How the Tamils are being Pushed Further and Further

by T. Sabaratnam, The Bottom Line, Colombo, February 4, 2009

As I See It

Today marks Sri Lanka’s 61st year of Independence. It is also the 48th anniversary of the Day of Mourning observed by the Tamils of the North and East.

The following paragraph culled from my biography of Appapillai Amirthalingam, a former leader of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF), The Murder of a Moderate, summarises the events that took place on February 4, 1961.

Independence Day, February 4, was observed as a day of mourning throughout the Northern and Eastern Provinces. A huge procession took place in Jaffna that day. Thousands of youth, who marched from Urmbirai to Jaffna, a distance of eight kms, carried a coffin conyaining several copies of the Sinhala Only Act, Language of Courts Act and the Constitution of Ceylon. The coffin was set on fire after funeral rites were performed by Kayts MP V.A. Kandiah.

Since then, Independence celebrations in the North and East have been confined to government offices and army installations. But the Tamils, who lived in other parts of the country, participated in the Independence celebrations. I used to take my children to show them the parades of school children, the police and the army. I was anxious to make them feel that, they are citizens of an independent country.

Since the 1983 riots, when my house was burnt, because I am a Tamil, and the gradual escalation of the war, the situation has changed. Tamils were made to feel they are suspect, which made them gradually withdraw from participating in Independence Day celebrations. They felt discriminated, everytime policemen or military personnel scrutinise their national identity cards, and everytime emergency regulations are enforced, compelling them to register with the local police.

Their attitude towards participating at independence celebrations has changed.

“Why should we go there and risk being arrested,” they think. Their children are strictly prohibited from going near the venues of celebrations. Today, even the exhibition at the BMICH is out of bounds. The BMICH has been declared a high security zone. Though 77, and had served as a Senior Deputy Editor of the Daily News, in the UNP and SLFP governments and had maintained contact with several ministers including Lalith Athulathmudali, President Ranasinghe Premadasa, Ranjan Wijeratne and Gamini Dissanayake who were killed by the LTTE, I will not go for the exhibition. Why invite trouble?

Our Independence Day is usually celebrated at the Deputy High Commissioner’s office and at the Mahabodhi Society in Chennai. I have attended the Mahabodhi Society function in 1955 and 1956 when I was studying at the Madras Christian College, Tambaram. Today, the celebrations will be held in both places, under heavily armed police guard.

Armed police are guarding the Deputy High Commissioner’s office for the last three days. So are the central government institutions and offices across Tamil Nadu. Establishments belonging to Sri Lankan nationals too, have been provided police protection. The Bank of Ceylon Branch in Chennai and SriLankan Airline office in Trichi had been attacked.

Agitation against New Delhi’s handling of the Sri Lankan Tamil crisis gained momentum last week, with the entry of the student community, formation of the Sri Lankan Tamils Protection Movement (SLTPM) and the self-immolation of Muthukumar of Tuticorin on January 29. With today’s general strike the agitation is likely to spread.

The entry of the student community happened last week. It was led by the Law College students and percolated to the school level. The only answer Karunanidhi’s Tamil Nadu government had was to close all educational institutions indefinitely. The students were seen on Monday doing house to house campaign instigating the people against the central and state governments.

The banding of the political parties and groups critical of Delhi’s approach, to form SLTPM, was an unexpected development. Karunanidhi was hoping to manage the agitation of the groups, when conducted individually. The emergence of the united group is too much to handle. The group comprises Marumalarchchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam(MDMK), Pattali Makkal Kadchi (PMK), Viduthalai Chiruthaigal, Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Tamil Nationalist Movement, whose leader P. Nedumaran was elected convener.

The leaders of these groups decided on Saturday to call a general strike throughout Tamil Nadu on Wednesday (today) and a black flag demonstration on Saturday. Again, Karunanidhi had no answer. He got the Tamil Nadu chief secretary to issue a statement saying that the strike will be illegal, quoting a decision of the Supreme Court in an earlier case. Nedumaran says that, the Supreme Court decision does not apply and even if it does, they would defy it.

And the main opposition party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is quietly moving into cash on the situation. Its leader of the Tamil Nadu branch Ila. Ganeshan issued a statement on Monday expressing his party’s support for the general strike.

The self immolation of Muthukumar of Tutukudi on January 26, created an upsurge in emotions in Tamil Nadu, and his funeral held on Saturday in Chennai, saw a massive turnout of students who vowed to carry on their struggle in support of the Sri Lankan Tamils.

The letter Muthukumar wrote, before he set himself on fire, received wide publicity. In it, he had not only criticised the central government but also, Karunanidhi. He had charged that, Karunanithi and his family had amassed wealth and are enacting a drama to deceive the Tamils while clinging to ministerial posts in Delhi.

Meanwhile, another person, P. Ravi from Dindugul, who burned himself on Saturday, died on Monday. His funeral, which is to be held in Madurai, is expected to is expected to generate an emotional turmoil. Karunanithi. who is undergoing physiotherapy for back pain. was chairing a central committee meeting of his party at 10:00 am on Tuesday (3), when this column was being written, to decide on his next step. His party sources said that, his decision would be crucial.