30.3.2008
Former military commander of the pioneer Tamil militant
organisation Eelam Revolutionary Organisation of Students
(EROS) in the east, Rajanathan Prabhakaran said that the
armed struggle of the LTTE would not fulfil the political
aspirations of the Tamils in the North and East and the
LTTE leadership should denounce its violence and concentrate
on achieving the rights of the Tamils politically.
In
an exclusive interview with the Sunday Observer he said
that the Tamil militancy for the past two decades had
done nothing but enormous destruction to the lives and
properties to the Tamils in the North and East. "The
Tamils want to live in peace.
Thousands
have been killed and thousands more have been maimed.
Forty-two-year-old Rajanathan Prabhakaran joined the EROS
in 1980 and functioned as its military commander in the
east until the outfit entered the political mainstream
following the signing of the Indo-Lanka accord in 1987.
However,
having seen all these destructions the LTTE still wants
to continue with its terror activities. Therefore, I appeal
to the LTTE to give up its violence and enter the political
mainstream to fulfil the political aspirations of the
Tamils in the North and East. He said that Norway's involvement
in the peace process has done hardly anything constructive
to bring the LTTE to the political mainstream.
"If
the Norwegians had done their part in coming down hard
on the LTTE when they engaged in the violation of the
Ceasefire Agreement, the peace process would have succeeded.
However, the Norwegians failed in handling the LTTE and
my personal opinion is that Norway cannot function as
a peace maker any more and it is India which could deliver
the goods in settling the Lankan crisis," EROS Prabhakaran
said.
The
EROS contested the General Elections in 1991 with thirteen
of its members entering Parliament from the North and
East. During that period Rajanathan Prabhakaran who is
the present General Secretary of the EROS was actively
engaged in political activities.
However,
when senior members such as V.Balakumar and K. Pararajasingham
of the EROS joined the LTTE in the late nineties Rajanathan
Prabhakaran remained loyal to his party EROS and carried
out the party's activities.
Rajanathan
Prabhakaran who has now returned to the political arena
while reorganising EROS and contesting the recently held
local government polls in the east is currently making
arrangements to contest the forthcoming Provincial polls
in the east.
Meanwhile,
the Tamil National Democratic Alliance comprising the
TULF, PLOTE and EPRLF (Naba) has called for an alliance
including Muslim parties and others in the South for the
forthcoming Provincial Council polls in the Eastern Province.
Tamil
United Liberation Front Leader V. Anandasangaree told
the Sunday Observer that his alliance was determined to
sink differences and join hands with Muslim parties and
others in the South to contest the Provincial Council
polls in the East.
"We
are currently working on finalising our nominations list.
Unlike the Local Government polls, the Provincial Council
polls are crucial in ushering in democracy and the rule
of law in the East.
The
Provincial Council system earlier in the North and East
was a flop. However, we expect the fresh polls for Provincial
Council to rekindle the democratic process in a broader
way and pave the way for the democratic process in the
north as well," Sangaree said.
Anandasangaree
said that since the Eastern Provincial Council polls will
be important with more parties showing concern, the polls
should be free of all violence.
Courtesy
Sunday Observer