LTTE silenced a voice for Tamil democracy

SLDF condemns brutal murder of Kethesh Loganathan

COLOMBO: Shocked and grief-stricken, SLDF (Sri Lanka Democracy Forum) unreservedly condemns the murder of Kethesh Loganathan, a rare man for his times who continued to fearlessly voice the aspirations of the Tamil people - of peace with human rights, democracy and dignity, states in a press release.

Kethesh stood for truth and justice, yearned and worked tirelessly for peace with human rights for his people. He has been silenced by the guns of the LTTE, who at this moment are taking the Tamil people on a journey of destruction. Like many other courageous and outspoken Tamil intellectuals who have fallen victim to LTTE's terror, Kethesh stands out as one whose life spanned a varied and rich political trajectory.

A former militant, then academic, journalist, and tireless advocate of human rights and a return to democratic values in Tamil politics, Kethesh was one of the leading activists of the dissenting Tamil community who firmly believed in a negotiated democratic political solution to the ethnic conflict as opposed to the bleakness of a maudlin Tamil nationalism.

Kethesh himself in rethinking the narrow nationalism of his early militancy, challenged among other things its marginalization and alienation of Muslims. Kethesh's contributions to peace efforts began in 1985 when he represented the EPRLF at the Thimpu conference.

He was involved in the discussion that framed the Indo Lanka peace accord and later the Mangala Moonesinghe Parliamentary Select Committee discussions for devolving power to the North and East.

After his resignation from the EPRLF in 1995 he continued with his attempts on working for peace and a democratic solution as the Director of the Conflict and Peace Analysis Unit of the think-tank, Center for Policy Alternatives (CPA).

His consistent campaign to make human rights central to the peace process, his critique in arguing for a redesign of the Ceasefire Agreement, showed his independence of mind and spirit, intellectual honesty and political integrity.

Many progressive Sri Lankans involved in the campaign for peace with democracy and human rights were inspired by Kethesh's determined campaign for human rights and against political killings.

It is precisely his sense of urgency and concerns over human rights and political killings and the slow progress on the part of the Southern political formations in arriving at a formula for a peace settlement to devolve power to the minorities that motivated Kethesh to join the Peace Secretariat.

The totalitarian hold of the LTTE on the Tamil polity and the resultant barrenness of the Tamil political terrain the deafening silence of the Tamil media on the relentless campaign of political killings by the LTTE and other armed groups, leave very little space for people like Kethesh to make a meaningful contribution.

It was his unswerving commitment to the cause of the Tamil people winning their legitimate rights within the framework of democratic pluralism that made him to remain in Sri Lanka.

At a time when many Tamils chose to leave the island seeking greener pastures abroad, Kethesh's decision to continue to remain at home, in spite of the security threat he faced, demonstrated his sense of dedication and sacrifice which had been the hallmark of his entire life.

By the political assassination of Kethesh, an intrepid and unequivocal voice for Tamil democracy and human rights has been cruelly silenced by the LTTE. SLDF calls upon progressive Sri Lankans of all communities to look to Kethesh's memory and rededicate their commitment and to redouble their efforts in the struggle for human rights and democracy, the release says.