by Rajkumar Sivapatham; published May 26, 2004
The USA and India have recently made statements on the Tamil issue which need some careful examination. The USA’s Ms. Rocca made a statement asking the LTTE to lay down their arms. There have been different reports on exactly what she has said. However, at the outset, she wanted the LTTE to stop the violence. If she meant the same, it is worthwhile for the USA to note that the LTTE stopped the violence in 2001 after signing the CFA. If Ms. Rocca wants the LTTE to disarm itself that is another matter. If the LTTE disarms, they become a bunch of people who can only scream when the Sri Lankan army beats the hell out of Tamils. We like to think that Rocca’s statement is not intended for the LTTE but for the JVP and other hardliners in the south.
Now, India has made a statement saying it is ready to do rehabilitation work in LTTE-controlled areas, but will not talk to the LTTE. They have just extended their ban on the LTTE. Well, banning the LTTE is entirely India’s problem and its right. Tamils don’t want to interfere with that.
Mr. Nirupam Sen might be hard on the Tamil media for their mistrust, but India came into the northeast as peacekeepers in 1987. To do that, they signed an agreement with the Sri Lankan government, not with the Tamils. Funny enough, the Tamils were fighting against the Sri Lankan government at the time. India never talked to the Tamils about their involvement, not even after they had arrived in the northeast. Is this a democratic action from the world’s most populous democracy? Then what happened? India ended up fighting the Tamils, not just the LTTE. They killed about 6,000 civilians. Now, Mr. Sen is shouting at the media for the mistrust. Come on. Indians have gone at length to investigate Rajiv Gandhi’s killing and banned LTTE for that. That is fine. It is their right. Have they done anything to investigate the killings of civilians by the IPKF? Yet, they want us to trust them. Idiots like Subramanium Swamy make statements such as ‘if the Tamils provide proof, India will investigate.’ Hang on a minute. When was the last time he took up camera, tape recorder and other gadgets while his country was occupied by foreign army? Has anyone who made these stupid statements from their comfortable seat been in a war zone, as a civilian?
All in all, these two countries are showing their inability to resolve the problems of Sri Lanka. None of these countries have the desire to talk to the LTTE, the representatives of the Tamils. Without that, these countries cannot influence the Sri Lankan Tamils to trust them. It is really unfortunate that the Tamils, like the American people, are industrious and value individual freedom. But the US government has not realised the need to reach out to the Tamils. It is also unfortunate that India could not win the trust of the Sri Lankan Tamils, who believe that only a strong India is the best security for the region.
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