Previous articles:
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
"Tamils who made Rajapaksa victorious!"
Since the Sri Lankan Government's had taken few anti-Tamils' views, the non-violence struggle against the GoSL begun at the end of 1970s and the arm struggle started subsequently. Many people have mentioned us that J. R. Jeyawardena, in particular, was an enemy against the Tamils.
They further said: "Jeyawardena had completely surrendered once Rajiv Gandhi sent our war air crafts to the Sri Lankan air territory illegally in the name of "Operation Poomalai" and air dropped food parcels on Tamils' areas. As per Rajiv Gandhi's advice, Jeyawardena had brought 13th amendment in the Sri Lankan constitution as well.
However, the Tigers did not accept that Indo-Sri Lanka agreement then. If only, they had accepted that agreement with India's support then they could have achieved all the things they wanted gradually – with India's conditions – and taken the Tamils to a good stage. However, they did not do it then. All the other armed Tamil outfits had welcomed this political solution. However, the LTTE Movement had started attacking and destroying its fellow Tamil militant outfits more seriously than opposing the GoSL.
Hence, when the IPKF went to Sri Lanka many militant outfits stood in favour of the Indian army. However, the Tigers while fighting against the IPKF changed their view all of a sudden, forged an alliance with President Premadasa and sent out the IPKF.
Hence, when the IPKF went to Sri Lanka, many militant outfits stood in favor of the Indian army. However, the Tigers while fighting against the IPKF changed their stand all of a sudden, forged an alliance with President Premadasa and sent out the IPKF.
The pro-LTTE supporters, who brand many leaders including Douglas Devananda, Karuna and KP, who have taken the pro-GoSL stand as "Tamil Traitors" now, should keep one thing in their minds. Tigers were the ones who taught many people that there was nothing wrong in forging an alliance with the GoSL for the self-interests as and when required. Tigers were the ones who had chased away India by forging an alliance with the GoSL, stating "this is a brotherly issue of Sri Lanka. India, the neibhouring nation, needs not to interfere in this issue".
"Even many Sri Lankan Governments, which had acted against the Tamils, too came forward for talks with LTTE on many occasions, by keeping in mind the peace of the country. Many countries including India and Norway came forward to broker the peace talks. The Tigers could have utilized those opportunities and obtained many benefits, beyond the solutions expected by the Tamils then.
However, the Tigers, by just talking about the independent nation again and again in vein, had decimated several thousands of innocent Tamils while ruining themselves.
"Many Sri Lankan Governments, headed by Presidents Jeyawardena, Premadasa, Chandrika and Rajapaksa, had been conducting war against the LTTE. Finally, the GoSL became victorious in 2009. Since Rajapaksa celebrates the victory of the 30-old war as his victory, the accusation on war crimes too fall on him. This is natural.
In the 2005 elections, Ranil Wickramasinghe's party had sought the support of the LTTE. Many Tamils had argued that Rajapaksa can be defeated only in this way. However, the Tigers did not accept it and ordered that Tamils should not vote. Because of this, Rajapaksa had formed a coalition government and eliminated the Tigers with the assistance from many nations. It was Tigers who had brought Rajapaksa as President. They had found the way for their own destruction", said many Tamils in Colombo.
As pointed out by an elderly person in the last edition, the SLA did not massacre all the innocent Tamils and Tigers overnight. After fighting continuously for 30 years, the SLA had gradually eliminated the Tigers. There cannot be a long time gap of tolerance, than this, to eliminate terrorism anywhere. We should also keep in mind the fact that, if the countries like the US and China had faced this, they would have uprooted the terrorist group within a year's time.
"Before 1980s, Sri Lankan army's duty was a fun-filled one with walking practice in the morning, volley ball game in the evening and cocktail at night. The SLA soldiers were not aware of war techniques at all. Only after the formation of the LTTE, they had started training for a battle. When the SLA had started studying LKG in the war, the Tigers had completed Ph.D in it. The SLA had fought with the LTTE only after having received training in many countries," said an auditor, who is a Sri Lanka-origin Tamil.
The SLA had tasted this victory only after paying a big price. The Sri Lanka had not only lost the lives of SLA soldiers but also many other things such as, properties of the Government, economy, tourism etc., Hence the people of Sri Lanka, particularly the business community, hail Rajapaksa who had decimated the Tigers. Because of this, Rajapaksa and his allies had secured a landslide victory in the 2010 general elections. Now, Rajapaksa-led Government has secured a 2/3rd majority by which it can even amend the constitution.
We can't say that only Sinhalese had hailed Rajapaksa and made him victorious. The Rajapaksa-led Government had captured the power even in the Eastern Province which the Tigers had claimed as a part of their Eelam nation. Rajapaksa's alliance had won three MP seats in Jaffna as well. The said Rajapaksa alliance had captured the Jaffna Municipality as well. Therefore, even the Tamils had voted for Rajapaksa alliance only. What does it mean? It could only be understood that even the Tamils there appreciate Rajapaksa who had brought the war to an end, is it not? [We saw many posters in Tamil, condemning the resolution proposed by the US in Geneva, pasted in many places in Jaffna. See the picture]. (Poster reads: "We shall look after our own problem at home. USA! Shut your mouth - By People Front")
At the same time, the TNA, recognized by the LTTE, too had secured considerable victories in Tami areas. However, we should note here the fact that the victory, secured by them in the elections held after the war had gone down when compared to their victory in the elections held during the war time.
When we point out all the above things, we cannot stop mentioning the complaints made by the Tamils on Rajapaksa here. We will see, in the next edition, the types of accusations put forth by the Tamils living in Sri Lanka against Rajapaksa.
[To be continued]………S. J. Idhaya and A.A. Samy
Box News:
Touch-stone of the truth
Some people criticize that these series of articles are being written against the LTTE and in support of the GoSL in a pre-planned manner. First of all, it is better for them, to get to know the background of the beginning of this article.
Everyone knows about the stand of our editor from the time Sri Lanka issue had started. Even when Tamil Nadu and the entire India had accorded a red-carpet welcome to the Tigers then, our editor had written articles opposing it. Former LTTE Commander Karuna, while speaking to us, had mentioned "your editor Cho had written against the LTTE in 1983 itself. People like us, who were with the LTTE then, were furious when he had written "only destruction will result if Tigers are supported. Supporting Tigers is not good for both Tamil Nadu and India. Sri Lanka will never get a good solution through the Tigers".
Likewise, our editor continued to stay firm in his anti-LTTE stand, even from the time when the general public view in Tamil Nadu was in favor of the LTTE. Even in the "Thuglak" office an opinion against our editor's view had prevailed at times. Whenever the Sri Lanka issue gains momentum in Tamil Nadu, there was a debate in our office suggesting "why shouldn't we visit Sri Lanka in person and publish a direct report". Before that debate concludes, the momentum will go down in Tamil Nadu and another issue would replace it. This time, when the students' protest got intensified following the release of the photographs of Balachandran and subsequently even the DMK, which never gives up power for any matters, had gone out of the Central Cabinet, our editor had decided to "send the reporters to Sri Lanka".
Because, the information received by the Editor from the Tamil sources in Sri Lanka were different from the accusations put forth in Tamil Nadu. Before sending us to Sri Lanka, this is what our Editor told us: "Don't keep any of Thuglak's independent view in your mind. What I want is the ground reality in Sri Lanka. Compile the accusations put forth here. Check the ground reality of those accusations there. We should know the mindset of the Sri Lankan Tamils. You can meet anyone according to your wish. Ask any question you want and bring their replies".
Our Editor had sent us to Sri Lanka with such a freedom only. In fact, our Editor knows that both of us have sympathy for Sri Lankan Tamils. We had asked our Editor, "what will happen if in case the article we pen goes completely as a pro-LTTE article?" He replied, "Even if the entire Sri Lanka makes pro-LTTE opinions, my view, that the organization was a terrorist outfit, cannot be changed. I cannot write in support of that organization. I will only think that I have sent both of you to Sri Lanka for a free tour and will not publish the article. At the same time, I will keep in mind the fact that all the people in Sri Lanka actually support the Tigers only. My conscience will not give room to make pro-LTTE campaign. If in case such a mindset prevails in Sri Lanka, we don't have any necessity to publish a false article by changing that mindset. Hence, just record the ground reality in Sri Lanka and come. We will see the other things later," he replied.
We went to Sri Lanka in this manner only. Until we landed in Sri Lanka we were talking like "there will not be any necessity to write detailed articles. People will not put forth accusations to this extent in India and abroad without evidence. There is a possibility that our trip to Sri Lanka will only be a disappointment to our Editor".
However, the things we saw and heard from the minute we landed in Sri Lanka had shocked us a lot. "We felt disappointed when we had realized in person that all the accusations like demolition of Hindu temples, erasing of Tamil names, Sinhala settlement, domination of Chinese, ethnic cleansing, barbed-wire fenced camps, torture camps for Tigers etc., were blatant lies. When we heard the people in Tamil areas [mentioned as Eelam] cursing the Tigers to the core, while some people in Tamil Nadu worship the Tigers as Gods of protection, we felt ashamed when recalling some of the pro-LTTE arguments we had with our Editor at few occasions in the past.
Hence, these series of articles are not the ones which were conceived as per the wish of the Editor. This is a touch-stone of the fact prevailing in Sri Lanka. As mentioned by one of the readers of "Thuglak" in "Dear Mr. Thuglak" section, this series of articles may bring some titles such as "Tamil traitor, stooge of the GoSL" etc., from some people to "Thuglak". However, it will not transform the ground reality in Sri Lanka.
Prabhakan will surface again?
A person from Pudukuyiruppu, who talked to us only for few minutes, had expressed his opinions furiously within that short period. We had to console him as he became very emotional. Why was he furious?
"An accusation, that military rule takes place in the North and Eastern Provinces, is put forth by the Members of Tamil Diaspora all over the globe. It is a kind of depiction, as if guns are placed in front of the faces of all the people here. But, no such thing is happening here. In the past, Tigers were roaming around with guns. Now army cadres roam around. There were no jobs, no roads, no electricity and no travels in the past. We have all these facilities now. It is true that, there was restriction from army for some time after the final phase of the war was over in 2009. However, such restriction doesn't exist now to that extent. It is reduced gradually. We believe that we too can enjoy absolute freedom, like other Provinces in Sri Lanka, after some time.
The Members of Tamil Diaspora and some politicians in Tamil Nadu are the ones who spoil our above belief. For them, Sri Lankan Tamils mean only Tigers. They had supported all the idiotic decisions taken by the LTTE. They don't care of the views of the general public here. They don't have strength to fight. They are like people who whistle when they see their heroes fighting in the silver screen. They are similar to the barbarous kings, who shout happily by saying "Yes do it", after making their slaves to fight with the lions. They remain in their country safely, after hailing LTTE's fight as "braveness of the Tamils". We are the ones who had lost our parents, children and siblings. We are the ones who had lost our lives in the darkness and bunkers for 30 years.
"It was Tigers who had destroyed our peace. Many people came to help, to find solutions on many occasions. However, the Tigers did not accept any of them. It is like the calmness prevailing in a cemetery, peace has been restored to some extent after their elimination. Now only we are searching for a normal life like all others. The above mentioned people are trying to sabotage even that life. These people who could not digest the defeat of the Tigers, console themselves by stating "Prabhakan is safe. He will surface again. Tamil Eelam will blossom again". They are not realizing even a bit of the fact that such empty talks from them will only jeopardize our lives further. It is like the mannerism of those who whistle to defuse their fear while walking through the jungle area in the mid-night.
"They, instead of paving way for us to live independently, after the gradual decreasing of army pressure gets reduced further, make statements like "Prabhakan will surface. Eelam will blossom" etc., This is like telling the army indirectly that "SLA! Don't give room for it and continue to monitor the Tamils with caution. Give them more and more pressure". These people, who shed crocodile tears by saying that a military rule is taking place, are struggling to make sure not to reduce the army activities", he said furiously.
Is an independent State in India possible?
It is a fact that no Tamil in Sri Lanka raise slogans demanding an independent Tamil Eelam. Majority of them think that it is enough if they survive with half stomach. A person, who spoke to us in Jaffna, has said this: "What is the plight of Tamil Nadu in India? Kerala will not give water. Karnataka will not give water. Andhra will not give water. The Central Government too will not help in this cause. But, power is supplied to other States from Neyveli. The Koodangulam Nuclear Plant will be built in Tamil Nadu in spite of the opposition of the people in that area. However, power will go to the neighboring States.
Many people complain that the Central Government takes no action to stop the attacks on Tamil Nadu fishermen. The State Government, at least once in a week, complaint against the Central Government that "the Centre doesn't allocate adequate funds for Tamil Nadu, it reduces the quantity of Kerosene" etc. What Tamil Nadu is doing in this situation? Is Tamil Nadu demands a separate State? It continues to fight with the Central Government. It approaches the Courts legally. You should advise the Sri Lankan Tamils the fact that many more bigger problems than the prevailing ones will surface if they go separate, is it not?
"How much pressure you face even in creating a separate Province called Telangana in India, is it not? If it is so, how big is the demand of asking to form an independent nation? If a country is divided by using violence, then any country will fear that such a situation will arise in all the countries. Hence, any country will bear in mind that it should not support this division. Hence, at the international level, it is impossible to gather support for the formation of an independent nation".
Well-maintained Valluvar Statue!
"SLA erases the identity of Tamils" is one of the prime accusations put forth in Tamil Nadu. However, the scene we had witnessed in Vavuniya` city, was totally contradictory to that accusation. We could see the statues of many Tamil scholars in Vavuniya city. Particularly, a Valluvar statue, erected at the junction of a main road, looked very good with new painting. When we saw that statue, maintenance works around the statue were also going on. This is a very big example to show the fact that so many lies are unleashed among the people in Tamil Nadu.
© THUGLAK, 2013
