03-05-2006
Mr. V.Prabakaran
Leader,
LTTE
Kilinochchi.
My Dear Thamby,
Although you had not responded to any of my earlier letters, circumstances compel me to write to you again. Your failure to reply me makes me feel that my letters had not reached you. If you had taken my suggestions seriously the entire outlook of your organization would have changed and Peace achieved long ago. It is still not too late for you to take my advice seriously. Please rest assured that I am acting on my own and with good intentions. I can neither be influenced nor bought over. Our people and the country as a whole has suffered enough. Please cry halt to all your activities. Allow the people to live in Peace and start negotiations without delay.
The recent attempt to assassinate the Army Commander Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka prompted me to write to you. At the very outset I strongly condemn this dastardly act which is one other grave blunder of yours. It is as much serious as the assassination of the Ex-Foreign Minister Hon. Luxman Kadirgamar and not second to that of the assassination of the Indian Ex-Prime Minister Hon. Rajiv Gandhi or the Secretary General of the TULF Mr. A. Amirthalingam. To shorten the list I am not mentioning here many other notorious assassinations that brought you down from the hill-top.
There is one good quality in you I much appreciate, which is not found in many leaders of today, who conveniently put the blame on the supporters and themselves tactfully escape. You are one who had never disowned liability for any act or conduct of your cadre from the very inception of your involvements in Politics and militancy till now, starting from the assassination of the Jaffna Mayor Mr. Alfred Duraiappa to the attempted assassination of the Army Commander Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka on the 25th of last month. Without letting down your cadre you had always taken the responsibility on yourself, a very good quality of leadership. I wonder how long you are going to condone all the activities of your cadre. You are now branded as the leader of the most ruthless terrorist outfit in the world.
If only you had listened to good advice from the very beginning you would have, to a great extent, achieved your ambition of seeing the Tamil People winning back all their lost rights and living in Peace enjoying all rights like the others, in our country.
There was a time people all over the world had some admiration for you, for your determination and discipline of your cadre. I have heard a number of Sinhalese and Muslims, although not in agreement with your policies and your way of doing things, also saying so. All that is now gone. All your lieutenants and their subordinates have become selfish and do not work with common interest. They are all worried of themselves and of their families. One by one they will let you down and before it is too late alert yourself.
Every one in this country and the International Community are working hard to bring back Peace. They are moving heaven and earth to bring you to the negotiating table. Refusal of the Government to provide helicopter lift for your Political leaders of the East, is not such a serious issue for your cadre to go to the extent of sending an expectant mother, as a suicide bomber, seriously violating the provisions of the Ceasefire Agreement. The question asked by everybody is, as to why and who sent this human bomb to assassinate the Army Commander. This is why I put the blame on your cadre who are making it obvious that there is opposition within your ranks for a peaceful settlement of the problem. You should accept the lack of leadership in your organization. Who set the clock back to deliberately delay or disturb the Peace Process?
I equally blame the Government forces for the Air raid in the Muthur and adjoining areas. It is the duty of the Government to safeguard its People and not to cause them panic in anyform. It is your duty to see that your cadre keep away from the people and not use them as human shield. The LTTE also should be partially blamed for the displacement of the People and for the causalities among the civilian. I quite understand the provocation your suicide bomber gave to the army, by causing the death of ten innocent people and causing very serious injuries to the army commander and many others without any consideration for the innocent civilians.
The time has now come for you to declare a permanent ceasefire. You can’t trust your lieutenants and their subordinates any more. Most of the subordinates behave like thugs. They ill-treat our innocent people. They behave like super humans and treat the people like slaves. The people are fast losing confidence in you. The Tamil Eelam is never achievable, some reasons for which are given below. Hence please declare that you are giving up your demand for separations and is prepared to accept Federalism as a solution. During the recent Presidential Elections 49.7% of the voters supported a Federal Solution openly. In addition to that the Sri Lanka Freedom Party at its last convention offered Federalism as a Solution. The left Parties during the election campaign expressed their willingness for a Federal Solution. I am positively sure that if you declare to giveup separation, the JVP and the JHU will support a Federal Solution. In any case, if referred for a referendum over 80% of the voters will support it. Even the late Hon. S.J.V. Chelvanayagam the leader of the TULF had declared that the TULF will recommend to the people for acceptance if a viable alternate proposal is submitted.
I am sure that this is the best time to find a solution based on Federalism. Our people will welcome it. The Sinhalese and the Muslim too will welcome it. The International Community will give full support and all asssistance for it .
Successive Governments in India had made it very clear that they will never support the separate state of Tamil Eelam. Let us properly understand the concerns of India. Their oppositions for a separate state is not out of love or hatred for any group in Sri Lanka. But they will go all out to prevent the revival of a similar demand which died in the early sixties in Tamil Nadu and now no one talks about separation there. The fact that a strait of only 28 miles separates Sri Lanka from India cannot be ignored. Hence however much you try and whatever sacrifices you make, separation can never be achieved and you must think of an alternative.
You are now a married man and having a lot of responsibilities. You have grown up children to lookafter and thousands of other’s children to care for. You should therefore act with greater responsibilitiy. As a father you know the concerns of the parents about their children. You know how the parents will feel when a child is killed or a Child’s education is disrupted. You cannot be unaware of the sufferings of a family when the head of the family is killed. It is generally believed that about sixty thousand died due to the war, but my estimation is that it is much more. This figure remains constant for years but killings take place everyday. The army claims that about twenty thousand of their men died and the number of your cadre killed is over eighteen thousand. What about the several thousands killed by other means. I won’t accept that all operations were carried out by your cadre on your orders. They have started killing on their own initative. Your cadre deprived India of its leader Hon Rajiv Gandhi who could have been India’s Prime Minister for many years . Your cadre was responsible for the killing of a number of much respected Sinhalese Tamil and Muslim Political leader and thousands of innocent civilians all over the country. These killings that started with Mr. Alfred Duraiappa the mayor of Jaffna, is going on non -stop for a period of over (30) Thirty years. Do you remember the bomb-blast at Maradana, Central Bank building, Central Telegraph office, Colombo central Bus-Stand,Aluthgama bound officers train and many other such incidents at which thousands lost their lives limbs and eye sights and many are bedridden even today. Your cadre is responsible for these and not you.
Do you remember the massacres of Anuradhapura and Habarana that took 129 and 127 lives respectively and a total of 243 lives in two massacres at Eravur. The number massacred in Kaththankudy and Palliagedella were 103 and 161 respectively and the massacres of 35 novice Budhist Priests all of whom were small children. The total number of policeman massacred at Thirukovil was more than 678. What about your suicide bombers and the number of innocent lives they took with theirs. How many widows and orphans your cadre had created among the Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims by these massacres.
I know that some of your cadre will try to remind me of the Chemmani Cemetry killings, massacres in the ferry from Delft, at the refugee Camp of the Eastern University aerial bombing at the Navaly Church, Kudathannai School and Puthukudiyiruppu in the North and also some other places in the East like Kokkatticholai. I am not unaware of these incidents. There are many more on both sides but don’t dispute that the killings by your cadre, of people from all the three communities the Sinhalese the Tamils and the Muslims out numbers the killings by others, in very large numbers. Except enhancing the number of widows and orphans I do not think anybody rceived any benefit by these meaningless killings.
Although your cadre is responsible for most of these crimes, the International Community had branded you as the leader of the most ruthless terrorist organization in the world, a name that you are going to carry for many generation to come. The future generation will curse you for driving away all the Muslims from the North, for no reason at all. Not only Budhists, even people of all faiths will curse you for attempting to destroy the sacred Bo-Tree of Anuradhapura and the Temple of the sacred tooth in Kandy, both priceless possessions of which the country is proud of. Don’t forget that the Kandy’s Temple of the sacred tooth has very close links with the Vinayaga Temple, Pathini Temple, and Murugan Temple in Kandy.
The first blunder of yours was the claymore attack of the soldiers in July 1983 causing the death of 13 soldiers which ended up in a major communal riots. Thousands of Tamil people were killed, billions worth of property of the Tamils destroyed and looted. Thousands more made homeless and all became paupers over night. Hundreds of thousands of Tamils fled to various countries as refugees and sought asylum. During the last few years due to the atrocities of your cadre people got displaced in their thousands and are now peacefully living in the midst of the Sinhalese and Muslims, from Puttalam to Panadura, under poor conditions. The Muslims of the North who were driven out with only Rs 500 each, left behind all their belongings in 1991 are still in refugee camp in the South. This type of plundering is unheard of in our country.
The Tamils were proud of their culture and civilization. All that pride is no more. We are now an uncivilized lot, ruthless murderers and plunderers. Your cadre should take the responsibility for this slur on the Tamil Community . Have you at least preserved the rights that we enjoyed at the time you came to champion our cause. Are we enjoying our fundamental rights? Are you not aware that human rights violations by your cadre has no limits?
Will you deny that till the ceasefire agreement was signed by you with the Government our people were happy and contented . The relationship with the army was very cordial and only after the signing of the CFA your cadre, step by step took over the Government held areas and now ruling them with iron fist . Our people are God fearing and just. They spurn violence. It is your cadre that is promoting violence by brutally killing people, throwing bombs or hand grenades, planting of clay-more mines etc and not civilians. A local daily refers to your movement as one notorious for slashing pregnant mothers, dashing their unborn babies on walls and trees, chopping infants to death and recruiting child soldiers. This is just a sample of what is said or written about you. Obviously you have failed to tame them and they have now gone out of control. Therefore I plead with you that it is still not late for you to save our people. Do it before all your powers are usurped by your local leaders.
I wish to mention here the various factors that brought the LTTE to this state. It is the local and foreign based Tamil media both print and electronic. How long can we expect the expatriate Tamils and the International Community to believe the bundles of lies unfolded by them through the media, under their control. The dirty role played by many media, supportive of you, was mainly responsible for the proscription of the LTTE in Canada. Eighteen pro LTTE papers, all weeklies, were distributed free with exaggerated news, demeaning comments about critics of the LTTE, poems, stories, articles and discussions over the TV, radio and paper contributed towards the ban. Some websites are run by mentally affected persons made readers roll with laughter. Please cry halt to this type of mean propaganda which have proved counter-productive.
Another factor is the calibre of your key negotiators like Mr. S.P Tamilchelvan and Dr. Anton Balasingam. Mr. Tamilchelvan’s claim that civilians are planting clay-more mines and such other similar statements had been ridiculed by the International Community. Likewise Dr. Anton Balasingam’s statement that the LTTE leaders, who accompanied him for talks in Bangkok, without helping him, were interested in many other matters was a serious let down. Further his desire to hug and kiss me and invitation for me to have good meals at the five Star Hotel run by Mr. Pottuamman at Killinochci were veiled threats to me. Do you think people who can’t behave and talk well are suitable for negotiations. I am referring to Dr. Balasingam’s indecent references to the Budhist clergy Head of a state etc.
Things are going out of control. The country can’t efford to face another communal riots. The International Community is throwing its full weight in finding a satisfactory solution for the ethnic problem, based on a Federal Constitution, within the frame work of a United Sri Lanka. If only you decide to accept this proposal almost all the Political Parties are ready to support it. Even the Budhist clergy will back a solution within the United Sri Lanka. The Sinhalese are only opposed to a division of the country. Apart from that all are ready to fully back a Federal Solution, if you openly declare to accept a Federal Solution dropping the demand for separation. Massive support will come even from unexpected quarters. Out of experience I am advising you that the best solution is to accept a constitiution based on the Indian model with equal rights for all.
I owe you on explanation for my repeatedly suggesting the Indian model, for the simple reason that it is neither a Federal nor a Unitary Constitution and such a constitution will be acceptable to many. In proposing this solution I am not acting as anybody’s agent. You know very well that I will not yield to any pressure or give into any considerations. If you are agreeable to this suggestion other related matters can be subjected to detail discussion with the assistance of the facilitators and the International Community.
Yours Sincerely
V. Anandasangaree
President
TULF
Mr. V.Prabakaran
Leader,
LTTE
Kilinochchi.
My Dear Thamby,
A SOLUTION TO THE ETHNIC PROBLEM
Although you had not responded to any of my earlier letters, circumstances compel me to write to you again. Your failure to reply me makes me feel that my letters had not reached you. If you had taken my suggestions seriously the entire outlook of your organization would have changed and Peace achieved long ago. It is still not too late for you to take my advice seriously. Please rest assured that I am acting on my own and with good intentions. I can neither be influenced nor bought over. Our people and the country as a whole has suffered enough. Please cry halt to all your activities. Allow the people to live in Peace and start negotiations without delay.
The recent attempt to assassinate the Army Commander Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka prompted me to write to you. At the very outset I strongly condemn this dastardly act which is one other grave blunder of yours. It is as much serious as the assassination of the Ex-Foreign Minister Hon. Luxman Kadirgamar and not second to that of the assassination of the Indian Ex-Prime Minister Hon. Rajiv Gandhi or the Secretary General of the TULF Mr. A. Amirthalingam. To shorten the list I am not mentioning here many other notorious assassinations that brought you down from the hill-top.
There is one good quality in you I much appreciate, which is not found in many leaders of today, who conveniently put the blame on the supporters and themselves tactfully escape. You are one who had never disowned liability for any act or conduct of your cadre from the very inception of your involvements in Politics and militancy till now, starting from the assassination of the Jaffna Mayor Mr. Alfred Duraiappa to the attempted assassination of the Army Commander Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka on the 25th of last month. Without letting down your cadre you had always taken the responsibility on yourself, a very good quality of leadership. I wonder how long you are going to condone all the activities of your cadre. You are now branded as the leader of the most ruthless terrorist outfit in the world.
If only you had listened to good advice from the very beginning you would have, to a great extent, achieved your ambition of seeing the Tamil People winning back all their lost rights and living in Peace enjoying all rights like the others, in our country.
There was a time people all over the world had some admiration for you, for your determination and discipline of your cadre. I have heard a number of Sinhalese and Muslims, although not in agreement with your policies and your way of doing things, also saying so. All that is now gone. All your lieutenants and their subordinates have become selfish and do not work with common interest. They are all worried of themselves and of their families. One by one they will let you down and before it is too late alert yourself.
Every one in this country and the International Community are working hard to bring back Peace. They are moving heaven and earth to bring you to the negotiating table. Refusal of the Government to provide helicopter lift for your Political leaders of the East, is not such a serious issue for your cadre to go to the extent of sending an expectant mother, as a suicide bomber, seriously violating the provisions of the Ceasefire Agreement. The question asked by everybody is, as to why and who sent this human bomb to assassinate the Army Commander. This is why I put the blame on your cadre who are making it obvious that there is opposition within your ranks for a peaceful settlement of the problem. You should accept the lack of leadership in your organization. Who set the clock back to deliberately delay or disturb the Peace Process?
I equally blame the Government forces for the Air raid in the Muthur and adjoining areas. It is the duty of the Government to safeguard its People and not to cause them panic in anyform. It is your duty to see that your cadre keep away from the people and not use them as human shield. The LTTE also should be partially blamed for the displacement of the People and for the causalities among the civilian. I quite understand the provocation your suicide bomber gave to the army, by causing the death of ten innocent people and causing very serious injuries to the army commander and many others without any consideration for the innocent civilians.
The time has now come for you to declare a permanent ceasefire. You can’t trust your lieutenants and their subordinates any more. Most of the subordinates behave like thugs. They ill-treat our innocent people. They behave like super humans and treat the people like slaves. The people are fast losing confidence in you. The Tamil Eelam is never achievable, some reasons for which are given below. Hence please declare that you are giving up your demand for separations and is prepared to accept Federalism as a solution. During the recent Presidential Elections 49.7% of the voters supported a Federal Solution openly. In addition to that the Sri Lanka Freedom Party at its last convention offered Federalism as a Solution. The left Parties during the election campaign expressed their willingness for a Federal Solution. I am positively sure that if you declare to giveup separation, the JVP and the JHU will support a Federal Solution. In any case, if referred for a referendum over 80% of the voters will support it. Even the late Hon. S.J.V. Chelvanayagam the leader of the TULF had declared that the TULF will recommend to the people for acceptance if a viable alternate proposal is submitted.
I am sure that this is the best time to find a solution based on Federalism. Our people will welcome it. The Sinhalese and the Muslim too will welcome it. The International Community will give full support and all asssistance for it .
Successive Governments in India had made it very clear that they will never support the separate state of Tamil Eelam. Let us properly understand the concerns of India. Their oppositions for a separate state is not out of love or hatred for any group in Sri Lanka. But they will go all out to prevent the revival of a similar demand which died in the early sixties in Tamil Nadu and now no one talks about separation there. The fact that a strait of only 28 miles separates Sri Lanka from India cannot be ignored. Hence however much you try and whatever sacrifices you make, separation can never be achieved and you must think of an alternative.
You are now a married man and having a lot of responsibilities. You have grown up children to lookafter and thousands of other’s children to care for. You should therefore act with greater responsibilitiy. As a father you know the concerns of the parents about their children. You know how the parents will feel when a child is killed or a Child’s education is disrupted. You cannot be unaware of the sufferings of a family when the head of the family is killed. It is generally believed that about sixty thousand died due to the war, but my estimation is that it is much more. This figure remains constant for years but killings take place everyday. The army claims that about twenty thousand of their men died and the number of your cadre killed is over eighteen thousand. What about the several thousands killed by other means. I won’t accept that all operations were carried out by your cadre on your orders. They have started killing on their own initative. Your cadre deprived India of its leader Hon Rajiv Gandhi who could have been India’s Prime Minister for many years . Your cadre was responsible for the killing of a number of much respected Sinhalese Tamil and Muslim Political leader and thousands of innocent civilians all over the country. These killings that started with Mr. Alfred Duraiappa the mayor of Jaffna, is going on non -stop for a period of over (30) Thirty years. Do you remember the bomb-blast at Maradana, Central Bank building, Central Telegraph office, Colombo central Bus-Stand,Aluthgama bound officers train and many other such incidents at which thousands lost their lives limbs and eye sights and many are bedridden even today. Your cadre is responsible for these and not you.
Do you remember the massacres of Anuradhapura and Habarana that took 129 and 127 lives respectively and a total of 243 lives in two massacres at Eravur. The number massacred in Kaththankudy and Palliagedella were 103 and 161 respectively and the massacres of 35 novice Budhist Priests all of whom were small children. The total number of policeman massacred at Thirukovil was more than 678. What about your suicide bombers and the number of innocent lives they took with theirs. How many widows and orphans your cadre had created among the Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims by these massacres.
I know that some of your cadre will try to remind me of the Chemmani Cemetry killings, massacres in the ferry from Delft, at the refugee Camp of the Eastern University aerial bombing at the Navaly Church, Kudathannai School and Puthukudiyiruppu in the North and also some other places in the East like Kokkatticholai. I am not unaware of these incidents. There are many more on both sides but don’t dispute that the killings by your cadre, of people from all the three communities the Sinhalese the Tamils and the Muslims out numbers the killings by others, in very large numbers. Except enhancing the number of widows and orphans I do not think anybody rceived any benefit by these meaningless killings.
Although your cadre is responsible for most of these crimes, the International Community had branded you as the leader of the most ruthless terrorist organization in the world, a name that you are going to carry for many generation to come. The future generation will curse you for driving away all the Muslims from the North, for no reason at all. Not only Budhists, even people of all faiths will curse you for attempting to destroy the sacred Bo-Tree of Anuradhapura and the Temple of the sacred tooth in Kandy, both priceless possessions of which the country is proud of. Don’t forget that the Kandy’s Temple of the sacred tooth has very close links with the Vinayaga Temple, Pathini Temple, and Murugan Temple in Kandy.
The first blunder of yours was the claymore attack of the soldiers in July 1983 causing the death of 13 soldiers which ended up in a major communal riots. Thousands of Tamil people were killed, billions worth of property of the Tamils destroyed and looted. Thousands more made homeless and all became paupers over night. Hundreds of thousands of Tamils fled to various countries as refugees and sought asylum. During the last few years due to the atrocities of your cadre people got displaced in their thousands and are now peacefully living in the midst of the Sinhalese and Muslims, from Puttalam to Panadura, under poor conditions. The Muslims of the North who were driven out with only Rs 500 each, left behind all their belongings in 1991 are still in refugee camp in the South. This type of plundering is unheard of in our country.
The Tamils were proud of their culture and civilization. All that pride is no more. We are now an uncivilized lot, ruthless murderers and plunderers. Your cadre should take the responsibility for this slur on the Tamil Community . Have you at least preserved the rights that we enjoyed at the time you came to champion our cause. Are we enjoying our fundamental rights? Are you not aware that human rights violations by your cadre has no limits?
Will you deny that till the ceasefire agreement was signed by you with the Government our people were happy and contented . The relationship with the army was very cordial and only after the signing of the CFA your cadre, step by step took over the Government held areas and now ruling them with iron fist . Our people are God fearing and just. They spurn violence. It is your cadre that is promoting violence by brutally killing people, throwing bombs or hand grenades, planting of clay-more mines etc and not civilians. A local daily refers to your movement as one notorious for slashing pregnant mothers, dashing their unborn babies on walls and trees, chopping infants to death and recruiting child soldiers. This is just a sample of what is said or written about you. Obviously you have failed to tame them and they have now gone out of control. Therefore I plead with you that it is still not late for you to save our people. Do it before all your powers are usurped by your local leaders.
I wish to mention here the various factors that brought the LTTE to this state. It is the local and foreign based Tamil media both print and electronic. How long can we expect the expatriate Tamils and the International Community to believe the bundles of lies unfolded by them through the media, under their control. The dirty role played by many media, supportive of you, was mainly responsible for the proscription of the LTTE in Canada. Eighteen pro LTTE papers, all weeklies, were distributed free with exaggerated news, demeaning comments about critics of the LTTE, poems, stories, articles and discussions over the TV, radio and paper contributed towards the ban. Some websites are run by mentally affected persons made readers roll with laughter. Please cry halt to this type of mean propaganda which have proved counter-productive.
Another factor is the calibre of your key negotiators like Mr. S.P Tamilchelvan and Dr. Anton Balasingam. Mr. Tamilchelvan’s claim that civilians are planting clay-more mines and such other similar statements had been ridiculed by the International Community. Likewise Dr. Anton Balasingam’s statement that the LTTE leaders, who accompanied him for talks in Bangkok, without helping him, were interested in many other matters was a serious let down. Further his desire to hug and kiss me and invitation for me to have good meals at the five Star Hotel run by Mr. Pottuamman at Killinochci were veiled threats to me. Do you think people who can’t behave and talk well are suitable for negotiations. I am referring to Dr. Balasingam’s indecent references to the Budhist clergy Head of a state etc.
Things are going out of control. The country can’t efford to face another communal riots. The International Community is throwing its full weight in finding a satisfactory solution for the ethnic problem, based on a Federal Constitution, within the frame work of a United Sri Lanka. If only you decide to accept this proposal almost all the Political Parties are ready to support it. Even the Budhist clergy will back a solution within the United Sri Lanka. The Sinhalese are only opposed to a division of the country. Apart from that all are ready to fully back a Federal Solution, if you openly declare to accept a Federal Solution dropping the demand for separation. Massive support will come even from unexpected quarters. Out of experience I am advising you that the best solution is to accept a constitiution based on the Indian model with equal rights for all.
I owe you on explanation for my repeatedly suggesting the Indian model, for the simple reason that it is neither a Federal nor a Unitary Constitution and such a constitution will be acceptable to many. In proposing this solution I am not acting as anybody’s agent. You know very well that I will not yield to any pressure or give into any considerations. If you are agreeable to this suggestion other related matters can be subjected to detail discussion with the assistance of the facilitators and the International Community.
Yours Sincerely
V. Anandasangaree
President
TULF
