கவனிக்க: இந்த மின்னூலைத் தனிப்பட்ட வாசிப்பு, உசாத்துணைத் தேவைகளுக்கு மட்டுமே பயன்படுத்தலாம். வேறு பயன்பாடுகளுக்கு ஆசிரியரின்/பதிப்புரிமையாளரின் அனுமதி பெறப்பட வேண்டும்.
இது கூகிள் எழுத்துணரியால் தானியக்கமாக உருவாக்கப்பட்ட கோப்பு. இந்த மின்னூல் மெய்ப்புப் பார்க்கப்படவில்லை.
இந்தப் படைப்பின் நூலகப் பக்கத்தினை பார்வையிட பின்வரும் இணைப்புக்குச் செல்லவும்: Tamil Times 1998.09

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2 TAM TIMES
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15SEPTEMBER 1998
defend to the death your right to say it."
\oltaire
ISSN 0266 - 44 88 Vol. XVII No. 9 15 SEPTEMBER 1998
Published by: TAMIL TİMES LTD PO Box 121, Sutton, . Surrey SM13TD United Kingdom Phone: 0181 644 0972 Fax: 0181 241 4557 Email: prajan Ggn.apc.org
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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.
Appeal for Joint Consensus 03 Second Jaffna Mayor Killed 04
News Review O7 Probing Mass Graves 13 For a way out of the War 16
Revisiting Indo-Lanka Accord 18 Northern Ireland Agreement 21 Pakistan Going Islamic 27 Classified 30
Some 23 grou ous religions, co fessions have se to President Char and Opposition Lu mesinghe, asking work together to to the national cri ter says:
Recently, we of our independ deny that all these have been marred rivalry (electoral, two main politica. and the SLFP thei pal issue of this none other than question and cons ing between the ( tricts, the provinci People are we senseless and harn been on matters c matters related to and the country. each party had op power what it has power. This has i mentation of any to this issue in 195 1972, 1977, 1983 a This has only led the situation, resul fering and widesp to an on-going civ ted for over 15 ye. We will not he that the two mair governed this cou indence have miser to an agreement c tional issue. This the principal cause war since 1983, c. precious lives on uprooted from the a million people al gees in Sri Lanka
Furthermore, tl financial resource over one third of nomy; the ever in ness of our count
 
 
 
 
 

TAMIL TIMES 3
Appealto President
UNPLeader to Reach "Joint Consensus
s representing varinmunities and prot an urgent appeal drika Kumaratunga ader Ranill Wickrethem to unite and chieve a settlement sis. Their open let
elebrated 50 years ence. No one can ; years, since 1948, by bitter political o be precise), of the
parties - the UNP r allies. The princincessant rivalry is he national ethnic equent poWer sharcentre and the dises and the regions. all aware that this nful rivalry has not f principles, or on
serving the people -
On the contrary, posed when out of proposed when in mpeded the impleeasonable solution 6, 1958, the 1960s, nd 1987" up to now. o the worsening of ting in greater sufread violence, and il war that has las
LS. sitate to state here parties that have ntry since indepebly failed to come n this burning naailure, while being of this continuing sting over 50,000 oth sides, has also r homesteads over d made them refund exiles abroad. e depletion of our - to the tune of our national eco'reasing indebtedy; the destruction
caused to the environment; creating distrust and animosity among communities and promoting the cult of violence and the violation of human rights must be seen as direct consequences of this failure on the part oíour political leaders to arrive at a consensus to resolve the crisis. What is even more serious is that war situation is today assuming such frightful proportions that it may soon lead to a mass recruitment of school leavers into the security forces to continue to fight this deadly war. People are aware that this war is not being fought on their behalf.
It is indeed a crying shame to find Sri Lanka listed among those countries where violence and crime have assumed unmanageable proportions. These reflections of the international community are further confirmed when we realise how age-old spiritual and social values that guided our lives have been thrown overboard and how violence is being resorted to in resolving social conflicts.
It is of utmost importance that this national question be resolved with wisdom, justice and the wide consensus of our political leadership since people's inalienable rights and sense of security are at stake and these need to be guaranteed with justice to all. We cannot hope to achieve peace without justice, because peace is the fruit of justice.
Any attempt to solve the national problem through the electoral process will be to load people with an additional burden. Besides, it will only serve to divide our people even further. Our history provides numerous examples that the electoral process has not been the most appropriate means to solve problems of this nature qualitatively. Our firm conviction is that serious consultation between the two main parties is vital if this national crisis is to arrive at a reasonable and acceptable solution. In the event of a consensus being reached, no one should grudge the parties to the dialogue from sharing the credit

Page 4
4 TAMIL TIMES
for their efforts.
While this requires an approach of mutual respect, understanding, dialogue and consensus seeking among the leadership of the two main parties, the whole process can serve as a striking example of conflict resolution and have a significant impact on all other political groups.
We firmly believe that our cultures and religions can inspire a more just and humane solution to the present crisis. There are methods of wise conflict resolution based on the search for the common good (and not of party electoral victory). The international society gives us ample examples of such approaches. We wish to state categorically that any attempt to restore peace through armed confrontation is not only against the teachings of the religions, but also not the most constructive way to resolve the national crisis.
We, therefore, earnestly urge President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, Opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe and their two political parties and alliances: o To come to an agreement on sharing responsibility and credit for resolving the national crisis; O To take it out of the arena of party electoral politics; o And we firmly urge YOU to place before the country and the world YOUR joint minimum consensus for a peaceful Solution, with justice to all, of this burning problem.
The letter has been signed by: Inter-Religious Peace Foundation - Ven Walpola Wimalagnana Thero; Centre for Society and Religion - Re. Fr. Oswald B. Firth OMI; National SEDEC - Rev Fr. J.B Devarajah; Tamil Youth- Cultural Organization - K. Kanakarajah; Maligawatte Hindu Social Service Society; National Peace Council - Tyrrol Ferdinands; Federation of Tamil Associations; Dhar
mavedi Institute - Rajah Dharmapala; )
Grama Probodha Foundation; Mothers and Daughters of Sri Lanka — (Coalition of 32 Organisations); Matara Human Resources Development Centre - M. H. M Shums; Hindu Confederation of Vavuniya – P. Sivalloganathan; Fisheries Solidarity Committee - J.J. Perera; Fisheries Solidarity Committee, Mampuri; Women's Education and Research Centre - Dr. Selvy Thiruchandran; South Asian Muslim Academy - Laffir Madani, Social and
LTT SeCl
Ponnuthurai S
tly appointed Tam
Front Mayor of th ity is the latest vi tion Tigers of Tam The carnage at Mandapam (Wedd ing the Municipal the deaths of Jaff ander Susantha N usly promoted as principal Staff Off Capt. Ramanay Police Chandra P Fernando, ASP C dquarters Inspec Police Constable nicipal Commissic Municipal Engine Municipal Enginee a woman, Municip Rajaratnam. Anoth whom three are i have been hospit The instrument form of a sophisti vice mine lodged and ceiling. The Claymores are ba nnel mines used mobile patrols. A suspended on tre the jungles. But pl a room of seated c ing death downwa for the LTTE in th The discovery ing device that ap plode provides kn lethal weapon was Investigations are exact nature of the
Economic Training Rev Fr. Nandana M ment for Justice, ciliation - Andrew man Rights Organ Rajadurai; Sama Jayasinghe; Rural I dation - A.R.A.R. for the Defence of - S.G Punchihewa: ter Racial Justice nda Deshapriya.

15SEPTEMBER 1998
E Mine Blast Kills ond Jaffna Mayor
D B SJeyaraj
įvapalan, te recenl United Liberation 2 Jaffna Municipalctim of the Liberal Eelam (LTTE). the Nallur Kalyana ng Hall) now housCouncil also caused na Brigade CommMendis posthumoMajor-General, his icer ake, Senior Supt. of erera, ASP Sarath handramohan, Heator Mohanadhas, Gerard, Addl. Muyner Pathmanathan, er Eeswaran, Asst *r Pathmarajah, and al architect Mallika her injured eight of n critical condition alised.
of death was in the cated Claymore debetween the roof usually arc shaped ysically anti-persoto target foot and few have also been es by the LTTE in acing one up above ccupants and heaprds is another first is dirty war.
of another bombparently did not exowledge of what the likely to have been. on to ascertain the death device. Soon
Institute, Kandy - Manatunga; MovePeace and ReconSamaratunge; Hulisation - Padmini Sevaya - Samson )evelopment Founameez, Movement Democratic Rights Movement for In& Equality - Suna
after the blast it was announced that the bombs were placed several months previously when the building was being renovated and lying dormant until being activated 11 September. Since then military spokesmen have said that the device had been placed a day before it was activated. Did that mean that the LTTE had given advance information about the conference being held on that fateful day and who the participants were ? There is strong suspicion that had "inside connivance".
The reported detention of two night watchers Mangaleswaran and Thevasingham suggest that Suspicion centres around the fact that the bombs were very recently placed during nightfall. It is suspected that the bomb was activated by a powerful remote control mechanism from outside though some say an electronic timer also could have been used.
The topmost soldier in the North . Major-General Lionel Balagalle has described the incident as a "setback. In one single incident the Mayor. Town Commandant and SSP have been eliminated. So too have a number of other top police and municipal officials. The meeting with the Army and Police was known to municipal officials only at 9.30 am in the morning. The earlier schedule was to hold the Municipal Council meeting at 11 am in the same room.
If that meeting had occurred as planned then the explosive attack would have caused the deaths of the Mayor and the Council in its entirety. Although investigations are yet to be completed all preliminary indications are that the perpetrators who originally targeted the Municipal Council. may have decided to go-ahead with. their plan in spite of the changed agenda because the opportunity to kili the Brigadier, Senior police officials along with the Mayor too was an attractive target from the LTTE point of view.
The attack from a Tiger perspective has succeeded in exposing th:: fragile security situation in Jaf:

Page 5
15SEPTEMBER 1998
The killing of Municipal officials in particular is likely to send shivers down the spines of most public servants in Jaffna. The tenuous structures of civil administration struggling to assert themselves in Jaffna will now regress into oblivion. The security apparatus too will naturally adopt a more sterner hard-line approach and increase security measures. The slow process of transferring military control to civilian authorities will now be put on hold. More importantly the psyche of the Jaffna people would reluctantly reconcile itself to the harsh reality that there is no return to normalcy at least not now.
When local authority elections to Jaffna were held in January this year it was stated that it was the Jaffna municipal elections that was of paramount importance. For more reasons than one it was the metropolitan poll that proved to be the most fair and free of the seventeen local authority elections. It was also the most prestigious being the northern capital. Also the best possible chance to usher in a normal civilian administration albeit with some constraints was also possible only there.
All the Tamil parties contested Jaffna and nominated the best possible candidates for the Jaffna mayoral stakes. The EPDP had their Jaffna organizer Jegan and the EPRLF their Jaffna organizer Robert. The PLOTE had its deputy leader Manickathasan and the TELO the Secretary-General Sivajilingam. The TULF had a woman Sarojini Yogeswaran widow of popular Jaffna ex-Parliamentarian Yogeswaran as its candidate. The TULF got into the hustings late because of some legal difficulties. Its campaign was conspicuous by its low-profile, nonpresence nature. Yet the TULF won Jaffna and Sarojini Yogeswaran created history as the first elected mayoress of Jaffna.
The LTTE too attempted a direct disruption of polls only in Jaffna city. In the early hours of the morning on election day the LTTE launched a mini-offensive on Gunagar in Jaffna municipality. It also indulged in some mortar shelling. This resulted in the voting times in Jaffna city being delayed by several hours. A feeling of panic too set in. The voter turn out in Jaffna town was nearly half of the actual number of voters present,
In another remarkable exhibition .
of courage the pe literally voted wit process they disp propaganda barrago Tamil media that t turn out to be a fi their own way den wanted to take the the gigantic journ representative der ian rule.
The IPA and P1 nga made maximu formance to blare great victory for th PA government st creditable assertior a partisan politica LTTE. Again the this victory was J world especially ! loves a spirited un a woman in the p context of South A Sarojini Yoges to a very great ext ing US representati ardson, wanted a meeting with Yoge not oblige him be jured herself at tha The Kumaratu after seeking max mileage out of the ity situation did n ingful steps to con the situation. At a thern local authori Jaffna municipality uld have been give: ment to function e: itably all sorts of b aints were placed, ng hearts" from th to Jaffna at electi and observe that th ren were returning mocracy just lost No pressure was ex nment to take extra vanise the northe tion.
Sarojini Yoge dent Kumaratung: was no immediate Shortly before her in an interview to sounded bitter a There was an acu: betrayed in that int. rtantly the people sharing these feeli en a bold braves

TAMIL TIMES5
ople of Jaffna had h their feet. In the elled the sustained ge by the Colombo he elections would sco. The people in nonstrated that they first small step in ley back to proper mocracy and civil
resident KumaratuIm use of this perforth that it was a le government. The ought to convert a by the people into l triumph over the prize showcase of affna City. All the the western media derdog, particularly atriarch dominated Asia. So waran was lionized ent. Even the visitve to the UN, Richphoto opportunity eswaran who could cause she had int time in a fall. nga administration imum propaganda Jaffna local authorot take any meanstructively promote time when the norties in general and y in particular shon"privileged' treatfficiently and credbureaucratic constrAll those "bleedie South who went on time to ensure heir northern brethto the folds of deinterest after that, {erted on the govermeasures and galrn bodies into ac
Swaran met Presia herself but there follow up action. death Yogeswaran a Tamil newspaper nd disappointed. te sense of feeling erview, More impoof Jaffna too were ngs. They had taktep in defying the
LTTE diktat in opting to live in Army controlled Jaffna earlier. They had also boldly defied the Tigers in voting in comparatively large numbers at the local authority polls. But now there was no meaningfully reciprocal activity by the government. There was neither transition to civilian rule nor concrete development efforts. The government seemed concerned only in scoring narrow propaganda points and not evincing any real care or concern about their plight.
The local authorities won by the EPDP, PLOTE and TELOtoo were not functioning. Trotting out various reasons, some of them valid, these parties did not constructively engage in running the Councils, Some never convened while others had only a few taking oaths. But the TULF took that leap of faith and trusting the Kumaratunga government attempted to work the two authorities under their control, the Jaffna MC and the Valigamam North Pradeshiya Sabha in spite of the constraints. It was a very commendable and courageous step for the TULF as it lacked the firepower and financial power of the other Tamil parties. The TULF was extremely vulnerable, Sarojini Yogeswaran in particular refused armed bodyguards on a matter of principle. The TULF once again became politically targeted. Its close association with Kumaratunga's efforts to usher in a devolution package was a plus point in its favour once. But with the Constitutional reform process reaching an impasse and the consequences of the war troubling the Tamils on a widespread scale the TULF was the subject of criticism. The "moderate' and "democratic' nature of the party made itself very vulnerable. Tamil elements who would not dare criticise Tamil groups or the Tigers publicly pulled no punches when it came to the TULF. Tamil political parties too kept on criticising the TULF. In a bid to demonstrate that it was not TULF support that helped the government to prolong the emergency the party started voting against emergency extension in Parliament. Thus it proved that it was not responsible for the sustained emergency. Still the criticism continues.
There is a Tamil proverb that only fruit bearing trees are stoned. Likewise there is the English saying that on one kicks a dead dog. The TULF

Page 6
6 TAMILMES
may be down but it certainly is not out. The 1994 Parliamentary elections as well as the two local authority results of 1998 have demonstrated that if free and fair elections are held the Tamil electorate will vote for the TULF in a big way. Of course it is difficult to predict a situation where the LTTE enters the democratic mainstream but even then the TULF is likely to do reasonably well.
This is fully realised by other Tamil parties and hence their vicious tirades against the TULF. The LTTE also knows that the intra-Tamil political threat to it is from the TULF and not the other Tamil parties. In addition there is the "defencelessness' of the TULF in terms of armed protection. This makes the TULF doubly vulnerable to the LTTE. At the same time the divisions within the TULF also must be taken into account. There is one faction that co-operates closely in the government's Constitutional reform exercise. Another powerful faction is closely aligned to the LTTE way of thinking. While a third grouping is somewhere in between these positions.
The TULF component that is seen as being sympathetic to the LTTE has been against TULF participation in the Jaffna local authority polls. In fact when a foreign journalist informed an important member of this faction that Sarojini Yogeswaran had been killed that "worthy' broke out into a smile. The opinion expressed was that he was against the participation of elections and that his position was now justified. In this scenario it is clear that continuous participation by the TULF in the so-called local authority process in Jaffna can only bring about more and more violent repercussions. Sarojini Yogeswaran thought that the 'boys' would not harm her as she was alone and unprotected. She also wistfully referred to Velupillai Prabakharan alias "Thamby" who was befriended by her husband Yogeswaran and had enjoyed her hospitality in her home in the bygone days. This association however did not prevent the LTTE killing her husband along with Amirthalingam in 1989. That too after entering the home on the pretext of negotiations and after eating her biscuits and drinking her tea. Her unarmed helplessness also did not stand in the way of the LTTE gunning down her mercilessly.
Sarojini Yoge coming Mayor w not giving cause LTTE. She alway necessity for neg LTTE. Like Wi Si Sivapalan also wa in favour of rec with the "boys'. insulate them or LTTE retribution. the TULF have ta to antagonise th even by word of their colleagues LTTE they only and outrage' but the LTTE directly keeps on calli-ng with the LTTE. Sivasithamparam the LTTE could be resentative of the gers opted for ne
Even now TU are stating publicl destroy the TUI would continue te pal Council. Seni Anandasa-ngari h if a suitable can found he himsel Mayor. While which are clearly LTTE are being : One hand the TUI marked reluctanc LTTE directly or ( killing of Sivapal chotomy in the TU to appease and mc refusing to con while arousing til dulging in defiant trying to run the cil.
But what the matter a consid Tamil opinion fai the LTTE is not ludo. It is bent o) campaign to ac State under its Tamils. It will reg do not subscribe being against it. displaying a cont termed traitors til suitable times. In think nothing of sonalities althoug which fostered Ta the point of obta

15 SEPTEMBER 1998
swaran after beas very careful in for offence to the s emphasised the otiations with the her successor s arguing publicly ommencing talks Still that did not insure them from Most members of ken extra care not e LTTE publicly mouth. Even when are killed by the express 'anguish never condemn 1. The TULF also ; for negotiations TULF president even stated that come the sole repTamils if the Tigotiations. JLF personalities y that nothing can F and that they ) run the Municior Vice-President Las even said that didate cannot be f would become these assertions in defiance of the articulated on the F also displays a e to condemn the challenge it for the n. The curious diJLF is that it seeks lify the LTTE by lemn the Tigers heir wrath by inexercises such as Municipal Coun
TULF and for that arable section of is to realise is that playing a game of a deadly serious nie ve a separate eadership for the ard all Tamils who
to its agenda as Of these anyone rary assertion are ) be destroyed at that process it will killing TULF perh it was that party mil nationalism to ining an electoral
ma-ndate for Tamil Eelam. It is not only a case of being like "revolutionary France' during the reign of terror when Pierre Verginiaud remarked at his trial that the revolution like Saturn might devour each of her children, one by one. In the TULF case it is more like Parashuraman (in the Mahabaratha) killing his mother at the behest of his father.
The LTTE in spite of all its boasts has only a destructive capacity. All constructive aspects of its structure are also geared towards destruction, death and despair. The continuous LTTE leadership of the Tamils can only lead the community towards a dismal future. The need of the hour is for a meaningful and credible alternative to emerge. It is clear that at the present time it is the TULF despite its handicaps and shortcomings that can provide such leadership. The party's worthwhile participation in the devolution exercise shows that it is mindful of its responsibilities.
Therefore it is for the TULF to decide what exactly it wants to do at this juncture. If it wants to defy the LTTE then it must get its act together and do so openly, unanimo-usly and unambiguously. The silent majority within the Tamil community will slowly begin to back the TULF after a while. But it will take Some time. But if the TULF continues to send out mixed signals and hesitate to even condemn the LTTE for killing its members then it cannot expe-ct people to repose confidence in it.
The TULF will be fully justified if it asks the LTTE openly as to why Sarojini Yogeswaran and Ponnu -thurai Sivapalan were killed. It can legitimately question the Tigers as to what right that outfit has to kill two Mayors who were trying to ser-ve the people in a limited way under difficult circumstances. If the TULF embarks upon this course it can hope to win a mass following in due course that would act fearlessly. But if it just continues in the present manner not only will it never become truly significant but stand discredited and lose its present position too. Also mollycoddling the Tigers does not guarantee immunity from the LTTE not even for the Batticaloa contingent.
If it is the TULF position that LTTE is the sole representative of the Tamil people and that its heinous crimes should not be challe-nged then it has no business to continue in politics. Clinging on to elec-ted office in such a (continued on next page)

Page 7
15SEPTEMBER 1998
(continued from page 6)
situation can only be construed as crass opportunism. This column is not unmindful of the past tribulations suffered by the TULF and is sympathetic to its enviable predicament. But it is the responsibility of the TULF that encouraged a generation of Tamil yo-luths to fight for the Eelam cause to help resolve the crisis created. In today's context only the TULF can do something meaningful however weak it may be.
At the same time the current political conditions too have to be taken co-gnizance of. The conduct of the gover-nment as well as the security situation in Jaffna indicates clearly that local government there can only be a facade. If the government had deployed Substantial numbers of soldiers in Jaffna and pumped in a lot of money with the aim of making a showcase of Jaffna there may be some justification in the TULF tagging along. As it is the government has even pulled out soldiers to man the Wanni front. The LTTE level of infiltration suggests that the security forces may not be able to afford the luxury of civil administration in Jaffna for Some time. As such there is no need for the TULF to continue with the optical illusion of running a municipal administration. It is futile for the TULF to indulge in rhetoric and appoint a new mayor. Unless current conditions improve that person too is going to be another human Sacrifice. Such a sacrifice is particularly meaningless in a situation where the mayor or the municipality will not be able to do anything meaningful or solid. Instead the Jaffna municipality would do well to emulate its counterpart the Valigamam North Pradeshiya Council and suspend its functions indefinitely with the proviso that the situation would be reconsidered after an overall political Settlement.
Following such a course need not be termed cowardice but merely a page out of the LTTE book of tactics. After all no Tamils called the Tigers cowards when they engineered the mass exodus from Jaffna. Vadamaratchy and Thenmaratchy were ceded to the army without a fight on the basis that it was a "strategic withdrawal'. The TULF too would do well to abandon its suicidal attempt to keep running the Jaffna municipal council as a cosmetic exercise Sans
The extension of gency to cover the fective for a period c 4 August, marked th new phase in the o offensive launchec aggressively counte Sinhala opposition The motion was pas ity of32 votes in Par MP's, including tho: and the EPDP votin from the UNP, TU SLPF voted against. nology Minister, B and MP‘s, Asoka W and Vasudeva Nan LSSP were absent at was taken.
The Provincia ( which had been Sché gust were indefinit a consequence of the Emergency. Politic Observed that the n much in response to ges in the security s litical ploy to delay could be seen as a t electoral weakness b has been driven b within the SLFP, as w the ranks of the PA been divisions over
any real power.
This also does n TULF should abdicat It should once agail tive to pressurise the arrive at an understa ulgate the propose changes. The dev would cause a sea opinion is a bipart between the major S maximum devolutior opment that would LTTE politically ar praisal of Tamil polit ing ahead with feeble the meaningless mur Jaffna running can sop to Cerberus.

TAM MES 7
ഗ
WS REVIEW
the state of Emerentire island, eff one month from le beginning of a n-going political by the PA and -red by the main
party, the UNP. sed with a majorliament, with 116 se from the CWC g for it. 84 MP's LF, PLOTE and Science and Techatty Weerakoon leerasinghe Silva ayakkara of the
the time the vote
council elections 2duled for 28 Au2ly postponed as extension of the al commentatorS OWe Was not SO
any major chansituation as a poelections. This acit admission of by the PA, which y dissent from 'ell as from within itself. There had choice of candi
ot mean that the e its political role. in take the initiae IPA and UNP tO inding and promd Constitutional velopment that change in Tamil tisan consensus inhala parties on 1. It is that develtruly isolate the ld begin a reapical thought. Goattempts to keep icipal council of only be another
O
須
dates as well as over the larger question of whether to hold the Provincial Council elections or not. Many PA politicians had gone on record as stating that they would 'win' the PC polls in whatever way they could, and this in turn had triggered off alarm bells among all the groups working for a free and fair election.
The UNP, the JVP and several other groups are contesting the postponement of Provincial Council elections in the Courts.
The UNP continued to maintain its policy of remaining silent on any critical national issue until events literally overtook the party and forced it to respond. Although UNP leader Wickremasinghe had issued a challenge to the PA to hold Presidential elections by November, in fact when the issue was open for negotiations, it remained unresponsive. The divisions within the UNP over the Wjeyapala Mendis issue as well as the now overt power struggle between the camps that support Wickremasinghe and those that support former Premadasa confidante, Sirisena Cooray have created a situation which seem to constrain the UNP from responding in any substantive and cohesive way to existing political challenges.
Once the PC elections were postponed, the UNP transformed its campaign meetings into protest meetings against the postponement of elections. This led to an exacerbation of the 'dirty war between the UNP and the PA, in terms of scurrilous and defamatory posters and leaflets and even statements in Parliament made by one against the other and vice versa. The WP continues to complain that it is at the receiving end of harassment from state forces and opposition forces alike. In August, the JVP office in New town, Polonnaruwa was shot at by a gang travelling in a vehicle without number plates and severely damaged.
The UNP has also made several complaints of harassment and assault of its members, including in Colombo

Page 8
8 TAM TIMES
during the preparations for the UNP's first public rally in recent times at Hyde Park in Colombo on 14 August. The physical violence which has been so much in evidence in the Sri Lankan political culture of recent times seemed to have now extended itselfto verbal and psychological violence as well. There was widespread public outrage at a speech made from a UNP campaign platform in Matara in which obscene and derogatory language against homosexuals was used as part of an attack against the government. This has led to a heightened debate on the ethical use of language in public fora.
A motion of No-confidence on the Minister of Posts, Telecommunications and Media, Mangala Samaraweera was defeated in Parliament on 5 August. The motion was based on the Opposition's contention that the payment of Rs. 277,854.41 by Sri Lanka Telecom Chief Executive Officer, Hideki Kamitsuma out of his personal account to settle expenses incurred by the Minister constituted an act of bribery by the Japanese company, NWF, which bought major shares in Sri Lanka Telecom.
Hopes of a negotiated settlement of the ethnic conflict remained faint, with the militaristic tendencies within the government continuing to declare that the war could be "Won' and should be won prior to any overtures to the LTTE. The process of Constitutional reform remained deadlocked at the level of the Parliamentary Select Committee. It was in this context that the statement made by President Kumaratunga on 3 August, during an exclusive interview with the Press Trust of India (PTI) that the government was prepared to begin talks with the LTTE, with third party mediation, provided the LTTE dropped their demand for a separate state, became headline news. The President did not clarify what country or organisation should play the mediatory role.
Although various organisations including some of the Tamil political parties have proposed some form of outside mediation to resolve the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka, Foreign Minister Kadirgamer and various other government officials have, in the past, spoken out against Such a move, Thus, the President's statement seemed to signal a shift in state perspective on this matter; it was also
significant because diated solution to been so muted in t the military strate cendance. Respont Minister Thondam as Saying that ther conditions laid do the LTTE.
In the meanwh Sikurui continued little real progres months after the la sive to gain contro ing Jaffna penins both the Sri Lank and the LTTE are lost over 2,000 com more wounded. Fi ficials revealed tha ture had exceeded tions by 18%, and of 8 billion rupees essary. This will b tary expenditure f 52 billion rupees. be covered by th which is 4.5% at . There were cert in defence personi On 3 August the nced the setting up Command to he Commander Roha Joint Operations H continue to functi under the guidance Srilal Weerasoori, the retirement of IC nounced, Lakshm the new IGP, and appointment, there key changes withir ment as well. Me informed on 5 Au on transfers of pe security forces w offence from this
Throughout A the arrest of LTTE of the island, as caches of arms Kandy and Colom curity measures veillance of the Large numbers of out, and the newl Investigation Dep have its hands ful The capital Co urbs were also ca increasing inciden in which there we

15SEPTEMBER 190
any hints of a methe conflict have he past months, as gy has gained asing to this report, an went on record
should be no prewn for talks with
le, Operation Jaya in the Vanni, with s being made. 16 unch of this offenl of the road linkula to the South, an security forces reported to have batants, with many nance Ministry oft military expendibudgetary allocathat a further sum had become necring the total milior this year up to The excess would e Defence Levy, resent. ain critical changes nel during August. President annouof a Joint Offices headed by Army in Daluwatta. The leadquarters would on from Vavuniya, of Major General ya. On 30 August, iPRajagum was anun Kodituwakku is in the wake of this were several other the Police Departdia personnel were gust that reporting rsonnel within the ould constitute an point on. ugust, reports of cadre in the South well as reports of und explosives in po led to tighter send increased surTamil community. arrests were carried y formed Terrorist artment seemed to
lombo and its subught in the grip of s of 'gang warfare' e shootings and at
tacks on gang members by rival gangs. The brutal murder of a young Tamil businessman, Sellamutu on 13 August in Colombo was one such incident. This situation has contributed to an increase in tension within the civilian population and within the Police. The involvement of army deserters in such activities is also a matter of concern.
Sri Lankan lawyers. R K W Goonesekera and Deepika Udagama attended their first session of the UN Sub-Commission on the Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities as Member and Alternate Member of the Sub-Commission. At this session of the Sub-Commission. Norwegian, Ashbjorn Eide made a statement in which he was very critical of the LTTE and its failure to move towards a process of negotiation.
The War: in the North
There were sporadic incidents in which LTTE cadre infiltrating the "cleared areas' attacked sentry points and road patrols. 3 children aged 6, 7 and 12 were killed in Kachchai, Jaffna, when a grenade was flung at them as they were talking to a group of solders. The military moved into the Vadamarahchi East area during August, and established a post at Nagarkovil. This had been ‘uncleared' area until then.
In the Vanni
The LTTE launched a major attack on the western Forward Defence Lines near Mankulam on 2 August, At least 37 members of the LTTE and 15 soldiers were reported killed in fierce fighting during the initial phase. Clashes continued around the Southern and south-eastern areas of the FDL's throughout August. There was also fighting in the Jaffna District, in and around Kilinochchi. A camp used as the headquarters of the LTTE SeaTiger unit at Chundikulam in Kilinochchi District was completely destroyed by the Army in early August. There was also fierce fighting between the LTTE and the military at Kumbukkulam, 8 kilometres from Killinochchi, in the second week of August, over 26 soldiers were killed in the clash.
PLOTE lost two members in separate shooting incidents in Vavuniya in August 1998. The LTTE is thought to be responsible. One of the PLOTE

Page 9
15SEPTEMBER 1998
members was shot dead while at his home in Thekkanthottam outside Vavuniya town. Following this incident, PLOTE called on all civilians residing in these areas to vacate their homes within 24 hours. This led to many protests and led to an extension of the deadline.
In the East
The military continued to maintain an uneasy presence in areas west of the lagoon in Batticaloa, with skirmishes being reported between security forces and LTTE cadre. The LTTE also carried out some attacks on civilians, including an attack on two members of PLOTE near Eravur. One of the PLOTE members was killed as a result. -
On 17 August, a bomb set in a motor bicycle which was parked near a private bank and a Police checkpoint in the heart of Batticaloa town exploded, injuring 17 civilians and 4 Police officers. The explosion damaged many other vehicles in the parking area, and caused panic in the tOWn. -
There were also reports of skirmishes between the army and the LTTE in areas along the borders of the Pollonnaruwa and Batticaloa Districts. Civilians in these areas are particularly vulnerable during this month, since this is the time when they are harvesting their paddy fields.
The PRINCESSKASH
On 14 August, the Sri Lankan Air Force bombed the PRINCESS KASH, a ship moored close to the coastline off Mullaitivu on the east coast of Sri - Lanka, following surveillance missions that showed a number of small boats going between the ship and the shore. Reports later said that the ship had been "abducted' by the LTTE and its 21 member crew taken hostage. Of these, 17, including the Captain, were Indian nationals; 4 were Sri Lanka, 3 Sinhalese and 1 Muslim. The LTTE, which informed the ICRC of the abduction, said the ship had strayed into Tamil territorial waters.
Following mediation by the ICRC, the LTTE released the 17 Indians on 18 August. They were brought to Colombo and almost immediately put on a flight to Chennai. There was little opportunity for Sri Lankan investigators to really satisfy themselves that the Captain was not guilty of com
plicity with the l tion' as had beer dian government that the Defence furnish them wit substantiate this they would cond tigations on this crew members we Lankans continue vith the CRC vis ing letters to their Following thi spired that the re. was Mv. SOFA, a in Belize. It had chartered by 3 b lombo to transpor Point Pedro in Ja cargo was origin 240 tonnes of cen sequent investiga there had also bee restricted goods c torcycles, scooter tors, as well as mo ship had been in t for over 8 weeks, b lation was that the to unload a subst shipment in Mul nessmen involved questioning. This i even more difficult the state and outsi cerned about maint ments of essential ern peninsula.
The bombing ( subsequent discus dent in the Sri L causes of some d between India anc dent Kumaratung dian Prime Minist tification for the PRINCESS KASH
Civilian life in the
There continue protests against adequate food, dı sential items to th to the Jaffna penin tal inquiry comm CWE as to how all metric tonnes of ri powdered milk val lion had not reac allocations were Commissioner Ge Services within thi December 1997. T

TTE in the "abducearlier alleged. Inofficials maintained Ministry could not adequate proof to ccusation, and said ct their own invesincident when the e in India. The 4 Sri i in LTTE custody, ing them and bringfamilies. s incident, it tranl name of the ship nd it was registered een one of 3 ships usinessmen in Coa load of goods to ffna. Although the illy reported to be hent and food, subtions revealed that h a large number of n board; cars, mos and even 3 tractor spare parts. The he port at Colombo eing loaded. SpecuLTTE had been able antial part of this laitivu. The busiwere detained for incident has created ies for those within de it who are conaining regular shipitems to the north
of the ship and the sions of the inciankan press, were plomatic tensions
Sri Lanka. Presiconveyed to Inr Vajpayee the juslestruction of Mv.
North and East
i to be a series of elays in sending ugs and other esnorth, especially ula. A departmenenced within the ocations of 14,509 :e, sugar, dhal and ed at Rs. 310 miled Jaffna. These approved by the eral of Essential period of April to he supply of elec
TAMIL TIMES 9
tricity to the northern peninsula stood to improve greatly following the commissioning of new transformers in September. Work on this project was almost complete by the end of August.
Unemployment continued to rise in Jaffna, with security considerations creating a range of problems or young persons seeking employment within the peninsula. In this connection, in the first week of August, the Unemployed Graduates Association of Jaffna submitted a Memo with six demands to the authorities, and announced that it would launch a fast campaign to gain acceptance of these demands.
In August, figures released by the Ministry of Rehabilitation said that the state spends Rs. 126 per man per month on dry rations for 126,000 displaced families living in 342 Welfare Centres in 12 Districts in the North and East. The ongoing confrontations in the Vanni are also generating a fresh wave of displaced persons, moving from the Vanni to the northern peninsula. Reports from Jaffna in August said that over 24,000 civilians had arrived in the peninsula, fleeing the fighting in the Vanni.
The breakdown was given as:
58,000 Jaffna 8,900 Kilinochchi 13,000 Mullaitivu 16,000 Mannar 5,500 Vavuniya 9,800 Puttalam
Each family of 5 persons is entitled to dry rations worth Rs. 1,260.00 per month, and relief agencies have pointed out that this is grossly inadequate. There is also no proper estimate of the numbers who are not able to avail themselves the opportunity to draw on the provision of dry rations allocated by the government.
Reports regarding the increase of malnutrition in the Vanni areas continued to come in, including an incident in which it was stated that two women from a group of persons displaced from Jaffna had died in a settlement in the Kilinochchi District due to malnutrition. Cutbacks in the issue of dry rations has also had an extremely negative impact on these families, with reports of children being forced to abandon Schooling in order to beg for their families' suste

Page 10
10 TAMIL TIMES
nance. In the meanwhile, there were reports from Mannar that the LTTE had abducted and killed 8 businessmen, charging them with transporting goods for the military.
A Hartal (peaceful protest) was observed in Vavuniya on 16 August, demanding the removal of restrictions on the purchase of fuel which had been introduced by the armed forces on the grounds that fuel supplies to the LTTE were going through Vavuniya to the Vanni. The "hartal" action, sponsored by PLOTE, brought life in Vavuniya to almost a standstill, with buses and even private vehicles staying off the roads. The protesters observed that imposing this type of restriction on the distribution of fuel would only lead to scarcity and subsequent increase in prices; only unscrupulous traders and black marketers would benefit from such a move. The present permit system allows each owner of a motorcycle to buy 15 litres of fuel per month, and each household is permitted only 2 bottles of kerosene oil per week.
Explosions of transformers continued in the north and east, with citizens of Nintavur and Sammanthurai being left in darkness with the blasting of 3 transformers in the area on 10 August, while another transformer was blown up in Chettikulam, Vavuniya on 8 August. On 1 August, 2 more transformers were blown up in Kalmunai.
In the East, civilians continued to be concerned about several incidents of shooting by undignified gunmen in the Batticaloa area. On 7 August, a labourer in the Anti-Malaria Campaign, Rajaratnam and his wife Nageswari were both shot dead at their home in Satturukondan.
Chemmany Mass Grave
Throughout August, media and public interest in the mass grave said to be located in Chemmani, Jaffna remained high. Rajapakse, one of the accused in the Krishanthy Kumarasamy, had made the allegation about this site during the final phase of the trial. The National Human Rights Commission reportedly sought the advice of forensic experts from abroad for carrying out the excavation and investigation. This step has been praised by human rights groups who have previously expressed their dissatisfaction with the manner of con
ducting forensic e. graves in the sout However, even gust, there was no tigation actually ta lay led to concern ing of the exhuma set of the monsoon tember would pre ing of the graves uı was also a concern cedure for the ope and requests that be carried out in dependent observe cial officers. Such made by the Fede Jaffna, as stated by fessor V K Ganes also appealed fore grave-site, to pro tres passers, whi Sivasithamparam c man of the Huma sion to visit Cheml certain the actual leged grave-site.
In the meanw Rajapakse, the co ported the gravesaulted while in p alarm bells within Community, and tional sent a letter asking for guarant
A report of the eton in a well ol Punnallai Kattuwa in Jaffna has led to of unidentified gr out the peninsula occupied by the a eton has been id Mr Ramasingham basis of a ring an the skeletal remail
LTTE Active in S
In early Augus suspected LTTE country. According vestigations, it w had been sent wit the plantation area ries of attacks on major reservoirs a Police also re that 16 members C squad had arrivec Vakarai, Porativu, Kalawanchikudi a A large quantity also been transpot

15 SEPTEMBER 19)
amination of mass h.
by the end of Aunews of the invesking place. The deregarding the tim;ions, since the onby the end of Seplude any re-opentil nextyear, There regarding the proning of the graves, the process should he presence of inrs as well as judia request has been cation of NGO's in its President, Prohalingam. NGO’s xtra security for the tect the area from le TULF leader alled on the Chairn Rights Commismani in order to asfacts about the al
hile, a report that nvict who first resite, had been asIrison also sent off
the Human Rights Amnesty Interna
to the government ees of his safety. discovery of a skeln the premises of n Maha Vidyalaya further allegations ave sites through... The school was rmy, and the skelentified as that of by his wife, on the d chain found with
S.
puth
it, Police arrested a activist in the hill g to preliminary inas thought that he h several others to sto carry out a sekey sites including nd power stations. ported information f the Lute's suicide in Colombo from Kokkadicholai and reas in Batticaloa. of explosives has ted to Colombo by
these persons, to create violence in Colombo and the suburbs. Several persons were taken into custody in August in connection with the bombing of transformers in the eastern Province and elsewhere. They were said to have been arrested while planning to carry out another similar attack in Kadawatha, on the ColomboKandy road.
Several members of the "Pistol Gang" of the LTTE were also suspected to have slipped into Colombo to strike VVIP targets, according to senior Defence officials. Their presence came to light following the arrest of a man and a woman said to belong to this gang, who were arrested at a house at WA Silva Mawatha in Wellawatte on 1 August. The shooting of an army Captain on a busy Colombo road in the afternoon of 25 August was attributed to this gang. The Captain was later revealed to be the ADC to Major General Neil Dias, who was thought to be the actual target of this shooting.
A raid carried out by a combined police-army team in Kandy on 15 August resulted in the arrest of 2 LTTE suspects and a large haul of RDX explosives from a house at Aludeniya in Udunuwara, Kandy. The investigators unearthed at least 12 boxes of high-powered explosives weighing 9 kilogrammes each from a secret compartment concealed by a grinding Stone in the kitchen of the house. Police investigators stated that the explosives had been brought to Kandy from the Eastern Province, for the purpose of attacking VIP's visiting Kandy. Both the arrested men consumed cyanide on arrest; one of them died immediately, and the other was taken to the hospital. The Burgher lady who had sub-let rooms in her house to the two men as well as her two children, aged 10 and 14, and two other Sinhala persons - a man and a woman - who were frequent visitors at her home were all taken into custody in the process of this investigation.
On 16 August, the train bound for Kandy from Badulla was derailed due to an explosion on the railway tracks at Rozella, about 2 miles away from the Hatton Railway Station. Investigations revealed that the blast had been caused by a mine which had been detonated through a remote control device. Police officials engaged

Page 11
15SEPTEMBER 1998
in unravelling the blast arrested 24 youths from the area on suspicion. Three of them were released on bail by the Hatton Magistrate on 18 August; the 21 others were released without bail. These 21 were discharged by the Magistrate on 28 August.
Anti-Harassment Committee
The Anti-Harassment Committee comprising 3 Cabinet Ministers and 5 MP's which was set up in July 1998 to enquire into instances of arrests and harassment of the public decided at a meeting in early August to set up a separate unit in the Police Department to assist it in its activities. This unit which would be headed by a DIG would be mandated not only to conduct investigations but also to liaise between detainees and their families. Senior State Counsel of the Attorney General's Department S K Gamlath will function as the Legal Advisor of this unit.
The Committee is headed by Minister Lakshman Jayakody; Ministers G L Peiris and Batty Weerakoon as well as MP’s Sambanthan (TULF), Zuhair (SLMC) and Devananda (EPDP) are members; the IGP, the Army Commander, and representatives of the Air Force, Navy and the Attorney General's Department also participate in the Committee.
The Committee has decided that all arrests made under Emergency Regulations (ER) and the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) be reported to the Attorney General through the DIG (Crimes). The decision was made on a suggestion made by Attorney General Sarath N Silva. Mr Silva was arguing that unlike those persons arrested under normal law with the stipulation that they be produced before a Magistrate within 24 hours, special care should be taken to minimise the hardships faced by those taken into custody under ER's and the PTA. Committee Head Minister, Jayakody went on record as saying that the duty of the Committee was to ensure that no unlawful arrest is made, and that the main purpose of this Committee was to clear complaints quickly. MP Zuhair pointed out that many innocent civilians, especially Tamils, are subject to indiscriminate harassment in the process of security measures carried out against the LTTE; MP Sambanthan agreed that this was a serious issue.
Tamil Women in
Following a Minister, Hema Women's Sectic Prison in Colomb pers focused on women in this p1 the Minister had to the Tamil won was also highligh
Allegations against the Tamil other prisoners a cials constitute the put forward by s. ists who accompa her visit to the pi prisoners went o ing that they wer any allocations - ter; they also co1 over-crowding ar rangements were
Disappearances
The new Com into Disappearanc by Ms Manouri M gan its sittings ir tale in Anuradha Badulla divisio Badulla district.
The mandate cases which were previous Commis The case aga of abducting all 32 schoolboys in continued to be High Court Judge fence submissior 2nd, 4th and 6th during the coul month.
The Police De nwhile announced lice officers who spired before the Disappearances, tions of a "torture were being sent o These include DI SSP”S H G Wic Mahanyake and
Media Freedom
TN New S ] Wickremasinghe her post on 3 Au ference, and said her safety due to ceived since she

TAMIL TIMES 11
Prison visit by Woman's Ratnayake, to the n of the Remand o, several newspahe plight of Tamil ison. The fact that neglected to speak len during her visit ted. of discrimination women prisoners by hd by Prisons offimost serious claim bme of the journalnied the Minister on ison. Tamil women h record complain2 the last to receive food, tea, soap, wamplained about the ld that sleeping arinadequate.
mission of Inquiry es which is chaired Muttetuwegama bel August in Mihinpura district and in nal Secretariat in
is to look into the not covered by the sions. inst those accused nd "disappearing Embilipitiya in 1989 heard by Ratnapura , Nanayakkara. Dein respect of 1st, accused were made it hearings in the
partment in the meai that over 100 Pose names had tranCommissions into and into the allegacamp' at Batalanda n compulsory leave. G Meril Gunaratna, kremasinghe and S P Dharmaratna.
)irector Ms Ishini Perera resigned from gust, alleging interthat she feared for threats she had reannounced her de
cision to leave. Three other members of staff at TNL, including Editor in charge of News, Saddhamangala Suriyabandara have alleged that they too have been locked out of their offices and prevented from working.
The President has Ordered an immediate inquiry into the allegation made by well-known TV producer, Parakrama Niriella that he and another colleagues were assaulted while working in Hanguranketha on 9 August. Mr Niriella has said that it was PA supporters who carried out this assault.
Several Tamil journalists were arrested during August, and detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act. S Srigajan, a long-time resident of Colombo and a Sub-Editor of the VEERAKESARI was taken into custody from the premises of the newspaper offices in August. Following his arrest, P Manikkavasagar, the Vavuniya correspondent for VEERAKESARI and several other news agencies was also arrested. It later transpired that this was a case of mistaken identity. The person wanted for questioning was in fact another P Manikkavasagar, working in the technical section of the VEERAKESARI press, who was later arrested as well. Mr Manikkavasagar from Vavuniya was released 3 weeks after his arrest with no charges being brought against him. Mr Srigajan has filed a fundamental rights application challenging the legality of his arrest and detention.
On 28 August, Mr Mathusoothanan, a journalist at SARANIHAR, the Tamil fortnightly, was abducted by persons in civil clothes in an unmarked vehicle from Galle Road, Colombo 4 in broad daylight. He was later discovered to be held at the Peliyagoda Police Station, under arrest by the CID. He has now been served with a Detention Order.
Editors of both the SUNDAY TIMES and the SUNDAY LEADER complained of visits from the CID to their newspaper offices. The investigators were seeking information about the sources from which the newspapers had obtained a copy of a letter asking for the withdrawal of the names of Ministers Jeyaraj Fernandopulle and G L Peiris from members of the Parliamentary Select Committee appointed to look into allegations (continued on next page)

Page 12
12 TAMIL TIMES
(continued from page ll) against the work of the Bribery Commission.
The Free Media Movement has also decided to challenge the postponement of elections in Court, on the basis that it violates the democratic rights of Sri Lankan citizens.
Media Minister Samaraweera instituted action against the Editor of the SUNDAY LEADER for defamation, claiming Rs. 600 million as compensation.
The Defence Ministry has refused to approve the script of an English film to be produced by the North-East Governor and well-known film actor Gamini Fonseka. The film, entitled Judgment . has been determined to be a wrong portrayal of the Independence struggle in Sri Lanka and challenges the country's territorial integrity and government policy on peace. Children's Rights
A report prepared by UNICEF and released in August revealed that over 100,000 Sri Lankan children are employed as domestic servants, while over 22,000 live on the streets. 150,000 children were among those displaced by the war in the north and east, and
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n had been killed activities of the Authority, which they
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Page 13
15 SEPTEMBER 1998
Attempt to Sile Convicted Sold
Amnesty International has expressed fears for the safety of Somaratne Rajapakse who was admitted to the Welikada prison hospital following an attack on him by prison guards on 23 August 1998. One of the attackers subsequently visited him in the hospital and allegedly threatened him not to talk about the incident "or you won't be able to leave the prison alive'. Somaratne Rajapakse sustained injuries to his mouth, below his left eye and to his chest.
Many believe that the assault on Rajapakse is part of an attempt to silence him from talking about the existene of a mass grave in Chemmani in Jaffna,
In July Somaratne Rajapakse and five other members of the security forces were sentenced to death after being found guilty of the rape, abduction and murder of a young women, Krishanthy Kumarasamy, together with he mother, brother and neighbour. Their bodies had been discovered at Chemmani, Jaffna district,
northern Sri Lank During the trial S. revealed to the co other bodies were site.
Following the the Criminal Inve nt and the Human of Sri Lanka tool from him and his f Sri Lankan authc upon by Amnesty thorise a paralle both organisatic graves, with the as tional forensic ex ternational has als commutation of til
It understood his statement to Commission is alle prison guards tried a statement to say stable. He has sa Swallow the stat guards were forci that he can use it
CHEMMANY MASSGRAWE CRM Stresses Need for Scientific Inv
The Civil Rights Movement (CRM) of Sri Lanka has called upon the government to conduct the investigation into the alleged presence of a mass grave at Chemmany in northern Jaffna "in accordance with modern scientific methods, with the help if need be of UN or other international expertise in addition to our own scientists.”
A recent statement by the Secretary of CRM, Suriya Wickremasinghe states as follows:
It is essential that steps be taken to test the veracity of the reported statement by two of the accused in the Krishanthy Kumaraswamy murder case that several hundred human bodies were buried by members of the armed forces at Chem many near where the remains of Krishanthy and her family were found. This allegation has to be considered in the context of reports that several hundred persons
have "disappeared' sequent to the ar) control of the Jaffr 1996, many of wil counted for.
The manner in nary physical inv at the site, as wel excavation that ma sary, is of particu Civil Rights Move ates here the conce: in relation to the South at Suriyakal
The excavatio site, where man packed into one p cal problems muc exhumation of ind enOn OuS amount be revealed about who they were, a to be there, provic is done with the

TAMIL TIMES 13
Ce ier
a, two years earlier, omaratne Rajapakse urt that: 300 to 400
also buried at this
se revelations both stigation DepartmeRights Commission SWOrn StatementS ellow convicts. The brities were called International to aul investigation by ns into the mass Sistance of internaperts. Amnesty Ino appealed for the he death sentences. that Rajapakse in the Human Rights aging that Welikada to force him to file he is mentally unid that he tried to ement which the ng him to sign so as proof, but the
guards had assaulted him. He told the HRC that the prison guards tried to get him to sign the statement saying he was mentally unbalanced at the time when he alleged that some 400 Tamil civilians were buried in a mass grave at Chammani in Jaffna.
Some human rights organisations are concerned that even after the incident the prisoner has been given no extra security and is still in the custody of the same Welikada jailors. "There have been no extra security measures after the alleged assault," HRC member Javid Yusuf Said.
Mr, Yusuf said the HIRC Was not involved in taking the prisoner to Jaffna, to identify the mass grave site and it did not know what progress had been made.
Meanwhile, UN Human Rights Commissioner, Mary Robinson the former president of Ireland has agreed to give all possible assistance to probe the mass grave site at Chem-mani. “We wrote to her and the UN body is willing to give its expertise. The Sri Lankan ambassador in Geneva is finalising the details, “ Mr. Yusuf said. The UN has an expert forensic team, which has excavated and recorded evidence of other mass grave in Bosnia and Rwanda.
estigation
' in the North Submed forces taking a peninsula in mid nom remain unac
which any prelimi2stigation is made | as any follow-up ly be found neceslar concern to the ment. CRM reiter'ns it raised in 1994 2xcavations in the da and elsewhere. of a mass burial bodies may be ace, poses technih greater than the ividual graves. An of information can how people died, ld how they came led the excavation
necessary skill,
avoiding the danger of irreversible destruction of vital evidence in the process.
So seriously does the international community take this question that the United Nations has published a Manual on the Effective prevention and Investigation of Extra-Legal, Arbitrary and Summary Executions. This publication includes a section which is a model protocol for the disinterment and analysis of skeletal remains. This UN Model Protocol, which CRM has reproduced in its Briefing Paper No 2 of 1994, describes the finding and excavating of the grave site as the "archaeological phase' of the investigation. At this stage the training of an archaeologist plays a crucial role. Advice as to how to locate a grave site is given (eg. surface contours and variation in local vegetation, signs of topsoil being disturbed and mixed with subsoil, use of a metal probe to locate the less compact soil which is characteristic of a grave fill etc). A numbering system should be devised and the site mapped. Any remains found should first be

Page 14
14 TAMIL TIMES
The British High Commissioner in Sri Lanka has urged Tamils living overseas to return home and help restore peace to the strife-torn island.
British High Commissioner (ambassador) David Tatham said Tamils abroad should supplement the efforts of the international community to rebuild the town of Jaffna in northern Sri Lanka.
Tatham told local community leaders during a visit to Jaffna recently that they should ask the Tamil diaspora to help "not in destroying this island, but in rebuilding it.'
“What I would urge you to do is to appeal to the Tamil diaspora, to your relations and your friends living abroad, to help not in destroying this island, but in rebuilding it,” an embassy statement quoted Tatham as telling Jaffna's Mayor and other community leaders. (The Mayor Mr P Sivapalan has since been killed along with many others in bomb attack believed to be by the LTTE on 11 September).
"I think you should be asking (Tamil) people living in England, in Canada, in Australia, wherever, to
“Tamils Should Return
- High Commission
send money to help to help restore life “If they have | should repair it. T back, they should life to Jaffna,” Ta Germany and the E involved in aid pro peninsula.
The British dip political settlement nic conflict said, " the government in the desire of the believe that the g to see a political s Said.
He said the as na mayor Sarojini this year was a blo the region and "de world.'
The Briti Sh H statement made ni LTTE, which mai tional secretariat it "There is no m ing in this countri nity has suffered Tatham added. 'Sc
(continued from page 3) "pedestaled', that is to say excavated by digging all around so that they are fully exposed without being disturbed. The UN Protocol specifically warns that: "A burial recovery should be handled with the same exacting care given to a crime-scene search. Efforts should be co-ordinated between the principal investigator and the consulting physical anthropologist or archaeologist. Human remains are frequently exhumed by law enforcement officers or cemetery workers unskilled in the techniques of forensic anthropology. Valuable information may be lost in this manner and false information is sometimes generated. Disinterment by untrained persons should be prohibited. The consulting anthropologist should be present to conduct or supervise the disinterment'.
There have been great strides in this field of forensic anthropology in recent years. Mass burial sites have
been excavated wi national expert te El Salvador, Gua Iraq, the former Yu pia. The United N tional NGO’s are personnel, both to terment process its local staff to do Subsequent to t Suriyakanda, ther shops held in Sri forensic anthropol scientists have no tunity of Seeing dures should be f CRM urges th gation of the alleg accused in the K Swamy case be in examination of the als be conducted modern Scientific help if need be of national expertise own Scientists.
 
 
 
 

15SEPTEMBER 1998
restore the library, in this city.
Iroperty here they 'hey should come try and restore the ham said. Britain, uropean Union are jects in the Jaffna
lomat calling for a to Sri Lanka’s ethWar was wished on
1995 - it was not government and I overnment wishes olution....' Tatham
assination of Jaffsogeswaran in May w to democracy in plored all over the
Ligh Commission o reference to the ntains its internan London. lonopoly of suffery - every commuin this country," )me may have suf
th the help of interams in Argentina, temala, Kurdistan goslavia and Ethioations and internarepared to provide assist in the disinelf and also to train he work in future. he experience of 2 have been workLanka with foreign ogists and our own w had some opporwhat basic proce
ollowed. at careful investiations made by the ishanthy Kumaratituted and that any alleged site of buriin accordance with methods, with the UN or other interin addition to Our O
fered more than others but no community wishes the war to continue." Britain last year brokered an agreement between the ruling People's Alliance coalition and the opposition United National Party to consult each other on a solution to the conflict. "We can do a certain amount, but the efforts for peace must come from both sides, just as the effort for rehabilitation and reconstruction must come from all sides.' Tatham said.
“Of course we want to see negotiations resumed. We want to see a political settlement because I think we all feel that this is a problem which cannot be solved by war.”
"I hope that we can use the resources of the Tamil community abroad - and there are some very successful and very rich people there - to supplement the funds and the efforts of the international community and the voluntary organisations in restoring peace and prosperity to your city,” Tatham said.
Britain is providing aid to restore electricity in Jaffna, while several European nations are also giving money for reconstruction.
Even President's Phone is Tapped
All officers attached to the Special Telephone Exchange maintained at Cambridge Place, Colombo by the National Intelligence Bureau for the purpose of tapping Telephone conversations of important people, have been transferred with immediate effect on the basis of listening to telephone conversations of the President as well.
The officer in charge of this clandestine operation, which has been going on from the days of the former regime, is a Police Inspector named Senaratne, who was trained in Such operations in Israel and is said to be the most qualified in Sri Lanka. The habit of listening to conversations of reputed people and sending a daily report to the President, was started during the former regime. This operation was maintained by DIG Punya De Silva.
For some reason or the other, the President was able to learn of these people recording her own conversa

Page 15
15SEPTEMBER 1998
tions. She has immediately removed all officials in charge of this operation and appointed a new task force to handle it. It is also said that the sudden transfer of DIG Punya De Silva was probably due to this reason. However, it is not clear why these conversations were listened to and to whom copies were given to.
The new machines bought from Alcatel in France by this Operation housed at Cambridge Place, Colombo, has the capacity to tap 10,000 phones where as the old set up could only tap 1,000 telephones of the Greater Colombo area. They also have the capacity to tap out station telephones and cellular phone conversations, other than Dialog GSM.
To be Deported from Australia to France
A Tamil man with French citizenship faces deportation from Australia after a court recently ruled against his claim that the French authorities were unable or unwilling to protect him from persecution by the Tamil Tigers in France.
A full bench of the Federal Court reversed a single judge's decision last year to overturn the Refugee Review Tribunal's refusal to grant Nagaratnam Prathapan refugee status in Australia. Justices James Burchett, Antony Whitlam and Kevin Lindgren were unanimous in their finding.
Justice Lindgren, who wrote the court's judgment, said Mr Prathapan was granted refugee status in France after fleeing Sri Lanka in 1983 and became a French citizen in 1992. He married in India in 1993, and late the following year brought his wife to Australia, where a son was born.
Mr Prathapan claimed he had been accused in France of working against the Liberation Tiger of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). He said that shortly before coming to Australia he was accosted by four young Tamils outside the Madeleine metro station in Paris and sprayed in the face with a burning chemical. Mr Prathapan said he did not complain to French police because he feared reprisals from the LTTE.
The Refugee Review Tribunal found that France was a country which effectively enforced its laws and security arrangements, and was
not satisfied there Mr Prathapan wo harmed in France would amount to
Captain,
Reman Death
A captain an tached to Sinnaka Jaffna, arrested in death of a youth fri remanded till Se Thirunavakkarasu istrate, Jaffna repo dicated.
The youth, Gn Gunasekeran (26) || shop at Mount Ca nagar had been a forces from his ho September 9 and body was hande Teaching Hospital ports said.
Additional Ma kkarasu directed P body of deceased forensic report. H two army official
Vict
Amnesty Inter ned that Thambira aged 19, who was t days following his 15 July 1998, appe lombo magistrate’s and was remanded tody at Colombo F same day. Relative him there on 10 an
According to t tion Thambirajah K rienced pain all ove difficulty walking f lowing his transf Investigation Depa lice headquarters i July. Here he was v of the International Red Cross, who p treatment. He has : tered painkillers by has not to date be Human Rights Cc Lanka.
No investigatic

was a real chance ld be so seriously by the LTTE that it persecution.
lieutenant led Over If Youth
a lieutenant atde Army Camp in connection with the pm Gurunagar were tember 18 by M. , Additional Magrts from North in
anasingham Anton }roprietor of a video rmel Street, Gururested by security me on the night of two days later his d over to Jaffna by the Army, re
gistrate Thirunavuolice to exhume the and submit it for a e ordered that the s attached to Sin
TAMIL TIMES 15
nakade camp be detained till the next date of hearing on September 18.
The father of deceased Gnanamutthu Gnanasinham (56) in his evidence told court that his son had been arrested by some army officers who came in an unnumbered vehicle on the night of September 9.
When he later inquired about the whereabouts of his son from the Gurunagar army camp he was told that they didn't know anything about the arreSt.
Subsequently he had complained to the ICRC and Human Rights Commission authorities in Jaffna by which time some army officers had come and searched his house, the reports said. On September 12, policemen attached to Kopay station had informed him that the corpse of his son was in the Jaffna Teaching Hospital and that the deceased had committed suicide by jumping out of a building while in the custody of security forces in Jaffna, he said.
An examination of the corpse had revealed that there were pin prick injuries on the body of the deceased and the burial took place on September 13. He further told court that he suspected foul play.
im Of
national has learjah Kamalathasan, ortured for several arrest by police on ared before the Cocourt on 6 August into judicial cusRemand Prison the S were able to visit d 11 August. he latest informaamalathasan exper his body and had or several days foler to the Terrorist Lrtment of the poin Colombo on 21 isited by delegates Committee of the rovided him with lso been adminisprison guards. He en visited by the )mmission of Sri
on into reports of
Torture
his torture at Pettah police station after his arrest is known to have been initiated.
Amnesty International states that Kamalathasan is no longer believed to be at risk of torture although the organization will continue to closely monitor his situation.
In an earlier Statement dated 6 August Amnesty International expressed serious concerns for Kamalathasan who was subjected to torture for several days following his arrest by police on 15 July 1998 in the capitall, Colombo.
Two witnesses saw Kamalathasan being assaulted with a rod at Pettah police station. Chili powder was reportedly rubbed into his eyes and his genitals were squeezed. After two or three days he had difficulty walking. One of his legs was apparently swollen below the knee. He was transferred to the custody of the Terrorist Investigation Department on 21 July
(continued on next page)

Page 16
16 TAMIL TIMES
FINDING AWAYO OF A STALEMATED
Jehan Perera
he killing of the new Mayor of Jaffna, Ponniah Sivapalan, and the Jaffna town commander, Brigadier Susantha Mendis and several other senior civil and security forces personnel, should not have come as a surprise or as a shock. Too little has changed in the manner in which the war is being fought and too many of people like Mayor Sivapalan and Brigadier Mendis have died in the past few years for a more placid expectation of the war to be a reality. Many more persons on both sides of the divide are likely to die in a similar manner in the future as well unless, of course, the conflicting parties change their attitudes and strategies to resolve the conflict, without continuing on their present mutually deStructive course.
This is where the Northern Ireland example can be inspirational. Not so long ago, it seemed that there was no way out of the violent conflict in Northern Ireland. The Protestant majority wanted to remain within the United Kingdom. The Catholic minority wanted to join with Ireland. The British wanted to defeat and disarm the guerillas on both sides, especially the IRA, and so they had sent their army in. But to no avail. That is, until both the British and the IRA were pre
(Continued from page 15) and is reported to be held at the 6th Floor, police headquarters in Colombo. His relatives were not been allowed to visit him there.
Kamalathasan was one of 192 Sri Lankan asylum seekers whose boat was intercepted by the Senegalese navy on 24 February off the coast of Senegal. Soon afterwards they were all returned to Sri Lanka, where they were arrested and held in detention for several weeks. After he was released on bail on 17 March, Kamalathasan returned to his home in Jaffna. He arrived in Colombo on 13 July with permission from the Ministry of Defence to attend a court hearing scheduled for 31 July.
pared to openly ad not solve the prol their aspirations th On the British public acknowledg could only limit bu guerilla action. In mitted that while t for another decade end of the decade where near pushin Out of Northern Ire time the people on were fighting woul Unfortunately, have still to come alisation. For sure has, on many occ political solution is the conflict. But it heart of hearts, in leaders continue to tary victory is pos and off we hear sto is on their last legs, firm up the determ ernment decision tough, to wait anot the tide to turn de my's favour. So fa
The constant year war, is that ti and remains able cially in the north As for the LTT conceded that they to achieve Tamil arms. On the contr the myth of the ull of themselves and to keep on going despite the majo sustained. The L may continue to f other day, but t price.
Perversity
The killing of be seen in the col tween the armed and the LTTE. Th administrators m this light by the

15SEPTEMBER 1998
UT WAR
hit that they could lem and achieve tough warfare. side, there was a ment that the army not suppress IRA turn, the IRA adey could fight on if need be, at the hey would be nothe British army land. In the meanwhose behalf they d be the losers.
we in Sri Lanka to this stage of re;, the government asions said that a s necessary to end seems that in their nany government believe that a milisible. And so, on pries that the LTTE These stories may ination of the gov- makers to hang her six months, for cisively in the ar, it never has. feature of the 15 he LTTE is around o hit targets espeeaSt. E, they have never might not be able Eelam by force of ary, they keep alive imate invincibility of their leadership, the way they are losses they have ITE war machine ght and die yet ane people pay the
military officers can text of warfare beforces of the state killing of civilian ly also be seen in LTTE and its sup
porters. But the perversity inherent in certain LTTE actions cannot be glossed over, especially where it concerns the impact on civilian welfare. There is a ruthless logic that the LTTE employs - the people's welfare is secondary to the LTTE's primary goal of achieving "self-determination' for the Tamil people under LTTE leadership. The fact that bombing the municipality building and killing municipal officials will make the delivery of municipal services to the people more difficult seems to be a matter of little consequence to them.
As part of the LTTE's single minded belief that it alone, of all the Tamil parties, is on the right track, they have systematically been trying to eliminate any semblance of opposition to their programme within Tamil society. But the fact is that the war between the LTTE and the government has led to the greatest devastation of Tamil society ever in the history of this country. Tens of thousands have lost their lives, several hundreds of thousands are internally displaced or in refugee camps, and another large number amounting to over a quarter of the Tamil population now live overSC8S.
But apart from targeting their Tamil rivals the LTTE have also been quite adept at destroying the basic economic infrastructure that undergirds the economic life of the Tamil
people. There are many examples that
can be given from the north-east. About three months ago, Mannar island on which Mannar town is located, received electricity from the national grid for the first time ever, The fact that it took so long for a basic necessity such as electricity to come to the administrative capital of the Mannar district is, of course, yet another factor that can be seen as a cause of the ethnic conflict - the unequal development of Sri Lanka to the detriment of the people of the northeaSt.
Nonetheless, receiving electricity from the national grid, instead of from old diesel generators that frequently failed, is considered by the people as something of a blessing in the midst of the general adversity of the war. But within days, the LTTE knocked down some of the pylons that brought the electricity to Mannar town. These were soon repaired by the government agencies responsible for ma

Page 17
15SEPTEMBER 1998
intaining the supply, only to be blown up again by the LTTE. Finally, leading citizens of Mannar had to take their lives into their hands and appeal to the LTTE to leave their basic infrastructure alone.
Similarity
But as the saying goes, it takes two to tango. The LTTE is not alone in its cavalier disregard of the interests of the civilian population. The government is guilty of similar callousness. There have been reports in the Tamil press and from international NGOs about the crisis situation in parts of the Wanni that are in the general area of the Jayasikuru military operation. Basically, there has been drastic cut back in government- supplied food rations to the internally displaced population in those areas. The government has attributed the cut back in food rations to the budgetary difficulties it is facing. In the past the government has been praised for sending food to LTTEcontrolled areas, and has been cited as a rare example of such benevolence. But there seems to be a strong likelihood that governmental frustration at the slow progress of the Jayasikuru military offensive has also contributed to the policy decision to reduce the food rations. It seems that military requirements have induced the government to go ahead with using food as a weapon of war to compel people to leave their home areas and move into government-controlled "cleared areas'.
Today, in the Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu districts there is a virtual shut down of government administration and the food distribution network. For instance, out of approximately 70,000 internally displaced families in the Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu districts, food rations have been stopped to all but a third of this number from June this year. Government servants have to implement this decision by denying food rations to needy families. While they have protested to the government, they have also been forced to close down their offices as they face threats from sections of the needy people.
This uprising of "the people' is a phenomenon that can develop in interesting ways. As the area is under LTTE control, it is highly unlikely that the people who are protesting are
doing so indepen There is every LTTE is encourag when large num together, and mc interests, they so a dynamic and a own. Very often personal friends dantes to positio to find them acti autonomy. It will how the LTTE de of the protests in It has been p bomb blast in the building occurred dent Kumaratung rejecting uncondi LTTE. Once agai lation seems to ha the more responsi tion, if not actuali erent tO COmn ation process.
As a starter, t uld give priority
Aml
Amnesty Inte pressed fears for th of five members of ity Party (SEP) \ have been abduct LTTE. The five a Nayavel, Thirugn Kasinathan Nagul dran Sudarsan.
AI in a stateme ber states, “None ( men, all member Equality Party (S) controlled by the I Tamil Eelam (LT) Lanka, have beer recently taken pris( bers. There are fea ing tortured durin the LTTE about S detention has led the safety of othe the SEP
“A Rasaratna were taken prisonel from their homes a Killinochchi distri the intelligence w Relatives who lat

lently of the LTTE. ikelihood that the ing the protests. But bers of people get bilise in their own on begin to develop n integrity of their eaders appoint their and trusted confiis of authority only ng with unexpected be interesting to see als with the leaders the future.
ointed out that the Jaffna municipality in the wake of Presia's hardline speech ional talks with the n the cycle of escave fed on itself. As ble party by definity, it is for the govmence the de-escal
he government shoin its resource allo
TAMIL TIMES 17
cation to assisting the internally displaced people who are the most helpless and victimised section of the Sri Lankan population. In addition, if budgetary constraints do indeed pose a few problems, the government should not hesitate to obtain the food it requires from international donor agencies which have expressed their readiness to provide the necessary rations.
It is crucially important in creating an environment conducive to peace talks that the government clearly asserts its humanitarian commitments that override any possible military requirements, such as using food as another instrument in the overall strategy of the war. Priority given to the welfare of the people will provide convincing evidence of governmental good faith in seeking a negotiated political solution. That is what the Tamil people are waiting so desperately for, and not even the LTTE will be able to ignore. O
nesty Protests Against LTTE Abductions
rnational has exhe safety of the lives the Socialist Equalwho are alleged to ed and held by the e A Rasaratnam, E anam Sambandan, eswaran and Rajen
nt dated 11 Septemof the above-named 's of the Socialist EP) living in areas liberation Tigers of TE) in northern Sri seen since being bner by LTTE memIrs that they are beg interrogation by EP activists. Their to further fears for local members of
m and E Nayavel on 31 August 1998 t Kanchisivapuram, ct, by members of ving of the LTTE. 2r went to enquire
at the LTTE office at Naichikuda were told that they had been transferred to Visumadu.
"Two other members of the SEP, Thirugnanam Sambandan and Kasinathan Naguleswaran, were similarly taken away in late July from their homes at Thirunapuram, also in Killinochchi district. A fifth member, Rajendran Sudarsan, was taken prisoner on 2 August.
“Complaints have been lodged with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). According to the relatives, to date the LTTE has not responded to the ICRC2s representations on their behalf.
“BACKGROUND INFORMATION: The Socialist Equality Party (SEP), formerly known as the Revolutionary Communist League, is a left-wing revolutionary political party made up of members from all the ethnic communities in Sri Lanka.
"In the early 1990s, soon after it gained control over large parts of thenorth and east of the country, the (continued on next page)

Page 18
18 TAMIL TIMES
The Case for Revis
the Indo-Lanka, AC,
Dr. S. Narapalasingam
he historic significance of the July 1987 Indo-Lanka Accord is that it identified that the solution the long-standing ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka was through a sharing of statepower and this was to be achieved by devolution of powers to the provinces. Though the devolution scheme instituted under the Thirteenth Amendment (1987) to the 1978 constitution and the Provincial Councils Act (1987) suffered from many deficiencies, its failure was more due to the lack of commitment by the then government to implement it fully on one side and on the other the LTTE's stance - initially having accepted the Indo-Lanka Accord, later not only to reject it but also to lock itself into a military confrontation with the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF).
The Indo-Lanka Accord and the scheme of devolution it envisaged by it was endorsed when the UNP was in power and therefore it can be assumed that it is committed to devolution of powers as a basis for a political solution to the ethnic problem. The present President of the country, then in opposition, also supported the Accord.
(continued from page 17)
LTTE was responsible for the killing of thousands of members of other armed Tamil groups. These included armed cadres as well as sympathizers of the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization (TELO), the People's Liberation Organization of Tamil Ëelam (PLOTE) and Eelam People’s Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF). Many other members of these groups were taken prisoner and remain unaccounted for to date.
“Although the ICRC is able to visit a small number of prisoners held by the
LTTE, including members of the security forces and Sinhalese fishermen, it has not been able to gain access to Tamil prisoners held by the LTTE, on political grounds."
But her governme: moted proposals on recognition that, if th resolved, the power the Thirteenth Ame provement by the gr of autonomy, particu ern and Eastern Pro while not being prep support the governi has put forward co During his visit to leader declared tha Council Act did not address Tamil conc party would go bey on what has been acc teenth Amendmen Lanka Accord”. W note is that, in spite a joint approach, bol and the opposition ted to devolution of of conflict resolutio the Indo-Lanka Acc fact that all the Tam and groups except t However, the pc forces that purport hala-Buddhist inter ted by the Sinhala C one side and those port to represent "T represented by the l side are united in t the devolution prop government or the cally opposite reas Commission and vith it vanta centra Structure that woul majoritarian domina those associated wi tion' through sepa forces in conflict, each other for their tinuance.
The scheme of visaged by either the opposition car the extremist positi Commission and th
 

It has now prothe basis of the e conflict is to be devolved under ndment need imant greater degree arly to the Northvinces. The UNP, ared to accept and ment’s proposals, unter-proposals, India, the UNP ut the Provincial go far enough to erns, and that his ond by "building :epted in the Thirt and the Indohat is essential to of the absence of th the government UNP are commitpowers as a means n as envisaged in ord as also is the il political parties he LTTE. isition adopted by to represent “Sinsts' as represenommission on the forces which puramil interests” as TTE on the other heir opposition to osals of either the JNP for diametrions. The Sinhala chose associated lised unitary stateguarantee ethnic ion. The LTTE and ch it seek “liberaratism. These are but they feed on existence and con
devolution as enhe government or not accommodate ons of the Sinhala , TTE.
15SEPTEMBER 1998
Sinhala Commission .
The Sinhala Commission denies that there any "Tamil grievances". Even after 50 years of independence during which the two main Sinhalesedominated political parties have governed the country, the Sinhala Commission asserts that there are many "Sinhalese grievances” that remain unaddressed. From the recommendations seen in its final report, it would seem that the members of the Commission believe it is by institutionalising the supremacy of Sinhala--Buddhists can their grievances be redressed more effectively. The fact that the northern and eastern provinces have been populated largely by Tamils and Muslims for centuries is also one of their grievances.
Their present motive is clearly to sabotage any attempts by the political parties to settle the ethnic conflict by devolving more powers to the Tamil regions. In this regard, the change from the recommendation contained in their interim report viz. the acceptance of the Thirteenth Amendment under which the system of Provincial
- councils was established to that in the
final report which calls for the repeal of this Amendment is significant. This has placed the main opposition party, the UNP which did not express any dissenting views on the interim report in an awkward position. The UNP leader publicly stated soon after the release of the interim report that there was no serious difference between the UNP and the Sinhala Commission on the devolution question, as both had accepted the Thirteenth Amendment. Recommendation 5 in the Sinhala Commission report calls "upon the Government to formally abrogate the Indo-Lanka Accord' as it "was signed under duress and threats.' Recommendation 6 calls "upon the Government to repeal the 13th Amendment to the Constitution and the Provincial Councils Act and to rescind forthwith the temporary merger of the Northern and Eastern Provinces all of which were steps taken in order to implement the Indo-Lanka Accord.”
What the so-called learned and priestly members of the Commission seek is a return to a unitary centralised state structure that permitted the enactment of laws which deprived nearly two-million Tamil plantation workers of citizenship and disfran

Page 19
5SEPTEMBER 1998
chised them and imposed Sinhala as the only official language. There is no ecognition of the concepts of multiethnicity or pluralism. They want the main political parties in the island not to have any alliance with any political parties representing the minorities, especially the Ceylon Workers Congress which represents the plantation workers. In essence, what they are demanding is the dismantling of any ameliorative measures that have been taken by successive governments since the ethnic conflict escalated with the intention of managing it if not solving it.
One would have thought that the blood-letting in a fifteen-year armed conflict that has turned the Small island into the foremost contemporary killing field in Asia (and some would say in the world) would have persuaded them to adopt positions of conciliation and compromise in keeping with their often proclaimed commitment to compassion and ahimsa so as to bring an end to the ongoing carnage and destruction. But that has not happened.
Recommendation 17 of the Sinhala Commission is more revealing of the sectarian and communalist disposition of its members: "Establish a Permanent Sinhala Human Rights Commission to keep a watch and review of all developments affecting the Sinhala people in particular and the nation in general and to take suitable steps in regard to any action tending to adversely affect the Sinhala people and the nation and also to further and advance the cause of the Sinhala people and the nation. Such a Human Rights Commission consisting of three persons may be appointed by the President of the National Joint Committee as persona designata and this could be approved by the National Joint Committee.'
Like Buddhism which the Buddha proclaimed as a precept of universal application for all people, the concept of human rights as proclaimed by all the instruments of the United Nations Charter are of universal application for all peoples. But not to those of the Sinhala Commission. To them there is a special brand of Buddhism labelled "Sinhala-Buddhism'. To them there is to be a special brand of human rights, and so they recommend a "Permanent Sinhala Human Rights Commission' to keep a watch and "take suitable steps in regard to any action tending
to adversely affec and the nation a cause of the Sinh nation." If anyone damnation of the
Buddhism and hu could have done b bers of the Sinha self-proclaimed pr hala-Buddhists' in ing its unmitigate unconcealed chau Commission says
bers who would co Sinhala Human R would be appoint Joint Committee' the Sinhala Comn
LTTE and Tamils The island-wi
pogrom has been
tershed in Sri Lanll ticularly Tamil po have the Tamils subjected such un resulting in unpre destruction of thei lence unleashed W ganised and orche within the ruling law and order wł protect the victim lence in many ins places. By the imp security, there v movement of mos living in the rest Northern and E Tamils began flee thousands to neig other foreign land the "Tamil proble tionalised. The go not only failed to of the violence, bu pathise with them. ters even went to t ing the violence a tifiable anger of th killing of 23 soldi LTTE.
President J R troducing the Sixt Constitution (whi ence to the ther made it a criminal "separatism', ever and requiring all ment to take an C accordance wit which made it im leading Tamil par

: the Sinhala people hd also to advance ala people and the wanted to commit universality of both man rights, no one etter than the memla Commission, the otectors of the “Sin
Sri Lanka. Displayd arrogance of and vinism, the Sinhala that the three membnstitute "Permanent ights Commission' ed by the "National which constituted hission
de 1983 anti-Tamil described as a wakan politics and parlitics. Never before of the island been controlled violence cedented death and r property. The viovas pre-planned, or'strated by elements party. The forces of nich were meant to s joined in the viotances and in many erative of safety and was the inevitable t of the Tamils then of the island to the astern Provinces. ing to India in their hbouring India and ls in west by which m’ became internavernment of the day protect the victims t failed even to symSome of the Minishe extent of explains reflecting “the juse Sinhalese' for the (ers in Jaffna by the
Jayawardene by inh Amendment to the ch mandated obediConstitution and offence to advocate by peaceful means) Members of Parliaath of allegiance in h the amendment possible for the then liamentary party, the
TAM MES 19
TULF, to continue to function in parliament. The responsibility, therefore, for the emergence of the central role of Tamil non-parliamentary Tamil militancy represented by a plethora of groups most of which were not committed to the democratic process, but to armed rebellion must be placed on the shoulders of those who legislated for the exclusion of the Tamil political parties committed to the democratic and parliamentary process. The period since 1984 has witnessed a progressive marginalisation of the democratic forces and the emergence of the LTTE as the dominant politico-military organisation within the Tamil community. Today the democratic stream in Tamil politics has virtually dried up as the LTTE's strangle-hold grip on the Tamils has become almost total.
The exodus of Tamil refugees into India, and the resulting reactions in Tamil Nadu led to the increasing involvement of the Indian central government in the island's conflict and its efforts to promote a negotiated settlement. The attempt by government forces to seek a military suppression led to more displacement and exodus of refugees. This process of seeking a military solution by the government only served to drive the Tamil youth to join the militant movements, particularly to the LTTE which had developed a separatist agenda of a Tamil Eelam state as the only way to “liberate the Tamil people' from "Sinhala domination'.
The Indo-Sri Lanka Accord was the result of many discussions between New Delhi and Colombo and between New Delhi and Tamil political parties, particularly the TULF, and it represented an attempt by India to reach a political settlement to the conflict in Sri Lanka which while maintaining the territorial integrity of the island as single nation-state would satisfy the Tamils of their legitimate rights as equal citizens. Through the settlement contained in the Accord India sought to stem the clamour for the creation of a separate state of Eelam as projected by the LTTE.
The Indo-Sri Lanka Agreement, the arrival of the IPKF and its presence in the North-East, and the then proposed establishment of Provincial Councils invested with devolved executive and legislative powers posed a threat to LTTE's political project of Eelam. At the same time President

Page 20
20 TAM TIMES
Premadasa who assumed power in Colombo was also opposed to the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord for different
eaSOS.
The talks between the Premadasa UNP government and the LTTE which commenced in April 1989 and lasted till June 1990 did not represent an exercise between two parties eager for a settlement, but a device resorted to by two parties for two, but opposite reasons to get rid of the IPKF and Indian involvement. Once the IPKF left at the end of March 1990, within a matter of few weeks the LTTE resumed its armed hostilities against government forces thus commencing what commentators have characterised as “Eelam War 2” which continued until January 1995 when a "cessation of hostilities' was entered into between the LTTE and the government of President Chandrika Kumaratunga who came to power promising to end the ethnic war by negotiating with the LTTE. But the negotiations between the parties and the cessation of hostilities came to an abrupt and violent end when the LTTE resumed hostilities with the attack on the Sri Lankan navy in the Tricomalee harbour and in the process sinking two of its gunboats. Since then the war has continued with incalculable tragic loss of life, destruction of property and displacement of hundreds of thousands of people.
The LTTE depends solely on the military strategy for "liberating' the Tamils. The danger that lies ahead for the Tamil community in Sri Lanka comes precisely from this singular approach. Those who are likely to incur losses in the event of the failure of this venture will not be the expatriates many of whom support the LTTE in its war effort but the Tamils living in Sri Lanka. Experiences elsewhere with internal armed rebellions against states indicate where these have produced some degree of success it was due largely to the mature qualities such as political leadership, diplomacy and a willingness to compromise seen in the guerrilla leaders, combined with external support of foreign powers.
No Sri Lankan government will under any circumstances voluntarily agree to the partition the country. India’s own interest will compel it to take whatever action necessary to prevent the creation of a separate Tamil state in Sri Lanka. Even a semi-autonomous
region under the country two differen with one based on n racy and the other o thoritarian) rule will by India and other There is no powerf hostile to Sri Lanka to its government's preserve the territor island and its democ
tCh.
The opposition powers with rega based secession of clear from the stand and the European U have taken with reg of the Albanians fro gion to secede from Yugoslavia, in spit Kosovo is inhabited cent ethnic Albania Americans fear that banians to secede f set a dangerous pre gion.
Some comment Western governmen onslaught by Yugos Kosovo Liberation sary measure to coa els to negotiate for within the federatic intransigent deman Hence NATO has militarily to stop th the earlier warning President Slobodan he continued his NATO forces would the Kosovans. They present situation ti negotiated settlemen On President Milos on those of Kosova
Prospects
What is clear i basis for a peaceful land's conflict on th treme positions ado represented by the sion and those re LTTE.
The base from ment has to be dev there pursuant to t Accord in the form ( ment to the Constit vincial Councils Ac here to draw attenti in which both gov

15SEPTEMBER 1998
principle of one political systems ulti-party democsingle party (aunot be supported riendly countries. ul country that is or unsympathetic determination to al integrity of the ratic political sys
of the Western d to ethnicallyexisting States is the United States nion in particular ard to the demand m the Kosovo rethe federation of of the fact that
by almost 90 per
ns. Europeans and
allowing the Alom Serbia would cedent in the re
ators believe that ts view the recent lav forces against Army as a necesX the Kosovo rebgreater autonomy n giving up their d for separation. not intervened e fighting, despite given to Yugoslav Milosevic that if oppressive war step in to protect have allowed the o occur, where a t will now be more evic's terms than in rebel leaders.
s that there is no solution to the isle basis of the expted by the forces Sinhala Commispresented by the
which any settle'eloped is already he Indo-Sri Lanka if the 13th Amendution and the Pro. It is also relevant pn to its preamble, TIIr16I1[S 3TC COTIl
mitted to “preserve the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Sri Lanka and its character as a multi- ethnic, multi-lingual and multi-religious plural society in which all citizens can live in equality, safety and harmony, and prosper and fulfil their aspirations.' Thus, both the extreme concepts of independent “Tamil Eelam” and the whole of Sri Lanka to be "the State where the power of Sinhala- Buddhists is supreme' are discounted in terms of the Accord. Even though many would have had reservations about India's involvement in the affairs of the island, all moderate Sri Lankans - Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims - who want to see an to the ongoing war should be able to accept the framework of the Accord.
India's commitment to retain the terms of the Accord can also be seen from the Indian Government's counter draft to the Indo-Sri Lanka Friendship Treaty proposed by Sri Lanka in 1990. Article 1 in India's draft requires the parties to reaffirm their determination to implement in its totality the 1987 Indo-Lanka Accord and the annexures thereto.
Instead of the government and the UNP engaging in an interminable debate about their proposals and counter-proposals, they could purposefully use the framework of the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord as a base and discuss any changes or improvements to it that would be broadly acceptable to the majority of the people committed to a political settlement through negotiations.
If the political leaderships in the south succumb to the pressures of extremists as in the past, the same mistakes committed over the past five decades will be repeated and the people will be condemned to live in misery in the foreseeable future. Certainly, a country incapable of Solving its current pressing problems cannot hope to face the new economic and Social challenges and seize new opportunities that are emerging as a result of globalisation, disappearances of national frontiers and constraints, liberalisation of trade, modernisation of the means of transport and communications and increased dependence on private capital for investment in industries and economic infrastructure.
Nations can prosper in the new competitive world only if the collec(continued on next page)

Page 21
15SEPTEMBER 1998
The Northern Ireland Agr AModel for Divided Soc
Thomas G. Fraser, University of Ulst
he political Agreement reached in T Northern Ireland on 10 April 1998 is seen as marking a new departure in the political and constitutional history of Northern Ireland, and of the island of Ireland. The Agr-eement was reached between the two sovereign governments of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. More importantly, it was reached amongst most of the political parties in Northern Ireland, parties of widely different ideologies, representing two traditions which had been locked in bitter dispute for at least a century,
It was also agreed to by three political parties representing armed groups which had been engaged in violence for thirty years. By the time the Agreement came into effect, the Northern Ireland situation had claimed 3,247 lives and cost billions of pounds to the British exchequer. Northern Ireland had been western Europe's most intractable ethnic dispute Since the Second World War. The purpose of this lecture is to identify the nature of the Northern Ireland problem, to examine previous attempts
at resolving the co failed, and to expla generated the pres Finally, it will anal identifying the key currently forming cal and constitutio) what extent can th for other divided
Northern Ireland There are at le Ireland problems locked. Any solut all three. 1. The Irish-Britis Ireland's probl has been both toc from Britain. It w; to retain its own i ence of identity w 16th century when of Britain, Engla Wales, became Pr land remained Ca was too close to B miles at the neare the attentions of it Over the centu: Ireland as essentia
(continued from page 20)
tive efforts of their citizens are directed towards overcoming the factors that inhibit development in its broadest sense. The political conditions for this to happen in Sri Lanka are yet to emerge. Those concerned more with the past than with the future cannot make any positive contribution to create these conditions. Members of the Sinhala Commission and like-minded elites can afford the luxury of wasting time and effort in agitating over Some historical injustices done by the British colonial rulers but this will not help the vast majority of the people of Sri Lanka to escape from the poverty trap that is threatening to have a firm hold on them.
In a recentinterview given by President Chandrika Kumaratunga to the Press Trust of India, she had said "that the government had never closed the doors on a negotiated settlement to
the ethnic problem recognise that its
its ideal of "Tamil
resulted in tragic c( Tamil people. All r. indicate that the di turned into a night people themselve have already depa departing to forei withstand the horr ing war. If the LTT in the welfare of th remaining within
leadership shoul means of returning table and seek a just as the Sinn Fe Northern Ireland. Tamils can hope t support of foreig obtaining their legi the political frame in the Indo-Lanka .
 
 
 

TAMIL TIMES 21
nflict and why they in the forces which
sent peace process. yse the Agreement, elements which are the basis for politinal compromise. To is provide a model societies?
Problem
2ast three Northern , which are interion has to address
h problem
em has been that it ) close and too far as far enough away dentity. That differas sharpened in the the three elements and, Scotland and otestant, while Iretholic. But Ireland iritain, only, twenty st point, to escape ts larger neighbour. ries, the British saw l to their security.
''. The LTTE must military pursuit of Eelam” has already onsequences for the ealistic assessments ream of Eelam has mare for the Tamil 's many of whom rted, and are still gn lands unable to ors of this continuE is truly interested e Tamil people still the island, then its d seek ways and to the negotiating bolitical settlement in-IRA has done in In this event, the o regain the moral n governments in timate rights within work as envisaged Accord. O
In 1801, during the wars with France, this was recognised by the formal Union of the two countries, which became the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. This Union ultimately failed. In the 19th century Irish nationalists asserted a distinctive Irish identity and argued that the Union had failed Ireland economically. The Great Famine of 1845-1849 in which one million died and one million emigrated seemed to confirm this. In 1919 the War of Independence began, which ended in the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921, and independence in 1922. 2. The Nationalist-Unionist problem
But Irish Nationalism was not straightforward. As it developed, Irish Nationalism had certain defining elements:
a. Economics. Nationalist economists argued that an Irish parliament in Dublin would promote Irish interests, unlike the Union parliament in London.
b. Culture. Nationalists wished to safeguard and promote a distinctively Irish culture against the dominant British culture. This included such elements as literature, Irish sports, and, above all, the Irish language. Culture was increasingly defined in Irish or Gaelic terms. They drew their inspiration from the myths and legends of the Irish past.
c. Territory. Since Ireland was geographically an island, Nationalists believed it was entitled to national self-determination.
d. Religion. The prime generating force behind Irish Nationalism was religion. Some Protestants were Nationalists, but overwhelmingly Nationalists saw Catholicism as marking them out as distinctively Irish. Ulster unionism
In the early 17th century, large parts of Ulster were settled by Protestant settlers from Scotland and England. The purpose of this Plantation of Ulster was establish a community which would identify with British interests in Ireland. Native Irish were dispossessed of their land and a bitter conflict broke out. Crucial events took place in the period 1688-1690. In the conflict over the British throne Irish Catholics supported the Catholic James II, while Protestants rallied to William III Prince of Orange. During the 105-day siege of Londonderry in 1688-1689, Protestants defended

Page 22
22 AMITIMES
the city against an Irish Catholic Army.
On 12 July 1690, William III defeated James II at the decisive Battle of the Boyne. These events confirmed a Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland for the next hundred years and are still vital to understanding the current situation. In the 19th century, Ulster industrialised, unlike the rest of Ireland. Ulster Protestants formed the Ulster Unionist movement which refused to identify with Irish Nationalism, seeing their future as linked with Britain. Why?
a. Economy. Ulster's industries were linked with British markets and
IC SOU ICCS.
b. Culture. Protestants identified with British culture, especially the English language. Their inspiration came from the Siege of Londonderry and the Battle of the Boyne, events which Nationalists saw as leading to their subjugation. Protestants commemorated these events, especially through the formation of the Orange Order, an exclusively Protestant order whose name honoured the memory of King William III, Prince of Orange.
c. Territory. For Unionists the national territory was not Ireland but the British Isles.
d. Religion. Protestants formed 25% of the Irish population. An Irish parliament in Dublin would inevitably lead to Catholic domination.
3. The third dimension to the Northern Irish problem which needs to be noted is a continuing tension between constitutional politics and violence, what in Ireland is called physical force'. These have been difficult to reconcile. The solutions
Partition
In 1920, the British government passed the Government of Ireland Act. This envisaged setting up a parliament in Dublin for 26 overwhelmingly Catholic and Nationalist counties. The six predominantly Protestant and Unionist counties of Antrim, Armagh, Down, Londonderry, Fermanagh and Tyrone were to remain part of the United Kingdom, with a devolved parliament and government in Belfast. This was to be called Northern Ireland.
In addition, there was to be a Council of Ireland to foster future Irish unity and discuss matters of concern to
both parts of Irelanc of Ireland Act is present structure of Northern Ireland.
What were the tition solution?
a. The fundame and remains, that t Northern Ireland we sively Protestant a counties, Ferman had Catholic major Second largest city, a Catholic majority ( Catholic/National Northern Ireland since grown to 42 community was too for effective powe be assimilated into tures of Northern II lic minority lookec Ireland would be mained overwhelmi belief. The Agreem cent attempt to deal which is at the cor Ireland problem.
b. The system c Catholics exclude power. Although Sc remained with the in London, to whic Sent members, eff exercised by the lo Belfast. This was minster modelʼ bu principal that politi with the wishes of Northern Ireland t case, since Unionis the majority. Not ( ists never form th permanent Unionis patterns of discri which favoured th munity and left the even more alienates c. This was co nomic decline. Ec meant that the Prot less inclined to m Catholic minority support for Northc 1968-1972: The c settlement
In the years 19 ist frustrations in nally boiled over. I protests demanded most obvious Catl 1970 there was Seri Catholics and P

The Government he basis of the reland, especially
efects in the par
ntal problem was, e six counties of re far from excluld Unionist. Two gh and Tyrone, ties of 55%. The Londonderry, had f66%. Overal, the st population of was 34%; it has %. The Catholic small to challenge , but too large to
Protestant struceland. The Catho
to the day when re-united and rengly Nationalist in ent is the most rewith this dilemma, e of the Northern
f government left 'd from political overeign authority British parliament h Northern Ireland ective power was )cal parliament in set up the Westt this rests on the cal power changes the electorate. In his was never the its were always in nly did Nationalgovernment, but would meant that mination built up e Protestant comCatholic minority and marginalised. mpounded by economic difficulties stant majority was ke gestures to the which might win rn Ireland. llapse of the 1920
58-1972, Nationalorthern Ireland fi1968 Civil Rights the removal of the olic grievances. In ous rioting between otestants, with a
15SEPTEMBER 199
number of deaths. This had the following results:
a. The British army and used in a peacekeeping role, which meant that effective responsibility was passing from the devolved government in Belfast to the government in London.
b. At the end of 1969 the Prov - sional Irish Republican Army (IRA was formed, initially to defend Catholic areas from Protestant attack. By the summer of 1970, the IRA had engaged in hostilities to end partition. beginning attacks on both the British army and the locally-recruited polics force, the Royal Ulster Constabular. (RUC). By 1972, the IRA had becoms a formidable force. Its political wins was Provisional Sinn Fein.
c. Under the pressure of vchess events, the Ulster Unionist Party fel. apart. By 1972, there was the Ulste: Unionist Party, led by the Norther: Ireland Prime Minister Brian Faulkne: but this was badly split. A rival party the Democratic Unionist Party, was formed by a Protestant clergyman, thẽ Reverend Ian Paisley. Two arme. groups were formed on the Protestar. side, the Ulster Defence Associatic (UDA), and the Ulster Volunteer Forcs (UVF), which carried out attacks against the IRA and the Catholic community. The fragmentation of the Unionist community was to prove a major difficulty in finding a settlement. and still does.
d. A new constitutional Nationalist party, the Social Democratic an. Labour Party, was formed. Oppose. to violence, it had to compete with Sinn Fein for Catholic votes, especially in the 1980s and 1990s. Hence. it was also difficult to find a common Voice on the Nationalist side. New solutions
In 1972, faced with a deteriorating security situation, the British government abolished the government and parliament in Belfast. Its strategy wa to find a constitutional structur - which would meet the wish of the Protestant majority to remain part oi the United Kingdom, while giving Catholics some say in government and acknowledging their sense of being Irish. The Sunningdale Agreement, 1973-1974
The major attempt by the British and Irish governments to create a new structure was the Sunningdale Agreement, reached with Brian Faulkners

Page 23
15SEPTEMBER 1998
Unionists and the SDLP in December 1973. It proposed to set up a new devolved Assembly, with an Executive in which the Unionists and SDLP would share power. The Agreement included a Council of Ireland. The Executive worked for five months until it was overthrown by a major strike, organised by Protestant workers and supported by the UDA and UVF. Why did the settlement fail?
a. The negotiations did not include the Democratic Unionists, the UDA and UVF. Brian Faulkner's Unionist Party also split on the Agreement. The political base for the Agreement in the Protestant community proved too small. Faulkner could never delivery sufficient Unionists - the other parties to the Agreement failed to understand this.
b. Protestants who might have supported sharing power with the SDLP would not agree to a Council of Ireland. Faced with the IRA campaign, they felt they were being pushed into a united Ireland - this was the basis of the May 1974 strike. Stalemate and the political rise of Sinn Fein
Politics stagnated until 1981 when IRA prisoners began a Hunger Strike. Bobby Sands and nine other prisoners died. During the Hunger Strike, Sands won the constituency of Fermanagh-South Tyrone to parliament in London. In November 1981, Sinn Fein articulated a new strategy of the armalite and the ballot box. In 1983, the Sin Fein leader Gerry Adams won the West Belfast seat in parliament. At the same time, the IRA campaign continued. In October 1984, it came closely to killing Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in a bomb attack. The Anglo-Irish Agreement, 1985
In an attempt to move the political situation forward, the British and Irish governments entered into negotiations. Amongst other objectives they hoped to sustain the SDLP in the face of the advance of Sinn Fein, and to shock the Unionists into the need to negotiate.
The Anglo-Irish Agreement left Northern Ireland within the United Kingdom, but set up structures which would give the government of the Republic a consultative role in Northern Ireland's affairs. But the overall effect was to embitter Unionists, especially as they had been deliberately excluded from the negotiations. The
result was to dela on Northern Irela Political progres In 1991-1992, ment began a new marked by two po first, in 1989, was not be defeated alone. The seconc future discussions three relationsh Northern Irelan Northern Ireland a lic, and those betv Irish governments ultimately embo rhent.
Within NOrt strands were dev was an escalatio strategy of the UI attack Nationalist the Catholic po was too high a p IRA campaign. In tempt to attack til the IRA killed ter Belfast in October the UDA killed Londonderry.
Despite such moves were bein ber 1993, the Bri ernments issued Declaration. This nals to both param alists it conceded people of Ireland between the two to exercise the rig nation on the bas. and concurrently South, to bring ab if that is their wi reassured that Su tion “must be ach with and subject t consent of a majo Northern Ireland Breakthrough
These moves discussions betwe SDLP, John Hum President, Gerry gust 1994, the IR. plete ceasefire, to October by the U The Northern Ir These ceasef admission that in the armed strug February 1995 t governments iss

TAM TIMES 23
y real negotiations ld's future.
the British governpolitical initiative, icy statements. The that the IRA could by political means , in 1991, was that would focus upon ips, those within d, those between nd the Irish Repubseen the British and This structure was lied in the Agree
hern Ireland, two 'eloping. The first n of violence. The )A and UVF was to targets to convince ulation that there rice to pay for the
an incompetent atne UDA leadership innocent people in 1993; in retaliation seven people near
violence, political g made. In Decemtish and Irish govhe Downing Street i tried to send siglilitaries. To Nationthat it was for the alone, by agreement parts respectively, ght of self-determiis of consent, freely given, North and out a united Ireland, sh'. Unionists were ch self- determinaieved and exercised o the agreement and rity of the people of
were reinforced in en the leader of the e, and the Sinn Fein Adams. On 31 AuA announced a combe followed on 13 DA and UVF.
land res were partly an D side was winning sle. In response in he British and Irish led the Framework
Documents. These sustained Northern Ireland's position in the United
Kingdom but with strong all-Ireland
bodies at governmental and civil service level intended to win Nationalist support. Unionists were slow to grasp that Documents reinforced their position.
In fact progress proved uneven. The British government and the Unionists tried to insist on the decommissioning of IRA arms prior to substantative negotiations. In February 1996 the IRA ended its ceasefire with a large bomb in London. In May 1997 a new British government with a strong majority was able to move ahead. In July the IRA ceasefire was restored and substantive negotiations were able to take place. These involved all the main political parties, though not the democratic Unionist Party or the smaller United Kingdom Unionist Party which between (them represented 40% of the Protestant elector
atC. The Agreement
The negotiations had an independent chairman, the American Senator George Mitchell. Those taking part included the British and Irish government, the Ulster Unionist Party, the SDLP, Sinn Fein, the moderate Alliance Party and the Women's Coalition. Two parties associated with the UVF and the UDA also took part, the Progressive Unionist Party and the Ulster Democratic Party. The Agreement brokered by Mitchell was concluded on 10 April, only after direct involvement by the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, and his Irish counterpart, Bertie Ahern. In many respects it reflected the earlier Framework Documents, though there were noticeable moves in the Unionist direction, especially in acknowledging that while a substantial section of the people of Northern Ireland share the legitimate wish of the people of the island of Ireland for a united Ireland, the present wish of the people of Northern Ireland, freely exercised and legitimate, is to maintain the union and, accordingly, that Northern Ireland's status as part of the United Kingdom reflects and relies upon that wish; and that it would be wrong to make any change in the status of Northern Ireland save with the consent of a majority of its people.
Two points need to be noted here. Firstly, in accepting this nationalists,

Page 24
24 TAMIL TIMES
especially Sinn Fein, were making a historic compromise with partition. Secondly, the basis of the Union was now firmly placed on the consent of the people - this was seen both as a guarantee to Unionists and a reassurance to Nationalists that Britain had no other interest in Northern Ireland, It enabled Sinn Fein to see the Agreement as a transitionary phase to a United Ireland. To facilitate both political traditions certain constitutional changes were to be made. On the British side, the 1920 Government of Ireland which embodied British jurisdiction and had partitioned Ireland was to be repealed.
Instead, it was "declared that Northern Ireland in its entirety remain part of the United Kingdom and shall not cease to be so without the consent of a majority of the people of Northern Ireland voting in a poll. For its part, the Republic of Ireland agreed to repeal Articles 2 and 3 of its 1937 Constitution which claimed jurisdiction over the whole island. It recognised that a United Ireland shall be brought about only by peaceful means with the consent of the people, democratically expressed, in both ju
risdictions in the
The Agreemen ciples for the Inte. Northern Ireland th ber Assembly, elec representation. Go sibilities would be ing to party stren bly and mechanism to ensure that ke have all-party sup would require eith those members p. including a major and nationalist de and voting; or a (60%) of member ing, including at le the nationalist anc tions present and The assembly lative and executi parliament at We tained the power ti thern Ireland. The be headed by a F Deputy First Min cross-community preside over an Ex allocated to parti the number of sea
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set out new prinnal government of rough a 108-memed by proportional vernmental responallocated accordgth in the Assemis were set in place
decisions would
ort. Key decisions er a ‘a majority of 'esent and voting, ty of the unionist
Signations present weighted majority s present and Yvot
ast 40% of each of
| unionist designavoting. was to have legis
ve powers, though
stminster also re) legislate for Nor
Executive was to rst Minister and a ister, elected on a basis. They would ecutive Committee es on the basis of ts they held in the
15SEPTEMBER 1998
Assembly. Those elected to office had to be pledged to democratic, nonviolent means.
These complex mechanisms were necessary to assure Nationalists that there would be no return to the Unionist-dominated parliamentary system which had existed between 1921 and 1972. Nationalists would not have agreed otherwise, Nationalists had their Irish identity and aspirations acknowledged through the operation of a North/South Ministerial Council, drawn from the assembly and the government in Dublin. Its decisions were to be by agreement, an essential condition for Unionist consent. It was to deal with matters of potential all- Ireland interest such as aspects of agriculture, transport, tourism, and educational qualifications. Finally, there was to be a British-Irish Council, representing the British and Irish governments, the Northern Ireland ASsembly, together with the devolved parliaments in Scotland and Wales. This, too would deal with Such issues as transport links, cultural issues and the environment.
Further key elements dealt with human rights and equality. In particu
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15SEPTEMBER 1998
lar, the British government pledged itself to “take resolute action to promote the (Irish) language'. Other aspects were more contentious, especially for unionists. The section on the decommissioning of arms required all parties' to reaffirm their commitment to the total disarmament of all paramilitary organisations, and "to use any influence they have to achieve the decommissioning of all paramilitary arms within two years.” It was a crucial point of the IRA that they should not be seen to be surrendering to the British authorities. On the controversial issue of policing, the agreement set out arrangements for an Independent Commission to make recommendations for future policing arrangements.'
This clearly involved the future of the Royal Ulster Constabulary, which was 93% Protestant. Undoubtedly the most contentious element was the section on prisoner releases, vital if Sinn Fein, the Progressive Unionists and the Ulster Democratic Party were to endorse the proposals. This set out a schedule for advancing the release dates for prisoners belonging to paramilitary organisations observing a ceasefire, and certainly within two years. Finally it was explicitly set out that the various elements in the Agreement were "interlocking and interdependent' - political parties would not have the luxury of choosing which parts they accepted and which they did not.
It was a complex Agreement in which it could be argued that Nationalists had made the greater compromises. But the SDLP and the great majority of Sinn Fein endorsed it, as did the Alliance Party and the Women's Coalition. The outright rejection of the Democratic Unionists and the United Kingdom Unionists was predictable, but less so was that of other sections of Unionism. The Progressive Unionists and the Ulster Democratic Party gave full support, implying the backing of the UVF and UDA. But while the Ulster Unionist Party leader, David Trimble secured the backing of his party's ruling council, there was a dangerous erosion of support. Even before the negotiations were concluded, key members of his negotiating team had been unable to follow him into acceptance. Interestingly, their main objections were to the provisions on prisoner release and
arms decommiss the constitutional posed a serious ment's acceptanc electorate.
On the Nation mediately clear th SDLP and Sinn Ft whelmingly for t polls conducted
ernment indicated
unease amongst porters of Trimble their concern ove come. In the end, personal commitm Minister Tony Bill ionists over pris arms decommissio erendum was held on 2 May, the A dorsed by 71.2% The result seems Unionist section o backed the Agret narrow margin.
The elections held on 25 June, this picture. Of th ing the agreement, ists won 28 Seats, Fein 18, Alliance Unionists 2, and til tion 2. For the opp cratic Unionists w Kingdom Unionist ent Unionists 3, P First Minister (
Thomas G. F of History and H of History, Philo. University of Uls versity of Glasgo don School of Ec books: Partitior and Palestine:Th (Mac-millan, 198 the Middle East : (Macmillan, 198 eli Conflict, (Mac ited books: T 1914-1979, (Edw with P. Lowe: CO East Asia, (Mac K. Jeffery: Men, (Lilliput, 1996); " rope and Ethnici War and contem flict, (Routledge, History, Journal
History, Journa

oning, rather than arrangements. This hreat to the agree; by the Protestant
list side it was imat supporters of the in would vote overle Agreement. But y the British gova large measure of Jnionists and supprivately indicated r the possible outt took a Substantial 2nt by British Prime ir to reassure Unoner releases and ning. When the refin Northern Ireland greement was enof the electorate.
to show that the f the electorate had ment, albeit by a
to the Assembly, broadly confirmed he parties support, the Ulster Unionthe SDLP 24, Sinn 6, The Progressive he Women's Coalionents, The Demovon 20, the United s 5, and Independotentially, the new lesignate, David
TAMIL TIMES 25
Trimble, was in the difficult position of commanding a Unionist group of 30 against a combined Unionist opposition group of 28. This clearly reflected continuing unease in the Protestant community over the Agreement.
Even so, the referendum was the most significant electoral result in Northern Ireland's history. Nationalists had voted to work within a partitionist structure, while Unionists had endorsed an arrangement to share power and operate joint bodies with the Irish Republic. A majority of Unionists had come to terms with the reality that the only effective Union was one which politicians in London could uphold and one which made Nationalists feel included. Opposition certainly remained amongst a substantial section of the Unionist population, but most Unionist politicians seemed willing to accept the verdict of the referendum.
Less predictable was the reaction of extreme sections of the IRA which opposed a settlement giving less than a united Ireland. It was this group, calling itself the Real IRA, which exploded a major bomb in the small town on Omagh on 15 August, killing 28 people. The widespread reaction - against this action in all sections of the community forced even this group to suspend its operations. There is now no significant armed group which has not ceased its campaign. O
raser is Professor ead of the School sophy and Politics, ter; MA: The Uniw; Ph.D.:The Lononomics. Authored in Ireland, India eory and Practice, 4); The USA and ince World War 2, 3); The Arab-Isramillan, 1995); Ed|e Middle East, ard Arnold, 1980); nflict and Amity in nillan, 1992); with Women and War, with S. Dunn: Euy: the First World porary ethnic con1996); Articles in of Contemporary of Imperial and
Commonwealth History, The New Hibernia Review, LSE Quarterly, etc.
Current Work: reland Since 1922, (Routledge, 1999); “We’ll follow the drum' the Irish Parading Tradition, (Macmillan, 1999); with C. D. Murray, America and the World since 1945, (Mac-millan).
Other information: Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence, Indiana University South Bend, 19831984; Historical Adviser: The Oxford Companion to Irish Literature, Series Editor, with J. Sprin-ghall, 'Studies in Contemporary History Series, Macmillan Press; Trustee: The National Museums and Galleries of Northern Ireland; Member: The Northern Ireland Museums Council; Director, with S. Dunn: Research project on parading problems in Northern Ireland.

Page 26
26 TAMIL TIMES
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15SEPTEMBER 1998
Compounding the Pro
by Going Islamic
i Ramesh Gopalakrishnan
in the last of Salman Rushdie's
sub-continental novel quartet,
The Moor’s Last Sigh, the protagonist Moor wonders why the entire middle class of the subcontinent ultimately has to resort to an extreme version of the religion that is no religion at all! One after another, this choice has been taken by countries big and small in the region. Pakistan has had a head start in this race, followed by Burma, Sri Lanka and Bangla Desh, and possibly India. Pakistan, of course, leads the pack as evidenced by Mohammed Ali Jinnah's attempt to ensure a country for Muslims. His launch has taken 50 long years to be fulfilled, seeing along the way, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, Zia Ul Haq and now Nawaz Shariff.
Shariff made the dramatic proposal recently, before taking off to London, that Islam will be the country's supreme law. Though he made some noises about the religious freedom of the non-Muslim minorities not being affected, it is clear that the proposed 15th constitutional amendment will establish the predominance of Quran and the Sinnah, constituting sayings and practices of the Prophet Mohammed in Pakistani society. The bill went through the parliament where Shariff commands a majority only with muted protests from the opposition parties. And Shariff took off to London after having a phone conversation with beleaguered US president Bill Clinton - the result: Pakistan will sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) well before India gives it a full thought. This way, Shariff has made it known that he would overcome the domestic crisis by invoking Islamic law and the foreign exchange and balance of payments crisis by ensuring that the US would lift the sanctions after the Chagai nuclear blasts.
True, Pakistan is mired in deep financial and political crisis after the Chagai blasts which were celebrated all over the country with the people distributing sweets. Soon after the
Colombo summit la Vajpayee-Shariff t off, Shariff had to other major politic US resorting to mi ghanistan and Sud the terrorist strike. at Tanzania and K nounced first that fell on the Pakista der, killing sever Shariff held a tel Clinton and concl sile strikes were i This infuriated the country. And the Is to win back their su Shariff. In fact, Sh Zulfiqar Ali Bhutt political rival. Tha kistani people saw regime, even as til society drank to th He declared Frid: holiday and banne all in the fair nam the last days of his of course, made it that the social ind madrasas Would b{ efit of militancy i Kashmir. And Sha a new ally in pres who is being ident conservatives.
Well, even Sa shares Pakistan's not guarantee to economy out of sunk in the wake clear blasts. In fact in doldrums even with the Internatio (IMF) deferring lo. ing the last mont Benazir Bhutto re Shariff often make that he had inher nomic scenario. T blasts at Pokhran evitable retort fro Shariff's occasion May last and the has been severely
 

st month where the alks failed to take
contend with an:al crisis, with the ssile strikes in Afan in retaliation to at US embassies enya. Pakistan anone of the missiles n- Afghanitan boral persons. Soon, ephonic talk with luded that the mishside Afghanistan! Sunni Ulema in the slamic law move is upport, or so thinks lariff is acting like o, the father of his nks to Bhutto, Paa strict prohibition he glitterati of the eir heart's content. ay as the national 2d gambling dens, e of Islam, during egime. Zia Ul Haq, a point to ensure rastructure of the used for the benn Afghanistan and riff, of course, has ident Rafiq Taraar, fied with the ultra
ludi Arabia, which Sunni Islam, could lift the country's he morass it had of the Chagai nu, the economy was before the blasts, hal Monetary Fund uns and credits durls of the previous gime. Mian Nawaz s it a point to insist ted a flawed ecohe Indian nuclear lad drawn their inn Pakistan despite al prevarication in :ountry's economy strained in the af
TAMIL TIMES 27
termath of the US sanctions. Similar to the uncertainty surrounding the impact of the economic sanctions. No one is clear as to what would be the tenor of the implementation of the Islamic law. After aid, economic and political packages, it is the turn of religion to lend itself to packaging. According to close associates of Mr Tarar, the Islamic law package would ensure more powers for the Qazi courts to settle civil disputes, revival of the institution of Salat or prayer committees, and introduction of interest-free banking for the entrepre
eurS.
It may be recalled that the Nawa, Shariff regime first clashed with the country's judiciary on the issue of appointment of judges. The judiciary had thwarted his attempt to set up special courts to ensure speedy trials of important cases. Till now, the Qazi courts had only recommendatory powers, but now, under the Islamic law, the Qazi courts can well function as a particular variety of the special courts and hand down punishment to the convicted lot. Salat committees, which had been set up during the Zia regime, will now be revived and they would function as informal Watchdogs effecting a surveillance on the people's behaviour on key contemporary issues. Such official courts and committees are unheard of even in Sri Lanka, which is passing through a difficult period under dictatorship and civil and ethnic strikes. Thc interest-free banking is a new concept formulated via Islamic economics. The truth, however, is that many such banks were already functioning in Pakistan.
Benazir Bhutto and Tehrike Insaaf chief and former cricketer Imran Khan have expressed distrust over Shariff's moves. The former prime minister visualised a situation wherein sectarian strife would be more not less. Imran Khan, however, does not trust Shariff at all. Shariff would not be able to impose Shariat, the Islamic law. However, the real opposition to the move came from human and civil rights organisations and women's groups who are certain that the Islamic law would ultimately undermine the federal structure of the constitution.
Shariff and Pakistan have taken the maximum-risk gamble at the cost of whatever liberalism which is left in Pakistani civil society. His Islamicisa

Page 28
28 TAMIL TIMES
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We are most anxious to contact Mr. Sivasubramaniam Ravikumar whose photo appears alongside. He was resident in Anaipanthy and did his A Levels in Jaffna Hindu College in 1989. He may be resident in Canada at present. Could he or anyone of his friends please contact his brother whose details appear below and relieve us of our anxiety.
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Page 29
15SEPTEMBER 1998
tion is a clever political move, aimed at placing the country on par with the Sunni-majority countries like Saudi Arabia. Pakistan's encouragement of Taliban in Afghanistan and the militant group's Spectacular Success with the help of the Pakistani army have stunned a lot of countries including even the US. The tragedy of Taliban's victory lies in the fact that it has done away with eleven Iranian diplomats detained at Mazar-e-Sharif which was overrun by its soldiers last month. And the Pakistani army establishment does not conceal its glee that Afghan militants and other Jehad warriors like -Osama Bin Laden are itching for a similar confrontation in Kashmir, something which has shocked the Indian establishment. The Kashmiri militants and Mujahideen from other countries have already managed to drive underground the Kashmiri Sufi variety of Islam, which has flourished in harmony for centuries with KashmiriPunjabi Saivism and Ladakhi Buddhism. Kashmir today witnesses a hardcore type of Islam in total contrast to its Sufi past. If this is the meaning of Islamicisation, then Pakistan better watch out.
Thus, Islam is taken far away from its revelations and made to become power-play and this power-play is unfortunately called politics. In the political variety of Islamicisation, a kind of crude sectarianism comes into play, wherein various sects compete for power, regardless of whatever Islam says or means. Pakistan has witnessed a Shia-Sunni conflict over the last few decades, with their counterparts in Iran and Saudi Arabia playing financially supportive roles. Also, the conflict in Sind, between the lo
cals and the Moha
tled there after hav India during the P. gone on unabated Karachi becomil Sunnis themselve into several sects compete with each and pelf. The corrl tition among thest full play when Zia subtract zakat (Isla from bank accou madrasas. The cont funds dominated even after Zia's dea this apart, there are ties like Ahmediyas law declares as no communities and of cluding the Christia through a period c Islamic law is pacil mented in the next
The extreme cru dian response to th
tacks stood out w
government and its media sought to dr the US bombing o bases in Sudan all Driven by immediat to demonstrate that
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TAMIL TIMES 29
irs, who had setng travelled from rtition period has with killings in g routine. The are subdivided tho are known to other for power ption and compe
sects came into Jl Haq decided to mic tax) directly nts to help the rol over the Zakat 'akistani politics
h for a while. All
a few communi
whom the Islamic
l-Muslims. These her minorities inns are likely to go f darkness if the (aged and implefew years. ldeness of the Ine US missile athen the B.JP-led apologists in the aw pleasure over f alleged terrorist nd Afghanistan, e needs of having Kashmir has been utfits based in Pain the Afghane Indian leaders the US had acted sever, hitting at he Indian estabanted to use the me its agenda of ases located acrOl in the Kashmir the possibility of needed a Nelson
Mandela, speaking at the NAM summit at Durban, to call for an early solution to the Kashmir imbroglio. And Indian leaders including Atal Bihari Vajpayee were livid with rage. After all, who would have thought that South Africa, against whose apartheid regime India would have sponsored countless resolutions in NAM summits, would get liberated to turn around speak about Kashmir. The wheel has come a full circle in the last decade and a half. And it needed Vajpayee's persuasive skills to extract some kind of token apology from the South African deputy foreign minister about Mandelas reference to Kashmir. Vajpayee and Shariff are meeting at Chicago on September 23 and the latter would be one up on his Indian counterpart having agreed to sign the CTBT O
Posters Warn "Army Collaborators'
Posters warning persons with purported connections with the Sri Lankan Army (SLA) have appeared in several parts of army-controlled northern Jaffna since September 11, according to reports from the town.They said that this is the first time that posters have come up with the specific names of people who are accused of having connections with the army. The hand written sheets of paper with lists of persons were put up in Nallur, Irupalai, Kopay and Kalviankaadu. Small crowds gathered to inspect the names that were on the posters.
A resident of Kalviankaadu is reported to have said that the names of several people in his neighbourhood had been mentioned in a poster that was pasted in his area a few days earlier,
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Page 30
30 TAM TIMES
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The Advertisement Manager,
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Jaffna Hindu parents seek UK educated professional partner for Ph.D. daughter, 28, working in London. Send details, horoscope. M 1043 C/o Tamil Times.
Doctor’s son, 34, Electronic/Computing engineering B.Sc., (Hons) Edinburgh University, British/New Zealand citizen, prefers educated girl Christian/Hindu. M 1044 C/O Tamil Times. Jaffna Hindu doctor aunt living in UK, seeks professional groom with permanent residence, for attractive niece, 26, Financial ACCountant in Colombo. Send horoscope, details. M 1045 C/o Tamil
irnes. Jaffna Hindu parents seek suitable bride in UK for their son, 31, Ph.D. in Computer Science UK. Send horoscope, details. M 1046 C/O Tamil Tirnes. Jaffna Hindu parents seek educated groom in good employment for Dentist daughtr, 26, working in London. Send horoscope, details M 1047 C/o Tamil Times. Jaffna parents seek doctor bride for Son, 31, excellent employment in Information Technology Company, Horoscope to PO Box 7141, Northridge, CA 91326, USA. Jaffna Hindu parents seek doctor groom for doctor daughter, 24, working in London. Please send photograph, horoscope and details, all correspondence in confidence and returned. PO. Box 11666, Londorp SW197ZE. Jaffna Hindu Uncle SeekS qualified bridegroom in good job for niece, Sri Lankan citizen, 30 years, B.Com., graduate Jaffna University employed in Colombo. Send horoscope, family particulars. M 1051 c/o Tamil Tinnes. Jaffna Hindu Uncle seeks professionally qualified tall
Hindu bridegroom for niece, 25 years, British citizen, B.Sc., Honours London University in good job, no mars affiction. Send horoscope, family particulars, M 1052C/o Tannil Times.
WEDDING BELLS
Easwaradasan (Dasan) son of Mr. & Mrs. S. Rajendra of Thirunelvalley, Jaffna and Yaaline daughter of the late Mr. Kanagaratnam and Mrs. S. Kanagaratnam of Vaddukoddai, Jaffna on 6th July 1998 at Richmond Pillayar Temple, Toronto, Canada. Pahalavan son of late Mr. Ambikai Pakan and Mrs. Ambikai Pakan of 5 Abbey Wood Road, Abbey Wood, London SE29ED and Lalitha daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Arunasalam of 10 Covis Building, Uda Eriyagama, Kandy, Sri Lanka at 44/3 Aishwarya Apts., 1st Street, Kamaraj Avenue, Adyar, Chennai 20, South India on 15th July 1998. Satheesh Son of Mr. & Mrs. S. Kathiravelu of 3645 Crabtree Crescent, Mississauga, Ontario L4T1S7, Canada and Christine Sushila daughter of Mr. & Mrs. B.A. Samuel of 3833 Teeswater Road, Mississauga, Ontario L4T 3S7, Canada at Le Treport Banquet Hall, Mississauga on 28th August 1998. Surendran son of Mr. & Mrs. S. Chellappah of 45 Marram Close, Stanway, Colchester, Essex and Shamala daughter of Mr. & Mrs. V. Jegasothy of Francistown, Botswana on 22nd August 1998 at Thurrock Civic Hall, Grays, Essex. Sivadasan Son of Mr. & MrS. S. Rajendra of Thirunelvaley, Jaffna and Shanthi daughter of Mr. & Mrs. V. SitSabesan of 11 Hamers Avenue, Colombo 6 at London Sri Murugan Temple, Manor Park, London E12 6AF on 23rd August 1998. Prakash SOn Of Dr. & Mrs. Selvaratnam of 66 Somerset Road, Chiswick, London W4
 

15 SEPTEMBER 1998
5DN and Vithyakala daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Rajaratnam of 92 Wyldway, Wembley, Middx., on 27th August 1998 at Greenford Town Hall, Ruislip Road, Middx. Kiritharan son of Mr. & Mrs. S. Paranjothy of 409 Ewell Road, Tolworth, Surrey and Shiamene daughter of Mr. & Mrs. T. Sangaralingem of 23 Chestnut Drive, Pinner, Middx., on 28th August 1998 at Greenford Town Hall, Ruislip, Road, Middx. Chitra daughter of Captain & Mrs. K. Chandran of 14 Whitehall Gardens, London W4 3LT and Lawrence Son of Mr. & Mrs. Gerald Selby on 5th September 1998 at The Savoy, Strand, London WC2. Welautha Cumaran Son Of Mr. & Dr. N. Arunasalarn of “Vaikundam”, Wood Close, Prestwood Drive, Stourton, Stourbridge, West Midlands and Victorisa Angela daughter Of Mr. & Mrs. J. W. Burden of 10 Belmont, St. Georges Avenue, Weybridge, Surrey on 6th September 1998 at Bridegroom's residence. Pratheepan son of Mr. & Mrs. Thanabalasingam of 21 M. Govt. Flats, Bambalapitiya, Colombo 4 and Bamini daughter of Mr. & Mrs. C. Vanniyasingam, 46 Fernando Road, Colombo 6 at Miami Beach Hotel, Wella watte, Colombo 6 on 12th September.
OBITUARES
Arumugam Thamar Sinnathurai Ratnasingham, Founder and Chief CO-Ordinator, Wimbledon Shree Ghanapathy Temple, Chairman, Highgate Murugan Temple Trust and Chairman, Federation of Hindu (Saiva) Temples, UK, beloved husband of Karuneswary; loving father of Mrs. Geetha Maheswaran, Dr. (Mrs.) Latha Parvathaneni and
Ranjith, father-in-law of Dr. S. Mahesh Waran and Mr. T. Parvathaneni, grandfather of Sai Ganesh, brother of the late Mrs. Sawunthary Ambalavarnar, Kandasamy, Sinnathamby, Velautham, Navaratnam, Mrs. Rajalakshmy Karunanantham, Sabaratnam, Kanagalingam, Mangaleswari and Mrs. Phuvaneswary Hyland; brother-inlaw of Ambalavarnar, Mrs. Malika Kandasamy, Mrs. Vallikkodi Sinnathamby, Mrs. Indrani Velautham, Mrs. Navaratnam, Karunanantham, Mrs. Bhuvaneswary Sabarat
nam, Mrs. Kanagalingam, Hyland, Sarvanandam, Sathanandan and
Saif Chithanandarn passed away on Sunday 16th August 1998, under tragic circumstances in a Car accident in South India. The body lay in state in Lola Jones Hall, Tooting on 26th August for members of the public to pay their respects and tributes and was Cremated at the Lambeth Crematorium shortly after.
The members of the family wish to thank all devotees. friends and relatives whic attended the funeral, sent floral tributes and messages of sympathy and assisted them in many ways during their perioC of great sorrow. - 178 Queens Road, Winbledon, London SW19 7H.J. TE: 018 i 946
1140.
Appreciation appears on page 32
IN MEMORAM
In loving memory of Deva Rajan N, FSI., Licensed Surveyor, Leveller & Valuer of 25" Arasady Road, Kantharmadam, Yarlpanam. Fondly remembered on the seventh anniversary of his passing away on 11.9.91 by
Continued on page 3

Page 31
15 SEPTEMBER 1998
Continued from page 30 his beloved wife Padma; Children Sujithan, Siva Kumaran, Rajam, Jeyaraman, Rengan and Raj iswari sons-in-law The venthiran and Nirthanakumaran, daughters-in-law Jeyadevi, Suhanya, Thangalogini and Helen; grandchildren Jamuna, Karthika, Bharathan, Uththami, Luxmanan, Sri Ram, Vaitharani, Vithuran, Devarajan, Poorani, Pavithran, and Dhurrka, Sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law, relations and friends. Flat 4, 24 Mansfield Road, Ilford, Essex IG1 3AZ.
25th Death Anniversary
Mr. Sellathurai SomaSundaram (of Kondavil) former District Director, Territorial Civil Engineering Organisation, Polonnaru Wa 3orn: 30th August 1926.
Died; 3rd September 1973 Pondly remembered by wife Pushparanee and children
Raviraj, Prabhalini 3nanasakaran, Sunilraj, 'wimalraj, Shiralini Kajendra and Udhayaraj. - 59
Sheaveshill Avenue, Colin
-ale, London NW96HR.
In Everloving Memory of
Our Beloved Daddy T.J. Rajaratnam (Retired High Court Judge)
Called to rest - 15.981
No Length of time can
Take away Our thoughts of you From day to day Whatever else we fail
To do We never fail to think of you.
Will always love and Remember you. Lovingly remembered and sadly missed by your wife Arul; children Rohini, Renuka, Rajiv, sons-in-law Vijayan, Sriharan; grand-children Vasi, Ravi, Prathi, Jayanthy and Ajit.
First Death Anniversary Lovingly remembered and very much missed on the first anniversary of the passing away of
BO 22.08. 1950. Died: 04.09, 1997.
Thevanayaki Mahilrajah (Nayaki)
Former teacher of Chundikuli Girls' College, Jafna. A year has gone by Since day you left us. But the precious memories linger on and shall be with us for ever,
Fondly remembered by your darling son Peter, loving husband Roy, parents, sisters, brothers, family and friends. - 73 Longbridge Way, Lewisham, London SE13 6PVV. Tel 0181463 0905.
FORTHCOMING EVENTS
Oct. 1 Ekathasi; Feast of Solemnity-St. Theresa of the Child Jesus.
Oct. 2 Feast of Guardian Angels. Oct. 3 Sani Pirathosam;
Puraddasi Sani (3); South London Tamil Welfare Group (SLTWG) Women's Front
eetS. es: O81 5423285. Oct. 5 Full Moon. Oct. 6 Feast of St. Bruno. Oct. 7 Feast of the Holy Rosary, Madhu Feast.
Oct. 8 Sankatakara Chathurthi, Kaarthigai, Feast of St. Dennis. Oct. 10 Puraddasi Sani (4);
 
 
 

TAMILTIMES 31
IN MEMORAM
$ళ్ల &
Annaiyum Pithavum Munnari Deivam.
Dear appa, you would say "Make obeisance only to a Deity. To man - grant him respect and give him love. Make exceptions of your Mother - who gave you life and love, and your Father - who made you what you are. They are your first known Deities. All other gods - you know them only afterwards'. Appa, your physical presence may not be here with us anymore, but the legacy you left behind is, and will always be there guiding us through this life - forever remembered with love and pride, especially on this fourth anniversary of your passing away on the 24th September 1994.
MR. PONNUDURANARENDRA NATHAN, most dearly beloved and adoring husband of Gnanambal; dearest loving and proud Appa to your children, Dr. Thrinayani Jegathambal, Dr. Mrs. Sowmya Wijayambal, Mrs. Sobhana McCnambal, Dr. Mrs. Priyadarsani Brahathambal, Adhithya Thrilochanan, Mrs. Vasutharini Girijambal, Agasthya Ponnambalam and Ambika Dhakshayani father-in-law of Dr. P. Arulampalam, S. Raveendran, T. Ilangovan, R. Srikanthan and Dr. Mrs. Mecra Narendranathan, darling dearest Thaththa to your grandchildren, Abhirami Janani Raveendran, Amarnath Thirumadhavan Raveendran, Nirmala Arulampalam, Janaki Saruhasini Srikanthan, Janarthanan Ragavan llangovan and Dhivya Saraswathy langovan. A man of great courage, integrity, humour, wit and wisdom, whose kindness and generosity knew no bounds, you are greatly missed forever but never forgotten, and are always in our thoughts. God Bless. - 53 Crossways, South Croydon, Surrey, CR28JQ.
SLTWG Drop ln. Tel: 0181 542 3285. Oct. 13 Feast of St. Edward. Oct. 14 Feast of St. Callistus. Oct. 15 Krishna EkathaSi. Oct. 17 Sani Pirathosam; Puraddasi Sani (5) and last. Oct. 19 Deepavali; Kethara Gowri Viratham, Ama Vasai. Oct. 21 Skanda Sasti Virathan Starts. Oct. 23 lypasi Velli (1). Oct. 24 Chathurthi SLTWG Drop In. Tel: 0181 5423285. Oct. 26 Soora Samharam. Oct. 27. Thirukkalyanam. Oct. 30 lypasi Velli (2).
Oct. 31 Ekathasi. At Bhavan Centre, 4A Castletown Road, London W14 9HQ. Tel: 0171 381 3O86,4608. Oct. 2 7.30pm Rabindra Sangeet - Tagore songs by Pjush Kanti Sarkar from lndia. Oct. 37.30pm Bharatanatyam by Darshi Sahadevan and Esha Dasgupta pupils of Guru Prakash Yadagudde, Oct. 4 7.30pm Karnatic Vocal by Maharajapuram Ramachandran, son of the legendary Shantanam, whom he has been accompanying.

Page 32
32 TAMILTIMES
Mr. A.T.S. Ratnasingham
- An Appreciation
Mr. Ratnasingham was a kind, generous and religious community leader, who tirelessly championed and worked for the underprivileged and selflessly dedicated his whole life to the Tamil community and contributed immensely to propagate the Hindu religion and maintained close links With Our motherland With the determination to maintain our own identity.
He was born On 27th November 1933 in Alvai, Point Pedro, into a family of 11 brothers and Sisters. His father Mr. Sinnadurai was a wealthy businessman. Mr. Ratnasingham was affectionately called "Mootha Annan', by his brothers and sisters, but he was not just an older brother, but assumed the responsibility of a father in a remarkable manner and was looked upon as such. He was educated at Hartley College, Point Pedro, where his all round excellence earned him the post of Head Prefect of the college, a position of privilege and prestige given only to a very few. He entered the then University of Ceylon in 1955 and obtained a degree in Electrical and Mechanical Engineering, after which he was appointed a Demonstrator. Thereafter he was appointed a Lecturer in Katubedde University,
He married Karuneswary in 1963 and Mr. and Mrs. Ratnasingam arrived in the UK in 1964. When he arrived, he lost no time in setting up his own business as a Property Developer, undertaking building contracts. The business flourished, which gave him the time and space and more importantly the resources for religious and community work, Poojas including those for all night Sivarathiri were held at 104 Dora Road, Winbledon, the residence of the Ratnasinghams, Regular Friday poojas were held at Garratt Lane, in one of the properties of Mr. Ratnasingham, which was made avallable free of charge.
True to his name, literally translated, he was not just allon but made of gems, he was a gem of a person. His contribution towards spiritualty was beyond the means and bounds of one's imagination. He was very pragmatic and Wished others to lead a religious life and with that end in view founded the Shree Ghanapathy Temple in Wimbledon in 1979. Despite much opposition from the residents, he took the Challenge by not only buying up the properties in the adjoining surroundings, but also won the hearts and minds of others who realised that the United Kingdom is a multicultural community, one which helps dif. ferent communities to live in harmony and unity thereby enriching each other's culture. He was a courageous person who could not be put off and he left no stone unturned to achieve an objective. When anyone asked him, he would say 'Lord Ghanapathy is there, He would know about it'. He closely associated with the other Hindu temples in the UK and took an abid. ing interest in the Highgate Murugan Term
ple, of which he was since inception and Was Chairman of th His remarkable ach his death were the Maha Kumbabisega Murugan Temple, hic ence of the Hindu (S London and last but Ghanapathy in a Ch around the Temple it
He had a long-stal many organisations always given guidant ways to the Saiva Mi a Hindu Religious A to propagate Hinduis of life. In recognition organisation, he was 22nd August 1987, tc Anniversary Celebra him the Title 'Sivan the Founder Membel novers in establish Tanni Foundation an the free use of his pric Tooting for many yea fo Salute him for his r erosity. One charity to his heart was The He had closely work last 11 years and wa their first function org On that occasion, he he would make a match the total proce used as a centre Clothes to be sent fo lns of the War in the Lanka, These or orphaned for the s demise of their benef
Mr. Ratnasingham est philanthropists t) had in UK in recent ty that there ls not a Sir aflon in the UK of the received his help,
Let me end with a q speare which aptly f towards the Tanni Co, tle and the elements nature might standar
"this was the man".
We extend our deep beloved wife and to h have been left behir those who are near a
C. Sithamparapilai.
Sri Lankan P Washi
Sri Lankan poet T7 jah, presently of Star NSW 2147, Australia the International SOCI ington to read his poe their Eighth Annual C posium on 4th Septe be formally inducted

15 SEPTEMBER 199
a permanent Trustee the time of his death 2 Board of Trustees. vements just before organisation of the m for the Highgate ding the First Confer. aiva) Temples (UK) in not least, taking Lord triot along the streets
Winbledon.
ding association with and Charities. He has e and helped in many nnetta Sangam (UK), Sociation established m and the Hindu way of his Services to this honoured by them on Coincide With its 10th tions, conferring on irri Chelvar'. He was and one of the prime ing the International d generously allowed perty at Garratt Lane, rs. Its members wish nagnanimity and genwhich was very close Tamil Orphans Trust. ed With then for the s the Chief Guest for anised to raise funds, publicly declared that Jersonal donation to eds, His temple was or the Collection of the orphans, the vicNorth ard East of Sri Jhans have been 'econd time by the aClOr,
was one of the greathe Tamil community mes, it could be Sald gle charity or associTamils, which had not
uotation from Shakefied his life, "His life mmunity was so genso mixed in him that dsay to all the world
est sympathies to his is three Children who d by him and to all
d dear to hirm.
Det nViited to ngton
uraiappa Kanagaraey Road, Lidecomb, has been invited by ty of Poets to Washn "Pray for Peace' at onvention and Symnber 1998 and is fO as an "International
Poet of Merit' and presented an Awar Medallion.
Rajkumar Bharathi
in London
Rajkumar Barathi's surprise appearance at Croydon Tamil Community Centre on 22nd June was an event which gave an opportunity to the Tamil residents of Croydon to enjoy the soulful verses of Subramanya Bharathi direct from his great-grand son. Also the event marked the Community Cente's inauguration of regular activities. The credit was to Sangeetha Vidwan Mathini and husband Sriskandaraja, at whose in Vitation Bharathi Visited London. The recital consisting entirely of Bharathi songs, rendered soulfully and in varying meters was a rare treat to the assembled audience. Another surprise was the presence of Violin maestro Pichiappa of Radio Ceylon fame, and father of Flute Gnanavaradan, who is familiar to London audiences.
The Croydon Borough has a substantial Tamil population and is proud of a leading Tamil SchOO for Children under eleven but so far the older children, their parents and grand parents have had no appropriate forum for themselves. The opening of a new Community Centre adds a fresh outlet for Croydon Tamils, incidentally, Mathini Sriskandaraja, in announcing the presence of Rajkumar Bharathi, mentioned that the occasion symbolised the re-emergence of Kalabhavanam, Croydon's prestigious fine arts Centre, a forum With Which she was, like many other leading musicians, closely associated, Her hope may become a realty if other faithfuls too desire,
- Sangeetha.
Our Congratulations
Dr. S.K. Maheswaran has been appointed Chairman of the Department of Veterinary PathoBiology, University of Minnesota, USA, Dr. Maheswaran graduated from the University of Ceylon with honours and distinction in Veterinary Science in 1960 and on a Fulbright Scholarship awarded ir 1962 did his Ph.D. at the University of Min. nesota. Thereafter, in 1971 he joined the same university as an Assistant Professor and excelled in research and teaching. He is an old boy of Jaffna Central College and the Sor of the late Mr. & Mrs. S. Kandaswamy of Kandermadam, Jaffna and a nephew of the late Mr. T. Rudra.
Vatsala Rajendram of Hillmarton Road London N7 has been awarded a Ph.D., Biotechnology of the University of Londor from Imperial College and the convocatior took place recently. She is the daughter c. Mr. & Mrs. C. Thirunavukkarasu of Chet, Streeet, Nallur, Jaffna and presently C Enfield UK,

Page 33
15 SEPTEMBER 1998
The Late Kandiah Kanagarajah An Appreciation
The demise of "Milkwhite Kanagarajah'as he is popularly known on 22nd July 1998 has created a void in Jaffna. His impact on the life of the people over the last half a century has been so great that it would be very difficult for the beneficiaries to forget him. Kanagarajah, one of the many children of the late Kandiah, inherited from his father the vibrant industry of soap making, which he expanded over the years so as to compete effectively with many a multinational company engaged in the production and distribution of soap in Sri Lanka. There was a time when long-established companies made an all-out effort to liquidate this infant industry - swallow it under their ownership to sustain their monopolistic hold - but Kanagarajah - the visionary industrialist - was too clever for them. He diversified the industry using local natural raw material. The Neem soap with a medical flavour using local mahogany products and milkwhite washing powder became very popular through the length and breadth of Sri Lanka. Kanagarajah became a pioneer industrialist of the north to be emulated by our youth.
Apart from being an industrialist, there are two other areas viz environment and religious education, in which Kangarajah's impact had gone very deep in society. Years before many of our people had thought of preserving the environment, he promoted the planting of palmyrah seedlings and Neem plants in many areas of the country. Schools and community centres in the Mannar, Vavuniya, Mullaitivu, Anuradhapura, Trincomalee and Batticaloa districts were given a free supply of palmyrah seedlings to be planted along school boundary lines. Palmyrah palms - the Katpaha Virudcham of the north - are of great economic importance for generations to come. So are the flourishing Neem trees. His vision promoted economic growth and preserved the environment for long years to come and the community at large has nothing but praise for his services.
To preserve and promote religious knowledge he engaged the services of knowledgeable persons to edit, re-edit, translate and publish valuable religious material in the form of handbooks, handouts and bulletins and all these were made into packages for free distribution far and wide locally and even to foreign lands where our people have migrated in large numbers. Valuable contributions of authors like Thiruvalluvar and Arumuga Navalar were brought to the notice of our people. One cannot forget his free distribution of the Tamil alphabets printed on palmyrah leaf for the initiation of the young during Navarathiri.
Milkwhite Kanagarajah is no more but his dedicated service which generations to come will see in the form of religious publications, palmyrah palms and neem trees
Will ever remind us o V. Sivasuprar
Janaki’s Ween
The Veena Arangetra after years of study dedicated guru is at the stage for an e. mance is always an 30th May 1998, Smit presented her stude! Dr. & Mrs. Gnananal Vidya Bhavan. / h almost since birth, a untiring endeavour, tion to master the art following the inspiria, Sisters who had the Same guru and are : with great expertise, stage that day. The e guidance that she h and parents contribu SLICCeSS. There Was for the results follo discipline, as reflecte repertoire.
The programme
soothing varnam in posed by violin Ma Jayaraman. Sri M thanan was broug favourite "Sri Maha Nattai. This scintillat Lord Ganesha comp Viswanatha Sastri M with clarity and profe, less flow of Tyag keerthana Sadinché Standably raised a lc audience. The hallinn: mance by Jarnaki v composition in raga mam - “Ragamabsorbed the audi Silence. This was young and upcomin precision in the art C ful and Celestial inst there was a joyful mc panying artistes on among the audience asm and interest to Krishimayya", ‘Bhavayami” in Yan Kurai Onrumilai” O
 

TAM TIMES 33
this noble soul. haniam, Seychelles.
a Arangetram
an of a student, who and training under a last ready to ascend (tended solo perfor2xciting occasion. On Sivasakthi Sivanesan it Janaki daughter of dha at the Bharatiya ave known Janaki, ind an aware of her dedication and devoof playing the Veena, tion given by her two ir tutelage under the still playing the veena hat brought her to the normous support and ad from her teacher ted very much to her a wealth of evidence wing this demanding d in the musically rich
commenced with a raga Charukesi comestro Sri Lalgudi G. aharajapuram Sanht to life with my
Ganapathe" in raga ng piece in praise of osed by Sri Mayuram as played by Janaki ssionalism. The effortaraja's Pancharatna ne' in Arabhi underud applause from the ark of the day's perforwas Smit Sivasakthis SimhendramadhyaTanan-Pallavi' that ence with pin drop rue reflection Of this g artistes talent and f playing this wonderument. Following this, od among the accomthe stage as well as to listen with enthusithe Ragamalika "Baro
Annamachaariyar's an Kalyani, Rajaji's iginally sung by Smt
M.S. Subhulakshni.
The programme raised to the peak of the day when her sisters Yasodhara and Devaki joined her in the finale, Sri Lalgudi G. Jayaraman's Tillana in Mohanakalyani. This remains the Jewel in the Crown' of the day. The family obviously had every reason to be proud of Janaki. The serene Thiruppugal Thulumatha Vertkai Kanayale' engulfed the hall with a sign of great satisfaction having witnessed a Kacheri of brilliant scale.
The complete appreciation of the Arangetram was delivered by the Chief Guest - musician, musicologist and indologist - none other than the well known expert Dr. John Marr
The occasion was enriched by the expert accompanists Sri M. Balachander on Mridangam & Sri R. Prakash on Ghatam. The interaction between both of them was very enjoyable, especially during the ThaniAvarthanam round. Janaki's sister Yaso provided Tanpura and Devaki compered the programme.
The Bhavan and especially Smt Sivasakthy Sivanesan deserve warm kudos for preparing and launching a star musical artiste.
Dr. P. Ambikapathy.
Jaffna Hindu OBA (UK) Annual General Meeting & Cultural Evening
Jaffna Hindu College Old Boys Association UK celebrated its 10th anniversary with a grand Cultural Evening programme on 4th July 1998 at Richard Challanor School Hall, New Malden.
The programme commenced with a melodious Veena recital by disciples of Smit Saraswathy Packiarajah. A mesmenising Flute recital by a student of Sri PGnanavarathan and a captivating Bharatha Natiyam performance by a student of Smt Vijayambihai Indrakumar delighted the audience, while the finale, an unusual combination of Carnatic and film songs under the direction of Sri P. Navendran, was commended for its quality.
The Annual General Meeting preceded the Cultural Evening programme and the Executive Committee's appeal to set up 200 scholarships by the year 2000 for the benefit of underprivileged students back home was well received by the members. Fifteen of them have already been established and the OBA has, in the recent past, remitted over £6,000 for various urgent needs of the College.
Two distinguished old boys from Sri Lanka, Mr. S. Smitharan, son of legendary Warden late Mr. K.S. Subramanian and Mr. W. S. Kiruparatnam, an executive committee member of Colombo OBA Trust graced the occasion by their presence.
Suntha Uthayanan, Secretary.

Page 34
34 AML TIMES
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