Branched
palmyra
at
Vallipuram
Temple,
photo
courtesy
www.santhoor.com
by
Nadodi
http://www.asiasociety.org/speeches/kumaratunga04.html
The caption given to the news item about President's speech at the Asia Society on September 20 in the Yahoo India news was "LTTE must give up Tamil Eelam demand: Kumaratunga." This statement of the President is totally out of place and indicates how Kumaratunge tries to deceive an International audience.
Branched
palmyra
at
Vallipuram
Temple,
photo
courtesy
www.santhoor.com
What
Kumaratunge
said
at
the
Asia
Society
is
a
downright
and
deliberate
misstatement
to
say
the
least,
particularly
when
the
International
Community
(IC)
knows
fully
well
that,
though
the
LTTE
sought
separation
for
very
good
reasons,
(which
most
people
know
and
do
not
bear
repetition
here),
in
the
interest
of
peace
the
LTTE
had
given
up
this
demand
at
the
Oslo
talks
of
December
2002
in
return
for
fulfillment
of
Tamil
aspirations.
The
statement
issued
at
end
of
the
talks
included
the
following:
"both
sides
(meaning
the
government
and
the
LTTE)
agreed
to
explore
a
political
solution
founded
on
the
principle
of
Internal
self-determination
in
areas
of
historical
habitation
(meaning
the
Northeast
Province)
the
Tamil
speaking
peoples,
based
on
a
federal
structure
within
a
united
Sri
Lanka".
This
was
a
major
concession
by
the
LTTE,
and
a
historic
one
at
that,
and
came
to
be
known
as
the
"Oslo
Accord".
The
whole
world
came
to
know
of
it.
As
Executive
President
of
the
country,
which
she
constantly
claims
to
be
the
head
of,
it
was
her
government,
which
was
a
party
to
the
Accord.
Where
was
she
when
this
happened?
I
am
sure
she
was
not
sleeping.
Her
speech
was
a
deliberate
attempt
to
mislead
the
international
community,
which
must
have
laughed
under
its
breath.
Kumaratunge
is
used
to
telling
what
she
thinks
the
audience
likes
to
hear,
and
later
denying
it
or
changing
her
views.
She
tries
to
get
Brownie
points
and
demonizes
her
opponents,
in
this
case,
the
LTTE.
She
is
supposed
to
have
said
that
the
"Tamil
Tiger
guerrillas
should
explicitly
give
up
their
dragging
campaign
for
an
Independent
Tamil
Eelam
homeland".
She
had
also
reaffirmed
Sri
Lanka's
commitment
to
building
a
plural
society
where
minorities
have
equal
rights.
What
was
she
doing
in
the
more
than
ten
years
she
was
Executive
President
when
she
pursued
an
incongruent
"war
for
peace",
during
which
the
armed
forces
pursued
a
scorched
earth
policy,
bombing,
shelling
and
strafing
the
Tamil
homelands
indiscriminately,
and
imposed
an
embargo
on
food,
medicine
and
other
essential
items,
a
war
crime.
Lack
of
equality
in
law,
and
in
fact,
is
the
single
most
important
problem
facing
the
country.
There
is
no
equality
in
language,
religion,
development,
education
and
other
rights.
Under
the
dreaded
Prevention
of
Terrorism
Act,
in
force
during
the
President's
entire
2
terms,
people
can
be
arrested,
tortured
and
even
killed,
and
their
bodies
disposed
of
without
them
being
brought
before
a
judicial
officer.
Even
if
there
is
a
semblance
of
equality
in
law,
it
is
breached
in
its
compliance
and
who
has
the
money,
time
and
effort
to
go
through
a
corrupt
and
inefficient
legal
system,
which
takes
years
to
give
a
verdict?
Could
she,
for
the
information
of
the
IC,
publish
accurate
figures
of
the
percentage
of
Tamils
working
in
the
Army,
Navy,
Air
Force,
Police,
Government
jobs,
Foreign
service,
Semi-government
corporations,
the
amount
of
Development
expenditure
in
the
Tamil
homelands
and
outside
on
a
per
capita
basis,
compared
to
the
Sinhalese
and
their
areas?
The
figures
would
give
the
drastic
inequality
between
Sinhalese
and
Tamils.
Could
she
also
give
figures
of
children
not
attending
schools,
suffering
from
malnutrition,
or
suffering
due
to
lack
of
medical
facilities
being
bombed
out,
and
the
percentage
of
expectant
and
lactating
mothers
comparing
them
to
similar
categories
in
the
Sinhalese
areas?
In
her
speech
She
gave
a
figure
of
Tamil
Expatriates
of
700,000
who
give
on
an
average
$10
per
month
to
the
Tigers.
I
do
not
know
if
she
refers
to
individuals
or
families.
Later,
she
said
that
1,200,000
Tamils
left
Sri
Lanka
in
the
aftermath
of
the
violence.
With
the
natural
increase
there
must
be
around
1,500,000
living
overseas!
She
also
indicated
that
the
expenditure
on
arms
by
the
government
per
year
is
less
than
$
7
million.
What
hypocrisy!
Having
found
fault
with
Norway
of
being
pro
LTTE,
Kumaratunge
mentioned
that
they
had
worked
hard
as
facilitators
for
five
and
a
half
years.
Kumaratunge
said
that
the
Tigers
should
give
up
their
armed
conflict
(give
up
arms).
In
view
of
past
experience,
the
LTTE
is
not
naive
enough
to
give
up
their
arms
till
an
acceptable
final
settlement
is
reached
and
acceptable
guarantees
are
in
place.
She
must
be
joking.
Kumaratunge
said
that
her
government
(must
be
referring
to
the
government
before
the
new
coalition
with
the
Marxist
JVP)
was
the
first
to
admit
that
Tamils
were
discriminated
against.
Maybe
so.
She
also
that
she
had
tendered
a
national
apology
for
the
1983
pogrom.
That
is
so,
but
it
is
small
comfort
to
Tamils
who
suffered
so
much
of
death,
destruction,
loss
of
livelihood
and
other
privations.
What
has
she
done
to
give
redress?
Now
her
new
partners
are
not
even
permitting
her
to
talk
to
the
LTTE.
Kumaratunge
mentioned
that
the
LTTE
walked
out
of
the
talks
in
April
2003.
First,
it
must
be
remembered
that
it
was
the
LTTE
that
first
declared
a
unilateral
cease-fire
after
the
2001
elections.
Even
in
1994
the
LTTE,
believing
the
views
expounded
by
Chandrika
during
the
run
up
to
the
elections,
declared
a
unilateral
Cease-fire.
The
Tigers
did
not
walk
away
in
April
2003.
During
the
talks
they
pointed
out
that
several
matters
mentioned
in
the
MOU
had
not
been
implemented
and
also
that
matters
agreed
between
the
parties
during
the
talks
had
not
been
attended
to.
It
was
the
failure
to
get
the
government
to
make
amends
that
made
them
postpone
further
talks.
Perhaps
Prime
Minister
Ranil
did
not
keep
Kumaratunge
advised
of
the
situation!
Chandrika
mentioned
that
1.2
million
Tamils
left
Sri
Lanka
in
the
aftermath
of
violence.
On
an
earlier
occasion,
quoting
figures
of
the
Ministry
of
Rehabilitation,
she
mentioned
that
the
figure
of
internally
displaced
person
was
a
million,
most
of
them
displaced
a
multiple
times.
You
do
not
have
to
be
a
rocket
scientist
to
figure
out
what
percentage
of
the
Tamil
nation
were
affected,
considering
that
indigenous
Tamils
make
up
12
%
of
the
population
of
about
19
million.
According
to
these
figures,
the
entire
Tamil
population
are
refugees!
Kumaratunge said further, "We don't believe in war. [So, too says the LTTE]. We have offered an extensive form of power sharing". We have not seen any proposal that indicates power sharing. What has been offered is devolution of some powers. Devolution signifies something that flows from a higher authority to a lower authority.
Kumaratunge is reacting to the LTTE's Interim Self-Governing Administration proposals, made public a year ago. Most of what has been mentioned in the ISGA proposals are similar to the discussion document dated June 17th 2003 on the Peace process website, yet Kumaratunge's government has rejected them. There is nothing in the ISGA proposals that is not found in other countries of the world.
What
the
ISGA
proposals
are
requesting
is
an
interim
arrangement
till
a
final
settlement
is
agreed
upon.
The
proposals
are
based
on
internal
self-determination
in
the
Northeast.
They
do
not
address
the
arrangements
in,
and
relationship,
with
the
rest
of
the
country.
A
final
settlement
should
be
based
on
internal
self-determination
in
the
Northeast
and
power
sharing
at
the
center
according
to
the
Oslo
Accord.