weapon because his propaganda ensured the Nazis popular support. As Propaganda Minister in Hitler’s cabinet, Goebbels perfected an understanding of the "Big Lie" technique of propaganda, which is based on the principle that a lie, if audacious enough and repeated enough times, will be believed by the masses.

angerously, the theory led to success with most of Hitler’s Germany actually believing that they were on the right side of history until the very last moment which ended in the destruction of their country. It is tragic to see this trend taking root in Sri Lanka today –the same country that boasted such a vibrant and defiant press not so very long ago.

On the contrary, journalists have been slaughtered, abducted, assaulted, tortured and forced to flee their homeland all under the present regime. Investigations into a single one of these cases of brutality are yet to show any semblance of credibility.

Please remember the brutal murder of Lasantha Wickrematunga, the horrific assault Upali Tennakoon and abductions of Keith Noyahr and Poddala Jayantha and the myriad incidents of violence perpetrated on those individuals whose only crime has been to attempt to give you a version of the story that the government does not want you to hear. These were ordinary men tasked with an unfortunate duty to report the facts; fathers, husbands, brothers just like any one of us.

Sri Lanka should awake to the reality of this systematic silencing that the long march to freedom and security can finally begin. No amount of Goebbelsian propaganda can keep the truth buried forever however.

The doctors in the concentration camps are seeing 200 to 300 patients a day

2009-10-14T01:00:00.000+05:30

For the past three months, a Tamil woman has been living in a concentration camp in Menik farm with her husband and three children.

Two weeks ago, her five-year-old son had a fever and was barely responding. She carried him to the clinic in the camp at 5am and queued until 6pm to see a doctor. Like many others that day, she did not get to see a doctor and she returned with her sick child to their tent without receiving treatment. She went back the next day and again failed to see a doctor after waiting for another 13 hours. It wasn’t until the third day that she finally managed to see a doctor who gave her some antibiotics.

The doctors in the concentration camps are seeing 200 to 300 patients a day, there is little capacity to carry out tests or follow up with patients and only the most urgent cases are transferred to hospitals outside the camps.

Another 24-year-old woman arrived in Menik Farm at the end of May and is badly disfigured since a fragment of bomb shell cut her lips, cheeks and chins during the conflict. Her mouth is always open, her tongue is badly affected and she can barely drink and cannot speak. She is in need of reconstructive surgery, which is not available inside the camp.

When her wounds became infected, she went in pain to the camp’s clinic. There a doctor was unable to do anything for her and she was not transferred to a hospital outside the camp because she was not considered to be an emergency case. She spends her days lying in the sand outside her tent, waiting for the day to pass.

Monsoon in the Sri Lankan concentration camps

2009-10-14T00:56:00.005+05:30

I saw a massive flooding in the Indian states of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh has at least 230 people dead and more than 10 million survivors homeless. I think it’s going to be a hell in the Sri Lankan concentration camps when NE monsoon starts.
Some Sri Lankan newspaper said that the SL government has taken rapid action in the construction of the drainage system there.

However the images from the BBC are contradicting that.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/8297760.stm

As you see the, the drainage system is very shallow and utterly inadequate.

The camps occupy vast tracts of formerly forested land near the northern town of Vavuniya. Because the ground on which many of the camps were built was cleared of trees recently, the soil is soft and porous.

The flimsy tents in concentration camps don’t stand a chance...

http://www.tamileelamnews.com/news/publish/tns_11803.shtml

Many aid groups worry that the hastily built camps will not survive the inundation. Few months ago, he rain fell heavily for much of the afternoon , sent rivers of mud cascading between tightly packed rows of flimsy shelters, overflowed latrines , which have collapsed, sending human waste spilling all over camp. HR groups urged Sri Lanka yesterday to free 300,000 Tamils detained in camps since the defeat of the Tamil Tigers in May, warning that an outbreak of disease triggered by imminent monsoon rains could claim dozens of lives.
Mike Foster, the UK Minister for International Development who is visiting Sri Lanka, also said that Britain would no longer provide any funding for the controversial barbed wire enclosures once the monsoon was over in two months.
He added that many other donor countries were taking a similar position to put pressure on the Government to release the 300,000 Tamils who were detained after fleeing the frontline. “There’s a pressing need, with the monsoon impending, to get civilians out of the camps,” Mr Foster said after visiting two of the camps before meetings with Sri Lankan officials in Colombo yesterday. He said the monsoon, which is due to start this month, was almost certain to destroy tents already fraying after six months. “Disease, if it takes hold, is going to spread rapidly. Without doubt there will a loss of life,” he said. “Given that there are 300,000 people living so close together, I’d hazard a guess that it’s going to be more than dozens.” Mr Foster said that progress on resettlement had been “disappointing”, that the majority of those in the concentration camps had already been screened, and that moving them to other concentration camps was “unacceptable”. “There really is no reason why they can’t return. If the gates are opened up, the IDPs can be the judge of whether it’s safe or not to go home,” he said. “That should be a choice for them.”

History of the National Conflict in Sri Lanka

2009-10-14T00:42:00.000+05:30

Sri Lanka is the name of the island earlier known as Ceylon and situated at the Southern extremity of the Indian Subcontinent, separated from it at its narrowest point by 22 miles of sea called the Palk Strait.
It covers an area of 25,322 square miles almost the size of Ireland or Tasmania and has a population of 18 million. Both the Sinhala and the Tamil nations co-existed in the island for over 2,500 years, and shared the rule of the island separately. Population ratio is approximately 74% Sinhala speaking and 26% Tamil speaking: Of the Sinhalese 93 % are Buddhists and 7% Christians. Of the Tamil speakers, 60 % are Hindus, 28 % Muslims and 12 % Christians.

The sources of the national conflict in Sri Lanka are historical, economic, cultural & religious. In the words of David Selbourne of Ruskin College, Oxford, it is "a true national question, if ever there was one".

Both the Tamil People & Sinhalese people are indigenous people of Sri Lanka. Early history records that they had their own monarchs and kingdoms. They were conquered by the colonial powers separately and in different periods in history. They existed as separate communities until the British brought them together in 1883 under a single administration (for the very first time in their long history).

The European Colonial Era

1505 - Arrival of Portuguese - They first occupied the low country Sinhalese areas in the south west of the Island.

1621 - Jaffna Tamil Kingdom fell to the Portuguese (more than a century later).

1656 - Dutch occupied areas which were under Portuguese control.

1802 - Treaty of Amiens - Dutch possessions ceded to the British.

1815 - The Sinhalese Kandyan Kingdom in the central parts conquered by the British, having annexed the Tamil Vanni Kingdom in the north.

1833 -The British unified the island based on the recommendations of Cole Brook - Cameron Commission (purely for administrative convenience).

1931 - Donoughmore constitution - State Council elected by Universal suffrage (the first people to exercise universal suffrage in Asia).

1947 - Soulbury constitution adopted & general elections held for the parliament of Ceylon.

The Sinhala-Colonial Era

1948 - British grant independence under the Soulbury constitution.
The parliament, with its entrenched Sinhalese majority, legislates to disenfranchise Tamils of [recent] Indian origin who have lived there for generations and have always exercised their franchise. The Tamil people lost almost half of their representation in the parliament.
The state aided colonisation of Sinhalese people in Tamil areas promoted to annex Tamil homelands and further reduce Tamil representation in the parliament.

1956 - The Sinhalese Language was made the only official language by legislation, disadvantaging Tamil people in dealing with the state administration and denying them equal access to education and employment.

1957 - Bandaranaike - Chelvanayakam Pact between the Sinhalese Prime Minister SWRD Bandaranaike and Tamil leader SJV Chelvanayakam QC to meet some of the demands of the Tamil people.

1958 - The Pact was unilaterally abrogated by the Sinhalese Prime Minister to pacify the extreme elements among the Sinhalese Buddhists. (He is the father of the President of Sri Lanka Chandrika Kumaratunga (1995 - ) He was assassinated by a Buddhist monk for his pact with the Tamils in 1959.

1965 - Senanayake - Chelvanayakam Pact - entered into, with another Sinhalese Prime minister Dudley Senanayake, and was never implemented by the Sinhalese government.

1969 - The Privy Council in London directs the Supreme Court in Sri Lanka to review the constitutionality of the Official Language Act, since it violated s.29(2) the constitution.

1971 - The government responds by abolishing appeals to Privy Council. The Tamil people's only avenue to seek justice through independent judiciary came to an end.

1972- The new Republican Constitution was adopted and imposed on the Tamil people without their consent.

The only legal safeguard provided by the entrenched section 29(2) of the Soulbury constitution, described by the Privy Council in London that they "represent the solemn balance of rights between the citizens of Ceylon, the fundamental condition on which inter se they accepted the constitution; and these are therefore unalterable under the constitution", was scrapped.

Tamil parties walked out of the constituent assembly. With this Tamil participation of the democratic process in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) came to an end.

1973 - Through a process of standardization the government restricts entry of Tamil students to universities and institutions of higher education.

1974 - The 4th International Tamil literary conference in Jaffna was broken up by the police, where many died and several were injured.

1976 - All the main Tamil political parties unite under the leadership of SJV Chelvanayakam QC and at their First National Convention declare:

"The Convention resolves that the restoration and reconstitution of the Free, Sovereign, Secular, Socialist state of Tamil Eelam based on the right of self-determination inherent to every nation has become inevitable in order to safeguard the very existence of the Tamil nation in this country."

1977 - Historical mandate of the Tamil people - The Tamil people gave a clear mandate at the general elections to establish their sovereignty. The manifesto called for:

"… in the general Election the mandate of the Tamil Nation to establish an independent, sovereign, secular, socialist State of Tamil Eelam that includes all the geographically contiguous areas that have been the traditional homeland of the Tamil-speaking people in the country.

"The Tamil nation must take the decision to establish its sovereignty in its homeland on the basis of its right to self-determination. The only way to announce this decision to the Sinhalese Government and to the world is to vote for TULF. The Tamil-speaking representatives who get elected through these votes while being members of the National State Assembly of Tamil Eelam which will draft a constitution for the state of Tamil Eelam and establish the independence of Tamil Eelam by bringing that constitution into operation either by peaceful means or by direct action or struggle".

The Tamil resolution also called on

"The Tamil youth in particular to come forward to throw themselves fully in the sacred fight for freedom and flinch not till the goal of a sovereign socialist state of Tamil Eelam is reached".

(The Sinhalese Prime Minister of Sri Lanka from 1970 to 1977 was Mrs. Srimavo Bandaranalke the present Prime Minister and the mother of the President Chandrika Kumaratunge [1995 - ).

The Anti-Tamil Violence - The Tamil people have been subjected periodically to communal violence. There have been anti-Tamil riots and pogroms in 1956,1958,1977 and culminating in the 1983 massacres and holocaust.

Military occupation & Police brutality - First in 1961 and then in 1974, 1979, 1981 and from 1983. Many historical monuments including temples and churches were destroyed. (Attested in two reports by the International Commission of Jurists, and in several other reports of independent international human rights organisations).

The armed struggle by the LTTE on behalf of the Tamil people arose as a rebellion against the tyranny of the Sinhalese state and its brutal repression of Tamil people. It is a just cause in pursuance of their democratic aspirations, and the historic mandate, and therefore is lawful.

1983 - Sri Lanka commenced arbitrary arrests and detention without trial, torture and rape, violence against women, summary executions of the Tamil people. The era of mass exodus of Tamil refugees internally and internationally begins.

1987 - UN Resolution on Sri Lanka country situation for violation of Human Rights. Unsuccessful Indo Sri Lanka Accord and the occupation of Tamil territories by Indian Army. India commenced deliberate and indiscriminate bombing and shelling of Tamil territories.

1990 - Withdrawal of Indian Forces. Unsuccessful Negotiations with United National Party Government. Sri Lanka recommenced deliberate and indiscriminate bombings of Tamil territories. Economic Embargo enforced to the North and part of the East.

1995 to date - Unsuccessful Negotiations with People Alliance Government, with resumption of the war.

History of the Tamils in Sri Lanka part 1

2009-10-14T00:38:00.000+05:30

Many renowned Sinhalese and Tamil Historians Archaeologists Anthropologists and Linguistic Scholars as well as Indian, American and British Scholars have engaged in research, on the ancient history of Sri Lanka for more than 30 years, conducting Archaeological excavations.

These excavations were carried out in various parts of Sri Lanka and their findings published. However, some excavations have been suspended while, in other cases, the findings have not been released. In particular, there are many instances where excavations in the northern regions of Sri Lanka were suspended and the findings withheld. However, unbiased and honest historians have openly published the findings of their studies on this subject.

Many facts related to the ancient history of Sri Lanka and its ancient people have been brought to light on the basis of archaeological evidence from excavations. But, various difficulties have arisen in regard to understanding the early Stone Age people, their antiquity and their race. Nevertheless, the scholars referred to above generally accept that the ancient people of Sri Lanka belonged to the Dravidian Language family and followed the Dravidian (Megalithic) culture of 'Urn Burials'. The findings of these scholars also show that there was a strong similarity between the ancient people of Sri Lanka and those of India, particularly from Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Kannada and the Andhra regions in South India where Dravidian languages are spoken.

Geologists and archaeologists are of the general opinion that as the result of a natural calamity Sri Lanka broke off from the Indian landmass and became an island many thousands of years ago. Therefore the ancient people of South India and Sri Lanka were of the same ethnic stock. This has been further established by findings relating to their culture, language and religion that show that the people of these two regions were closely connected.

In short, it emerges that the ancient people of Sri Lanka belonged to the Dravidian family and spoke Tamil, one of the ancient languages of the Dravidian language family. However, Pali and Sinhalese historical records and literature claim that the ancient people of Sri Lanka belonged to the Aryan language family and spoke Sinhalese, an Aryan language and that they came from North India. To date no archaeological evidence has been found to support these theories.

Sinhalese historians based their theories that the ancient people of Sri Lanka were Sinhalese largely on historical records found in the Deepavamsa and Mahavamsa Buddhist chronicles written in the fourth and filth centuries A.D. and on ancient stone inscriptions written in the North Indian languages of Pali and Sanskrit. These historians are particularly inclined to use the Mahavamsa. written in the fifth century A.D., as a main source. The Mahavamsa begins with the historical legend of Vijaya who was deported from North India and arrived in Sri Lanka in the fifth century BC.

In addition, the Mahavamsa also speaks of the three visits of Lord Buddha to Sri Lanka and the establishment of Buddhism in Sri Lanka by the Buddhist mission sent to Sri Lanka by the Maurya Emperor Asoka in the third century BC. This mission was led by his son and Buddhist priest Mahinda. The records of the Mahavamsa along with other historical documents and writings also tell of Devanampiya Tissa, the king of the Anuradapura Kingdom, who embraced Buddhism in the same period.

These accounts have naturally led historians in general to consider that the history of Sri Lanka begins with the third century BC. However, there is no reliable historical evidence of the arrival of Vijaya and his associates in the fifth century BC or of his rule in Sri Lanka. It is possible to infer that, Mahanama, the author of the Mahavamsa, witnessed the decline and disorientation of Buddhism in India during the fifth century BC. Due to his devotion to Buddhism and desire to consolidate this religion in Sri Lanka he decided to write the Mahavamsa. It is also possible that he began his chronicle with the legend of Vijaya with the sole purpose of linking Buddhism with its relationship to North Indian languages as a means to achieve his goals.

The important fact that must be considered in this context is that Saivaism was firmly established in Sri Lanka long before the arrival of Buddhism on the island. The kings of the Anuradapura Kingdom had been Saivaites before the advent of Buddhism. Besides, the Kingdom of Anuradapura was a well developed and strong kingdom in the third century BC, a status that would have required centuries to attain. Would it have been possible for Vijaya who arrived in Sri Lanka only in the fifth century BC to start from scratch and build up such a full-fledged kingdom in Anuradapura? It is apparent that the Kingdom of Anuradapura originated and gradually developed into a strong kingdom through many centuries and that the people who established the kingdom were Tamils of the Dravidian family. Tamil culture and Saiva religion were practiced in ancient Sri Lanka as Tamils were the ancient people of Sri Lanka, a fact established by the archaeological evidence that has come to light.

The culture, language, and religion of an ethnic people are the most significant factors determining their unique identity. Archaeological evidence shows that the ancient Dravidian people of ancient Sri Lanka, influenced by the arrival of Buddhism and the North Indian languages associated with it, gradually embraced Buddhism, its cultural traditions and the languages related to it.

For instance, archaeological findings prove that Buddhism enjoyed an influential status as the religion of the people in the traditional Tamil regions in the north, east and northwest parts of Sri Lanka, during the first two centuries BC. Would it be right to call these people Sinhalese on the basis that Buddhism was their religion in the early historical period? Archaeological studies clearly reveal that Dravidian people were living in the Puttalam and Negombo areas in the northwest region of Sri Lanka from ancient times.

However, the majority of these people, due to socio-economic activities and transitions over the past 150 years, have become Sinhalese and now speak the Sinhalese language. Besides, the majority of Saivites in the Jaffna peninsula were converted to Catholicism during the foreign rule of the Portuguese invaders. Another interesting instance in this context is the fact that the descendents of two significant Chetty families who migrated to Sri Lanka from Tamil Nadu five generations ago became fervent Buddhist Sinhala nationalists, Prime Ministers and Presidents in Sri Lanka.

It can be surmised from these matters that this same process of assimilation was a common phenomenon experienced throughout ancient Sri Lanka. The history of Sri Lanka, from the third century A.D. to the ninth century A.D., is permeated with the influence of Buddhism and Buddhist culture. This includes from early historical times, the intrusion of Pali and Sanskrit languages and their spread among the ancient Tamils of Sri Lanka and their Dravidian culture, as well as the origin of the Sinhalese language from Sanskrit, Pali and Tamil languages. The younger generation is left with the task of engaging with history and scientific methods to subject this historical period to deep and unbiased studies and write its history with intellectual integrity. When taking up this task, they should strive to find a fitting solution to the ethnic issue that has become an infested sore in Sri Lanka.

Two significant events took place in Sri Lanka following the tenth century A.D. in the wake of the Cola domination of Sri Lanka. The first is that the people who identified themselves as Sinhalese shifted their seats of rule from the ancient kingdoms of Anuradapura and Polanaruwa towards South Sri Lanka. The second was the Tamils moved their ruling structures from these same regions to the north and east of the island.

Consequently, the ancient kingdoms of Anuradapura and Polanaruwa, abandoned by both the Sinhalese and the Tamils, were engulfed by the jungle that temporarily separated the two ethnic groups for the next four or five centuries. As a result, the Sinhalese developed into a separate ethnic people with their distinct Buddhist religion and culture and Sinhalese language while the Tamils, in their traditional regions in the north, east and northwest of Sri Lanka began to establish their kingdoms under the newly risen Jaffna Kingdom, maintaining their distinct Tamil language, culture and Saiva religion.

This situation did not last long. The Sinhalese and Tamil kingdoms declined and eventually succumbed to the Portuguese invaders. The Kingdom of Kandy, however, retained its sovereignty and resisted capture by the Portuguese. The Tamils lost their kingdom forever as a result of Portuguese invasion, and the foreign Catholic religion was forcibly thrust on them. Many were obliged to relinquish their Saiva religion and follow Catholicism and its culture. Above all, they were impoverished by wholesale Portuguese exploitation of their economic resources. This situation allowed the Portuguese to amass great wealth.

The Tamils lost their sovereignty, religion, economic infrastructure and wealth and were reduced to slaves in their own land. It is a bitter historical truth that it was not only the Portuguese who were responsible for this state of affairs but also the competitiveness, jealousy, lack of co-operation and patriotism among the Tamils as well as the evil dowry system and social disparities that existed among them.

This same situation has continued from the time the Tamils and Tamil regions became enslaved to the Portuguese in the sixteenth century. It is unlikely this situation can be changed until the Tamil politicians and officials truly realise the gravity of the situation and apply themselves sincerely to solving these urgent problems. These are the people who have to decide whether or not the Tamils are to continue living as slaves and refugees.

The Dutch, who succeeded the Portuguese, dominated Sri Lanka for 150 years and also amassed wealth by unscrupulous means. They exploited the Tamils and their regions just as the Portuguese did. The Portuguese could be said to have sucked the blood of the Tamils but the Dutch did not stop there but consumed their flesh also. This further reduced the Tamils to utter poverty. The Dutch spread Protestantism, their new brand of Christianity among the forcibly converted Tamil Catholics in the Jaffna peninsula. Dutch documents provide sufficient proof that the Tamils, already afflicted by Portuguese occupation and atrocities, were further severely affected by intense Dutch exploitation of their economic resources along with their religious activities to promote Protestantism among them.

The forced indoctrination of their respective religions and the introduction of western culture to the Tamils in the Jaffna peninsula by the foreign invaders from Portugal and the Netherlands were their sole contributions to the Tamils and their regions, the impact of which is evident even in the present day. However, the Christian missionaries, both Portuguese and Dutch, established schools in the peninsula to impart religious education in addition to a range of basic subjects. Tamil society, for the first time, was exposed to an organised system of education along western principles. It cannot be denied that this experience prepared them for the modern educational methods of the British colonial rule and enabled them to adapt to the judicial, administrative and economic infrastructure of the British.

History of the Tamils in Sri Lanka part 2

2009-10-14T00:37:00.000+05:30

The British colonial rule that began in the 1796 in Sri Lanka ushered in changes and new enterprises in the island generally and the Tamils and their regions in particular. The British, like their two predecessors, showed a keen interest in propagating Protestantism with the help of their missionaries who used education to spread their religion. As a result, the Tamils gave English education and Tamil education a primary place in their lives.

The prevailing caste discrimination, socio-economic disparities, lack of land and the oppressive dowry system in the Tamil regions, particularly in the Jaffna peninsula, impelled the Tamils to seek education. Parents invested in their children's education in the hope and expectation that their success in examinations would open up employment opportunities for them in the public and private sector in Sri Lanka as well as in foreign countries such as India and Malaya (Malaysia and Singapore).

True to their expectations, educated Tamils were able to acquire government and private employment in Sri Lanka, India and Malaya and earn a permanent income. This advancement in turn brought social development and progress in various spheres and Tamil society was gradually transformed into an educated society. However, this opportunity was not widely available in the undeveloped Tamil regions.

The dedicated interest shown by the British in the field of education resulted in the establishment of hundreds of primary and secondary schools in the Jaffna peninsula with various missionaries functioning as their driving force. The Tamils also, just as the missionaries established Christian English schools, opened up Saiva English schools. Saivaism and the Tamil language experienced a renaissance while Saiva temples and halls were built in great numbers due to the religious tolerance of the British rulers. This progress in education contributed immensely to various positive developments in the fields of religion, arts, culture, language, literature, socio-economics and politics.

The establishment of the infrastructure of finance, justice and administration and the efficient functioning of these structures in the early British rule helped develop the country economically as well as consolidate its administration and law and order. The population began to increase in this peaceful and thriving atmosphere. Roads and bridges were built and health services improved remarkably. This progress in turn paved the way for the Tamils in the north and east to establish contacts and develop mutual understanding with the Sinhalese in the south.

The Tamils, particularly the English-educated Tamils, already disturbed by conversion to Christianity by the missionaries and the spread of western culture among them, rose in protest and reacted against steps taken by the British government. These protest activities relating to culture and economics in turn became factors that kindled the consciousness of the Tamils. The spirit of protest manifested itself in the spheres of society_ religion, culture and language and resulted in the politically motivated rise of Tamil nationalism. The British constitutional reforms and political activities connected to them were the fundamental reasons for the rise and growth of Tamil nationalism.

The Colebrook constitutional reforms introduced in 1833, brought the north and east regions of Sri Lanka, hitherto administered as a separate unit. under a single centralised administrative system based in Colombo. This disoriented the longstanding territorial integration of the Tamils and threatened their national identity.

The 1921-24 Manning constitutional reforms among others that followed were the first to create a permanent divide between the Tamils and Sinhalese ethnic communities. The Donoughmore constitutional reforms introduced in 1931 added their share to compound the situation by implementing universal franchise, abolishing the system of territorial representation and replacing it with communal representation. This resulted in more representatives from the Sinhalese community securing seats in the State Assembly and caused great antipathy and rage among the Tamils and their political leaders. The Soulbury constitutional reforms introduced in 1947 were also partial to the Sinhalese majority representatives. They were drawn up in keeping with the draft proposals submitted by their Board of Ministers and passed in the House of Representatives with the majority of Sinhalese representatives voting in favour. The British ruling powers forcibly implemented this political constitution modeled on the Westminster Parliamentary system as practised in Britain on a country consisting of two Nations, the majority Sinhalese nation and a minority Tamil nation.

In the 1947 general elections held under the newly introduced constitution. the Sinhalese political parties secured the majority representation in Parliament and thereby became the rulers of the country. When the British finally granted independence to Sri Lanka they handed over the government to the Sinhalese majority community leaving the Tamils with a refugee status. The fundamental cause for the loss of thousands of Tamil lives and the destruction of their property in the 60 years following independence was the British government's violation of the trust placed in them by the Tamils. Sinhalese political leaders, by compiling and submitting erroneous statistics to the British rulers, were able to secure sole sovereignty over the whole country, their numerical majority being the only claim.

The Tamil political leaders, due to their dearth of political foresight and propelled by self-promoting motives sought political refuge with the majority Sinhalese political leaders. Safeguards in the form of special Acts in the Soulbury constitution aiming to protect the political rights of the minorities were blatantly abandoned by the Sinhalese majority government within a few months of Sri Lanka gaining independence in 1948.

From 1948 onwards, the Indian Tamils were stripped of their citizenship and their right to vote. Pre-planned Sinhalese colonisation in the traditional Tamil territories was vigorously and systematically implemented. These activities of the government most severely affected Tamil representation in the House of Representatives and the traditional territories of the Tamils.

The `Sinhala Only' Act implemented in 1956 which made Sinhalese the official and national language of the State and granted Buddhism the status of State Religion posed serious threats to the national status and identity of the Tamils in relation to their language and religion. Employment opportunities in considerable numbers were denied to Tamils by the partial activities of the government. Tamil students were denied opportunities in higher studies by the introduction of biased schemes such as 'Standardisation' and the 'Quota System' that were implemented to select candidates for universities.

All fundamental democratic rights such as the freedom to congregate and freedom of expression were largely denied to Tamils. Whenever the Tamil political leaders engaged in passive non-violent protest demonstrations demanding their political rights, the armed forces were used to crush them by attacking demonstrators, forced dispersal of their gatherings and the arrest of Tamil political leaders.

The various pacts the Tamil political leaders entered into with the Sinhalese political leaders following negotiations were all eventually abrogated by the Sinhalese signatories. The Sinhalese regimes, exploiting their majority strength and the power in ruling the country they thereby achieved, used its three armed forces designed to protect the government, to effectively crush the Tamils, their political leaders and their just struggles for their lost rights, in several ways. Above all, they unleashed continuous pogroms on the Tamils from 1958, killing thousands of Tamils, subjecting Tamil women to sexual violence, setting fire to their houses and property, reducing them to the status of refugees in their own country.

The Tamil political leaders, on realising that the Sri Lanka Sinhalese majority regime would never recognise the Tamil right of self-determination, in 1976 united and arrived at a firm decision that establishing Tamil Eelam was the only way open to the Tamils. This seems to be a belated decision. They contested in the 1977 general election on a mandate for Tamil Eelam. The Tamils responded with overwhelming support of the Tamil political leaders in their demand for Tamil Eelam. Following the demise in 1977 of S. J. V. Chelvanayagam who fought tirelessly for more than 30 years, the Tamil political leaders, led by Amirthalingam, opted to pursue moderate political activities. These leaders who had been elected to establish Tamil Eelam, following the 1977 election victory, tried to solve the Tamil political issue by negotiating with the government.

The young Tamil men and women who had already been pushed to the brink of utter frustration due to the denial of educational and employment opportunities, rose in protest against the activities of the Tamil political leaders who believed they could continue their politics and pacify the Tamil youth. Finally, the Tamils again whole heartedly mandated the Tamil political leaders to establish Tamil [clam in the general election that followed. The government which schemed to crush the demand for Tamil Eelam implemented an Act which called for the loyalty of the members of the Parliament to the national integrity of Sri Lanka as a unitary state. The Tamil leaders found themselves in a precarious situation caught between the intensified demand of the Tamil young men and women and this Act. Unable to go against the mandate they were elected to establish Tamil Eelam, the Tamil political leaders had to forgo their membership in Parliament.

The Tamils, already denied all their democratic rights, were now deprived of their right to representation in the Parliament. Meanwhile, the state terrorism unleashed against the Tamils in 1983 killed thousands of Tamils of all ages specially the youth . Tamil women were sexually assaulted in public. Tamils' property worth millions of rupees were looted and set ablaze. Tamils in their thousands went to Tamil Nadu as refugees while thousands sought refuge in America, Australia and European countries. Those who were not so fortunate were fled to the north and east. Tamil youth specially were arrested and tortured.

These events can only lead to one conclusion. It is that the Tamils and the Sinhalese are two different and separate nations that are unable to live together. These events were a message and open declaration by the Sinhalese nation to the Tamil nation as also the international community that the Tamils should go to the north and east and live there.

The Tamil young men and women took up arms when they realised that this was the language of the Sinhalese majority government and it was the only language that it could understand. The Nanthi (cow) symbol of peace was the emblem of the national flag of the Jaffna Kingdom of the Tamils. The Portuguese as foreign invaders robbed the Tamils of their kingdom and brought the Nanthi flag down.

The British, who were the last foreign rulers of Sri Lanka should have handed Tamils the right to rule their territory when they finally left Sri Lanka. It is tragic that they did not do so. Now, the national flag of the Tamil Nation, with its Tiger emblem of an animal that is totally different to the passive Nanthi, flies in the Tamil nation. It is the Sinhalese government that should bear the responsibility for this. The Sinhalese majority government and the Sinhalese political leaders should consider the Tamils' demand for the right to self-determination with sincerity, humanity and political foresight and act at the earliest to recognise it. Failure to do so will inevitably lead both comminutes to face more blood shed and devastation.

The birth of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam

2009-10-05T20:35:00.003+05:30

Tamil Elam was born in the nineteen fifties, when the Sinhalese majority in newly-independent Sri Lanka set about to build a national identity by appealing to Sinhalese nationalism. By an act of the Sinhalese-dominated parliament, a million Tamils were stripped of citizenship and franchise on the grounds that their parents or grandparents had been born in India. The proportion of Tamil voters in the electorate instantly dropped from 33% to 20%, giving the Sinhalese a lock on the 2/3 parliamentary majority needed to pass any law they wanted. Sinhalese became the official language of Sri Lanka. Tamil civil servants, who had dominated the English colonial administration, were summarily fired. Under the guise of agricultural schemes, the Sinhalese government pushed Tamils off their land, flooding newly-created enlarged tracts of farmland with previously landless Sinhalese. Pogroms and general oppression ensued. In the 1958 riots alone, 25,000 Tamils were forced to flee into the northern part of the island. An effort was even made to deport “stateless” disenfranchised Tamils to India. The Tamil response to this campaign was predictable and obvious.
At first, they followed the non-violent path of Mohandas Gandhi. Old men sat at the entrances of government offices, chanting hymns and preventing government clerks from entering by blocking the entrances with their bodies. The Sinhalese police beat them aside with clubs. Peaceful protests were dispersed by Sinhalese thugs acting with semi-official sanction. The peaceful way of satyagraha was of no avail. Gandhi’s approach had worked with the British because the refined British public and media would take their government to task over the perceived violations of Indian civil rights. It would not work against the Sinhalese because the Sinhalese public and media eagerly applauded the violation of Tamil civil rights.
By the nineteen seventies, the Tamil language was banned and Tamil contacts with the Tamil population of India were forcibly cut off. A policy of deliberate discrimination in everything from housing and employment to university scholarships pushed the Tamils to the fringes of society and sat the Sinhalese firmly on top. Sinhalese troops patrolled Tamil villages, assaulting anyone who dared to look at them the wrong way. A deliberate campaign of ethnic cleansing was pushing Tamils deeper and deeper into the north of Ceylon. There was no doubt in the mind of any sane observer that the Sinhalese would not stop until they slowly, by stages, pushed the Tamils into the ocean. In fact, the Sinhalese said as much. Tamils, according to the Sinhalese, were foreigners who belonged in India.
When Tamil youth demanded action in the face of government oppression, their elders quelled them in the name of “national unity” and “non-violence”. They were told that Hinduism prohibited violence. They were told that parliamentary means could ensure their rights. They were told that this Tamil politician or that Tamil politician or some other Tamil politician would somehow magically make an agreement with the Sinhalese in exchange for his vote in one coalition or another.
The agreements were duly made. And they were duly broken. The oppression continued. In the end, the youth did the only rational thing they could have done. They rejected their elders. They rejected the Sinhalese State. They rejected non-violence. They demanded a country of their own. At gunpoint.
It was the seventies. The West seemed on the run, the Soviets were winning the Cold War and Marxist rebels were popping up the world over. For a young man rebelling against the established order and the religion of his elders, Marxism was the logical way to go. Therefore it is not surprising, though unfortunate for the Tamil people on Ceylon, that those who sought to liberate them from Sinhalese rule were mostly Marxists. In May 1976, a group of youth with Marxist rhetoric which adopted the name “Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam”. Their leader, a twenty-one-year-old named Vellupilai Prabhakaran, who had already set the tone in July of the previous year.
Things spiraled out control from there and as it happens in conflicts of this type, all pretense of civilization was rapidly thrown aside. The point of no return came in July of 1983, when, allegedly in response to an LTTE ambush that killed 15 Sri Lankan soldiers, Sinhalese civilians rioted across the island, murdering some 3,000 Tamils. The rioters had official government voter lists showing the names and addresses of Tamils. The Sinhalese army and police stood by and did nothing for days as entire neighborhoods were burned to the ground. As Tamil motorists were pulled out of their cars and burned alive at improvised checkpoints, whole families were hacked to pieces in their living rooms and Tamil temples were put to the torch by Sinhalese mobs led by plainclothes police, spontaneity, unlike brutality, was not in evidence. The event would forever be remembered by the Tamils as Black July.
In response to this final atrocity, hundreds of thousands of Tamils fled abroad, while those remaining on Ceylon made their way to the North and East of the island, where the heretofore small-time pro-independence insurgency suddenly had no shortage of recruits. Asia’s longest running civil war was on in earnest, no holds barred.

Sri Lanka should make public a list of all IDPs

2009-10-05T17:50:00.004+05:30

With the end of the government’s military campaign, Crisis Group urges that:
The Sri Lankan government should make public a list all those being held in camps for the displaced and in places of detentions, to reassure worried families about the fate of their loved ones, to facilitate the reunification of divided families, and to protect against the threat of abduction and forced disappearance.
The ICRC and UNHCR must be given full and immediate access to every stage of the government’s “screening” for those suspected of involvement with the LTTE. The ICRC should be granted full access to all places of detention to ensure that surrendered and captured combatants and other terrorist suspects are treated in accordance with the Geneva Conventions and Sri Lankan law. The Sri Lankan government should make public its plans for the demobilisation and rehabilitation of former LTTE fighters.
The Sri Lankan government should remove all restrictions on the access and effective work of the ICRC, UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs in government camps for the displaced in Vavuniya, Mannar and Jaffna and in government hospitals and medical centres. Punitive restrictions on visas and on travel within Sri Lanka for international staff of humanitarian agencies must also be removed. Lack of access and the consequent reduction in services only compounds the already severe physical suffering and psychological hardships the displaced are enduring.
The Sri Lankan government should announce a clear and prompt timetable for the resettlement of all those recently displaced from the Vanni. The government should also establish an open and inclusive process of consultation with independent Tamil and Muslim leaders to devise a fair and sustainable plan for the resettlement of all those displaced from the Northern Province, including the nearly 100,000 Muslims forcibly evicted from Jaffna and Mannar in 1990.
The Sri Lankan government should make tangible and meaningful steps to assure Tamils, Muslims and other minorities that their rights will be respected and their equal citizenship and physical safety will be assured. The government should initiate a new and inclusive process of dialogue between legitimate and independent representatives of all ethnic communities in pursuit of a lasting political settlement that addresses the grievances and insecurities of all communities through constitutional guarantees of power-sharing and individual rights.

http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?id=6070&l=1

1st transnational government (TNG) for Eezham Tamils.

2009-09-30T11:27:00.006+05:30

Norwegian (TNG) for Eezham Tamils is the first of many and will become a proud member of the Global Tamil Forum
GTF

Melting pot of Eezham-Tamil democratic politics
While the idea of transnational government (TNG) is captivating the minds of Eezham Tamils, their public opinion should be watchful for political moves not slipping in concepts and terminologies and the organisation process maintaining absolute financial independence.
Democratically elected country councils widen, strengthen and secure the democratic structure of TNG and help it to evolve from bottom to top. The nation needs to explore models of structurally integrating country councils and bodies such as GTF in the apex body of TNG. Conducive atmosphere has to be created for wider participation of the society, youth and women. The trauma Eezham Tamils undergo, can be conquered by them only by innovatively engaging in action – this time democratic action – and by demonstrating their spirit unconquered.
It is heartening to notice how the paradigm of democratic politics and transnational governance has captivated the minds of Eezham Tamils especially in the diaspora, where the much-needed space deprived in Sri Lanka is available for innovation and rejuvenation.
Quite typical of any democratic exercise, as ideas pour in, debates take place and moves originate in a short span of hard-pressed time, it is not only common folk but even keen activists are confused. The widely felt concern is that such confusion should not pave way for manipulation and hijack of the cause by motley of forces tacitly united in nullifying identity, independence, sovereignty and national liberation of Eezham Tamils.
It is of paramount importance that the various global moves originating from the Eezham Tamil diaspora in political organization, economy, society and culture need to be perceived, orientated and coordinated coherently to produce desired results.
The following are put forward to the consideration of especially the diaspora, the public opinion of which is actually the guardian in setting the course of its current global process of democratic politics.

1. Not slipping in terminologies outlining the cause:
Independence, sovereignty, nation state, nation, homeland, self-determination, autonomy, federal, confederation, self-rule etc are terms of specific meaning in the international system. They cannot be replaced by one another. Mere phrases such as Tamil Eelam or government cannot be taken for their face value, unless specified with appropriate technical terms.
Eezham Tamil public needs to carefully scrutinize the terminologies and their Tamil equivalents used by various political moves approaching them.
‘Independence and sovereignty’ can be translated into Tamil either as ‘suthanthiramum I’raimaiyum’ or as ’thannaathikkamum i’raimaiyum.’
What negotiation could achieve is another matter. But the democratic freedom of a nation to tell what it deservingly aspires is of supreme importance and it is for the diaspora public opinion to take care if there is any slip.

2. Financial independence in political organization:
Political organization is absolutely a matter of concerned people. They have to conceive and do it on their own, from their own resources and through their own will power, if they want their political organization to be true to them.
‘Democratisation’ of politics of a people may be a ‘development’ agenda for others and they may treat it a matter for funding. But for a people struggling for liberation it is not so. Diaspora needs to be watchful that evolving its political organization is done by motivating the masses and never through getting outside funds.

3. Widening the democratic structure:
In the given circumstances, when independent political organisation of Eezham Tamils is threatened by Sri Lanka and is likely to be sabotaged by forces abetting the ‘unity’ of Sri Lanka, the more the democratic structures are widened and integrated, the more the political organisation is secured. Otherwise, just by handling a few at the top, the entire politics could be crippled.
Needless to say that Eezham Tamils should have well-knitted multiplicity of grass root organisations and their politics have to be built form bottom to top and not vice versa.
The constitution announced by the move for Norwegian Council of Eelam Tamils has touched some of these aspects by proposing to conduct elections regionally and nationally in Norway; by having a second chamber and by accommodating elected representatives from institutions of Eezham Tamils in the second chamber.
More attention need to be paid in this respect in the diaspora in encouraging more elected bodies, co-operative bodies and in integrating and orientating them and other grass root organisations such as village associations, alumni associations etc towards democratic transnational polity.

4. GTF and other such bodies:
The impression one gets from the draft constitution of the Global Tamil Forum is that it will be functioning as a global body of professionals and something like a multinational corporation of Eezham Tamils. This is a welcome move and Eezham Tamils will need such bodies to run banks, universities etc.
Such bodies should be integrated in the second chamber of the apex transnational government. However, it is important that GTF and other such bodies have to make clear themselves in specific terms of their commitment to independence and sovereignty of Eezham Tamils.

5. Importance of country councils:
Elected councils of Eezham Tamils in various countries are the real roots of transnational government. They make transnational government secure, widen the democratic structure by acting as federal units, make the implementation of the mandates of transnational government in a particular country much easier and help negotiating local situations arising from differing political systems of the various countries, as these councils are ‘national councils’ of those countries.
The move in Norway is a pioneering major step and the entire diaspora watches it with much expectation.

6. Transnational government as apex body:
Transnational government as conceived by Eezham Tamils is a novel and hitherto unseen experiment of human civilisation. Only a nation like that of Eezham Tamils that was brutally and unjustly crushed by entire establishments of the world joining together could conceive such alternative governance for them. This is sure to serve an inspiration to future world polity and to many oppressed peoples of the world.
In the exercise of evolving a democratic transnational government, whether the Eezham Tamils are fully aware of the importance of what they are doing is a crucial matter.
While the alternative world will welcome the challenging concept, the establishments will obviously try to either blunt it or hijack it.
Therefore, the apex body has to be formed with tremendous will power of people, with a strong foundation and with structural security.
It is perhaps advisable to structure transnational government after securely forming democratically elected councils at least in countries having bulk of the diaspora.
Country councils and transnational government should be structurally integrated so that they don't operate concurrently within a country.
It is of utmost importance that the apex body operating in the diaspora should not abandon independence and sovereignty of Tamil Eelam, even though that should not preclude it from engaging in negotiations, development etc.
TNG is a body of the diaspora and it has to continue for the identity, culture and development of the diaspora, even after Tamil Eelam is achieved.

7. Probable models of forming transnational government:
While direct election among the diaspora held across the world is a model, probably a feasible model at this juncture is holding elections for country councils, and either electing representatives from them, or making them as electoral colleges to elect members from a global list of candidates, or a combination of both. A second chamber could be having elected representatives from defined diaspora institutions.
Models are inexhaustible and we have to be judicious in deciding what suits better under given conditions to serve the purpose.
The first elected TNG may have to function as constitutional assembly as well in bringing out a mandated constitution.

8. Social participation:
A Tamil exppert recently sent a lengthy note on the importance of right personalities from various walks of life coming forward to take responsibilities in the polity of Eezham Tamils, when it is needed the most perhaps in the whole history of them.
It is our earnest hope that a right atmosphere will be created through public opinion for right personalities to come to politics.
An atmosphere has also to be created for people of various political shades and affiliations to develop whole-hearted belongingness in the new process and to contribute their best to the society.
The transnational governance of our context demands not merely politicians and negotiators, but economists, educationalists, culture personalities, people of letters and so on. Again, we need the right atmosphere for such personalities to come into politics.

9. Participation of youth and women:
A healthy sign for the Eezham Tamil nation today is the diaspora youth coming forward to take ownership of the struggle. Young diaspora women taking part in the politics of various countries and getting elected to public bodies is another encouraging feature we see today. This generation should come forward in participating and leading the democratic process of Tamil politics too. The success of transnational governance in the long run lies in the youth participation in it.

10. Mindset:
All liberation begins from mindset.
It is time Eezham Tamils come out of their mindset of colonial legacy to boldly look at themselves through their own eyes.
It is always suffering people who come out with innovations for them as well as for humanity
The trauma Eezham Tamils undergo is understandable only by them.
As we see from what is happening, no one else will help us to overcome it. The trauma and depression can be conquered only by innovatively engaging in action – this time democratic action – and by demonstrating our spirit unconquered.

Petition against the granting of GSP+ by the European Union to Sri Lanka. Please click to sigh the petition

2009-09-30T00:13:00.003+05:30

We, the undersigned, write to you to petition against the granting of GSP+ by the European Union to the Government of Sri Lanka.

Due to non-compliance of Sri Lanka on 18th October 2008 the European Commission adopted a decision providing for the initiation of an investigation on the GSP+ concession arrangement.

Government of Sri Lanka does not satisfy the three core qualifying conditions for GSP+ as detailed below;

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights - Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court ruled in 2006 that ‘the rights under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) are not rights under the Constitution of Sri Lanka.
Convention Against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment – In light of the recent broadcasting of footage by Channel 4 showing Tamils being executed by the Sri Lankan armed forces and other emerging post war evidences clearly demonstrate that Sri Lanka is in violation of this condition

Widespread police torture, abductions of journalists, politicised courts and uninvestigated disappearances have all played a part in creating a state of ‘complete or virtually complete impunity in Sri Lanka’. – The Economist, 3 Sept 09

“Just three months after the Sri Lankan government declared the country liberated from the Tamil Tigers, video footage has emerged apparently showing government troops summarily executing Tamils.” – Channel 4, 25 Aug 09

Convention on the Rights of the Child – Thousands of children are being held in the interment camps in Sri Lanka with appalling conditions where there is no access to clean water, health care and educational facilities.

“The displaced people, including at least 50,000 children, are being accommodated in 41 camps spread over four districts” – Amnesty International, 7 Aug 2009

As evidenced by the disproportional defence budget allocated to the Sri Lankan armed forces from 2007 - 2009 and the confirmation of the end of the conflict, Sri Lanka cannot currently be classified as “vulnerable” under the qualifying criteria for the GSP+.
The quitting of the International Independent Group of Eminent Persons (IIGEP) – the international panel set up to monitor a Sri Lankan probe into human rights abuses, the persistent refusal to accept an independent monitoring body on human rights and the ongoing restricted access to aid agencies stand witness to the level of respect for human rights.
“Any government has a clear obligation to have a very thorough investigation in response to an allegation of this type,” - Philip Alston, UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Reuters, 1 Sept 09
“One day I was inside the [operating] theatre and the next room was bombed. We had a lot of the treated people left in the room for the doctors to go and monitor and they all died in that shell bomb.” - Damilvany Gnanakumar, British Tamil medic witness to the conflict, The Guardian, 15 Sept 09
We, the undersigned, strongly feel that Sri Lanka has fallen far short of meeting any of the criteria and conditions stipulated by the EU Commission and we urge you to raise the case for the withdrawal of GSP+ to Sri Lanka. Unless a clear message is sent for being in breach of qualifying conditions, like the decision taken by the Council on Belarus, Sri Lanka and other States that enjoy such privileges will continue with human rights violations, lack of systems and governance and maintain status quo.
http://www.tamilsforum.com/petition/

Massive ethnic cleansing is occurring; the Human Rights Council should act for the Tamils

2009-09-26T00:30:00.000+05:30

UN Human Rights Council at its12th session in Geneva has concluded general debate on human rights situations that require the council’s attention. Representatives from several countries and NGOs participating in the debate expressed concern about the situation in camps for internally displaced persons in the north of Sri Lanka.

KAREN PARKER, of International Educational Development, said in her statement that there should be institutional reform and study of the root causes of conflicts as essential to transitional justice. In Sri Lanka, the Government resisted any purview of accountability, and was still prosecuting the war against the Tamil people. The only remedy for the latter was to submit to ever-harsher oppression and abuse. The international community had not looked into the underlying causes of the Sinala-Tamil war for many years. The people were in detention camps because they were Tamil, not because they were civilians. The whole issue of this war was because the Tamil people had sought their right to self-determination, among other rights, and the Government had refused them. Massive ethnic cleansing was occurring, and the Council should act for the Tamils.

Excerpts from some of their statements are as follows:

CHRISTIAN STROHAL (Austria) said that no country had a perfect human rights record and all needed to work constantly and self-critically to address their shortcomings and do better for the promotion and protection of human rights. This fact obliged countries to openly address situations that were of particularly concern to them in order to enter into a dialogue on how to improve the implementation of international standards on the ground. Austria pointed to the human rights situations in Iran, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Sudan, which were all situations where Austria failed to see the necessary political will and determination to improve the protection of human rights effectively.

JANICE MCGANN (Ireland) said that the situation in Sri Lanka was over but the peace there remained to be won as serious breaches of humanitarian and human rights law had taken place during that war.

PETER HERTEL RASMUSSEN (Denmark) said the Government of Sri Lanka should fully respect all human rights.

CHRISTINE GOY (Luxembourg) said that Luxembourg was equally concerned for the grave situation in Sri Lanka with regards to the freedom of expression. The situation of internally displaced persons and the allegations of violations of international law during the armed conflict had not yet been the subject of an independent international enquiry, and therefore required particular attention from the Council.

MURIEL BERSET (Switzerland) said that the evolution of the situation in Sri Lanka remained of concern to Switzerland which reiterated its appeal. The humanitarian actors needed to be able to conduct their work without constraints. The holding of hundreds of thousands of internally displaced peoples must end and their safe and voluntary prompt return enabled.

CAROLINE MILLAR (Australia) said Australia remained concerned that over 300,000 civilians remained displaced in camps in northern Sri Lanka.

REINHARD SCHWEPPE (Germany) said as for the situation in Sri Lanka, Germany stressed that reconciliation was strongly based on the full respect of human rights and urged the Sri Lanka Government to create conditions which ensured the safe and dignified return of all internally displaced persons.

WENDY HINTON (New Zealand) said In Sri Lanka, New Zealand remained concerned about the situation for those in camps for internally displaced persons. The Government should engage in a reconciliation process taking into account the legitimate aspirations of all minority groups.

GOTZON ONANDIA ZARRABE, of Franciscans International, said in Sri Lanka, internally displaced persons were not being resettled as promptly nor as safely as the Government promised to the Council, and they continued to suffer within the camps. Human rights defenders, journalists and anyone voicing a differing opinion on the Government’s current policies continued to be the target of violent attacks and harassment by both State and non-State actors.

LUKAS MACHON, of International Commission of Jurists, said in Sri Lanka, humanitarian aid had been continuously obstructed by Government limitations on access to internally displaced persons and the maintenance of internment camps through unjustifiable restrictions on freedom of movement.

MICHAEL ANTONY, of Asian Legal Resource Centre, said the Universal Periodic Review was clearly not a sufficient mechanism to address the worst human rights situations in an effective or timely manner. The Council was currently failing to effectively address situations of human rights crisis, such as those in Sri Lanka and Myanmar; this was not simply a failing of political will, but also one of approach. In Sri Lanka, the continuing grave situation of internally displaced persons was testimony to this.

KAREN PARKER, of International Educational Development, said there should be institutional reform and study of the root causes of conflicts as essential to transitional justice. In Sri Lanka, the Government resisted any purview of accountability, and was still prosecuting the war against the Tamil people. The only remedy for the latter was to submit to ever-harsher oppression and abuse. The international community had not looked into the underlying causes of the Sinala-Tamil war for many years. The people were in detention camps because they were Tamil, not because they were civilians. The whole issue of this war was because the Tamil people had sought their right to self-determination, among other rights, and the Government had refused them. Massive ethnic cleansing was occurring, and the Council should act for the Tamils. There should be a protective presence in Camp Ashraf as soon as possible. The Council should reflect its decision on Honduras in taking a new decision on Myanmar, where a similar situation prevailed.

SATHLYASANGARY ANANDASANGAREE of Lawyer’s Rights Watch Canada, said so far the Sri Lankan Government had failed to live up to its commitments to the international community. Over 300,000 Tamil civilians were still being held against their will in open prisons and their freedom of movement restricted; clean water, sanitation, food, medicine and the basic necessities of life were in dire need. The Government had also failed to allow independent observers access to the camps. The deteriorating situation in Sri Lanka desperately required the attention of the Council - the international community must demand the unconditional release of the civilians within the 180-day timeline proposed by the Government of Sri Lanka and supported by a majority of Council members.

NIMALKA FERNAND, of International Movement against all Forms of Discrimination and Racism (IMADR), in a joint statement with Asian Forum for Human Rights; and Asian Legal Resource Centre, said with regard to the human rights situation in Sri Lanka, although the war had arguably ended, the threats to democracy as well as the human rights violations had not diminished. Further, over 250,000 people were living in camps as internally displaced persons and a leading human rights defender had received a death threat for his advocacy with the European Union. Against this backdrop, the International Movement Against all Forms of Discrimination and Racism wished to remind the members of the Council, the concerned Member States, the United Nations Secretary-General and other international institutions, of the various commitments and pledges given by the Government of Sri Lanka. It also called on the Sri Lankan Government to facilitate investigations of all allegations that had been revealed by various media institutions regarding extra-judicial killings. Finally, the International Movement Against all Forms of Discrimination and Racism wished to point out that the implementation of the 13th and 17th amendment was still outstanding and national legisla

Injustice and Inequality in an unfair world

2009-09-19T00:33:00.000+05:30

“Life is not fair” is a phrase that always echoes in the far corners of this Earth. A fifteen year old boy may have to work sixteen hours a day, in a poor African country just to get one meal a day for his sick mother and five siblings. This may not be the case in many other places in the world. Even the rulers of some poor countries, could be using gold plated toilets and marble baths while the poor hunt for bread crumps in rubbish dumps.

We are now so used to living with other people money without any shame. Resources on this earth are not distributed fairly among its inhabitants. We have built intelligent systems to steal, what belongs to others. Our banks no longer focus much on their traditional roles, instead they employ rocket scientists to build sophisticated gambling machines in order to rob the poor and give to the rich.
Corrupt regimes, can to some extent be blamed for the misery of people in their lands. Instead of setting the people free from such regimes, some of the big players use this as an opportunity to exploit the vulnerable people for their own selfish gains.

Value of life is not the same in every country. When the twin towers fell and three thousands perished, we all knelt down and wept. The whole world came to a stop for few minutes. We declared “War on Terror” against each and every single armed group in the world, including the ones that are genuinely fighting to free their communities from oppressive governments. Hands of the oppressed were tied and the weapons were given to many corrupt Nations. This is what we call Justice today.
Four hundred thousands were slaughtered in Darfur, Eight hundred thousands perished in Rwanda because the terror regimes in these countries were driven by ignorance and greed. No leader in the world declared “War on Genocide” even after seeing millions of deaths. Instead, some of the world powers aided genocide in these poor countries.
Although, the world media still stick with the figure of seventy thousands, the actual number of people, perished in the Sri Lankan civil war is around three hundred thousands. Fifty thousands were killed just within a short period of time in the recent war in Sri Lanka.

We have millions of evidences to prove that a systematic genocide is taking place in Sri Lanka while the Nations are watching. Neither UN nor any other world power is being able to stop the madness that is still going on in this country.
Security Council no longer agrees on any decisions that are vital to save the vulnerable and oppressed people on this earth. Permanent members use their Veto powers just to cover their own dirt and to protect the other bullies in their club.
Our parliamentarians are hanging on to their positions and they are forced to sort out their expense claims to keep their jobs. Leaders of some powerful nations are not being able to focus on the real issues because they are chased after, to give explanations for things they did when they were teenagers. Senior staffs in the UN no longer have the freedom to do what is right. They have to dance according to the tunes played by their masters who have conflicting interests. It has now become a common practice that the leaders in the UN and top diplomats speak the truth only after their retirement.

We have robust systems in place, to protect the criminals and torment the victims. Our legal systems are so advanced that diplomats and politicians have to think hundred times, before making any comments. Just to make life easier, they keep their mouths shut even at times it is important to speak out.

Even during a humanitarian crisis, our leaders would still act like electronic parrots who can only repeat the same recorded words that would comply with national and international laws, just to make sure that they hang on to their jobs. The world is dying for leaders who can at least use their basic common sense to help the persecuted people on this planet.

We talk about political correctness. We are very concerned about little things but we turn a deaf ear, when the real-world calamities strike the mankind. We are planning to stop using Christmas lights in our towns because we think it will offend people from other religions. We are supposed to write “Traces of Nuts” on peanut packets. Doctors have to break their heads before writing prescriptions, because most of the drugs have side effects. They will be sued if something goes wrong. We have been very successful in sending many talented doctors, writers and politicians to the prisons and letting the criminals to roam around our cities.

Praising the Sri Lankan regime for slaughtering thousands of innocents and letting the Tamils to languish in the concentration camps is another example that we have become real hypocrites and jokers who have bigger mouths, smaller brains and corrupt souls. Playing cricket with a country that is flowing with the blood of the innocent men, women and children, shows that we no longer have any moral principles to guide our lives. We are now even quite comfortable to sit and have tea with a Hannibal while his hands are still stained with the blood and his room is filled with the stink of rotting human flesh.

UN Staffs along with the Sri Lankan leaders were happy to fly over the killing fields and blood stained beaches of Sri Lanka, while having their hands on knives and forks.

Emerging powers are turning into blood sucking leeches

2009-09-19T00:32:00.000+05:30

The so called emerging superpowers are turning themselves into blood sucking leeches. Nobody can deny that these great nations have security concerns and they have to find a way to feed their own people. That doesn’t mean that they have God given right to slaughter the innocents in third world countries by giving support to the brutal regimes.
We teach our children to share everything because it is always a sensible and the right thing to do. Unfortunately, the great powers in the world still haven’t grasped the idea that gold in the lands and oil in the seas can also be shared. One might be able to forgive, when a country steals the resources from another country but it is completely unacceptable when thousands of innocents are sacrificed at the feet of greedy and selfish giants for them to fill their Gold pots.
If my neighbor wants to kill his step children and dump them in his back garden, I wouldn’t give him my shot gun just because he is offering me a free parking space in his garage. I wouldn’t feed my own children with the strawberries growing on the graves of the innocent children. I wouldn’t be going for his barbecue parties. I wouldn’t play golf with such a murderer.
As a sensible human being, I would stop him from abusing his step children in the first place. I would call the police to save lives before it is too late. I would alert all my good neighbors about a tragedy unfolding in front of my own eyes.
What China and some other emerging powers do to the vulnerable people of this world is nothing different from an evil man who give a shot gun to his neighbor in order to get free parking space and strawberries growing on the graves of the dead children.
China supplied weapons and provided training to the fighter pilots in Sudan. China was giving interest free loans while the Sudan government was slaughtering thousands in Darfur. One doesn’t need to be rocket scientist to recognize that China was acting selfishly.
China was complicit in Genocide as Sudan had opened up its oil fields for this sleeping giant. Western countries raised their voices but nothing was done to stop the genocide. As usual, the UN also stood back and remained powerless until everything was over.
What happened in Darfur has now become a standard model for the big beasts to secure their strategic interests in many parts of the world. They try to find trouble spots in this world, identify the abusive strongman who is having an upper hand and make the oppressor happy by giving him the toys and tools that he enjoys the most.
More than fifty thousands innocent Tamil civilians were slaughtered on the sandy beaches and jungles of Sri Lanka with the weapons and unlimited ammunitions supplied by the Chinese government. Three hundred thousands are now locked up in barbed wired concentration camps.
UN and other international organizations have so far failed to break this cycle of crimes being committed by the superpowers in various parts of the world.
“Exploiting someone’s weakness for their own benefit” is a simple phrase to describe the hell going on in Sri Lanka”. This is just like someone purposely creating a virus, spreading it and then selling the vaccines to make money. An internal conflict in Sri Lanka has now been made worse by its greedy neighbors. They are now lining up with spanners and hammers to fix the problems in Sri Lanka.
The way they are trying to fix it, is quite like how any selfish person would approach an issue. A genuine mediator might get bad name from either parties of a conflict by being fair on both sides. This is what happened to the Norwegian mediators in Sri Lanka. But the ones that are now trying to fix Sri Lanka are helping the strong party to the conflict to destroy the weaker one completely.
Cases are sometimes dropped in courts when the victims are dead or nobody is there to defend the victims. Helping Sri Lanka to kill the Tamils with deadly weapons and make them powerless is the strategy now being used by Sri Lanka and its greedy partners to deal with the conflict? Such method can’t be called as conflict resolution but it is an unfair conflict termination by eliminating one party to the conflict. This is almost like injecting poison and killing the patient to free him from sickness. This approach would enable the emerging superpowers to strengthen their ties with Sri Lanka and to carry on with their hidden agendas.
No country is willing to rescue the dying people in Sri Lanka. What is happening to the Tamils in Sri Lanka is not a fairy tale, not a film but it is a real story. They are real people. Cruelty against them is real. Deaths of the thousands are real and the ignorance and arrogance of the mankind are also real.

Masters of War and Silent Spectators

2009-09-19T00:31:00.002+05:30

It has taken quite a while for many of us to understand, that what was happening in Sri Lanka was not “War on Terror”. If the war was just against the Tamil Rebels, the so called saviours of this country would have taken all the necessary steps to protect the vulnerable community once the war was over. Rulers of this land are still tormenting innocent Tamil men, women and children inside barbed wired concentration camps, even after crushing the Tamil rebels with the help of China, Pakistan and India. This has become a shocking revelation and eye opener for many parties who were initially supporting the war in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka wants to weaken the Tamils in order to establish a Sinhala Buddhist State. China wants to build ports in the South of Sri Lanka for military and commercial purposes. India wants to neutralize the Chinese threats and to establish its rule in the Indian Ocean. Pakistan has got its own agendas, what an evil combination. They have all been competing with each other to satisfy a country that is determined to flush out all the Tamils.

Sri Lanka has now become a football ground for many countries and the rulers of this land are delighted to entertain the players. Every time a ball is kicked, it kills the innocents and the pitch gets flooded with the blood. Players don’t care about how many are dying because it is part of their evil game.

China and India were the main players in the recent Sri Lankan war. They are still in the pitch, kicking the air. When people were dying in thousands, even the West didn’t do anything to stop; instead we also stood back and watched. We were more interested in finding out who was going to win the game in the Indian Ocean instead of focusing on the humanitarian crisis.

UN has failed to stop the bloodshed. West has failed. All the so called Human Right organizations have failed.

India and its role in Sri Lankan war

2009-09-19T00:31:00.001+05:30

India is a successful democracy with the population of 1.17 billion. So many different races, cultures, colours and religions live relatively peacefully. Most of the ethnic groups have their own States and every State in the country is given a degree of autonomy within this great Nation. People of India are mostly religious, hard working and non violent and they still maintain very strong traditional family values.
India hasn’t got a consistent foreign policy towards Sri Lanka. RAW which is the external intelligent agency in India has done great damage to Sri Lanka particularly to the Tamil community. India can’t be fully blamed for this because the Sri Lankan regimes very often make unpredictable moves therefore India is forced to change its policies.
As any other intelligent agency, RAW has a legitimate responsibility to protect India from its enemies, by being proactive. However, India could have achieved its objectives without helping the Sri Lankan government to slaughter thousands of Tamils.
RAW provided military training to the Tamil rebels in the early eighties in order to challenge the Sri Lankan government that had closed links with the Western Countries including the US. Tamil youth were trained in different groups. RAW was also to some extent be responsible for fuelling enmity and competition between different Tamil organizations.
Contrary to what many people believe, it is Indian’s interest to maintain a troubled Sri Lanka than a peaceful nation for India to spread its wings in the region. Disturbance in Sri Lanka would give an excuse for India to keep its Navy in Sri Lankan waters.
Indian peace keeping forces and Tamil rebels fought an unfortunate war between 1987 and 1989. Around twelve hundreds Indian soldiers lost their lives and many thousands were wounded in Sri Lankan soil. This was a bitter experience for India.
From year 2001 until the start of war in 2007, India kept a distance from Sri Lanka, although activities were going on behind the scenes. India stopped supplying offensive weapons to the Sri Lankan military.
Indian involvement in recent Sri Lankan war was quite controversial. China and Pakistan provided with all the weapons and India provided the intelligence to the ground troops.
India was well capable of stopping the war but it failed to do it even when thousands of innocent men women and children were perishing in Vanni. Some Indian leaders made contradictory statements, pretending like they were after peace while pressing the “Attack” buttons on their remote controls.
India may have its concerns that Sri Lanka might become a launch pad for China and Pakistan in its own backyard. Letting the Tamils to die in the hands of the Sri Lankan forces was not an easy option for India either.
India has no enmity with the Tamils in Sri Lanka but it has made a historical blunder by supporting a corrupt Sri Lankan regime to commit genocide against the Tamils just to satisfy a racist Nation, so that it can secure its interest in the Indian Ocean.
Indian forces are now going to occupy the Vanni region with the excuse of clearing land mines.
Nation of India has unfortunately deviated from its principles and core values, it was originally built upon. India might build rockets to the moon and giant monuments reaching to the skies but India will not succeed if it corrupts its own soul by aiding Genocide in other countries.
India should dream of becoming a superpower not just by wealth and technology but also proving to the world as a defender and guardian of Human rights.
Cries of men, women and children, who died in Vanni, are still echoing in the thundering skies of Vanni. These voices will keep on haunting every Indian because India has blood on its hands.

China and its role in Sri Lankan War

2009-09-19T00:28:00.000+05:30

China has a total population of 1.33 billion. It is an emerging superpower that manufactures 50% of the items that is used in an average household in the West.
In order to feed all its citizens, to have access to raw materials and energy and to protect its strategic interests, China obviously needs to maintain close relations with countries that have something to offer.
A country that crushed 3000 protesters by rolling tanks in Tienanmen square, China hasn’t got a great reputation for human rights. If a country can’t treat its own citizen’s well, we can’t expect them to be concerned about people dying in other countries.
China has been very aggressive with its foreign policies in recent times. This sleeping giant has woken up and giving support to many corrupt regimes on earth to fulfill its agendas. Sadly, China has directly or indirectly aided genocide in many countries including Sudan and Sri Lanka.
Although, India provided the directions and intelligence for the Sri Lankan war, it was China that had given all the dangerous weapons and ammunitions to kill the Tamils in thousands.
Most of Tamils who died in Sri Lanka were killed by Chinese weapons. Sri Lanka has allowed China to build a controversial Port in the south of Sri Lanka.
Chinese intervention in Sri Lanka is not about defeating the Tamil rebels but to reward the country that had given the permission to build infrastructures in the strategically important Indian Ocean.
Indian intervention in Sri Lankan war is more to do with stopping Sri Lanka going in the hands of other countries, than defeating the Tamil rebels.
In summary, neither China nor India was keen on killing the Tamils. Just like China supported the Sudanese government to commit genocide in Darfur, they supported the Sri Lankan government to slaughter the Tamils in order to look after their strategic interests in the India Ocean.
If China and Pakistan didn’t supply weapons to Sri Lanka, we wouldn’t have seen the recent war in Sri Lanka.

West was deceived by Sri Lanka and its allies

2009-09-19T00:27:00.004+05:30

Sri Lankan authorities with its PR partners prepared a dossier to justify the war to the international community. This proposal was submitted to many countries including the EU, US, Norway and Japan.
Sri Lanka and its allies were able to convince many countries that Tamil rebels were a danger to the whole world. They were able to demonize the Tamil community, with lies and deceptions for their own advantage.
Comments made by some Western leaders and Japanese representatives during the war clearly showed that these countries were fully supporting the war in Sri Lanka but they felt very uncomfortable when the war became very dirty at the end. Many openly talked about post LTTE scenarios which means they all had the maps in their hands.
One of the main reasons why the UN and Western countries couldn’t take a strong stand to stop the war even when thousands of innocents were dying was because there were all there when the button was pressed at the start of the War.
Only difference is that the West never gave the approval to kill innocent men, women and children. Sri Lanka was not given the go ahead to send Tamils to barbed wired concentration camps.
Sri Lanka has now deceived the western countries and revealed its true face. Sri Lanka lied to the whole world that it was conducting a war with surgical strikes and “Zero Civilian Causalities”. It also denied that heavy weapons were used against civilians.
Torture, murder, rape and all kind of human right violations in the concentrations camps of Sri Lanka, are now sending shock waves across the world. Deportations of Western reporters, journalists and politicians from the Sri Lankan Airport and denial of access to the death camps of Sri Lanka for aid workers are showing the face of rebellious country that is willing go to any extent to defy international humanitarian laws.

UN no longer has a backbone

2009-09-19T00:27:00.003+05:30

No wonder why the UN acted the way it acted during the Sri Lankan war. Staff members in the UN were simply dancing according to the different set of tunes that were played by various parties to the war.
UN who is supposed to be a guardian of the oppressed and vulnerable, remained as a silent spectator while thousands were perishing in the sandy beaches of Sri Lanka.
It is so obvious that UN was manipulated and was made to act in this way by some master magicians.

Master magicians are now trying to save Sri Lanka

2009-09-19T00:27:00.001+05:30

China and India voted in favour of Sri Lanka in the human rights council. Their vote was like praising a murderer in a criminal court. Sri Lanka was congratulated by these countries for the war because they were also the culprits.
These two countries have both been involved in high level PR campaigns to hide the war crimes committed by Sri Lanka. Arrogant voice from Sri Lanka in the recent times is to do with its close bonding with India and China.
India has recently said that it would give aid to Sri Lanka in case if the loan from IMF is denied or delayed.
Indian and Chinese media have constantly been releasing news, supporting the Sri Lankan government since the start of the war. Sri Lanka not allowing Aid agencies and Journalists to the IDP camps and to the killing fields is done with the full support of India. This is to hide the war crimes and to silence the witnesses of the war. Three doctors who served thousands of wounded in the killing fields are now locked up in Sri Lankan jails. India is capable of requesting Sri Lanka to release these doctors but it has chosen not to.
Sri Lankan President and many cabinet ministers in Sri Lanka have recently acknowledged that they fought India’s War in Sri Lanka.

Conclusion

2009-09-19T00:24:00.000+05:30

Indian and Chinese military, political and security leaders that are playing chess games in Sri Lanka, have caused so much death and destruction to the innocents. What is the point of becoming a superpower when the power is used to kill and destroy the oppressed and vulnerable people of this world?
So called guardians of this earth can use buzz words like Terrorism, National, Regional and International security, Global warming and Energy in international conferences and pretend like the saviors of human race but it is all meaningless when the same hypocrites advise their own governments to aid genocide in other countries.
Instead of playing Tic-Tac-Toe games in the Indian Ocean, China and India and even the West should sit together and discuss what they all want to achieve in the Indian Ocean. China with such a population has genuine energy requirements, India has its concerns and it is sensible for all these countries to find common ground and initiate constructive discussions.
These emerging superpowers should help the oppressed communities in Sri Lanka and other troubled nations on this earth, instead of helping the oppressive regimes and turn these countries into a hell in order to feed their own people.
Earth’s natural resources are being depleted so quickly. It is sensible for the energy hungry Nations to invest heavily on sustainable solutions like Hydrogen technology and Solar power. This would help us to save the planet and avoid human rights violations that are directly linked to the unfair competition between countries for raw materials and energy resources.
Any country that fails to protect the oppressed and vulnerable on this earth, and having worst human rights records, can’t become a leading Nation no matter how many rockets it sends to the Moon.
Fifty thousands were slaughtered in the killings fields by the Sri Lankan government with the help of India and China who are now acting like blood sucking leeches in the Indian Ocean. Three hundred thousands are now languishing in the death camps. Sri Lanka and its allies are doing all that they can to hide their crimes.
Rwanda, Sudan and now Sri Lanka, it is another wake up call to the World.
Genocide in Sri Lanka is real. Innocents are still being tortured, raped, murdered and starved. We have to make a choice whether to let the killings continue or we do something to stop it.

Sri Lankan journalist jailed for 20 years

2009-09-18T21:10:00.002+05:30

Sri Lanka’s Terrorist Investigation Division arrested J.S. Tissainayagam, the editor of news web site OutreachSL, and today he was sentenced to 20 years in prison under anti-terrorism laws.

The charges against Tissainayagam cite a magazine, North Eastern Monthly, which the journalist edited in 2006. Two charges relate to articles Tissainayagam wrote for the magazine.

The Sri Lankan government said the articles incited communal disharmony, an offense under the Prevention of Terrorism Act. J.S. Tissainayagam, a Sri Lankan Tamil, endured long detention, harsh charges and subsequent sentencing to 20 years in prison for publishing a magazine, which should not constitute an offence.

This is the latest step by the Sri Lankan government to intimidate journalists. Sri Lankan Government Minister denied that Sri Lankan journalist had been jailed for criticizing the government. “Some of his publications were designed to embarrass the Sri Lankan government” Sri Lankan minister said

300,000 innocent Tamil civilians wil be held indefinitely in Sri Lanka Guantanamo

2009-09-18T21:01:00.001+05:30

Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa appear to be building permanent Sri Lanka Guantanamo-like concentration camp to house many of the 300,000 innocent Tamil civilians from the last phase of the war with the Tamil Tiger rebels, despite promising to resettle 80 per cent of them by the end of the year.

Aid workers have told that permanent buildings are being erected at The Sri Lanka Guantanamo-like concentration camp site where the UN says that 300,000 of the refugees are being held after the Tigers’ defeat in May.

The Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa originally proposed holding the innocent Tamil civilian in “welfare villages” for up to three years to check that they were not Tigers, and to clear their villages of mines.

After donor nations protested and Tamil MPs and activists compared the barbed wire enclosures to concentration camps, the Government promised to resettle 80 per cent of the refugees by the end of this year. Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the Defence Secretary, who is also the President’s brother, renewed the promise last week.

Aid workers said that Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa meant to hold refugees for much longer.

Sri Lankan government shamelessly fleeces kith and kin of IDPs.

2009-09-18T20:56:00.000+05:30

Another reason to keep the 300 000 innocent civilians in Sri Lankan concentration camps.

Sri Lankan government shamelessly fleeces kith and kin of IDPs. Family members and kinsfolk of IDPs in the internment camps had remitted 100 million rupees in the past two months, according to I.D. Weerasena, Deputy General Manager of Bank of Ceylon. In the past four to five months, 500 million rupees had been deposited by the IDPs, said Mr. Weerasena, whose state-controlled bank had opened banking units with online and ATM facilities in the internment camps and deals with 21,000 new account holders.

While it is the responsibility of the state and the international community that badly wanted the civilians to end up in the internment camps to look after them well, the Colombo government keeping them in sub-human ways has started looking at them as ducks laying golden eggs, said a social worker in Vavuniyaa.

As state receives foreign exchange through Diaspora remittances and through foreign aid meant for the IDPs, the local money reaches the IDPs is fleeced from them in various ways from business of the southerners to bribery of the military.

The “kind “Sri Lanka Government which let the elderly over 60 years go ? Not until each and every one of them paid exuberant fee.

And the businesses set up inside the concentration camps by Sri Lankan military (don’t forget: bribe, bribe, bribe) are charging astronomical prices for rotten vegetables.

Racist Sri Lankan Government quotes

2009-09-18T20:47:00.003+05:30

'Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka Sri Lankan Army Commander (2008)
“I strongly believe that this country belongs to the Sinhalese but there are minority communities and we treat them like our people. We being the majority of the country, 75%, we will never give in and we have the right to protect this country. We are also a strong nation. They can live in this country with us. But they must not try to, under the pretext of being a minority, demand undue things”

President: Chandrika Kumarathunga 1999
“Tamils were not the original people of Sri Lanka”

President: D B Wijetunge (1993)
“Minorities are like creepers clinging to the Sinhala tree.”

Oxford educated National Security Minister Lalith Athulathmudali 1985
“Only way to root out terrorism was to remove the concept of ‘traditional homelands”

Oxford educated Senior Minister Gamini Dissanayake soon after the 1983 Riots
“Who attacked you? Sinhalese. who saved you? Sinhalese. It is that we who attacked and protected you. They are bringing an army from India. It will take 14 hours to come from India. In 14 minutes the blood of every Tamil in the country can be sacrifi ce to the land by us”

President J.R.Jayawardene, Daily Telegraph, July 1983
“I am not worried about the opinion of the Jaffna people.now we cannot think of them, not about their lives or their opinion.the more you put pressure in the north, the happier the Sinhala people will be here Really if I starve the Tamils out, the Sinhala people will be happy”

Mrs. Wimala Kannangara M.P (1981)
“If we are governing, we must govern. If we are ruling, we must rule. Do not give into the minorities”

Ceylon’s first Prime Minister,D.S.Senanayake
“Today you are brought here and given a plot of land. You have been uprooted from your village. You are like a piece of driftwood in the ocean; but remember that one day the whole country will look up to you. The fi nal battle for the Sinhala people will be fought on the plains of Padaviya. You are men and women who will carry this island’s destiny on your shoulders. Those who are attempting to divide this country will have to reckon with you. The country may forget you for a few years, but one day very soon they will look up to you as the last bastion of the Sinhala”
sorted by Tamil

Def Sec. Gotabaya’s words
“Let our soldiers feast on Tamil women while the Tamil men’s blood drip into the ocean and make it red”.

Foreign Minister Palitha Kohona: "Victorious soldiers could have raped every single woman" "If you look at the history of war crimes there isn’t one instance where a winner of a war has been tried before a Tribunal. They have always been set up for losers."
"“There is this thinking that all our problems can be solved by applying a political solution. I fail to see the logic behind this”

1600 political prisoners are in Sri Lanka jails for many years without trial

2009-09-18T20:45:00.000+05:30

1600 political prisoners arrested on suspicion under Emergency Regulations (ER) and Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), languishing in various prisons in Sri Lanka for many years without being produced in the courts.

They launched a hunger strike as their requests placed in previous hunger strikes had not been taken into consideration despite promises by legal authorities that their cases will be taken for trial in two months time, sources in Colombo said.

The protesting prisoners further said that they believe that all are equal before the law and that they request the Sri Lanka President to at least allow them on bail as persons under normal court procedure

The political prisoners who had earlier staged hunger strikes 2 to 3 times in the period between 27th to 31st July 2009 had given up the strike on assurances given by legal authorities that their cases will be taken to trial within two months but they had not kept their word and this has forced them to go on hunger strike, they said.

They further pointed out that it is an outright violation of human rights to keep them in the prison, who had been arrested merely on suspicion under ER and PTA, without legal action against them for many years.

Mother Day Massacre

2009-09-09T02:55:00.002+05:30

http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=79&artid=30180

The advancing Sri Lanka Army massacred civilians by paving their bunkers with tanks, by throwing explosives inside the bunkers and by shooting the injured, says a medical worker who came out of Mu’l’li-vaaykkaal during the last days of the war, became incarcerated in a camp and now escaped the island. “Around a hundred thousand captured civilians herded to Mullaiththeevu were kept in rows within barbed wires, most of the time without water or food under the hot sun.

Colombo particularly targeted hospitals and makeshift hospitals. When people moved away from Ki’linochchi, its hospital started functioning in the school building at Udaiyaar-kaddu. More than two thousand shells were fired on this building by the SLA.

Ki’linochchi to Tharmapuram, Vaddakkachchi, Visuvamadu, Udaiyaar-kaddu, Puthukkudiyiruppu – until reaching Mu’l’li-vaaykkaal, at an average 50 civilians were killed every day in Sri Lankan attacks. 8000 were already killed before herded into Mu’l’li-vaaykkaal.

Medical work decimated and workers were shaken at the death of patients, nurses and workers. When there were more than 300,000 people, Colombo sent food for only 30,000. Important medicines such as anesthetic drugs were not sent. Life-saving surgery without anesthesia was a cursing ordeal for the patients as well as doctors.

Mothers and children standing in queue to receive infant milk food were targeted in the SL shell attacks. Without seeing no one could visualize the sorrow of the child that lost the mother and the mother who lost the child.

SLA shell attacks, guided by spy craft were targeted on queues for gruel also. Despite casualties the queue would form again. While even gruel was scarce to people, lands they cultivated were harvested by the SLA.

At one stage, the LTTE leadership ordered food meant for combatants to be shared with civilians. The fighters fought only with gruel food and to the last LTTE served gruel to people.

Around 1000 waterholes were dug and several hundreds of toilets were made for civilians at the initiative of the LTTE. Water often mixed with sand was collected in shell-halves and was filtered by cloth.

There were no epidemics. Pregnant mothers and infants bearing shell fragments came to makeshift hospitals. These hospitals functioned 24 hours and wailing was always heard around them. Many dead bodies couldn’t be buried in certain situations of SL attacks and hungry dogs dragged them.

Every time moving patents to ICRC vessel there will be targeted shelling from the SLA. A few hundreds taken for ICRC treatment died. How that happened was not known and whom to ask.

Even in emaciated conditions people donated blood for treatment and some of them later died of their own injuries. More than a thousand people were killed on the day when the SLA entered into Maaththa’lan and Pokka’nai (20th April).

On May 15th and 16th the SLA entered and rampaged the pocket of land crowded with nearly a hundred thousand people. I had to pass through at least around 300 bodies when I came out. Some were alive but couldn’t walk. I helped a few who could walk. Some held my feet when I tried to go away. What could I do?

There is a long list of people who were eliminated and disappeared after capture by the SLA. The army-controlled area was a place where murders took place in front of one’s eyes.

In Mullaiththeevu, a hundred thousand people made to stand in rows would all of a sudden be ordered to squat by the SL army. The soldiers would make sadistic laugh at seeing the melee of people falling on each other in the exercise.

Long poles were used to beat the people and to threaten them. Old and young stood under hot sun for a long time, immensely suffering from thirst. Mullaiththeevu to Vavuniyaa was scenery of disaster.
There were 20 to 25 people in a tent in the internment camp at Cheddiku’lam. Food was sometimes thrown from a vehicle.

Everyday in the internment camp around 30 people died. It was a place of epidemics.
Thousands suffered of Chicken Pox, hundreds had brain fever, many elders died and some committed suicide.
The bribe to SL army for a person to come out was several hundred thousands of rupees.

In the last days of the war over 18,000 killed, more than 5,000 lost limbs, more than 7,000 seriously injured and several thousands suffered minor injuries. Several thousands suffer mental illnesses. More than a hundred medical workers- doctors, nurses and volunteers perished.

Knowledge and exercise of precaution reduced casualty. No one died of any epidemic under LTTE control. Several thousands of Sinhala youth of the SLA, from poor families, regrettably laid down their life in the war.

The sadistic lust of Mahinda Rajapaksa is very astonishing - inflicting pain on ordinary civilians in every possible way, and then projecting that as forms of his soothing operation to the outside world.

The world may forget, but Tamils will never forget the true face of the civilization of 21st century, the world has shown to them, writes the medical worker in his notes.

ACF Massacre

2009-09-09T01:17:00.001+05:30

Sri Lanka government commission investigating the massacre of 17 NGO workers (Muttur massacre) has, without sufficient basis, ruled out the involvement of the Sri Lankan armed forces.

It unfairly and dangerously denounced local human rights organizations participating in the commission.

And government authorities improperly pressured the families of the murdered aid workers to demand that France obtain for them greater compensation from Action Contre La Faim (ACF).

The Sri Lankan government's gross mishandling of the investigation into the execution-style slaying of 17 aid workers in the northeastern town of Mutur three years ago demonstrates the need for an international commission of inquiry.

Government actions in the case - for which no one has been convicted - raised further concerns about an already deeply troubling investigation, Human Rights Watch said.

"For three years since the ACF massacre, the Rajapaksa government has put on an elaborate song and dance to bedazzle the international community into believing justice is being done," said James Ross, legal and policy director at Human Rights Watch.

Instead, the government used the atrocity to threaten local rights groups, intimidate the victims' families, and score political points against the French government."

Sri Lanka Army Atrocities

2009-09-08T15:14:00.005+05:30

Channel 4 broadcasts a graphic footage, showed by a Sri Lankan soldier on a mobile phone, shows a naked Tamil minority man sitting blindfolded and bound in the dirt. A Sri Lankan soldier from the Sinhalese majority kicks the Tamil man before he is shot in the back of the head.

Channel 4 correspondent Jonathan Miller, who presented the video, said the material was obtained from the press freedom group Journalist for Democracy in Sri Lankan (JDS).

These scenes, captured on video, allegedly show extra-judicial killings of Tamils by Sri Lankan troops earlier this year in the bitter and bloody endgame of the country’s civil war.

The man is young, naked, bound and blindfolded; a corpse lying across his legs. A soldier approaches him in what appears to be Sri Lankan army uniform and shoots him at point-blank range, apparently amused at the death. “It’s like he jumped,” he says. After the murder the video, taken in daylight, pans out to show eight bound corpses, all shot in the head and all but one naked. Voices in the background speak Sinhalese; as the footage concludes, viewers see a ninth bound victim.

The significance of this footage – particularly shocking for the seemingly casual way in which the killings were carried out – is even greater given the way that journalists and independent observers were prevented by the government from reaching the war zone.

According to Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka (JDS), a multiethnic exile organization, the video was taken by a soldier with a cell phone in January 2009 at Kilinochchi. Sri Lankan soldier took this footage, which was then smuggled out of the country by (JDS) activists. It may constitute the first hard evidence for those who believe war crimes were committed by Sri Lanka in the effort to crush the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

The summary execution of prisoners is a violation of Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and a war crime. This apparent atrocity makes nonsense of Sri Lanka President Mahinda claims of a clean war against the Tamil Tigers,” said Steve Crawshaw, UN director at Human Rights Watch. “An international inquiry needs to get to the bottom of this and other war crimes committed during the past years fighting. Human Rights Watch has long criticized the government’s failure to carry out impartial investigations and prosecutions of those responsible for the numerous human rights abuses committed by both sides during the conflict.

There have been serious ongoing violations of human rights, and the backlog of cases of enforced disappearances and unlawful killings runs to the tens of thousands. Only a small number of cases have ended in prosecutions. Past efforts to address violations through the establishment of ad hoc mechanisms in Sri Lanka, such as presidential commissions of inquiry, have produced little information and few prosecutions.

In interview with Time magazine, Sri Lanka president Mahinda said that during the war, “there was no violation of human rights. There were no civilian casualties.”

Human Rights Watch said “International Community (IC) should stop relying on the president’s promises of domestic action and make it clear that an international commission is needed if the victims of Sri Lanka’s bloody war are to find justice.”

Colonization

2009-08-30T22:02:00.006+05:30

A source close to the President of Sri Lanka said that the release of 300,000 innocence civilians have been postponed indefinitely with the government focusing on a plan to resettle them along with the new Sinhala and military settlement that are to be set up in the north.

The source further noted that the plan is to resettle people in areas in Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, below Mannar and above Vavuniya, where there are currently no people. The plan is said to remove all the old Tamil villages that existed in the respective areas. Although thousands of displaced persons currently living in camps even after completing the security checks, Sri Lanka government said.

Half of the government's stipulated period of 180 days to resettle the displaced persons has lapsed. The government had proposed the above mentioned plan while the others who are supportive of power devolution have objected to it.

Meanwhile, Disaster Management and Human Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe told parliament on the 19th May that the displaced would be resettled by 31st December.

Sri Lanka State of Terror

2009-08-30T21:42:00.003+05:30

The entry of ethno-nationalism and the religion as the platform for mass mobilization of racism majority Sinhalese have evolved now into an ethno extremist and religious fundamentalism power base of the current racist Sri Lanka Government.

Sri Lanka, a failed state now spreads the culture of violence beyond the borders and thrives on the state sanctioned kidnappings, assassinations and a war mongering agenda against the minority Hindu Tamils. A paradise island home of serendipity is today a State of Terror which actively practicing ethnic cleansing on Hindu Tamil.

International Community(IC) and Human Rights (HR) activists still pondering over the technicalities are yet to realize recognize and define a new kind of genocide.

The Human Rights Watch has accused the Sri Lanka Army of shelling densely populated civilian areas in the final offensive against the rebels in May, has condemned the Sri Lanka President Mahinda’s failure to investigate attacks on journalists and other civil society activists, and has said that 300,000 Tamil civilians have been interned indefinitely in what are, in effect, Guantanamo-like concentration camps.

Boycott

2009-08-30T21:12:00.002+05:30

We are all united in our sadness of the situation of the 300 Hindu Tamils' though I would not call it upset. We should avoid being upset in order to be helpful. Scope of action depends on where we are and what actions are within our means and how effective we can be.

Dependence on foreign government and IC (International Community) is useless except making use of contradictions among them because they are all pro establishment and pro status quo. We have to do what we can to mobilize the support of the peoples of the world, particularly the oppressed peoples, oppressed Nationalities against oppression and the support of the world Tamils against genocide on the positive side.

On the negative side of hurting the GOSL while using it as a means of educating the people, Boycott of Sri Lanka should be promoted to the maximum. Oppression in any form anywhere should be resisted as this will weaken the oppressors including GOSL who are united, as this would weaken the chain of the enemy.

No doubt we should promote the struggles against GOSL for higher wages and the like. These are all political campaigns and in order to do effectively, our political understanding/perspectives should be clear and realistic.

Democracy and fairness are often misused as we do not relate them to the context. Equally the other concept of Equitability is misused. To start with we should recognize, nature is diverse and society is diverse and there are identifiable groups, the most fundamental and naturally evolved one being Nations.

Equitability between Nations is equally important as equitability within Nations. While democracy is a good tool to achieve fairness and equitability WITHIN NATION, it is the worst tool for fairness or equitability BETWEEN NATIONS and in this case RECOGNIZING THE RIGHT OF SELF DETERMINATIONS IS THE ONLY TOOL.

In other words, Nations should be allowed to choose their future democratically ON THE BASIS OF SELF DETERMINATION, no Nation should be allowed to overlord other Nations. I do not care about countries as their maps were determined by imperialism and to hell with their sovereignty. AS RECOGNIZING THE RIGHT OF SELF DETERMINATION all what can or should be done is to recognize the right of (both) Nations. Self Determination and the let them democratically choose their future, separate, united, etc.

IDPs1

2009-08-14T18:42:00.004+05:30

The Sri Lankan government's failure to deliver justice for serious human rights violations over the past sixty years has trapped the country in a vicious cycle of abuse and impunity. The failure of successive Sri Lankan governments to provide accountability for serious human rights violations, including enforced disappearances, killings, torture and rape.

The Sri Lankan government should initiate internal reforms and seek international assistance to prevent ongoing violations and ensure real accountability for past abuses.

300,000 Tamil civilians remain interned without trial in so called "welfare centers" that are concentration camps in all but name. Contrary to international law there is no freedom of movements of the displayed and there is not enough water, food and sanitation.

There have been reports saying that more than 1400 people are dying in the camps every week. As it is almost impossible for independent organizations or international press to enter the camps we do not know what is really happening there.

The Sri Lankan government bears the entire responsibility for the atrocious situation in the camps. According to the Sri Lankan government the Tamil Tigers were completely defeated in the war and no longer exist. However, the government's violence against the Tamil people continues.

I believe that as long as the Sri Lankan government rejects the calls for access and fair treatment of the Tamils interned in the concentration camps, economic sanctions and arms embargo should be imposed against Sri Lanka. The extensive and systematic human rights abuses have to stop.

2009-08-14T17:28:00.004+05:30

SL Tamils right for self-determination, territorial integrity and its security is more important for producing positive political results. The future course of the liberation struggle should concentrate on ingenuously posing democratic challenges, locally and internationally, convincing the inevitability of conceding liberation to Sri Lanka Tamils.
The national conflict in the Sri Lanka island is historical and the militant phase is only a part of it. But certain irreversible realities have emerged through the historical process of the last few decades, underlining the need to recognize and accommodate the divide of nations in any future political processes of the island.
The validity of the national cause of Eezham Tamils doesn’t get nullified either by projecting it only as an agenda of militancy or by Sri Lankan state and the IC creating military situations of subjugation.
The Sri Lankan state for chauvinistic reasons, India and the other powers for geopolitical reasons and multinational corporations for economic reasons, have demonstrated in recent times militarily and diplomatically, their intention to keep the geographic entity of the island as a single political entity.
But chauvinism, geopolitics and outside economic interests cannot make the criteria for forging a common national identity to the island. This game on the island is continuing from colonial times and the world is yet to spell out solutions.
If common national identity has not evolved spontaneously in more than a century, the wise decision for the benefit of all concerned is to recognize the divide and to come out with appropriate alternative statecraft.
All the terms as well as concepts such as nation state, independence, sovereignty, right to self-determination etc., are said to be meaningless or are redefined in some parts of the contemporary world, but they have become more meaningful than ever to Eezham Tamils to rehabilitate themselves, to reconcile with the Sinhala nation and to fit themselves into the global process.
Any political formula that doesn’t address the fundamental aspirations of Eezham Tamil nation and is enforced after militarily weakening it, will not resolve the conflict. Any such formula of any powers, even when routed through Tamil proxies, will be seen only as a continuum of the proxy war waged by them.
Open recognition of the nation of Eezham Tamils, its territorial integrity, security, international interaction and its absolute right to self-determination, including the right to secession, can only be the basis at this juncture to consider agreeing upon the unity of the island, if that is what people want.
As world progresses and as regional or global entities take shape, even the Sri Lankan state may not exist tomorrow in the way it exists today. In any such future developments the Eezham Tamils must be able to fit in without losing their identity.
The powers of the international community, especially India, recognition the nation of Eezham Tamils, spelling out its right to self-determination and immediately stepping in guaranteeing its security and territorial integrity are more important for producing positive political results than mooting proxy draft solutions.
A neither secession nor unitary model will take a long time to evolve details and to put them into genuine practice. Some of them are going to be trial and error.
Considering the given attitude of the Sri Lankan state, the magnitude of its militarization and the internationally enacted military subjugation of Tamils, it is futile to expect smooth political experiments to take place in the island unless political fundamentals long aspired by Tamils are conceded in no uncertain terms and there is international presence and guarantee in implementation.
If the international community could forge a singular companionship in abetting Sri Lankan state against Tamils, it should also be able to conceive and implement a unique political solution to the conflict, if it is not expecting another war in the island.
As far as Tamil political groups are concerned there is no guarantee at all in the given set up that just by sacrificing righteous demands they would get anything. The ball is in the court of the aggressors and their abettors to take bold decisions in offering acceptable and long-lasting solutions if they want peace for ‘development’.
Tamil groups should not engage in demoralizing the future course of the liberation struggle by playing in the hands of those who are all out to erase the nationalism of Eezham Tamils. Instead, they should concentrate on ingenuously posing democratic challenges, locally and internationally, convincing the inevitability of conceding liberation to Tamils.