The intellectual who aptly described the birth of violence and its causes with such clarity, and precision has paradoxically been consumed by the same forces that he thought he understood.

The international outcry seem quite excessive, especially when you compare it with the studied, and what appears to an average Tamil a conspiratorial looking, studied silence exercised by the same audience when common Tamils, perhaps intellectually under par and powerless in a land occupied by Sinhala armed forces were killed and disappeared in tens, hundreds and in thousands - Chemmani mass graves a supreme example..

Iqbal Athas's amateurish statement in the Sunday Times, " ... they were moderates giving leadership to the Tamil community to live in accord, political and social harmony with other communities under an acceptable political system. This is anathema to the LTTE" is an example of the media new-speak where, by saying "acceptable political system," he refers to the system acceptable to the majority Sinhalese. Readers unaware of the background to the conflict will no doubt be left with the impression that LTTE is not willing to accept any political system. This also gives a clear definition of media created meaning for 'Tamil moderates'; these are the Tamil souls who accept the "political system which is acceptable to the Sinhalese."

Similar coverage can be seen in the Indian media which is engaged in a struggle to bring the Tamil-Eelam struggle into disrepute.

Rajpal Abeynayake's Sunday Times column, perhaps reflected one of the few objective assessments. "...his credentials were sound, that it will be laughable to think any Tamil would want him eliminated. But, this was in a slightly different time, when Neelan Tiruchelvam had not yet joined People's Alliance. After he took that step, Neelan seemed to be drawn securely into the vortex of power politics... From, a human assessment, the headiness of the feeling might have been tempting..."

"He failed to disassociate himself effectively from the lethargy that was displayed by the government in making the political package a legislative fact."

As Nirupama Subramaniam quite rightly pointed out in Indian Express, there has been no condemnation from Tamils and the only Tamils who expressed outrage are Luxman Kadirgamar and the Colombo-based ex-militants. She indirectly answers the vexing question of the depth of the Tamil expatriate support for the right of the Tamils for self-determination, and the calibre of the Tamil 'moderate' politicians.

Expatriates who enjoy freedom of speech did not speak, the North-East Tamils who are under military rule and are not free to speak, will not speak. Tamils under LTTE rule have other important things in mind like staying alive without food - they have no time to speak. However, 'Tamil moderates' have to speak as that is their business... their Colombo livelihood depends on the movements of their lips and the emerging vibratory sensation should be soothing to their pay masters...

As an intellectual Neelan Thiruchelvam's death is silently mourned by every Tamil in his heart. As a politician, his contributions have been detrimental to the Tamil struggle and his death is no more important to the Tamil community than that of any of the 70,000 Tamils killed by the Sri Lankan state. He forgot in his flight of fancy in Constitution-making that the Sinhala Government will not have turned to constitutional tinkering if they have not been FORCED to do so that too with a farcical approach to fool the West while destroying the education and livelihood of the North-East Tamils..on an unprecedented scale.