Wednesday, 14 January 2004  
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Point of view:

The creation of Tamil militancy

by Prof. C. Suriyakumaran

Mr. Rasgothra, a former Indian Foreign Secretary, at a recent Colombo confab on the current Indo-Sri Lanka relations and situation, apparently held forth on the 'intolerable' situation of a 'Third' military force - in this instance of a third navy, in the Indo-Sri Lanka Zone. Too true indeed, given only two countries!

Yet, there are two matters too. What, he would have cared to remind himself, was the situation during the IPKF (India) - LTTE entente? How, he could have asked himself, had the LTTE 'Army' come about - with recognition? The sea tigers were only just emerging then to be soon part of an established 'trinity' of forces.

With merciless assaults on defenceless Tamil civilians in the South, in '58 and in '83, along with brutal assaults by the so called security forces on civilians North, the emergence of resistance by the youth (giving way to protestations alone from the old) became inevitable - and recognized by many around, especially India, as logical.

Obviously insensible to fight guns and planes and naval assaults with 'catapults' (Sic!), equivalent armed strengths at least on land and later on sea became inevitable creations of the South! As often stated by me, it was not the Tamils, but leaderships of the Sinhalese who created the LTTE.

The answer now, is to come together in a real peace process - by true devolution (as S.W.R.D. understood) and true participation in central government (as S.W.R.D. knew) in a settlement where, as I have again kept stating, the Tamils will not want to separate; and the Sinhalese will win far more than by force - their surest assurance against separation.

People like Rasgothra should be capable, one would have thought, of seeing all these things as they were, could be, and should be. Meteoric pressures and clever statements only complicate and run counter.

Far better for him to have suggested that India the old advisor and guide to all could, say, have him or others suitable go sit with the LTTE and move forward from there - to a solution which can be forged from out of the past and the present for the Future of all (including India).

This cannot conclude without a (surprising?) tribute to Dixit. It was he who had forged the Puri-Mahataya Agreement for the Interim Council that came about and indeed worked.

A brief hiccup was when Dixit failed to visit Dileepan the LTTE cadre when he was fasting to death on dispute with the Government at the time - (knowing Dixit well, due to his 'Malayalee' temperament I told him!)

The second hiccup which led to complete break down and fighting no end (until the current ceasefire) was when the 16 cadres apprehended by the Sri Lankan Navy in the North were to be brought to Colombo by Jayawardene on a personal assurance given by him to the 'believing' Rajiv Gandhi - and the entire suicide by all of them, followed by the fighting without stop, to now.

Dixit, here, indeed, contrary to mass opinions locally, strained every nerve to prevent the 16 cadres to be brought to Colombo, imploring Delhi against it, but after all it was the President of this country assuring the young Prime Minister of the other. As stated, the former prevailed.

Yours truly attempted hard, at humble personal level, to suggest that Dixit just go in to the LTTE camp, Gandhi-like, and explain.

But that did not happen, and the rest became history as we had now.

One only trusts that the types of Rasgothras will not rush in anymore, but indeed help us - all - with more measured roles and steps. We can have just two military organs in the region and no more!

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