Tamils in France ignore LTTE's mourning call

Our correspondent in Paris

Tamils in France ignored the three day mourning period declared by the LTTE as a mark of respect to former political chief S. P. Thamilselvan killed in an air strike last Friday.

The over 100,000 Tamil community in France went about their normal businesses and social activities not heeding the mourning call. This correspondent who visited La Chapelle, the nerve centre of Tamils in Paris saw all restaurants full of Tamil families partying during the weekend.

Although most Tamil shops, groceries and restaurants displayed couloured photographs and long appreciations prominently pasted on doors and walls, hardly anybody stopped to read. The people glanced at them with visible indifference and went on with their work.

The coloured photograph had the caption 'S.P Tamilselvan, Chief Negotiator and Political Head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam' and described his death as 'an irreparable loss to both the Tamil nation and the peace process.'

When asked about the LTTE's mourning call, Kannan, a Tamil customer having lunch at the Tamil owned Disney Restaurant said: "We are sad about the killing. But one has to be practical.

The LTTE is fighting a war and they kill people and you can't expect the other side to keep quite. In any case, even the LTTE cadres are not overly sad about the death of Tamilselvan because their heroes are fighters like Susai, Balraj and Paduman. They only respect the actual fighters. Tamilselvan was never in that bracket."

However, Arular who works at the Makkal Super Market, owned by Tamils feels Thamilselvan death was a great loss to the LTTE as he was one of the top military planners.

"He was a member of the strategic specialists that planned many LTTE operations. Five other senior rankers, Anpumani (Alex), Mihuthan, Nethagy, Adchivel and Mavaikkumaran also died in the attack and it is a big blow," Arular said.

According to Arular, who called himself an LTTE sympathizer, although it is evident that he was a member of the organisation the way he expressed his ardent support for the terrorist outfit, Tamilselvan played a yeoman role by trying to articulate the moral justifications of the Tamil cause to the international community.

"Though he spoke in Tamil, he spoke in a persuasive and meaningful manner. With an ever smiling face coupled with confidence and firmness he worked with various international diplomats and earned their respect.

Tamilselvan's assassination is an irreparable loss to both the Tamil nation and the peace process."

However, Arular was also very sceptical about the mourning call.

"Tamil people are quite comfortable in Paris and they don't want to antoganise the French authorities by participating in activities openly organised by the LTTE," he explained. "If there is a condolence meeting with the LTTE banner, there won't be more than a handful of people".

French police is investigating the LTTE's criminal activities and 14 Tigers have been detained for illegal activities like extortion, intimidation, money laundering etc.