Press Release

Mr. P.K. Balachandran reported in the Hindustan Times what Minister Kadirgamar of Sri Lanka had told the Foreign Correspondents Association on the 24th of Aug. He had said that India and the world will not accept a separate Tamil State.

How does Mr. Kadirgamar know this?

Does he not know that the world has accepted the following separations - The break up of Palestine, with the creation of Israel; the break of the Soviet Union into independent states; Ireland into Irish Republic and Northern Ireland; the split up of Malaysia and Singapore; the break up of Czechoslovakia into two republics; the break up of Ethiopia and Eritrea; the situations in Chechnya, Bosnia, Kosovo; the evolving situation in East Timor etc.

Who told him about India's position? If a separate state was formed by agreement we are certain that India will not object. Mrs. Gandhi and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.G.R. encouraged Tamil separatist groups.

The more experienced and wily Mr. Jayawardena deceived Mr. Rajiv Gandhi into thinking that if Tamils in the island get a separate state Tamil Nadu would separate from India.

The separatist tendencies in Tamil Nadu were renounced in Mr. Annadurai's time.

There is considerable support in Tamil Nadu and elsewhere in India for the creation of the State of Tamil Eelam.

An umbrella organistion called Tamil Eelam Supporters Coordinating Committee in Tamil Nadu is made up of 72 organisations which support Tamil Eelam. After the last BJP Government was formed three petitions supporting Eelam Tamils were submitted to the Prime Minister. 44 persons including 32 M.Ps and other leaders from Tamil Nadu including Ms. Jayalalitha, Dr. Ramadoss, Mr. Vaiko, Mr. Kumaramangalam signed the first. The second sent by The Tamil Nadu Rashtriya Janatha Dal was signed by its President and 12 other prominent leaders of Tamil Nadu. The third by the International Campaign Against Sri Lankan Oppression was signed by 34 persons mostly members of Parliament of northern states.

In Dec. 1997, an International Convention for Solidarity with Eelam Tamils of Sri Lanka was held in Delhi and addressed by speakers from different States and overseas. At the Convention a National Committee for Solidarity with Eelam Tamils was formed, with Justice Krishna Iyer as Chairman.

Early in 1999, a Conference in Support of Eelam Tamils was held in Bangalore and addressed by leaders from different states and persons from overseas. Throughout Tamil Nadu Conferences, meetings and seminars are being held throughout the year.

The election manifestos of P.M.K. and M.D.M.K., partners of B.J.P. for the forthcoming elections, have expressed support for the Tamil Eelam cause. Tamil Nadu Tamils in the U.S. overwhelmingly support the cause of Eelam Tamils and have passed several resolutions supporting them at several of their annual Conventions. The BJP Tamil Nadu branch has passed resolutions supporting Tamils of Eelam.

In his typical contradictory manner, Mr. Kadirgamar had said that India had no role to play in the matter, but that it would not accept a separate Eelam!

Perhaps that is why Mr. Kadidirgamar rushed to Delhi as soon as the B.J.P. Government was formed and was the first foreign person to do. According to press reports he was asked some embarrassing questions by Mr. Advani regarding the suffering of Eelam Tamils.

Mr. Kadirgamar had also said that in the aftermath of the July 1983 riots Prabhakaran might have been justified in thinking that Tamils could not be part of Sri Lanka, and that its not true today. What has changed for the better for the Tamils since then?

During the July 1983 riots around 3,000 Tamils were killed, mainly by Sinhalese civilians. Since then the armed forces have killed over 60,000 Tamil civilians, indiscriminately arrested, tortured and raped them and destroyed billions of rupees worth of property by indiscriminate bombing, shelling and strafing.

The article states that the Minister, himself a Tamil, said that the Tamils did not want separation and would ultimately tell the LTTE that they have had enough. How did he find out what the Tamils wanted? He has no grassroots connections with them, nor was he elected by them (or for that matter even by the Sinhalese). He was nominated to the Parliament by the President to do her bidding, and to show the world she has a Tamil Minister.

At the last free and fair elections held in 1977, after years of discriminations, oppression, failed negotiations, and numerous communal riots, and long before July 1983, Tamils had voted overwhelmingly for a separate state.

If the Tamils have not told the LTTE that they have had enough for over 16 years, what makes the minister think that they are going to do so now?

In fact what the Tamils are saying is, that it is because the Tigers are fighting that there have been no communal riots for 16 years, and that at least the government is saying it wants have a political solution (while it is vigorously pursuing war.)