95% of Tamil population in Sri Lanka does not support LTTE -Ven. Walpola Piyananda

Ven. Walpola Piyananda Thera, President, Sri Lankan Sangha Council of America and Canada in a latter to Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh states.

Dear Dr. Singh,

“I am writing on behalf of the Sri Lankan Sangha Council of America and Canada to share some important thoughts with you”.

“First of all, we are pleased that you are supporting your federal position on the illegitimacy of the LTTE, and are not following the advice of your Tamil Nadu provincial politicians, headed by Karunanidhi. It is obvious to us that eventhough this individual and his political party is part of your coalition, he and his fellow party members are not being completely transparent with you or the Delhi government in regards to their real agenda”.

“In Sri Lanka, 95% of the Tamil population does not support the LTTE. This includes both Indian, or Estate Tamils (now all Sri Lankans, but brought to Sri Lanka by the British), and the Sri Lankan, or Jaffna Tamils (have lived in Sri Lanka for nearly one thousand years).

I use these terms because I know that you are aware of them, and because you recognise the differences between the two factions. These two groups have lived peacefully with the Sinhalese majority for many generations, and all of them are Sri Lankans regardless of their origin.”

For the past thirty years the LTTE has effectively ruined the reputation of Tamil people around the world. Previously, Tamils had enjoyed the benefits of high esteem due to their intelligence, education, creativity, and status as successful professionals in various countries throughout both East and West.

Now, however, the Tamil name has been dragged through the mud in the international media where it has been reported that the money they have been pouring into Tamil charities has been used instead for the cause of an elusive Tamil “motherland,” spearheaded by a megalomaniac terrorist fighting for an illegitimate independent state in Sri Lanka.

Many of the good Tamil people overseas were duped into supporting this cause, which had no benefit for them, or for the majority of the Sri Lankan Tamils, whatsoever.”

“The LTTE has prevented children from attending school for thirty years in the areas it has had under its control. For an entire generation they have been unable to study Sanscrit, the Bhagavad Gita, their Hindu culture, meditation, or even arithmetic.

They could not fall into the footsteps of their Sri Lankan Tamil forbears who had become doctors, engineers, lawyers, clergymen, and other professionals who functioned totally within the mainstream of our country. Boys and girls have been taken from their families from as young as five years old and been given training in weaponry and warfare against the Sri Lankan State. Many have been brainwashed to become.

death-squad cadres and suicide bombers, and their lives made short by the misguided ideology of their leader. To support this organisation is to report death and destruction. The world is now aware of the true LTTE agenda, and that of its infamous leader, V. Prabhakaran.

“It is clear to us that the Tamil Nadu provincial government has an agenda of its own, and election time is near, bringing with it all that has meant in the past. The truth is, they have been openly supporting the LTTE for many years, and unfortunately, for nearly three decades this internationally banned terrorist organisation has been allowed to function within the province of Tamil Nadu with impunity.

It has been proven that weapons and funds have been funnelled into the LTTE through Tamil Nadu. Currently, the Tamil Nadu provincial leadership is urging your government to intervene in the Sri Lankan conflict, and we see that it sole reason for this is to allow the LTTE a time-out to re-group and re-finance as they have so often done in the past.”

“Our question is this; has the Indian Government ever investigated a possible link between the LTTE and Tamil Nadu leaders such as Karunanidhi in connection with the assassination of Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi?

We observe that these Tamil Nadu leaders are for more identified with being Tamil than they are with being Indian, and we think it might be wise if you had your federal police investigate further, and discover the truth about why the Tamil Nadu leadership supports the terrorist war in Sri Lanka.”

“The Tamil refugees that have been living in Tamil Nadu for nearly three decades are Sri Lankans, and should be repatriated after the conflict is over. These people went to Tamil Nadu to escape the brutality of the LTTE terrorists, and it was not their wish to become a burden on the Indian Government.

Your Government and the Sri Lankan Government need to discuss a plan for these innocent victims of war, and the best solution for their welfare needs to be implemented.”

“As committed pacifists, we urge you to stay your course on the federal path and not to succumb to the political pressures from Tamil Nadu in regards to the war against terrorism in Sri Lanka. Please support our Government’s efforts to eradicates terrorism in Sri Lanka, and to create a safe homeland for all Sri Lankans where peace and harmony can once again prevail.”