04.05.2008
Copy of an appeal sent to various Heads of Diplomatic Missions in Sri Lanka
Your Excellency,
A resolution was unanimously adopted on the 24th of April at the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, calling upon the Central Government of India to intervene and to help to initiate talks between the two warring parties, to bring back Peace to Sri Lanka. It is very unfortunate that most countries and various organisations all over the world, without understanding the ground situation keep on asking the Government of Sri Lanka to stop the war and to start talks with the LTTE. The war must stop but there cannot be talks with the LTTE alone.
The entire scenario has changed since the Cease Fire Agreement was signed on the 22nd of February, 2002. At the time the CFA was signed the LTTE had under its control certain specified areas both in the Northern and Eastern Provinces and was also virtually controlling the Government controlled areas in the North and the East. Several thousands of CFA violations, very many by the LTTE and a few by the Forces, resulted in the abrogation of the Agreement and re-starting of the war. Today, the LTTE controlled Eastern Province is completely liberated and the LTTE is losing fast its grip of areas they had under their control.
No one ever recognised the LTTE as the sole-representatives of the Tamil people although they were saying so. They gained 22 Parliamentary Tamil majority seats by fraudulent means, in the North and the East and all their 22 Federal Party (ITAK) Members of Parliament only act as proxies of the LTTE and not as representatives of the Tamil People of the North and the East. Even the Federal Party on which they entered Parliament was defunct at the time they sought election and was revived only much after the election. The four election Monitoring Teams that were here Monitoring election violence and violations had given adverse reports about the conducting of the elections held on 2nd of April 2004. Two such teams even recommended annulling of the elections held for the North and the East. Therefore they have no moral right to take part in any negotiations. In fact knowing their status they had not taken part in any negotiations since their elections in April, 2004.
The LTTE having lost control of the Eastern Province cannot any more talk about the people of the East. In the Northern Province, of the five administrative Districts, Kilinochchi and Mullaitheevu Districts are fully under their control. In the other three Districts Jaffna, Mannar and Vavuniya, they have control over certain areas and little by little they are losing those areas also.
More than half of the Sri Lankan Tamil population now live peacefully in the midst of the Sinhalese and the Muslims in the South. A substantial Tamil population is now living in Europe, Scandinavia, USA and Canada. Economically they are well off, well settled and giving the best of education for their children. They contribute liberally to the LTTE to purchase arms and to give training for children of poor parents in the LTTE held areas where they die in large numbers at the battle front everyday. I have made repeated requests to the International Community and also to the Secretary General of the United Nations to send a friendly army to liberate them from the LTTE without causing loss of lives and damage to property.
The most unfortunate Tamils are those who are still under their control where they live like slaves. They hardly enjoy any right. They can’t think or act as they want. They can’t vote for one, of their choice. They hide their upper school children from the LTTE to prevent them from being taken away for recruitment as soldiers. The offenders are sent to jail and severely punished. They had to pay heavy taxes. There are abductions, torture camps and darkroom chambers. I had made several appeals for atleast the Indian Parliamentarians and Members of Legislative Assemblies to visit the LTTE controlled areas and to judge for themselves as to what is happening there and how cruelly the innocent people are treated.
The question now is as to with whom the Government should talk? Is it right to ask the Government to talk to the LTTE alone? Some Intermediaries are trying to take advantage of the present situation and are coming out with various proposals which will never help to solve the problem. No solution based on a Unitary System will satisfy the aspirations of the Tamil minorities. Any solution should be based on equality and justice. During the last few years I had been lobbying for a solution based on the Indian Model, the main advantage of which, more than anything else, will silence the pro-LTTE forces in Tamil Nadu, which is a big stumbling block for any solution.
Thousands of people are getting killed in the war front. The pain is for the relatives and the dear ones of the victims and not for those who promote the war. The human rights violations continue unabated both in the Government controlled areas and in the LTTE controlled area, the only difference being there is transparency in the former and complete blackout in the latter. If there is determination and co-operation from the public the HRV can be brought under control in the former and nothing can be done in areas under the LTTE control.
The International Community and India in particular, can’t simply keep aloof. Pressure must come from all sides to the Government to put forward a reasonable solution acceptable to the International Community which if satisfied should bring pressure on all concerned parties to accept the proposed solution. The LTTE also should be told to give up their demand for separation and to accept the solution recommended by the International Community.
The controversial 13th Amendment can never be accepted as a final solution after loss of several thousands of lives and several billions worth of property destroyed over a period of over half a century. However till a final solution is agree on, the provisions in the 13th Amendment can serve as an interim solution.
I shall be very thankful to you, Your Excellency if you would kindly brief your Government of the present situation in Sri Lanka and to bring pressure on all the concerned parties to agree for a reasonable solution to the Ethnic Problem, since the country has suffered far beyond endurance. Kindly inform me a suitable date and time to enable me to meet and brief you further on this subject.
With kind regards,
V. Anandasangaree,
President – TULF.
Copy of an appeal sent to various Heads of Diplomatic Missions in Sri Lanka
Your Excellency,
WILL TALKS WITH THE LTTE ALONE SOLVE THE ETHNIC PROBLEM?
A resolution was unanimously adopted on the 24th of April at the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, calling upon the Central Government of India to intervene and to help to initiate talks between the two warring parties, to bring back Peace to Sri Lanka. It is very unfortunate that most countries and various organisations all over the world, without understanding the ground situation keep on asking the Government of Sri Lanka to stop the war and to start talks with the LTTE. The war must stop but there cannot be talks with the LTTE alone.
The entire scenario has changed since the Cease Fire Agreement was signed on the 22nd of February, 2002. At the time the CFA was signed the LTTE had under its control certain specified areas both in the Northern and Eastern Provinces and was also virtually controlling the Government controlled areas in the North and the East. Several thousands of CFA violations, very many by the LTTE and a few by the Forces, resulted in the abrogation of the Agreement and re-starting of the war. Today, the LTTE controlled Eastern Province is completely liberated and the LTTE is losing fast its grip of areas they had under their control.
No one ever recognised the LTTE as the sole-representatives of the Tamil people although they were saying so. They gained 22 Parliamentary Tamil majority seats by fraudulent means, in the North and the East and all their 22 Federal Party (ITAK) Members of Parliament only act as proxies of the LTTE and not as representatives of the Tamil People of the North and the East. Even the Federal Party on which they entered Parliament was defunct at the time they sought election and was revived only much after the election. The four election Monitoring Teams that were here Monitoring election violence and violations had given adverse reports about the conducting of the elections held on 2nd of April 2004. Two such teams even recommended annulling of the elections held for the North and the East. Therefore they have no moral right to take part in any negotiations. In fact knowing their status they had not taken part in any negotiations since their elections in April, 2004.
The LTTE having lost control of the Eastern Province cannot any more talk about the people of the East. In the Northern Province, of the five administrative Districts, Kilinochchi and Mullaitheevu Districts are fully under their control. In the other three Districts Jaffna, Mannar and Vavuniya, they have control over certain areas and little by little they are losing those areas also.
More than half of the Sri Lankan Tamil population now live peacefully in the midst of the Sinhalese and the Muslims in the South. A substantial Tamil population is now living in Europe, Scandinavia, USA and Canada. Economically they are well off, well settled and giving the best of education for their children. They contribute liberally to the LTTE to purchase arms and to give training for children of poor parents in the LTTE held areas where they die in large numbers at the battle front everyday. I have made repeated requests to the International Community and also to the Secretary General of the United Nations to send a friendly army to liberate them from the LTTE without causing loss of lives and damage to property.
The most unfortunate Tamils are those who are still under their control where they live like slaves. They hardly enjoy any right. They can’t think or act as they want. They can’t vote for one, of their choice. They hide their upper school children from the LTTE to prevent them from being taken away for recruitment as soldiers. The offenders are sent to jail and severely punished. They had to pay heavy taxes. There are abductions, torture camps and darkroom chambers. I had made several appeals for atleast the Indian Parliamentarians and Members of Legislative Assemblies to visit the LTTE controlled areas and to judge for themselves as to what is happening there and how cruelly the innocent people are treated.
The question now is as to with whom the Government should talk? Is it right to ask the Government to talk to the LTTE alone? Some Intermediaries are trying to take advantage of the present situation and are coming out with various proposals which will never help to solve the problem. No solution based on a Unitary System will satisfy the aspirations of the Tamil minorities. Any solution should be based on equality and justice. During the last few years I had been lobbying for a solution based on the Indian Model, the main advantage of which, more than anything else, will silence the pro-LTTE forces in Tamil Nadu, which is a big stumbling block for any solution.
Thousands of people are getting killed in the war front. The pain is for the relatives and the dear ones of the victims and not for those who promote the war. The human rights violations continue unabated both in the Government controlled areas and in the LTTE controlled area, the only difference being there is transparency in the former and complete blackout in the latter. If there is determination and co-operation from the public the HRV can be brought under control in the former and nothing can be done in areas under the LTTE control.
The International Community and India in particular, can’t simply keep aloof. Pressure must come from all sides to the Government to put forward a reasonable solution acceptable to the International Community which if satisfied should bring pressure on all concerned parties to accept the proposed solution. The LTTE also should be told to give up their demand for separation and to accept the solution recommended by the International Community.
The controversial 13th Amendment can never be accepted as a final solution after loss of several thousands of lives and several billions worth of property destroyed over a period of over half a century. However till a final solution is agree on, the provisions in the 13th Amendment can serve as an interim solution.
I shall be very thankful to you, Your Excellency if you would kindly brief your Government of the present situation in Sri Lanka and to bring pressure on all the concerned parties to agree for a reasonable solution to the Ethnic Problem, since the country has suffered far beyond endurance. Kindly inform me a suitable date and time to enable me to meet and brief you further on this subject.
With kind regards,
V. Anandasangaree,
President – TULF.
