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ANIMA SLJESECTION
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THE SAINT OF THE GUTTERS
News Review
FOCUS ON HUMAN RIGHTS
Australian Concer
| Sri Lanka
INDO-LANKA ACCORD - A POST MORTEM
C000, 8 Tigers in a Ena Dag
THE FAILNG PEACE PROCESSES
The Upcountry Tanis
WHTHER DRAWDAN NATIONALISM
Indo-Pakistam Celebrations

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5SEPTEMBER 1997
Tani
ISSN 0266 - 44 88 Wol. XWI No. 9 15 SEPTEMBER 1997
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CONENS
Was There Again
Mother Teresa
News Review Focus on Human Rights Artificial Normality in Batticaloa Australian Concern for SriLanka Indo-Lanka Accord - A Post Mortem Tigers & Colombo in Lethal Dance Jaffna - A Wision Skewed The Failing Peace Processes Indian Foreign Policy Indo-Pakistan Celebrations Whither Dravidian Nationalism? The Weerappan Sideshow Position of Upcountry Tamils Classified
2 16
19 21 23 24
27
WaS 7
It was even My country There Was in People were They have d "It Was enou Things were I could goth Yaldevi Was No queues C I was lucky t I enjoyed the I looked arol When I Was
What a diffel Heaven is Of There Was in No hungera Fields Were Farmers Wet Onions and Now theyne Temples I pa To See the b Who says th Everything W | Went to the "Nothing is b From there I They have b| The event of 1 met manyf Fatima Was We are here Shanthi Was I asked her “We are bett We are being Selvi was the Sivaramani V "How nice to With equality A Voice from It was Rajini
| Was happy, Then I Woke
 
 
 
 

TAM MES 3
"here Again
better than the good old days was flourishing in many ways o fighting for status or land happy in their own sand one it ! They have stopped the war gh"they said, "with the dirty war" better in Jaffna too ere again oh! boo boo boo running to norm r crushing in any form O find a Corner Seat
trip despite the heat Ind, everything was fine there, I felt everything was mine ence it makes when there is peace
earth when things are at ease o difference in Caste or Creed nd sorrow as was plenty to feed full with paddy and grain e happy there was enough rain Chilies, fruits and gourds edn't pay bulks to Lords Issed as 1 was going to town uildings that were broken down ere was war in this beautiful place 2 las the Same insplendidgrace Librarybowing at Fr:Long urnt", he said standing strong went Weerasingham Hall uilt it again never to fall the day was a women's meeting riends whom I enjoyed greeting here with Sitty and Naeema again said Smiling Shahima happy to see me there IOW the Women WOuld fare grofnOW"She Saidaloud g recognised as Women, we must be proud 2re, busy making the program was reciting a poem see women in their due identity, , dignity and humanity" behind uttered With echo in his usual glow | Couldn't but SCrean up, it was dreaml
by Malliaka ா

Page 4
4 TAM TIMES
Mother Teresa “Saint of the Gutt
funeral to the selfless work of Mother Teresa, the diminutive Roman Catholic nun called the "Saint of the Gutters", who died of a heart attack on 5 Septemberat the of 87. International reaction to her death was equally considerable and widespread though to Some extent overshadowed by the untimely and tragic death of Princess Diana a week earlier and her much publicised subsequent funeral. Over a million people turned out to mourn at Mother Teresa's state funeral on 13 August in Calcutta while thousands of others climbed roofs of buildings for a glimpse of the cortege. Around 450,000 people packed the rain-drenched Park Street as the cortege passed through central Calcutta while another 300,000 waited outside the Netaji indoor Stadium where Mother Teresa's funeral was held. Another 200,000 mourners thronged the streets leading to the Missionaries of Charity headquarters where she was buried in private at the end of a nine kilometre (5.4 miles) funeral procession.
There were some 15,000 invited guests at the Netaji Stadium where leaders from various parts of the world paid their respects to Mother Teresa.
The fatal heart attack on 5 September was the fourth suffered by Mother Teresa, who was on a pacemaker. She had suffered repeated bouts of pneumonia over the past year and she had been fighting a life-threatening illness for nearly two months.
She had been invited to attend the funeral of Princess Diana on 30 August, but according to those close to the Mother, she was too ill to make the trip to London.
Sister Christine, a nun at the Missionaries of Charity founded by Mother Teresa in Calcutta, said: "The death was very sudden. Mother was very quiet ever since she heard of the death of Princess Diana. Mother wanted to go and attend the funeral but her doctors did not advise her to undertake such a travel."
Sister Christine said while addressing special prayers, Mother Teresa had said of Diana: "She died very young. do not understand God's ways." Mother Teresa had met Diana last June 18 in New York.
MotherTeresa, afrail Roman Catholic nun who never abandoned the poor
ndia paid a fitting tribute with a state
in her seven decad ice, won global acc with the sick and ( World. Known as th ters"for her Work am ing and dying on the India's largest city, th winner had practica drawing crowds wh in humanity.
"If they are hung to eat. If they are na If they are sick, we v are homeless, we Mother Teresa saidi aries of Charity, the with Vatican suppo homes for orphans, offers shelter for ho ing on Calcutta's st
Mother Teresa's membership of mor lic nuns, runs hom destitute infar-flung in Countries includin Tanzania, the Unit Venezuela, Britain a “If there are po shall go there too." declared.
Born Agnes Go August, 1910, in the Skopje, Mother Ter est daughter of a businessman, who 8 years old. In hert member of a young local Catholic paris ested in the worko She was chosen to the Sisters of Loret sionary work, part She learned E in 1929, she was teach. Her first 15 spent as a teache Convent High Sch year before India v from British rule - ti Convinced that Go the convent walls poor in Calcutta's Four years la Missionaries of Ch sisingstrict perso cated to the servi ganisation pickec of destitute orph and ailing peop

15SEPTEMBER 997
erS”
of religious servades for her Work wntrodden of the "Saint of the Gutng the poor, starvstreets of Calcutta, Nobel Peace Prize ly a cult following, admired her faith
(, we give them food ced, we cloth them. sit them and if they ive them a home," | 1994. Her Missionorder she founded t in 1950, provides cares for lepers and meless people dyeetS,
order, which has a a than 1,000 Cathoes for the sick and regions of the globe, g Russia, Sri Lanka, ed States, Jordan, und Australia. or on the moon, We Wother Teresa once
nxha Bojaxhiu on 27 Macedonian city of esa was the younguccessful Albanian died when she was 2ens, she beCame a people's group in her n and became intermissionaries. At 18, join an Irish order, , known for their miscularly in India. glish in Ireland and sent to Calcutta to years in India were at the local Loreto ol... But in 1946 - the on its independence e young nun became wanted her to leave ind work among the eeming slums. r, she founded the rity, an order emphaalausterity and dediof the poor. The orp tens of thousands is, lepers, beggars from the Crowded
streets of Calcutta to provide them with shelter, food and, in her own Word, love. With her deeply furrowed face and her bent frame, Mother Teresa became a world-wide symbol of compassion for those at the bottom of the social heap, When she received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, Mother Teresa said her work would not have been possible without divine support. “We depend on divine providence. We get everything as we needit, at the right time, with no difficulty. I believe this is part of God's maintenance of our Work"The Nobel Committee said she earned the coveted honour"because she gave up her job as a teacher to devote herself to the work among the poorest population in India." As the years passed, Mother Teresa became increasingly outspoken against abortion, Condemning it as a selfish act that means "killing a child just to live a better life." She urged people to "fight abortion through adoption," adding, "if a mother can kill her own child, what is there left to kill?"
Mother Teresa, who travelled widely to promote her charity, emphasised her anti-abortion campaign during her international trips and meetings with heads of state. Her efforts were reflected in her face; strong, heavily wrinkled, compassionate.
But Mother Teresa had her detractors. A 1994 British-made documentary, "Hel's Angel," and a subsequent book accused Mother Teresa of denying painkillers to her dying patients due to her personal belief that physical suffering was beneficial for spiritual well-being. The editor of The Lancet, one of the world's leading medical journals, also said Mother Teresa's staff made few efforts to distinguish patients who were critically ill from those who could be cured some with basic medical treatment.
To illustrate the purpose of her work, she quoted a leper, to whom she gave shelter in her Calcutta home for the destitute, as saying: “For so long I was living the life of an animal, now I am going to die like an angel.” NAMA She often repeated her maxi "When we all come face to face with God, we are going to be judged on how much we have loved. Love has to be built on sacrifice."
Financial problems and lack of other resources led her to devise her own techniques for raising money. On his trip to India in 1964, Pope Paul II gave Mother Teresa alimousine that she raffled off to raise $13,000. In 1971, Mother Teresa was named the first winner of the $25,000 Pope John XXIII Peace Prize.
This gift also went to buy medical sup(continued on next page)

Page 5
15SEPTEMBER 1997
JAYA SIKURU STALLED
It is over four months since Operatdon Jaya Sikuru was launched on 13 May with the declared intention of opening up the land supply route between Vavuniya and Jaffna. Initially, it appeared that the military was making reasonable progress in their endeavour forcing the Tigers to withdraw as the troops advanced.
Within four weeks of the commence
ment of the operation, the troops reached Periyamadu covering a distance of some 12 miles within four weeks. However, it took over six weeks to advance a further two miles to the outskirts of Puliyankulam. But since then except for reports of a large number casualties in attacks and counter attacks, it seems clear that the 20,000 troops committed to this operation is bogged down in the vicinity of Puliyankulam.
Puliyankulam has now become the epicentre of the battle between government forces and the LTTE. In their onward march towards opening the highway between Vavuniya and Jaffna, troops have been facing not only stiff resistance, but also unexpected attacks from the Tigers who resort both to conventional warfare in directly confronting the forces and also to classical guerilla attacks,
NEWS REVII
On the governm ports confirm that have been killed an since 13 May. Ther gers also have suf ties during this pel spokesman Brig.S. claim at a press cor that over 2000 Tig 3,500 injured sinc described as fanclf
The LTTE in a dated 1 September War 3 (since 18 Ap troops have suffere the two and a half sumption of the wa estnumber lost dur of the War. In Eel 1987), the governm and in the four and War 2 June 1990 to lost 5500 armed foi
In the fighting September (122nd soldiers and Tiger fighting around Pu lowed a series of on the 55th Divisio army, Operational military reported th killed and 67 more i
(Continued from page 4)
plies. When Mother Teresa heard she won the Nobel Prize, then worth 800,000 Swedish crowns or $191,000, she said, "I am unworthy of this honour, but I have accepted the prize as through it the world has acknowledged the need to work for the poor, the sick and the homeless." She said she would spend the money on building homes for the poor and lepers, In 1993, India awarded her the first Rajiv Gandhi Award for National Harmony, named after the prime minister who was assassinated two years earlier, Though Mother Teresa always was in need of money for maintaining her charity, she never accepted government grants for her medical work. She said this would involve bookkeeping, too heavy a task for her one battered typeWriter,
Mother Teresa underwent cataract
surgery in New York received a pacem regulate her heartt she underwent su Clinic in La Jolla, C. coronary arteries. she developed pnel, 1993 suffered a b April 1996 she was fall that fracturedh cal authorities said. she had a heart at was placed on are ing health and chrol Mother Teresa m schedule supervislı elling the world.
Mother Teresa 87th birthday on 2 200 street childre which she gave thi blessed them, sayi ple "very close to
 

TAMIL TIMES 5
ent side, reliablo renearly 700 soldiers about 4,000 injured e is no doubt the TI'ered heavy casuallod, However, army arath Munasinghe's ference in Colombo ers were killed and 13 May has been ul. n official statement claimed that in Eelam il 1995) government d 6500 casualties in years since the rer. This was the highIng any single phase am War 1 (1983 to ent lost 797 troops a half years of Eelam December 1994), it ces personnel. that occurred on 9 day of J) at least 27 s were killed in the liyankulam. This folattacks by the LTTE in of the Sri Lankan Headquarters of the atten soldiers were njured following LTTE
in 1985, in 1989 she aker in Calcutta to beat. Two years later, rgery at the Scripps alifornia, to widen her In December 1992 monia, and in August out with malaria. In hospitalised after a er collar bone, mediThen in August 1996, tack - her third- and spirator, Despite failnic medical problems, aintained a hectic ng herorder and traw
had celebrated her 6 August by inviting to a celebration at m food packets and ng they were the peomy heart." O
artillery and mortar fire, in retallatory attacks, the military claimed that at least 12 Tigers were killed and many more injured. Again on fierce fighting broke out on 12 September between the troops and the LTTE, and reported pitched battles Over 40 soldiers Were killed and over 200 more wounded. While reports said that the TTE also suffered heavy casualties, an Ukrainian-built Mi-24 helicopter gunship suffered serious damage forcing the pilot to crash-land in army controlled area
Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan military is facing a crisis in transporting men and material to their operational areas of the war-torn north of the island, particularly the Jaffna peninsula, due to lack of transport aircraft. As a result, they have again sought the assistance of a private company, Lionair Group, to transport their cargo and men. According to reports from Colombo there are only three Ukrainian built AntonoV 32 and a Chlnese manufacturedY.12 aircraft available to transport the personnel of the three services and the police. An airforce Y-8 transport plane has been grounded for unknoWn reasons.
Lionair Group Was the onlydomestic airline service permitted to operate between Colombo and Jaffna after the government banned all domestic airlines for security reasons, Lionair is jointly owned by a Tamil businessman and a former Airforce Commander, and has been carrying civilians since December 1995 between Jaffna and Colombo charging at least Rs.5,000 per passenger.
GUNBOATS WITHOUTUSE
The Sri Lankan Navy is faced with questions as to why it purchased six gunboats costing $24 million (Rs.1400 million), ostensibly to used in the war effort against the Tamil Tigers, from Trinity Marine Group Inc. in the United States, The gunboats are of American make and are seaworthy, but they cannot be used in the war effor ԱS6 the United States does not allow armaments made in that Country to be used in ongoing conflict in Sri Lanka in the Northeast. It is said that the gunboats can only be used in the south and west coasts of the island. Figuring at the centre of this fiasco is the former Navy Commander Admiral Mohan Samarasekera, who entered into the transaction on behalf the government to purchase the gunboats in question, in his defence has said that none of the documents relating to the transaction was subject to any restrictive clauses as to the type of use to which the these boats could be put.

Page 6
6 TAMIL TIMES
TGERS ATTACK CHINESE SHP
SeaTiger attack on 9 September on the Panamanian registered cargo vesse “MV Cordiality", belonging to the Chinese state shipping group COSCO, off the coast of Pulmoddai in the Trincomalee area. The Sea Tiger wing of the LTTE successfully got through cordon of security provided by the Navy and the resistance of soldiers Who Were guarding the 35,000 ton Chinese vessel, both on board and four small fibreglass dinghies near it.
TheTigers had boarded the ship and overpowered the soldiers guarding. Three of the four navy dinghies were sunk. When dozens of Tigers boarded the ship, most of the 32 member Chinese crew promptly jumped overboard and five of them were later reported missing.TheTigers fired rocket propelled grenades directed at the engine room which was set ablaze and returned to their boats in an effort to withdraw before naval reinforcements arrived.
And in the battle of the sea that followed lasting several hours, the military claimed that the navy sank four Sea Tigerboats. Two Soldiers guarding the vessel, five Chinese sailors and five workers of Lanka Minerals and Sands Ltd were killed and four Soldiers and 22 workers were injured in the assault.
The damaged vessel was later towed to Trincomalee harbour for repair. It had been scheduled to leave for Trincomalee on the day of the assault with a load of 30,000 tons of ilmenite valued at One billlion rupees to be exported to AC Chemicals Inc. in New York.
The LTE in a statement dated 11 September justified the attack on the Chinese ship in a statement dated 11 September:The limenite mineral sands of Pulmoddai are one of the principal natural resources found within the limits of Tamil Eelam. What rightfully belongs to the region is being systematically plundered by the Sinhala government to sell abroad at a high price. The proceeds are being used to purchase arms and ammunition for the destruction of the Tamil people. This injustice cannot be permitted to continue. Under the above circumstances we were forced to attack and destroy the cargo ship, which was loading the said limenite mineral sands, "What we did should not be Construed as an act of hostility directed towards any particular trade or shipping organisation. Neither should it be inferred as an act prejudicial to international trade or shipping. We undertook the confrontation to prevent the removal and sale of our resources and to beat the war strategy of the Sri Lankan gov
ernment....
"A warrages or land. The robbery sources by the rele be permitted. We al pelled to take certa ures for the safety a land and of our nati
UNIP READY TOTA
Echoing the late leader, Ranil Wickre Member of Parlia Samarasinghe in a a Colombo newsp. have no hesitation exploring the minc means that We ca. eventually, in partic adding that this appr Pirabhakaran and enter the politicalm "rehabilitated".
By and large M his interview Sound and positive than so in his party like Sus says that the UNP i. yond the 13th ame stitution (that está Councils and merg Eastern Provinces i lution following the cord of July 1987), not implemented wh in power under Pre: What Mr. Sam realise is that the declared position, or Die" struggle to li tion and not for "th and the thousands LTTE to be rehabili tlement which Mr.S. party have in minc as he says in his in indivisible Sri Lank Mr.Samarasing idea is to make th tive to accepting a If we are a goverr But as an opposit know how seriously us. So far We have tures from the LT Opposition We cann posal." This is rict belonging to the UN for 17 long years c Succeedin solving about a solution. In further complicate ing its tenure.
The UNP has opposition in the

15 SEPTEMBER 1997
the sea and on the of our natural reless enemy cannot à unavoidably comn protective meashdwell-being of our in."
LKWITH LTTE
st refrain of the UNP masinghe, the UNP ment Mr. Mahinda ecent interview with per has said, "We in sitting down and s of the LTTE, if it l guaranteepeace ular with the LTTE," bach would allow the he LTTE cadres to ainstream and to be
Ir, Samarasinghe in 2dmore progressive me of his colleagues si Moonesinghe. He sprepared to go bendment to the Conablished Provincial ed the Northern and into one unit of devoIndo-Sri Lanka ACMhich he admits was en his own party was sident Premadasa. arasinghe does not TE, according to its S engaged in a "Do berate the Tamil Naleader of the LTTE of the cadres of the cated" through a setamarasinghe and his which provides for, erview, "a united and a". he also says, "The LTTE more recepnal political Solution. ment, we can do it. on party we do not the LTTE would take ot received any over:. In any event as an timplementany procoming from a MP P which was in power Iring which it did not he problem and bring act the problem was │and prolonged dur
been expressing its arliamentary Select
Committee to many aspects of even the present government's proposals on devolution and thwarting its progress. The UNP is opposed to the "Union of Regions" concept contained in the government's proposals. "The danger may not be immediate. But what is to prevent a government in Jaffna from five years from now that it will secede from the Union of Regions. This is a dangerous road the government wants to tread and will lead to the breakup of the country", says Dr. Stanley Kalpage, a senior leader of the UNP
When the UNP expresses the view that it is opposed to any proposal that will adulterate the "unitary character of the state", one Wonders as to how the UNP hopes "to make the LTTE more receptive to accepting a final political solution"
SIRISENA COORAY RELEASED
The government faced another sewere embarrassment when the Supreme Court ordered the release of Sirisena Cooray, one time strongman of the UNP Besides holding that Cooray's arrestand detention under the Emergency Regulations were illegal, the Court ordered that the government should pay him Rs.200,000 in compensation.
Cooray was arrested on 16 June and detained on a charge of conspiracy to kill President Kumaratunga. The police claimed that he had hired a contract killer and kept him in a house near the President's ancestral home in Attanagala with the intention of killing the President.
Mr.Cooray, backed by the UNP, challenged his arrest and detention by filing a fundamental rights application in the Supreme Court.
DEPORTATION ORDER UPHELD
The Canadian Federal Court recently upheld the detention and deportation order issued by the Canadian authorities against Manickavasagam Thayalan Suresh, a Sri Lankan Tamil from eastern Batticaloa. He has been resident in Canada since 1990 having claimed political asylum.
Before his detention, Suresh functioned as the Officer-in-Charge of World Tamil Movement and Co-ordinator of the Federation of ASSociations of Canadian famils, both alleged to be aligned to the LiberationTigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). He was arrested and detained under an order known as a National Security Certificate issued on 18 October 1995 under section 40(1) of the Canadian Immigration Act. Normally National Security Certificates are issued in respect of a

Page 7
15SEPTEMBER 1997
person considered as a security threat to the Canadian state. Va
The Certificate issued against Suresh was on the basis that he was a person who had been engaged in terrorism, been a member of a terrorist or
ganisation (LTTE) and that he was con
tinuing to be a member of that organisation.
The validity of the detention and deportation order was challenged on behalf of Suresh before the Canadian Federal Court by a team of top lawyers. In the course of the hearing which lasted several months, many expert and lay witnesses were called to give evidence in support of Suresh and in support of the submission that the TTE Was “liberation organisation" and not a "terrorist organisation".
On 29 August, Justice Max Teitelbaum, the presiding judge of the Federal Court, delivered his order upholding the detention and deportation order issued against Suresh stating that there were reasonable grounds to believe that he was a member of the LTTE and that there also reasonable grounds to believe that the LTTE was engaged in terrorism. The Judge also said that he would deliver his detailed judgement at a later date.
TIGERS RELEASEN, KOREAN SHIP
Thirty-seven North Korean sailors were taken to northeastern Sri Lanka on 30 August to retrieve a North Korean cargo ship that was previously seized by Tamil Tigers. One Korean crew member was killed and the others seized when the Tigers captured the Morang Bong on July 17 when it was returning home after unloading food and essential items on the northern Jaffna peninsula.
The remaining 37 crew were later released by the Tigers to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), but the ship was anchored in LTTE-controlled waters off north-eastern Mullaitivu town.
The LTTE agreed to release the ship on "humanitarian grounds" and the Red Cross took six crew members to Mulliativu to inspect the ship. The LT TE gave assurance of safe Sea passage for the ship to be towed to the northeastern Trincomalee port. The Korean crew were taken to Mullaitivu and the ship was later towed back, according to Harsha Gunawardena, information officer of the Red Cross.
Govt to Pub Abuse Pro
The London-base man rights organisati national saidon 5Se Sri Lanka's decision reports of three con disappearances of th The Sri Lankan g 3 September that it v ing legal action agair ble for the disappea 16,742 people since three commissions a dent Chandrika Kuma inquire into the disap ceived 19,079 compla "This is a Crucia Lanka. By making pu and taking firm action tors, an extremely si tion is being trade to human rights in the Said in a statement.
The human rights was also "delighted follow-up measure Kumaratunga, includi of those against whon found prima facie e establishment of a n examine complaints t els were not able to s terms ended.
It was not immed the reports of the th would be made pub peated its call for the g decisive action infollo tions underway into "disappearances" in th peninsula last year,
Human rights gro Sri Lankan security ! rights abuses during C Tamil rebels as well as down on a left-wing
1988-90,
Prior to the govern ment of its intention tc missions'reports, Amr said, "The Governm should make public t
 

TAMIL TIMES 7
leis
ish Rights e Reports
di International huon, Amnesty Inter)tember Welcomed to make public the missions into the Dusands of people, overnment said on was also considerst those responsirances of at least 1982. It said the ppointed by Presiratunga in 1994 to pearances had reaints, Al juncture for Sri blic these reports against the violagnificant contributhe protection of country." Amnesty
watchdog said it " at Some of the s announced by ng the prosecution the commissions vidence, and the W commission to hat the three pan:ee to before their
iately clear when ree commissions lic. Amnesty reovernment to take wing up investiga'60 complaints of enorthern Jaffna
ps have accused orces of human perations against ; in a brutal Cracksouth uprising in
ment's announcepublish the comesty International ent of Sri Lanka he reports of the
three commissions of inquiry into past human rights violations, Amnesty International said as the commissions handed over their final reports to President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga on 3 September
"It is the government's duty to ensure that what happened to the tens of thousands of people who "disappeared" or were killed in Sri Lanka in the recent past is officially acknowledged and remembered." Al Said.
"Not publishing the reports would give those responsible for past violations the opportunity to escape the judgement of history and to avoid being held to acCount."
Amnesty International also urged the President to announce within a reasonable period of time how the government Will act on the commissions' recommendations for the prevention of 'disappearances in the future, including steps to be taken to bring to justice those against whom the commissions found prima facie evidence.
The Presidential commissions were set up in late 1994 and had been mandated to investigate "disappearances" reported in the country since 1 January 1988. They reportedly heard evidence in relation to 16,750 cases out of 19,079 complaints. They were, among other things, asked to report on "disappearances' and "involuntary removals' (abductions by non-state agents), to identify those responsible and recommend legal proceedings that can be taken against them, and to suggest relief to be granted and preventive measures to be taken.
Amnesty International representatives, who visited Sri Lanka last month and met with several senior government officials, said that they had been encouraged by repeated assurances that the reports were to be made public.
"Making the reports public, and announcing publicly how the government intends to act on the commissions' recommendations, is of paramount importance to reinforce the rule of law in Sri Lanka and break through the lingering climate of impunity among security forces personnel"Amnesty International said.
Taking these steps is all the more important because "disappearances" continue to be reported in large numbers, particularly from the Jaffna peninsula. Amnesty International's team visited Jaffna in mid-August and was informed of more than 600 'disappearances' in 1996 and 39 since the beginning of 1997. During the visit, the delegates met with a Board of Investigation set up by the Ministry of Defence and chaired by a ci

Page 8
8 TAMIL TIMES
villan with a mandate to investigate these recent 'disappearances'. The Board had received 760 complaints and had heard oral evidence from relatives in 368 cases. The Board's members said they were expecting to finalise their investigations by the end of the year,
Amnesty International is encouraged by these efforts to establish the fate or whereabouts of the people who 'disappeared in Jaffna. It is urging that the government at the earliest opportunity makes public the report of the Board of investigation and announce action taken to follow-up on its findings, including bringing to justice those found to be responsible,
"The International community is waliting to see how the government deals with human rights violations both under the previous regime and under its own term of office," Amnesty International said, "Now is the time to prove its avowed commitment to promote and protect human rights”
In a statementissued by the Presidential Secretariat 3 September, "speclal arrangements to complete the legal process necessary to prosecute the persons responsible for the disappearances”, vere announced. Ints letter to the President, Amnesty International highlighted the need to strengthen governmental investigative resources, particularly within the police, to ensure that successful prosecutions can be initiated in those cases in which the three Commissions and the Board of Investigation found that there was enough evidence to initiate further investigations with a view to prosecute, in particular, the organisation recommended that the forensic expertise available in the country be strengthened.
Draconian Media Law Repealed
The Parliament of Sri Lanka on 11 September repealed a 19-year-old law that made journalists answerable to the parliament in cases where Members of Parliament were alleged to have been brought into disrepute by the media.
The motion to repeat the Parliamentary Privileges Special Provision Act of 1978 was presented in parliament by the government and passed unanimously when it was taken up for debate.
The Act of 1978 was enacted ed by the former United National Party (UNP) government in 1978, gave parliament the right to fine and imprison journalists, However when the motion to repeal the Act was debated in Parliament this time, even Members of Parliament of the UNP now in opposition also voted in support of its repeal.
The Act was en after a photographp owned newspaper W. was claimed by a st to have harmed his had been used at lea media by the previc penalise Journalists, The government this "draconian Act" government's effort media,
The Parlament lution appointing a S Members of Parlam Ing medla laws and n tions,
The 30-member senting all political pe
Will also make recom
establishment of abi lty that would regula changes to existing poses limitations on slon and the indepe dia.
The Committee v the establishment of promote the freedom of both the print an and the maintenanc of Communications mend guidelines for tising.
Visit by UI
Rights The United Nat porteur on Extrajudi ecutions Arbitrary Waly Nadiyae, who Lanka in his official tation of the Srilanka that there appeared to the northeast cd because there was munication between the LTTE.
Addressing a pri September in Colom its to Jaffna, Trincom Mr Nadiyae said that
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15SEPTEMBER 1907
cted by the UNP blished in a statenincorrect caption jor UNP Minister putation. The Act t twice against the is government to
ald that repealing was a step in the to create a free
so passed a resolect Committee of bnt to review existake recommenda
committee, reprerties in Parliament, mendations for the oadcasting author'e the industry and |egislation that imFreedom of expreshdence of the me
ould also consider a Media Council to and responsibility d electronic media of high standards ethics and recomgovernment adver
N Human Official lons Special Rapcial, Summary Ex{illings, Mr. Bacre recently visited Sri capacity at the invin government, said obe no end insight nflict in the island a total lack of Comhe government and
Iss conference on 2 bo following his visalee and Batticaloa, his visit to Sri Lanka
was pursuant to an invitation extended by the government in 1992.The delay in responding to that invitation was due mainly to the fact that he had to visit other countries like Bosnia, Rwanda, Peru, Columbia and Papua New Guinea during the Intervening years,
The mandate given to him by the UN Human Rights Commission concerned every single aspect relating to the safety to human life which included protectlon of life, deaths in custody, displaced persons, deaths in conflict situations, a genocide, mass graves and providing compensation to victims, said Mr.Nadiyae,
Since his mandate involved United Nations member states, it was not possible for him to contact NGOs independently and officially carry out any investigations on their behalf. However anyone, including NGOs were free to make representations to hlm, he sald.
In regard to the situation in Jaffna, the Special Rapporteur said that "there is still a very painful and difficult human rights issue in the northern Jaffna peninsula. The gap between those who have disappeared and the numbers of people whose whereabouts have been finally discovered is too large, too important "The number of disappearances in Jaffna last year varied from 370 to more than 600. However, during his visit to Jaffna, the people there told him that there are now less human rights violations than before. "I did not receive many allegations of extrajudicial killings on my visit to Jaffna. There were some allegations of extrajudicial killings, but there were very little compared to the disappeared"Nadiaye said,
Mr. Nadiyae added that in every conflict as in Sri Lanka, it is the civilians who mostly affected by being caught in the fighting. Every possible step should be taken by the parties to the conflict to safeguard women and children who are most vulnerable to the effects of War and violence. The only way to end the conflict is by Working towards peace, and peace is a basic human right,
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Page 9
5SEPTEMBER 997
By Frederica Jansz, Colombo
caloa are the disappearance of persons and an extremely tense situation between the civilian population and government troops. Arbitrary arrests and detentions of persons suspected to be pro-LTTE continue at an alarming rate. At a meeting with the Batticaloa Peace Committee and later some government officials from the Batticaloa Kachcheri, both voiced concern at what they described as the abuses perpetrated by government forces in implementing the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA).
The army have allegedly told senior residents of Batticaloa, that they are forced to use "reasonable persuasion' in order to elicit information from those arrested under the Prevention of Terrorism Act.
Rev. Harry Miller, an American Jesuit priest, resident in Batticaloa since 1948, has a list of over 2000 names of missing persons. The military he said do not acknowledge that these persons have been taken in for questioning while many he says have been murdered. He quoted a Commanding Army Officer for Batticaloa as having admitted that the military are forced to use aggression in order to elicit information. Miller reiterated that it is 100% truth to say that all those arrested are tortured, though the degree of torture varies. No perpetrators, he said are ever punished, except for a rare occasion whereby the accused is merely transferred out of the district.
A Project Director for Rehabilitation, who wished to remain anonymous, asserts there is no leadership left in Batticaloa. He said the police force in Batticaloa are anything but the guardians of the law and maintained that civilians in the area would be far better of minus the presence of government troops. We can deal with the LTTE, he said, stressing however it was impossible to have even areasonably good relationship with government forces, There is no liaison between the military, police and civilians of Batticaloa.
Murder and rape is a regular occurrence. Joseph Pararajasingham, TULF MP in numerous letters to President Chandrika Kumaratunge has voiced deep
T he main issues of conflict in Batti
concern over the gru murder and rape whi there is some evide police personnel m these murders. He h impartial inquiries i asking that persons accountable for thes singham howevers when he says rarel ated. All receive is to my letters he sai ends there,
The ICRC office While the recent cc Muslim and Tamilco resolved, the situatic tense between secu and civilians.
A steady deterio ship between civilia troops has been se when an existing ce was abruptly severe
Tami - Muslim Cor In this instance t perpetrated by an in lami and Muslim above opinion mainta Muslims in Batticalo vesas interdepende to Pottuvil from Battic Famil and Muslim vi nate.The Eastern pr been an example of from earlier times. A munities live here, S Muslim, who validly as being well rooted dependence Sinhal. creased in numbers has led to charges of ing the historically majority in the East. the Batticaloa Kachci been in the area fro while the Muslims, point to the East bei of their earliest sett being their modern h
Talks betweenth lim community early as a people oriented present at these talk
 

TAMIL TIMES 9
esome instances of ch continue. He says ince to suggest that ay be implicated in las called forful and into these incidents responsible be held emurders. PararajaOunds disillusioned y is any action initian acknowledgment dadding the matter
in Batticaloasay that onflict between the immunity have been on however remains Irity force personnel
ration in the relationns and government en since April 1995 Ssation of hostilities d by the LTTE.
fict he conflict is largely cidentor event. Both civilians voiced the ining that Tamils and a speak of themsent. On the road south aloa along the coast, llages almost alterovince they say, has Communal harmony \ll three major cominhalese, Tamiland :laim their presence in history. Since ina presence has inmany times, which colonisation, matchmore recent Tamil A Muslim official at herisaid Tamils have m time immemorial ater in coming, can ng the area of some lements, as well as eartland. e LTE and the Musthis year was seen step. S.L.M. Haniffa S said the Muslims
sought the protection of the LTTE as they can no longer depend on government forces for security. Allegations have be made that the recent incidents of violenc between the Muslims and the Tamils has been largely perpetrated by the police force.
Manoranjan Rajasingham maintains the peace talks between the Muslim community and the rebel group have been more in favour for the LTTE who have used the opportunity to state their position rather than negotiate a better deal for the Muslim community. The Muslims disagree, maintaining fishing rights and trade have also been a part of these discussions. Rajasingham reiterates that it is unfortunate no member of the Tamil community have been present at these talks. In fact the Tamil community in Batticaloa hawe hadno official interaction with the LTTE in recent times,
Otherareas of Tamiland Muslim conflict issues are that Muslims are considered to be traders, but have managed to secure large areas of paddy land in predominantlyTamil areas. The predominant issue here is the purchase of land, as Muslims are seen buying prime property filling a vacuum created by the emigration of the Tamil community. The other issue of conflict seems to be that Muslims are perceived as being clannish and do not readily integrate with the Tamil community. Many individuals from both communities assertthere is no long tem difficulty between the two nationalities. However while an increasing number of Tamils foreseeableak future in Sri Lanka, the Muslim community does not see the situation that way. When questioned however members from both communities say the above are all minor grievances adding the two have long lived in relative peace and harmony, Primordial differences are prevalent in that there is a basic division in business and land issues. The massacre of some Muslim villages by the LTTE in the past does not seem to have created a great division between the two communities.
The Devolution Package
Bemused expressions greet inquiries regarding the governments power sharing proposals. The general opinion is that no power can effectively be devolved in the East minus the representation of the LTTE. Joseph Pararajasingham, MPsaid the governments two pronged solution of fighting the LTTE and offering a devolution of powerfor the Tamil community is not going to work. He said the way things are at the moment the present ethnic conflict will continue for at least a further 10 years. He says there appears to be a vested interest blocking a possible resolution to the ethnic conflict. He voiced

Page 10
10 TAMILTIMES
pessimism with regard to the devolution package, adding that previous attempts at resolving this issue have all failed. He accused both the PA and UNP of Working mainly to build a better party image to meet the next election. He alleged both political parties have pressure groups within and which oppose every move for peace. President Chandrika Kumaratunge he says has also fallen prey to these groups.
Pararajasingham together with other senior citizens of Batticaloa articulated that people in the East do not care about a devolution package -"it means nothing to them with a War on," he said.
Many articulated the opinion that each successive government has been callous in their disregard of the issues, Batticaloa police station yet issue official summons in Sinhala. Third party mediation was felt to be a must if the Conflict is to be resolved. Such an involvement was described as having to be a strong force that could achieve some arm twisting on both sides. It is important they say for any third party to be able to cut a deal for both the LTTE and the government.
A possible merger of the Eastern Province into ethnic sections, merging some parts with other provinces, or setting them apart, from their neighbours is considered by many to be a grave mis
take. Some say tha Sinhalese sections w attached to other pro as if again the majo only concerned for i Eastern Province rel region with an almost division of populatior Civilians in Battic the region is only a seems to be a cruci Batticaloa District, W derance, there woul of the east being es nation. Amparai is ni Trincomalee, also mi: nationally as a harbc area, they said.
On this issue cor expressed. While th seem strongly oppo the north and east, Tamil at grassrootle ions in favour of a m administered by sing council. This opinion differ as many village is represented by an Many civilians fe sue of the east is bei political levels, no-on to the Batticaloa civili ion on the matter. Mal
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t if some eastern ere to be cutoff and vinces, it would look ity community was s own people. The hains a multi-ethnic balanced three way
aloa feel that though part of the east, yet al element. Without ith a Tamil prepond be no discussion sential to the Tamil inority Tamil, while ted, istoo important hur and commercial
ficting opinions are elite of Batticaloa sed to a merger of Some Muslim and vel expressed opinerger that would be le Tamil dominated again appeared to s, Muslim and Tamil, elitist of the area.
el that While the isng discussed, at all e howeveristalking antoheartheir opinhy are confused with
regard to the devolution package as while they remain aware it involves devolution of power,they do not know what this would entail for the east.
No governmentinitiated body (Sudu Nelum Movement) has visited Batticaloa and attempted to conduct workshops on the set of devolution proposals. Such endeavours have been exclusively concentrated in the South.
Conflict Resolution initiatives
Samadhana - a non violent support group has and continues to conductworkshops on conflict resolution for community groups, on the technics and principles of conflict resolution. Conflict resolution training is conducted on an interpersonal level.
The group also does extensive Work in highlighting human rights violations, leading satyagrahas against arbitrary arrests and detention and help locate prisoners held at the Kalutara and Welikada magazine prisons.
The Methodist Church together with the Quakers conduct workshops on conflict resolution in the Kamunai area. Such workshops mainly bring youth together for interaction which also involve participating in environmental and social development projects.
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15 SEPTEMBER 1997
(Continued from page 10)
Mandru - a local NGO does work at the Pradeshlya Sabha level - seeks to ensure fair water distribution etc. to all Communities. The Batticaloa Peace Committee is mainly a group which documents disappearance and murder of civilians,
Despair Among Civilians
Meanwhile the disillusionment and hopelessness among the civilian population continues while journalists are not officially allowed access into "uncleared areas. A considerable number of the civilian population in the East, live in uncleared areas and complain of daily harassment at security barriers. NGO's too remain constrained in moving in and out of uncleared areas, making it difficult to carry out relief measures for those in need.
Residents fed up with security measures which they say are largely in place to protect the security forces and not civilians said, Tell them all to go away, We can handle the LTTE. As long as the military and police remain we are sitting ducks for the rebel group
Meanwhile it is not only civilians of the area who are afraid of being identified but senior military persons as well plead to remain incognito, as they have received strict instructions from their higher command not to speak with the press. "If quoted our necks will be on the block, they said.
After 6pm human traffic is almost non-existent in Batticaloa town. A self-imposed curfew is strictly adhered to. Living in a conflict area"it is possible the police need live bait for target practice'a resident commented wryly.
A member of the Batticaloa Peace Committee asserts there is no leadership left in Batticaloa. There is no liaison between the military, the police and civilians. Peace Committee members maintain recognition of human rights violations in the district go virtually un-noticed. The perpetrators, they say are never punished except on a rare occasion, by a mere transfer. A few publicized cases of rape however have initiated judicial action against some security force personnel. Senior military officials meanwhile are worried of a blemished record as they are aware President Kumaratunge, striving to maintain a clean slate where human rights are concerned, will not hesitate to put them on the mat, a committee membersaid,
An artificial normality exists in Batticaloa. Disappointed residents say they See the government in the security forces. Efforts by the government to enforce a "hearts and mind operation' in the North and East has not proved successful, civilians say as it has failed to filter down
ustralia has ARTE sin show concer conflict, it has em. need for a peaceful to the protracted e human right abuse: to protect the civi country, irrespectiv tity. Australia belie gotiated settlemer conflict resolvingre the people from th the drawn out ethn Dr Andrew Gol tor of the South Asi Section, Departm and Trade, Austr cinctly that, "Austra preciate your conc rights situation in S ers that there is a peaceful negotiat conflict to protect ci country, irrespectiv tity" the facsimile m this writeras parto" Australia's position vide any further sp ed the parameters negotiated settlem mile statement cle of the Australian c onstrates their ca speedy conflict re region.
Alexander Do Foreign Minister, Colombo in July, w
to the rank and fil police officer who has daily interacti not with the highe tary command.
Joseph Parara also maintains tha initiated betweenth LTTE the power sh be implemented in who are the nego asserting that this to be recognizeds Pararajasinghị present negative : in the East, the civi faith in the militat response to the d not be positive.
 

TAMILTMES 11
STRA LAS CON CERN امروزی . SR LANKAN CONFLIC
By KT Rajasingham
bmerged as the first e of late, to openly Is over the Sri Lankan phasised the urgent negotiated settlement hnic war. Worsening cause grave concern ians throughout the e of their ethnic idenes in a peaceful net, the way out as the Solution, to safeguard e scourge of war, in c crisis. bdzinowski, the Direca and Regional issues nt of Foreign Affairs alia, expressed suclian Government aperns over the human Sri Lanka and considun urgent need for a ed settlement of the vilians throughout the te of their ethnic idenessage addressed to an endeavour to brief . He did not either proecific details or outlinof the proposal for a ent. Anyhow, the facsiarly reveals the depth ompassion and demre and concern for a solution in the Asian
wner, the Australian luring his last visit to as highly critical of the
b. It is the Soldier and the Batticaloa civilian on with, they say, and 'echelons of the mili
jasingham MP TULF t unless a dialogue is e government and the aring package cannot the East. "It is the LTTE tiating force, he said, is a fact which needs
OOs. m maintains that if the ituation is to continue an population will lose 1 and their long term volution package will O
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and admonish that, there is no terrorist solution to the drawn-out ethnic Conflict. He also added that, "The Australian Governmentunequivocally condemns the terrorist activities of the LTTE." A strongly Worded condemnation and first of its kind ever expressed by a leader of his standing, or on behalf of a government.
Earlier, it appeared Australia showed interestin interceding in the ethnic conflict to bring about a conclusive resolution. Political observers believed that the foreign minister's meeting with the leaders of the Sinhalese and the Tamil groups in Colombo during his recent official visit, arranged by the Sri Lankan government, an initial attempt to evolve a common denominator approach to the simmering problem. Subsequent remarks, made by the minister puzzled the political pundits, when he declared Australia supported the Sri Lankan government's effort to end the conflict and did not believe, a third party mediation would help.
lan McConville, the officer in charge of the Sri Lankan Desk in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australia, telephoned this writer to appraise the Australian Governments policy on the conflict in Sri Lanka. This was an arrangement made exclusively to brief this writer to get acquainted with the Australian Government's policy on the conflict. He informed that his Government shows keen interest to cause a negotiated settlement to resolve the ethnic crisis. From his summation, it became apparent that, Australia would consider to cause a negotiated settlement and to bring an end to the human sufferings experienced by the people in the country.
Even though Australian Foreign Minister, Andrew Downer, during his last official visit to Colombo, castigated the LTTE, but he showed indications during his meetings that Australia recognises the LTTE as one of the main players and a negotiated settlement with their participation is required to end the crisis. When asked whether Australia is ready to intercede in a negotiated settlement, an McConville said that, it cannot be ruled out or ignored when exploring all available avenues. Australia expects a quick end to belligerency to put behind the sufferings of the people. He added that it is time to focus on hope against despair and look forward that the Sri Lankan Gov(continued on next page)

Page 12
12 TAM TIMES
ernment and the LTTE would come together Soon to resolve differences for a sustainable peace accord.
During the last five to six years, the on-going ethnic war in Sri Lanka served only as a media-fodder at regular intervals, whenever big offensive led to a large scale loss of lives or incidents of assassination of important personalities occurred. Loss of lives and rampant human right abuses of a section of humanity turned out to be a media-type focus of attention. The protracted ethnic battle in the country, and a search for a sustainable peace, lost its luster, attention and urgency for a peaceful resolution to end the conflict, no sooner india withdrew its forces from Sri Lanka and the 1991 assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, the former Prime Minister. The conflict became a dormant issue and side-lined as an attempt to arrest terrorism in the country. Western nations dismissed the bloodied ethnic rivalry, which caused the lives of more than 80,000 innocent people, as an attempt by the Sri Lankan Government to stem out terrorism, an easy ploy by these Western nations to shirk their international responsibilities.
This is Sri Lanka today, an account of human tragedy. How much more pain should Sri Lankans endure due to the Government's impalpable policy of "War for Peace" and of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam's response with the “Do or Die" military campaigns.
Australia recently released a White Paper- a major foreign and trade agenda for the next 15 years. The paper gave Australia's assessment of political, economic and security issues in the Asia-Pacific region. Alexander Downer also downplayed the anti-Asian image portrayed by the maverick politician Pauline Hanson, whilst releasing the agenda and emphasised that Australia is a tolerant society and the Country cannot be judged otherwise.
in the Wake of the release of the White Paper, Australians broke tradition to moot an initiative to clarify to this writer, its position through two senior most officials, the think-tank, a highest polity-making group in the department regarding Sri Lanka, a commendable approach to demonstrate the caring concern for a practical solution to the drawn-out conflict in Sri Lanka, In case, Australia comes forward to intercede in the ethnic conflict, considered a welcome gesture to expect bright chances for a Speedy resolution. Undoubtedly, Australia is one of the leaders in the Asia-Pacific region, a member of the Commonwealth of nations in which Sri Lanka too is a member and a neutral tolerant nation without any vested interest, required elements, always the overriding concern of the warring partners in Sri Lanka. O
The 198
and
A
en years have p T Prime Minister R Lankan Preside wardene signed the cc ment between lndia an 29th 1987 in Colombc are no longeramong ti cut down in the prime assassination while away peacefully at the The accord that the remains still a valid do sense. Not all aspects being adhered to in ac ertheless the beneficia that pact, namely the to the constitution is ef salient spheres.
Provincial Council, amendment are functi Southern Provinces, language with constit though there has been in implementation. Mc Provincial Council of th province, set up after funct. As such, the Sri whose ostensible ben consequent 13th ame posedly drawn up, are fruits of this labour me In the meantime e devolution provided f amendment is now de tional illusion" that ne genuine devolution. T for a consensus on amounting to federalist the basis that the PA not be a party to hooc people by stating that hadbeenprovidedund ment when it had actu, so. Interestingly the c the PA government, th dom Party (SLEP sanc ratunga) opposed ever lution proposed unde ment as being inimica country then.
On the other har Viewpoint that the cur exercise, despite the of those involved, is no The mandatory re

15 SEPTEMBER 1997
7 Indo-Sri Lanka Accord the Sri Lanka Tamils
POST MORTEM
by DBS Jeyaraj
assed since indian ajiv Gandhi and Sri nt Junius R. Jayeontroversial agreedi Sri Lanka on July . Both signatories he living. One was of life by a brutal the other passed ripe old age of 90. yevolved together cument in a legal of that accordare tual practice, Nevconsequences of 13th amendment fective yet in some
s set up under that oning in the seven Tamil is an official tutional status alvery little progress ore importantly the enorthern-eastern the accord, is deLankan Tamils for efit the accord and ndment were supyet to savour the aningfully. ven the scheme of or under the 13th scribed as an "opver ever provided he current search greater devolution mis rationalisedon government Would dwinking the Tamil 2ffective devolution er the 13th amendally not been done hief component of e Sri Lanka FreeChandrika Kumathe "limited"devor the 13th amendto the unity of the
d, there exists a rent devolutionary laudable objective tlikely to Succeed. quirement of a
two-thirdsmajority in Parliament and subsequent victory at a referendum to amend entrenched clauses of the constitution is perceived as the obstacle. Unless a bi-partisan consensus evolves between the ruling PA government and the chief opposition UNP the chances of the current devolution package materialising in realistic terms is seen as a remote possibility.
This perception has led to some Tamil political parties clamouring for an interim administration to be set up in the northeast first. This set up would concentrate on exercising the devolved powers under the 13th amendment for the time being, even as the search for a better scheme of devolution goes on. These parties contend that if the current devolution exercise fails the Tamils would still have the 13th amendment as a fall back position. The Provincial Council bird in the handis better than the regional assembly cun union of regions birds in the bush, claim the proponents of this view notably Doug las Devananda, the eader of the Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP).
With the wisdom of a ten year hindsight, one could safely say that the merits and defects of the Indo-Lanka accord became an issue of only academic interest because it never really got off the ground in practice. To the Tamils of the north-east the gains from the accord were never visible except for a structural institution and attached trappings in Trincomalee during the 1989-90 period. In spite of its shortcomings there was a possibility that it could have been utilised to the overal advantage of the Tamil people.
That golden opportunity has been lost and, from the looks of it, for ever. It would be pertinent, however, a decade later to examine the Indo-Lanka accord from a historical perspective with particularemphasis on how it improved in conceptual terms the Sri Lankan Tamil situation at that particular juncture by accruing to the Tamils political gains in comparison with what prevailed in law or had been agreed upon in political discussions during the acrimonious past. Also of importance is to understand the contextual constraints that existed at that time of the accord

Page 13
15SEPTEMBER 1997
being formulated.
Unfortunate developments of the past decade have obscured at present the primary purpose of India informulating the accord then. While the element of "realpolitik" as well as geo-political considerations were prevalent, the overriding compulsion however was the genuine desire of the Indian Government at that time to engineer a viable political settlement to the Sri Lankan Tamils within the contours of a united Sri Lanka. The implementation of that agreement was underwritten and guaranteed by the Indian Government.
The accord paved the way for India to have a "legitimate"voice in Sri Lankan affairs over matters concerning the Tamil minority there, in geo-political terms the accord registered India's dominance in the South Asian region. The USA accepted India's "pivotal power" status while the then USSR acknowledged the “natural pre-eminence" of India, Indian academics characterised the accord as one more demonstration of Indian “benign Diplomacy" in the region, the undermining of the Rana and empowering of the Shah dynasty in Nepal, military aid to Sri Lanka during the JVP revolt of 1971, supporting the Birth of Bangla Desh, crushing the Maldives Island PLOTE aided coup etc. being some other instances,
The Sri Lankan crisis was from an Indian perspective a serious"intermestic" issue. This word had been coined by political scientists to describe issued lying at the Interface of an International and domestic issue, The presence of 50 million Tamils in Tamil Nadu and their visible concern over the plight of their fellow Tamils in Sri Lanka affected the domestic equilibrium in India. Besides the influx of Tamil refugees numbering more than 135,000 provided India the "locus stand" to involve herself in Sri Lankan affairs.
The initial refusal of the Jayewardene government to talk directly to the Tamil leaders necessitated India into offering her good offices to break the impasse. India's concern about extraneous influences infiltrating the region under the cover of the Sri Lankan conflict as Well as anxiety about the demonstration effect of a protracted conflict in the neighbourhood on the India polity itself, were other factors impelling India's benign intervention in the conflict.
A controversial element of this policy was the training, financing and arming of Tamil militants on Indian soil. Tamil separatist groups were also allowed to indulge in propaganda from India. New Delhi covertly promoted the Tamil cause worldwide then, Indian policy makers rationalised their action as providing additional input to the weaker of the two parties in
an internal conflict party does not anni Was acceptable pra. diation, it was argu The other side this whole policy we ent perspectives. h it as clear proof of on their island. Ind Tamils to dismemb perhaps annex it to ists saw it as a sub the creation of a se the Island. Their co Would be allowed to autonomy or wheth controlled by New tionalists saw it as a tion of a Tamil state passage of time, p. ning of a greaterTar project.
In cynical terms were seen as having ing the level of armé Sri Lanka to a point Government would contain, Then it WC submit itself to over and appeal to that and help resolve th dia would intervene Lankan Governmer political concessior ity. The quid pro quc Ing by India of the militancy. This wou off all help to the T later, if necessary, tary suppression,
This policy also Lankan acceptance in the region throug letters described as underwriting and agreement by India that country a perm ternal affairs of SriL calculations of the block were upset by resistance and res The Tigers not onl Combat with the Ind also came to a craft Premadasa to set u
This resulted in drawal of the Indian Sri Lanka. Later the dhi turned Indian I LTTE 'and by limite Lankan Tamils. The that New Delhi is ex to Colombo now an ten the parameters to the signing of th place. Nowadays fe ers want to be rem formed Indian opini

TAM TIMES 13
so that the stronger late the former. This ctice in third partyme9d
of the coin Was that as viewed from differe Sinhalahawks saw ndia's sinister design a wanted to help the er their country and tally, Tamil nationaltle manoeuvre to ald parate Tamil state in ncern was whetherit function with some er it would berigidly Delhi. Tamil Nadu naa prelude to the creathat would, with the ove to be the beginmil Nadu or PanTamil
Indian machinations g the objective of rais2d Tamil resistance in where the Colombo | find itself unable to ould be compelled to all Indian Supremacy country to intervene le problem. Then lnand compel the Sri it to grant meaningful is to the Tamil minor) Would be the ensurelimination of Tamil ld be done by cutting amil groups first and by resorting to mili
aimed at gaining Sri of Indian dominance gh the singing of two iannexures. Also the guaranteeing of the helped establish for anent voice in the inanka. These cynical
Brahmins of South f the underestimated ilience of the LTTE. y entered into direct ian armed forces but y understanding with p an anti-India front. the ignominious witharmy from North-east killing of Rajiv Ganpolicy hostile to the ld extension the Sri 2 sad reality today is tremely sympathetic d has virtually forgotof the policy that led e accord in the first w Indian policy makinded of that and inon makers describe
the earlier policy as "schizoid".
The period between 1983 July and 1987 July saw India exerting continuous pressure on the Colombo Government as well as the Tamilside to fashion together a satisfactory arrangement. Indian emissaries such as G. Parthasarathy, Romesh Bhandari, P. Chidamparam, K. Natwarsingh and Dinesh Singh engaged in periodic shuttle diplomacy, Indian envoy in Colombo Jyotindranath Dixit, Political secretary Hardip Singh Puriand Information Secretary Lakshmi Puri comprised the trio that devoted much time, energy and dedication to the task of bringing about an accord. Their pre-July 1987 role is greatly appreciated by Sri Lankan Tamils.
Given the recent history of armed groups fighting for a separate Tamil state, the accord was not satisfactory from an extremeTamil Nationalist perspective. All that sacrifice and toil to remain under a Sinhala dominated unitary state! This was the essence of this objection. Taking the overal non-violent history of the Tamil struggle in Sri Lanka and its failure to gain Worthwhile results, the achievements of the accord were creditable indeed. The accord and its consequential 13th amendment and its creation, the Provincial Councils, did provide a satisfactory framework to address the primary problems of the Sri Lankan Tamils.
The terms of the accord particularly the preamble paragraphs denoted a sig nificant psycho-political shift. It recognised for the first time that Sri Lanka was a multi-ethnic, multi-religious nation. This was a departure from the earlier perception dominant in the majority community that Sri Lanka was the land of the Sinhala Buddhist. The tenets of the accord were against the one nation (Sinhala) theory, Equally important was the repudiation of the two nation theory put forward by Tamil nationalists on the basis of history and the right of self-determination. What was being offered was a new version that sought to strike a balance between conflicting Sinhala and Tamil nationalist ideals about the nature of the state or states.
Three of the cardinal principles enunciated at the Thimphu talks by the Tamil side was in relation to a distinct nationality, homeland and right of self-determination. These principles were put forward in a political environment where the dominant Tamil mood was to secede from Sri Lanka. Also the Tamil groups wanted to abort the talks without alienating India. So the Thimphu principles were proposed as a strategic ploy to evoke a negative response from the Sri Lankan side. It was deliberately calculated that Colombo would reject these immediately thereby rendering the talks useless. This

Page 14
14 AMIL TIMES
succeeded to Some extent,
The political climate in which the Indo-Lanka accordwas evolvingwas different to that of Thimphu. Now the emphasis was on formulating a satisfactory scheme without prejudice to the unity and territorial integrity of Sri Lanka. Political accommodation within a united Sri Lanka neither demanded nor Warranted the extreme concepts articulated in Thimphu. More importantly it was also necessary to remove real or imaginary apprehensions within the Sinhala polity that the accord would be a danger to the unity of the Country.
Also India herself could not countenance terminology like the right of self-determination or an identifiable homeland or recognition of a distinct nationality in her domestic political discourse. As such the Thimphu principles in their original form were disregarded in the formulation of the accord. It must be said that at least four of the original signatories to the Thimphu declaration appreciated the Indian position. (TULF EPRLF EROS, TELO)
Nevertheless the accord did concede the fact that the Northern and Eastern provinces were the traditional homelands of the Sri Lankan Tamils. The phraseology was not glaringly strident. The accord recognised that the Northern and Eastern provinces have been areas of historical habitation of Sri Lankan famil speaking peoples, who have at all times hitherto lived together with other ethnic groups. While not subscribing to the north-east being the exclusive homeland of the Tamils alone theory the accord certainly emphasises the Tamil"right" to the North-Eastern Provinces but not an exclusive right.
While the famils have been the dominant community in the north-east there is incontrovertible historical evidence that other communities too have lived there. The 1881 census states the ethnic population of the Northern Province was aS
follows:-
Tamilis - 289481 (95.70%); Muslims - 10416 (3.44%); Sinhalese - 1379 (0.45%).
A hundred years later census figures for 1981 in the North was as follows:-
Tamils - 1023228 (92.06%); Muslims - 52638 (4.74%); Sinhalese -33149 (2.98%).
The corresponding figures for the East were as follows in 1881:-
Tamils -75408 (59.12%); Muslims - 43001 (33.71%); Sinhalese -5947 (4.66%); in 1981 the figures for the eastern province were:-
Tamils - 41 1451 (42.14%); Muslims - 315201 (32.28%); Sinhalese - 243358 (24.92%).
These demograp tionale behind the Tal State aided colonisat the population balan east. The Tamil and has declined While t tion has increased. been accelerated a when state power wel hala hands. While Concerns on this ma very correctly refrair exclusive rights to th sue. There are som that a legal ban be e ers" settling in the Tal Apart from the fa would curtail the fum movement, inhabitati may also be counte sense that other prov attempt to prevent no from entering their di jectionable is states machinations calcula mographic pattern of ing such trends re changes all roundan nism for the respec units to exercise Cont In that respect th sequent 13th amenc account the importan alienation in the overa The basic framework overland to the periph land was allotted as a vincial council. Righ land tenure, transfe land, land dues, land improvement etc. we tent vested in the pro able or state lands W. centre. Prof. Peiris i 13th amendment ma tion when he says th by one hand was ta other. This is very p lands.
A joint letter sig Amirthalingam, M. Siv R. Sambandan wass on this aspect. In t objected to some pl land. The points raise as follows:-
(a) inclusion of: serve list.
(b) State land cor in the republic with P disposition.
(c) The denial of ince of the ipso facto devolved subjects.
(d) The restrictic Province to administ such land as is mad (e) The stipulatio

15SEPTEMBER 1997
ics illustrate the ra
nil grievance about
on that has altered ce drastically in the Muslim percentage e Sinhala populaThis process has ter Independence nt primarily into Sinappreciating Tamil ter the accordhas ed from awarding e Tamils on the isTamils who insist nforced on "outsidmii homeland. ct that such a ban damental rights of on and residence it rproductive in the incial councils may )rth-eastern Tamilis omain, What is obponsored or aided ited to alter the dea region. Reversquires attitudinal also Some mechative devolutionary Erol Overland. le accord and conlment did take into Ice of land and land ull scheme of things. for devolving power ery was introduced. subject for the prohts in or over land, and alienation of settlement and land }re to a certain exvincial Council. USere reserved for the h his critique of the ces avalidobservahat what was given ken back with the atent in respect of
ned by Messrs. A. (asithamparam and ent to Rajiv Gandhi at letter the TULF ovisions regarding d by the TULF were
state land in the re
tinuing to be vested residential power of
he right to the Provuse of state and for
n of the right of the er and control only
available to it.
n that the alienation
and disposition of State land within a province to any citizen or organisation shall be by the President in accordance w "LAWS"governing the matter contrary to even existing procedures for alienation.
(f) The wide definition given to inter-provincial irrigation and land development projects, the principle of the national ethnic ration in such projects, the right given to the Sri Lankan Government
to determine the selection of allottees for
such lands designedly to perpetuate the present pernicious practices.
(g) The failure to properly formulate the principle of the cumulative entitlement of the Tamil speaking people in schemes under the Mahaweli project in the eastern province and the failure to incorporate underthe province settlementprovisions under the Mahaweli Project.
The TULF went on to observe "The above are clearly directed towards reducing the Provincial council to the position of a non-entity in respect of state land event though land is a devolved subject and enabling the Central Government to have dominant power over state land. Ample scope is also retained for the continued colonisation of the northern and eastern provinces with members of the majority community.
It must be said that the fears of the Tamils as articulated by the TULF was grounded in the bitter history of land settlement programmes carried on by various regimes. Later President Jayewardene agreed informally to droplands from the reserve list. As for the Mahaweli settlement it was agreed that the national ethnic ratio Would be maintained. But in actual practice Sri Lankan Tamil quota would be given lands in Batticaloa district, the Muslims in the Amparai district and the Tamils of Indian origin in the Trincomalee district. It was also pointed out that the Mahaweli was perhaps the last major inter-provincial irrigation project of its kind. So Tamils need not fear any more massive irrigation and relatedcolonisation projects.
As in the case of land there were grievances about other subjects devolved or not devolved too. Again the same TULF missive is an index of Tamil opinion in this regard.
The letter sated"Though it was clearly understood that the list of subjects would conform to the Indian model, the concurrent list has been heavily loaded and the provincial list clearly starved. Subjects such as Fisheries other than beyond territorial waters, Agriculture, Animal husbandry, Industries, redemarcation including creation of districts, assistant government agents, divisions, and gamma Sevaka divisions, restoration, reconstruction of destroyed towns, villages, properties, compensation or relief to persons

Page 15
5SEPTEMBER 1997
who have sustained loss or damage, Palmyrah plantation and Palmyrah industry, coconut plantation and industry related thereto, the ownership, management and control of state owned industrial enterprises within the province dependant wholly or mainly on raw materials found in the province (recommended by the all party conference) Co-operative banks, provincial public service, provincial public services commission, local government service, inquiries, surveys and statistics for any of the purposes in the provincial list and such others have not been included in the Provincialist”.
The TULF then protested over this saying that this had not been done "in keeping with the discussions held with the TULF or on the basis of the Indian pattern. In the field of education, the powers of the provincial council are substantially curtailed even in the matter of secondary education. Both the concurrent and reserve lists have been So framed as to minimise to the maximum possible extent, the scope and content of the Provincial Council's powers".
This then was the essence of Tamil grievances over the shortcomings of the devolution provided under the 13th amendment. While it cannot be denied that the quality and quantity of devolution left much to be desired it must also be understood that the very concept of devotution as opposed to decentralisation was ushered in for the first time through the 13th amendment. In that sense the IndoLanka accord that paved the way for it was indeed revolutionary, Itwasa paradigm shift in the political thought process of the Sinhala majority of Sri Lanka.
Another achievement of the accord from a Tamil perspective was the unit of devolution. Earlier concepts had been the regional Councils of Bandaranaike, the district councils of Senanayake and the district development councils of Jayewardene. The Tamil demand in the aftermath of 1983 was the northern and eastern provinces. As Mr. Amirthalingam stated at the round table conference of 1984, the immediate priorities were the "security of our people" and the "integrity of our homeland". From a Tamil point of view, the north-east mergerwas of paramount importance.
The 1986 December 19th proposals that emerged during the visit of Chidamparam and Natwar Singh advocated the exercising of the present Amparai electorate or electoral division from the eastern province. This would have altered the population ratio to Tamil 49%, Muslim 39% and Sinhala 12%. Thereafter both the north and east were to function independently with provisions for inter provincial co-operation.
There was also provision for unified
institutions comm Within the East th tled to cultural aut representation an ministership itself basis. After a spec Would be a refer whether the provit not. Although this most reasonable, that time Tami se for a permanent lini Against that ba accord was a maj through from a Ta Sri Lankan Gover that the north-eas toricalamil habita paragraphs. Mor agreed to merget ally for a specific after a referendum termine Whethert would become per If the east vote provinces would fu president however pone the envisagec to time. The Tamil by New Delhi that never stage the ret ise was kept. Apa even his successo proposed referend The reality toda merger has stood years. The non-wo Council and the onvented the people ingfully assessing f and cons of peac unified Province,
The accord, the later the 16th amel tution, also provid official language of nic crisis was exa throning of Sinhala guage of 1956. Th now been righted c of course, to effe This area remains Tamil point of view
The conflict in ted out as an excus oping the north-e structive has been the constitutional Language in the S. provinces or in the administration. Th induced a crisis of sincerity of the Gov Over this issue,
It is clear ther did provide subst: Tamil demands an sic rights of the Ta

TAM TIMES 15
on to both provinces. e Muslims were entionomy and enhanced d quotas. The chief Nould be on a rotation fic period of time there endum to determine nces should merge or proposal seemed the short of a merger, at ntiment however was kage of the north-east. ckdrop the Indo-Lanka or conceptual breakmil perspective. The nment had conceded t was the area of histion in the preambular e importantly it was he provinces unilaterperiod of time. Therewould be held to dehe "temporary" merger manent or not. d against it then both nction separately. The had the power to postreferendum from time groups were promised Jayewardene Would erendum. That promart from Jayewardene rs have postponed the UT. y is that the north-east the test of time for ten rking of the north-east going conflict has preof that region meanor themselves the pros eful coexistence in a
13th amendment and ndment to the Constied for Tami to be an f the country. The ethacerbated by the enas the sole officiallanat historic wrong had onstitutionally subject, ctive implementation. ; a sore point from a
the north-east is trotse forneglectin develast. Yet nothing condone in implementing provisions of the Tamil even Sinhala majority high level government is state of affairs has confidence about the ernments of Colombo
efore that the accord antial concessions to ld recognised the bamil people. The allo
cation of powers under devolution, the scheme of devolution particularitlands and policing etc. left much to be de The reservation of powers for the centre as well as the list of subjects terms concurrent "starved" the periphery to some extent. The problem of devolving under a unitary constitution with a centralised executive presidency was also there. JR Jayewardene accepted the shortcomings and in a document signed on November 7th in New Delhi 1987 promised to remedy the situation.
lt must be remembered that the accord and subsequent provisions were introduced in a hostile Sinhala climate, Violence had been unleashed by the JVP the SLFP was organising democratic dissent and the UNP itself had its own share of opponents and critics. Attempting to provide greater devolution may havenecessitated a country-wide referendum in which the whole concept of devolution may have been shot down.
In that context Tamil opinion was not fully satisfied but reluctantly agreed to go along with india Subject, of course, to certain reservations. Subsequently the LTTE rebelled openly against India and indulged in a military campaign against the IPKF. As time went on New Delhi tried to help set up a Provincial Administration under the EPRLF for the north-eastern provinces. Continuing conflict prevented the satisfactory working of that institution. The advent of Ranasinghe Premadasa as Sri Lankan president and the understanding reached by him with the LTTE helped to undermine the north-east Provincial Council further. The obstructionist attitude of the Premadasa regime and bureaucracy along with the violent opposition of the LTTE rang the death knell of the North-east Council. The epitaph was written by the formal dissolution in 1990.
Thereafter the Provincial Councils created under the Indo-Lanka accord are functioning reasonably well in the seven southern Sinhala dominated provinces. ironically the Sri Lankan Tamils of the North-East, for whom the Councils were set up primarily, are yet to savour the fruits of devolution. Tamil is yet to be implemented as an official language in a meaningful manner. The structure established for the North-East Council remains yet with former Sinhala film star and politician Gamini Fonseka functioning as Governor of the North-East Province. The North-East merger remains valid even ten years later.
Politically the Chandrika Kumaratunga government is committed to awarding the Tamils a scheme of devolution greater than what was envisaged under the Indo-Lanka accord's 13th amend
(continued on next page)

Page 16
16 TAM TIMES
TIGERS & COLOMBO LOCKED IN LETHAL
by KT Rajasingham
its tail" sums up the true state of affairs in Sri Lanka today, The government clings to a belligerent ideology of beating the Tamil minority into submission while the intransigent guerrilla opposition strikes back when it Car,
The latest government offensive, aimed at flushing out the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. (LTTE) from the northern Wanni region and establishing a military land supply route from Colombo to the Jaffna peninsula has had catastrophic consequences. In the last week alone, 67 guerrillas and soldiers were killed in fighting, according to the government.
Code named"Jayasikuru" (Sure Victory), the campaign's targets are the sprawlingTamil Tiger bastions in the districts of Mullaitivu, Vavuniya and Mannar in the Wanni region. The military action, however, succinctly demonstrates the government's belligerence and its goal of beating the Tigers into submission, rather than accepting a political negotiation to settle conclusively the long-running civil war,
The recent troubles in Sri Lanka have their roots in the proclamation of the Republican Constitution in 1972, which led the successive governments to adopt apolicy of sectarian appeasement of the majority Sinhalese community. This Sinhalese nationalism propagated and fermented the emergence of Tamil nationalism, instead of unitary nationhood. This one country two nations system
T he expression"holding the Tiger by
lacked a firm ideo forge unity in div Cused on commu Calls for a uni plural state under gement were ignc been the present where arrests, c mayhem, murde extra-judicial acti curity forces and rillas, have becor in Sri Lanka.
Moderate Ta however, foundt forcefully by these mostly dominated teens after 1972. laration, "Tamil E
Both the вepar Ornment must Sri Lanka's on
a slogan, rathert phyTamilis bem and obtrusive mii have emerged u slogan for the c« their ethos,
The separat duced the politic cosity at a time trated, when the non-violence ha thing politically.T streamTamils in acquiesced whe youths took a tu
(Continued from page 15)
ment. The unitary nature of the state is to be changed to that of a quasi-federal nature, Sri Lanka will become a union of regions with the provincial councils becoming regional assemblies. The eastern province is likely to be re-demarcated with the Batticaloa andTrinconalee districts being attached to the north and a new Muslim majority South-Eastern Province being carved out of the Pottuvil, Kalmunai and Sammanthurai electorates in the Amparai district.
There is trepidation in some Tamil political circles about whether the Kumaratunga Government could succeed in pushing through an effective scheme
of maximum dev plans of the Kum materialise whe Tamils?
The only opti whatever that ha Indo-Lanka acco tation of the acco While the search could continue. , Tamils are concé accord strife ha With the wisdom Sri Lankan Tami shifting in favou cord as a fall bat political initiativ ratunga fails.
 
 
 

1 5SEPTEMBER 1997
ogical commitment to rsity and instead foal dissension. ary nationhood and a a federal ruling arraned, and the result has dilapidated situation, etentions, extortion, and a host of other rities, both by the sey the separatist guerhe dark features of life
mil political leaders, hemselves edged out paratist organisations, by Tamilyouths in their The separatists' decelam" remains simply
atists and the govshare the blame for
going troubles.
han a political philosoban the obstreperous, itant organisations that nder this mesmerising omplete decadence of
st organisations intros of militancy and belliwhen Tamils were frusr Gandhian policies of i failed to achieve anyhe slogan thrilled mainthe beginning, but they n the militancy of the
for the Worse.
olution. If the hopeful ratunga regime do not 9 does that leave the
in now is to fallback on been gained under the i. Full scale implemenshould be undertaken for greater devolution s far as the Sri Lankan ned, a decade of postresulted in a change,
of a 10 year hindsight, opinion is increasingly of resurrecting the acposition if the present of Chandrika Kuma
Eventually, the LTTE eliminated the other militant organisations in a series of bloody manoeuvres and bec dominant force in the political arena. The LTTE's armed struggle has failed to obtain any political achievements,
India has banned the LTTE as a terrorist organisation after the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi on 21 May 1991, and isolated them. Even Muthu Vel Karunanithi, the chief minister of Tamil Nadu - a home for 60 million Tamils - repudiated any links with the LTTE. Amnesty International, the London-based human rights group, too, had earlier criticised the LTTE for its attacks on noncombatant Sinhalese civilians.
in a recent report, the US State Department singled out the LTTE for its atrocious activities bot noticeably refrained from calling it an international terrorist organisation. In its report, "Patterms of GlobalTerrorism 1996," the State Department said the LTTE had refrained from targeting Western tourists, but said afront group, Eellalan Force, continued to send threatening letters to Western missions and the press.
In a recent development, the LTTE Waylaid and captured a commercial vessel belonging to North Korea off the Coast of Pint Pedro and held 37 North Korean crewmen hostages, Though details were sketchy, the foreign hostagetaking drama of the LTTE warrants severe international condemnation.
While the Clinton administration took a dim view of the LTTE, it also had harsh words for the Colombo government as well in the State Department's "Sri Lanka Country Report on Human Rights Practices for 1996,"released in February. The report squarely places the onus on the government to desist from its belligerency and take mecessary precautionary measures to put an end to the alleged extra-judicial activities by its security forces,
Feeling the need to boost its international image, the Sri Lankan government responded by deploying information specialists at embassies abroad. The appointees, mostly media personnel from outside the frameWork of the Sri Lanka foreign service, were designated "Counsellors (information)" and sent initially to Britain, Canada, Sweden, India andThailand. These professionals are tasked with liaising with opinion makers, communicators and policy planners in the host countries to stem the flow of bad news.
Expatriate, Tamil academics regret the death of thousands of Sri Lankans in the see-saw battles between the government and the separatist guerrillas. They note that since April 1995, more
(Continued on next page)

Page 17
15SEPTEMBER 1997
Text of Special Report No 9 dated 7. by the University Teachers for Human Righ
(Continued from last issue)
9. Hobson's Choice: Facing Disillusioned Combatants
On both sides many of the combatants see themselves caught up in a war that has lost all meaning for them. But all choices seem unenviable. In recent weeks there have been well publicised desertions of security personnel sent to the Vanni from safer postings. A batch of applicants who went recently to be interviewed for selection as army officers were surprised to find themselves strongly discouraged by serving officers who met them on the way. In the case of the Tamil struggle the causes of disillusionment are very deep and have been increasingly felt from its mili-tarisation in the 80s. We have discussed this in earlier reports and the issue has been covered from several perspectives in the "Broken Palmyra'. We merely point to some recent developments.
With the opening of the VavuniyaMannar road earlier this year the army stopped the boat service from Vidathativu in the LTTE controlled mainland to Mannar lsland that had been underarmy control. The pass system operated by the LTTE had made it very difficult for its deserters and ex-militiamen to leave its domain. The army wanted travellers to Mannarlslandto come to Uyilankulam on the newly opened main road and take a bus. The people did this despite being forbidden by the LTTE and in time it
(Continued from page 16)
than 2,000 Sri Lanka security personnel and about 3,000 LTTE should renounce all forms of belligerent activity and work to find a solution to the civil war through political negotiations. A meaningful approach through dialogue without any preconditions is the best political way to find a sustainable peace. These academics have suggested a "Russian-Chechnya peace" formula be applied starting with a temporary peace accord and ultimately finding the necessary parameters that would enable a permanent and sustainable peасө. O
became regularisec ing matters on its h control of the situat it became an escap Serters who went t Surrendered to the
On 1st May 1997 went along with the cealed weapons an fire at soldiersmann entry point. Two solc whom died later.Th. without success try ians into two queue. was present a co ordinator, Wijedasa ficer who was trilir people to lie down sponded with small non. The Shells fell the son of Bar Pon ther of a four mont killed two cows, and them stood transfixe the bag offeed, whe nel from a secondsh bag though not ha quently LTTE dese Surrender Were beat has been given that want LTTE deserter The people of the ai ng to occasional sh Once the LTT Mahattaya was pla in 1993, those who ciated with him be were tortured by the According to local chcheri, when the A in April 1996 they u. alists who had cor Screen out LTTE ca ined in refugee cam detainee from Mee own son was being LTTE men now wor number of former sed in Sri Lankan been observed in Ja area a former LTTE said to hold the rar army. The LTTE cad Anandan) who was
 

S(jafna)
... With many pressands the TE lost on. Consequently, route for LTTE deo Uyilankulam and army, ', about 4LT TE men civilians with cond suddenly opened ing the Uyilankulam liers were hit of one e soldiers had been ing to get the civils. Fortunately there mpetent civil co, a retired army of Igual, who got the before the army reweapons and canfurther afield killing miah of Mannar, fahs child. One shell a lady about to feed d by shock holding na piece of shraphell, tore through the rming her. Subserters who came to en and the message t the army does not 's to come that way. realive on pins owi! elling. E's deputy leader ced under custody were closely assocame suspect and ir own organisation. igures in Chavakarmy moved in there sed Mahattaya loyne over to them to dre who had remaps. The mother of a salai said that her tortured by former king for the army. A TTE men now diresarmy uniform have fna. In the Manipay area leader is now k of 'captain' in the reSayanthan (alias responsible for the
TAM TIMES 17
landmine attack at Ponnalai on 29th January (report above) was arrested in Araly after being shot in the leg. He told a fellow prisoner apologetically that he did not have time to take the cyanide. The army is known to have been treating him well.
Thus one gets accounts of many strange things in Jaffna. A young man who came from Colombo and attended afuneral in his village, was closely questioned by a former acquaintance. Others at the funeral Warned him, "Be careful of what you tell him, he is very close to the LTTE". The next day this young man was going past an army camp when to his surprise he observed the same person who questioned him holding hands with a soldier, engaged in a very friendly conversation. A young man Ramesh who lived near Valvettithurai was shot dead by the LTTE. The local talk is that LTTE cadre had visited his home, had dinner with him and he had gone along with them to escort them safely out. But subsequently they had shot him.
What follows is the story of a young man caught up in a tragedy that is very characteristic of the atmosphere. After the forced exodus of the civilian population from Valikamam in October 1995, Haran deserted from the LTTE and stayed with his family which included two sisters, who were refugees in Thenmaratchy. One day the LTTE came to the area and said that they were looking for two LTTE deserters who were being hidden by the refugees. But on that particular day Haran had gone to another village for the night. After the Army moved in those who were members of the TE were asked to surrender. The parents arranged for Haran to be surrendered by a person of standing.
Haran was kept for a few days and released with a slip of paper. With this he enjoyed the freedom to travel much more freely than was permitted to normal civilians. He was freely allowed to go into the uncleared areas and come back. At one point he visited the Thavady area frequently and had evidently made contact with the LTTE. Having had lunch one day in September 1996 with some TTE members who had come from the Vanni, he was shot dead by the army near Uduvi where he is said to have been attempting to throw a grenade. One explanation of this episode is that he had been an agent deliberately left behind by the TTE. But what seems to fit the facts better is that he had agreed to provide information to the Army and had at the same time tried to persuade his LTTE companions that he was on their side. He may have been sent to throw a grenade to prove his loyalty to the LTTE.

Page 18
18 TAMILTIMES
10. A Follow up on Earlier Reports and
issues Kerudavil: 4th August 1996: in Special Report No.7 of August last year we reported the murder of Karthigesan and his daughter Baleswari, the latter being killed after rape. According to local Sources the Culprits were detained by the Army following medical evidence. We have no record of what further action Was taken. Meesalai:8th August 1996: Navaratnakurukkal Koneswara (27), Brahmin priest, had gone to Meesalai the previous day and set off home to Point Pedro via Jaffna about 9.30 a.m. He did not reach home. All possible agencies were informed including army camps but to no avail. Chavakacheri: 12th August 1996: Chinniah Somaskandan, Arts student, University of Jaffna, originally from Thellipalai, refugee in Chavakacheri, arrested on the way to the university via Kopay. Mother, Rajapoopathy Somaskandan, widow, has since then been inquiring at army camps only to be sent from one camp to the other. Karambakkurichchi, Warani: 13th August 1996: V. Ramanathan(25) unmarried was killed in 'cross fire'. Manduvil, Thenmaratchi:28th August 1996: The decayed body of M.Kanagu (55) with the hands tied was found in the cesspit of a lavatory close to his house. The detection was made a month after the victim had gone to see his lands and not returned. The identification was made by the wife. The culprits were not traced. In our Special Report No.7 of August 1996, we reported a similar case from the same area during the same month. In that case the victim, Mayuran (19) who was thrust into a cesspit had managed to attract the attention of a lady with sharp ears and was rescued. It was also in this area that on 17th May 1996 three males and a child were chopped to death and three women were raped. This too remains uninvestigated. Sarasalai,Thenmarathci:13th September 1996: At about 6 p.m. Saravanabavanandan(21) was made to crawl by soldiers and was shot from behind. The army version is that he had come with arms with 15 others. Nunavili,Thenmaratchy: 18th September 1996: Thangavelu Rajendrakumar (28) of Atthai, Alvai East, Vada-maratchy, was Sarvodhaya Regional Co-ordinator, Vadamaratchy. On the day in question he went to the regional office at Nunavil at 10 a.m. and was arrested by the army in the vicinity, at the site of a claymore mine incident the previous day. The arrest was witnessed by a watcher who is prepared to testify anywhere. Rajendrakumar is frail and suffers from occassional fits.
Thenguthattyu, TI September 1996: yards beyond the b killed by shells fired South.
Manduvil,Ther tember 1996: Kri killed by the LTTE i daughter. He was r being friendly with
We have so far local confirmation the LTTE Buletin c that the bodies oft five young men w shallow grave whic parently with an arr chai and Thanankila tacted were not aw incident but there the disappearance other part of Thenn have no concrete cent Al report give 1996 in Thenmara number of persons In Buletin No.1 1996 we reported t of Sivagurunathan Kaputhoo, Vadam formed that he has also reported the ar of Sathasivam Ran tober 1996, who ha with his mother. W that he was held at army camp and tra 23rd December 19 letter to his mother subsequently tran: Prison, Colombo a heard in Anuradhap his mother hac Chavakachcheri c rest, she had beel son was not there. Aravindan (26) m July'96 (Our Bulleti before the MoD's c 17th April. The case of the December 1996:T letin of this date si of a number of lami Washed ashore arc corpse of a girl ins to have been weari Girls' College, Jaf lished a news item news agencies in ies of 3 girls previo were washed as added that this ha the BBC Sinhales 19/12/96 gave furt ing a letter from th President that the Chundikulitie and

15 SEPTEMBER 1997
enmaratchi:22nd This village is 300 Ind. 6 persons were from Eluthumattuval
maratchi:24th Sepihnapillai(57) was the presence of his portedly accused of he army. been unable to find of the claim made in f 15th August 1996, hree young girls and ere discovered in a was connected apny round up in Kachppu. The people conare of this particular was a rumour about of 13 persons in anharatchi of which we testimony. (The res an incident in midtohy West, where a went missing.) 3 of 27th December he arrest by the army Arutchelvam(20) in aratchi. We are inbeen released. We rest in Thanankilappu nesh(19) on 15th Ocdcrossed the lagoon 'e are now informed the Chavakachcheri ansferred to KKS On 96. He wrote his first on 26/12/96. He was sferred to Magazine hd his case was to be ura on 9th May When inquired at the amp just after his arfirmly told that her he case of Poopathy issing after arrest in No. 13)was taken up ommittee in Jaffna on
Chundlikuli tie:12th he UT TE London Bullated that the bodies school children were und Mullaithivu. One chool uniform is said nga tie of Chundikuli na.The Uthayan pubon 13/12/96 quoting London that the bodusly subject to abuse ore in Mullaitivu. It been confirmed by Service. Its issue of mer information quote TULF leader to the corpse had both the school badge.The is
sue of 25/12/96 carried a response from the army. The army had interviewed the school principal who had said that other than the case of the rape victim Chryshanthy Coomarasamy (who was killed on 7/9/96) she had received no reports from parents or relatives about any other girl missing and that in such an event she ought to be the first to be informed. She too had heard about the Mullaithivu corpse from the press. The Uthayan was faulted for blindly publishing reports coming from Colombo and abroad without going to the trouble of checking with the school principal who was accessible within the same Jaffna municipal limits. The truth about the corpses remains a mystery. 11. What is the Reality Behind Missing Persons?
Of the 676 missing persons listed by Amnesty International, 576 are from Thenmaratchi and 100 from Valikamam. The committee appointed by the Defence Ministry to look into missing persons heard 59 cases in January(Jaffna Municipality 19, rest of Valikamam 12, Thenmaratchy 28) and another 60 cases in April (Jaffna Municipality 13, rest of Valikamam 27, Thenmaratchi 20). No findings have been made public so far. Of the number given by Amnesty, 361 went missing in August 1996. We may take Al's to be the most complete list.
We had ourselves suggested that one reason why the government was so silent on the matter is that a number of those detained had died under conditions of torture or criminal assault. The case of the remains in the cesspit given in the earlier section is almost certainly one of several such examples that may never come to light. What independent information do we have with regard to this question? According to testimony coming from two middle ranking army officers (above the level of captain), the Army did eliminate scores of persons belonging to the LTTE who were captured or picked up in Valikamam when the army moved into Jaffna town in December 1995. They claimed that their bodies had been burnt. But they added that of those detained after April 1996 when the civilians returned to Valikamam, no one was eliminated and that they are nearly all under custody.
As to the first claim We have no independent sources, but it does conform to the little that is known about what happened after the Army came to Jaffna in December 1995. We recorded the case of a merchant in Kandarmadam in whose house at that time 20 LI TE cadre had taken shelter. When the army came there on a tip off, the merchant himself was shot along with three LTTE cadre. As far as the LTTE is concerned all those left

Page 19
15 SEPTEMBER 1997
behind in Valikamam who fell into the Army's hands should have taken cyanide rather than get captured. Even after April 1996, summary executions do not seem to have been regarded unusual - e.g. the execution of two captured cadre in Navindil (Sp. Rep. No.7). If the claim about eliminations is true, it is made the more baneful when one also considers that there is an association of families of missing servicemen in the South with the late General Kobbekkaduwa's widow as patron. These families have been frantically seeking information of about 500 missing servicemen. Public appeals to the LTTE through the press by some of the parents have been both moving and conciliatory, with emphasis on a strong desire for peace.
In the case of testimonies we have recorded in the previous reports, the methods of torture were so unrestrained that several of those detained would have died. Despite repeated protests, the Government was in practice very lackadaisical about the matter. This partly owes to the sheerinertia of the system. We do have testimony that torture in the form of suffocation with petrol bags and severe assault with thick pieces of wood went on at least until the end of last year. A prisoner who was at Chavakachcheri camp testified that when he was beaten on the hands the piece of wood came down on his handcuffs causing them to break. Several persons so treated are likely to be released by the Anuradhapura High Court after a nomina bail of Rs 1500/= - meaning that they are practically innocent. Most of the torture seems to have been carried out at local camps rather than at Palaly base itself. At Palaly base there seems to be some form of internal accounting where records are maintained of prisoners who are brought there. If a prisoner does get sent to Palaly formedical treatment, he or she would then come into this accounting process. An exception seems to be prisoners taken by the Special Forces (SF), According to testimony Coming froman army nurse, prisoners sent formedical treatment by the Special Forces are returned to the SF themselves. A particular case referred to was Shanthy from Brown Road, Jaffna, a female LTTE cadre picked up by the SF in the uncleared part of Kokkuvil early this year, who was tortured with her vagina being burnt with lighted cigarettes.
The Government seems to have settled down to dealing with the problem of missing persons by releasing a small number of detainees at a time. There are regular news items in the “Uthayan ”providing information about youths detained or released. The issue of 8/12/96 said
PEAC
AC
eace is a wic as much as are on simult
it is as if George “War is Peace” ha tine in our seared all over the worlds the subcontinent trend of destiny.
The Indo-Pal much news in the now being impaire in Kashmir and by the United States in the impending the prime minister Well, political opin
sident Bill Clinton'
that there were 1. from the North, m rested in 1996. It being released. O. published a list o Magazine Prisons by the EPDP. Th hope that by so rel at a time, the issu come so cloudy t cult to obtain an á hoиутату were re had disappeared ments, both natio, do not seem to aff so called friendly away with such th,
Recently, a "C fence of Missing sent a memorand Sri Lanka which re ernment Servants Vate institutions w tained by the secu parents so affecte in both body and meaning and their Shortened...Despi quarters it is out o you and the armec to live under gove children were arre fore our own eyes They had neitherg the LTTE as is sor officers. Our min arrangements sho to exchange lette ents..."

TAMIL TIMES 19
EPRocessEs FAILING CROSS THE WORLD 2
Ramesh Gopalakrishnan
rod which now haunts war, Peace processes aneously with war and Orwell's 1984 dictum S become a daily rouives. Peace processes eem to collapsing and s no exception to this
k talks which made last few months are dby border skirmishes the question whether 'has any role to play peace talks between s of the two countries, ion in India views pre
spronouncements in
49 youths at Kalutara ost of whom were aralso said that 21 were n 16/2/97 the Uthayan f 34 persons held at aid to have been given 9 Government might easing Small numbers 9 might in the end beat it will be very diffiaccurate picture as to leased and how many The existing instrunal and international, orda remedy against governments getting lings. ommittee for the DePersons' in Jaffna im to the President of ads: "...students, govand employees of priere among those derity forces. About 800 d have been blighted nind, Life has lost its life-span too has been e warnings from other f the trust reposed on forces that we chose rnment control...Our sted by the army beat their checkpoints. one abroad norjoined 7etimes suggested by imum demand is that uld be made for them swith us - their par
(Continued on page 29)
this regard with suspicion, but the fact is that US of late has had a big role in peace processes across the globe. The US has its interests, legitimate or otherwise, to keep, and the it is not clear whether US is interested in the peace processes only to the extent of protecting its interests! In any case, the world just sits back and watches the peace processes flounder right under the nose and eyes of Uncle Sam.
The fourth anniversary of the Oslo peace agreement between Israel and Palestine leaders is in sight, but the peace process in West Asia is in tatters. Israel has clearly not honoured many promises and clauses made in the agreement. Post-agreement history witnessed tragedy after tragedy. And hatred, passion, frustration and anger have become commonplace in Israel after the suicide bombings of Hamas and others in Jerusalem. Several leaders who initiated the peace process now want the agreement to be redesigned to suit the current climate of negotiations, though it is easier said than done with nobody willing to make an effort at reconciliation.
Cambodia is another war signpost. Less noticed, it has become more disastrous, Ever since the US-inspired coup against King Narodaum Sihanouk in 1970, this great country has been ravaged by wars and revolutions and genocide. And Pol Pot, who came out in public glare after 18 years, is the cause for the current war. His old compatriots in Khmer Rouge thought of trying him and getting rid of him so that they could go in for the much-needed alliance with Prince Narodaum Ranariddh, the first prime minister and son of Sihanouk. Pol Pot decided to kill his defence deputy whom he thought was getting closer to Ranariddh. Khmer Rouge leaders responded by capturing Pol Pot and immediately guns boomed in Phnom Penh. The second prime minister, Hun Sen, ensureda coup d'etatevenas Ranariddh went abroad immediately. Thus, the two prime ministers extended their battle for the control of the Khmer Rouge support to Cambodia itself. And well, Pol Pot lives on in a jungle prison, Hun Sen in the palatial Phnom Penh bungalow guarded by his armed forces, Ranariddh is exilled in Paris and Sihanouk is battling cancer in Beijing.

Page 20
20 TAMIL TIMES
Cambodia, the land of the great Angkor Wattemples, has been held as a showcase of United Nations-sponsored peace-making and peace-keeping. In the wake of the coup, the power-shift arrangements have been blasted out of existence. Hun Sen has prevailed in Phnom Penh and Ranariddh's forces have been bottled up in the Thailand border along with Khmer Rouge guerrillas. Japan, Cambodia's biggest donors, feels troubled by Hun Sen's brazenways, but has resumed its aid after a brief impasse. As for the charges of human rights violations, Hun Sen wants the UN human rights team in Cambodia replaced
in Bosnia, another forest of tortuous peace routes, things are looking down once again. Much like when was in Serbia at the time of the signing of the Dayton agreement under US auspices in 1995. Bosnia is supposed to be one single entity comprising of the Muslim-Croat federation and the Bosnian Serb republic of Serbska. However, the Muslims and Croat politicians deeply distrust each other and Serbska is getting divided into two regions led respectively at Banja Luka by president Mrs Biljana Plavsic and at the hilltown of Pale by her
one-time mentor D the former preside his associate Dr R dicted as war crim NАТО peace-keер |-FOR, wants to bril A hardcore Serb na wields enormous well as in neighbo So far avoided arre Plavsic, who is b West, has no choic tion next month, wit fiament dismissing The election might Serbska, dividing the media into twc allegiance to the tw. The NATO troops v the middle of next
In Afghanistan rages on, with the Taliban forced to \ forces controlled Burhanuddin Rabb ate Ahmed Shah M warlord Rashid Do key and the Iran-b The US and its all situation closely as in the current battl
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r Radovan Karadzic, nt. Dr Karadzic and atko Mladic have ine suspects and the ng forces, known as ng Dr Karadzicto hell. tionalist, Dr Karadzic power in Serbska as Iring Serbia and has st by the -FOR. Mrs eing backed by the but to order an elecnthe Pale-based parher from presidency. formalise the split in the army, police and groups owing their battling leaderships, vill have to vacate by year, in any case,
, the see-saw battle Pakistan-sponsored acate ground to the by ousted president bani, his Tajik associasood, ousted Uzbek stum who fled to Turacked Shi'ite forces. ies are watching the the eventual winners emight hold the key
to the flow of oil reserves in central Asia to the Arabian Sea.
Oil and geo-strategy, no doubt, dictate US initiatives for peace and war. Hence, West Asia is the greatest gamble the US administration has undertaken in terms of peace. The stakes are really high. However, the US peace efforts are over-determined by its closeness with Israel and the pro-Israel lobby in that country. It is in this context that the failure of the Oslo agreement should be seen. The pro-Israeli lobby in the US ensured that no pressure needed to be put on the Israeli government to implement the agreement and grant the much-needed concessions to the Palestinians. Most US commentators and Congressmen turn a blind eye to the excesses of the Israeli government and the provocative speeches of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Instead, as the great literary critic Edward Said points out, the US-based intelligentsia never lets an opportunity go to attack PLO chairman Yasser Arafat who leads the hapless Palestinian authority. Arafat has responded to this by employing a double strategy of expressing his willingness to broker peace with anyone and
(Continued on next page)
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Page 21
15SEPTEMBER 1997
STRETCHINGA HELPN
ACROSS THE BORD
by D N Dixit
dependence has set out its own parameters and agenda for its dealings with the world. As India completes 50 years of Independence it is time for a critical appraisal and serious introspection of achievements and shortfalls, in terms of India's own foreign policy and national security concerns. In its external dimensions, India's foreign policy objectives were to eradicate colonialism and the remnants of imperialism, to end apartheid and racial discrimination, to advocate peaceful political negotiations to resolve political dispute and military conflicts to ensure non-discriminatory treatment and to create an international economic order ensuring distributive justice to the majority of the people of the world who were poor,
India sought the achievements of these aims not through acquisition of military might or exploitative economic power. Instead India sought to influence public opinion in other countries. The signposts of this influence were India's success in harnessing international public opinion against imperialism and colonialism which resulted in practically all the developing countries following her example: India, collaborating with China to define the five principles of peaceful co-existence which provided the ideological foundations for the establishment of the non-aligned movement: India's initiative in cementing Afro-Asian solidarity; india's successful mediatory efforts leading to the Geneva agreement for
ndia, through the fifty years of its in
(Continued from page 20)
kissing in public the leaders of Hamas and Islamic Jehad
The Lankan peace-brokers will have to take all these into account. Lanka, which has a certain geo-strategic importance and not oil, will interest the West only that much. Of course, the visible presence of Tamil refugees and the growth of an articulate Tamil intelligentsia in the West will carry some weight. Certainly, an initiative like that of Dr Liam Fox needs to be correctly exploited. But one also has to be guarded about the paradox of peace processes generating more conflict, tension and bitterness than progress towards peace and harmony. Well, the lessons of the 1987 Indo-Lankan peace agreement cannot be easily forgotten. O
Through fifty ence, lndia ha rameters for it world. Now, it is praisal and seri Our achieveme falls, writes JN
The question a were no inadeq policy whereb Would have be eign policy star ent.
өstablishing peace ending the civil w dia's success in fa pattern of bilateral US and the USSR. The period fro be described the India Created and policy to meet the lier. The military d Sino-Indian conflic scribed the perioc Created and framet meet the objective military defeat of In mir conflict On the brought about a si policy. These even the important, albe that international re by power equation are an amoral pher to 1971 India trans her foreign and se focused attention fence capacities a cal and economic Created equations and the Soviet Ur
 
 
 

AML TIMES 21
ears of independset out its own pa
dealings with the time for critical ap
bus introspection of
hts, and our short
Dixit.
ises whether there acies in our foreign Indian interests bn better if our force had been differ
ar in Congo; and Inshioning a balanced relationship with the
in 1947 to 1962 can period during which framed her foreign objectives listed earefeat of India in the t in 1962 can be deduring which India ther foreign policy to S listed earlier. The dia resolve the Kashmerits of the issue lift in India's foreign s taught the country unpalatable, lesson ations are governed and realpolitik, that omenon. From 1962 ated this lesson into :urity policies. India in improving its dedon its technologidevelopment. India with eastern Europe on mainly because
these countries, when compared to Western democracies, were responsive to India's needs.
India adopted a two-dimensional strategy to safeguard its interests. It activated entities like the UNC-TAD, the Group of 77, and it strengthened the nonaligned movement to Counter the negative pressures generated on developing countries by the Western powers for their own purposes. Secondly, India strengthened and expanded its technological, economic and defence relationships with the Socialist countries led by the Soviet Union to safeguard India's specific interests in terms of defence, development and security. The period between 1963 and 1964 witnessed the Continuation of this dual strategy which generally met India's interests and India's foreign policy objective.
Lal Bahadur Shastribriefly and Indira Gandhi for nearly a decade-and-a-half, introduced the necessary realism and purposiveness in our foreign and national security policies. The most significant manifestation of this was noticed in the successful intervention in the east Pakistan Crisis,
India became as self-reliant as it could in its defence and technological capacities. It successfully structured political and economic equations with the different important powers in the world. It withstood international pressure on accepting discriminatory and unequal
disarmament measures like the Non
Proliferation Treaty. India became a nuclear weapon-capable power and developed an entirely new and beneficial pattern of relations with important countries like Iran and countries in Southeast Asia.
Having recounted these trends, the question arises whether there were no inadequacies in our foreign policy whereby Indian interests would have been better if our foreign policy stance had been different. Six such instances come to mind. The first was our taking the Kashmir issue to the UN when we were on the bring of successfully neutralising the Pakistant invasion of Jammu and Kashmir. The second was our not dealing firmly enough with Pakistan when it signed the defence agreement with the US in 1954. The third is our not being alert enough about China's intentions. The fourth was our accommodating China when it first took over Tibet. The fifth was our not becoming a nuclear weapon power immediately after China became a nuclear weapon power in 1964. It is relevant to note that the United States hadurged India to become anuclear weapon power at this point of time, Panditjirejected the proposal. The sixth was our failure to acquire nuclear weapons at a time when Pakistan did in the

Page 22
22 TAMILTIMES
1980's,
The continuing facets of Indian For
eign policy are:
India's territorial integrity is under threat from Pakistan due to Pakistani claims on Jammu and Kashmir, and from China, due to the still unresolved boundary disputes. In the latter case, the threat is not operational, as it was until the late Eighties. It remains, nevertheless, until a Sino-Indian agreement is reached on the subject.
Internal centrifugal forces continue to affect India's geo-political unity. There are demands for secession from segments of population in Jammu and Kashmir and northeastern states of lndia. Separatist aspirations have been expressed by some groups in Tamil Nadu, Punjab and north Bengal on and off since the late Fifties/early Sixties.
Adversary relations with Pakistan and China, and military conflict with these countries have resulted in India having to divert its financial material and trained manpowerfor defence purposes, thereby reducing Indian capacities for formulate and implement social and policies for national consolidation and reconstruction. During the period 1984 to 1997 the Indian leadership has managed
to respond to the less of our limitati
The following Successes of indi ! Despite th and centrifugal for have remained a
! We have s torial integrity de; and pressures w through sub-milita cal challenges.
Despite n about India among however unjustifiec maintained a Wor Our neighbours ir ever the interim have been, manag lation even with F desh.
We have r policy, our nuclea technological opti ous negative pres line with arrangem been detrimental estS.
We have r a working relation: centres over the la
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effectively regardS.
un be considered the s foreign policy: enormous diversities as affecting india, we hited country. feguarded our terribite external threats ich we have faced y threats and politi
gative perceptions st India's neighbours, they maybe, we have ing relationship with overal terms, whatps and downs might ed to stabilise Ourreakistan and Bangla
stained in our foreign , our space and our ons, despite continusures on us to fall in ants which Would have to our national inter
managed to structure ship with all the power st 50years whetherit
was during the Cold War period or during the transition after the Cold War,
We are an effective and Credible member of all the multilateral institutions dealing with global issues. Even if we are not given the role and position due to us because of power politics,
! We have managed our defence and foreign economic relations with sufficient imagination and flexibility to meet our interests and to ensure the safety and well-being of our people in a complex world of ferment and change.
That we have achieved all this as a democracy subject to contradictory pulls and pressures of plural society characterised by enormous diversities is a remarkable achievement, if one were to indulge in a comparative evaluation, what India has achieved in foreign policy terms is something which all the countries of Europe are still in the process of achieving after nearly 300 years of experience as nation states with a lesser population and with much great reSOUC0S.
At this juncture, we must be capable of critical introspection about these matters. But there is every reason for us to be imbued with hope provided we remain united as a country.
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Page 23
15SEPTEMBER 1997
India and Pakistan-AO to Go to Justify Celebra
T.N.Gopalan
media sought to artificially whip up a hysteria over the golden ju
bilee celebations in India, as also in Pakistan, though to a lesser extent, the large impoverished masses remained stone-cold, What was there for them to celebrate, they wondered. After all they are still caught in a time warp and the much talked about progress has passed them by blithely,
Even the more conscientious and less facile and complacent among the middle clisses in both the countries refused to be swept off their feet by all the hype, if the funeral-baked meats coldly furnished the marriage tables at the wedding of Hamlets mother, the historic session of the Indian parliament on the dawn of independence was sought to be parodied by another midnight session during the golden jubilee. There was no Jawaharlal Nehru fascinated by the tryst with destiny and there were a number of criminals and looters in the gathering.
in the six-day special session that followed when an appropriately physically puny Speaker PA.Sangma called upon the nation to gear itself for a second freedom struggle and still punier characters, in terms of their morality that is, tore the air and heightened the noise pollution in the nations capital, none except the media seemed bothered too very much by all the farce. If anything the housewives addicted to TV soaps were cursing the special session idea and the direct telecast since it deprived them of their favourite afternoon fare on doordarshan. The special session was perhaps the single greatest non-event of the year.
The mood in Pakistan Was even more grim, with none but the hypocritical elite hailing the golden jubilee and patting their own backs for a good job done, keeping the entity intact despite the hiccups which had intervened. But their rhetorical flourishes were drowned out by the staccato fire of the guns in Karachi which continues to be torn by mindless sectarian violence. The track-record of successive rulers in both the countries do make a pathetic reading. In 1993-94, an estimated 320 millions (againstatotal population of 915.9 millions) were officially deemed to be living in poverty in India. Nearly one-third have to make
A. both the government and the
do without even tw. lf in 1950-51 the 18.33 per cent, at pendence rule, the only to 52.2 per c of the much trump employment is risi to slide down the costs are skyrock and the dalits are further tothe brink protests, not to sp and caste tensions And what abol cial sector has bé glected. There are in the country thar pendence. Educat fallen and healthca Infrastructure is Cr ped away as it is b population. Pakista est population grow the highest in Asia sary, it suffered the ots, it is this seemi failures which has to term Pakistan a sadly Kamal Siddic stani journalist.
The Pakistanie the defensive abol tion, going into Cor try and prove that ah's two-nation th despite Banglad clashes betweenth lims who went fror tive Punjabis or Sir unceasing strife bel the Shias.
Their indian C. apolegetic about th country was in an an extraordinary S heads high on the mocracy.
Our Nehrus ar sion, the unflaggin mocracy; foral ou host of fronts, the d have survived andf emergency aberra reigned supreme; it rooted in the psych in the institutions re ernance of the COu trifle with it any lo

TAMIL TIMES 23
ng Way tions
) square meals a day. teracy rate was only er 50 years of indefigure has inched up nt. And in the Wake ted liberalisation, unng, the poor continue scale, health-care eting and the tribals pushed further and sparking off violent ak of the communal wracking the polity.
ut Pakistan? The soen consistently nemore illiterates today there were at indeonal standards have are has deteriorated. umbling, being chipy an ever-increasing n has one of the highyth rates in the world, On its 50th anniverignominy of food ringly endless litany of prompted observers a failed state, notes i, a well-known Paki
lite were relatively on ut the fate of the natorted arguments to VMohammed Ali Jinneory still held good ash, the perennial e Mohajirs (the Musn India) and the nadhis and the equally ween the Sunnis and
bunterparts, equally economic mess the i social injustice on cale, still held their preservation of de
d Patels had the vicommitment to defailures on a whole mocratic institutions purished; barring the on, democracy has has become deeply e of the people, and ponsible for the govtry; and no one can nger. Such was the
refrain, a very soothing explanation that in the face of the innumerable problems plaguing India that is Bharat.
But then all the institutions of governance are bursting at the seams and threatening to collapse at various points. Take for instance the very entity called India, or the nation state. When Mr.C.L. Sulzberger of the New York Times once wondered what held India together as a state against the various centrifugal forces, Jawaharlal Nehru reportedly told him that throughout history, you would find that politically, India was often divided, but the same ideas coursed through it, the same background of Culture...(though) one of the politically unifying force was the British occupation. But the supposed Cultural unity is receiving serious batterings all round. While Kashmir and the Whole of North East are inflames, the various regional satraps from Bal Thackeray to Laloo Prasad Yadav manage to hijack the entire state apparatus and the newly energized communal forces epitomized by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are poised not only to overrun the northern regions, but also capture power at the Centre and Sow the seeds of renewed clashes with the Muslims all over the country besides evoking strong reactions from the various regional forces.
Strangely it is the South, which had witnessed secessionist movements in the formative years of the independent India which remains peaceful by and large barring of course the ferocious Naxalite movement in certain districts of Andhra Pradesh. Tamil Nadu, the nation of the Tamils, the home of the Dravidian movement which originally rejected the very concept of India, has become the most loyal constituent, and the so-called Dravidian parties have all happily allowed themselves to be co-opted into the mainstream.
lf, in the face of the myriad problems, India has survived as a nation state, it is because the ruling elite have seen the wisdom in hanging together. But as poverty and exploitation intensify and the executive is progressively weakened, leaving it unable to stem the popular anger in time or take appropriate remedial measures, such a survival itself will become a moot point.
The Congress has become thorougly marginalized, the coalition of centrist forces time and again demonstrate their Crass inability to provide a cohesive administration, one would not have seen a Weaker Prime Minister than the incumbent. And the BJP, though it boasts of its increasing popularity among the Hindus of the North and its strong centralising tedencies, could, if and when it (Continued on next page)

Page 24
24 TAM TIMES
(Continued from page 23) comes to power, actually prove quitedvisive and destabilise the polity through its myopic policies,
in striking contrast Pakistan which has fared much Worse in the last 50 years, having been through martial law for the major part of its existence and for the last two decades having been held to ransom by the antedeluvian mullahs, looks forward to the future with Some hope. The simple logic being things cannot be any worse. A largely democratic government is in place though the Nawaz Sharif government is considred very unrepresentative because of the very poor turn-out in the elections,
As a third world country, Pakistan is steeped in corruption, but the Sharif regime is expected to be more tolerable on this score than its predecessor when the Bhuttos had brazenly looted the exchequer and the people were left to moan and die. Even now more than 80 per cent of the budget is consumed by defence spending and debt servicing, leaving precious little for developmental works, And a matter of greater concern, the state-funded madrasas, the so-called religious schools, are churning out mindless, ill-educated fanatics, reared in hatred and venom and they could prove a most disastrous force ever to have struck the nation. Mercifully certain sections are coming alive to the danger of the growth of Taliban-type forces and are talking in terms of reining in the madrasas and the mullahs, Besides there is a talk of a new Census, the last one was in 1981 and then given up altogether because of pressures from vested interests. Also some do make bold to assert the need for family planning - some more positive indicators,
Like the BJP being forced to eat the humble pie and cling on to the cantankerous Bahujan Samaj Party of the Dalits - if the arch-conservatives and those at the bottom of the heap can come together even if in pursuit of power, it only means that the polity could still survive, whether the people themselves benefit in the process or not. And the disparate regional parties do still manage to hang together under I. K. Gujral. Inthe circumstances, it would make sense for both the countries to bury the hatchet. In fact Gujral did make some noise and initiate some moves. But he is a flip-flop man par excellence. He offered unconditional talks with the Kashmiri militants, sought induct a known pacificist into his office, implicitly gave his nod for talks with Sharif at Washington, then retracted on all fronts under pressure from the hawks. When last heard he said he wouldnot mind talking with Sharif after all.
in Pakistan the cry, "No compromise
olitical dravidia ideologues in nent among til chief minister MK nephew Murasoli M dustries minister a Sun TV, one of sc private-held satellite ago, Maran publish early Dravidian mc nanidhi loses no op this history to h (younger brothers) loves more than his Scholars have start field: Dr M S S Panc Image Trap, has rec phenomenon of MG his blood-of-blood Venkatachalapathy, at the Maraimalai A dras, has quite a few V Rajadurai, once revolutionary, lastye V Geetha, apolitical EV Ramasamy whic as a polemic agains and Dravidian "disto the Writer from Bar a prison term lasty cise EVR for subj separate Tamil Nad Naadu, or south In Well, there a ideologues, but wha is the level at whic Dravidian moveme trayal. The measu trayal, however, dep tive viewpoints adc are those who ad
unless Kashmiris S
Sole guardians of in the sub-continen make it difficult fo Cut down on the c And the military es remains very powe enlightened Indian border to meet lik, no one was allowe from the other sid gesture of friends Miles to go, m two countries get embark on a col prosperity.
 

5SEPTEMBER 1997
Ramesh Gopalakrishnan
ism has quite a few amil Nadu, Promiam, of course, are runanidhi and his ran, now India's ind the brain behind uth Asia's biggest channels. Two years ad a history of the vement and Karuportunity to recount s sweet thambis whom he says he fe. Of late, younger ld mapping out this ian, in his book The orded the rise of the Ramachandran and rasikars(fans). A R an ardent bibliophile digal library in Mav essays to credit. S a firebrand Marxist lar co-authored, with biography of Periyar ch can be seen more it Indian nationalists rtionists". And Guna, galore, who served bar for daring to critiacting the cause of u to a larger Dravida lia e ideologues and it differentiates them h they consider the it a Success or a be'e of success or beand upon the respecoted by them. There pt the criticism that
orted out. We are the he Muslim interests , still rent the air and any government to fence expenditure. ablishment itself stil ful. When a group of set out to the Wagah minded Pakistanis, to Cross the borders even as a symbolic p and harmony,
es to go before the ut of the woods and se of progress and
O
the current state of Dravidian movement amounts to a betrayal or degeneration.
Thus, when the DMK Conference held in Tiruchirapalli last year had a poster depicting the shadow of Gandhi behind the EVR photo, it is derided as “capitulation". When Mayor Mu Ka Stalin leads a DMK cadre march with a huge national flag on the arterial Anna Road on the occasion of the golden jubilee of Indian independence, it is seen as "compromise". When Karunanidhi offers to write the history of Tamils' contribution to Indian independence from Britain, it is termed "placatory". Thus, for the betrayal theorists, contemporary Dravidian politics is sham and parties like the DMK, AIADMK, MDMK and PMK are nothing but distortions of EVR's legacy. They consider the hero-worshipping indulged in by these parties as a monstrosity, their civic tolerance of personal religion or spirituality as inevitable degeneration, their electoral politics as an avoidable exercise in futility, their statement-wars as a clumsy circus and their welfare programmes as cheap gimmicks out to hoodwink the people of Tamil Nadu. To counter all this, they harp on the Dravidian republican ideals as the right framework for good society and statehood.
Well, the framework of success brings about a very different scenario, lndeed,
Periyar went against the grain of indian nationalism ever since he broke away from the Congress in the midtwenties on the question of social reform. Andas for August 15, 1947, EVR gave a clarion call to his disciples to observe it a black day, even as his ardent followers like Tiruvarur Thangaraj were distributing sweets to celebrate the British decision to leave the country. EVR's decision to stay away from indian nationalist mainstream came at the end of a turbulent social and political battle which he felt had decisively been won by the indian nationalist mainstream. EVR was rightly impatient with the level and progress of social reform envisaged by the Congress, especially Gandhiji. Also, EVR found to his dismay that his concept of Dravida Naadu did not find takers in rest of South India.
However, EVR found a new strategy with which he could go ahead and work

Page 25
15SEPTEMBER 1997
within the framework of the Indian constitution. He would continue to keep his DK out of electoral politics, but would campaign for the emergence of a genuine backward class leadership in Tamil country. He found this leadership in Kamaraj, whom he kept backing for the next 30 years. Thus EVR's distaste for electoral politics did not keep him away from campaigning for “Pachchai Tamizhar Kamaraj in elections and by-polls or decisively influencing state policies on a number of issues, especially social reform.
C N Annadurai's strategic decision to welcome Indian independence and break away from EVR proved a watershed in Tamil politics. Within a decade, the DMK was to smash the monopoly of the Congress in Tamil politics and make the communists fight for every seat. Thus, the rise of the DMK brought about the emergence of competitive politics in Tamil Nadu. With EVR, the atheist rebel, operating through Kamaraj and Annadurai, his chief disciple, and the leftists performing the mandatory role of critics, Kamaraj had no option but to push through several reform measures. Annadurai thus managed to carve out a political space for the DMK which went on to win the mayoral elections in Madras and entered the state legislative assembly in the late fifties,
En route, Annadurai had made a cool shift away from atheism. He quickly adopted theism which is exemplified in the verse literature of saint Tirumular as Onre kullam, Oruvane Devan. This, according to the betrayal theorists, was done with an intention to garner votes; but seen from the perspective of mainstream Tamil culture, it can be said that Annadurai was merely trying to cross from an inane Western dualism to a form of theism which owes its origin to great savants like Tiruvalluvar, Tirumular, Thayumanavar, Wallalar and Subramania Bharathi. Actually, Annadurai was making the DMK compete for this mainstream culturalspace in which the Congress had settled itself.
While EVR maintaineda generaldistaste for art forms, Annadurai and his followers never let an opportunity go in working with new forms. Even as the Congress was struggling to access the latest art form of cinema, the Dravidian ideologues were revelling in it. They went on to establish a stranglehold on the emerging mass form of cinema which adopted, marginalised or destroyed earlier popular forms like musical play and folk theatre,
In the early sixties, Annadural crossed yet another problem-zone. He went on to drop the demand for Dravida Naadu stating that the DMK would not
endanger India's text of the SinoDMK prepared it bate with al kin Social forces in decisive shift gav to make alliance spectrum and, wi the party was to major issues anc and, till now, neve Tamil Nadu. There tion of “Dravida N achieved forever, Thus, it can presents any and a series of oppo exploit or miss. measured with by and failures even the public sphere successes or fail cannot be stated to Sole intention of b spiracy theory.
Well, it is clea ties and their offsh in the Indian con: today. The parties for Some landmar is clear that they general framework joyed by the fading and eager to exer power in a coalitio Thus, Karunani Congress boss G ally uncrowned kir its 39 MPs in ther aged to gain four c five ministers of sta state has got such tion. Maran sits in investment propos don to meet Tony Chidambaram, the ternational financi finance minister, Venkatraman hand face transportres isters have a whol reaucrats who hail' them out, apart fro accountants and S the south who hav India.
Thus, econom Naadu" is today m part of India just lik It has all the proble ral poverty, child la environmental poll ture and poor hea cilities for the ma non-implementatio They are becomin here as elsewhere agine that the Dra

TAMIL TIMES 25
ecurity given the conian war. Thereby, the blf to enter into a deof representational e Subcontinent. This the DMKmore space
across the political in the next five years, struggle for several capture state power let the Congress rule by, the task of integraaadu"With India Was
be seen that history avery movement with tunities which it can movement is best ts relative successes is it runs its course in
While there can be res, the movement be suffering from the etrayal akin to a con
that state-level parbots have more stakes stitutional framework are certain to push camendments, but it are satisfied with its The parties are overout of the Congress cise their new-found
Set-up. dhi andlamil Maanila (Moopanar are virtugs. Tamil Nadu, with uling front, has manabinet ministers and te in Delhi. No other massive representaDelhi to clear foreign ls and travels to LonBlair. Palaniappan blue-eyed boy of ininstitutions, is the Arunachalam and e chemicals and surectively. These minrange of senior bu'om the south to help lawyers, chartered ftware experts from made it big all over
cally, the “Dravida ch more an integral the rest of India is ns of urban and ruour, bursting cities, ion, poor infrastruch and education farity of the people, of land reforms etc., as insurmountable And no one can imdian parties, or any
other party, including the communist outfits, are contemplatinga popular revolution today!
The crucial issue of social reform, addressed by the Dravidian movement, is now an all India phenomenon, with particular geographical variations. It would be interesting to compare the various features of the reform initiatives. Nevertheless, it can be stated without doubt that no one strand of reform, as envisaged by Buddha or Ramanujar or Guru Nanak or Kabir or Raja Rammohan Roy or Phule or Narayana Guru or Gan. dhi orEVRor Babasaheb Ambedkar, has the power or potential to dominate anc claim full-scale hegemony over the rest of the reform strands. There are a million or Zillion strands of reform. Such is the multiplicity of possibilities in the subcontinent. Hence, the Dravidian movement has a strong claim to be one strand of reformist modernity in India, but, no one strand can serve as a complete model of reform. In the best interest of reform, there should be better to have a reconciliation or harmony among various trends of reform.
Well, reconciliation, indeed, is an interesting possibility for politics. it is not just a routine honourable compromise. Reconciliation was genuine when Willy Brandt as German Chancellor flew to Israel to apologize to the Jews for the Holocaust. Mikhail Gorbachev Cried at the funeral of Andrei Sakharov who spent more than 20 years in Soviet prisons. F W de Clerk left the presidency and worked under Nelson Mandela as an act of repentance. Reconciliation calls for trustand genuine dialogue between differing points of view about change and reform. It means assuming enough responsibility for the political decision taken on the basis of pragmatism and ethics. To quote Albert Camus, it is an act of Culture and moderation. Moderation is neither a strategic withdrawal, akin to calling off of violent stirs, nor an act of betrayal, nor a compromise on good-old ideology,
And writing history provides an opportunity to exercise moderation, to reconcile even the best of opposites. It is to be seen whether in this task in which ideologues are failing a sensitive historian can succeed. O
No man is an island, entire of itself. Any man's death diminishes me, because I am inVolved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee.
- John Donne

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26 TAM TIMES
T.N.Gopalan
he DMK government did jump into T the golden jubilee bandwagon with gusto.That old war-horse, Karunanidhi, announced that he was going to write a book on the lives of some of the more significant freedom fighters. Expressing his profound admiration for the martyrs, he claimed that those days he was too young to participate in the strug gle, a dramatic turn around for a veteran of the Dravidian movement. Still the people at large ignored such effusions and celebrations. Their attention lay in some other direction - towards the forests on the Tamil Nadu-Karnataka border where the notorious sandalwood Smuggler Muniyasamy Veerappan was holding eight Karnatakaforest personnel hostage. In fact right on the Independence day Veerappan's deadline for the fulfilment of his demand for a ransom of Rs.50 million expired and the two governments had not paid up. And so everyone was more worried about the fate of the hostages than about the golden jubilee celebrations. Veerappan had actually threatened to shoot down the hostages one by one if the money he had demanded did not materialise. Mercifully nothing of that sort happened and all of them were released unharmed on Aug.24, after 43 days in his custody. And that thanks mainly to the efforts of Mr. R. Rajagopal, Editor and Publisher of the popular Tamil bi-weekly Nakkeeran.
R. R. Gopal who was the first to take on the then formidable Jayalalitha well before she became unpopular, relentlessly exposing her misdeeds, liberally resorting to slanders and canards though, has thus successfully bearded Veerappan in his den and rescued the hostages from the jaws of death, as it were. But for all the expectations raised Veerappan and his gang did not surrender. Eating the humblepie, the two state governments had agreed to accept his Surrender offer, detain him and his men in a special camp, plead for a lenient punishment from the courts and then work for his amnesty. hey had also guaranteed him complete security for the gang. None of you will be harmed when you turn youselves over to us, they had sent word through their emissary Gopal. But Veerappan has declared that he will not surrender unless he is guaranteed that no trial Would be conducted against him or his men and all that he is
willing to settle fo and-a-half-year det camp which could his offences. Quite and so unlikely he v own in the near futu But What makes has eluded the m mounted by special Sonnel for years an more than a hundre formants in the proc a Robin-hood imago of the Tamil Nadu a forests inhabited by ruthless in dealing pected of collabora he does go to the h much as he can, re etary help too on riage, etc.
In his press inti had recalled how h hunting down the el the precious ivory w years old, how he h; 200 elephants befo to sandalwoodsmu a lot of money in til regularly used to g both the forest and the local politicians tronage and protec' to win votes enbloc they ditched him w The rags to ric AIADMK MLA W Veerappan, but wh by the police, is of point. He had wond indignation: Why tł me? The MAs, M trade...everybody Wood and carts aw have bought up es Castles...but I am know no other tra Source of liveliho care of all my mel Journalists wh him affirm that h wards his associa about their health for him, he share he has and so on empire in his ow twin pillars of em Nakkeeran team dog found in the C
 

15SEPTEMBER 1997
is a two or twontion in a special set off against all realistic demands Il Surrender on his
9. his brigand tick? He ghtiest operations trained police per| has mowed down policemen and inss? He has indeed among the people reas bordering the him. Though he is with anyone susing with the police, alp of the people as indering them monoccasions like mar
erviews in 1993 he se was initiated into ephants in pursuit of then he was only 14 adkilled as many as re he switched over ggling, how he made he process, how he rease the palms of olice personnel, how had offered himpaion, seeking his help ind how conveniently en it suited them. es story of a former ith strong links to ) was never indicted in cited as a case in -red in self-righteous ese fellows are after s, are all in this dirty ho can, fells sandalf by truckloads...they tes, built hotels and this only because I le... this is my only and have to take
have interacted with is very amiable tois and is concerned lo special treatment with them whatever 2erappan's dreaded inclave rests on the athy and terror. The vidly recalls how a pany ofVeerappan's
associates was brutally strangled to death when it ceaselessly barked at some new arrival on the scene - it has ceased to be useful... it is perhaps a danger now...we can't take chances, they were quoted as saying.
The almost total absence of people's Co-operation is a factor in the colossal failure of the police operations to nab him, says a local journalist. At Gopinatham, Veerappan's native place, on the Tamil Nadu-Karnataka border, and nearby villages, the residents fall silent on being questioned about his whereabouts. They do benefit from his munificence. Besides they are terrified of Crossing his path.
Veerappan harbours a strong resentment against the police not just because of the ruthless operations against him and those who offer his men shelter or provide information on the movements of the police. He has been let down badly on two occasions. Once in 1986 when a Karnataka forest official induced him to surrender with promise of an amnesty only to turn brutal and stretch him on the rack. But he managed to escape and get even with the department later with a string of ruthless killings.
It was almost an encore With his brother Arjunanbut who was found poisoned to death in police custody. He cannot forgive the police for such betrayals and would go to any length to avenge. The plight of as many as 119Tamils detained under the TADA and languishing in Karnataka prisons or externed in Bangalore and livingamidst untold miseries for more than three years now is another telling instance of the insensitive of the police and forest depts. - their only crime, having lived in the areas frequented by Veerappan and ipso facto suspected of having collaborated with him.
Incidentally even though he hates the police of any hue, his anger towards the Karnataka is much stronger. Somehow aVanniyarby caste, he has come to have a strong affection for fellow Tamils and he and his men had rendered a lot of help to the Tamils displaced from Bangalore, Kolar and other areas following the Cauvery-related anti-Tamil riots in 1992 In November 1995 he had abducted threeTamil Nadu forest department perSonnel and released them after holding them hostage for 20 days. Then too he was paid a ransom of Rs.3 lakh though the then Jaya government strongly denied it. He himself confirmed the payment subsequently.
Later he went on to excoriate Jaya|alitha before Gopals video cameras denounce her as the corrupt queen anc exhort the people to vote her out. The footage was repeatedly aired on the

Page 27
5SEPTEMBER 1997
DMK-ruling-family-owned SunTV during the run-up to the last general elections. Be that as it may, if he has not been paid any ransom, when he has not been granted amnesty, why should he release the hostages, his best bargaining chips? Why should he choose to jeopardise his entire future, risk nabbing and incarceration and under humiliating conditions? The story is that he was actually paid a huge ransom, if not Rs.5omillion, at least half of it. Karunanidhi who too had talked about the imminence of surrender is highly embarrassed.
Back in 1993 some psychiatrists who studied the behavioural pattern of the elusive smuggler concluded - he is an amazing criminal and he is powered by a range of strong emotions...he so strongly believes that he is more sinned against and is thirsting every second of his life for revenge, that only a bloody end is conceivable in his case...he will more likely than not go down fighting. Says Gopal, he is definitely desperate and he is seething with rage against the police, the forest officials, those from the Karnataka side especially. He says Veerappan has many scores to settle...still also believe that he has mellowed over a period of time, seen the pointlessness of it all... Given a chance he would prefer to settle down to a normal civilian life, free from all the tensions and uncertainty he is now plagued by.... But then surrender will be on his terms alone, Gopal feels.
The dense forests, rich with sandalwood trees, provide ideal hide-outs for the desperado and his men who live like mountain rats. The undulating terrain combined with bad roads make it difficult for the police untrained in jungle techniques to track down the gang. Ironically the tall-talking all-bluster policemen like the self-proclaimed Rambo of Rambos, Walter Devaram, depend solely on the forest officials to guide them into the interiror areas into which the foresters themselves have not ventured.
Say many observers: he knows the thick forest maze like the back of his palm ... and he knows his habitat so intimately that he can detect the movement of even the reptiles from the noises they make...theres no way they can catch him alive unless he agrees to surrender... Points out Gopal, the living conditions in the areas bordering the forests are intolerable, you can even say they live in some pre-historic era sans all rights, all amenities, harassed and terrorised by the police... and they know that spilling the beans, if they have any to spill, means brutal retribution from Veerappan ... its pathetic... one can only wish some solution is thrashed out earlier than later and these people live in peace. O
TIAMI
Ol
he degrading T tions of the up are the thirdar of men and Women India to work as labc rubber plantations di have been describec eral authors. Their p ing the period 197 result of food shorta section of the popula tion. This was perce human and the wor nation practised by Government. Althou on imports and on t tation of paddy/rice tion as a whole, ot population were not upcountry Tamils, S favoured treatment of public welfare ber Faced with starv pects for even casua plantation sector, m North, mainly to the and Killinochchi. So Mullaitivu and Mann time when the main the TULF was sugg country Tamils shoul ern and Eastern Pr weekly "Suthanthira gan of this party (fo Party) was actively ing this idea. The ac Constitution, despite opposition of the pol senting the Tamils a tion by the Goverr Tamils that followed; university admissio nomic development mand for alami ho and eastern Sri Lank perception of the Tar significant increase tion in the two provir ditional Tamil areas \ mographic chang through the settleme lies under the state-S tion schemes and a political clout in pres. alamil homeland in The development through agriculture vuniya and Kilinoch

TAMIL TIMES 27
UNITY AND THE POSITION UPCOUNTRYTAMILS
by K.A.Reddiar, Trincomalee
and pathetic condiountry famils, who d fourth generation prought from South urers in the tea and uring the British rule very vividly by sevlight worsened dur-1977 mainly as a ges that drove this tion to near starvaived by them as inst form of discrimithe then "socialist" igh the restrictions he inland transporaffected the populaher sections of the that badly off as the ince they received in the dispensation efits. ration and no prosemployment in the any migrated to the districts of Vavuniya me also moved to ar. This was also the Tamil political party, esting that the updi settle in the Northovinces. The Tamil n", the unofficial orrmerly the Federal nvolved in spreadoption of the 1972 the overwhelming itical parties repreind the discriminament against the suit in employment, ns and socio-ecoreinforced the demeland in northern a.Perhaps, the then nil leaders was that n the famil populaces claimedas trasould arrest the deI occurring there it of Sinhalese famiponsoredcolonisalso strengthen the ing the demand for Sri Lanka. in the 1970s mainly mat occurred in Vahi, which was de
stroyed after the outbreak of the civil war was in no small measure due to the hard work of these upcountry Tamils who had settled there. Having been used to working in the harsh conditions in the tea plantations, they toiled in the harsher conditions of the Vanni region in the hope of securing a better future for themselves and their progenies. They also felt that their safety and security would be assured for all times,
The landlord farmers, the so-called Sri Lankan Tamils, exploited these hapless workers to the maximum. Actually in terms of the way they were treated in the upcountry, these workers found themselves in no better position in the North. Nevertheless, they were not in a hopeless situation as their off-springs became more enlightened and could demand for their basic rights, including reasonable wages. Some actually prospered with the passage of time and a few of their off-springs were able to enter the universities. Those born in these districts became more or less normal citizens. Inter-marriages between the locals and the descendants of the upcountry Tamils also happened. The presence of these families were quite conspicuous in Vavuniya and Kilinochchi.
The conditions of the Tamil people in the estate sector improved significantly after the 1977 parliamentary election, when the UNP regained power having won the election with four-fifths majority and the new Government embraced open market economic policies. There was an economic upsurge with substantial increase in investment and high growth. The flow of Tamil migrants from the upcountry to the North also ended. Despite all these developments concerning the upcountry Tamils, the total number of professionals among them cannot be more than 2,000. Significant numbers are employed as primary school teachers in Government schools and as clerks, supervisors and factory workers in the plantation sector, Some are also employed in the wholesale and retail trading establishments in Colombo and in the hotels. With these exceptions, the bulk of the upcountry Tamil labour force are employed as labourers in the plantations. However, the fact is that there has been some improvement in the status of the upcountry

Page 28
28 TAMIL TIMES
Tamils since the 1970s.
It is believed that a sizable number of the youths whose parents migrated to the North in the 1970s from the upcountry has joined the LTTE. Thus, this section of the Tamil community is now sacrificing directly for a cause advanced by the leadership from Jaffna. It is they who did most of the tiring menial jobs this side of Kilaly and at Thandikulam during the period 1990-1995. Will the Jaffna Tamils who owe much to them appreciate their contributions and reward them for all what they have done since settling in the North? The attitude of the Jaffna Tamils towards this section of the Tamil Community has not changed much. The thinking of the LTTE leadership on this subject is unknown. The Jaffna Tamil elites, the group that include the professionals and the business community stili consider the descendants of the upcountry Tamils as an inferior group. Unlike many among this "high class", the Tamil children of the settlers from the upcountry did not migrate to foreign countries for whatever reason, From these safe havens, the escapees can afford to raise the war cry as loud as they want and this is happening.
Politically, the attitude of the "high
class" Tamils towa leged upcountry Tam from a Common stat which reflects their others: "Naangal E Ungal Vali"Transla means, “We go alo along your way"The while a section of th be discriminated by Sinhala nationalists between the Tamilst and those from the all Tamils are their e 1983 anti-Tami ric Tamils were not spar Sinhala goons, who and destroyed their p Even in the refugee aftermath of the 19 Tamils did not mix Tamils. The class d even in this most diff today, all Tamils are security forces in searching for "terror As an illustration recent local goverr Nuwara Eliya is citec cessful candidates ir tion was a Jaffna Tan
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15 SEPTEMBER 1997
s the underprivis can be discerned ment among them basic approach to gal Vali, Neengal ed into English it g our Way, you go aradox here is that Tamils continue to fellow Tamils, the do not differentiate om the North-East pcountry. To them nemies. During the ts, the upcountry bd by the organized attacked the Tamils operty in Colombo. amps set up in the 33 riots, the Jaffna with the upcountry stinction prevailed cult situation. Even :reated alike by the their operations StS.
a happening in the ment elections in 1. One of the unsucthe municipal elechill businessman. He
canvassed votes on the grounds that all Jaffna Tamils residing in Nuwara Eliya municipality area needed someone to look after their interests. The intention to retain the separate identity as Jaffna Tamil even in an area where the majority of the people are the upcountryTamils is evident. A fact that stands out like a carving on a stone is that Jaffna Tamils can survive, prosperand possibly dominate the North-East area and the upcountry Tamils as well only in a united Sri Lanka if the Jaffna Tamils are isolated from the other Tamils they will be like fish out of Water
The fact that the present upcountry Tamils are the third and fourth generation of the Tamils who migrated from South India and that the vast majority of them (except the few among the business community) have no contacts with India is recognized by the Sinhalese, who have accepted them as Sri Lankans. But the Jaffna and Baticaloa familis stil consider them as Indians! Are they serious when they talk of Tamil unity? is Tamil unity needed only temporarily to serve their cause? Will the upcountry Tamils be ever integrated into the mainstream Tamil society?
(Continued on next page)
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is SEPTEMBER 1997
(Continued from page 28)
Some may think that this is not the time to raise such questions. But these are so vital to the future well-being of a large section of the Tamil community that It is foolhardy to assume that the common ethnic factor alone Will assure equality among allTamils, once the privil
its political goal, it is with great pain of mind have to state here that even after 14 years of misery caused to all Tamils by the ongoing war between the State and the LTTE, the attitude (both economically and socially) of the Jaffna Tamils towards the poorer upcountry Tamills has not changed for the better at all. The relevance at this point in time of the above questions, if viewed in this context will be understood,
The arrogance of many Jaffna Tamils prevents them from recognlsing and accepting the obvious. The reality is that the upcountry Tamils are advancing in many areas although the progress is slow, Literacy rate is rising due to compulsory primary education. Television is also playing an important part in providing information on events happening outside their habitats, Their homes have electricity. They are no longer living like the frog in the well. Many educated youths are gradually moving out to be employed outside the estate sector. The upcountry Tamils were kept in economic bondage tied to the plantations and attempts to seek employment elsewhere in the formal sectors were thwarted by various surreptitious methods. The slavish condition in which they were kept for the country's economic benefit is fading away, Economists and other experts have predicted that the tea industry would face shortage of labour in the near future due to the mobility of the labour force in the estate sector,
The upcountry Tamil youths today are an enlightened lot; a fact that is not recognized yet by the average Jaffna Tamil. Exploitation of the upcountry Tamils by other groups for their benefits will be increasingly difficult. The number of qualified upcountry Tamils is increasing annually, it remains to be seen when peace is restored whether or not they will have the same opportunities as other qualified Tamils to serve in the NorthEast,
The economic problems facing the Tamils have been overshadowed by the ongoing war in the North-East. Unemployment among Tamil graduates is rising. The once prosperous farmers in Nedunkerny Killinochchi, Mankulamand other adjoining areas have been turned into paupers. Their present plight is worse than the upcountry Tamils faced in the 1970s, Even the watered down
devolution packag delivery in its pres end in sight to the Warfare also, Henc lective sufferings imminent. Even if t settled (only Godk real (not opportur unity and equal op cluding the upcoun whatever political enduring the enormt and incurring the hu man and economic to Continued socla Vancement of theT whole.
(Continued from page 1
12. Jaffna: Conde sons?
It is unfortunate suffered the most playing by her own any permanent sta have pointed out be activities were mos who wanted to es abroad. During the relatively privilege means or foreign col ing to establish the immigrants or refug persons from the sa with the LTTE sough the North-East as ha sible entirely due to S will not go into the st this contention was We just take one str
The Medical (MIOT) was formed Vened its first meetir tember 1994. Many doctors attended wh to help the people.T of the North-East hig ine and urgent, anc ernment was culpat paper highlighted trauma as being abo lem with internal re LTTE being among (This was played do the published colle of the conference we As a follow up, a mme for Doctors"W appeal was publish 1995 Bulletin of the Centre (London), a conference.The app numbers suffering f Stress Disorder (P. constant shelling an Lankan Security Foi but partially). it add health need in the N

has little chance of
nt form, There is no protracted guerrilla , the end to the colf the Tamils ls not epresent conflict is ows when), without stic and transient) ortunities for all, inrylamlstoprosper, ains achieved after Dus human suffering ge losses both in huterms will not lead
and economic ad
mill community as a
mned by her own
/ true that Jaffna has rom political gameions who had cut of ke in the place, We fore that the LTTE's t profitable to those tablish themselves war years while a d section with the 1nections was seekmselves abroad as ees, propaganda by me group in concert ht to represent life in ving become impostate oppression. We averal ways in which used and abused. and, nstitute of Tamils in 1994 and it cong in London in Sepdistinguished Tamil o genuinely wanted e medical problems hlighted were genuno doubt the govle in a big Way. One nental illness and ut the gravest probpression under the the major causes, wn by censorship in tion.) The purpose s to seek remedies, "Short Visit Prograas announced. The ld in the May/June Tamil Information co-sponsor of the almentioned"large Om Post Traumatic SD) resulting from bombing by the Sri es" (no doubt true, id: "The overriding rth-East, however,
TAM TIMES 29
according to the visiting and local doctors is personnel. The attitude of the Sri Lankan government towards the NorthEast population is calculated apathy and it is only the Tamil medical fraternity abroad that can fill the prime need formedcal personnel". In announcling the detalls for volunteers, it was stated:"Transpor. tation will be arranged from Colombo under the auspices of the Red Cross or other organisations, Board and lodging will be provided during the stayin Eelam" (our emphasis).
Clearly, as a programme requiring the co-operation of the ministries of health, defence and the local Red Cross, it was a non-starter, An explanation is
owed about what the intentions were,
Came the Government offensive in Jaffna in October 1995, and the LTTE ordered the civilians to leave Vallkamam on 30th October. This had no doubt been planned at least some weeks earlier. It was to be represented to the world that a patriotic people left en masse of their own free will, because they did not recognise nor wanted to live under an allen government. A privileged few had early notice to leave with their possessions (our Special Report No. 6) The international networks had to be primed to articulate this message and represent the enormous sufferings of the dispossessed as being due to the Government alone, and promote the LTTE as their Saviour,
The medical problems of the residents of Jaffna today remain no less severe than they were in 1994, and there are far fewer doctors. Most consultant specialists in Jaffna hospital have left, There is to begin with, no permanentsurgeon at present. Many peripheral units are without doctors at all. The doctors in
Nainathivu and Vadamaratchi East have
left. The people who are now more vulnerable to infectious diseases could suddenly be faced with epidemics with totally inadequate medical care. For example, during recent years malarial illness has been common in the early months of the year. There is only one doctor in Kayts serving the islands, and in February the Kayts hospital had at one time 40 patients warded. In Thenma-ratchi 1271 fever victims had their blood tested at Chavakachcheri hospital. Point Pedro hospital at Manthikal, once a thriving hospital has, besides the MSF staff, only two qualified doctors, one of whom is in harness after passing his age of retirement. Jaff! na p eninsula which was a relatively a healthy place for much of this century, now according to medical sources, has a significantly higher rate of infant mortality.
(To be continued in next issue)

Page 30
30 AMIL TIMES
MATRMONIAL
Jaffna Hindu parents seek doctor groom for attractive daughter, 24, 5'2", final year medical student in London With PR. Please send horoscope, details to P.O. Box 1 1666, LOndon SW197ZE. Al correspondence treated confidentially and returned. Canadian Jaffna Hindu parents seek groom, 29-35, pro
vegetarian for pretty daughter, employed, professionally qualified. Send horoscope with defails. M 973 C/O Tamil Times.
Jaffna Hindu parents seek bride (educated, pretty, modest) from good family in Colombo/UK for highly qualified professional, 32, UK Citizen, employed in London. Correspondence treated confidentially. M974 c/o Tamil Times.
Jaffna Hindu parents seek professional partner under 30 for tall attractive 23 year US Resident graduate student daughter. Appearance and compatibility essential. US/ Canada residents preferred. Send details to M 975 C/o Tamil Times. Jaffna Hindu mother SeekS partner for daughter, 40, attractive divorced working professional residing in Canada with two daughters entering University. M976 c/o Tamil Times. Jaffna Hindu mother seeks professionally qualified partnerS for British born doctor Son and good looking doctor daughter, ages 30 and 27 respectively. Send photo, details. M 977 C/O Tamil TimeS.
Jafna Hindu parents, Australian residents seek partner for pretty graduate daughter, Australian citizen in good employment, divorcee, 33, 5'4", with five year old son. Send horoscope, details. M978 C/o Tamil Times.
WEDDING BELLS We congratulate the following couples on their recent wedding. Shanthakumar, son of Mr. & Mrs. N. Vigneswaralingam of 42 Kenwood Drive. Beck
CLASSIFIED ADS
First 20 words rio. Each additional word 60p. Charge for
Box No. 3 (vat 172's extra) Prepayment
The Advertisement Manager, ami Times Ltd. PO Box 121 **Sutton, Surrey SM13TDr.
8.644 0972 Fax: 018
s
essental
enham, Kent, Sivatharshini, daughter of Mr. & Mrs. V. Ramalingam of 42 Stephens Way, Redbourn, Herts., UK on 3rd September 1997 at The New Kathiresan Hall, Colombo 4.
UK and
Dharmini, daughter of Mr. T. Nadesan and the late Mrs. Nadesan of Maniarkadu, Kokuvil West, Kokuvil, Sri Lanka and Dhushyanthan, son of Mr. & Mrs. Sivagnanasundaram of 81 2/5 Kumara Veethiya, Colombo 11 on 6th September 1997 at Peter Chennells Hall, RockWare Avenue, Greenford, Middx., UK.
MARRIED Suren, son of Mr. S. Para
malingam, Retired Divisional
Telecommunication Engineer of D5 1/1 Mangala Path, Manning Town, Colombo 8 married to Sivanangai, daughter of Mr. V. Sivasupramaniam, Principal Emeritus, Anuradhapura Vivekananda and Arunodaya of P.O. Box 644, Seychelles on the 22nd August 1997 at the New Kathiresan Hall, Bambalapitiya, Colombo 4.
OBITUARIES
Mr. S. Sellathura i Selvanayagam, (59 years), owner of Theva Jewellers, Jaffna, beloved husband of Arunthavamalar and brother of Jeyaluxmy (Ranji) (England) and Padma, Bala, lindra and Ganeshwary (all of Australia) and Paralokapushpam (Colombo) and brother-in-law of Dr. V. Jeevananthan (England) and Professor S. Arasaratnam, Mr. S. Amirthalingam, Mr. R. Gunarajan and Mr. P. Pathmanathan (all of Australia) and Mr. S.K. Durairajah (Colombo) passed
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

15 SEPTEMBER 1997
y in Colombo on 198.97. and Mrs. N. Sivapatham, befuneral took place on loved husband of Mahadavi, .97 at Mt. Lavinia Crema- loving father of Arulmoli (UK), nm, Sri Lanka. Abirami (New Zealand), father e family thanks all those in law of Sash Kumar (UK), sent messages of sym- brother of Wimales Waran y, attended the funeral and (Canada), Naguleswaan (New 'ed in so many WayS. - Jeva Zealand), Savithri Devi (Sri
Ranji, Bromley, Kent, UK. Lanka), Lohes waran (Sri
Lanka), Mangaleswaran (UK), late Sathanandan and Ravindran (New Zealand), passed away in Colombo on 2 August 1997. Funeral took place at Kanate on 4 August 1997.
The members of the family Wish to thank all friends and relatives who attended the funeral, sent messages of sympathy and floral tributes and offered assistance in several ways during the period of great sorrow. - 16 Harvesters Way, . Sivapatham Maheswaran Grove Green, Maidstone, Kent of late Mr. K. Sivapatham ME14 5S. Tel 01622 736996.
IN MEMORAM
Tis ala Chequer-board of Nights and Days Where Destiny with Men for Pieces plays;
tither and thither moves, and mates, and slays, And One by one back in the Closet lays. . . . . . .
he Moving Finger writes, and, having Writ, loves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit Shall lure it back to Cancel half a Line, lor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it. . . . . . .
(from the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam of Naishapur)
ear Appa, you are ever present, ever missed, but always with ride and love; especially on this the third anniversary of your assing away on the 24 September 1994. Mr. PONNUDURA APRENDRA NATHAN, most dearly beloved and adoring husand of Gnanambal dearest loving and proud Appa to your hildren, Dr. Thrinayani Jegathambal, Dr. Mrs. Sowmya Wiayambal, Mrs. Sobhana Meenambal, Dr. Mrs. Priyadarsani Prahathambal, Adhithya Thrillochanan, Mrs. Vasutharini Girijamal, Agasthya Ponnambalam and Ambika Dhakshayani, father-law of Dr. P. Arulampalam, S. Raveendran, T. langovan, R. Erikanthan and Dr. Mrs. Meera Narendranathan, darling dearest haththa to your grandchildren, Abhirami Janani Raveendran, marnath Thirumadhavan Raveendran, Nirmala Arulampalam, anaki Saruhasini Srikanthan, and Janarthanan Ragavan llanovan, you are greatly missed forever but never forgotten, and lways in the thoughts of your family and friends. God Bless. - 53 rossways, South Croydon, Surrey, CR2 8JQ.

Page 31
15 SEPTEMBER 1997
IN MEMORAM
in Loving Memory of Our Beloved Daddy T.J. Rajaratnam (Retired High Court Judge) Called to rest On 15.981
Softly the leaves of Memory fall Gently we gather and
Arasady Road, Kantharmadam, Yaripanam.
Fondly remembered on the sixth anniversary of his passing away on 11.9.91 by his beloved wife Padma; children Sujithan, Siva Kumaran, Rajam, Jeyaraman, Rengan and Raj lswari; Sons-in-law Theventhiran and Nirthanakumaran; daughtersin-law Jeyadevi, Suhanya, Thangalogini and Helen, grandChildren Jamuna, Karthika, Bharathan, Uththami, Luxmanan, Sri Ram, Vaith arani, Vithuran, Devarajan, Poorani, Pavithran, and Dhurrka, Sister Saraswathy Panchadcharam, brother Punjaksharam; sistersin-law, brothers-in-law, relations and friends. - Flat 4, 24
lG1 3AZ.
treasure them all Today, tomorrow and Our whole life through We will always love and Remember you - Dad.
Fondly remembered and sadly missed by your loving wife Arul; children Rohini, Renuka, Rajiv, sons-in-law Vijayan, Sriharan; grand-children Vasi, Ravi, Prathi, Jayanthy and Ajit.
- \
( Mansfield Road, Ilford, Essex (
FIRST DEATH ANNIVERSARY MRSDAMOND JOSEPH LAD TO REST 28-09-1996
Our sweet, gentle, kind and precious AMMA, You were the gem of the purestray Serene,
« You were the epitome of the In loving memory of Deva Ra- fair womanhood, jan N, FSI., Licensed Sur- A wife emblem of devotion, a veyor, Leveller & Valuer of 257 mother unmatchable,
(
LLLLSLLLSLLSLLSLSALSLALLSSLSLSSLSLSSLSLSSLSLSSLASL
AUSTRALAN
NEWSLETTER
Vembadi Old Girls' Association, Sydney: The Annual General meeting was held on 28th June 1997. The following were elected to the Executive Committee. President: Mrs. Devi Balasubramaniam, Vice-President: Mrs. Shanta Arulampalam, Secretary: Mrs. Shanta Fonseka, Asst. Secretary: Dr. Sivagowri Manamohan, Treasurer: Mrs. Shyamala Raghavan, Asst. Treasurer: Mrs. Nimmi Manohar, Committee: Mrs. Kunmuthini Sunderesan, Mrs. Indrani Satkunananda, Mrs. Sakuntala Dharmakumar and Mr.S. Ramani Sunilraj.
The very successful Dinner Dance held last year was discussed and it was decided
to hold the next Dinn 1998.
Australian Foreig Lanka: The Austral Mr. Alexander Down Lanka and at a pres jointly addressed w Foreign Minister Mr.
that the Sri Lankan g ing a path towards a ethnic Crisis in the CO Australian governme tive of a solution whi the legitimate aspira ties. Mr. DowneralsC leaders in Colombo.
Saxophone Conce ravarthy Sri Kadri GC packed house at th
 
 
 
 

TAML TIMES 3.
A grandma brimming with ove and honey, Thank you OUR AMMA for alı hou has given us, avishly and sumptuously, Isking nothing in return. ondly remembered by Daddy, 2hildren, Grand Children and 7-laws. 9 Canthill Gardens, Hartwood, Shotts, ML7 5DA UK. 388/1 alle Road, Mount Lavinia, Sri anka.
FORTHCOMING EVENTS
September 29 & 30 10.30pm amil Arts Performing Society presents Tamil Drama "Malai" on Sunrise Radio. Dctober 1 Amavasai. Oct. 2 Navarathiri COrnmenCeS - Durka pooja starts; Feast of he Guardian Angels. Dict. 4 Puraddasi Sani (3); SLTWG drop in. Tel: 0181545 313. Oct. 5 Chathurthi; Luxmi pooja tartS. DCt. 6 Feast of St. Bruno. Dct. 7 Sashti; Feast of the Lady of the Rosary. Oct. 8 Saraswathy Pooja tartS. Oct. 10 Saraswathy Pooja. )ct. 11 Vijeya Thasami — ManImpoo; Puraddasi Sani (4th ind last); SLTWG Navarathiri elebrations. Tel: 0181 545 313. bct. 11 7.00pm Jaffna College lumni (UK) Annual Reunion at hiswick Town Hall, Heathfield errace, London W4. Tel: 0181 4O2906/949 4234.
ct. 12 Ekathasi; 3.30pm Sri
ankan Catholic ASSOCiation .
rganises Feast of Our Lady of adhu at SS Michael & Martin
Catholic Church, 94 Bath Road, Hounslow, Middx. All welcome. Oct. 13 Pirathosam, Feast of St. Edward. Oct. 14 Feast of St. Callistus. Oct. 15 Full Moon, Feast of St. Teresa. Oct. 17 lypasi Velli (1). Oct. 18 Karthikai; Feast of St. Luke. Oct. 19 San ka ta ha ra Chathurthi. Oct. 24 lypasi Velli (2). Oct. 25 SLTWG drop in. Tel: 0181 545 3313. Oct. 26 Ekathasi. Oct. 28 Pirathosam. Oct. 30 Deepavali; Amavasai. Oct. 31 Skanda Sashti Viratham starts; typasi Velli (3).
At Bhawan Centre, 4A Castletown Road, London W14 9HQ. Tel: O171 381 3086 4608. Oct. 4 5.30pm Talk on "The Ever Sacred Himalayas' by Dr. Adrian Cooper. Oct. 4 6.30pm Kathak by Pratap Pawar from India. Oct. 5 6.00pm Bharata Natyam by Keshava from Switzerland. Oct. 6 7.00pm Karnatic Saxophone by Kadri Gopalanath. Oct. 9 7.00pm Mandolin Srinivas with musicians from India. Oct. 18 6.30pm Odissi Dance by Kavita Dwibedi from India.
For Sale Spacious house and selfcontained annexe on twenty perches of land in heart of Cinnamon Gardens, Colombo 7 Telephone 0181 337 2792.
LALSLSLSLSSLL LSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSLSSLLLLSLSSLSSLLSLSLLSLSLSLLLSLSLLLSLSLLLLLL
r Dance in February
Minister in Sri an Foreign Minister, r recently visited Sri Conference that he th the Sri Lankan ... Kadirgamar, noted vernment was chartolitical solution to the ntry. He said that the it would be supporh takes into acCOunt OnS of all Communiheld talks with Tamil
: Saxophone ChakJalnath entertained a University of New
South Wales on 2nd August 1997 for over three and a half hours. The Concert was organised by Pallavi in collaboration with the Indian Consulate and Air India to commemorate the 50th year of Indian independence.
Vidwan Kadri Gopalnath has mastered Carnatic music. On a Western instrument such as the saxophone and at this point in time he is the only one to do so. In this concert he was accompanied by two renowned artistes Miss Kanyakumari on Violin and Sri Guruvayur Dorai on Mridangam.
The concert started with a Navaragamalika Varnam, followedbya Krithiby Dikshitar on Lord Vigneswara in Kalyani Raga. He went on to play a Tyagaraja Krithi in Sree Raga followed by Ragam Tanam Palawi in Raga Kapi. Sri Gopalanath's

Page 32
32 TAMIL TIMES
rendering of this Raga through Alapana and Pallavi was magnificent with the brilliant support from the violinist and mridangist. It was a concert which enthralled the huge audience, an evening they will never forget, Sydney Murugan Temple Project: The students of the Thillai Nadanalaya School of Dance trained by its Director Mrs. Dhamayanthy Balaraju presented an evening of Bharata Natyam in aid of the Sydney Murugan Temple on 9th August 1997 at the Bankstown Town Hall,
The programme began with an Odissi dance dedicated to Lord Vigneswara, followed by Jatiswaram, Swara Malai - a garland of musical notes and a Sirattai (coconut shell) dance. In the Sirattai dance a group of girls danced with tambourines and coconut shells. The beating of coconut shells and the rattling of tambourines were beautifully harmonised in sound and coordinated with dance movements. After the intermission, the story of Rama and Sita was depicted in a dance drama -- Bhavayam, which was followed by a folk dance, panthattam and finally mangalam.
The very large audience besides enriching the project was captivated by the evenings entertainment,
A Natyam to be Remembered
To the London audience which is used to uninspiring and stereotyped Arangetrams, the Bharata Natyam presented by American born Sri Lankan sisters Garani (16) and Divani (15) Nataraja at Croydon's Ashcroft Theatre on 24th August was stunning. In theme and content, choreography and execution of abhinaya and jathis, we found a stamp of perfection. The repertoire was not in the usual Alarippu, Jathiswaram Paddathi. Beginning with an invocation to Ganapathi the girls took up a piece entitled Adavallan, a composition by Aru Gopalan, in which are enumerated the Pancha Sabhas or the divine Halls where Lord Siva revealed his five different dance forms. Here it was
thrilling to watch the trating the five differ the five Sabhas at C. Tiruvalangadu, Tiru This brilliant illustra Sisters revealed th Guru, Smt. Mythili k standing of the sis. composition by St. infatuation for Valli ger, was ably enact brilliant jathl korv Particularly interesti in which the Sisters figure still dancingthere Were SOrne ite by the sisters with g audience,
The orchestra (re and the girls then items in clear Eng handled the decora mother Gowri gave Such devoted pare Guru deserve our a ramme was in aid temple at Hawaii ur Satguru Sivaya Sub ciple of Sri Yogar S
V
Shanmugam,
Friends, relatives an Mr. Shanmugam Raynham Road, Lor felicitate him on hi OBE in the Queen's The meeting com landing of Mr. Shar tory remarks by t Thanapalan, who i programme present After the recital C Mrs. T. & Miss B, Ch & Haran Yoganatha Mr. P. Karalapillai same village as Mr. his school mates a spoke about his pe Crowned hirn with later years and ultir Mr. N.S. Kandiah, friend said that the of Mr. Shanmugat guide to the young community.
Eight year old Ni Meenakshi School performance which audience.
Messers Vamaa Sam Samaranayal expressed their de gam's dedicated recognised by the M of then Stated th supportive family, Mohana had Contri
CeSS.
A VOCal recital b Yogarajah and accompanied by Vi masri, Sithampara
 

15 SEPTEMBER 997
young dancers illusnt dances as well as idambaran, Madurai, elveli and Tankasi. tive Natyan by the scholarship of the Lumar, and the underyas, The Varnam, a bbudu on Muruga's and Deivayanai's anld by the sisters, with ls and COOrdination. ng was the formation merged into a single a brilliant feat, Further, ns individually danced usto which thrilled the
corded) was excellent Iselves prefaced the ish. Father Nadaraja nd the lights, while the I the vote of thanks. nts and distinguished ppreciation. The progof the proposed Siva
der the supervision of
ramuniya Swami, disMwami of Jaffna.
Sivapatha Sundaram.
OBE Felicited
d fellow countrymen of met at Angel Hall, ldon N10 on 178,97 to s being awarded the
birthday honours. menced with the garmugam and introduche Chairman Dr. K. turn introduced the ser Angela Nagarajah, f devotional songs by andrapalan, Ananthini n, Dr. Thanapalan and who both hail from the Shanmugam and were Jaffna Hindu College severance which has epeated successes in lately the rare honour, a long standing family life and achievements should serve as a ren and WOrnen of Our
ha Ananthan from the f Dance gave a dance was appreciated by the
va, Sathasivan and 2, all civil engineers, light at Mr. Shanmuervices having been inistry of Transport. All nt Mr. Shanmugam's particularly his wife uted towards his suc
the twin SisterS Kala Jinna Satku nasivam inist Gnambikai Pathathan on morsing and
Bala Murali Yoganathan on miruthangam held the house spellbound,
Mr. Winal Sockanathan, President of the Gnanantha Seva Samajam gave an appreciation of Mr. Shanmugam's spiritual life followed by a light hearted contribution by Mr. Sivahar Mahalingam from the LSE, Finally a Valthupa composed by Mr, M, Ponnampalam was excellently rendered by Kala Yogarajah.
Mr. Shanmugam expressed his delight to see so many of his friends, relatives and countrymen and thanked the organisers, The meeting concluded with lunch,
Mrs. V. Nagarajah.
Mrs. Sellamma
Pararajasingam
of Urelu, Jafna - An Appreciation
All Creatures have an end; some die; some decease; many perish; only a few are immortal. It is when people become immortal we say "Kaalamaanaar' in Tamil meaning has become one with time, which knows no past, present or future, Sellakkaa belongs to the category of those that have become one with time. Sellakkaa moved with the time and has now merged with the time so as to continue to live with her family in order to be an eternal source of Solace and support. She was a messenger who had some messages to convey. She has effectively published those messages in the form of novel books called children, grandchildren and great grandChildren.
At a time after the demise of her husband, when her ship of life was tossing and turning in the turbulent sea of domestic economics, Selakkaa like a veteran Captain steadied and navigated the ship to safe waters. We say in Tamil that even a Royal Prince will become a pauper if he becomes a father of five girls. Sellakkaa was blessed with eight children of whom six were girls. She always remained royal and majestic. How was it possible in her case? Her patience, innate wisdom and presence of mind gave her succour and sustenance during times of crisis.
She never coveted the moon in the sky, but the moon longed to play on the palm of her hands. The veracity of this statement Can be realised from the Connendable life her children lead in various parts of the western globe. It is possible to fathom the greatness of a person from his or her external features. The big and sparkling eyes of Selakkaa revealed her personality. The internal personality of a person can be measured from the mental equipoise of the person. It was this equipoise and composure which is the end product of the absence of avarice, jealousy, anger and harsh words that made her live like a queen for ever,
She was the only woman except n, mother who prided that I was receiving university education. My wedding for which I had extended invitations to none, to . . place at Sannity Temple, Thondamannar

Page 33
15SEPTEMBER 1997
at midnight. Selakkaa who got wind of it was there in the dead of the night with her family members to bless me. This act of hers left an indelible mark in me. Only a noble Soul could have graced the occasion in the absence of an invitation.
Four years ago I went to London and took that opportunity to pay her a visit. We spent hours and hours talking about the pleasant and not so pleasant days and incidents at Urelu. It was a memorable meeting. I knew then that I would not be able to see her again. Selakkaa lived ninety years of full life. Her demise did not shock me. Death is also a pleasure. She who during her life time entertained noble thoughts, executed exemplary deeds and uttered productive words would not have felt death as a pain, because such people have nothing to fear, it is fear that begets pain. To fearless people death is a pleasurable feeling.
Sellakkaa would have, lam sure, experienced greater pleasure in her death, But can the surviving children, grandchildren and great grandchildren who have known her through and through take such a stoic and philosophic stance? No; it is difficult; time alone can heal their pain of parting.
Dr. Vidwan K.N. Velan.
Who Killed the Princess?
by Professor Kopan Mahadeva God, we ask you in all Sincerity, Who killed Our PrinceSS Diana? Please reveal to us the reality. Was it the gossip-Crazy. Dollar-greedy and ever-pushy Paparazzi ?
Or the antiquity And inflexibility Of the traditions of monarchy? Or her own propensity For Cordiality, and herbeauty Which attracted publicity? Or her perceived cruelty Or self-Confessed adultery Ending up in infidelity? Or her youthful romanticity And unsurpassed facility For pains-easing charity? Or the impaired ability
Of her drunk-driver. To chaperon her in
Or the inhumanity Of us humans, rega To show her dignifie God, we ask you in Иvho killed Our Princ Please reveal to us And is there a poss Of an answer With fi Before the end of et
J.S.S.A. (UK) Cricket & Ne 19
The Jaffna School (UK) Sixth Annual Festival was held of Bank Holiday Mond Sports Centre, Win Middx., There was a the morning, but th and it was a bright programme for the d and Net Ball, OverCricket tournaments metre races for Unde 10, Under-12 and Girls.
The Mayor of the Ealing was the Chief flag hoisting ceremon 32 schools and their
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ality
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Sixth Annual Ball Festival 97
Sports Association Cricket and Net Ball 25th August 1997 - y - at Warren Farm imill Lane, Southall, orrential downpour in skies cleared later and sunny day. The ay comprised Cricket O Cricket, Under-15 as well as 50 and 100 ir-5, Under-8, UnderUnder-15 Boys and
London Borough of 3uest at the colourful ly. The past pupils of Children took part in
Champions St. John's College
Jaffna Hindu College Jaffna Hindu College
Chundikuli Girls College
metres Races areka Ragavan nayan Elias athy Puvanendran mina Loganathan arOline Gratien
to Colombo/Madras
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the various events. There were six large pitches and net ball courts, and the schools had their own marquees. There were other marquees serving sumptuous food.
A Science Exhibition held on the premises evinced a lot of interest. The winning exhibit was a working geological model of a live volcano demonstrating its explosions and lava flows. The winning schoolboy, Mark Antony had ingeniously used vinegar, baking powder, Sparklers and colouring to display the pyrotechnics to good effect.
Mr. V. Sivasundaram, Proprietor of Western Jewelers distributed the awards.
The results were as follows:
Runners-up Tamil Welfare ASSn, Newharn St. John's College Jaffna Central College Hindu Ladies College
Boys: Roshan Baskaran Boys: Luxan Emmanuel Boys: Sathuram Sivakumar Boys: Shylash Mahadevan Boys: Sanjeev Kunanayagan
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's events concluded with a fireworks display.
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