His Excellency Mahinda Rajapaksa,
President of Sri Lanka,
Temple Trees,
Colombo – 03.
Your Excellency,
Please bear with me for raising objections, for the action that is being taken, as admitted by the Governor of the North-East Provincial Council, to de-merge the same. I am not arguing whether the merger of the North and the East is justifiable or not. I am only emphasizing to you that this is not the time to do it and that it should be left to the people concerned to take a decisions, as promised by the Hon. Prime Minister in Parliament. This act can be compared to the passing of the 6th Amendment to the Constitution by President J.R.Jeyawardene at a time when there was a major backlash in the country and the TULF Members were not in Parliament. If left alone things would have been completely different today. President Jeyawardene’s move only helped him to take over the Leadership of the Tamils from the moderates and to hand it over to the Tamil Militant Groups. One group gradually eradicated all the other groups or silenced them with their fire-power. The present move of yours will lead to a situation like that. This is not what the country needs urgently today, that too in a war-torn area. Rightly or wrongly the Tamils and to some extent the Muslims too feel that their future lies in a merged province. De-merger at this juncture will only make the Tamils and the Muslims of the Eastern Province to desperately go behind the LTTE finding no alternative and forgetting all their ruthless recent past. In this issue I feel that you should allow the people to decide on their own. Please share your views with some Tamil and Muslim Leaders as well.
The Merger of these two Provinces took place 17 years back and at a time when it was felt that there was a need for it to solve the ethnic problem. The then Prime Minister of India Hon. Rajiv Gandhi took the initiative to merge the North and the East. All these 17 years things moved smoothly in the Provincial Administration. Administration was by the Public Servants without any political party or politicians. It is not that there was no one during these 17 years to think of a Fundamental Rights petition, but there was no need for it at all. If only the LTTE had not taken over parts of these provinces under their control, the Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims would have lived happily in peace and harmony.
Now some parties thought of it and filed the F.R. petition and the court justly held with them. Action need not be taken to de-merge the merged provinces. Instead action could have been taken and rectified through the Parliament. The UNP had even pledged its support for it, being another National Party that had ruled the country many times.
The merged provinces have for a period of 17 years gained legitimacy by remaining so, uninterrupted and un-challenged. People who had lived in these merged provinces and some born there, have enjoyed certain fundamental rights that cannot be interfered with. Now there is a war going on and the people who are directly affected by war are running for their lives carrying their children, through thick jungles, without proper food and water to drink and also getting wet when it rains. It is very unfair to do anything with the merger arbitrarily without giving an opportunity for them either to support it or oppose it. They are displaced in their thousands and are running away from their homes leaving behind almost all their possession with no hopes of finding them on their return. The victims are from all communities. Some who had taken boats in desperation to escape from the shelling of both sides, to safer places by sea had died in the sea. Several were killed and much more severely injured. They are all languishing in refugee camps without proper food and shelter. It is most pathetic to see them and to listen to their sad stories.
It is the opinion of the ordinary people that you will deliver the goods if you hold the reigns properly. Mr. Prabakaran’s children and the children of other LTTE Leaders are in safe places. It is the poor parents and their children who are in the war zone suffer. Those who want de-merger have no vested interest in the merged area. It is merely to spite the minorities that all sorts of demands crop up. But you as the Head of the State has a responsibility to look after the interest of the minorities. You are aware that the Tamils who could afford had fled the country and are comfortably settled in various countries while those who cannot afford to go abroad are running away from their own homes, out of fear for the LTTE, taking with them whatever they can and are settled among the Sinhalese and feel safe. For the same reason those who could afford had gone to India, mainly to safeguard their children. You see that we Tamils who have trust in you live with the Sinhalese peacefully. Why can’t the Sinhalese trust the Tamils and agree to live them.
If you are serious about all our people, irrespective of their ethnicity enjoying all rights like the others, please stop further action on the de-merger and maintain the “Status Quo”. A referendum to decide on the de-merger can wait till normalcy returns and all our people go back to their respective homes. Until then remedial measures can be taken through our country’s legislature to meet the requirements of the court order.
With regard to the solution for the ethnic problem, I reiterate that the Government is committed to find a solution based on the Oslo and Tokyo Agreements and it would be very unreasonable to thrust any other solution on the Tamils. The Tamils all over the world want to come back home and live with the Sinhalese, Tamils Muslim and fellow citizens of all other ethnic groups in a united Sri Lanka. Having failed these 50 years to find a solution in a Unitary State, the only option left is a Federal solution within a united Sri Lanka. The International Community welcomes it and the local Tamils too. The LTTE is also fully aware that the International Community will oppose separation tooth and nail and that they to should agree for a Federal Solution.
Thanking you,
Yours Sincerely,
V.Anandasangaree,
President – TULF.
President of Sri Lanka,
Temple Trees,
Colombo – 03.
Your Excellency,
DE-MERGER OF THE PROVINCES IS UNTIMELY
Please bear with me for raising objections, for the action that is being taken, as admitted by the Governor of the North-East Provincial Council, to de-merge the same. I am not arguing whether the merger of the North and the East is justifiable or not. I am only emphasizing to you that this is not the time to do it and that it should be left to the people concerned to take a decisions, as promised by the Hon. Prime Minister in Parliament. This act can be compared to the passing of the 6th Amendment to the Constitution by President J.R.Jeyawardene at a time when there was a major backlash in the country and the TULF Members were not in Parliament. If left alone things would have been completely different today. President Jeyawardene’s move only helped him to take over the Leadership of the Tamils from the moderates and to hand it over to the Tamil Militant Groups. One group gradually eradicated all the other groups or silenced them with their fire-power. The present move of yours will lead to a situation like that. This is not what the country needs urgently today, that too in a war-torn area. Rightly or wrongly the Tamils and to some extent the Muslims too feel that their future lies in a merged province. De-merger at this juncture will only make the Tamils and the Muslims of the Eastern Province to desperately go behind the LTTE finding no alternative and forgetting all their ruthless recent past. In this issue I feel that you should allow the people to decide on their own. Please share your views with some Tamil and Muslim Leaders as well.
The Merger of these two Provinces took place 17 years back and at a time when it was felt that there was a need for it to solve the ethnic problem. The then Prime Minister of India Hon. Rajiv Gandhi took the initiative to merge the North and the East. All these 17 years things moved smoothly in the Provincial Administration. Administration was by the Public Servants without any political party or politicians. It is not that there was no one during these 17 years to think of a Fundamental Rights petition, but there was no need for it at all. If only the LTTE had not taken over parts of these provinces under their control, the Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims would have lived happily in peace and harmony.
Now some parties thought of it and filed the F.R. petition and the court justly held with them. Action need not be taken to de-merge the merged provinces. Instead action could have been taken and rectified through the Parliament. The UNP had even pledged its support for it, being another National Party that had ruled the country many times.
The merged provinces have for a period of 17 years gained legitimacy by remaining so, uninterrupted and un-challenged. People who had lived in these merged provinces and some born there, have enjoyed certain fundamental rights that cannot be interfered with. Now there is a war going on and the people who are directly affected by war are running for their lives carrying their children, through thick jungles, without proper food and water to drink and also getting wet when it rains. It is very unfair to do anything with the merger arbitrarily without giving an opportunity for them either to support it or oppose it. They are displaced in their thousands and are running away from their homes leaving behind almost all their possession with no hopes of finding them on their return. The victims are from all communities. Some who had taken boats in desperation to escape from the shelling of both sides, to safer places by sea had died in the sea. Several were killed and much more severely injured. They are all languishing in refugee camps without proper food and shelter. It is most pathetic to see them and to listen to their sad stories.
It is the opinion of the ordinary people that you will deliver the goods if you hold the reigns properly. Mr. Prabakaran’s children and the children of other LTTE Leaders are in safe places. It is the poor parents and their children who are in the war zone suffer. Those who want de-merger have no vested interest in the merged area. It is merely to spite the minorities that all sorts of demands crop up. But you as the Head of the State has a responsibility to look after the interest of the minorities. You are aware that the Tamils who could afford had fled the country and are comfortably settled in various countries while those who cannot afford to go abroad are running away from their own homes, out of fear for the LTTE, taking with them whatever they can and are settled among the Sinhalese and feel safe. For the same reason those who could afford had gone to India, mainly to safeguard their children. You see that we Tamils who have trust in you live with the Sinhalese peacefully. Why can’t the Sinhalese trust the Tamils and agree to live them.
If you are serious about all our people, irrespective of their ethnicity enjoying all rights like the others, please stop further action on the de-merger and maintain the “Status Quo”. A referendum to decide on the de-merger can wait till normalcy returns and all our people go back to their respective homes. Until then remedial measures can be taken through our country’s legislature to meet the requirements of the court order.
With regard to the solution for the ethnic problem, I reiterate that the Government is committed to find a solution based on the Oslo and Tokyo Agreements and it would be very unreasonable to thrust any other solution on the Tamils. The Tamils all over the world want to come back home and live with the Sinhalese, Tamils Muslim and fellow citizens of all other ethnic groups in a united Sri Lanka. Having failed these 50 years to find a solution in a Unitary State, the only option left is a Federal solution within a united Sri Lanka. The International Community welcomes it and the local Tamils too. The LTTE is also fully aware that the International Community will oppose separation tooth and nail and that they to should agree for a Federal Solution.
Thanking you,
Yours Sincerely,
V.Anandasangaree,
President – TULF.
