I am writing this letter, on behalf of hundreds of thousands of expatriate Tamils, to thank the leaders of all the Tamil political parties, who have come together with a steadfast consensus to expose to the world the arrogant but suicidal policy of the Sri Lankan government in adamantly ridiculing and rejecting the good will gestures of the LTTE towards a just and peaceful resolution of the ethnic conflict and escalating the war against the Tamils

Your expressing a loss of confidence in the Government’s sincerity and ability to solve peacefully the ethnic problem is a progressive step towards achieving the just aspirations of the Tamils. The arrogant ridiculing and rejection of the unilateral Cease-fire by the LTTE has exposed the naked Sinhala racism motivating the present stance of the Government. While the President and the Minister for Foreign Affairs attempt to mislead the international community by their self-righteous statements about readiness for peace-talks and welcoming proposals, dates and time frame for talks, the Prime Minister and the Deputy Minister of Defence, riding on racist horses around the country, eloquently uncover the underside of the governmental overtures by speaking only of war, ruling out any talks and inaugurating new recruitment campaigns to wipe out the LTTE.

In the face of such a racist agenda covered by a peace propaganda, to deceive the world and mislead the country by a war path to its ruin, we Tamils have a serious obligation to hold fast to the one historical consensus of the Tamils, born as the Vaddukoddai Resolution of 1976, overwhelmingly voted at the Parliamentary Elections of 1977 and finally agreed upon by all Tamil political parties at Thimpu in 1982. These will remain as the cornerstones of the Tamil Cause for liberation, justice and peace.

This historical consensus has been valiantly and heroically carried forward by the LTTE with the supreme sacrifice of many thousands of lives. Consequently the Sri Lankan Government is neither able to buy over this unique politico-military leadership of the Tamils nor able to meet the challenges at the politico-military level. Hence it wants to wipe out this leadership and impose on the Tamils a Sinhala Solution of Subjugation.

It is in this context we expatriates warmly welcome the latest consensus and stance among the Tamil parties. It appears that those who have continued always to be non-violent and those who for a time followed the militant path and then opted for the non-violent path, have all by their own experiences during the last two decades, come to the following conclusions.

1.               Remaining within the Parliament and the occasional support some of you gave to the Sri Lankan Government were misused to the maximum by the Sri Lankan Government for its international propaganda. It portrayed the Tamil Struggle as Tamil Terrorism and denigrated the LTTE as an international terrorist organisation. Thus they won much needed finance and weapons to escalate the war against the Tamils.

Hoping against hope, that some good and democratic solution will come out of the Sri Lankan Sinhala Buddhist Government, many of you even supported the Government and its devolution proposals, presumably with the good intention of modifying them along Thimpu principles, which were agreed on by all Tamil groups at Thimpu. But the Government of Chandrika, without giving due attention and importance to your proposals, was making the biggest propaganda against the Tamil cause by stating that the moderate and democratic Tamil leaders were not for Tamil aspirations as stated in the Thimpu principles, but were in support of the Government and its devolution proposals.

2.               Again contesting the last parliamentary elections against the candidates of the EPDP, who were paid and armed by Chandrika’s Government, has laid bare the dictatorial and corrupt nature of the Sri Lankan democracy and its parliamentary elections.

By holding parliamentary elections full of corruption and violence, and then showing the faces of such hired and paid Tamil ministers as representing the Tamil people, the government was able to deceive the world outside that there was true democracy in Sri Lanka, participated by the Tamils. But by ruthlessly imposing a Sinhala majority-consensus for war on the Tamils, it practices ruthless dictatorship of one nation on the other. This peculiar character of the Sri Lankan “democratic dictatorship”, has reached the hour for questioning and exposition.

We expatriates are happy about your recent statements both about the insincerity and bankruptcy of the Government to solve the ethnic conflict as well as about the true aspirations of the Tamils for self-determination, nationhood, homeland and equality of status.

The haughty and false claims made by Government at the international level to governments and media, are all one by one loosing the attractive wrappings and the true nature and form of the Sri Lankan racist government are emerging large and clear on the international stage. The regular propaganda-briefings given by the Foreign Minister to the foreign diplomats, to mislead the international community about the ethnic conflict and war have done much damage in distorting Tamil aspirations and denigrating the Tamil struggle. In this context your meetings with the foreign diplomats as one voice is a threat to the false propaganda of the Government. Understandably your meetings have evoked abusive noises from the Government and the Colombo media.

We expatriate Tamils assure support for your latest stance and wish that you courageously stand together in the face of mounting opposition to further serve the Just Cause and Struggle of our people for Freedom, Truth, Justice and Peace.

In the Name of Expatriate Tamils,

Rev. Dr. S. J. Emmanuel

Germany.

1^st.Feb.2001