27.11.2008
Veluppillai
Prabakaran has indicated his willingness to go in for
cease fire and talks but he has stop short of indicating
whether he is ready to lay down arms as pre-conditioned
put forward by Sri Lanka President for any future talks.Veluppillai
Prabakaran has appealed to the International community
to remove the ban imposed on his terrorist organization
in his Hero's day speech from an undisclosed destination.He
has said that LTTE is not involved in any terrorist and
destructive activities. He has appealed especially to
India to remove the ban imposed on his outfits- LTTE,
which he says is a great hindrance. He has also conveyed
his gratitude to the people and leaders of Tamil Nadu.
Full text of LTTE's official translation of the
Tamil speech by Prabakaran the leader of LTTE is given
below:
"My
beloved people of Tamil Eelam,
Today
is Maveerar Naal – our Great Heroes Day.
On
this day of purity we remember and honour our dearly beloved
heroes whose supreme sacrifice for the liberation of our
motherland continues to fills all our hearts.
It
is for us a commemoration day of reverence when we pay
homage to our brave and valiant heroes who have transformed
our land from one that was for many years subjugated by
foreign rule into a defiant land refusing to submit to
the will of the alien oppressor.
This
is our national day on which we engrave tenderly in our
hearts the memory of our great heroes who died and whose
sacred aspiration was the redemption of our land so that
our people may live in freedom and with self-respect.
Our
heroes loved this land deeply. From the moment they fixed
their eyes on the redemption of our motherland to the
moment they closed their eyes permanently, the sacrifices
they made have no parallel in the history of the world.
No country but ours had at any time encountered such wonderful
dedication as expressed in the actions of our valiant
heroes.
It
was on this land that our heroes were born. They grew
up here and lived here. It was on this land that their
footsteps have their imprints. The air they breathed is
mingled with this land. From time immemorial, from generation
to generation the Tamil people lived on this land. It
was this land which our heroes loved deeply. Our heroes
died for this land and are at rest in its bosom. The land
where they are embedded, belongs to us. It is our own
land. But an arrogant Sinhala nation stands adamant and
is determined to occupy and conquer this historic land.
All human suffering springs from unbridled desire. Unless
one extricates oneself from the clutch of greed, one will
not free himself from the fetters of sorrow. With its
greed for land, Sinhalam has entered a militaristic path
of destruction. It has sought to build the support of
the world to confront us. It is living in a dreamland
of military victory. It is a dream from which it will
awake. That is certain.
My
beloved people!
The
land of Tamil Eelam is confronted with an intense war
as never before. Rearing its head in different parts of
Wanni, the war is gathering momentum. As the Sinhala state
is committed to a military solution, the war is becoming
intense and widespread. The underlying intent of the Sinhala
state is to wipe out the national life and resources of
the Tamils and subjugate the Tamil nation under alien
Sinhala military despotism. With this in view, it is executing
its war plan at full gallop. Pooling together all its
military resources and arsenal, and with all its national
wealth to buttress it, the racist Sinhala state has waged
a fierce war on our land. Our freedom fighters, have dedicated
themselves to unbending resistance against this war of
aggression launched by the racist Sinhala state. With
various countries of the world buttressing the genocidal
war on the people of Tamil Eelam, we are waging a defensive
war for the freedom of our people.
Today,
our movement has embarked on a historic journey, hazardous
and strenuous. In this historic venture, we have encountered
numerous turns, twists and confrontations. We have faced
forces much mightier than ours. We have had direct confrontations
even against superior powers, stronger than us. We have
withstood wave after wave of our enemy attacks. Standing
alone, we have blasted networks of innumerable intrigues,
interwoven with betrayal and sabotage. We stood like a
mountain and faced all dangers that loomed like storms.
When compared to these happenings of the past, today’s
challenges are neither novel nor huge. We will face these
challenges with the united strength of our people.
This
land which the Sinhala state is trying to occupy and enslave,
has never belonged to it. This land is ours. Ancient Tamil
civilisation stood long and firm on this land. Our ancestors
lived and belonged here. Our ancient kings built kingdoms
and dynasties and ruled from here. On this land where
the roots of our nation have sunk deep, we wish to live
in peace and with dignity and make decisions on our lives
without the intervention of foreign rulers.
From
the day that British colonialism was replaced with Sinhala
oppression, we have been struggling for our just rights
- peacefully at first and with weapons thereafter. The
political struggle for our right to self-determination
has extended over the last sixty years. During this period
our struggle has gone through different shapes, developments
and advanced to maturity. In the beginning, it was a peaceful
and democratic struggle by our people for justice. The
racist Sinhala state resorted to armed and animal like
violence to suppress the peaceful struggle of the Tamil
people for their political rights. It was when state oppression
breached all norms and our people faced naked terrorism
that our movement for freedom was born as a natural outcome
in history. We were compelled to take up arms in order
to protect our people from the armed terrorism of the
racist Sinhala state. The armed violent path was not our
choice. It was forced upon us by history.
Even
though the armed struggle was thrust on us by inevitable
needs, yet we wish to stop the war and seek a peaceful
resolution to the national question of our people. Our
freedom movement is always ready for it. We are not opposed
to a peaceful resolution. We have never hesitated to participate
in peace talks. From Thimpu to Geneva, under diametrically
varied historical circumstances, we have adopted peaceful
methods and participated in talks in order to win the
political rights of our people.
Although
we acted honestly and whole heartedly, to find a peaceful
resolution to the national question, all talks were futile.
The intransigence of the Sinhala state, its dishonest
approach and its faith in military solution were the cause
for failure of the talks. Even at a time when we had produced
spectacular achievements in battle fields and broken the
back-bone of the Sinhala armed forces, we participated
in the peace negotiations facilitated by Norway. Bringing
the war to an end, we participated with honesty and diligence
in the peace negotiations which protracted for six years.
We
continued to exercise patience at the military rampages
and provocations by the armed forces. It is not that we
trusted the racist Sinhala state to respect our people’s
fair claims and advance justice, but it was to expose
the hypocrisy of the Sinhala state and at the same time
to impress upon the international community our commitment
to peace, that we participated in the negotiations.
During
the peace talks convened in different capitals of the
world, there were no attempts to resolve the day-to-day
needs of the Tamil people or to negotiate a resolution
to the underlying national question. Sri Lanka made use
of the opportunity of the peace talks to attempt to weaken
the LTTE and hoodwink the Tamil nation and the international
community. Using the talks as a masquerade, the Sinhala
state made preparations to wage a major war on the Tamil
nation. Making use of the cease-fire and the peace environment,
the Sinhala state resuscitated its devastated economy
and rebuilt its military might that was in shambles. It
concentrated on heavy recruitment, refurbishing its arsenal,
strengthening the armed forces and conducting military
exercises. While the Tamil nation was engaged in peace-building,
the Sinhala nation dedicated itself to preparations for
war.
Meanwhile,
some countries which identified themselves as so-called
Peace Sponsors, rushed into activities which impaired
negotiations. They denigrated our freedom movement as
a terrorist organisation. They put us on their black list
and ostracized us as unwanted and untouchable. Our people
living in many lands were intimidated into submission
by oppressive limitations imposed on them to prevent their
political activities supporting our freedom struggle.
Humanitarian activities pursued by our law-abiding people
in many countries, well within the purview of the law
of the land, have been belittled and curtailed. These
activities were aimed at providing humanitarian aid to
helpless victims of genocidal attacks by the Sinhala Sri
Lanka state in Tamil areas. However, these humanitarian
activities were branded as criminal activities in those
countries. Representatives of the Tamil people, along
with community leaders were arrested, jailed and insulted.
The explicit bias shown by the activities of these countries
affected the talks, in its balance and in its consideration
of our status as an equal partner. This further aggravated
the racist attitude of the Sinhala state. Sinhala chauvinism
was encouraged to raise its head with impunity and inevitably
push the Sinhala state further on its war path.
The
Sinhala state shut tight the gates to peace and waged
its war again on the Tamil nation. The cease-fire agreement
facilitated by the international community was abrogated
unilaterally by Sinhala Sri Lanka. Strangely no voice
of protest was registered by any peace sponsor. Not even
as a formality. Nor was any concern expressed. In contrast,
some countries from the international community are providing
an abundant supply of war materials, military training
and expert advice, all for free. This has encouraged the
Sinhala state to aggravate its genocidal war against the
Tamils with a terrorist audacity.
Today,
the Sinhala state has, as never before, placed its trust
on its military strength, on military modalities and on
a military solution. Its desire to impose its military
despotism over the Tamil homeland and order a stringent
military rule over the Tamils, has increased. As a result,
the war has gathered intensity and momentum. In truth,
this is not a war against the LTTE as the Sinhala state
professes. This is a war against the Tamils; against the
Tamil nation. In short, a genocidal war.
This
war has affected Tamil civilians more than any body else.
By turning the heat of war on our people and by burdening
them with immeasurable sufferings, the Sinhala state is
aspiring to turn our people against the LTTE. By closing
the trunk-line roads, embargoing food and medicine and
by suffocating people in tight military encirclements,
the government has unleashed barrages of bombardments
and shelling. Having lost their private lands and the
serene life on them, our people have been reduced to destitution
and live as wandering refugees. They have been forced
to carry the cross of eternal suffering from birth to
death. Struggling with disease and misery, malnutrition,
ageing and untimely death, our people are steeped in suffering.
With the solitary purpose of breaking the unbending will
of our people, the Sinhala state has unleashed waves of
oppression on them and subjected them to grievous injustice.
A huge economic war has been declared on our people, their
economic life shattered and their day-to-day living impaired.
In Tamil areas under military control, hundreds of people
disappear or killed, every month. In Sinhala areas, disappearance
and killing of Tamils have become a normal routine.
Tamil
areas under military occupation are encountering an accelerated
agenda of genocide, today. Death, destruction, army atrocities
and open prison-life in one’s own land, are the
unendurable suffering our people have to suffer, as an
order of the day. Arrest, imprisonment, torture, rape,
murder, disappearance and clandestine burial in unknown
graves form a vicious circle in which the lives of our
people is enmeshed. Yet, our people have not lost hope.
No measure, however punitive, can withhold their will
to resist. Their yearning for freedom remains strong.
No aerial bombardment can wipe out their determination
to attain their freedom. Our people are used to carrying
the cross of suffering. They are used to facing destruction
and loss, daily in life. This suffering has further tempered
their will to be steadfast in their aspiration. With such
impetus, the urge for freedom has gathered momentum as
never before.
Facing
a great confrontation for such a long period, we have
sacrificed so much and fought for so long, for nothing
else, but for our people to live in freedom; live with
dignity and live in peace. We are conducting this struggle
with the unrelenting support of the Tamil people, the
world over. Besides, our struggle does not contravene
the national interest, geo-political interest or economic
interest of any outside country. The inherent aspirations
of our people do not in any way hamper the national interests
of any country or people. At the same time, it may be
noted that during the long history of our struggle, we
have not conducted any act of aggression against any member
state of the international community.
Our
freedom movement, as well as our people, have always wished
to maintain cordiality with the international community
as well as neighbouring India. With this in view, we wish
to create a viable environment and enhance friendship.
We wish to express our goodwill and are looking forward
to the opportunity to build a constructive relationship.
Cordially I invite those countries that have banned us,
to understand the deep aspirations and friendly overtures
of our people, to remove their ban on us and to recognise
our just struggle.
Today,
there are great changes taking place in India. The dormant
voices in support of our struggle are re-emerging aloud
again. There are also indications of our struggle becoming
accepted there. The positive change in environment gives
us courage to seek renewal of our relationship with the
Indian super power. The earlier approach and interventions
of India were injurious to the people of Tamil Eelam,
as well as to their struggle. The racist Sinhala state,
with its intrigues, conspired to bring enmity between
our freedom movement and the earlier Indian administration.
The conflict arising out of this environment aggravated
into a major war.
It
was because we were firmly committed to our conviction
and freedom for our people, that friction erupted between
our movement and India. However, at no stage did we ever
consider India as an enemy force. Our people always consider
India as our friend. They have great expectations that
the Indian super power will take a positive stand on our
national question.
Not
withstanding the dividing sea, Tamil Nadu, with its perfect
understanding of our plight, has taken heart to rise on
behalf of our people at this hour of need. This timely
intervention has gratified the people of Tamil Eelam and
our freedom movement and given us a sense of relief. I
wish to express my love and gratitude at this juncture
to the people and leaders of Tamil Nadu and the leaders
of India for the voice of support and love they have extended.
I would cordially request them to raise their voice firmly
in favour of our struggle for a Tamil Eelam state, and
to take appropriate and positive measures to remove the
ban which remains an impediment to an amicable relationship
between India and our movement.
My
beloved people!
No
great changes have taken place in the Sinhala political
panorama. Politics there has developed into the form of
a demonic war. In a country that worships the Buddha who
preached love and kindness, racist hatred and war-mongering
vie with one another. We can listen only to the throbs
on war-drums. No sane voice is being raised either to
abandon war or to seek peaceful resolution to the conflict.
In Sinhalam, from politicians to spiritual leaders, from
journalists to ordinary people, their voice is raised
only in support of the war.
The
Tamil Eelam nation does not want war. It does not favour
violence. It is the Sinhala nation that waged war on our
nation which had earlier adopted the path of ahimsa and
asked for justice through peaceful means. When the SAARC
leaders of our region met in Colombo, we expressed our
goodwill and declared suspension of hostility. On the
contrary, it was the Sinhala nation that rejected our
overture, ridiculed us and continued with the offensive.
It is the Sinhala nation that has laid down unacceptable
and insulting conditions. It is the Sinhala nation that
is continuing with the war.
The
Sinhala nation is conducting a major war of genocide against
us in our land, the news about which is denied to the
outside world. Successive Sinhala regimes have hoodwinked
the international community with a series of deceptions.
Commencing with the round table conference, the list of
deceit has now stretched to include the All Party conference
of late. During this period the international community
remains cheated. The Tamil national question was also
left to drag on with no positive resolution offered. Meanwhile,
the Sinhala nation has used its armed forces to set the
Tamil land, ablaze. It has wiped out peaceful life on
Tamil land, making Tamils destitute, displaced and wandering.
Sinhalam has refused to offer the basic rights of the
Tamils, split the Tamil land into two, installed anti-Tamil
armed groups in the seat of administration while conducting
a tyrannical military rule. It is now continuing with
the war, offering to submit its plan to offer a solution
only after the LTTE is defeated. Does Sinhala nation want
to offer a solution only after the Tamils are suppressed
and killed? Does it want to wipe out the true representatives
of the Tamils and their bargaining power before offering
a solution? The Sinhala nation is refusing to acknowledge
the historic homeland of the Tamils. In such a situation,
how will it offer a just solution to our people?
When
it comes to the Tamil national question, the Sinhala nation
is adopting only one policy. It is obviously a policy
of suppression. Even the tinge of hope our people had
that the Sinhala nation will abandon its path of violence
and offer justice, has now evaporated. No political transformation
has taken place during the last sixty years in the Sinhala
nation. Therefore, hoping it will happen in the future
is futile. Our people are not ready to trust Sinhala nation
again and get cheated.
It
is true Tamil Eelam is a small nation on the globe. However
it is a nation with great potential. It is a nation with
a characteristic individuality. It has a distinctive language,
cultural heritage and history. Sinhalam seeks with its
military might to destroy all these. It seeks to destroy
Tamil sovereignty and replace it with Sinhala sovereignty.
As the freedom movement of the people of Tamil Eelam we
will never, ever allow Sinhala occupation or Sinhala domination
of our homeland.
Whatever
challenges confront us, whatever contingencies we encounter,
whatever forces stand on our path, we will still continue
with our struggle for the freedom of the Tamil people.
On the path shown by history, on the command of the circumstances
of today, we will continue with our struggle till alien
Sinhala occupation of our land is removed,
At
this historic juncture, I would request Tamils, in whatever
part of the world that they may live in to raise their
voices, firmly and with determination, in support of the
freedom struggle of their brothers and sisters in Tamil
Eelam. I would request them from my heart to strengthen
the hands of our freedom movement and continue to extend
their contributions and help. I would also take this opportunity
to express my affection and my praise to our Tamil youth
living outside our homeland for the prominent and committed
role they play in actively contributing towards the liberation
of our nation.
Let
us all make a firm and determined resolution to follow
fully the path of our heroes, who, in pursuit of our aspiration
for justice and freedom, sacrificed themselves and have
become a part of the history of our land and our people."
Courtesy - Asian
Tribune