Tamil Nadu parties should not encourage separatism in Lanka -
Sangaree
The support by Tamil Nadu and its leaders to solve the ethnic problem
is counter productive and will not in any way lead to finding a
reasonable solution. Hence I make a strong plea that all concerned
parties in Tamil Nadu should forget their differences and work unitedly
towards finding a reasonable solution within a united Sri Lanka, TULF
Leader V. Anandasangaree said in a statement issued yesterday.
"All political parties and individuals in Tamil Nadu should not only
forget about a separate state of Tamil Eelam but also stop giving
encouragement to separation. The International Community is totally
opposed to separation and India in particular had repeatedly said that
it is committed to the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of
Sri Lanka," Anandasangaree added.
He said: "Continuing to fight for separation will mean wastage of
time, loss of life and destruction of property. Every Indian should be
convinced of this fact.
As a Tamil senior citizen in politics for over 50 years and also as
an ex-Parliamentarian, I am very well aware of the ethnic problem and
also know what the solution should be.
I represented the Kilinochchi electorate in Parliament for 14 years
and was responsible for creating the Kilinochchi district where the LTTE
have their headquarters, about 200 yards away from my house.
Views expressed by me in this appeal could be taken as true and
authoritative and any one could challenge any part of what is contained
in this appeal. The concerns of 60 million people of Tamil Nadu for the
people of the same ethnic group just 20 miles across the Palk-Strait in
Sri Lanka, are understandable.
That is why I request Tamil Nadu to act with care and caution in its
dealings with the Sri Lankan ethnic problem and not to get swayed by
emotional and inflammatory speeches that could incite the people. If
Tamil Nadu is honestly interested in seeing a reasonable solution, it
should first of all understand the ground situation.
S.P.Thamilchelvan was not assassinated like Mahatma Gandhi or Martin
Luther King, for Tamil Nadu to react hotly. One should not fail to
realise that the LTTE is at war with the Sri Lankan Government and
Thamilchelvan died in action. Both sides had been going all out to score
over the other.
Even recently the LTTE made several attempts to assassinate important
personalities, only to glorify themselves. They targeted the Defense
Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse who narrowly escaped death but several
security persons and the suicide bomber died on the spot.
A similar attempt was made to kill the Commander of the Army,
Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka who was very seriously injured and
recovered after a long stay in the hospital but many security officers
and the suicide bomber died on the spot.
The two suicide bombers were Tamils forcibly separated from their
parents, brain washed thoroughly and sacrificed by the LTTE. Is
Thamilchelvan not responsible for the killing of these two suicide
bombers? is a question everyone should ask. How can anyone blame the
Army for targeting Thamilchelvan ?
In fact Thamilchelvan should have been charged for the murder of the
suicide bombers, at least for aiding and abetting.
Holding demonstrations and public meetings protesting against the
death of a person, second in command of an organisation once respected
by a section of the Tamil people as freedom fighters but later lost
their credibility due to their atrocious activities, has no meaning.
Furthermore it is not a matter for the International Community to
bother about, when the Sri Lankan Tamils themselves did not bother much
about it. Lack of proper understanding of the ground situation and the
LTTE's false propaganda had created so much of excitement and
exaggerated sympathy in Tamil Nadu for a person who should have been
properly dealt with by the court of law for aiding and abetting suicides
of innocent and brainwashed persons who have lost their thinking
capacity.
This type of protests and demonstrations for an unjustifiable cause
will only give encouragement to the LTTE to prolong the war that can
never be won.
Much had been said by various people from all parts of the world
condemning Thamilchelvan's killing. Some said that the peace process had
come to an end. Some others said that the "Peace Dove" had been slain.
The unfortunate situation is that even those living just 20 miles
across the Palk-Strait do not know the real ground situation. For
reasons not known a large section of the Tamil media all over the world
do not publish news about the real situation prevailing in Tamil areas
under the control of the LTTE. The only option the Indians have to know
of the prevailing situation is for an all party team to visit the North
and the East including areas under the control of the LTTE.
A cruel incident that took place only 10 days before the killing of
Thamilchelvan need to be mentioned here for which Thamilchelvan should
be held solely responsible.
His Leader Prabhakaran after posing for photographs with the 21 to-be
victims vanished into his bunker, leaving the dirty job in the hands of
Thamilchelvan. Twenty one young boys and girls compulsorily recruited to
the LTTE cadre, like thousands of others, were thoroughly brainwashed
and given the thrill of having had their last supper with their leader
and also posed for a photograph with him and sent to the Anuradhapura
Airport alive, only to return dead.
According to the ICRC no one requested them to take charge of the
bodies of the 21 young boys and girls who lost their lives for no valid
reason. Can the society pardon this so called "Peace Dove" for cruelly
murdering or foolishly sacrificing these 21 boys and girls, all of whom
are brave and talented and could have been put to better use for
developing the country.
Will any parent be in Sri Lanka, India or in any other part of the
world, or anyone of the 22 TNA Members of Parliament who act as proxies
of the LTTE or any Political Leader or anyone contributing to the LTTE's
fund and championing the cause of the LTTE, undertake to hand over one
of his or her sons or daughters to the LTTE's suicide cadre to be sent
on a suicide mission, in which case I will be prepared to hail the LTTE
as real heroes.
But unfortunately the information we have is that the children of the
LTTE Leaders including those of Thamilchelvan are educated in foreign
countries, while children of poor parents are conscripted and sent to
the battle front after three months training.
Most of them do not return alive from the battlefront and the dead
are honoured posthumously with titles to suit their age and seniority.
Parents who refuse to hand over their children to the LTTE are severely
assaulted and those failed to save their children from conscription had
even committed suicide. I hope any one in future will think several
times before they decide to take part in any pro-LTTE demonstration.
Properly speaking Thamilchelvan and Prabhakaran should have been
charged for the murder of the 21 boys and girls because they were sent
to Anuradhapura Airport under compulsion with full knowledge that they
will not return alive. But the innocent people of Tamil Nadu are misled
to the extent of hailing the LTTE as heros.
I am sure not one single person will take part in any demonstration
in the future to glorify the LTTE.
There is enough evidence to prove that prior to going on the suicide
mission they had taken a group photograph with Prabhakaran and therefore
he should tell the world the circumstances under which these 21 young
boys and girls died at the Anuradhapura Airport.
This is the first time in the history of the LTTE's atrocities that
some concrete evidence is available to prove their guilt. The
photographs taken by Prabhakaran with the 21 boys and girls who died in
the Anuradhapura operation appeared in the local papers and in the
LTTE's website the very next day.
This is enough proof that all these 21 victims were last seen alive
with Prabhakaran. It is a matter for the International Community to
pressure the Sri Lankan Government to take action against the LTTE for
such a serious violation of Human Rights.
In all seriousness I ask everyone who had taken part in the
demonstrations and public meetings organised to condemn the killing of
Thamilchelvan whether they will dare to give over their children as
recruits to the LTTE's suicide cadre.
If not what moral right one has to glorify the LTTE at the expense of
the death of the children of poor parents who do not have the guts to
speak out. Even the Government of Sri Lanka and the United Nations are
not prepared to come to their rescue. This is a matter the International
Community should take up at the United Nations level.
I will be failing in my duty if I do not bring to the notice of the
people of Tamil Nadu of the cruel treatment meted out to the Muslim
People of the Northern Province for whom Tamil is the mother tongue.
All the Muslims irrespective of sex or age were asked to leave behind
all their possessions and quit the Northern Province in 24 hours. Even
the ear studs of small children were not spared.
During the last 17 years they are languishing in over 160 refugee
camps in the South with the Sinhalese. They are living under very
pathetic conditions hoping to return to their homes one day in the
future, without LTTE's interference.
Due to fear of compulsory recruitment by the LTTE more than 300 Tamil
children are living in the custody of the Human Right Commission,
strangely enough in the areas under the control of the Government.
This is the plight of the Tamils living in Jaffna which is under the
control of the Government. More than half of the Tamil population live
in the south among the Sinhalese and Muslims.
Therefore the charge of annihilation of the Tamils by the Sinhalese
is a mere fabrication of the LTTE. What the Tamils need today is
liberation from the so called LTTE liberators. It is very important that
a team of leaders from Tamil Nadu to visit the North including the areas
under the control of the LTTE, to see for themselves as to what is
happening and how Tamils suffer under the LTTE.
I am not one who rejoices at one's death. I do not want death to come
even to my worst enemy. My regret is that Prabhakaran knowing fully well
that his mission is only a wild goose chase and never achievable,
continues to sacrifice our youths in their thousands.
I believe he has already sacrificed more than 20,000 Tamil boys and
girls most of whom had been recruited forcibly much against the protests
of the parents. Every day a good number of boys and girls are sent to
the battlefront not to return alive.
Apart from this more than 10,000 Tamils from other Tamil groups also
had been killed by them. On the whole over 70,000 lives, Sinhalese,
Tamils and Muslims had been killed, several thousand had become disabled
and more than 30,000 widowed and orphaned. Above all several billions
worth of property had been destroyed because of the LTTE's foolish war
with the Government.
I strongly urge the Leaders and the People of Tamil Nadu to take into
serious consideration the several matters brought out in this urgent
appeal and to demonstrate against Prabhakaran demanding him to cry halt
to his meaningless war and to come to terms with the Government of Sri
Lanka, giving up his demand for separation and to agree for a federal
solution or as an alternative to agree for an Indian Model for which
very wide support among the Sri Lankans can be obtained.
Let Tamil Nadu not make a historical blunder by supporting the LTTE.
Instead every one must get together, forgetting all their political
differences and give all co-operation to those who are involved in the
peace process."
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