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The truck-bort E. attack in the heart of Colomb
* DEWOLUTION PROPOSA
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* Reflections on Sala Commission Report
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Tani
ISSN 0266 - 44 88 Wol. XW No. 11 15 NOVEMBER 1997
Published by: TAMILTIMESLTD PO Box 121, Sutton, Surrey SM13TD United Kingdom Phone: 0181 644 0972 Fax: 0181 241 4557
Email: prajanФgnapc.org
Views expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the editor or publishers. The publishers assume no responsibility for return of unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or artwork,
CONTENTS
Devolution Proposals Presented O3 Tigers Challenge Terrorist'Label 05 Clombo Bomb Attack 09 Reflections on Sinhala Commission Pluralism for Prosperity & Peace 13
An Invitation to Feudalism 16 En 'Elegy for Eastern Province 7ן Appeal for Medical Personnel 19 Suffocation of Truth & Politics 2O Jain Commission's Bombshell 23 A Case of Sexual Adolescence 24 Queen's Visit & Indian Democracy 26 Rajiv's Murder Trial Ends 28 Readers Forum 29 Classified 30
De Pres
A significantfe ment's Constitutio tabled in Parliame provision for the da a means to give th ous Regions a bet velop their Regior solution to the eth and Constitutional G. Peiris, who pr als, said that a S problem can be a participation of all c ministration of the
The Governme stitutional reform a ers put forward by ties of the Parliam mittee on Constit tabled in Parliame The Governme opinion that the pe should have the ri on matters arising Within this framew power, a firm com and the sovereign been established.
According to Lanka is"one sove ent Republic being ion of Regions"Th public shall consis tory composed of Colombo and Sri Kotte and the Regi There will be a each Region. The forward the formati of Ministers at Regi of enabling regiona member who comr the majority in th Would be appointe istries would be ap tion to the numbe each political party Executive Com under the Chairma Minister. Each mer Council would be a Executive Commi Committee shall administration of th tions assigned to Ministershall exerci of the Executive C ernment feels that Regional Council; opportunity to par
 
 

TAMIL TIMES 3
solution Proposals ented to Parlament
ature of the Governhal Reform proposals nt 24 October is the 3volution of power as te people of the variter opportunity to deis and as a political inic problem. Justice Affairs Minister Prof. esented the proposolution to the ethnic chieved through the ommunities in the adRegional Councils. ntos proposalon conlong with several ridthe constituent parentary Select Comutional Reform Were nt by G L Peiris,
nt has expressed its eople of the Regions ght to take decisions at the Regional level. Vork of devolution of mitment to the unity ty of the country has
the proposals, Sri Ireign and Independg an indissoluble unje territory of the Ret of the Capital Territhe Municipalities of -JayewardenepuraՕրS.
Regional Council for
proposals have put on of all-party Boards onal level as a means alpower-sharing. The mands the support of e Regional Council di Chief Minister, Minportioned in proporr of votes polled by f
mittees will be set up Lnship of the relevant mber of the Regional member of one such ttee. The Executive be charged with the he subjects and functhe Ministry and the se power in the name ommittee. The Gov: all members of the shall be afforded an ticipate in Executive
Government through the Executive Committees,
Among the subjects and functions that would come under the purview of the Central Government Will be national security, national police, Security forces, foreign Affairs, immigration and emigration, national planning, finance and foreign exchange, income tax, Customs duties and other taxes, national grid for the supply of electricity, minerals and mines, inter-regional rivers and inter-regional irrigation schemes, railways and inter-regional transport, inter-regional and inter-district highways, shipping and navigation, posts and telecommunications, national mass-media, Central Government broadcasting and television, national public service, national health administration, special and teaching hospitals, co-ordination of health services, national health standards, fishing beyond territorial waters, traditional migratory fishing within territorial waters, national policy on education, national schools, national universities, standards for national public certification examinations and the conduct of such examinations, standards for curricula and teacher qualifications and training, foreign trade, inter-regional trade, Buddhism, Pirivena education, archaeology, ancient and historical monuments and archaeological sites declared to be of national importance, national archives and museums and national plans on environment, conservation and coast conservation.
Subjects and functions assigned to the Regional Councils would be Regional planning, taxes assigned to Regions, motor vehicle licence fees, court fines, Regional lotteries, Regional public service, health and indigenous medicine, education and higher education, educational services other than national schools and national universities, fishing within territorial waters, industries and regional industrial development, trade within the Regional, co-operatives, roads excluding those specified in the reserved list, transport, minor ports, housing and construction, local Government and local elections, social services and mass media, radio and television in conformity with national standards.
There shall be a national police service for the entirely of the country and a regional police service for each Region. Offences that would be exclusively in

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4 TAMILTIMES
vestigated by the national police service include offences against the republic, offences relating to the security forces and elections, offences relating to national security and essential services, offences relating to stamps, currency and property of the Central Government, crimes involving more than one region and inter-regional crimes. The regonal police service is responsible to the Regional Police Commission in regard to the discharge of its functions. The Commission will consists of members representing the three major communities nominated by the Constitutional Council and one member nominated by the Chief Minister. In respect of the maintenance of public order, the regional police is responsible to the Chief Minister, Where there is a threat to the unity and sovereignty of the country, the central Government is empowered to deploy the national police or the armed forces to restore public order. The appointment, transfer etc. of national police officers will be the responsibility of the National Police Commission consisting of the National Police Commissioner and two members nominated by the Constitutional Council. Arms and ammunition to regional police services will be provided by the Central Government and the national police will provide specialized and technical assistance to regional police services upon request.
The Regions would have more responsibility in respect of Land. However, whilst state land is vested on the Region, land required by the Central Government shall be made available by the Regional Administration. Inter-Regional irrigation schemes will be under the purview of the Central Government.
Meanwhile under units of devolution, the Government has proposed that a referendum be held in the districts of Trincomalee and Batticaloa on the issue of the merger of the Northern and Eastern Provinces. If the people vote in fawour of merger, a new-unit known as the South-Eastern Region consisting of the polling divisions of Kalmunai, Pottuviland Samanturai will be constituted. Whether the Amparaipolling division should be a separate unit or not will be decided at a referendum. If the people decide against a separate unit, the polling division will be joined to the Uva Province.
According to the Government's proposals, the Central Government has the authority to dissolve the Regional Council and assume power of the region in a situation where the Regional Administration is promoting armed rebellion or insurrection or engaging in intentional violation of its powers under the Constitution, which constitutes a danger to the unity and Sovereignty of the country.
At a special pres cuss the specific pri posals Prof. Peiris hi elements in the pro| He said one of the proposals is the dev the region and noted an opportunity for the regions and as a the ethnic problem,
The Minister sa ment would conside posals from the Unite the proposals prese on Friday, providedt have the agreement parties.
He said "the go that a long-lasting sc problem could be a power sharing arran Communities". Draw significant features i ister highlighted the to Fundamental Rig of Legislation; the ecutive Presidency; Executive Committee level; and the establi stitutional Council.
The Minister sai cant strengthening provided in the prop tution presented to P. that the presentation to the country's exp Minister Peiris, document that is go We move into the 21 that these forward while further ensurin of Human Rights, pr that have been hithe the rights to Life, Ir vacy. The Right to Lif is provided as a "no mental right" and re strictions will be on in a democratic soc The Minister obs larly heavy emphas on economic rights ment, housing and gender-based disc Peiris observed tha sions have gone ev enshrined in the St tution.
Highlighting the view of legislation Human rights", the the Courts of Law W strike down legisla tradiction with hum in the constitution' ensures the estab tutional Council, W tuted of represent

15 NOVEMBER 1997
conference to disvisions in the prohlighted some key osed constitution. ey features of the lution of power to tmust be seen "as e development of political Solution to ading to peасө”.
that the governr any specific prodNational Party on hted to Parliament at those proposals of the other Smaller
fernment believes lution to the ethnic hieved with a new lement involving all ng on some other the proposal Minprovisions relating its; Judicial Review abolition of the Exstablishment of the System at regional shment of the Con
d that "very signifiof human rights" is osals of the constiarliament and noted itself is a response rience of the past. stated that it is "a ing to be crucial as st century". He said looking proposals, g the strengthening ovide for new rights rto absent, such as formation and Prithe Ministerstated n-derogable fundaiterated that the rey those "necessary ety". erved that aparticuis has been placed in terms of employespecially against imination. Minster some of the provin further than those uth African Consti
act that Judicial Reis the acid test of Winister stated that I have the power to on which is in conun rights provisions The proposal also hment of a Constiich is to be consttives of all political
parties in Parliament. Prof Peiris emphasised the need for consensus building saying "it is a primary requirement of Sri Lanka today".
The proposals also ensures the abolition of the Executive Presidency, which he said was not suitable for Sri Lanka and that the "government has remained constantly committed to its abolition".
The proposals also envisages the establishment of an Executive Committee System at regional level. Emphasising the importance of this system for the country's developmental efforts, the Ministersaid that the composition of a Board of Ministers at a regional level will ensure the participation of alpolitical parties elected by the people, unlike the present system. He noted that since the Regional Councils will engage in developmental work in the region, the participation of all political parties will be crucial in that process.
Within the proposal is the independence of the Public Service with the establishment and an independent Public Service Commission.
Responding to a question by journalists on the role of the opposition, Minister Peiris Said that the United National Party (UNP) had made some very significant recommendations during the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) deliberations, adding that the provision for an Executive Committee System at regional levelwas essentially a UNP contribution. He also noted that the UNP had participated in all of the 77 sittings of the PSC.
Minister Peiris said the government is fully committed to the implementation of the present proposals and said if in
the interim any specific proposals are
made by the UNP which has the consensus of the other parties, the government would consider those provisions to be included.
UNP's Stand
However the UNP appears to be divided. While leader Rani Wickremasinghe, during his recent visit to India, called for the revival of the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord of July 1987 and the full implementation of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, former leading Ministers like Ronnie de Mel and A C S Hameed are reported to be in support of the government proposals.
The UNP however appears to have moved away from insisting on the "unitary character of the state". It says that now it stands for a "united and undivided Sri Lanka. Even this formulation appears to be resisted by some of the hardliners in the party.
The UNP in rider to the governments proposals wants further discussions on

Page 5
15 NOVEMBER 1997
the following five issues; nature of the state, unit of devolution, land powers, police powers and financial provisions for regional councils,
in the meantime, Tamil and Muslim parties have sought meetings with the UNPleadership to work out consensual arrangements on the five areas in which that party wants further discussions,
“Weare interested in a national Consensus and in obtaining the approval of parlament for such consensus" a spokesman of Tamil party said,
Tamil and Muslim party sources said for out of these five matters Would not pose much problem, specially, the nature of the state, The UNP Wants an indivisible Sri Lanka and that Can b0 Oasily accommodated by substituting the Word indissoluble with indivisible and making the consequential adjustments, they said,
"The UNP's rider submitted by Prof, Peiris, stated clearly that it is for extenslve devolution of power, And the UNP appointed Mangala Moonasinghe Committee had recommended the Indian model of devolution, in India, land is vested with the state governments. Each state has a state police service headed by the GP in India the states enjoy wide financial powers. So these can be sorted out," the spokesman said.
Then the only remaining matter is unit of devolution. Here, so far as Tamils are concerned there are two options making the current temporary merger permanent with the referendum envisaged in the Indo-Sri Lanka Pact and the 13th Amendment and the government proposals of merging the Trincomalee and Batticaloa districts to the Northern Province after a referendum, providing the Muslims of the Ampara district a separate regional Council and permitting the people of the Ampara electorate to decide whether they want to remain a separate unit or want to merge with Uva. Tamil party sources said the UNP seem to prefer the temporary merger of the North and East to Continue and that would suit them. That arrangement will in fact promote national harmony as the north-eastern regional council will have significant Muslim and Sinhala minorities with ministerial representation.
"If the UNP can convince the Muslims, Tamils will be happy. But they would want the issue of merger settled once and for all by making it permanent," a Tamil leader said.
Justice, Constitutional Affairs, Ethnic Affairs and National Integration Minİster Prof. G. L. Peiris said on Tuesday that the government will seriously consider any arrangementworkedoutby the Tamil and Muslim parties with the UNP SLMC, which is pushing for a sepa
illiam Ram W time Attori USA, ls age
the leading Couns Tigers of Tamil Eela to challenge and ov tion of the LTTE as tion by the US S Madelelne Albright, Described as a eral with a social C ourful Mr Clark has the Ostablishment ( Orstwhile member Causes including "l seen whether his e Cause is another qui or a brave St Georg the roles reversed.
rate regional counc
lim majority elector district, is schedule to Canvass its supp Meanwhile Tamil UNP are urging its this opportunity to f ethnic problem.The leadership of the b people by the UNP i Convention When th Sinhala only policy most of the Tamille They helped in de 1956,
"lf our leaders li extremists, Tamilm quit the UNP agair suffer the consequi must realise that e tremists in the part backing. And most sons and daughters away to live with the ments urging others War and attain mat Tamil UNPer is repc While political pa discussing the pros ernment's constituti als, the Liberation Ti (LTTE) have totally r newspaper, "Vidutha says thatthe governi failed to recognise th homeland adding Would not in any W continuing conflict.
 

TAMIL TIMES 5
CHALLENGE TERRORIST" DESIGNATION BY US
DBS Jeyaraj
sey Clark, the one ley General of the in in the limelight as bli for the Liberation n (LTTE) with a brief erturn the designaa terrorist organisaecretary of State
"bleeding heart libOnscience" the Colapparently taken on f which he was an in pursult of many st ones". It is to be pousal of the LTTE xotic tilt at Windmills type of rescue with nstead of delivering
il for the three Mus
ates in the Ampara ld to meet the UNP drt to the proposals, sand Muslims in the leadership to seize ind a solution to the y have reminded the etrayal of the Tamil n the 1954 Kelaniya e party adopted the
On that occasion, aders quit the party, 'eating the UNP in
sten to the Sinhala embers will have to and the party will ances. Our leaders sery one of the exy have no popular of them have their abroad.They will run m and issue statechildren to fight the yrdom," a dejected rted to have said. rties in Colombo are and cons of the govbnal reform proposgers of Tamil Eelam jected them, in thier ai Puligal", the LTTE hent proposals have e concept of alamil hat the proposals ay help to end the
the damsel from the dragon it is "Sir Ramsey's task to deliver the monster, in this case the Tiger from the maiden or Madeleine Albright's designation asterrorist.
Enlisting the services of Ramsey Clark in combating the US State Department designation of the LTTE as a torrorist organisation is certainly a feather in the LTTE cap, The full credit for this must go toVisvanathan Rudrakumaran, the New York based Tamil Attorney described in LTTE literature as political adviser to the International Secretariat of the TE. Rudrakumaran, the son of former TULF Mayor for Jaffna Rajah Viswanathan completed his US Bar exams in Brooklyn where he may have made Contact with Clark,
In any event the fact that a hlgh profile former US Attorney General has been retained by the LTTE has certainly enthused Tiger Supporters greatly, Again to use an Americanism it is to be seen whether the exuberant Tiger supporters in North America will put their money where their mouth is and foot the legal costs that are certainly likely to be exorbitant.
The LTTE legal"dream team" led by Clark includes his associate, Lawrence W Schilling and Visvanathan Rudrakumaran, Princeton University Law Professor, Richard Falk, Georgetown University, Professor of Law, David Cole and US attorney Wakely Paul. Incidently Mr Wakely Paul, a Sri Lankan Tamil was formerly in the Sri Lankan Attorney General's Department,
On 1 October this year the US State department notified Congress of the Secretary of State's intent to designate 30 foreign terrorist organisations in such manner as required under the US Anti-terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996. One week later on 8 October US Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright designated by law 30 organisa tions including the LTTE as foreign terrorist organisations. She acted under the authority of the Anti-terrorism and Effect. tive Death Penalty Act with the concurrence of the US Attorney General and the Secretary of Treasury. A formal announcement of the designations was placed in the Federal Register on 8 October itself. Later at noon on the 8th, Albright held a press briefing and an

Page 6
6 AMIL TIMES
nounced her decision in Washington. President Clinton also endorsed this decision publicly while in New Jersey.
The initial LTTE reaction to this in the US was panic. A sense of despondency and impending doom set in. LTTE activists and supporters became cautious and withdrawn. Fearing FBI monitoring their activity their movements became secretive and low-key. Among the few undaunted Was Rudrakumaran Who maintains a healthy respect for the Western legal system. The LTTE international secretariat endorsed his decision to challenge the designation in a Court of law. Section 219 of the Anti-terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act provides for such challenge and request for judicial review of what is essentially an executive order. This has to be done within 30 days of the order. USTamil Attorneys, Rudrakumaran and Wakely Paul were entrusted with the task of mounting a defence in the USA.
It is said that Rudrakumaran WaS very disappointed by the lukewarm response of many US-based Tiger supporters towards this new development. Paranoid that their names were in FBI lists, most of these successful professionals seemed to fear acting openly.The growling Tigers of yore were now purring pussy cats or so it seemed. While being ready to provide clandestine financial backing, none of the visibly active Tigers, including the US LTTE leader Karunaharan alias Karuna were ready to identify themselves openly as LTTE. The problem was in whose name was the challenge to be lodged? And in what capacity was that person to be named? There were no takers on US or Canadian soil.
Once again the resourceful Rudrakumaran got out of a tricky situation by persuading the man in charge of the LTTE International Secretariat Mano to authorise such legal action. Incidently, this again spotlighted a major change in the LTTE International structure. No longer was Lawrence Thilagar in charge. The new International head was Velummayilum Manoharan alias Mano. An engineer by profession, Mano has been in charge of the Paris LTTE for many years and has even suffered a jail sentence during this period. He is now the Head of the International Secretariat of the LTTE housed at 211 Katherine Road, London. Mano himself is based and resident in Paris.
Thus the challenge in the US courts was not to be in the name of any person living in North America as would have been more appropriate but on behalf of the International Representative of the LTTE Vellummayilum Manoharan in Europe. There may have been a tremen
dous difference if s citizens challenged TE as certain oth those under the first Constitution would challengers. Then a with the passage O Tamil soul may com ture to undertake Su( of the cause. After expatriates who fro Safe haven of the W. folk to carry on the might should also di cause and take a m At the early sta also tried and test proaches. One was ties of collaborating other 30 organisati terrorist. A few Jew Latin American orga sidered. The Jewis question Were extren these options were a were also made to ship of US civil libe|| In this process Rudi "bonanza" when Rar ing. After that V Man dorsed Clark and Ru authorised LTTE lega the USA.
All this prelim Caused considerable the 29th day afterth was able to file its f pealina US Feder 6 November. The de tion was only 30 d Squeaked through. Th on the formal instru International repre haran Who stated " moral obligation to c nation". The appeal Schilling and Rudral ington US Court of the circuit of District The application f against designation sation under Sectio gration and Naturalis States Code 1 189(b in the immigrationar Was Created as a C LTTE and 29 other g nated as terrorist ur ism and Effective De LTTE seeks ultimate der vacating the LI aforeign terrorist or of the following base The factual bas appeal is because de-facto governmen itemploys legitimate a last resort in self d

15 NOVEMBER 1997
ome US Citizen or it on behalf of the her rights including amendment to the ave accrued to the gain it may be that f time some brave e forward in the fuchariskin the name all the brave Tamil m the comfortable est urges their kinsfight with all their o their "mite" for the ere legal risk
ges Rudrakumaran ed quite a few apto explore possibiliwith some of the ons designated as ish, European and nisations Were conh organisations in hely right Wing, Later bandoned. Attempts obtain the sponsorrties organisations. rakumaran struck a nsey Clark was willoharan formally enidrakumaran as the a representatives in
inary Spadework delay and it was on e ban that the LTTE ormal notice of apal Appeal Court on hadline for such acays and the LTTE he appeal was made ictions of the LTTE sentative V ManoWe feel We have a hallenge the desigwas filed by Clark, cumaran in a WashFederal Appeals in
of Columbia. or relief by the LTTE asa terrorist organiin 219 of the Immiation Act of 8 United )). This new section ld Naturalisation Act onsequence of the roups being desigder the Anti-terrorath Penalty Act. The relief through an orE's designation as ganisation on either eS. is according to the the LTTE is the tofade-facto State. political violence as efence. The LTTE is
a national liberation movement seeking to realise the right of the Tamil people to self-determination pursuant to a mandate given by the Tamil people in the 1977 elections, the last authentic election held in the Tamil areas of Sri Lanka. LTTE is an organisation representing the Tamil people who are being subjected to deadly violence, deprived of basic human rights, and systematically discriminated against by and persecuted as a people by the Sri Lankan Government dominated by the Sinhala people. LTTE presents no threat to the security of the United States and is not a terrorist organisation as defined under the laws of the United States and under International law,
Apart from the above-mentioned fact which is in essence of political justification, the LTTE legal team has also challenged the designation on legal issues. The appeal calls for a vacation of the designation upon a declaration that the court is unable to undertake a So called “judicial review” of the LTTE's designation under the relevant provisions as they contemplate judicial approval as an essential element of the statutory scheme, and is therefore invalid for either or both of the following reasons.
The first is that the court in question is being directed under the relevant law to engage in conduct beyond its jurisdiction and power. The findings of the Secretary of State about the "terrorist" activity of the LTTE has led to such designation. Review of such designation would require the court to review the Secretary's findings which present nonjusticiable issues that are beyond the court's jurisdiction and power to resolve. The second basis of the challenge is that sufficiently objective and specific standards for review of the Secretary's findings and designation are not provided particularly in view of vague and overbroad definitions of "national security", "the national defence, foreign relations, or economic interests of the United States," and "terrorist activity". This according to the LTTE lawyers imposes limits and conditions upon the so called judicial review that in effect Would make this court an instrumentality of the Executive Branch required to "rubber stamp" executive action in violation of the Constitution's separation of powers.
The LTTE legal representatives also point out that the Secretary's designation of the LTTE as terrorist was purely EX PARTE. The LTTE did not participate in anyway in whatever proceedings that culminated in its designation as terrorist. Another point is the statutory stipulation that directs the Secretary to create an administrative record. The LTTE assumes the existence of such a record

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15 NOVEMBER 1997
but has no knowledge whatsoever of its contents. It did not participate or knowledgeably contribute to the making of that administrative record.
It must be noted here that it was on the basis of such administrative records considered classified that the designation of each organisation was effected. in fact when the designation was announced Albright herself said "we are aware that some of the designations made today will be challenged in Court. Due process under the law affords this opportunity. But we are also confident that the designations are fully justified. "The LTTE legal team however states that the due process of the law does not permit the court to approve the Secretary's designation of LTTE as a terrorist organisation on the basis of an ex parte, one-sided record and without affording LTTE full opportunity to be heard as requested. The LTTE lawyers contend that given the Secretary's public assurance of due process, judicial approval of the designation based solely on the ex parte record would be publicly misleading as well as a travesty and a serious injustice,
The LTTE lawyers have also made requests directed initially to the Secretary and to the Courts if she is unable or unwilling to meet the requests. The requests are as follows:-
A full and exact copy of the administrative record against it and a full opportunity to introduce evidence and confront and rebut evidence in the record. This would demonstrate that there is no substantial support in the administrative record for the Secretary's designation. The LTTE has also further requested that it be allowed to present pleadings and briefs to address the issues as they appear in the light of the administrative record after it is disclosed to the LTTE.
The LTTE has on the same grounds articulated above requested a copy of any classified information against it. Alternately without intending any waiver of this position the LTTE has also requested that such classified information be made available to an attorney on its behalf with appropriate Security clearances. As a further alternative, the LT TE requests that it be furnished as complete and meaningful an unclassified summary of the information as possible.
The lawyers on behalf of the LTTE have also emphasised that the issuance of an order vacating the designation would depend on how the statute is interpreted and applied in this matter and also the procedures that are followed in presenting and resolving the case. Interim rulings may be required on such matters such as the extent to which LTTE will be given notice of the allegations
against it, disclosur tive record and any ceived and consider opportunity to be he and legal argument including the preser and documentary ev tation and CrOSS exa witnesses is require The LTTE lawy their appeal by stat concerned at face V tion violates the Uni tion and Internation, They also say that i to designate the LT ganisation, officials ment and other US f acted in violation of and International la appeal also seeks a LTTE's designation sation, interim rulir necessary and ap other and further rel hereafter requestor just and proper.
it is also noteWO sent by Manoharan tional representative to appear on TTEbi concludes with a C USA. Manoharan Si grettable that the Am" secured its own inc violent struggle for and has ever sinc cause of human fre to characterise and mate struggle of the ing to determine the a phenomenon ofte this indictment by th State unfair and un stand that section 2 rorism Act provide challenge the desig We feel that we hav to challenge it. We a the courts in the Ur important role in de the persecuted an believe that we car Court".
The conduct of gard indicates that mount a massive headed by the high ably assisted by th kumaran. The text suggests that varic Constitutional valid lack of disclosures, dence, principles theory of the separa Amendment, proce above all the politic porary Sri Lanka et

TAMIL TIMES 7
e of the administra
other evidence reed by the Secretary, ard, to make factual s and presentations tation of witnesses idence and confronmination of adverse d, state the lawyers. 'ers also conclude ing that the statute alue and in applicated States Constitual Law and Treaties. n acting as they did TE as a terrorist orof the State Departederal officials have the US Constitution W and treaties. The n order vacating the as a terrorist organigs in its favour as }ropriate, and such ief as the LTTE may the Court may deem
rthy that the missive , the LTTE Interna| authorising lawyers ehalf in the USA also lirect appeal to the ays "It is indeed reherican Nation which lependence after a self-determination, e championed the }edom, has chosen discredit the legitiTamil people seekir political status, as rrorism, We consider e US Department of founded. We under19(b) of the Anti-Ters an opportunity to nation in your court. e a moral obligation are also mindful that hited States play an fending the rights of id downtrodden. We get justice in your
the LTTE in this reit is getting ready to legal action spearFrofile, Ramsey Clark e dedicated Rudraof the initial appeal bus issues such as ty, individual liberty, denial of utilised eviof natural justice, tion of powers, First dural problems and alhistory of contemc are likely to be rai
sed during the course of this trial. It is very likely to be a replica of the Canadian trial of Manickavasagam Suresh detained under a Security certificate. After a protracted trial the Canadian Federal Court upheld the original order against Suresh on the basis that there were reasonable grounds to believe that Manickavasagam Suresh was a member of the LTTE and that there were reasonable grounds to believe that the LTTE engages in terrorism.
It was Rudrakumaran who paid innamerable visits to Canada and Coordinated the defence of Suresh Manickavasagam in a bid to prevent the LTTE being labelled terrorist. With some variations, the preliminary examination of the issues in the US appeal reveals that a substantial portion of the proceedings in the USA are likely to be similar to that which occurred in Canada in Suresh's case. The well-heeled USA Tamils are likely to fund the case lavishly without playing an overt role as it is of paramount importance for them to get the terrorist designation revoked. If the USA upholds the ban then many of these people may be compelled to review their continuous support to the LTTE mainly because of self-preservation.
In that context some comments made by well-known lawyer and current diplomat H L De Silva on the Suresh case are worthy of recall. Mr De Silva pointed out that in the Canadian trial a principle of natural justice had been violated in the sense that the political history of Sri Lanka had been discussed in Courts without a Government version of a Sinhala version being put across.
On that basis it would be interesting to see what the Sri Lankan Government Would do in the case of the USA. Will it play a non-participant role or would it Seek through legitimate channels an opportunity to provide some input into the trial? More interesting would be the role of the Anti-Tiger lobby in the States. Sections of this lobby take justifiable pride in getting the USA to designate the LTTE as terrorist. So it is a moot point whether these Sections would remain away from the trial proceedings or try and play a meaningful participatory role to consolidate the political advantage gained through the banning of the LTTE? When the LTTE allegedly bombed the Central Bank in January 1996 the repercussions for it was severe. Paul Wilcox, US State Department co- ordinator for terrorism described it as "the most serious terrorist act World-wide last year was the bombing of the Central Bank in Sri Lanka" at a press briefing held on 30 April 1997. Two US nationals, six Japanese and onefrom the Netherlands were injured in that act. Also

Page 8
8, TAMIL TIMES
many US nationals including children Were in the vicinity and exposed to grave danger at that time. It was that act which contributed greatly to the US ban on the LTTE. Supplementing it was the LTTE front organisation the "Ellalan Force" that has exploded bombs in hotels and has threatened the safety of foreign nationals.
The blunt truth is that the USA is not too "concerned" With Terrorism in Sri Lanka as long as its interests or nationals are not threatened, The domestic Or national terrorism of a Country is not as important as extra-territorial or International terrorism which threatens or is likely to threaten US interests, There is no universally accepted definition forterrorism but the State Department reles on the United States Code 2656f(d) which states terrorism as "premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against non-combatant targets by sub-national groups or clandestine agents usually intended to influence an audience", international terrorist is defined as "terrorism involving citizens or the territory of more than one country". The USA in the case of Sri Lanka ls Concerned primarily about the ramifications of International terrorism as allegedly practised by the LTTE.
In that context the LTTE has in recent times attacked and seized several foreign ships. Foreign national crew members have been killed and taken prisoner, A Hong Kong ship intending to transport limenite from Pulmoddai to the USA was attacked and destroyed by the LTTE causing in the process an environmental hazard. This is something that could be construed as a direct violation of US economic interests. More important is the Galadari bomb attack coming injusta week after the US ban. A number of foreign nationals including eight Americans were injured.
There was speculation that the LTTE intended targeting the US green berets staying at Fort hotels. Although this seems implausible it is clear that US defence personnel did stay in the area. The US too has suspended that programme of military training and has reportedly withdrawn the persons involved. This again could be an indicator that the USA considers the LTTE a threat to its interests and nationals. If that assumption is correct it would be difficult for the LTTE to justify itself in a US court. On the other hand the reluctance of the government to ban the LTTE openly and unambiguously could help the LTTE. The fact that the home country has not indulged in such a step is certain to help cleverlegalistic arguments in favour of the LTTE. Another point in LTTE favour would be the resumption of a political dialogue with
the LTTE at this junct may be strong dome pulslons for undertal exercise of that natu sequence of that Wo Vour of the LTTE Vis
The current desig two years. There is Courts to set it aside ing a judiclal revlew, State too can revoke changed circumstant ters into negotiations Government that fa preted in its favour by The USA may even b the ban in order to belng a hlndrance tc settlement in Srian it must be remem during the 100 day c tles between the TT tunga Government Lawrence Thliagar, tional Head then, Bel Come to the States fighting again, The disallowThllagar's vi, him to enter the coun' Conditions, The IRA prleve this time by vi a moratorium on viol the talks,
in the light of thes clear that resumptio LTTE could have apc Vour of the LTTE in courts as well as the may be forced to revi vourably then. After like to think that its b ert pressure on the l tiations. There are r tions that balk at the nario where they bal Sri Lankan Governm lows it de-facto rule
it is important to salient aspects in the USA. Firstly it states government of a de-f it claims that it obta the 1977 elections, is struggling for self suant to that manda the LTTE as a posit cover depths of m LTTE's non-insiste state and emphasis tion could be viewe promise.
What must be these formulations phisticated pro-LTT ern milieu with the pressinga case Su( ern court. These do of approval of the Su

15 NOVEMBER 1997
'e, Although there tic political comng even a limited è a negative cond be points in favls the USA, lation will lapse in provision for the before that followThe Secretary of he order in view of ès, If the LTTE enith the Sri Lankan t could be interts able legal team. constrained to lift efect criticism of Wards a peaceful 侬。
bered that the USA ssation of hostillE and the Kumaragranted a visa to he LTTE Internaore Thlagar could the TTE started IS then Wanted to Ba, Later it allowed 'ry subject tosome too earned a rertue of it declaring ence and backing
se experiences It is n of talks with the sitive impact in fathe US. Both the State Department ew the situation faall the USA would an had helped exTE to enter negonany Western Napossibility of a scethe LTTE and the ent after a deal alof the North-East,
take note of three LTTE appeal in the natitis the de-facto Acto state. Secondly ned a mandate in hirdly it says that it determination purte, Those who see te force would disaning in this. The ce on a separate on self-determinaas a sign of com
membered is that tere drafted by Sopersons in a WestXpress purpose of :essfully in a Westnot have the stamp remo Prabakharan,
It was only some time ago that Rudrakumaran captured the imagination of the peace lobby by indicating a willingness to settle on the Belgian model and seek powersharing at the centre, One could take a safe bet that Prabakharan has neither read nor endorsed these concepts,
It is also questionable whether the LTTE can lay claim to the mandate sought and obtained by the TULF in 1977, The LTTE was nowhere in the plcture then, and nor has the TULF abdicated or transferred this mandate to the Tigers, More importantly, the people who voted in 1971 thought they were doing so In favour of a Thamll Eelam to be achieved through non-violence, There was never a mandate for an Eelam to be achieved through armed struggle, The bitter truth is that notwithstanding the support it enjoys among sections of the Tamil people, the LTTE is yet to obtain a "democratic mandate", The LTTE may rldicule someTaml parlamentariansas being elected with a few hundred votes, True enough but then the LTTE despite all its boasts is yet to obtain a solitary vote in any level through direct democratic voting,
The LTTE claim of being a de-facto government in a de-facto state is also Worth perusing. After losing Jaffna and portions of the Wanni the LTTE has lost much of its earlier territory. At the same time it has gained control of fresh territory in the East. The important question is whether the LTTE can hold onto territory indefinitely and what type of government it provides, is the LTTE able to provide the basic needs of the people in the so-called de-facto state? Is the LTTE providing a decent administration through its so-called de-facto government?
An important concern in this context is about the extent of human rights violations practised by the Tigers. It would plead inability on this count on the basis that it is only afledgling state in the making and therefore not in a position to safeguard basic human rights. In fora like a US court it would arrogate certain rights unto itself on the basis that it is a de-facto government of a de-facto state. Obligations and responsibilities are avoided or violated on the grounds that a state is in the making. Rights and privileges are claimed on the grounds that it is a de-facto state. This arrogation of power without consequent responsibility has been described as the "prerogative of the harlot throughout the ages".
The law under which the LTTE was banned came into existence only some months ago. This designation is the first of its kind under that law. Also the Con
(Continued on next page)

Page 9
15 NOVEMBER 1997
The truck-bomb that exploded in the early morning on 15 October in the commercial heartland of Colombo left 10 per
sons dead and over a hundred persons
injured, including many foreigners who were staying in hotels nearby, and a number of show-piece buildings and topclass tourist hotels devastated.
Most of the dead and injured were civilians including among the dead being a 78-year-old Buddhist monk from a nearby temple who was instantly killed when one of the attackers tossed a grenade into the temple. 34 of the 107 injured in the explosion were foreigners.
The government of Sri Lanka promptly put the blame on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) for the bomb attack. Only a week earlier, the government of the United States imposed a ban on the LTTE including it in a list of thirty other "terrorist organisations". Howevera LTTE spokesman from London, Anton Raja, speaking to news agencies denied responsibility for the bombattack saying, “LT TE categorically denies carrying out these bomb attacks. We are not foolish enough to think that such an attack would benefit our struggle", adding that "We suspect that this is a setup because the government in the Wanni (in the north) are facing their biggest ever defeat."
Analysts in Colombo summarily dismissed the LTTE spokesman's denial as a "routine one" characteristic of the LTTE's denials in the past on similar occasions and saying that the attack bore all the hall marks of an operation by the Tamil Tigers. This attack, they said, appeared typical of the meticulously plan
(Continued from page 8) gress virtually stampeded the State Department bureaucrats into expediting action against these groups by slashing and threatening to slash funding. The administrative records compiled were done in a hurry and may be found wanting. The LTTE has retained an efficient legal team backed by abundant financial resources. Since the law itself is new this is almost a "test case". The outcome of the LTTEchallenge could be a precedent setterfor the future. Therefore the results of this case will have a profound impact on American affairs in the future. The Tigers may be trailblazers.
ned bombing that t carried out before truck-bomb attack destroyed the Cent ing more than 80 over 1400 otherS.
Some commen to say that the Tige on this occasion Wa characteristic resp the United States capability of the LT gested that the atá directed at some 1 who apparently we situated in close pr attack occurred. Th in Colombo appare give specialist train military personnel. A retired Sri Lal Harry Goonatilike, himself as a self-st said that the milita trating their troops the north, but they to pay more attent Colombo. Referrin Goonatilleke said, " US declaring the organisation"
"They (the LTT fingers at America: us, now what are y this. Every time the marginalise and is respond with violer are a major player LTTE is doing this cannot be an end they are a part of sothy Saravanamt told a news agenc Foreign Minist natha Ariyasinghe doubt that this is th is particularly sign carried out this atta it would have beer eign nationals wo flects that they do national opinion ar Though no for sult of the attack, til people from USA, E Singapore, Jordar Cuba, Egypt, indi South Korea, Mala
 

TAM TIMES 9
the Tamil Tigers had , including another in January 1996 that ral Bank complex kililpersons and injuring
tators went so far as r attack in Colombo as an immediate and onse to the action by to demonstrate the TE. Some even sugack might have been 2 US Green Berets re occupying a hotel oximity to where the e Green Berets were 2ntly on a mission to ing to the Sri Lankan
nkan Air Force Chief, who has transformed yled military analyst ry had been concenin their campaign in would probably have ion to the security in g to the bomb attack "It is an answer to the Tigers as a terrorist
E) are showing two Okay, you proscribed ou going to do about government tries to olate the LTTE, they nce toprove that they not to be ignored. The to prove that there o the conflict unless the solution," Pakiaittu, a university don
. y spokesman, Ravisaid, "There is no e work of the LTTE. It ficant that they have ck in a location where well known that foruld be hurt. This renot care about intery more." igners died as a reose injured included Britain, France, Japan, , Australia, Canada, a, the Netherlands, ysia, Pakistan, Saudi
Arabia, Sweden and Lebanon,
The 15 October bomb attack occurred at 7.10 am, local time, on a Poya Day which is a public holiday, when a truckladen with sacks of flour pulled up to a security checkpoint outside the Galadari Hotel, which is located in close proximity to many other tourist, commercial, banking and public Sector establishments in the heart of what is known as the Colombo Fort. When the truck was challenged by the security guards at the checkpoint, several men in army-type uniform carrying automatic rifles and hand-held rocket launchers jumped out of the truck opening fire and killing the guards,
The truck then drove toward the back of the Galadari vehicle parking area which abuts the "Twin Towers" housing the World Trade Centre, which was declared officially open by President Chandrika Kumaratunga and began to function only four days earlier. Within a few moments, the truck burst into a giant explosion leaving a crater of at leat 20 feet across and 10 feet deep in the car park and reducing over thirty vehicles into a tangled web of twisted metal and smoke billowing over the whole area of Colombo Fort and ripping the commercial heart of Colombo apart.
Other than the Galadari Meridian Hotel itself, several adjoining buildings, including many the high-rise building complexes like the World Trade Centre, Bank of Ceylon, suffered serious damage. The old parliament building which presently houses the presidential Secretariat, and the sprawling old Secretariat building constructed during colonial times and which houses the Treasury also suffered damage.
The bomb blast was followed by a two-hourlong pitched gun battle between army and police personnel on one side and a number of men who had alighted from the truck before it exploded and were seen running away from it.
Five of the attackers are reported to have died - three of them were killed by troops in the ensuing gun battle, one by Swallowing a cyanide capsule and another by detonating a body vest packed with explosives. The security forces also a recovered a number of grenades, automatic weapons and Suicide-kits.
It is said that between 15 and 20 men would have taken part in the attack, some aboard the explodes-laden truck as it turned into the Galadari car park, and others fanning out through the area firing rocket-propelled grenades, throwing grenades, and firing automatic weapons in an effort to deter any counter-attack by security service personnel that would impede the attackers' escape.
One of the attackers was shot dead

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10 TAMIL TIMES
by troops on a nearby railway-line, three others were cornered inside the Lake House building- at least about 600 yards away from the site of the explosion - where they held out for several hours before two of the three committed Suicide and the third was shot dead. Later police claimed that they had arrested three others who they alleged had been involved in the blast,
If 15 to 20 had participated in the attack as the police seem to think, then it is obvious some of the attackers had escaped capture.
The spokesman for the Sri Lankan High Commission was quoted as accusing the British government of being partially responsible for the injuries suffered by British nationals in the explosion. "The sad thing about all this is that the LTTE has its international headquarters here in London. Most of its funds are collected and distributed through London and it is the funds raised here that are being used to buy the guns and explosives used in Colombo, if somebody of British origin had died in the blast the British government would have been partially to blame because they done nothing to curtail the LTTE activities here. We are asking the British government to apply the same yardstick as they apply against the IRA. The time is significant because it is a holiday in Colombo and it was early morning. The city would have been deserted so it was very directly aimed at foreigners. It is a signal to the Americans and foreign governments that the LTTE does not care about foreign opinion."
The UN Secretary General Kofi Anand condemned the bomb attack in Colombo saying that he was appalled by this terrorist attack which targeted civilians, British Foreign Minister Robin Cook, "I was mot distressed to hear reports of the latest bomb outrage in the centre of Colombo. We strongly all acts of terrorism in Sri Lanka and elsewhere." Australian Foreign Minister, Alexander Downer, in a statement said, "The Australian government has made it clear on many occasions that it condemns unequivocally all acts of terrorism. We do not live in a world any longer where people are prepared to tolerate acts of terror, and acts of terrorism are matters of deep and abiding concern to the people and the government of Australia." The President of Maldives, M.A.Gayoom, in a message to the Sri Lankan President said, "It was with deep shock and sorrow that learnt about the bomb blast in Colombo. The government and the people of the Maldives deplore all acts of terrorism." Calling it a "cowardly and senseless attack", the German Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel said, "The Federal
Government and tinue to support effic ment to arrive at a the ethnic conflict in State Department, t ing that "no group h sibility" for the bomb said: "if the LTTE was indiscriminate attacl onstration of the th LTTE to the securi tions", Consequentl fication for their bein Secretary of State M a terrorist organisat added.
Joseph Pararaj parliamentarian bel said, "The governm rethink its policy. We War, The LTTE is fo the government in th as crippling the ecc ment should think of The explosion cades, Windows, al lower-floor interiors ( tels - Galadari Merid tal and Hilton - and the 39-storey World has been hailed as a ka's growing prospe tinuing war with the Preliminary esti pairing the damage into hundreds of mil being in addition to age it would cause try on which the isla erably for its foreign While some co lombo think that t would suffer follow attack in Colombo, t appear to be to othe ister, Dharmasiri : press conference it days after the incid not a single cancel Thursday (16 Octo! rived in the countr been requests for S ter flights." Those mind to disrupt th tourism. Within hou|| at the affected hote the five-star hotel: damage to the Ho' but it managed shi the unaffected par The governmer that it Would contri repair of all the aff In the wake of Which President K the LTTE, she tolc in Colombo on 18 ( lopment of the cou

15 NOVEMBER 1997
rsonally will conts of your governaceful solution of Sri Lanka”The US ough acknowledgs claimed responattack in Colombo, responsible for this it's a further dembat caused by the ' of American nathere was a "justi| designated by the Adeleine Albright as on" the statement
singham, a Tamil bnging to the TULF ent must seriously cannot prolong the rcing the hands of e battlefield as well nomy. The governtalks with the LTTE" destroyed the faglazed parts and of three five-star hoian, Inter-ContinenSeverely damaged Trade Centre which a symbol of Sri Lanrity amidst the conTamil Tigers. mates of cost of refrom the blast ran lions of dollars, this the potential damto the tourist indusnd depends considexchange earnings. mmentators in Cohe tourist industry ng the latest bomb le official view would rwise. Tourism MinSenanayake told a Colombo only two nt, "There has been ation up to now. On er), 494 tourists arIn fact there have me additional char)erpetrators had in economy through s of the blast, guests s were re-located in There was partial l inter Continental, guests to rooms in , he said, also has announced te to the immediate 2ted hotels, he bomb attack for maratunga blamed a press conference ctoberthat the devetry had been thrown
back by three months by the attack. She also said that her government was willing to suspend all military action against the Tamil Tigers and commence talks with them provided their leaders were prepared to begin peace talks and discuss the government's devolution proposals. In a TV broadcast, she said that the fact that the Tamil people have genuine grievances to be resolved Was no excuse for committing acts of terrorism. The government was willing to address these grievances and solve them by democratic means,
Meanwhile the government took a decision to entrust the task of ensuring the security of the island's capital to its armed forces. For co-ordinating operations to prevent acts of terror, a special committee has been set up comprising personnel of the three wings of the military, Military personnel are to be put in charge of patrolling the streets of Colombo round-the clock.
UN EXperSO DeSe |assa
United Nations experts and sophisticated equipment are being brought to the war ravaged nothern peninsula to detect and defuse some 10,000 landmines and anti-personnel mines which are believed to have been planted in the area over the past 10 years both by the LTTE and the security forces,
The international move to clear the minefields of Jaffna comes amidst reports of continuing landmine tragedies at the rate of about 20 casualties a month -the latest victims being a woman and her daughter who were killed in Manipay in an explosion when they were trying to settle down following their return to Jaffna from the Wanni.
UN officials revealed that a German landmine defusing expert Gerhard Bornmann had visited Jaffna last week for an initial survey on the extent of the problem and how it need to be tackled.
They said the German expert would go back to Jaffna Soon with other experts and the required equipment to launch the full scale clearing operation, with assistance from some Non Governmental Organisations.
The UN is going ahead with clearing operations in Sri Lanka and other countries though international moves to ban the production, Sale or use of landmines have been bogged down by objections from several countries including the United States. Sri Lanka is also not offcially supporting the ban on the basis that the Government cannot agree to it unless and until the LTTE also agrees.

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15 NOVEMBER 1997
REFLECTIONS ONTHESI COMMISSION REPO
Neville Jayaweera Former Civil Servant and Ambassador
the Sinhala Commission but having read some of the press reports and comments concerning it, feel prompted to make a contribution to the discussion which seems already to have got under Way. Oppression of Buddhism
I Would now like to venture a few comments on the broader question concerning the oppression of Buddhism.
Some of the views expressed before the Commission seem overwhelmingly to claim that Buddhism in Sri Lanka was oppressed during colonial times. I do not believe that any individual who has even a rudimentary knowledge of the history of our country and is at the same time honest will contest this claim. To deny it, one had either to be abysmally ignorant, or incurably stupid or unconscionably dishonest and I am not aware of anyone, Christian or otherwise, who is a plausible candidate for such dubious awards. However, to get a balanced perspective on the isSue We must also admit to two other facts.
Firstly, that Sri Lankan Buddhism was not singular in being a victim of colonialism. Whenever in the world the long arm of colonial domination reached, local belief systems and cultures were eroded, partly through the normal process of modernising but sometimes deliberately and systematically, out of the malevolent desire on the colonisers part to rub out the local culture, Some of the most horrendous aspects of this enterprise have been documented for us by writers like Franz Fanon, Albert Memmi and Amilcar Cabral. However, reading them, one realises how comparatively benign colonialism has been in Sri Lanka, despite the deep in roads it made into our local cultureS,
The other fact We need to remember about colonialism is that howeverloathe we may be to concede it, it was not the unmitigated disaster we often make it out to be. In many societies it also played an enormously liberating role. It liberated them from oppressive feudal structures, it weaned their peoples away from ignorance and primitive superstitious, it put
have yet to read the interim report of
an end to barbaric widow burning (sathi) : cision, it diluted into concepts like the Rule mentary Democracy a instrument wherebye tures were ushered century. For that matte we mount against colo ied vices grew out of ues which were a par cy, So, colonialism di misdemeanours and ( Ves more than unmiti tion. Sinhala-Buddhist Et Sinhala-Buddhist is whetherit should be these questions I wou unqualified "yes" and Way to adduce reaso
hold strongly to t is an invisible centre
The general trend among seems to be to ask for more legal instruments for protec cally one cannot help obs Buddhism in Sri Lanka als ing state patronage and go
land to every society cohesion, an identity, it would not otherwis that centre and the
around it disintegrate visible Centre or mora sociologist Edward Sł "Central Zone" of a cu thing that could consc into being as would a country. It is rather a process of evolution, a guages, myths, rituals experiences, values all comprising an c Whole, it's boundaries and its Content even m ceptualise or embod Subsists overhistorica it can be validated thi son but because its || essential to the Surviv as is breathing itself. definition, this invisib hinterland rarely enter

TAMIL TIMES 11
NHALA RT
ractices such as and female circumtheir midst liberal of Law and Parliaind it served as the ven stone age culinto the twentieth ir, even the critique nialism and its varconcepts and valt of its mixed legaespite its obvious drawbacks, desergated condemna
hos Ethos and if there protected. To both ld answer with an proceed straight ns for saying so. he view that there or a moral hinter
leading Buddhists today state patronage and more cting Buddhism. Paradoxierving that the decline of o coincides with increasvernment intervention.
which gives to it a and a dignity which e have, Dismantle Society cohering is rapidly. This in| hinterland, which hills refers to as the ture, is not someciously be brought a constitution of a product of a long un amalgam oflans, legends, shared and Superstitions, rganic, dynamic are hard to define Iore difficult to Cony in a doctrine. It l time not because ough logic or reaoreservation is as 'al of its members, Lacking a precise le centre or moral s the domain of ra
tional discourse but persists as the unexamined major premise of all the interactions that take place within it. Though it often assumes the character of the sacred, it is and of itself not a religion, but invariably takes its rise in a system of religious beliefs or revelations, While such an ethos is always characterised by a dominant religion, confessing another religion does not exclude membership in or sharing the venues of the ethos, provided of course they do not conflict with the tenets of that other religion.
Sinhala-Buddhism is the invisible centre or the moral hinterland of the predominantly Sinhala areas of Sri Lanka, giving to them a coherence, an identity and a dignity which no human artefact such as a constitution or the Fiat of a government can ever impart. However, pursuing the same line of reasoning we are also led to conclude that there is likewise afamil-Hindu ethos which gives to the predominantly Tamil areas of Sri Lanka a coherence, and a distinct identity of their own. To deny this would be not only hypocritical and immoral, but would expose the Sinhala majority to the charge of oppression in much the same way they indict the colonisers for oppressing the "Central Zone" or the Soul of Sri Lanka and if we are to preserve that entity as an organic whole we have to discover modalities whereby we can preserve both traditions, arrangements whereby they can both Coexist to their enrichment. Sadly this we have failed to do during the past decades, putting in peril thereby the survival of that entity we call Sri Lanka. SakyamuniThathagatha This raises the question to what ex
tent the Sinhala-Buddhist ethos actually
reflects the central teachings of the SakyamuniThathagatha. I would like to say straightaway, with great respect and solely out of a sincere desire to make a contribution towards the survival of an ethos in which, though a totally committed Christian include myself, the way we have set about protecting Buddhism these past five decades, far form preserving it and making it more and more an integral component of the SinhalaBuddhist ethos, have actually eroded it, rendering it (the ethos) increasingly devoid of the values taught by the Thathagatha and in fact making it a caricature thereof. Paradoxically the perpetrators of this destruction have not been imperialists and foreign missionaries as is often claimed, but Buddhist themselves, mainly politicians posturing as saviours of Buddhism as well as acknowledged Buddhist leaders, both lay as well as clergy, who have either confused the ex

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12 TAM TIMES
ternalities of religion for its essence or have used Buddhism has a vehicle for perpetuating their egos and fulfilling their petty ambitions.
think therefore that the real threat to the Sinhala-Buddhist ethos comes not from outside but from within, not from the machinations of colonialists or from the endeavours of Christian missionaries, but from the drying up of the Thathagatha's true teachings amongst its own members. If a say so with respect, in our strivings to protect Buddhism we have lost the Buddha and in our claim to extol His teachings we have lost sight of their true meaning and content. Not least, in our search for Scapegoats on whom We may put the blame we have effectively concealed and diverted attention away from the real Culprits. True Religion
I believe that true religion is to be found in a quickening of the inner life and in the integration of personality at the deepest levels of consciousness, around strongly held spiritual beliefs. Speaking for myself, I have found that inner resource by admitting Jesus Christ into my life, but followers of other religions must discover within their own beliefs a principle of inner integration adequate for their own lives. The proof that we have actually tapped into such a resource and that our lives are being nourished by it, is to be found not in our intellectual knowledge of textual religion or in the practice of rituals or in external observances but in showing forth in our daily lives qualities that are universally recognised among all religions as "good" such as love non-violence, forgiveness, gentleness, kindness, peace, joy, sharing and giving, selflessness, equanimity, integrity and humility. Where these manifestations are absent, regardless of our knowledge of religious texts, regardless of the good deeds we perform to be seen of the world, regardless of the visits we make to places of worship with monotonous regularity, regardless of the frequency with which we undertake pilgrimages, and regardless of the images and monuments we cause to be built or worship, our religiosity is but an empty charade, a loud sounding cymbal signifying nothing.
if we are to be honest with ourselves we must admit that these are precisely the qualities that we have been shedding these past fifty years, individually as well as collectively across our nation.
May therefore suggest to the Sinhala-Commission, which believe is now engaged in Writing its final report, that while addressing the crucial issue of how to protect Buddhism and preserve the Sinhala-Buddhist ethos, tasks which think are absolutely fundamental, it will
resist the popular ter exogenous causes a them rather look fo home. The high tide long receded and th terprise of the main-l enjoyed State patro Centuries has also W for causes to accoul decline of Buddhism the ensuing threat to dhist ethos et them misled into exercisi Rather let them take ways to end the spirit Buddhists themselve State Patronage
The general tre| Buddhists today see more state patronage struments for prot Paradoxically one ca ing that the decline Lanka also coincide state patronage and vention.
During colonial ti no state support marginalised and op standing, our daily li sonal relationships, cial values and not le tutions reflected stan our claim to be a Buc independence howe dramatically, increasi Buddhism, including: vision for its protecti become integral to c Furthermore, our m well as print are ric their daily offerings the Buddhist faithful now adorned with gi Thathagathawith vih Bo-Tree on a scale th anything any time in least, the faithful car grimages to sacred and spiritual renew dreamt of in earlier Spiritual and Mora Paradoxically, he ducing a spiritual an throughout ourland, facilities seem to ha Buddhism and the ethos in a most dra ing way. Today, relig rhetoric regardless drifting aimlessly in void immensity of w description and nol what to do. Not only nation torn apart by ing yet in sight, but ! be widening and de ing into the abyss m

15 NOVEMBER 1997
ptation to look for dscapegoats. Let
CaSeS 886 f colonialism has proselytising ene churches which age for over five thered. In looking t for the palpable in Sri Lanka and the Sinhala-Budtherefore not be g straw demons. CCount of and find |al drought among
d among leading ns to be to ask for and more legal incting Buddhism. nnot help observof Buddhism in Sri is with increasing government inter
nes Buddhism had and was in fact pressed. Notwithves, our inter-perour family and soast our public instidards that bore out ildhist country. With verall that changed ng state support for
a constitutional pro
on since 1972, has ur political culture. edia, electronic as h and abundant in of nourishment for . Our landscape is aven images of the aras and the sacred at perhaps exceeds our long history. Not now undertake pilplaces for worships al on a scale un
neS.
Void
wever, far from promoral renaissance hese privileges and ve merely set back Sinhala-Buddhist natic and frightenbus and nationalist the whole nation is spiritual and moral ich simply beggars bdy seems to know Sour once tranquil onflict with no heale conflict seems to pening daily, suckfre and more layers
of our country's youth. Everywhere we turn we see cynicism and moral decay, Over the past few decades our public institutions have been systematically denuded of morality and scruple and where once we were driven by a sense of moral seriousness, we now languish in cynicism and apathy.
The purveyors of this decadence are not colonialists, imperialists or missionaries but out own home grown Buddhists. So how do we reconcile these facts with the increasing protection given to Buddhism? Do we merely ask for more and more of the same medicine when even to the most blinkered it should be self evident that the therapy has failed or do we launch on a completely new line of thinking? Is it possible that Buddhism has no answer to these vexed issues or is it that we have been promoting the wrong things in the name of protecting and promoting it? I rather think that it is the latter,
Renaissance
lf we are to see a renaissance of the Sinhala-Buddhist ethos, within which though a Christian, I am proud to claim my own roots and the preservation of which is as important to me as to any other. believe we need to get away from xenophobia, stop looking for scapegoats and turn the search light upon ourselves. We need first to face up to the spiritual drought within our collective self, a drought which no amount of external rituals and observances can compensate for or conceal. To undertake such a task. We need more than anything else leaders, both lay leaders as well as leaders of the Maha Sangha. We need leaders who can transcend the limitations of party politics and can place the long term interests of the whole nation above the prospects and temptations of power. We need men and Women who are endowed with a depth of understanding and vision, those with moral courage and not least whose individual lives can stand up to rigorous moral scrutiny. Above all wo need leaders; especially from among members of the Maha Sangha, who can with authority summon the Sinhala-Buddhists to a programme of relentless selfcriticism and collective Catharsis. Then perhaps we might be able to take the first steps towards building a new society, within which all communities races and creeds who comprise the rich Sri Lankan mosaic may dwell in dignity, harmony and peace.
sincerely hope that the Sinhala Commission will give the start by recommending ways whereby that deep Surgery which the nation so desperately needs may be undertaken. I wish them Well. O

Page 13
15 NOVEMBER 1997
here is a strong T correlation be
tween parochialism and economic backwardness lin plura societies. Many economically backWard countries in Africa and Asia, which
PLURALISM
are in turmoil as a result of internal conflicts continue to remain underdeveloped with worsening living standards for a vast proportion of their citizens. Having lost their relatives and friends and some displaced several times from their habitats, they live in constant fear and without much hope as refugees in their own countries. Many tribes make up the pop-ulations of these countries, each concerned about its own interest paying little attention to the interests of other groups, They are also settled in clusters in different parts of each country, except in the major cities giving distinct tribal identities to these territories,
When my African colleagues told me nearly two decades ago that when it comes to acquiring tangible benefits, the order of priorities of many citizens is first his or her interest, second that of the family, third that of the tribe and last that of the country, then thought that Sri Lankans had a progressive outlook and the country would soon join the group of newly industrialised countries. How wrong 1 was in my self-satisfying perception became strikingly apparent after the eruption of the bloody ethnic conflict that had killed and maimed lakhs of Sri Lankans, destroyed property worth several billions and rendered nearly a million people homeless. In particular, the most appalling feature of the selfserving attitude was seen in the way some profited from the prolonged conflict in Sri Lanka, without any concern of the consequences of their actions to others and to the country's economy, The comparison between the tragedies in Sri Lanka and in the other countries where tribal conflicts are retarding economic progress and human development may differ only in degrees but the economic consequences are equally devastating. it is important to note that economic hardship is a main cause for internal strife. Once a major civil War breaks out in an underdeveloped country, the task of alleviating the economic hardships by promoting sustainable growth becomes increasingly difficult. Sri Lankan leaders have failed to recognise this basic fact, Indeed, if they had the vision they would have acted prudently avoiding the emergence of the factors that gave rise to the ethnic conflict. Even after its emergence, they have failed to deal with the causes
earnestly and expe
A political solu tion is being sough a firm foundation fo to achieve peace"t bility and prosperity devolution proposa essential must be termined efforts to is broad enough fo groups to march ti connected goals of ity, The narrow pat parochialism as its doned for pluralism ity in the various form these are con powers. These wil lations in varying p tre Will have some devolution scheme allocation of resour and the harmonisati velopment efforts. brace pluralism at is very obvious. Un purpose of devolut
Those who poir of provincial coun peace instantly to realised that there i success of any fu judged by the Way it the aim of achievi Which it has been the acid test wheth have confidence in repetitive past failur become the bigge. lating a devolution to the minority grc of many Tamils is ceived again unles Safeguards to aSS jectives of devolutii in practice by the a riding powers ves Persisting suspici Sinhalese andlam porting parochiali need for confidenc has so far remain practical steps ha\ it.
Ethnic Parochiali
Parochialism mainly in two form
 

TAMIL TIMES 13
A MUST FOR
AND PEACE
rapalasingam
Sinhala and Tamil chauvinism. There is the Buddhist identity, which the Sinhala chauvinists have linked st With the race. The proponents of this kind of parochial
ditiously, ion through devolut"in order to provide r the renewed effort hat is so vital for sta, li is obvious that the ls though absolutely accompanied by debuild a new path that the various diverse ogether towards the peace and prosperh that was built with base must be abanwill remain the realregions in whatever stituted for devolving have mixed popuroportions. The cenpowers under any with regard to the ces for development on of policies and dehe necessity to emthe central level too less this is done, the ion will be lost. ht out that the system cils has not brought Sri Lanka, have not s a process here. The inctional scheme is is made to work with ng the objectives for adopted. Herein lies her or not the people its effectiveness. The es in this regard have st obstacle in formuscheme acceptable ups. The perception that they will be des there are adequate ure that the real obon will not be ignored pplication of any overted with the centre. on among both the communities is Supsm. The recognised e building measures ad a concept and no 'e been taken to fulfil
sm in Sri Lanka exists s. One is the familiar
ism since independence have been the prominent leaders of the Buddhist clergy, supported by those political leaders who needed their support to win elections. There are also the Sinhalese leaders in various Buddhist Societies, Who Consider that their religion should be given due recognition, not by teaching and practising its precepts but through State patronage and entrenched provision in the country's constitution. They too have assumed the role of being the custodian of the religion, which in their minds is in need of protection in Sri Lanka. But to this day no one has stated precisely from where the threat to its extinction is expected! Could it be from those Who are not adhering to the teachings of Lord Buddha, the greatest liberal and reformer during his time who preached against mythical beliefs, He wanted the followers to accept beliefs that were rational. This required relating these to their conscience, as mortals sharing the same planet with other beings.
Ethnic division and consciousness were present even during colonial rule. In the former British colonies, the rulers encouraged the divisions to serve their own interests. This is Well known as the divide and rule policy. But the different groups did not fight fiercely then, for various reasons. One was that the foreign rulers were very strict on the enforcement of law and order. Any sign of slackness or bias with regard to the latter would have tarnished their reputation as the staunch advocates of the rule of law. It would have also given the impression to the natives that their supreme authority could be challenged. Another is that the different groups were aware that no tangible benefit could be gained by fighting among themselves, since the ruling power rested firmly with the foreign masters. Aspirations of the people and the economic conditions that prevailed then were also very different from those that emerged after independence.
The same ethnic divisions that Were dormant under colonial rule, gushed into the open after independence by the communal politics that emerged and domi
nated the political landscape in Sri
Lanka. The political leaders did not have the vision and the courage to insist on the politics of inclusiveness. Except for the progressive parties, which embraced

Page 14
14, TAMIL TIMES
the old ideologies of Lenin, Marx and Trotsky the other parties did not have political ideologies that united the masses for achieving the goals that were common to all the different ethnic groups. The Marxist and Trotskyist parties were truly committed to the achievement of their goals, which did not have any hidden communal bias. This was because the common goals emerged from their sincere belief in the solidarity of the working class, without which the exploitation of the workers for the benefit of the powerful few could not be prevented.
Had the socialist parties in Sri Lanka unitedly put forward a policy framework to the people that did not follow the authoritarian and "ungodly"models of communist regimes elsewhere but recognised their basic needs, rights, cultures and freedoms, they would have succeeded in preventing the dominance of parochial politics. This was Crucial because they were being confronted not only by the powerful capitalists but also by other formidable forces, particularly the various religious establishments. The majority of the rural people were under the influence of these powerful groups, who were determined to safeguard their vested interests at any cost. The feudal allegiance of the landless to their powerful landlords was exploited to prevent any erosion of the power of the rich. It must be noted that the political support base of the left parties was largely in the urban centres, while the bulk of the island's population lived in the rural areas.
The two main political parties, the UNP and the SLFP which actively sought the support of the people in the urban and rural areas did not put forward a common liberal agenda that focused primarily on economic and social development for the benefit of all the people in the diferent communities and in the different provinces. The SLFP initially had been able to establish its political Support base mainly in the rural areas with the help of the Buddhist clergy and influential persons in the villages, like Sinhalese teachers and practitioners of native medicine. This compelled its leadership to cling on to parochial politics, even after they realised later its destructive influence on communal harmony, peace and economic progress. The UNP abandoned its image as a national party that cared for the Welfare of all the Communities solely to confront the SLFP Thus, both the two main political parties, the SLFP considered to be bent towards
____= مA H
manifestos, gover ments, developme These were not s conviction but to b doning totally then and to retain inter ity. The actions of th were contrary to th cating the presenci However, there tions. The goal of Supply of essential vious coalition go leadership of Mrs ranaike sought to á incentives to local domestic productio benefited the farme The land reform ex government was a munal bias. Despit policies pursued by education, employn tor and regional de ers in the Tamil ar policy on more thal was given a rousi farmers when she Cause of undue cor ings in other econo dered overal deve causing widesprea economic hardshi was defeated badly elections,
Those countrie uniting the people a sive balanced ecor attendant increase of all their citizensh siis to the commor of all the communit focused primarily ard of living of all til table manner throl effort of all the diff the development people were mac would gain from through awarenes newly industrialis and the Far East ers, Who Were con dangers in practis They had the fore priority to balance ment beneficial to Parochialism i the potential not c strife of the kind pr elsewhere, but ital progress. Resourc

15 NOVEMBER 1997
ment policy stateplans and the like. t out from sincere seen as not abannorities in their rule ational respectabil2 past governments ir stated goals, indiof hidden agenda. had been few excepself-reliance in the 'ood, which the preernment under the , Sirimavo Bandachieve by providing armers to increase of many food items, rs all over the island. ecuted by the same So without any comthe discriminatory this government in ent in the public secrelopment, the farmas appreciated her one occasion. She ng reception by the visited Jaffna, Betrols and shortcommicpolicies thathinlopment and growth is unemployment and os, her government f in the 1977 general
is that succeeded in nd achieving impresomic growth with the n the living standards ad accorded emphaeconomic interests ies, Obviously, these on raising the standne people in an equiugh the co-operative rent communities in rocess. Importantly, e to realise that all such co-operation S programmes. The ld countries in Asia ad the political leadcious of the inherent ng parochial politics. sight to accord high economic developall ethnic groups.
plural Societies has nly to create internal sent in Sri Lanka and ohampers economic is being scarce in the
ه به حصاست . حس حصه : سد ه ح
... به جماع. ght
emphasised here because none of these can be had without the other two.
Parochialism Among Tamils
The other kind of parochialism, which has been in direct conflict with pluralism in Sri Lanka and in turn obstructed Social integration and progress is seen in the behaviour of the elite Tamils. Many Tamil academics have approached this embarrassing subject only from a broad perspective. The Tamil community is assumed to compromise three distinct groups. They are the Tamils having roots in the North, popularly known as the Jaffna Tamils; the Tamils from the East, commonly known as the Batticaloa Tamils; and the Tamils from the upcountry, whose ancestors came from South India during the British rule to work as labourers in the tea and rubber plantations. Among these three groups, parochial thinking has been strongest in the first group - the Jaffna Tamils, and virtually absent in the last group - the upcountry Tamils.
The economic power that the Jaffna Tamils commanded through feudalism and casteism was sustained under colonial rule, Their desire to acquire land and other assets overrode other Social considerations. Status in the society was primarily determined by the extent of possession of wealth, the means of acquiring it were unimportant. The fact that the opportunities for them to prospereither as private entrepreneurs or as employees in the public sector were deliberately curtailed through government policies and administrative measures had been the principal factor that initially gave rise to their discontent and anti(Sinhala) government sentiments,
In order to understand the kind of parochialism that prevailed in the North. it is necessary to examine in depth the way the society functioned there. Parochialism is strong in matters that concern the accumulation of wealth. The wealth and the accompanying power were gained in a selfish manner, since individualism took precedence over the narrowest concept of parochialism. The too common incidents of encroachmen' into neighbours land and subtle methods of denying prosperity to others were all part of the psyche of the typical Jaffna
ar.
Parochialism is also seen in the formation of groups according to various territories and persons are labelled accordingly. In the olden days marriages fiyAd ywithin thA sarma rasta anc

Page 15
15 NOVEMBER 1997
bers in Canada and European countries continue to retain their past distinct spatial identity. Accordingly, various groups have been formed and rivalries Continue sometimes accompanied by violence.
Mr. K.A. Reddiar in his exposition published in the Tamil Times of 15 May 1997, has deplored "the domineering attitude of the Jaffna Tamils towards the Tamils in the Eastern Province and their self-serving economic interest." Their attitude is not exclusively towards any section of the Tamils identified as having roots outside Jaffna but also prevails within the so-called Jaffna Tamils. Even now in private, the section that claims to have no kinship with the Tamils from the several islands in the North consider the islanders to belong to an "inferior"stock. Old attitudes die hard as these seem to prevail among the older generation of expatriate Tamils. With regard to their self-serving economic interest, this too is not something that can be associated with the exploitation of powerless groups for the Collective benefit of the Jaffna Tamils. Many honest persons will admit that exploitation takes place even within family circles. This is more prevalent among those exposed to urban way of life than among the rural peasantry.
The apprehension of the Muslims in the Eastern province that they would not be treated fairly, if they come under the administrative units dominated by the Tamils is also attributed to the domineering attitude of the Tamils. Muslim analysts have drawn attention to the suspicion of the Muslims in recent expressions of amity between the two communities. They have drawn attention to recent actions of Tamils as proof that they will not get a fair treatment if the devolved power is exercised by a council dominated by the latter. Suggestion has been made to have built-in clauses to protect the interests of Muslims in units where they are the minority community. SLMC is keen on having a Muslim dominated council in the South-East by amalgamating Sammanthurai, Pottuvill and Kalmunai areas in the Eastern Province for the same reason.
Mr. Reddiar has concluded very pointedly in his second article, published in the Tamilitimes of 15 September 1997, on Tamil unity by stating that "without real (not opportunistic and transient) unity and equal opportunities for all, including the upcountry Tamils to prosper, whatever political gains achieved after enduring the enormous human suffering and incurring the huge losses both in human and economic terms Will not lead to continued social and economic advancement of the Tamil community as a whole." in effect, the point that he has driven is that pluralism must be cardinal to all
policies and admir the relevant regior lective prosperity
nity.
Pluralism, Peace
Pluralism is served when publi have the potential ti efits to any group not a coincidence nected problems t present crisis are Truth often hurts b courage. For reco peace, mistakes in measures taken to is that both the Sin have demonstrate attitudes towards \ kind of actions Attitudinal change mined efforts and informal educatio role to play in bring The stark realit is that where ther power and wealth, peace. This is the fluence the thinkir ble for the well-beir power and wealth uitably if peace is group, not necess. that its members opportunities to p. use their power to a themselves by unfe stage revolt agains has permitted the powerful dictators thrown for the san can leaders had ju States as essenti tion of several poli the tribal divisions that a multi-party: had the potential ment of their cour too had generally powerful few acc their own benefit a state of utter de There is, there accord the highes opment of the ecc isfy the felt needs gions of the coun BRD must assum for the internal Wrecked the eCOr oping countries : between the rich stereotype condit marily on macro etary aspects anc governments for sistance have not

TAML TIMES 15
strative practices of al unit(s) for the colf the Tamil commu
ind Prosperity
cognised and ob: matters that do not yield economic benare undertaken. It is that many interconat Culminated in the economic in origin. it to admit it requires ciliation and lasting ust be admitted and avoid them. The truth halese and the Tamils d their domineering yeaker groups by the mentioned above. s require both deterime. Both formal and have an important ng about this change. y in the modern world e is concentration of there is the threat to precept that must ing of those responsing of the people. Both nave to be shared eqto be sustained. Any arily ethnic that feels are denied the same rosper as those who accumulate wealth for air means will at Some t the very system that discrimination. Even tips have been overe reason. Many Afristified their one-party Il to avoid the formaical parties based on there. They claimed system along this line o retard the developtries. But this system failed, because the umulated wealth for aving the majority in spair. ore, the imperative to priority to the develnomy that would satof all groups in all rery. Both the IMF and e some responsibility conflicts that have omies of many develnd widened the gap and the poor. Their ons, that focused prieconomic and monthe overall budgets of roviding financial as:ontributed to poverty
alleviation and balanced development of the regions. A radical change in the approach to development is necessary to focus the interest of the people on economic development rather than on matters that polarise the people.
The concept of regional development becomes important for this purpose. When there is the perception that all stand to gain from the development efforts, the peace that has eluded Sri Lanka for long will come to stay permanently. Regional development within the frame of united Sri Lanka requires the kind of economic co-operation that exists in any union of states. In the present inter-dependent world even the powerful economies have found it necessary to co-operate within a union for stability and sustainable economic growth.
As a matter of urgency some practical steps should be taken to create a conducive climate for development. The scars caused by the ferocious conflict require determined efforts and time to heal. Without initiating the healing process, reconciliation and rebuilding trust vital for creating this climate is impossible. Government's preoccupation with its "politico-military"strategy to resolve the conflict has deflected its efforts away from taking practical steps to sustain the confidence of the people in its commitment to development, peace and prosperity. Human rights violations and anti-social practices are not confined to any one community. Widespread corruption also retards development. Unlike in Some other countries, there are no powerfui apolitical and non-communal organisations to exert pressure on those who as leaders are accountable for these despicable actions.
The culture of violence and corruption is not the kind of environment that will help to promote economic development. Under such conditions, achieving sustainable peace is a complexand continuing process. The leaders in all the communities should accept the present realities, instead of harping on the past situations and focus their time and efforts on developing the regions. People have paid dearly as a result of being misled to believe that they can prosper once the ancient historical Conditions are re-established. Their self-destructive processes must end to save the people and the country being driven back to the olden days when wars were common. O
"If we ban whateveroffends any group in our diverse society, we will soon have no art, no culture, no humour, no satire."
- Erica Long index on Censorship (No.4, 1995)

Page 16
16 TAMIL TIMES
SINHALA COMMI REPORT, AN INVITI TO FEUDALIS
By Ameen Izzadeen
think it's back to feudalism. The Sinhala Commission interim report presented to the Mahanayakes of the Trinikaya on Wednesday after it was brought atop an elephant by commission members dressed in Kandyan style, is a subtle invitation for feudal style governance ordictatorship where the minorities will have to live at the mercy of the majority,
The report and its recommendations, harping much on what the commissioners call historical facts - their interpretation of history - are more reflective of the extremist opinion of the section of the Sinhala community than highlighting the real grievances of the Sinhalese.
That the Sinhalese Were denied their due place under colonial rule is undisputed and granted. Even the extremists Tamil elements would agree, But these wrongs were to a large extent righted with the introduction of political reforms, beginning with the 1931 Donoughmore constitution. Unfortunately this very process triggered an antithesis, creating panic and fears of discrimination in the minds of the Tamils.
It is not disputed that a section of the Tamils were a privilegedlot under the British but this does not mean the downtrodden Tamil civilian coping with the oppressive caste system and other economic burdens was any better off than his Sinhalabrethren - if may be allowed to use a term of fraternity. The socioeconomic and political yoke around the downtrodden Tamilled to the armed rebellion against the state. It is the civillans on both sides of the communal divide, who are affected most. One cannot also ignore the plight of the Sinhalese in the villages close to the theatre of war. The pogrom on Tamils took place in 1983 but can anyone
query why men c. as equals in Sri sible for the mas hem? The answer Sinhala Commiss to me, has made The report, it an anti-package ment containin Sinhalese, The S tional Joint Comn to highlight the gr majority commur vertisements and September ceren was released, se of the highest orc ies pointed out w ances of the Sinh Delegavapilya lanc Sinhalese who li cutting down of hi. trees and the fea of the World's or speakers also ol peace and point ties lived peacefu The urged th in mind the more tory of this land of national impo tution.
Well the writt thenticity is alwa tual debate-may Muslims co-exis Sinhalese.Yes, V and economic Seemed a sinewas long before nised, the intro values like equa Sinhalese elite leadership from
deny that no Tamil was killed or harassed for the mere fact of him being a Tanni before 1983?
Pre-1983 violence against Tamils which witnessed as a child and what followed after 1983 - massacres of inno-cent Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim people, - make me
"The Buddhists who get v wrong doings of others a are also creating an oppf conducive to any spiritua little sensitiveness can fe Sri Lanka today....... lf Bu devoid of love and comp the better it is for the wor

15 NOVEMBER 1997
SION ATION Me
innot treat fellow men unka, Who is responacres and the maystill elude me and the on Report, it appears nem a mirage. my opinion, is more xercise than a docugrievances of the nhalese and the Naittee have all the right evances faced by the ity, in newspaper adspeeches at the 17 lony where the report veral Buddhist monks er and other dignitarith examples of grievalese.They include the issue, the rights of the ved in the north, the storically significant Bo r of losing the identity ly Sinhala state. The tlined their desire for 2d out that the minorily under Sinhala kings. e government to keep han 2,000 years of histhen handling matters tance, like the consti
en history - whose auis a subject of intellecsuggest that Tamils and ed peacefully with the ithin the socio-political order of that era, it ua-non for survival. It this country was cololuction of democratic y and freedom and the ook over the political he British.
Many were the scenarios that have passed by the landscape of socio-political and economic order of the World, Today the situation is different. What we need is a system for peace that will fit today's environment.
In the light of this, the question that arises is whether the Sinhala Commission citing history is asking all of us to revert to a feudal, political and social structure where a Sinhala Buddhist king would command the obeisance of all his subjects. Or does it want a constitutional clause that the head of state should be a Sinhala Buddhist and this country never be identified as a pluralistic one.
The need of the hour is not any move that would increase the communal hatred in the minds of the people but efforts that would bring the people together. On this score, the Sinhala Commission has failed in its civil duty, through its reports tackle logically the constitutional obstacles to an adverse economic consequence of the devolution package. One of the speakers atWednesday's ceremony, opposing the package said the country was a unitary state even during the colonial period, But he failed to mention that sovereignty lay elsewhere. It seems having a foreign sovereign as head of state is acceptable to the proponents of the Sinhala Commission but power sharing with a people of this country to restore peace is demonic,
We conjure up a tear-drop or an inverted mango-like land block when Sri Lanka is mentioned. Our nationalistic feelings constitute this image and we refuse to compromise on it. A liberal and fair-minded nationalist may, however say "take anything but not part of the land which he considers his country. A fed eral system which would not change the geographical shape of Sri Lanka is acceptable to a liberal nationalist.
Within this framework, a devolutior package or a constitution which contains it could be seen as an attempt to bring about peace. Whether peace would dawn as a result of this is another question but the attempt has to be encouraged if the spirit of it is aimed at peace. If the Sinhala Commissionists and the mernbers of the National Joint Committee are opposed to the devolution
orked up over real or imaginary injuring themselves first, They ssive atmosphere which is not growth. A person with even a this oppressive atmosphere in dhism is merely an empty shell ssion, the earlier it disappears
of
- Dr. E. WAdikaran, a Buddhist scholar
package, the democratic system - which some of them termed Western scrap unsuitable for Sr. Lanka - demands that their right to be heard should not be denied.
Let them do their work, and the government its. The people will decide (Courtesy of Sunday Times

Page 17
15 NOVEMEBER 1997
AN "ELEGY"
FORTRESTRO
DBS Jeyaraj
(Continued from last issue)
by M H M Ashraff mobilised public opinion within the Muslim Community of the North-East earlier by proposing a Muslim majority Council comprising all Muslim majority Assistant Government Agent (AGA) divisions of the north-east. The singular hallmark of this proposal was that this Council was to consist of territorially non-continuous areas. Muslim divisions such as Kalmunai in the Amparaidistrict, Kathankudi in the Batticaloa district and Kinniya in the Trincomalee district although being far apart physically would all form one composite unit.
The reasons for this is simple demography. Almost all Muslim settlements in the Eastern Province are situated in the littoral. This Coastal belt is known in Tamil generally as "Eluvankarai" or "the coast of the rising sun". Lands to the West of the Batticaloa lagoon in the hinterland are known as "Paduvankarai" or "the shore of the setting sun". The Paduvankarai region was almost homogeneously Tamil once. Now Sinhala settlements have sprung up all over. Still a basic famil environment prevails in most parts of that region. Muslims have some lands and livestock projects in this Paduvankarai region. But the Muslims did not have a permanent abode in that region short of a few hamlets. The overwhelming bulk of Muslim villages were in the littoral or "Eluvankarai" region.
This Eluvankarai region, as much as many other regions in the eastern provİnce, is heterogeneous in population . Tamil and Muslim settlements were adjacent to each other. A cluster of Muslim villages will have a Tamil village or villages interspersed within. Likewise a cluster of Tamil villages would have a Muslim Village or villages interspersed within. This demographical attribute has been compared to that of the "Kulal puttu" ("bamboo pittu" in the Sinhalalanguage), a traditional item of food the mainingredients of which are flour and the white of the coconut - a layer of flour is followed by a layer of coconut and so on. ln other words, one or more Muslim villages are sandwiched between two or more Tamil villages or vice versa. Those not familiar with the "Kulal puttu" could
T he Sri Lanka Muslim Congress led
think of a ribbon ca. In any event th ity is a fact of life in Tamil-Muslim cont comes complicated community being v elling through an al other. Stil all displacements in th able to alter this re Thus when Ash of a separate Mus forced to rely on th rial non-contiguity territorially contigu area was impossi Congress was con unit where al Mus less of geographica enGompassed aso such a concept we possessions of Po Yenam and Mahe territorially contig presentamil Nadu Pradesh states. The as a single entity de-colonisatidn in sisted the temptatic territories and absc rounding states.
instead the enli ernment under Neh "historic specificity allowed them to fu non-contiguous UI single Parliament legislature With chi the Portuguese p( Daman and Die territorially non-co single Union territc full-fledged state.
Ashraf ignoring ground of Pondich these as example: non-contiguous cc ethno-religious ide was promoted by Se establishment earli dermined the famil Eelam or even a de ing of the Northerr inces.
Tamil opinion or enraged as it saw th
 

TAM TIMES 17
ke. is geographical realthe east. At times of lict the position bewith members of one ulnerable when travea dominated by the the violence and e East have not been ality.
raff mooted the idea slim Council he was eprinciple of territof as demarcating a ous Muslim majority ble. So the Muslim pelled to demand a lim divisions regardalcontinuity would be ne.The inspiration for as India. The French indichery, Karaikkal, in India were not guous being in the I, Kerala and Andhra ?y were administered by the French. After dependent India reon to dismantle these orb them into the Sur
ightened Indian govru acknowledged the "of these areas and mction as a separate mion territory with a seat and a separate ef minister. Likewise ossessions of Goa, uh despite being ntiguous became a ry first and is now a
g the historical backnery and Goa cited s for his territorially Duncil based on an antity. This demand pctions of the Sinhala eras it obviously undemand for aThamil volution unit consistand Eastern Prov
the other hand was e demand of Ashraf
as a deliberate ploy to sabotage broader Tamil aspirations. The Muslim insistence on a separate council was viewed with disfavour. Various alternatives such as cultural autonomy, devices to rotate the chief ministership of the North-East with the Muslims, power-sharing formulae with Muslims being ensured of 33%jobs etc. were suggested yet Ashraf like Jinna of Pakistan remained uncompromisingly intransigent.
Although unpalatable from a Tamil nationalist perspective the reasonableness of the underlying motives for Ashraf's demand cannot be denied. The Muslims who are 33% in the Current Eastern Province would only be 17% in a merged North-east. There was also the spectre of armed Tamil militancy that was threatening Muslim interests on a very crude and blunt level. Also lurking was the traditional antipathy towards "Jaffna" domination. The state and it's agencies exploited this situation and began fomentingTamil-Muslim violence. Intolerant attitudes by the Tamil militants exacerbated the situation further, Muslim youths in various Tamil outfits began to drop out or were "cleansed". Armed Muslim groups like "Jihad" and Muslim homeguards began to emerge. Muslim groups openly collaborated with the armed forces in massacring Tamil civilians like in Pandiruppu. Tamil armed groups began targeting Muslim civilians, the most notorious of these being the Kattankudi Mosque massacre by the LTTE. It was a recipe for disaster.
In such a context support for Ashraf was inevitable among the Muslims of the North-East. His goal of a Muslim council captured their imagination even as the Eelam demand grabbed the Tamil mind two decades ago. The Muslim Congress pact with the PA in 1994 allowed it to dominate the North-East Muslims, Subsequently the Congress became animportant component of the government. Ashraf began enjoying state power at the centre and started exercising it. He has been developing the Amparai district Muslim areas with a single-minded resolve.
Realising perhaps the impossibility of achieving a non-contiguous territorial council Ashraf has in his discussions with the TULF agreed to a compromise. He has modified his original demand to that of a South-Eastern Province Comprising the present electoral divisions of Pottuvil, Sammanthurai and Kalmunai. This would result in a Muslim majority of 59% in that unit. The Batticaloa and Trincomalee districts along with the Muslim population in those districts could merge permanently with the Northern province subject of course to a referendum. The current government proposals

Page 18
18 AMILTIMES
incorporate this TULF-SLMC understanding.
The position of Ashraf is that the SLMC is not opposed to the current Northern and Eastern Provinces being separate. In that case the Eastern Province Muslims do not need a separate arrangement. But if there is to be an extra-provincial arrangement then the Muslims need a special accommodation to support it at best and not oppose it at Worst. Actually Ashraf wanted a separate Tamil dominated North, a separate Tamil majority East comprising the Trincomalee and Batticaloa districts, a separate Muslim majority South-East and a separate Sinhala dominated Digamadulla. The TULF objected to a separate East and as such the provision for a referendum to decide merging with the north was retained.
Ashraf however found himself criticised on several fronts for his compromise. The Southern Muslims did not Want any special Muslim council as they feared that their "peaceful co-existence" with the Sinhala people would be jeopardised. The Muslims of the North and the Trincomalee and Batticaloa districts found themselves "betrayed". According to the new arrangement they would be only 12% in a Tamil majority region. The South-East Province would only have 43% of the Muslims in the northeast whereas the 53% Muslims would be at the "tender" mercy of the Tamils, Muslim Farmers in the proposed SouthEast were also jittery. The waters for irrigation were either in or flowing from what are now the Sinhala areas of Amparaidistrict. There has been a lot of problems in the past about sharingwater resources. In that context there was reasonable anxiety about the future.
On the other hand the Tamils of Amparai district also felt "betrayed" by the TULF. These Tamils hailing from traditional villages like Thirukkovil, Thambiluvii, Akkaraipattu, Karaitheevu, Veeramunai, Pandiruppu etc have been extremely ethnocentric in the past. Given the threat of Sinhala colonisation and the lack of autonomous political power vis a vis the Muslims the Tamil frame of mind was understandable, Stalwarts like Ariyanayagam of Thirukkovil, Sivagnanachelvakkurukkal of Akkaraipattu, "Notary" Kandiah of Kalmunai, Velmurugu master of Pandiruppu etc. were active functionaries of the Federal Party and later the TULF
It was Ariyanayagam who composed the famil national anthem of old "Engal Eelath Thamil Thiru Naadu" that was sung at all Federal Party meetings then. It was modeled on Bharathidasan's "Engal Thiraavidap Ponnaadu"sung by T R Mahalingam. Besides the doyen of
Tamil scholars Swan self hailed from Kar heritage ofThe Ampi time immemorial anc tionalist roots. In 195 allowed enhanced M at the expense of th district in the intere the Tamil speaking F
Although these be pro-FP that party interest in their Welf chance of Parliamen In 1977 Pottuvil bei member constituenc to field M Canagar The man crossed ov three months of elec his sister Mrs Ran nathan became app Thiviyanathan of the from the Amparai dis umbrella, In 1994 di resulted in votes g Amparai was deniec resentation although of the North was ab preferences contes ticket.
The Tamils of A rightfully perhaps TULF action of allow of a "Muslim majorit betrayed. These ser by their Muslim c. Trincomalee and Bat was very embarra TULF and Muslim C that no Tamil party village in Amparaial of a South Eastern Ashraf was finding promote a separate to Muslims of Am subject to the charg Muslims in the ot North-East. Thus th away with the secor Pottuvil, Kalmunai electorates has re ment"toboth partie Now the creati ern Council is pred of Trincomalee-Batt Again the Muslim difficult to campaig But the fact that t Eastern Unit depen a merger with the dum is likely to pus actively for linkage Failing to do so ar mayaffect his polit event the Tamil pe Trincomalee and see a merger with the situation is nor
The question

15 NOVEMBER 1997
f Vipulanandahim
rai district was from nadvery strong na9 the Federal Party slim representation Tamils in Amparai ts of "The unity of eople". amils continued to did not show much reas there Was no ary representation. ng made a doubley enabled the TULF tnam successfully. er to the UNP within tion. After his death ganayaki Pathmaointed MP. In 1989 i TELO was elected trict under the TULF ision amongTamils etting fragmented. Parliamentary repMavai Senathirajah ie to garner 24,000 iting on the TULF
imparai district are incensed over the ving them to be part y council". They feel timents are shared punterparts in the ticaloa districts. This ssing for both the ongress. It was clear could go to a Tamil hd canvass in favour Council. Likewise it very awkward to South-East Council larai without being of having betrayed her districts of the new decision to do di referendum in the and Sammanthurai moved an "impediS. in of a South-Eastcated on the merger caloa with the North. 2ongress will find it in this referendum. e birth of a Southis on the success of orth at this referenAshraf to canvass with the north in this. remaining neutral cal credibility. In any centage of 58% in atticaloa is likely to he North succeed if hal. again is whether it
Would not turn abnormal. Will the armed forces discharge their duty dispassionately and impartially? Or will they tamper with the electoral process and sabotage a verdict in favour of a linkage with the North? Will there be tacit instigation, aiding and abetting of anti-Tamil violence in the East by the armed forces?
More important is the question of what the LTTE will do? Earlier during the UNP period the government in power had concentrated on pacifying the East. 42% of the total armed forces had been deployed in the East. As such it had been possible for reasonably free and fair elections to be held in the East. This helped the TULF and SLMC to gather a harvest of votes. Later Chandrika Kumaratunga virtually swept the East in the Presidential elections,
The current PA strategy of focusing on the north has changed the ground situation in the East, Personnel stationed in the East have been re-deployed in large numbers to the northern and Wanni fronts. Camps and check posts have been closed down in large numbers in the East. On the other hand recruitment to LTTE ranks has increased in the East. This has led to large chunks of Eastern territory coming under the control of the LTTE. Almost the entirety of the "PaduVankaras" hinterland is under the Tigers. So too are pockets of the littoral notable of which is the extensively adjacent zone of Vakarai in Batticaloa and Verugal in Trincomalee, Batticaloa town too is within artillery range of the LTTE. Although estimates may vary it is said that about 70% to 85% of the land mass in the East is under LTTE control of differing degrees, In such a situation the LTTE is in a powerful position. It can make or break the referendum. It could preventTamil people from voting thereby rendering the referendum ineffective or worse still bring about a verdict against the north-east linkage. The LTTE according to a recent statement is totally opposed to the division of the traditional Tamil homeland in any form. In short it does not want any re-demarcation of Eastern boundaries, Against that background it becomes clear that it would disrupt any proposed referendum.
it must be said that other Tamil political parties such as the EPDP PLOTE, TELO and EPRLF etc are also opposed to the North-East linkage being altered. They all want an indivisible North-Eastern Province. Only the TULF along with the SLMC is for an adjustment of boundaries or so it seemed until a few weeks ago.
The Batticaloa branch of the TULF passed a unanimous resolution opposing any re-demarcation of the Eastern
(Continued on next pago)

Page 19
15 NOVEMBER 1997
Lankan medical specialists to Work on short term contracts in the Teaching Hospital in Jaffna and the medical faculty of the University of Jaffna in the north of the island has been launched by the North-East Region Schools' Past Pupils Federation (NERESPAPF).
The appeal is the outcome of our close consultation with senior officials of the Reconstruction and Rehabiltation Authority of the North and Academics of the University of Jaffna and those who presently in charge of the Jaffna
A in urgent appeal to expatriate Sri
NERESPAPF
in their appeals situation at the Tea Faculty of Medicine, has caused much cc of North Sri Lanka interested in their w velopment of the Te Faculty of Medicine, There has been a sh
Hospital, NERSPAPF feels that politics apart, there is a responsibility to see that no adverse decisions are taken to jeopardise the interests of the student population of the University and patients who attend the hospital. If the Medical Faculty is adversely affected by a shortage of needed specialist staff, the closure of the medical faculty may become an option which would be great tragedy,
The Federation has pointed out that the specialised areas where staff position is very acute are:
Jaffna Teaching Hospital:General surgery, Paediatrics, Orthopaedic surgery and Pathology.
Faculty of Medicine - University of Jaffna; Pathology and Pharmacology,
V. Ambalavanarand K. Arunasalam, President and Secretary of the
fessional staff at bo and this pronounce fied personnel has deteriorating withm ity. What is worse is has been little or no peated advertiseme tions to fill the nume
"In order to arre, tion that has arisen, gion Schools Past convened a special man of the Resettle tation Authority of t of his senior officia invitation at the first a free exchange of based agreement V need for immediate to be taken and on
(Continued from page 18)
Province and reiterated that the current North-Eastern temporary merger should remain permanent. It also emphasised that any possible political settlement should be discussed with the LTTE and Tiger approval obtained. It also wanted the government to stop referring to the LTTE as "terrorist". The Trincomalee branch of the TULF did not oppose the re-demarcation but did not want the referendum to be held now because of the ground situation. The SLMC and the TULF have both attached riders to the select Committee report on a draft Constitution that the referenda in the East should not be held now.
This in itself is a contradictory position. If the new Constitution is to be ratified under existing Constitutional provi
sions or even endorsed through a Con
Sultative referendum device described as a"Constitutional Revolution" by government quarters a nation-wide referendum including the East should be held. If the Constitutional changes are accepted then mini-referenda in the East have to be held. If the ground situation is not con
ducive for one type it Could not be con too,
in such a situat of sorts has to be that happens there any chance of fullT referendum. Theref set in unless the S marginalise the LTT co-opts the Tigers process. Both seer present.
Thus political a at resolving the prc demarcation of the out any chance of g. The Eastern Provir Cosm of the situatie large. What seeme East is now becom Eastern Imbroglio. until and unless all in the island learn to go forth into the futi dence and goodwill ing such a possibili sibility right now,
 

TAM TIMES 19
ates, "The alarming ching Hospital and University of Jaffna incern to the people and to all who are elfare and in the deaching Hospital and University of Jaffna. ortage of senior pro
to be pursued. It was also decided to address and approach the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Defence and the University Grants Commission to solicit and obtain their co-operation and assistance to enable senior qualified staff to be recruited on the basis of contract to
fill in the vacancies in the Jaffna Teach
ing Hospital and the Jaffna Medical College. A special Committee was elected at this meeting to pursue action in this regard.
"The remedia measures that need to be taken were discussed by the Special Committee at
th these institutions d shortage of qualibeen observed to be Ionotonous regulars the fact that there response to the reints inviting applicabrous vacancies. st this serious situathe North-East RePupils' Federation meeting.The Chairment and Rehabilihe North and Some ls Were present on meeting. There was views and a broad was reached on the remedial measures the course of action
of referendum then ducive for the other
ion an LTTE "Okay" obtained first. Until does not seem to be amil backing forany ore an impasse has 2curity forces either E or the government into the negotiating m highly unlikely at
rrangements aimed oblem through a reEast flounder withetting off the ground. hce is only a microon in the country at d an "elegy" for the ning once again the It would remain So communities living shed past fears and ure with trust, confiI. Even contemplatty seems an imposO
several meetings and it was decided to address a letter to expatriate Sri Lankan medical specialists inviting them to offer their services to be employed in Jaffna on short term contracts. It was also decided to include the following remedial provisions as under.
(1) Provision for Members of the Faculty to have easy and affordable access for transport within Jaffna as well as between Jaffna and Colombo. (2) To ensure provision and easy access to telecommunication facilities between Colombo and Jaffna for Members of the Faculty. In this regard it would be necessary to install at least one (1) direct dialling facility each for the Teaching Hospital and the Medical Faculty, in addition to the direct dialling telephone lines which have been promised to Jaffna University and Jaffna Teaching Hospital. (3) Salary scales of expatriate medical specialists who would agree to come on short term contracts should be provided at attractive levels in order to meet the additional expenses such personnel would require. It would appear that this would be possible in certain instances under existing regulations where there is provision to double the regular salary scale, in addition, private practice may be permitted outside the normat working hours. (4) It would be desirable to emphasise the necessity for expatriate consultants provided adequate Security as well as freedom of movement without undue security checks and restrictions. In this regard, it is expected that the Chairman/RRAN will pursue necessary action with a view to easing pressure in respect of Security checks even in respect of the local staff of the Teaching Hospital and the University as well as the University students.
"We have been informed that Her (Continuedonnext page)

Page 20
20 TAM TIMES
those of us in the University Teachers for Human Rights (Jaffna) has come, surprisingly, from close associates and friends. Their Services, profered voluntarily at considerable risk, had been crucial in our coping with exigencies which followed the murder of Rajini.
One of them who is in close touch
said: "Whether in the Broken Palmyra' or elsewhere subsequently, you people had failed to say clearly and unambiguously who killed Rajini. Even on the very day she was murdered, bicycle mechanics and tea boutique keepers were Saying that it was the LTTE who killed her.
"It is always the case that whenever the LTTE commits a crime, the ordinary people are not fooled and are prepared to talk about it. But the intelligentsia through misguided fear or to protect their narrow interests, shuffle the truth, muffle it and quench it. Once this happens fear descends, and everyone stops talking. The few who persist are singled out and put out of the way.
"Thus it happens again and again, with the most influential Sections of Society actively confusing the truth, the political significance of public indignation is blunted and lost. This service regularly performed for the LTTE by the intelligentsia has been key to its survival. "The reality among the ordinary Tamil people is that they are basically disillusioned with the LTTE and there is much
A mong the harshest criticisms of
anger that is being the State, the Tam opinion-makers cre they could freely ur the politics of destru to thrive".
| Will examine lidity of the charge ence, and where We fine myself to a few it was soon clea in Jaffna that the LT But given the fact th claimed responsibi thoughtit gave us le support of the unive local public and tha and abroad to comr work of Rajini, wha and make clear wh' keenness of studen eral members of th ees of the Universi cial to this plan.
Decisive help a activists outside th time became the versity Teachers
(Continued from page 19) Excellency the President has approved the following proposals:
(a) Offering of contractual appointments to expatriate Consultants on attractive terms. (b) Free housing or special rent allowance in lieu of housing. (c) Periodic free travels by air to Colombo and back to Work station. (d) Easy access to telephone facilities. (e) Payment of risk allowances if Government regulations permit such payment to other public servants working in the Peninsula. The implementation is the responsibility of the Ministry of Health and Indigenous Medicine.
"We therefore, make this fervent appeal to all overseas Branches of Member Associations to contact Sri Lankan expatriate medical specialists and persuade them to agree to serve even for short term spells at the Teaching Hospital and the Jaffna Medical College. Contract periods of three (3) months or more would be most useful and Welcome.
However, any shor be of some benefit tion and to the mec as well. We wouldw of expatriate medi tually all fields. It is great in respect o areas, which are si table.
"It has to be ent what is at stake is ate health and we the North and the rentbatches of met but also the conti Hospital as a Teac continued function cal College itself. that any adversec the future of the Ja at this stage cann even if the situatior
Contact addre for further info 61/2, Abdul G. Colombo 3, S. E-mail: ambal
 

15 NOVEMBER 1997
Pocapications
By Rajan Hoole
ottled up inside. Until intelligentsia and te conditions where Ourden themselves, ction Would continue
ere the general van the light of experiare concerned, conremarks,
rto nearly everyone TE hadkilled Rajini. at the LTTE had not ity for killing her, we
eway to mobilise the
rsity community, the t of activists at home memorate the life and at she had stood for y she was killed. The tleaders, that of sevhe staff and employty of Jaffna was cru
lso came from local he University who in mainstay of the Unifor Human Rights
er periods may also to the local populaical undergraduates elcome the services al specialists in virfelt that the need is certain specialised it out in the annexed
phatically stated that not only the immediare of the people of interests on the Curical undergraduates, uance of the Jaffna ing Hospital and the g of the Jaffna MediWe should take note ecisions taken about fna Medical College t be easily reversed eventually improves."
S mation: foor Mawatha, Lanka.
2.st.lk
(Jaffna), activists in the South and activists in Britain who knew Rajini and the work of the UTHR (J). On finding that One month was too soon, the commemoration lasting three days was fixed to begin two months after the murder, on November 21, 1989.
Once it clearly dawned on everyone that the LTTE were the killers and that the Indian Army was pulling out, it fell to UHTHR (J) to organise the commemoration under its aegis, while at the staff unions lent their support, it was an ambitious plan, along fling and as it turned out, a game of brinkmanship. But it Worked.
Once the international participation became known, it became difficult for the TTE to oppose it openly or to pass messages of intimidation. In addition to delegates from the South, foreign delegates came from India, Pakistan, South Africa, Holland and Britain. British delegates included the late African Marxist, Tanzanian finance minister and political exile Abdul Rahuman Babu; and the late Martin Ennals, former head of Amnesty international and later of International Alert.
The LTTE started showing an interest openly only when the delegates began arriving on November 20. On November 21, while there was a public presence in the University for the commemoration addresses in the auditorium, LTTE cadre entered the student union offices and wanted to interfere with the slogans on placards that were being prepared for the commemoration march through Jaffna city the following day. Among the issues raised in the slogans were the use of terror, intimidation and murder against the community; the use of child soldiers and conscription by abduction resorted to by the pro-Indian groupS.
The student leaders acquitted themselves commendably in resisting the LTTE's demands without giving in one inch.The commemoration ran its Course as planned while the LTTE had to be content filming the proceedings for use in future intelligence work. Its nervousness about the proceedings was reflected in its long statement of denial distributed on the occasion after a two months silence, leaving little doubt as to Who the killers Were.

Page 21
f5 NOVEMBER 1997
We had hoped that the occasion weuld give us the needed strength to remain in Jaffna, continue the work of the UTHR(J), and maintain the University as a bastion of values that Rajini had lived and worked for. This was not to be, The commerce between the Premadasa regime and the LTTE was too virulent in its effects to allow for it, in just under a year from the commemoration, the last active member of the UTHR(J) at home, narrowly evaded LTTE abduction squads trailing him and fied the North in riff-raff disguise.
In January 1990, on the initiative of an English activist who came for the commemoration and was active in the British Labour Party, the late John Merit of the London Observer arrived in Jaffna to 'do' a story on Rajini against the current situation in Jaffna. He had been fully briefed of what we knew. Himself a Roman Catholic, he posed the question to Bishop Deogupillai of Jaffna. "Who killed Rajani?"The Bishop replied that the people say it is a party close to the Indian Army, Merit responded, "Whom do you say Killed Rajani?" have to believe what the people say", said the Bishop.
We were as taken aback as John Merit was.
It was the time the Indian Army had begun its pull-out from Jaffna. I say this not to fault the Bishop. He was among the more solid figures in Jaffna, had absolutely no sympathy for the LTTE and the bad press he had received in the South over the years was totally undeserved. It was simply based on the paranoia reserved for any Tamil who spoke up against the actions of the state.
Irelated this because it clearly illustrates the fate of truth in Tamil society under the force of tactical and survival compulsions of the elite which the speaker quoted at the outset complained of. In a healthy society speaking the truth is a universal virtue. In Tamil society today one who speaks the truth comes to be regarded as an idealist.Whatever fate befalls such persons is their own lookout.
The TTE, from the outset, as we came to know from well-informed Tamil doctors in North America, had given clear instructions to its networks on handling the murder. On the one hand, it was to be public praise for Rajini and blaming the pro-Indian party. Privately, every opportunity for character assassination was to be used.
At home the LTTE had a healthy respect for the native intelligence and thus kept quiet. The London based LTTE controlled Tamil Nation' immediately came out with a picture of Rajinion the cover, cunningly pointing to the pro-Indian party as the killers on the basis of the initial
reaction of Rajini's
The "monthly" ( World Tamil Move 1990, carried as its representing Rajin the Birds of Freed gers. This theme w Adele Balasingham subject,
The October 1995 The most trau| to cover the truth forced exodus of th in Valikamam on C LTTE had itself alre draw in the face of Jaffna and had alre: erty. At 6pm on the ening order import move out within te to blow up the cor Chemmani lagoon said, would have quences of unrest During the nigh ple jam-packed th cursing and pushir died of exhaustion, by Weary mothers ters. Apart from pri people suffered lc human self-esteem mous guilt overpa mestic animais the As they fled, the homes, looted the ported them out in made the civilians the railway bridge, carrying their loote road exit withouth ence left the civilia and utterly helples The LTE in th the stops and lau propaganda camp people marched O onstration of their under the alien Sri We (the UTHF tailed report on th the LTTE's versior eral first hand expt a stir, and it becam us. Two similar stat Tamilangrily dismi calling us names, twenty academics Jaffna, then disp Were circulated to and abroad.
An article was subject by Fr. Em General of the Rc in Jaffna, saying t in effect a life sa on a Biblical expr

TAMIL TIMES 21
circle in Britain.
the Toronto-based nent, about March main feature a piece as the precursor to pm - the Women Tas wisely dropped in slater writings on the
"exodus" natising of attempts oncerns the LTTE's e civilian population ctober 30 1995. The ady decided to withhe army advance on dy removed its propday it issued a threatuning t he civilians to hours, threatening necting bridge over Those who remain it to face the conseainedwar, , in pouringrain, peoe exit roads jostling, g each other, Elderly and infants dropped perished in flood wasation and starvation, ss of identity, basic 1, and lived with enorrents, elders and doy left behind. ) LTTE broke into their bir goods and translorries. At one point it going on foot to use so that LTTE lorries goods could use the indrance. The experins angry, humiliated, S, a meantime pulled all nched a world wide aign claiming that the ut en-masse in demunwillingness to live Lankan government. (J)) published a deExodus challenging basing ours on sevriences. This created essential to discredit ments in English and ising our account and signed by more than from the University of aced to Killinochchi, he press in Colombo
also published on the nanuel, former Vicar man Catholic church hat the "Exodus" Was ing miracle. Drawing ssion, he likened the
movement of a huge crowd through a narrow exit road to a camel' going through the eye of a needle', which was accomplished with grace and minimum inconvenience, thanks to the LTTEpolice.
Aprivately-owned Tamil daily in Colombo which published the statement signed by the academics attacking us, declined to publish our response. A prominent Tamil alternative weekly made a sarcastic reference to some in Colombo claiming that the "exodus" was made under duress.
But to the people who underwent the trauma, it remains a torment to this day, It is like the torture victim who suffered something unspeakable and shameful, and cannot talk about it. The matter has not been written about in Tamil touching even distantly the deeper truths. People are relieved to see in drama or writing a mere ambiguous reference such as: They asked us to go. A recent book in Tamil written by a university don in Jaffna has chronicled several experiences during the "Exodus", but admits honestly that as regards the causes, he would say nothing.
Several months after the "Exodus", had occasion to talk to a colleague from the University of Jaffna, whom knew to be a man of homely wisdom. He himself brought up the matter and said, "I say, you all brought out a fine document on the "Exodus", how did you get such detailed information?" was surprised because I had seen his signature in the English statement from Kilinochchi attacking us, and asked him why he signed that statement. Taken aback, he immediately denied having done sol
The "Exodus" remains the big lie where influential sections of the Tamil elite here and abroad have played their games and have tried to cover up the truth. To the people of Jaffna it remains a deep wound in the soul that they need to bear in the agony of silence.
The truth in the grapevine
mentioned earlier the grapevine that operates at a humble level. The ordinary people are seldom fooled. To them much of the reporting that goes on in the Tamil media are 'attempts to bury a pumpkin in a plate of rice'. Take the LTTE leaders whose profile was high in Jaffna from about mid 1986 to July 1987. To the middle class they were often models of puritan virtue and discipline - Kittu, Rahim, Thileepan, Murali, Curdles etc... The grapevine saw them differently, Some were scarred by their role in the Anuradhapura massacre and most were given to alcoholism and drunken attacks on detainees. Badly tortured prisoners had been killed simply to protect the Move

Page 22
22 AMİ MES
ment's reputation for purity.
The politics of the period was dominated by intense personal rivalry between Mahattaya and Kittu. When Victor, the military leader of Mannar area was killed during a military operation in October 1986, his body was brought to Jaffna and huge ceremonies were organised. Even as the priest who gave the oration solemnly pronounced the words from St. John 12:24, "Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone. But if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit", LTTE cadre were telling their friends, "When the Movement makes a big fuss over someone dead, there is bound to be foul play".
Victor had failed to act against the rival group TELO in Mannar, as Kittu had done with blood curdling effect in Jaffna. Victor's relative humanity had rendered him unsafe.The morning after the bomb attack in March 1987 which lamed Kittu, Mahattaya's men were in Kittu's office, laughing sarcastically when callers asked for Kittu.
Thileepan fasted to death on orders from the Leader in September 1987 in a sensational demonstration, ostensibly to no purpose other than Securing extra places on the Indian brokered interim council, which the LTTE was not serious about after securing its key demand.
Murali was killed during the Indian army's advance in October 1987. Curdies had died in an accidental explosion in February '87, in a botched operation with the Leader in command.
Thus by the end of 1987 the kings of Jaffna who were given a long rope for a year had practically gone to dust. In turn, Mahattaya's high profile in 1990 became uncomfortable to the leader. In 1993 Pottu Amman was used to get him out of the way. Little now in turn is heard about Pottu. That in short is the LTTE. It goes from internal crisis to internal crisis and can never find peace. This is well understood in the grapevine.
Thus the tenth anniversary of Thileepan's death on September 26this year (1997) would certainly have aroused strong emotions in the minds of the Tamil people.These emotions have nothing to do with a longing for Eelam. Thileepan symbolises the waste of the flower of Tamil youth, and his slow agonising death, the fate to which LTTE politics had condemned the community.
There is also a process of un-bottling that goes on within the grapevine. Mentioned earlier was Senkathir, a protege of Mahattaya's, who was accused of being Rajini's killer by the EPRLF
During 1991 he is said to have disappeared in a confrontation with the Sri Lankan Army near Vavuniya. But his body was not brought home. He was duly
Commemorated as His own communit convinced that his job. Others held thi Over to the Sri Lan According to a: Senkathir came to Lanka Army in Ap front of the huge c ing him as martyr, a good while with hips. Then he took down with a few h may be apocrypha But it contains im what the people thi about Senkathirhi den media.
November 198 The question n people see the Tl least ambivalently, to thrive? Why wa test?"
It is definitely nary Tamil people ( the long term impli sues wheneverth the Sri Lankan sta is again an elite my Jaffna university s abducted and kille to soothe Kittu's p A student prote mobilised undel Vimaleswaram an ers. Masses of pe found no opportul Several similar vi joined in spontal joined in. The stree test marches and the focus of mass support of the EP Kittu was forc make a pretence students and ple ing student. It was the elite that view tempt and work dents were cons derisive remarks that they were b Kittu needed his more important tł it was of him to d When the pro ances from the leaders were is morselessly hun About 10 day ber 1986, the LT ship. In early Jan came to Jaffr Thileepan and c demolition wor other militant g| crucial role in

15 NOVEMBER 1997
martyr in Nelliady. showever strongly eath was an inside Senkathir had gone an Army. ory in the grapevine, lalliady with the Sri 1996. He stood in -Out Commemorato hd gazed upon it for his hands upon his n axe and brought it rd blows. The story rather than factual. ortant truths about cabout the LTTE and hself. This is the hid
aturally arises, "If the Eso negatively, or at how has it been able ; there no mass pro
ot true that the ordilid not Want to look at cations of internalisay felt threatened by te and its forces. This th. In November 1986 tudent Vijitharan was d by the LTTE, simply ersonal vanity. stand death fast was the leadership of dother student leadple who had hitherto ity to protest against lations by the LTTE eously. Schools too ts were filled with prohe university became public meetings. The RLF also helped. d to at least tactically if negotiating with the ged to find the missbut a good section of dthe protest with con| against it. The stuantly pressurised by om them to the effect ng petty minded, that precious time for far ngs, and how gracious pin on this unruly lot. est ended after assurTE and the student lated, they were red
later on 14th DecemEstruck at the leaderury 1987 Prabhakaran
from India. Kittu, mpany had done their extremely well. The ps that had played a ping the Sri Lankan
army out of Jaffna and large parts of the East had been decimated with a mixture of cunning, deceit and brute force. A independent voices had been silenced. The way was also incidentally cleared for the Sri Lankan army to walk in.
But in the course of their meteoric career in Jaffna, Kittu and company had acquired immense personal power and a high profile. It was time for them to go. A rising star in the LTTE is in fact on a slippery slope. Alas for human vanity.
On further assurances of safety given by the LTTE, student leader Vimaleswaran came out of hiding in 1988 to complete his finals and make a living for his family. He was gunned down like a dog in a street in Jaffna during July 1988 by an LTTE assassin. in the same month as his murder, he had written to the mother of the missing student Vijitharan, a native of Batticaloa: "We live from day to day with no guarantee for our life. You too, mother, have to find some consolation in your grief as being one among the multitudes of teardrenched mothers in our community".
These are the words of a great and compassionate man from the rural North who died in obscurity, leaving hardly a memorial at home other than in the hearts of those who went to dust like hirinself.
The LTTE, for its part, made sure that there would be no such mass protest again as in November 1986. This is one context in which the murders of Vimaleswaran, Rajini and thousands of others must be seen. Many unrecorded and unnumbered, disappeared on account of mere spontaneous and isolated village-levelopposition.
The political resolution
Where political implications are concerned, the distortion of truth leads to gross misrepresentation of the Tamils From 1986 a stream of Tamil elite spokesmen and "peace activists' in Colombo have been making public pronouncements to the effect that the Tam people are behind the LTTE. If one is a little sensitive to the recent history of the Tamils, the thousands of dissenters whic courted death and the abominable manner in which the LTTE swallows up young recruits and sends them to their doom such a proposition would be seen as ar absolute canard.
it would be far more accurate to say that the Tamils have been smitten by a feeling of powerlessness from within which has been and continues to be compounded by the conduct of the state and its forces. The general approach of Tamil spokesmen in playing safe by the LTTE, is twisted and reported in chau(continued on next page)

Page 23
15 NOVEMBER 1997
RAJIV ASSASSINATION
Justice Jainant
a Bombshell
ven as the main criminal trial of E the assassination of the former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi drew to close with the verdict from the designated court reserved to be delivered on 28 January next year, the Jain Commission that has been probing the background circumstances surrounding Gandhi's murder has landed a bombshell with its damning revelations which are threatening the very survival of the United Front government of K Gujral and throwing into question the political reputations of many important personalities named in the report.
Justice Milap Chand Jain, a widely respected member of the Indian higher judiciary, was appointed five years ago to investigate into the circumstances of and the conspiracy leading to Rajiv Gandhi's murder on 21 May 1991 at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu. Jain presented his interim report consisting of 17 volumes and over 5200 pages to the Indian Home Minister Indrajit Gupta on 28 August.
Since the leaking of certain sections of this highly classified confidential report in the "India Today" throwing the political powers that be in New Delhi and Madras into disarray, there have been widespread demands for the immediate presentation of the Jain report to Parlia
ment which is expe on 19 November.
The most seriou report are directed a Chief Minister ofTa have been calls in DMK, which is acc the National Front Centre, be dropped The following a "India Today" story its courtesy:
In his findings, J. Chief Minister M. Kal for abetting Rajiv G Also blamed are tw isters, V P Singh an for their laxity in ass Rajiv, Finance Minist criticising for "supp the cause of politica According to the it singles out the D indictment. It is rep of the DMK's proxim the Liberation Tige (TTE), whose cadr conceding that both ernment at the Cen chandran's AlADMI state were respons petus to Tamil milita DMK guilty of enco
(Continued from page 22) winistic Sections of the Southern media as the Tamil people being against the government's political package, and by extension their not being interested in anything short of separation. Such mischief has no licence from the Tamil people. The fundamental flaw in the Tamil community is therefore a sense of powerlessness among the ordinary people. Thus to Rajini, politics rather than being the vulgar power game that it normally is, was something far deeper. It was about giving a sense of dignity and self-esteem to the ordinary people, together with a collective ability to bring about change. Under such circumstances their spokesmen could speak with authority and also speak the truth. Today's politics can be described as one of constraining the people to be cowards, So that their self acclaimed liberators can be heros. This is the underlying truth
behind the "Exodus A similar experie which Rajani witnes principal motivation. ken Palmyra'. Amic clement Weather, to refugees, shivering ened, were hudd Kanthasamy kovil, lumps of excreta an Meanwhile, the converging upon t every inch of the wa dian army, who well the place. As in Oct knew that the LTTE draw. Despite the ac the people were pla too Scared to tell th had already decid tragic Scene of total still remains the pri fore the Tamil comm

TAMIL TIMES 23
s
cted to reassemble
s accusations in the tMKarunanidhi, the mil Nadu, and there ecent days that the nstituent partner in government at the
e excerpts from the published here with
ain holds Tamil Nadu nanidhi responsible andhi's murderers. former Prime Mind Chandra Shekhar, essing the threat to er, P Chidambaram, ing with the devil in
expediency".
leaked Jain report, MK for its Severest plete with examples hity to the leaders of ərs of Tfamil Ealam es killed Rajiv. While the Congress govtre and M G Rama{ government in the ble for the initial imancy, Jain holds the uraging and assist
ince in October 1987 ised was among the s for writing the "Broist the Cold and inens of thousands of , starving and frighting around Nallur staring vacantly, with nong them.
LTTE forces Were he kovil, provoking ly, the advancing lnre total strangers to ober 1995 everyone had decided to withcute danger in which ced, they were also e LTTE to go as they ed. It was again a powerlessness. This hcipal challenge beunity, O
ing the LTTE even after the Indo-Sri Lankan accord of 1987 pitted the Indian Army against the Tigers.
"Under the changed scenario, the LTTE made a strategic shift in their political alignments," says the report."They sent personal emissaries to Karunanidhi for seeking his active support in their battle against the Indian Peace Keeping Force(IPKF). These overtures of the LTTE towards the DMK started a chain of events which led to LTTE's survival and growth in Tamil Nadu even after the attitude of the Government of India had changed towards the LTTE after the hostilities between the IPKF and LTTE in Sri Lanka. The Jain report also concludes that the LTTE "was getting its supplies, including arms, ammunition, explosives, fuel and other essential items for its war against the IPKF from Tamil Nadu. That too with the support of the Tamil Nadu government and the connivance of the law enforcement authorities."
The report states that Karunanidhi becoming Chief Minister in January 1989 signified"the perpetuation of the political trend of indulging the Tamil militants on Indian soil and tolerance of their wideranging criminal and anti-nation activities.... LTTE activates of arms smuggling, abduction of Indian citizens, officials and intimidation of the law enforcement machinery were tolerated." The murder of EPRLF leader, K Padmanabha, along with 15 others in Madras on June 19, 1990 was an example of "the impunity with which the LTTE could operate in India."
The report states that Karunanidhi considered Padmanabha as a betrayer, and his killing and that of Varathraja Perumal was a necessity, and on the basis of the testimony of former Home Secretary of Tamil Nadu, R Nagarajan, Karunanidhi had asked the police not to evince any interest to trace the culprits of the Padmanabha killings. Karnanidhi also had advised the LTTE to take him into their confidence and provide advance information regarding LTTE movements and locations of their hideouts So that he could direct the police to keep way from such places.
The report contains details of the extent of TTE's free access to Karunanidhi and state officials, the several meetings the CM had with LTTE activists and the occasions on which state officials acted to obtain the release of LTTE activists taken into police custody. The LTTE in discussions with the Chief Minister also obtained more landing points along coastal areas to bring their injured cadres across the Palk Straits. Even coded messages between the Centre and the state government were promptly relayed
to the TTE leaders in Jaffna. "There is (Continued on next page)

Page 24
24, TAMIL TIMES
MODERN DEMOCRA THE SUBCONTINE A Case of Sexual Adolesc
Ramesh Gopalakrishnan
the life of a human being or a
country. It's necessarily a period of trial and error. But it's double-headed: the coming of age; or the arrival of the process of aging, May even be stunted growth; or growth stunted. Either one learns by the period's certain-to-happen errors or one ends up committing more of them in trying to breeze through the period. Either one grows into adolescence losing innocence or out of it re
taining innocence,
And fifty years after the British left, polity in the subcontinent is no longer in its childhood or adolescence, And it is certainly not innocent. It's more the brattish old hag. Having aged double quick, what it plays out only is an evil farce, ever playing outside the set rules, Innocence has no place in it. The farce may well be the equivalent of pure evil in the ancient world, it could Well have
A. dolescence is a strange period in
been a poisonous co by a witch, if such a used without incurrir ever-vigilant feminist Politics, in its inn of life, and, in its e death, Life can age : nocence, but the evil short anytime, boltii Thus, the atrophied p tinent, which has lost faces sudden death haggy adolescence W evil. Sudden death c certain ruptures - assi nastic successions, ethnic or communal c ots, phony coups anc what not, manufactul lries and chaos. Wel even follow clashes V atrophied institutions Last month, for in
(Continued from page 23)
evidence to show that, during this period, some of most vital wireless messages were passed between the TE operatives based in Tamil Nadu and Jaffna. These messages, which were decoded later, are directly related to the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi."
The report states that the National Front government under V P Singh failed to take effective steps to check the growing connivance of the DMK government with the LTTE. It"appears that the question of Rajiv Gandhi's security was examined with a closed mind. A very serious question which requires consideration by the Commission is whether VP Singh was actuated by malice, bias or animus in not providing security of such nature and level as would have protected Rajiv Gandhi... Rajiv Gandhi was not given the due attention in respect of the capability available in the state and in respect of the threat scenario of Rajiv Gandhi, the consideration was not an honestone..."
As for former Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar, the report states, “Blame lies equally at the door of the government headed by Chandra Shekhar...The
nature and quality under circumstance Chandra Shekhar's vided....The threats period had drastical quired a complete st rity arrangements which was not conté After the dismis: ernment during the Shekhar, there was LTTE. How effective can be assessed by this period duringw group of LTTE cadr went about their j managed to carry ol of Rajiv Gandhi. D fresh wireless sets \ LTTE in Madras whi used to pass codec Intelligence HQ at . in respect of th Minister, P Chidar states, "it was expe baram that he wou and adduce all ... e to the facts and acc and levelled by him 25.2, 1991. Why act, is best known'

15 NOVEMBER 1997
CY IN ENT
Ce
hcoction prepared phrase could be g the wrath of the
cence, is the age vil-mode, sudden lowly retaining inof death can cut it ng from nowhere. blity of the subconits innocence, ever in its prolonged hich manufactures an come in asunassinations and dypolitical pogroms, leansings, casteridictatorships and ring insecure revel, it's clear it could within planes of the
stance, the Nawaz
of security needed
is prevailing under time was not pro:cenario during this ly changed and rereamlining of secufor Rajiv Gandhi, mplated at all.... all of the DMK govperiod of Chnadra a crackdown On the Was the Crackdown the fact that it was ich the intelligence s led by Sivarasan b undeterred and it the assassination uring March 1991, rere installed by the ch were extensively messages to LTTE affna...” e present Finance baram, the report ted from PChidamplace all material idence with regard Isations mentioned in his speech...on e did not choose to him." O
Shariff government in Pakistan backed down after a prolonged tussle with the judiciary and agreed to elevate five judges to the Supreme Court as suggested by the Chief Justice Sajjad Ali Shah. A similar phenomenon could have occurred in any other country in the subcontinent. And anyone willing to guess the consequences if the government did not back down? One never knows. The realm of uncertainty again, but it is true that such adventures are part of the haggy adolescence - a clear marker of the Subcontinent,
In India, Indira Gandhi, for instance, defied a judicial verdict from her father's hometown of Allahabad against her and clamped down the infamous Emergency which had sought to vasectemise poor villagers in Uttar Pradesh.
Pakistan, with its coups d'etat, saw the emergence of Islamic martial law under General Zia U| Haq; Sri Lanka witnessed a legislative conflict inolving the rights of Tamil representatives as the ethnic conflict broke out in full horror; Bangla Desh still suffers from the residual politics of cyclonic terrorism for which the seventies were Well-known.
72 days had passed in Pakistan under the shadow of the deadlock of an atrophied constitution over the judges' appointment issue, in between, Pakistan went through the tortuous process of . talks as well as a low-intensity border War with India; the Kashmir issue came up once again in the utterances of Bill Clinton and his spitting-on-the-mike spokespersons. And Pakistan's primeminister-she-was, Benazir Bhutto, realised, to her-now-dissolving-fame, that 17 of her undisclosed Swiss bank accounts had been frozen.
Benazir clearly lost her Daughter-ofthe-East book-title this year to Arundathi Roy, Arundatiwent on to win the Booker Prize with her maiden liteary attempt in London. The bankscreens of the West legally opened out for Arundathi, even as the British Queen hopped and arrived at and hopped and arrived at islamabad, Delhi, Amritsar, Madras, Cochin and Kanchipuram. In fact, the British Queen, for the Indian and Pakistani media was simply the Queen, reflecting their dynastic mindset, an atrophied psychic state of feigned innocence, which amounts to haggy adolescence,
The Queen was actually witnessing the Kalakeshtra Bharatnatyam of Anglicised Adyar girls, marvelling at the Cooptex silk sarees flaunted before her in front of the Ekambaranathar temple at Kanchipuram and wondering standing in front of the stainglasses of the now-emptied-out Cochin synagogue even as Arundathi's saree-clad photocry GOSH! cry flashed in the British and In

Page 25
5NOVEMEBER 1997
dian press and reverberated across the corporatised world-over with millions of dollars and sterling pounds pouring down: a case of small things-like- innocence coolly dissolving itself in the evil concoction of marketableness.
And Gujral and Shariff, like the Punjabi buddies they really are, flew to Edinburgh, where once their forefathers would have sailed to study law and to admire Scottish countryside and Lake district: a case of feigned adolescence of boys under the watchful eye of Big Mother Britain; Little Red Riding Hoods under the Surveillance of the Godmother boys whose once-strong-and-lovable
Urdu-Punjabi poetry having got dissolved into nuclear sabre-rattling, being the delayed equivalent of the passed-out cold war between the United States and the now-non-existent Soviet Union.
Conflict with the Judiciary With all these events, the row over the judiciary hogged the limelight in Pakistan. Ital had started in August, with some differences of opinion creeping up between Sharif and Justice Shah on the issue of Setting up special Courts to try terrorist crimes, which implies violence by the Muhajir Quami Movement (MQM), which leads the poor lot of Muslims who had migrated from the centre of the subcontinent to the then-newly-formed
and-now-non-fulfil kistan fifty years a MOM leader A he is London, Sys relatives and cadr Pakistani state a groups based in Ka argument didn't c tice Shah who hac sisting that the juc activist role. Sharif Prime Minister, ha ing the judiciary speedy justice.
Justice Shah a a bid to resolve t judge insisted tha appoint more num ous levels. It hadh question of numbe give in simply and insisted that speci deliver justice, qui tims of MCM terr elsewhere. In fac prove, a constitue jecting that he ca the pocketboroug and the Pakistan F George Orwe open his British gr. wrote 1984 and An shrieked in all inn
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TAM TIMES 25
ling dreamland of Pa9O. Itaf Hussein, even as tematically loses his e in the War with the nd Various militant arachi. Nawaz Sharif's ut much ice with Jusbeen very mild in inliciary would take an f, after his election as d gone about criticisfor not dispensing
and Sharif had met in he problem and the t it was necessary to ber of judges at variad to boil down to the rs, but both would not without a fight. Shariff al Courts alone would ck enough, to the vicbrism in Karachi and t, he has a point to ncy to attach, in prores for Sind, hitherto n of the Bhutto family People's Party.
lil would have flung ave: this novelist who imal Farm Would have ocence having heard
that the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of Pakistan's independence went along with the parliament enacting a draconian anti-terrorism act. Freedom at midnight turned into darkness at noon, as envisioned by novelist Arthur Koestler, who had committed suicide more than a decade ago having witnessed the dawn of this era of numerical idiocy, of cloning and chronic ozone depletion, of extra-terrestrial cybersex, of foreign exchange see-saws and stock market collapses...
The law of the lie in Pakistan simply closed, for the arrested, the option of appeal to the Supreme Court and restricted it to a new tribunal consisting of two high court judges. The Apex Court saw this as Sharif's attempt to set up a parallel judicial system: a case of breezing through adolescence.
The consequence was the sudden revolt of the Chief Justice: more Kafkaesque horror. Justice Shah hit back saying "legislation is the work of Parliament and the Judiciary only interprets it."This obviously was a double-headed statement, implying the Supreme ourt's unique power to interpret the Constitution.
However, in times of turmoil in Pakistan's political history which led to dic
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Page 26
26 TAMIL TIMES
The Queen's Visit and Q of Indian Democra
T.N.Gopalan
ifty years down the line, has India F really come of age, as a nationstate, as a democracy? There are conflicting signals, and the future remains uncertain, typical of a third world country.
The effusive Welcome accorded to Queen Elizabeth, the controversy the visit of the royal couple ran into, and immediately followed by the developments in India's most populous state, the Uttar Pradesh (U.P), where the coalition government of the communal Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) of the Dalits, fell apart, all seemed to show that the elite running the show in the country are fumbling as never before, though the right wing hindu forces seem to have an edge at the moment. And coupled with the economic down-turn, the portents for the immediate future are grim.
It still remains unclear whose brainwave was it to invite the Queen to visit the country as part of the golden jubilee celebrations of its independence.
The Independenc long-drawn stru masses and the of them not out C goodwill, but bec costly to hold or devastations of th and the awakenin India's ties to the litical level or co have not been an of. The so-called erstwhile colonie is nothing more th What the vis achieve and why was given to it by t and the media h; ciently clearly ex misplaced, gaping alty,
One argumer circles was that b the very country \ for so long, indi Gandhian legacy
(Continued from page 25)
tatorship, the Supreme Court had the option of interpreting the Constitution, or whatever was left of the document, in favour of the little-left-liberty, but chose not to. Hence, its present stand amounted to a delayed attempt to feign innocence. To assert the stated powers of the Judiciary, he followed his statement with a letter to the government seeking elevation of five judges to the Supreme Court.
Resentment is a Certain marker of haggy adolescence. Sharif went ahead with his decision to undercut the judiciary. He got a notification issued to cut down the number of Supreme Court judges from 21 to 17. This was challenged by the Bar Association, followed by a press war between the Supreme Court and the government in Pakistan.The Supreme Court decided to hear petitions challenging the Anti-Terrorism Act and a land allotment case involving Sharif.
in an obvious attempt at a truce, a parley was called on October 28 when the "big four" of Pakistan - the President, the Prime Miniser, the Chief Justice and
the Army Chief-n The Army Chief" ing in an effort tc cerning the cour flection of the ar.
Sharif later N charging the Ch back on the "agri meeting. The St saying that itne hearing of some Prime Minister. C and his band C two-page resol premacy of the F the Apex Court to implement its evate five judg ditch attempt to days' more time against this, bu in, since the Su a number of ca ment! All this m Suit of adolesc feigned innoce playing it dang
 
 

estion PV
was the fruition of a ggle of the Indian olonial master let go any great charity or use they found it too to in the Context of e Second World War of the subjects. And U.K. either at the pommercially speaking ything great to speak Sommonwealth of the , guided by the U.K., an a show-piece. it was supposed to so much importance he Indian government ave never been suffiplained, except for the admiration of the roy
ht trotted out in some y inviting the Queen of which had enslaved us a is living up to the
showing nothing but
let for three long hours,
presence at a meetresolve an issue conry's Judiciary is a rehy's role in Pakistan,
sent a step further by ef Justice with going ement" reached at the preme Court retorted er agreed to postpone :ases as sought by the the same night, Sharif legislators passed a ion affirming the surliament. The next day, lirected the President ecommendation to el, Sharif made a lastock this by seeking 30 o file a review petition ultimately had to give eme Court is hearing is against the governans the end of the purce and loss of even e for those who loved usly, O
15 NOVEMBER 1997
love and affection for those who might have harmedus once but who have since realised their mistakes and are willing to live on equal terms
That was some clever explanation, though not enough to cover up the ludicrous craving for the mere darshan of the exalted couple from the Buckingham Palace, And the media's coverage of the visit, billing it as some momentous occasion in the history of the nation, fitted in with such a puerile perspective,
In the event though the minor contretemps which came up were blown out of proportion, and the prickly sensibilities of a highly self-conscious elite did nothing to enhance the image of the Country.
First UK's Foreign Secretary Robin Cook's reported offer at Islamabad, When the Queen was there, to mediate between India and Pakistan sparked off a furore. How dare a bit-player from Europe arrogate to itself the role of a super power; how could it seek to dictate terms to a big democracy; who gave it the right to meddle in our internal affairs, and the rantings and ravings were endless.
The hapless Cook had to beat a hasty retreat. For the life of him he would never understand why any offer to mediate should be construed by anyone in his senses as an affront to the nations dignity or as a partisan gesture. But given the virulent opposition of the Indian media to the very idea of a meeting between the Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan under the aegis of the USA, such a reaction to Cook's offer was pre
dictable.
And even before the Jingoistic breast-beatings on the issue were over, came the Duke of Edinburghs remarks at Jalianwala Bagh at Amritsar, the site of the gruesome massacre in 1919. He remarked casually that the toll was perhaps not as high as 2,000 as claimed in the memorial plaue, for he had heard from General Dyers son (Dyer was the one who had ordered the mowing down of the defenceless people of Amritsar) it was much less. For Sections which had been angry that the Queen would not apologise for the colonial outrage, the Duke's remarks came in handy. It was almost intrepreted as nothing short of blasphemy. But then the fact is that historians generally agree that the toll could not have been more than 400.
And the next gaffe was when the British High Commission sought to persuade the Tamil Nadu Governor into allowing the Queen to make a brief banquet speech. Apparently a speech was not in the touritenerary at all, and the idea o' a banquet speech was thought up in the last minute, but then protocol requirec the matter be cleared at the highest level

Page 27
15 NOVEMBER 1997
But the Centre had not been taken into confidence, and the miffed mandarins of Delhi told the Governor not to allow any speeches at the banquet.This the British side took as an offence, and its media made a hue and cry, inviting retaliation in kind from the Indian side. To round it all off there was a minor scuffle at the Chennal airport when the police sought to prevent a British photographer from entering a restricted area.
The visit only left a bad taste in the mouth though officially both the governments played down the glitches and claimed that the visit had generated a lot of goodwill, Be that as it may, the extreme reactions towards trivial developments went to show two things - one that India is still needlessly obsessed with its erstwhile colonial masters and two it is very insecure about its own identity,
TestingTimes for Democracy
However the developments in the most populous north Indian State of Uttara Pradesh afortnight later threw into sharper relief the rather precarious nature of Indian democracy in the wake of the crumbling of the Congress edifice. The events themselves were sufficiently disgraceful, attracting international attention and making every Indian hang his or her head in shame,
With no single party getting adequate majority on its own in the state assembly, a coalition resulted, the tall-talking BSP proving a key factor. It kept switching its partners at an astonishing pace, from the backward caste champion Samajwadi Party to the amorphous Congress on to the communal BJP and finally came crashing. It justified its marriages of convenience as political compulsions and claimed that when the major political parties had been exploiting the dalit vote-bank there was nothing wrong in its trying to ride piggy-back to power and that way promote the interests of the Dalits,
Following a very unusual agreement with an unlikely partner like the BJPwhich is status-quoist and Swears by Hinduism which keeps the Dalits untouchables - BSP leader Mayawati became chief minister for six months. She did many a quixotic thing in the name of the Dalits during her tenure, but the BJP put up with the taunts gamely,
But six months come and go fast, and she had to hand over the reins to the BJP which she finally did after creating a lot of ugly scenes, But what followed after a BJP man took over was even uglier, perhaps one of the ugliest scenes in the annals of independent india.
Barely a week later, the BSP chose to withdraw its support to the BJP on the
ground that some anti-Dalit. Clearly th Kanshi Ram wasp He had always b emerging as the c entire country anc him could capture ing the appropriat Dalit amelioration
But the BJP pr ply succeeded in Congress and the trived to obtain am the House.The viol sives, paper-weigh Wrenched-of-n in injuries to many the non-BJP partie had been beaten C Were forced to bea The BJP won a co, It was at this Samajwadi party, a party
coalition at th demonstrate its se its leader Mulayam up avidly by the CC the sole champion his excessively bac tends to alienate the especially the Dalit. ward castes their ir орpressors is easil the act. He got the U a report to the Cel Constitutional mac down and recomm the BJP governmet the Assembly,
Whatever the g sembly, the fact rer had managed to cob it was againstall ca. tion to have such a The wimpy Gujral meekly but finally t ties and Mulayam Si to accept the gover Enters the new K.R.Narayanan wh and asked the Guj its decision. Techn has very little room that he can do is ol and if the cabinet S he can only swallo dotted line. This was President so open cabinet on such a Narayanan took the And here the C Desam sava golde had always been ag constitution which e of a state governm coming down hard on the one side anc

of its actions were acerbic BSPleader lying for high stakes, asted that he was aciding factor in the whoever backed by ower, of course payprice in the form of eaSUeS, ved smarter. It simplitting the BSP the anata Dal and conajority on the floor of 2nt exchange of misS, chairs and crophones, resulting was appalling. But s realised that they omprehensively and a shameful retreat, nfortable majority.
juncture that the member of the 13
Centre sought to Cular Commitments, SinghYadav, propped immunist parties as of secularism - that Kward casteistplank other Hindu castes, s who find the backnmediate and Worst y ignored - got into JP governor send up ntre saying that the hinery had broken ending dismissal of it and dissolution of
oings on in the Ashained that the BJP ble up a majority and ons of the constituovernment sacked. could only protest he Communist Pargh prevailed on him ors report.
President of India put his foot down al regime to review cally the President for manouevre. All ly ask for a review, icks to its decision, it and sign on the the first time that a y differed with the crucial issue. But chance. MK and the Telugu hopportunity. They ainst Art.356 of the ables the dismissal nt. With the Press n the UP Governor (he DMK and other
TAM TIMES 27
constituents suggesting endorsement of the President's suggestion, it was Gujral's turn to beat yet another humiliating retreat.
But the newspapers which were hauling over the coals the pseudo- secularforces for ganging up against a morally upright BJP lauding the President's infinite wisdom and admirable courage of conviction and gloating over the ultimate triumph of democracy were in for a still nastier shock. Their much beloved BJP let them down terribly badly,
In an attempt to keep all the defectors happy, the BJP rewarded everyone of them with a ministerial berth. With a 90-plus mega-cabinet, the party concerned with ethics, the party with a difference, became a laughing stock. And Worse even the 12 defectors from the BSP who clearly attracted the provisions of the Anti-Defection Act were all accommodated, and the BJP
Speaker of the Assembly refused to disqualify them. (Under the Act a split in a legislature party is tenable only when the number of those who walk out is more than one-third of its total strength. Otherwise those defying the party whip on any count are liable to be disqualified from the membership of the legislature.) Clearly it was a case of gross subversion of all democratic norms, much more serious than what the UF government had sought to do in the first place. The media anaylysts taken in by inevitable march of Hindutva did not know wherein to hide their faces. They could only agonise over the compulsions of realpolitik and hope the BJP would opt for fresh elections instead of compromising its commitment to moral values. Anyway politics had fallen on bad days, tut, tut. In a matter of 24 hours the BJP's puffed up image had nosedived. Yet another God with clay feet, going to any length to satisfy its political ambitions.
There is once again talk of a broad anti-BJP front, but many believe that despite its dented image the BJP could be within a striking distance of
power even at the Centre. Still stability will elude the polity while communal divisions deepen. Some say there is now hope for a truly federal structure. Whatever the case, the much vaunted Ram Rajya of Gandhi remains a mirage.

Page 28
28 TAMIL TIMES
Rajiv Assassination
Ends - Judge
nt Re
T.N.Gopalan
in camera trial of the Rajiv assassination case. Mr.V.Navaneedham, spe
cial judge of the designated court, before whom the trial was conducted, has reserved his judgement for January 28 next year. On the firing line are as many as 26 persons including five women. Almost half of the accused are Sri Lankan Tamils, and the rest their alleged indian accomplices.
Though billed as one of the most sensational cases in the history of independent India, little was known to the outside world of the actual proceedings spread over 700 working days - the trial was held almost totally in camera, and the media was kept out of it all, though a couple of news agency reporters were allowed to glean some titbits occasionally and some more leaked out by from the counsels on both sides. The trial was held in Camera thanks to the Anti-Terrorism Act under which the special court was constituted, the ostensible reason being the lives of those who deposed against the accused could be in danger from the LTTE who are believed to have carried out the deadly mission.
The entire trial was conducted inside the well-fortified high security Poonamallee prison off Chennai. All the accused are detained there only, and since the state feared danger to their lives if they were moved in and out for trial elsewhere, the judges conducted the trial right inside the prison complex.
The human bomb Dhanu exploded at an election meeting at Sriperumbudur, 55 km from the state capital, on the night of May 21, 1991, instantly blowing to pieces Rajiv Gandhi and 17 others, setting off a series of events of far reaching significance both for India and Sri Lanka. The LTTE became an international outcast, the Lankan Tamil refugees in this country were hounded and India washed its hands off, proving a great set back to the Eelam cause itself, in promotion of which, ironically, Rajiv was so brutally murdered,
t is now curtains on the four-year-long
If the Congress lost a charismatic
vote-catcher, Tamilnadu itself saw the meteoric rise of Jayalalitha who cashed in on the assassination, though she squandered away the peoples mandate at a later stage. Her regime in 1991-96
marked the worst of the benighted Lal They were hounde them considered a their movements re inside the camps b the camps were amenities and allo you are guests wh your welcome, the More than 30,000 bly repatriated with High Commissioner looking on. Only aft paign by human r deportations were all breathed a sigh Jayalalitha's elector It was thanks tc the recovery of a ci sination spot that t to put the pieces to LTTE with the gha for the alleged ma eyed Sivarasan and on for a year and ei When he and six ot or they all committe fierce encounter wit laid seige to their h Originally 41 pe accused including Velupillai Prabhaka chief Pottu Amma leader Akila - the course be nabbed proclaimed offenc Sivarasan's gang died midway throug 26 to face the mus Though the ch filed a year after t other 19 months f commence. In all examined, 1500 e fore the court as a jects.
The prosecuti that it was the LTT the mission by wa ance on Rajiv who unleashing the in Force on the Tamil own TamilEelam a in one way or ano Commission of th fence has been th
 

15 NOVEMBER 1997
nase in the history kan Tamil refugees. out, every one of threat to the state, tricted and their life came miserable as enied even basic ved to go to seed - o have overstayed t were bluntly told. efugees were forcithe United Nations for Refugees blithely 2ra concerted Camights activists, the but to a virtual. They of relief only after al debacle. ) a fortuitous event, amera at the assashe police were able 'gether and link the stly crime. The hunt stermind, the Onehis associates, Went nded in agory finale hers were shot dead d suicide following a h the police who had deout in Bangalore. rsons were cited as the LTTE supremo aran, its intelligence and women's wing three could not of and were declared ers. Apart from the f seven, five others n the trial, leaving the C.
rge-sheet itself was he crime, it took an}r the trial proper to 288 witnesses Were hibits produced beso 1200 material ob
n's case is of Course which had executed of wreaking Vengewas instrumental in lian Peace Keeping igers fighting for their dall the accused had her aided or abetted crime. And the dethe prosecution has
not been able to prove beyond reasonable doubt either the involvement of the LTTE or of the accused and that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) had gone purely by surmises.
Of the 26 persons awaiting with bated breath the dawn of 28 January 1998, hardly five or six are perceived to have direct LTTE links, the rest being accomplices, wittingly orotherwise. The roll call includes Mr. Subha Sundaram, a veteran news photographer of Chennai and who had lent his camera to youngster Hari Babu, allegedly engaged by the LTTE to film the event for their macabre archives. The poor Hari Babu too was a victim of Dhanu's suicide-bomb, but the camera he left behind had provided the vital breakthrough and also implicated Subha Sundaram.
Another interesting sidelight is that Nalini, sister of a Tamil nationalist printer Bhagyanathan, another accused besides their mother Padma, had had secret liaison with Murugan, an TTE cadre, also an accused, during the run up to the assassination, was pregnant at the time of her arrest and gave birth to a baby while in prison and the child is being brought up in Switzerland.
Most of the accused did not hire lawyers by themselves but it was the state which provided them with legal assistance. There was even a raging dispute over the discrimination in the fees paid to the prosecution and to the defence counsels who numbered eight in all. Their agitation had also contributed to the delay in the trial. Finally some compromise was arrived at.
lt was Judge SMSiddick who conducted the trial for the most part. On his elevation to the High Court, Judge Navaneetham replaced him.
Leading defence lawyer S. Duraisamy told this correspondent that while they had no complaints whatsoever about the attitude of eitherof the two judges, the secret trial had worked to the detriment of the accused. Invoking the TADA provisions the prosecution had sprung as many as 40 secret witnesses on them, the defence coming to know of them only on the day of their deposition and it greatly affected their ability to satisfctorily cross-examine such witnesses. Besides since it was all in camera the outside world never came to know of the Weaknesses in the prosecution case and public opinion could not be mobilised in favour of the innocent. He also faulted the prosecution for the inordinate delay in getting the trial going though he felt that the actual trial itself had been gone through at a steady pace barring some hiccups here and there.
There was not a single defence wit(continued on next page)

Page 29
15 NOVEMEER 1997
ASPIRATIONS OFTAMILS
After continuously subscribing to the TamlTimes for more than fifteen years, I have como to the stage of stopplng my Subscription unless it changes Its attitude towards the aspirations of Tamils,
I am really fed up reading articles.( TT August 97) of people like Dr S Narapalasingham, who pretends as that he does not know the meaning of the "Do or Dle" stand taken by the LTTE. It is one of the biggest insults one could give to our freedom fighters. By publishing such articles Tamil Times is not only givIng promlinOnce to Dr N's view, it is also favouring the oppressive Sinhala Government.
| do not personaly endorse Overy
(Continued from page 28)
ness in the case, The delay in the trial had also boon caused partly by the overweening Jain Commission which sought the case diaries and almost a parallel trial, but the Supreme Court put its foot down,
The prosecution itself seems confident that stiff sentences Would be awarded to most of the accused and that none has been unfairly implicated. Knowledgeable sources assert the nelther the Jain Commission inquiring into the conspiracy angle nor the Special Court trial could hope to unravel the entire truth behind the assassination and the people who conspired to commit it, They seem to think it had died with Sivarasan and his associates, The rest of the accused could only have been small players, some of them even trapped unwittingly, But several death sentences and life terms are inevitable given the sensitive nature of the case and the public interest in the case. Any lesser penalties or acquittal could provoke a furore in the country,
Even in the Mrs.Indira Gandhi assassination case, despite some last minute efforts to mobilise public opinion, the main accused were hanged and some consider it a case of miscarriage of justice. One may also remember when rationalist poet Perunchithiranar filed a writ petition in the Madras High Court challenging the state-sponsored tour of the urn containing the ashes of Mrs. Gandhi, arguing that it went against the secular nature of the government, the learned judge came down heavily on him: The petitioner must thank himself for living in a democracy. In any other country he would have been lynched for daring to file such a petition which was an outrageous insult to the sentiments of the public which revered Mrs. Gandhi in Such highesteem and agonised terribly over her terrible assassination, the judge said.
thing done by the they are the only gr with their objective selves towards the a handful of "terro the Sinhalese gov World, ltls Wellac lncluding the majo that they are repres of the majority of T preciation and sup Tamils from al over is doing any Wrong rect them and not t men and Women, W to bring respect an
78 VNindermere AV Wembley, Middlese
MAN
AND THE PRI It has been repc dhist monks in Sri strongly to the con minister Mangala S Ing the report of th slon. Theyhavede fortunate minister, commentsand mal wise he will have quences such ask ing Buddhist shrine any religious cerem All What Mr Sar that the report shot the dustbin, Whe make such a rem Commission by so ity of a minister is a is more disturbing a reaction of the cle
til
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enclose a donation total value of........... Address..................
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TAM TIMES 29
TE, but I belleve that Oup who are genuine of sacrificing themcause, They are not lists" as deploted by Drnments to fool the epted by Overyone, rity of the Sinhalese enting the aspirations amils. They need apxort by the respected the World, If the TE there is a Way to cory Insulting the brave ho are our only hope d dignity to Tamils,
TSelvaratnam DU) IX, UK
GALA ESTLY THREAT
rted that some BudLanka have reacted ments made by the amaraweera regard le Sinhala Commismanded that the unshould withdraw his ke an apology, otherto face dire conseorbidden from enteras or participating in honies. naraweera said was ild be condəmned to her it is prudent to ark on the Sinhala neone in the capacmoot point, but what nd distressing is the 'gy. The harsh man
ner in which Mangala has been maligned and ostracisedls insharp contrast to the noble teachings of Lord Buddha,
it would be interesting to note at this Juncture an incident in the life of Buddha. Once Buddha encountered an opponent who cast aspersions and abused him in vitriolic language, Buddha listened and waited patiently for the man to finish his verbal tirade and said to him "My dear friend, if you invite guests to abanquet and the guests do not come, what do you do with the food that is prepared?" "Oh", was the reply," and my family will consume the food if the guests do not arrive". The great Buddha then said to the man who abused hlm "you have offered me your abuse, I am not receivng it. You can take it yourself" and qulotly left the scene,
The moral teaching in this episode is axiomatic and surely the followers of Buddha would have known this important lncident, but what is lamentable is that it has not manifested in their reaction to the Minister's remarks, Dabbling In politics by religious dignitaries is not only undesirable but also pernicious as Well, Those who are in ecclesiastical or der should vlew any remarks attributed to them dispassionately, even if they are unpalatable to them. To behave in a high handed manner is against the basic tenets of any religion, let alone Buddhism. As if this is not bad enough, the behaviour of some of the Newspapers in Sri Lanka is also equally reprehensible, They were quick in condemning the minlster but failed to criticise the monks. Perhaps they are too frightened to stick their neck out or stir up a hornet's nest. It is needless to say that it is the duty of the editors, if they are really responsible people, not only to point out but also to condemn in unequivocal terms any undesirable trend, emanating from any quarter, which is detrimental to social harmony,
V P Singam London SW17 United Kingdom
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Page 30
30 TAMIL TIMES
CLASSIFIED ADS
First 20 words 10. Each additional word 60p. Charge for BOX No. 3. (Wat 17 " 2" o extra) Prepayment essenta
The Advertisement Manager Tamil Times Ltd, PO Box 12
Sutton, Surrey SM13TD
0181-644 0972
Fax: 0181.241 455.
MATRMONIAL Tamil Hindu parents seek partner for US raised son, 26, 5'5", doctor employed in US with citizenship. M 980 c/o Tamil Times.
Uncle seeks Jaffna Tamil bride in UK for nephew, 40, engineer in top firm, sportsman. Girl must be of outgoing personality and a good conversationalist. M 985 C/o Tamil Times.
Jaffna Brahmin parents seek good-looking educated bride for son, 31, doing Master's in Professional Accounting in Australia. Send photo, horoscope, details. M986 C/o Tamil Times.
Jaffna Hindu father seeks professionally qualified partner for attractive doctor daughter, 29, educated and qualified in UK. M 987 C/o Tamil Times.
Jaffna Hindu A.C. C. A. Accountant, well established, house owner, U.K. permanent resident, 39, 5'8", teetotaller, non-smoker, seeks bride preferably professional. All correspondence treated confidentially. Send horoscope, full details. M 988 C/o Tamil Times.
Catholic Tamil Lankan parents in America seek educated partner for tall, handsome commerce graduate, qualified accountant, 40, employed Australia, dual citizenship. Relocation considered. Contact (203) 732 4836 (USA) or M 989 c/o Tamil Tinnes.
Well Established Hindu Family seek professionally qualified partner for only son, Computer Engineer, 32 years, working in USA, willing to sponsor. Please send details with photo. Telabs Inc., P.O. Box 15, Holmdel, New Jersey O7733, USA, email wrGitlabs.com, fax 732 294 4774.
Jaffna Hindu professional, widower seeks in strict Confidence lady partner around 47 in employment abroad. Should relocate to Australia Send details. M 990 C/o Tamil Times.
Uncle seeks professional bride with easy going personality around 26 for UK qualified Hin
du doctor, 30. Send horoscope,
full details in first letter. Con
fidentiality assured. M 992 c/o
Tamil Times.
Jaffna Hindu seeks partner for professionally qualified sister, divorcee, no encumbrances, 33, 5'4", fair, UK permanent resident, Mars seventh house. Send horoscope, details. M993 C/O Tamil Times.
Jaffna Hindu parents seek groom, 28-34, 165 cm, professionally qualified for professionally qualified, pretty, daughter, employed. Send horoscope, details to P.O. Box 1482, Station B, Hull, QC J8X 3Y3, Canada.
Jaffna Hindu parents seek professionally qualified groom for their ICMA accountant daughter with MBA, 34, in enployment in London, permanent resident. Send horoscope, details. M995 C/o Tamil Times.
WEDDING BELLS
We congratulate the following couples on their recent wed ding.
Latha daughter of Mr. & Mr A.T.S. Ratnasingham of 17 Oueen's Road, Wimbledc SMV19 8LX and Tirunal Son Mr. & Mrs. S.B. Parvathaneni 84B Thameside, Staine, Middx. TW18 2HF on 17 October 1997 at Shree Ghan pathy Temple, Wimbledo, London SW19 8PU.
 

15 NOVEMBER 1997.
Jai Shankar Son Of Dr. & Mrs. Ramanathan of 92 Hitchings Way, Reigate, Surrey RH28ER and Sai Swarupini daughter of Dr. & Mrs. Kathirgamathamby of 294 Scuthborough Lane, Bromley, Kent BR2 8AA on 20th October 1997 at Pedda Venkamaraju Kalyana Mandapam, Puttaparthi, India.
Adhithya son of late Mr. P. Narendranathan and Mrs. G. Narendranathan of 53 Crossways, South Croydon, Surrey CR2 8JQ and Meera daughter of Mr. S. Sithamparanathan and late Mrs. S. Sithamparanathan of 16 Dengwood Road, Highgate, London N6 4A on 1st November 1997 at The Clay Oven Banqueting Hall, Ealing Road, Wembley, Middx.
OBITUARY
Kanmanni beloved wife of V. Thiagarajah formerly of Maviddapuram and Mahajana College, Tellippalai and presently of Melbourne, Australia; loving mother of Sriskantharajah, Rajani and Rajabhavani, motherin-law of Gnanapoonkothai, Rajalingam (USA) and Nadarajalingam, eldest sister of Saraswathy Arumugarajah (Canada), Parameswary Satchithanantham (Sri Lanka), late Kanthasamy (formerly of TRRO & Saturday Review), Parameswaran (Sydney), late Gnanambikai and Mangayatkarasi Dharmarajah (Canada) died on 11th September 1997 and the funeral took place on the 13th in Melbourne. – 15 Harris Crescent, Glen waverly, Victoria 3150, Australia.
N MEMORAM
In loving memory of Mr. P.V. Nadarajah on the ninth anniversary of his passing away on 16th November 1988.
Fondly remembered and sadly missed by his loving wife Thilagavathy, children Usha, Varathan, Nalini and Nanthini; sons-in-law Sivanathan, Rajkumar and Vathsayan; daughterin-law Savithiri; grand children Baira Vi, Luxmi, Uruthiran and Abhirami. - 32 Kenmore Close, Hoppens Crossing, Victoria 3029, Australia.
Mrs. Sivakolunthu Nadarajah First Death Anniversary 22.11.97
BhOOrni; 10. 10. 1924 Swargam: 22. 11. 1996 Fondly remembered by her husband Mr. C. Nadarajah (Malaysia), daughters Aachi, lindira (Sri Lanka), Saras (UK); son Dr. Siva (Malaysia); brothers Ramalingam, Dr. Sharil (Malaysia), Kandiah (Singapore), Velupilai, Visvalingam (Sri Lanka), Mylvaganam (UK); sisters Sivagami (Singapore), Thangamma (Sri Lanka); son-in-law Bas (UK); daughter-in-law Dr. Selvam (Malaysia); sisters-in-law Varathaluxmi (Sri Lanka), Mahalluxmi (Sri Lanka), Zahurin (Malaysia); Shanthini (UK): brother-in-law Sundaram (Singapore) and grand children. - 102 Cavendish Road, Colliers Wood, London SW192EZ, UK.

Page 31
5 NOVEMBER 1997
袭
Our Papa Mr. Arunasalam Subramaniam Born: 1208. 1908
children,
IN MEMORAM
Passed away. 10.11.1987.
Tenth of November both of you departed After all that you have imparted To every one of us quite a number Everlasting pleasant memories to remember. From Loving children, sons and daughters-in-law and grand
Our Amma Mrs. Kuganeswary Subramaniam Born: 1907. 1922 Passed away. 10.11.1989.
Eswara Kanthan, Rohini, Suganya and Shamita, USA. Eswara Haran, Rathy, Rathan and Divya USA Eswara Gowri, Ravi Nadaraja, Garani and Divani, USA. Eswara Rupan, Shankari, Mahisha and Ahila, UK. Eswara Janani, Sivaloganathan, Vaishnavi and Arathi. Eswara Narthana, Abhirami, Suban and Amuthan. Eswara Ramanan, Dhakshini, Kuganeesha and Vithushan.
Mrs. Chandra Ragupathy In everloving memory of my darling wife Chandra on the second anniversary of her passing away on 26th November 1995.
Sadly missed and fondly remembered by her darling husband Ragupathy - 262 Wricklemarsh Road, London SE3 8DW.
FORTHCOMING EVENTS
December 1 Kaarthikai Somavaaram (3).
Dec. 3 Chathurthi; Feast of St. Francis Xavier.
Dec. 5 Shashti.
Dec. 6 Feast of St. Nicholas,
6.30pm Tamil Orphans' Trust
presents Music & Dance by Pupils of Smt Sivasakthi Sivanesan, Smit Saraswathy Packiarajah, Smit Sivatharani Sahade van and Sint Uma Chandradeva at Winston Chuir
, chill Hall, Pinn Way, Ruislip,
MiCCX. es: O181 908 3540.
Dec. 6 6.30pm Jaffna Hindu College O.B.A. in association with Joly Stars Sports Club presents Hindu Nite in aid of Jaffna Hindu College Scholarship Fund at Wembley High School Hall, East Lane, Wembley, Middix. Tel: 01812003822/ 2O4. 5366.
 
 
 
 
 

TAM TIMES 31
BOrr 2O. 11. 1928
IN MEMORAM
Richard Jeyarajasingam
Seven years to this day have Passed without you With every moment bringing a pang of hurt. Yet within Our hearts You are always there With thoughts of Love, Joy and Happiness you gave
And the firm belief you are in the perfect place -
Away from pain, tears, want and sorrows Justly Yours Fondly remembered by Ranee and Children.
Entered Glory: 27.11.1990
Dec. 8 Kaarthikai Somavaaram (4); Feast of Immaculate Conception.
Dec. 10 Ekaathasi.
Dec. 11 Pirathosam, Feast of St. Damascus.
Dec. 12 Thirukkaarthikai Theерат.
Dec. 13 Full Moon; Sarvalaya Theepam, Feast of St. Lucy, SLTWG Christmas Party at Merton Hall, London SW19. Tel: 0187 545 3313; SCOT Christmas Dinner Dance at Acton Town Hall, London W3. Tel 0181 693 4088/952 7249/ 87O 9897.
Dec. 14 Vinayagar Kathai starts; Third Sunday of Lent.
Dec. 15 Kaarthikai Somavaaram (5).
De c. 1 7 San ka ta ha ra Chathurthi.
Dec. 20 SLTWG Children's Christmas Party. Tel: 0181 545 3313. Dec. 21 Fourth Sunday of Lent. Dec. 25 Krishna Ekaathasi. Dec. 26 Feast of St. Stephen. Dec. 27 Sani Pirathosam; Feast of St. John. Dec. 29 Anawasai.
Dec. 31 Feast of St. Sylvester.
At Bhawan Centre, 4A Castletown Road, London W14 9HQ. Tel: 0171 381 3086/ 4608. Dec. 6 6.30pm Bharatha Natyam by Stella Appal Subbaiah. Dec. 14 6.00pm Benefit Performance for Shri Ramakrishna Vedanta Centre. Karnatic Vocal; Sivasakthi Sivanesan, Bharatha Natyam: Prakash Yadaցudde. Dec. 22 7.00pm Christmas Celebrations: Carol Singing, Christmas Message and Cultural Programme. All Welcome.

Page 32
32 TAMILTMES
TrinCOmalee Thirukoneswaram Temple
A new bronze bell, weighing 330 kilograms 33" in diameter and 291/2" in height was delivered to the Thirukoneswaram Temple, Trincomalee, Sri Lanka on seventh October 1997. It was made in France and supplied with all necessary fittings. The total Cost was E5000.
The following inscription appears on the bell - "Thirukoneswaram Temple, Trincomalee. Donated by Expatriates in the UK, Europe, North America, Africa and Australia".
Mr. A. Mahendra, the UK fund manager, Mr. P. Thevarajah, other friends and fund raisers wish to thank all those who made donations and helped in every possible way to make this endeavour possible,
Kokuvil Hindu Old Students Meet
The Fifth Annual General Meeting and Lunch of the Kokuvil Hindu College Old Students Association (UK) took place on 21st September 1997 at Coston Primary School Hall, Greenford, Middx. Around 200 members were present and the proceedings commenced with the singing of the college song, and Mr. S. Sivagnanasegaram, the Chief Guest lighting the traditional Kuthu Villaku. Dr. P. Arumugaraasah, the President of the association welcomed the gathering and was followed by speeches by Dr. T. Raj Chandran, Mr. K. Kanthapillai and Mr. S. Selvaratnam. Mr. Sivagnanasegaram reminisced on the pleasant days he had spent as a student and complimented his teachers for the service they had rendered in shaping his future.
The following were elected officebearers of the association for 1997/98, President: S. Kanagasundaram, VicePresidents: K. Kanthapillai, R. Kuganeswaran and S. Selvaratnam.
Secretary: N. Nantha V. Tharmarajah, Trea vadas, Asst. Treasu nathan, Sports Secy Asst. Sports Secy: M Committee: Dr, P. Yoganathan, A. Praba san, R. Ratnakumar, Kukendrarajah, Mrs. Mrs, S. Arulananthé Chefti,
The meeting ended na's Drama and a Wio Mathan,
Hariharan's
Arange
Yoganathans of Stal South lindian Saint Thennangoor had the when a helping hand foreseen quarters to Miruthanga Arangetra cancelled as the sing fron Madras Was Su had to be rushed bac, prayed more Vigorou duced to a brilliant sin resident in the UK. Mahesh, an exponen medalist of the Unive is also a disciple C Jayaraman and agree ist at the Arangetra Hariharan's Arangetra chill Hall, Pinn Way 27th September 199. Concert and was ap present. Smit Pavithre 15 year old Harihare Miruthangam as if he ence in playing that it feel the unSeen há playing through the t haran.
Hariharan's Guru all Smiles at the pe disciple continued touching the finishing records. Dr. Laksh, Gananathan on ( anathan on Morsing waran on Thambura
 
 

15 NoveMBER 1997.
opan, Asst. Secy: urer: P. Anandasier: S. Sivayoga; N. Vijayakumar, s. S. Pushparajah, rumugaraasah, N, aran, K. KugathaN. Rajendran, R, °. Thevarajah and n, Auditor: S. K.
With Mr. Pirashanin recital by Mr. G.
Mlruthanga trann
more, devotees of Swamy Haridhos of ir prayers answered
appeared from unhelp with their son's m which was nearly er originally invited idenly taken ill and * home, The parents sly and were introfer from South lindia, he is Smit PaVithra
in Veena and gold sity of Madras. She o Padmasri Latgudi d to sing as a vocaln. The result was nn at Winston Chuir
Ruislip, Middx. on
ended as a Grand lauded by all those was at her best and performed on the nad 15 years experiStrument. One Could ld of Saint Guruji nder hands of Hari
luthu Sivarajah was formance when his O run even after line to break further i Jayan on Violin, adam, Sithamparnd Bhayiravi Ganesgave excellent sup
port, Mr. John Holman, Hariharan's Headmaster was the Chief Guest. As Harihar an's uncle Mr. S. Shanmugam OBE (recently honoured by HM the Queen in the honours list) wrote in the brochure, Hariharan's Arangetram should not only be the fulfilment of his childhood dreams but should be the beginning of higher achievements in academic, professional and cultural activities and also his spiritual pursuits,
Winal Sockanathan.
Bishop Ambalavanar
The Rt. Rev, David Jeyaratnam Ambalavanar is the second of the five Children of the late Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Ponnambalam Ambalavanar of Pungudutivu, Jaffna. The parents were mission workers in Andhara Pradesh, South Indian in the early days and on their return to Ceylon continued their ministry work in the Jaffna Diocese. All the children were born in India,
Jeyam had his early education in Bangalore and when his parents returned to Ceylon, joined St. John's College, Jaffna. He lost his father when he was 15 years old, and thereafter entered Jaffna College, Vaddukoddai, where he excelled in his studies. He was a King's Scout and represented the college in the cricket and soccer teams. After completing the studies in College, he entered the undergraduate department and secured a science degree. For a short time he served as a teacher at Drieberg College and Jaffna College.
in 1950, when Jeyam's contemporaries were aspiring to be doctors and engineers he offered himself for full time Ministry in spite of domestic opposition. To pursue his ambition, he joined the Serampore University in Calcutta, from where he graduated in Divinity with an All India best performance. On his return to Ceylon, he joined the Jaffna Diocese of the Church of South India in 1954 and his pastoral station was Araly. It was during this period that he married Dr. Chandra Kanapathipillai.
From Arally, he was posted to Manipay Parish from where he proceeded to King's College, London for higher studies and

Page 33
15 NOVEMEBER 1997
gained the Master's Degree in Theology. After his return from UK and while serving at the Udupiddy Parish, he was elected the Second Bishop of the Jaffna Diocese, succeeding the late Rt. Rev. Sabapathy Kulendran, one of our most erudite scholars of Jaffna. He was consecrated in Jaffna on 30th June 1971.
Jeyam took over at a very turbulent period in the history of the Tamil struggle for self determination. He was a spokesman both in Sri Lanka and at linternational forums for Tamil rights and against human rights violations. He raised his voice fearlessly on behalf of the Tamils. His counsel and advice was sought both by the powerful and the down-trodden. He provided leadership to the Church with a clear sense of purpose, direction, dignity and Courage. He always exhibited an unwavering commitment to the ideals of his faith.
During his tenure of office as Bishop, the rost distinct Contribution to the Diocese has been the expansion of the mission field into the entire North and East of Sri Lanka. When he took Over in 1971 there were only 24 churches. Today we are proud to count 72 churches, 66 day care centres for the poor children, 15 orphanages, 13 vocational training Centres for women, 2 technical colleges and several other development projects. During his time he was also instrumental in building 1500 low cost houses for the refugees. After a distinguished life in the service of The Lord for 22 years he retired on 28th February 1993. Bishop Jebanesan, another scholar succeeded him.
In 1996, an Honorary Doctorate was conferred on him by the Serampore University of Calcutta. The last function he attended was the Golden Jubilee Celebrations of the C.S.I. in Madras and his last speech was at Ladies College, Colombo, where he spoke on the theme "The Year 2000.
He passed away peacefully on 10th October 1997 at the Jaffna Hospital and the funeral service took place at Vaddukoddai in the presence of around 10,000 nourners from all walks of life, and the burial took place at the Mission Graveyard, Uduvil.
He leaves behind his dear wife Chandra, two sons Dr. Dayalan and Darshan and a vast array of relatives, friends, admirers and well wishers to mourn his loss.
May his soul rest in peace.
R.J. Gunaratnam.
Bharatha Natyam Fundraiser
The Tamil Union of Herts in association with the Lakshmi Art Centre presented a Bharatha Natyam recital at the Watersmeet Theatre, Rickmansworth, Herts on Sunday, 28th September 1997 to raise cash for the University of Jaffna Students Welfare Fund. The fund was set up by the university with the primary aim of providing financial assistance to students in need of
help during their un The fund has in assisted several Stu turmoil in the North to raintain their cont cational process.
Ife afri! Urior founded fourteen ye addition to promotin and educational acti of the Tamil Connul Hertfordshire area, it the Tamils affected b Sri Lanka.
The main benefact event were Natasha navee Sreeharan, h nam, Shobana Bá Sreeharan and Ther graduate students Centre, which has training students in th Bharatha Natyam, Arangetrams and C gratifying to note thé Herts has made a ne this event.
Smit Selvalluxmy popular director of formed the Choreog, Vangam and the artistes were Sri Rej M. BalaChandar - M Chandrasekhar- Vio - Flute. Sri K. Sangu, for the evening. Dr. COrned the audience ment of the recital a. thanked the participé and the gathering for
The Tamil Union new classes in Bh Music in January 19 please telephone M O1923 46.3466 or D, O1923 226OOO.
Shivanthan
Sh
Two youngsters add to the cap of Miru born, Muthu Sivaraj sixteen and his twe Shivaruban trained u years presented their at the Tooting Siva October 1997.
instead of inviting
 

TAM TIMES 33
dergraduate careers. the past few years dents affected by the and East of Sri Lanka mitments to the edu
of Herts which was ars ago has been in g the social, cultural vities of the members ity in and around the mobilising support for y the ethnic conflict in
ors of this fundraising
Karunakaran, Vaishkunudhini Visuvaratlaratnam, Sowmya Nuha Thiagarajan; the of the Lakshmi Art over the years been e Kalakshetra style of has staged several lance dramas. It is at the Tamil Union of at profit of £2100 from
Ramakrishnan, the the Art Centre perraphy and the Nattupther accompanying i George - Vocal, Sri siruthangam, Sri B.K. lin and Dr. T. Nimalraj han was the compere
S. Sabaratan welat the Connencend Mr. Logan Rasiah ants for their support
their generosity. of Herts Conner.ces aratha Natyam and '98. Those interested tr. Logan Rasiah on r. S. Sabaratnam. On
& Shivaruban ine
ed two more feathers thanga Guru, Trinco ah. Shivanthan aged ive year old brother inder the Guru for six maiden performance yogam Hall on 19th
a priest to the Hall as
in every other Arangetram we have seen in and around London, the performers and most of the audience were taken to the nearest temple (fust one floor above). Offerings were made to the deity, blessings were conferred and the party returned to the hall to start the performance. Shivanthan and Shivaruban had many other youngsters on the stage. To the untrained and ignorant eye they may have looked like a junior school orchestral Those of us who knew the capabilities of pesons such as child prodigy Sujaya were not let down. Sixteen year Sujaya Chandran was the main vocalist who performed for this Arangetram. The other youngsters on stage were Sithamparanathan on Morsing, Gananathan on Gatam, Visakan on Ganjira and Kavitha Natesaligam on Thambura. Violin accompaniment was provided by Smit Kalaivani lindrakumar.
Smt Pushkala Gopal was the Chief Guest, while Sri Naganatha Sivam Kurukkal and Sri V.R. Ramanathan were both special guests. All speakers emphasised the appearance of youthfulness on the stage and that the average age on the stage was fifteen! The programme was very professionally presented by the Evergreen compere Sri Wimal Sockanathan of Radio Ceylon and BBC and now of the Tamil Ozhai - Europe's Tamil Television.
– Suba.
Swami Yogeshwarananda Visits UK
Swami Yogeshwarananda, a monk of the Shankaracharya order, who was born in Sri Lanka and spent twenty five years in the Himalayas leading the life of an ascetic studying traditional Vedantic scriptures, has since 1984 been lecturing all over the world bringing a fresh approach to the perplexities to today's Society. He is visiting various places in the UK on a lecture tour. Those interested please contact Mr. K Sri RaVikilar 0181 908 2646 / Mr.S. V. Alalasundarain O181 395 5O87 / Mr. C. Vellayuthan 0181 297 5087 / Dr. & Mrs. Sivanesan, Birmingham 01543490641 for details.

Page 34
34 TAMIL TIMES
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