An Independent and Interactive Tamil Community Web Site

15-03-2006

LTTE will agree to nothing short of separation, says Anandasangaree

Q: In your recent letter to the JVP, you maintain that if the JVP doesn’t agree to offer a Federal solution to the LTTE, they will be pushing the Tamil people back into the clutches of the LTTE. But the LTTE rejected a Federal option mooted by the UNP at the last elections?

A: You can’t give everything that the LTTE wants, of course. When something reasonable is offered they will have to accept it. And this is not only reasonable, but nothing more is possible either. So what is the maximum we can give - even India will support it because it comes close to their structure, where the powers are devolved to the states. And that is how everyone must look at it.

Q: In your letter to the JVP, you see the mandate President Mahinda Rajapaksa got as a ‘massive mandate’ for a Federal state. On what basis are you saying this?

A: The fifty point three percent that he got per se is not massive really, when such an important problem is concerned. But what about the 400,000 people who were not allowed to vote? If allowed, at least 200,000 would’ve voted for a Federal state. What of the SLFP resolution and the Left parties? All that included, haven’t we got a massive mandate for a Federal state? Whoever came to power, that would have been a powerful mandate that you just can’t reject.

Q: But the fact remains that when the UNP offered it a mere few months back, the LTTE rejected it. What assurance do we have that they will accept it even if the JVP agrees?

A: That is why I worked out the figures and explained to the JVP where we stand with the Federal solution. 49.7% voted for Federalism, added to that, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party resolved at the last convention that they will offer a Federal solution, which even the Left parties within have agreed to support. So all these people are joining with Federalism as a solution within a united Sri Lanka. Unfortunately the JVP is a threat to the government. If the JVP nods its head then the proposal can be submitted to the country with the so-called international community, and when it’s known to be reasonable even if the LTTE disagrees no one is going to care.

The international community has clearly said that it will recommend a solution within a united Sri Lanka. Now, unfortunately, because of the obstruction of the JVP, the LTTE is justifying its stand and the international community is reluctant to come out against the LTTE. They are only coming out against child conscription and things like that - no one has condemned the LTTE for fighting for their rights. So, to silence the international community the government needs to offer something reasonable - something like the Indian model of devolution.

Q: Can we really depend so much on the international community, given that their continued warnings against the LTTE during increasing CFA violations or other atrocities have gone unheeded?

A: Not necessarily. No. But if what we offer is reasonable and the international community nods its head, then the LTTE can’t scream for more than this. Not to invite the international community to judge on our situation.

Q: No, you are talking about pressurizing the LTTE into agreeing, but has such pressure not really failed before?

A: Most of the warnings were related to killings and child conscriptions. But there have been many more violations than that. The abduction of adults, harassment, the darkroom chamber tortures etc. But the international community doesn’t harp on these, but only talks about the others. There have been enough incidents recorded of such violations but what is the international community doing about them?

Q: Exactly my point. What has it really been doing against all these?

A: That is why I’m asking the JVP, it is their responsibility. I’m putting the entire responsibility of liberating the Tamil people on the JVP.

The LTTE will agree to nothing short of separation. What we can do is to offer a solution and win over the people. How is it that I speak against the LTTE? There are many who think like me. I receive many calls from people in the Tamil community today thanking me for pushing for an Indian model of Federalism. Of course, there are those who feel that the governments are thinking about the Tamil people because of the LTTE. But I tell them how I know what damage the LTTE has done to disgrace the Tamil community and the way they treat the people. We are proud of our civiliszation.

No Tamil wants to be classified as a barbarian. The LTTE are barbarians.

Q: Then why has the Tamil political leadership failed to come out against all these atrocities?

A: How can they come out now? Show me 100 families that didn’t suffer because of the war. We lost everything - all our lifetime’s savings. We left our homes with just our qualifications. The Muslim people in the North were given 2-3 hours to flee those areas. Pregnant mothers were forced to leave. They are still living in the refugee camps. But if a reasonable solution is offered even the LTTE will be reluctant to reject it.

Q: Then why did the LTTE reject the UNP at the last elections when they offered a Federal solution?

A: The LTTE’s agenda is entirely different. If someone wants 100% you don’t give everything, surely? It is only up to some point that you yield. The rest the international community will be able to move in on. Let us offer something first. What is happening now is that one side is looking in one direction and the other is looking elsewhere. Do you think they’ll ever meet at this rate?

Q: Why do you think the JVP is reluctant to agree to a Federal solution at this point?

A: They are in the mood for it, but are reluctant openly. But a year back they were willing to look into it.

Q: Is it because they are also simply playing politics with the issue?

A: Till a party comes to power they are very vigorous, but once they are in its different and they tone down.

Q: Is that what’s happened to the JVP as well?

A: I don’t know. I’m still hopeful they’ll come around.

Q: But at the recent peace talks too Anton Balasingham has maintained that they were still a terrorist group. Yet, you speak of the need to offer something ‘reasonable’ to a terror group? Is this the best way possible?

A: We do that by treating the Tamils also as human beings. These things are based on that.

Q: Can one be reasonable with the LTTE?

A: Yes, by making everyone’s rights as important and equal, and thereby making it safer for all communities to live as equals. Especially, after all the losses suffered by all communities this is the only way to go. Who gave the authority to the LTTE? Everybody is trying to please the LTTE. The JVP must re-think its position.

Q: How can you be so sure that even if the JVP agrees it will be solved as quickly as you say in your letter?

A: If the JVP agrees the President’s hand is free. Then he can call in the experts and ask to draw up a constitution based on the Indian pattern. Then the LTTE will not have a way to refuse, because the international community will bring pressure on the LTTE.

Q: You mention in your letter that except for Somawansa Amarasinghe the others in the politburo of the JVP are too young to remember what caused the problem. Are you in fact saying that the JVP is too immature to handle this aspect of the problem?

A: We know what happened and when and how the problem started. We remember the Swabasha decisions.

Q: Is this political immaturity then?

A: Yes, in a sense it is. If to just come to power I use the vote base, which will only give me the votes. It would be a newcomer who will do that. A mature politician won’t do that. I won’t do that.

Q: Is it your honest opinion that the LTTE will agree to a political solution of any kind?

A: Even in the cleared areas the people are living like slaves. I could walk any part of the North and the East till recently. But now I can’t even go to my office. This is the biggest mistake created by the CFA.

It allows the LTTE to move in 50 of its cadres to the government-held areas in the first month, 100 in the second and any number after the third. Why did they restrict that number initially? Because it struck somebody that there should be restrictions. But they were so foolish not to think about the consequences.

The only condition they put was not to carry weapons in the areas! That was an area held by the LTTE for 10 years and they know where to get the weapons from. But up to date, no one, including Erik Solheim, is allowed to go into some of the areas held by them! I asked Solheim if he had gone to the ‘iron curtain areas’ of the LTTE when I met him in Oslo. I also told him that the LTTE had insulted him 3,000 times when they violated the CFA 3,000 times. I asked him whether his skin was so thick!

Q: What is your overall opinion of the CFA?

A: It should have been thrown into the dustbin a long time ago. They are insisting on disarming all the other groups. Although they have arms these groups have in fact come into the democratic process.

These groups had arms for personal security against the LTTE. How can they be called paramilitary groups? This is a most foolish word. In that context it has no meaning.

But the government also foolishly agreed at that time. But one by one all thee people of other organizations were killed. And now they want to do away with the handful that is left.

But the major flaw in the CFA is allowing the LTTE to come into the government-held areas. They are holding these Pongu Thamil festivals in the government areas. What right do they have to hoist the LTTE flag in government-held areas? What type of politics is this?

Q: How do you think the first round of the peace talks went?

A: It was not peace talks but talk in pieces this time, wasn’t it? They insisted on talking about the CFA when 3,000 violations of it had taken place!

Ultimately we lost, the LTTE gained. They earned millions worth of funds when they went to Norway. Oslo should not have, as a facilitator, welcomed the LTTE there. This is no way to treat all as equals.

Then we hear of them bringing down military equipment literature about the latest weapons. The Customs only got the brochures. The weapons would reach the LTTE through some other channel

Source-Daily Mirror