JVP, LTTE, INDIA AND THE GOVERNMENT - II
It is not only the Times of India that identifies the LTTE as a terrorist organisation. Even the Tamil Nadu politicians, except for a few who are Tamil racists and who dream of a greater Tamil Nadu including the North and East of Sri Lanka, know what the LTTE is and have no hesitation in calling it a terrorist organisation. For example, the AIADMK leader and former chief minister of Tamil Nadu Ms. J. Jayalalitha has said in a statement, "I am alarmed at the very prospect of the LTTE entering Tamil Nadu again and I am shocked that a situation has arisen wherein such a move could even be contemplated by the government of India." She has also said that she was firmly opposed to any move to allow the LTTE "to enter Tamil Nadu in any manner and under any pretext" (The Island 16th January 2002). Meanwhile the Janata Party president, Dr. Subramaniam Swamy has said, "if they (the government of Sri Lanka) negotiate with the LTTE in any peace talks, it will be taken as an anti-Indian act by the people of India, for which nationalists in India will search for the first opportunity to retaliate against Sri Lanka" (The Island 14th January 2002). While we do not agree with Dr. Subramaniam Swamy's views on retaliation against Sri Lanka we can understand his strong opposition to the LTTE that killed Mr. Rajiv Gandhi and to Prabhakaran who is an international terrorist worse than bin Laden. If Prabhakaran had been a Muslim and the LTTE an Islamic terrorist organisation by now the west would have given all the support to destroy Prabhakaran and the LTTE. Recently the Rupavahini told us that in Britain some members of an Islamic terrorist organisation that is banned in that country had been arrested. Meanwhile there has been a Briton, who is understood to have a Muslim name, among the so-called prisoners of war taken from Afghanistan to a US military prison camp in Cuba. However, Anton Balasingham continues to live in London and to receive Norwegian delegations though the LTTE is presumed to be a proscribed organisation in Britain.
With respect to the statements by various politicians in India, especially in Tamil Nadu, the Eelam nation website said: "Informed sources in Tamil Nadu said that Ms Jayalalithaa being a Kannada Ayankaar, like the editor of The Hindu Newspaper, she has no love for the Tamil language or Tamil people. She only wants to wield political power by hook or by crook. It was also not surprising the DMK leader M. Karunanidhi, as usual, indulged in some fence sitting. He thought he was clever when he said that he will abide by the decision of the center. But he never told the center whether he is in favor or not about Anton Balasingham using Chennai for talks. He even blamed Thiru Vaiko for prodding the DMK to support the LTTE. This only shows that Kalaignar Karunanidhi never had any genuine concern for the plight of the 3 million Tamils across the Palk Strait. Many people say that it is his lackluster leadership, vacillation, nepotism and sheer ineptitude that had helped Ms Jayalalithaa to stage a spectacular come back.
Leaders of political parties like Thiru Vaiko (MDMK), Dr. Ramadoss (PMK), K, Viramani (DK), Pazha Nedumaran, Thiru Sethuraman and Dr. Era. Janarthanam have urged the Indian Government to allow permission to Anton Balasingham to have Chennai as the base for the peace talks. If India is genuine about extending support to the peace talks between LTTE and the Sri Lankan Government, then here is an opportunity to put into practice what India profess in public." The London based Tamil Guardian has expressed similar views.
It is known that the last mentioned politicians do not have much of a following and this implies that the LTTE does not have much support even in Tamil Nadu. Perhaps, Ms. Jayalalitha, the Editor of the Hindu newspaper and the others who are opposed to any presence of the LTTE in Tamil Nadu know that the LTTE is not a party that supports any form of Hinduthva. They are probably aware that the LTTE leadership is based on Tamil Christian ideology and the anti - brahmin and anti Sanskrit pure Tamil campaign of the LTTE, exemplified by the way Prabhakaran's name is spelt as Pirpahakaran, stems from anti Hindu Tamil racism which is based on a western Christian ideology. The Vishva Hindu Parishad considers the LTTE to be an army of the church. If the LTTE does not have much support in Tamil Nadu it cannot expect any support not only in the Northern states but even in the other Dravidian states in the south. It now appears that the Indian central government has decided to reject the LTTE request to use Chennai or any other city for so-called peace talks with the Sri Lankan government.
The LTTE wanted to have a foothold in India, especially in Tamil Nadu not because of the poor health of the terrorist Anton Balasingham. Mr. Jehan Perera who contributes regularly to the Eelam nation website has said on the 14th January 2002 issue: "The latest LTTE proposal that India should play host to forthcoming peace talks with the Sri Lankan Government comes close to being yet another one of its pre-requisites for creating conducive conditions for peace talks. The LTTE has made its case in terms of a humanitarian issue, being that of its chief negotiator Dr Anton Balasingham's poor health condition and requirement of the best hospital attention. It is only the hospital facilities available in India that could keep Dr Balasingham alive and well during the protracted negotiation process that would require him to keep in direct contact with the LTTE leadership in the Vanni.The LTTE previously used the vocabulary of pre-requisites for negotiations to foil the former Government's efforts to sit with it at the negotiating table from a position of strength. The LTTE's present unexpected proposal that India should play willing or unwilling host brings a key LTTE characteristic into focus. It reveals an LTTE frame of mind that is highly innovative and full of surprises. Time and again the LTTE has caught its opponents by surprise, catching them in ambushes at the most unexpected time, and has stood it in good stead militarily."
The LTTE had other ideas when they wanted to have the so-called peace talks in India. They are mainly interested in getting their proscription in India lifted. They know that the proscriptions in USA, UK, Canada and Australia do not mean much. Recently the well known LTTE supporter Dr. Peter Schalk went to Toronto to address the Tamil students of the University of Toronto. Even though the LTTE is banned formally in these countries its front organisations function and the LTTE members are never treated like the members of al Quaeda or any other Islamic terrorist group. India not being a Christian country treats the LTTE as a terrorist organisation and the LTTE wants India to get involved in the so-called peace talks, with ulterior motives. The fact that the terrorist Prabhakaran is a wanted man in India has created problems for the LTTE and if India gets involved in one way or the other, the LTTE thinks that then India may have to change its position on Prabhakaran.
It is clear that India does not want the Sri Lankan government to go beyond the Indo-Lanka agreement and the thirteenth amendment which itself is a result of the western biased foreign policy of the J.R. Jayawardhane government and of treating the Tamil problem in Sri Lanka on a basis similar to that in India. It has to be understood that whereas more than 90% of the Tamils in India live in Tamil Nadu and that more than 90% of those who live in Tamil Nadu are Tamils, it is not the case in Sri Lanka. More than 50% of the Tamils in Sri Lanka live outside the northern and eastern provinces and more than 65% the population in the eastern province are non Tamils. Even if one assumes that there are grievances of the Tamils (meaning Tamils in the whole country and not only in the northern and eastern provinces) a solution to the grievances could not be found on a scheme that devolves legislative power to those provinces. Even if one assumes that a solution to the so-called grievances is found by devolution of power to those two provinces the so-called grievances of more than 50% of the Tamils living in other parts of the country are not attended to by such a solution. Further by amalgamating the northern and the eastern provinces the non Tamil 65% of the eastern province is neglected to say the least. Clearly the proposed solution does not solve the problem of so-called grievances. However, the Tamil racists demand this solution to their so-called problem. This means that the so-called solution has been thought of independent of the problem to which it has no relevance. It is clear that the Tamil racists have no problem to solve but an aspiration to be fulfilled. Their aspiration is an Eelam and the so-called moderates and the terrorists differed only in the methods adopted to achieve this objective. Now that the TNA has accepted the LTTE as the sole representative of the Tamils even that difference has been "ironed out" by the iron hand of Prabhakaran.
The Sri Lankan government, unlike India can be put under pressure by the non national forces and they have decided to have "peace talks" with the terrorist LTTE to find a solution to a non existing problem. The problem we have is nothing but the proposed solution and in order to fulfil the aspirations of Tamil racism the government is preparing to sacrifice Sinhala nationalists and parties like the JVP at the altar of the non national forces. In this respect the statements that have been made by leaders of the UNP, including the prime minister are not conducive to western democracy that the government has promised to uphold. For example Mr. Senarath Kapukotuwa, the UNP general secretary had recently reminded that it was the JVP that brought the people on to the streets against the Indo Lanka agreement and the Indian invasion in 1987. Surely the UNP also has brought people on to the streets and by itself bringing people on to the streets is not a crime. It was the terrorist activities that the JVP resorted that has to be condemned and what the government has to be reminded is that it is preparing to talk to a terrorist organisation compared to which the JVP pale into insignificance. In any event the JVP was defeated by the armed forces and their leader has been killed. The JVP has now joined the democratic stream and it should be allowed to voice its opposition to the so called peace talks with the most barbaric terrorist organisation of the world, in a democratic manner. It appears that the government considers the national forces and the JVP that oppose the "peace talks" with the fascist LTTE, the biggest enemy of the country and not the LTTE. Is it due to the non national character of the government itself that has pushed the government into this position? It should not come as a surprise that when the JVP was under attack then none of the NGO's or the civil society members funded by the non national forces in the western Christian countries called for talks with the JVP. I am not condoning the past terrorist acts of the JVP and all that I would like to emphasise is that the past terrorist acts of the JVP should not be brought up as an excuse not to allow them to voice their opposition to "peace talks" with the most barbaric fascist terrorist organisation of the world. There cannot be a bigger enemy to a country (state) than an organisation that fights and engages in terrorist acts to establish a separate state. Even the JVP fought for state power and not for a separate state.
(Concluded)
Professor Nalin de Silva
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