20.11.2007

V. Anandasangaree : “Hence I make a strong plea that all concerned parties in Tamil Nadu should forget their differences and work united towards finding a reasonable solution within a United Sri Lanka.”

In an emotive appeal V. Anandasangaree has urged the Leaders and the People of Tamil Nadu to demonstrate against Mr. Prabaharan demanding him to cry halt to his meaningless war.

He had pointed out that Tamil Nadu not to make a historical blunder by supporting the LTTE.

Anandasangaree, President of the Tamil United Liberation Front told categorically the counter productiveness of the support presently extended by Tamil Nadu and its Leaders to solve the ethnic problem. “Hence I make a strong plea that all concerned parties in Tamil Nadu should forget their differences and work united towards finding a reasonable solution within a United Sri Lanka,” he said.

He further said, “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. 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.”

Given below the full text of the appeal made by V. Anandasangaree, President of the Tamil United Liberation Front:

An urgent plea to the leaders and the people of Tamil Nadu not to betray the Tamil speaking people of Sri Lanka

The support presently extended 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 united towards finding a reasonable solution within a United Sri Lanka. 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. 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 fifty 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 fourteen years and was responsible for creating the Kilinochchi District where the LTTE have their Head-Quarters, 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, is 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.

Thamilchelvan’s death

Mr.S.P.Thamilchelvan was not assassinated like Mahathma Gandhi or Martin Luther King, for Tamil Nadu to react hotly. One should not fail to realize that the LTTE is at war with the Sri Lankan Government and Mr. 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 Mr. Gothabaya 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 Mr. Thamilchelvan?

In fact Mr. 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 organization 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. Further more 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 brain washed 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 Mr. 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, large sections 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 episode.

A cruel incident that took place only ten days before the killing of Thamilchelvan need to be mentioned here for which Mr. Thamilchelvan should be held solely responsible. His Leader Mr. Prabaharan after posing for photographs with the twenty one to-be victims vanished in-to his bunker, leaving the dirty job in the hands of Mr. Thamilchelvan. Twenty one young boys and girls compulsorily recruited to the LTTE cadre, like thousands of others, were thoroughly brain washed and given the thrill of having had their last supper with their leader and also posed for a photograph with him and sent to Anuradhapura Airport alive, only to return dead. According to the ICRC no one requested them to take charge of the dead 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 Mr. 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 battle front and the dead are honored 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, Mr. Thamilchelvan and Mr. Prabaharan 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 heroes. 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 Mr. Prabaharan 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 Mr. Prabaharan with the 21 boys and girl who died in the Anuradhapura operation appeared in the local papers and in the LTTE’s web site the very next day. This is enough proof that all these 21 victims were last seen alive with Mr. Prabaharan. It is a matter for the International Community to pressurize 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 organized to condemn the killing of Mr. 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 rescuer. This is a matter the International Community should take up at the United Nations level.

The plight of the Muslims and the Tamils in the North.

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 lives 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.

What the Sri Lankan Tamils expect from Tamil Nadu

I am not one who rejoices at one’s death. I do not want death to come even to my worst enemy. All my regret is that Mr. Prabaharan 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 thousand 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 thousand Tamils from other Tamil groups also had been killed by them. On the whole over 70 thousand lives, Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims had been lost, several thousand had become disabled and more than 30 thousand 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 Mr. Prabaharan 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.

V. Anandasangaree,
President – TULF.