No Sinhala leader will offer houourable peace to Tamils

Point of view

No Sinhala leader will offer houourable peace to Tamils

By: C. C. David Source: Northeastern Monthly

Tough known as Ceylon in the past, this Island changed its name to Sri Lanka through a decision of a Sinhala majority government. Ever since independence, this country is systematically and remorselessly being driven to become a veritable hell on earth, its descent having as its basic components liquidate, mbutt liquidate, communal pogroms, looting, rape, arson, corruption, denial of civil liberties, a complete breakdown of law and order, the desecration of religion, and worst of all, the collapse of the rampart of judicial safeguards. What else do you require to qualify to be a hell on earth?

It must be stated that the foundation for evil was laid well before the dawn of independence. Successive Sinhala governments were responsible through calculated and deliberate design to drive the Tamils to the wall and force them to take up arms if they wished to live as free and equal citizens in the land of their birth. There have been numerous agreements and pacts by Sinhala leaders, which were broken and blatantly discarded. Commencing from the first prime minister, D. S. Senanayake up to Ranil Wickramaisnghe and now President Chandrika Kumaratunga, let down the Tamils.

The first UNP government of D. S. Senanayake initiated Sinhala domination at the expense of the Tamils by: (1) disenfranchising Tamils of recent Indian origin and thus reducing parliamentary representation of Tamils in general, (2) starting the Gal Oya irrigation scheme and state-sponsored colonization of Inginiyagala, Gal Oya, Amparai in the east and Padaviya in the north. The bulk of Sinhala colonists were hardcore convicts backed by army and police who wanted to drive out the Tamils from those areas, (3) by discriminating against the Tamils in government appointments and promotions through subtle but well-planned and meticulously executed schemes that gained gradual effectiveness.

Senanayake's son Dudley was a chip of the old block but had, mercifully, a short period of time to do damage. Serious calamities to this country commenced with the arrival of S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike who strode to power in 1956 on the communal cry of introducing 'Sinhala Only' as the official language within 24 hours of coming to office. This effectively closed the door for Tamils to enter government service, and for those already in service, it blocked their promotions. Many Tamils had to retire prematurely. In addition to this there were racial riots sponsored by the state with the police and armed services helping in looting, burning and killing. Even the Tamil members of parliament who performed satyagraha were brutally buttaulted opposite parliament.

The introduction of the Sinhala letter 'Sri' to vehicle number plates in 1958 spawned even more violence against the Tamils. The Buddhist clergy gave the enterprise wholesale and active support. The Buddhist clergymen led the Sinhala mobs reading out from electoral lists names of Tamil householders and Tamil business establishments. Lord Buddha, the Compbuttionate One who abhorred killing and founded a code of humane order for peace and maithri, would be ashamed of those who professed to follow his teachings but indulged in mbutt liquidate and mayhem.

It was Prime Minister Srimavo Bandaranaike who sent the army for the first time to the north to kill and maim peaceful satyagrahis. Her successor, President J. R. Jayewardene, was the architect of the 1983 pogrom and the whole world was shocked at the chaos and wanton wreckage unleashed by a dharmista state. The world of course was a pbuttive spectator in 1983 except for Mother India and Mother Indira Gandhi who kept Jayewardene in his place, and saved the Tamils. She helped the Tamil nation and gave them the power and strength to fight evil. Unfortunately successive Indian governments including her son Rajiv Gandhi's, who was an inexperienced but arrogant leader strained relationships with the Tamils by thoughtless acts, which led to his unfortunate dissolution.

When Jayewardene came to power with a five-sixth majority, the country expected justice and an end to its trials and tribulations. He had a golden opportunity to lead the nation back on the track to become a major player in Asia. But he was incapable of creating a peaceful, united and prosperous country. He had with him some of the most talented men as his ministers and nation builders; but they proved to be educated political opportunists. They carried on the disruptive and destructive agenda of the Bandaranaike couple.

President R. Premadasa's lack of a formal education made him arrogant enough to believe he could bring about a division within the LTTE. The bid failed and cost him his life. President D. B. Wijetunga's period can be clbuttified as a blank. Kumaraatunga came in as an 'angel of peace' and in all fairness attempted to bring a peaceful, negotiated settlement to the ethnic crisis. The opposition sabotaged her efforts and as they say, "hell hath no fury as a woman scorned." She embarked on a war for peace letting loose the worst brutality the Tamil people had known.

Therefore, it is patently evident that not a single Sinhala leader or Sinhala government can and will offer an honourable proposal for peace. It is a repebreastion of cheating the Tamils.

The Prevention of Terrorism Act with almost arbitrary powers of arrest and detention was one of the most repressive pieces of legislation enabling the security forces to commit the most inhuman acts of mbutt liquidate and destruction. Tamil villages were razed to the ground, and the North and East came under brutal army occupation. There was systematic aerial plantardment and shelling by the navy while the army completed the demolition by bulldozing. There was a news blackout with wholesale censorship. The world looked on as a pbuttive spectator while powerful countries like the USA, UK, China, Israel and even India supplied sophisticated arms provided finance to the war for peace program.

Indian support was unpardonable. But it must be stated that despite the combined power, the Tamils fought back with valour, which was unprecedented in the face of such overwhelming odds both numerically as well as in the access to weaponry and military buttets.

Having achieved a position of military parity the LTTE offered of a ceasefire with a willingness to negotiate, which was accepted by the UNP government elected in December 2001. However, the government of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe dragged the peace process on for two years promising plenty but not achieving enough, while surrepbreastiously preparing safety nets and defence agreements with Minister Milinda Moragoda flying around putting the structures in place. The UNP also organized a clever split with the promise of bringing Karuna, the LTTE renegade, to the forefront. When UPFA defeated the UNF at the last election in April 2004 and formed the government, it took over Karuna and is now playing a dangerous game using him to destabilize the LTTE.

We have arrived now at the cross roads of history. It would appear there is no leader or leadership that can salvage this land from the brink of disaster. The thread of the Ceasefire Agreement on which peace is hanging is also being stretched to its limits. The Sinhala people and their leaders should realize that this is the very last chance to be a united nation.

It will be pertinent in the present political stalemate to study the Canadian example of Quebec's bid for secession and the observations of the Canadian Supreme Court. The Canadian Supreme Court observed that international law does not allow unilateral declaration to secede. However, in Para 138 of its judgment the Court elaborated on two exceptions to the general rule: 1) where the people are oppressed and 2) where the affected people are denied meaningful access to government to pursue their political, economic social and cultural development.

The Quebec question considered in the light of the Canadian Supreme Court decision leads us to ask the following questions: 1) Can Quebec secede? 2) Does international law permit the right to secession unilaterally 3) could the Quebec example be replicated elsewhere?

The right to self-determination is an enbreastlement to a group that could be defined as 'people,' in international law. The term 'people' does not necessarily mean the entirety of the population of that state or region. In this regard the Canadian Supreme Court used the term internal self-determination for the first time. This term has not been used in the UN Charter, UN resolutions, conventions or covenants. The Court also observed that the right to self-determination of a people is normally fulfilled through internal self-determination by way of the pursuit of their political, economic, social and cultural development within the framework of an existing state.

As such the plight of the Tamil people in Sri Lanka fulfills the criteria for the right to self-determination both in terms of international law as well as the ruling given in Para 138 in the Canadian Supreme Court ruling.

The international community is aware of the events prior to and, more importantly, consequent to independence in 1948 in Ceylon-Sri Lanka. The tragic consequences of the successive Sinhala governments, which by design and deceit embarked on course of genocide against the Tamils, should be clear to the international community. They should act now.

Unfortunately Sri Lanka appears to be, once again, on the brink of another war, which will ruin the country but benefit the arms producing and affluent countries. The only silver lining seems to be the awareness of the international community that is getting involved to bring about an end to the crisis.

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Is this terrorism or democracy?

Saththurukondan Mbuttacres: 180 Tamils butchered - Sep 10, 1990

Saththurukondan Mbuttacres: 180 Tamils butchered On 10 September 1990, over 180 Tamil civilians were butchered by the Sri Lanka army at the Saththurukondan Army Camp in the Batticaloa District. At an inquiry into the mbuttacre, the Officer-in-Charge of the camp, Captain.Gamini Varnakula Sooriya said "On that day no search or arrest was conducted by us". He also reiterated that none of his men even ventured out of the camp on the day of the mbuttacre. The sole survivor of the mbuttacre, Kanthasamy Krishnakumar aged 27, however recounted the chilling facts

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Continues.

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LTTE should demand that the Sri Lankan government:

To STOP the war in the north and east of Sri Lanka to initiate a peace

To REMOVE the war chorusing racists political leaders from the government positions

To SACK all armed forces commanders advocating the war from their post.

To LIFT the economic embargo imposed on the Tamil people immediately.

To ALLOW the displaced Tamil people to resettle in their own homeland

To PROVIDE rehabilitation support for the Tamils to rebuild their lives

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" - 'The Sinhala political organizations and their leadership, which are deeply buried in the mud of Sinhala-Buddhist chauvinism, will never be able to comprehend the political aspirations of the people of Tamil Eelam. None of the major Sinhala political parties are prepared to recognize the fundamentals underlying the Tamil national question. None of the Sinhala political organizations is prepared to accept the northeastern region as the historical homeland of the Tamil-speaking people, that the Tamils consbreastute themselves as a distinct nationality and that they are enbreastled to the right to self-determination, including the right to secede. -

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Sri Lankan War Crime :

Sinhala person War Crime:

================================================= LTTE is a politico- military organisation, which is fighting for the right of self-determination of the Tamil people =================================================