Killing LTTE Cadres will not Kill the Cause

by The Sunday Leader, February 8, 2009

Secretary General, EPRLF and TNA Parliamentarian, Suresh Premachandran believes that killing people cannot kill an idea and predicts the continuance of the LTTE despite the Tigers losing territory to the Sri Lankan armed forces.

In an interview with The Sunday Leader, Premachandran alleged there were scores of civilians being injured and killed despite the existence of a so-called safe zone. He said that people were fleeing because they were being 'forced out of their areas and not because they felt safer with the Sinhala army.'

He also said that the execution of the war at present was to the liking of the Indian government and the Tamil community would soon have to reconsider whether it is necessary to look towards India for help.

Premachandran also brushed aside suggestions that the TNA was in the process of 'reforming' with some members settling overseas. He said that the TNA members had no wish to abandon their electorates or to settle overseas.

He also called for UN agencies to assist the civilians to enter safe zones. Excerpts.

By Dilrukshi Handunnetti

Q: In your view, has the government vanquished the LTTE?

A: I don't accept that the LTTE is vanquished. It is not that kind of force in the first instance. But  that the government has been capturing territory at great cost and hardship to the civilian population is a fact.

The army has chased the people to a corner. Wherever the army is, the LTTE is still there but remain quiet. These are generally known as tactical withdrawals but the government would not want to admit to such.

There have also been attacks by the LTTE in retaliation but there is an information block. They are also there. The army controls areas but where there is no concentration and the army is thinly dispersed, LTTE cadres roam free. 

There have been backlashes in the areas that are government-controlled and cleared by the army months ago. This happens because there is LTTE cadre presence.

What needs to be accepted is that there is popular support for the LTTE. And this is for a purpose. It is still a force to reckon with.

As long as the Tamil cause remains, there will be agitations and even in a different form, the LTTE too will remain. Until and unless the just Tamil grievances remain unaddressed, there will be dissent and agitation. There will be no peace.

Also aiding the LTTE's continuity and what fosters militancy would be the hardline position of this government. This is a government full of hardliners and advised and supported by hardliners who have no sensitivity for other countries. In this sense, they are the also the force that fuels the LTTE flames.

Q: You mentioned there would be agitations as long as the cause remains. Does this mean that the political aspirations will continue to get expressed through the LTTE in a different way?

A: There is every possibility that many things may evolve. We all like to believe that tomorrow will be better than today.

The fundamental question is that there is a deep-rooted political issue that remains ignored. At the beginning, the demands were much less but they grew as mistrust amongst the Tamils grew. In our hearts, we do concede that the Sinhala governments have deceived us and at every opportunity, would continue to do so.

People have political aspirations. Clearing of territory, pushing them into camps and resettling somewhere does not kill that spirit. It is this spirit that gets expressed through the LTTE.

Q: Some of you have long and distinguished careers in national politics. Would you say, having aligned yourselves to the LTTE given that it is a militant organisation, it may have caused erosion in public acceptance of you as moderate politicians?

A: I am a former militant who later donned democratic garb. I know what it means to be a party to a militant struggle. We also try different ways to be heard, and that is what the LTTE is doing too.

I have participated in every discussion that took place since President Premadasa's time. But we all know that everything proved futile in the end.

There was a change for the better, so we thought when the Indo- Lanka Peace Accord was brokered. It was our position that power devolution was necessary and India had a role to play to push the Sinhala governments to accept this need.

Post accord, a power sharing mechanism was created. I genuinely felt there was a glimmer of hope. That's when some of us evolved into moderate politicians. But look at it now. Whatever the effort made was also ruined because there was political dishonesty on the part of the UNP administration then.

I was also the first provincial council member of the merged Northeastern Provincial Council. We genuinely felt we were heading somewhere. The EPRLF had a big role to play at that time and we thought it would be possible to work in our areas as we imagined.

Instead, from the initial day, it was all about dilution of powers. What happened thereafter is history. The people support the LTTE because they give expression to the people.

I may now be a moderate but what happens frustrates me a lot. It is a farce. There is no genuine interest in settling the problem. In fact they choose to ignore it. By eliminating LTTE cadres or others, it is not possible to kill an idea. That they must understand.

Q: But the question is whether Tamil politicians feel diluted by the LTTE's presence and possibly would have suffered a loss in public acceptance?

A: No, I don't think so. We all were the answers to the needs of our times. We have tried moderate politics and militancy. But the people understand the reasons for our willingness to work with the LTTE. And why the TNA performs its role. We are not treated like a diluted version of the former Tamil politicians.

Q: You say the LTTE is successful due to popular support. But the government also says that the military is successful in unknown terrain due to public support. Isn't there some truth to the latter claim?

A: This is only an argument, not reality. The truth is that civilians fear the military forces who have been evicting them from their homes, rendering them homeless time and again.

The Sinhala army, I call them so because 99% of the army comprises of Sinhalese, have been relentlessly moving in the north. That cannot be denied.

Likewise, it is indisputable that they have been gaining ground.

There had been indiscriminate artillery shelling, and we hear new stories of women being harassed and people being treated harshly.  There are excesses in any war effort and that is reality.

People have also not forgotten their past. They looked up to the LTTE for leadership because they have been always losing whatever the rights they have been enjoying.

Also, if there is public support, do answer this simple question first. Why does the army have to transport their vegetables and rice from the south? Why are these stocks airlifted? Why don't the people sell their produce and why can't the army purchase them? There is no trust between these two groups. And if things continue in the same tenor, there will be further polarisation.

Q: Does the TNA still accept the LTTE as the sole representative of the Tamil people?

A: We must concede that the LTTE was very popular at one time. People only conferred them with that kind of political power. All the hate speech cannot alter that fact.

R. Sampanthans or Suresh Premachandrans did not make the call for a separate homeland. It has a history and the demand for parity came from S.J.V. Chelvanayakam. The LTTE is a link in this natural progression of an ideology.

To answer your question directly, do not forget that the LTTE has been waging war for so long. The situation was both the south and the north was becoming significantly hopeless.

Four Tamil political parties came together prior to the 2004 general elections to articulate the political needs of the community that was being violently expressed through the LTTE. We did it at the LTTE's initiation to put an end to this bloodshed and to find a lasting solution to the island's festering ethnic wounds.

LTTE for its part, was and remains a strong force with public acceptance. But the LTTE was also viewed as an organisation that would not support a negotiated settlement and hence committing this community to a never-ending war.

This is when the TNA stepped in. we felt we could articulate these political needs far better together. We exerted political pressure and explained why collective work might prove a better option.

Then came the UNP administration headed by Ranil Wickremesinghe. The LTTE called for a unilateral ceasefire. It was supposed to be the sign, the white flag. What is more, because the LTTE also has a reputation for rejecting every conceivable document that is placed on the table as not being enough, the TNA called upon the Liberation Tigers to for a change, make their own proposals known. That's when the Interim Administration Proposal was made.

There have been many agreements but successive governments have deceived Tamil people and misled them.  I am a former militant who adopted democratic, moderate views later. But now I don't know anymore.

Our link and the acceptance of the LTTE should be viewed in the above context. We work towards a dialogue process and to abandon their militancy subsequent to achieving the political needs of the people.

Q: Did you think the Tamil democratic parties failed?

A: We have been obviously seeking a sympathetic ear from the politically deaf. That is a reality. But it is different to each organisation to articulate views. Whether we achieve the end or not, it is important to support an ideology and that's where we do not feel defeated.

As for winning the rights of the people, I believe all of us have failed, but not because of our own weakness but because we have been seeking a sympathetic ear from the deaf.

Q: The government claims to have destroyed the LTTE significantly. Who will try to fill the political vacuum?

A: I maintain that LTTE cadres are intact. But of course they have suffered serious casualties.  It does not mean that the LTTE is history.

It is true that there is a political vacuum, and it is also not possible to operate at your maximum given the oppressive conditions. If conditions change and there is a willingness to open minds to a dialogue process, there will be political leaders emerging and the present leaders playing a more pro-active role. But the conditions have to be created.

Q: Do you feel that being identified with the LTTE that the TNA also came to be identified as an extreme group?

A: I don't think so. Though different, it is the political views of the Tamil people that we articulate.

Having said that, I would like to add that militancy that is so abhorred is not just experienced due to the LTTE. There is an oppressive Sinhala government in office. Can anyone deny that?

What is far worse than that is the absolute blind eye turned towards the legitimate needs and rights of other communities, and I don't mean only the Tamils here.

Possibly the worst situation one can hope for is found here when such a government openly works with other para military groups with a northern or eastern base. Now naturally there will be clashes when there is the EPDP, which still maintains a military wing, which works with the army to unleash violence against Tamils. Add to that the horrendous example of Karuna Amman being brought to parliament. We also know that his cadres are very much there. Then another is forced on the people as the Chief Minister of the Eastern Province. There are clashes between Karuna and Pillayan and all these para military outfits clashing with the LTTE.

We all know, there will be excesses in such situations. Not just the LTTE, the government is to be equally blamed for the violence that surrounds us.

Q: There was a recent news report that some TNA members were relocating to Europe while some were returning to their political bastions to recommence political life post LTTE. Is this true?

A: That was utter rubbish and we can't understand why a national newspaper like that published an unsourced story like that.

However, our members have been going overseas periodically given the threats to our lives. But none of us are going to run away abandoning our electorates. We all have our regular political activities in our respective electorates. There is no need for us to 'reform' ourselves.

Q: The TNA was conspicuously silent when there were calls for civilians to leave the LTTE held areas as military engagements intensified. Why did the TNA maintain silence when civilians were risking their lives by staying on and the LTTE was using them as a human shield?

A: We certainly have been urging the people to find safe passage, but I have a question here.  How can people flee if the so-called safe zone is also aerial bombarded? How can they remain in camps when there is artillery fire? Further, the President announced a 48-hour period for people to leave and demanded that the LTTE accommodate the people to seek safety. Why didn't people leave? When did this 48-hour period commence and end?

What guarantee was there that the safe zone was indeed safe and what routes were cleared for people to pass through?

I can clearly say that the government keeps the routes open only for four hours during an entire week. What evacuation then?

Q: Do you think the current execution of the war is to the satisfaction of the Indian central government?

A: I think so. There must be some happy sentiments as the war is stepped up. There is tremendous Indian interest in the execution of the war.

Q: Is the TNA, given the changed political atmosphere, able to accept a 13th Amendment Plus solution as a final solution to the ethnic conflict?

A: Not at all. That was only the basis in 1987. So much of water has flowed since then with additional mistrust.

Now this government wants to retain the unitary character of the constitution. This is totally unacceptable. Besides, the said amendment is also of no use now as the north and the east have been de-merged and a parliamentary resolution could have altered this matter, but this President chauvinistically did not resort to such measures. That was the basis of the accord and the foundation on which the provincial councils were formed.  What is offered next, if there is to be anything, should be something far wider within a united Sri Lanka. Nothing short of that will be acceptable.

Q: But India does not appear overly worried about the demerger?

A: True. But they should realise it is a serious departure from what they brokered. What is more, if the role India seeks to play in the resolution of the conflict is also repressive, then we will oppose it.

They played a role before and there was some acceptance. It was not implemented and India did not try to ensure it was duly implemented.

Recently, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi also informed the centre that imposing the 13th Amendment would no longer work and it needs to be a broader solution than that.

In the event India tries to force-feed another solution, I do promise that the Tamils will not keep quiet. Such efforts will be thwarted.