Retreat of the TNA

• T[Tiger]

• N[Nominated]

• A[Agents]

By Lucien Rajakarunanayake

It was a near desperate gamble. With the Tigers suffering repeated military losses, and the efforts of humbug peace lobbyists and some NGOs to raise alarms about the plight of civilians not having the expected impact internationally, the TNA was brought in to play.

The people usually charged with disrupting the proceedings of parliament, on behalf of the LTTE, were rushed to India for an audience with its leaders, particularly, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh.

Their chances of meeting the Indian Premier on a hasty visit to India without prior appointment had very little hope of success. But such was the desperation of the Tigers for Indian help of any type that the TNA had to try.

The five TNA members were led by R. Sampanthan, who has lost all sense of shame in his cowardly cringe before Prabhakaran and the LTTE. Gone are the days when he commanded the respect of democrats when he spoke in genuine defence of the Tamil cause. He is yet another Tamil coward, living in fear of Prabhakaran’s suicide killers, as happened to his close friend Neelan Tiruchelvam, who paid the supreme sacrifice without becoming a doormat for Prabhakaran.

The TNA members, whose are in parliament is only because of massive electoral fraud, representing none other than their grisly master the Sun God in the Vanni, spent nearly three weeks in India, in forlorn hope.

Meanwhile, Dr. Manmohan Singh was meeting with Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister in Havana, and exchanging views about the LTTE. He also met Minister Douglas Devananda who entered parliament despite the LTTE’s vote rigging in the North.

The Janatha Party leader Dr. Subramaniam Swamy aptly described the TNA members as “Tiger Nominated Agents” fooling themselves into believing the Indian Premier would see them.

At the de-briefings with the LTTE and friends who encouraged them on this LTTE mission of desperation, Sampanthan and his team had said they never realised how much the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi was still influencing official political thinking in India, about the LTTE and its tactics.

Every official that met them had said it was the height of folly to expect the Indian Prime Minister to see them, with the full knowledge of how close they were to the assassins of Rajiv Gandhi; vicariously having his blood on their hands.

“But Prabhakaran said it was an unfortunate thing as far back as April 2002, in that famous Press Conference,” Sampanthan had said. “So much of water has flown under the bridges since then.” “We know how much of blood has flown under the bridges of Sri Lanka, caused by Prabhakaran, but not even that can erase the memory of the blood of Rajiv Gandhi and how it was spilt,” they were told.

“But surely, Anton Balasingham, the LTTE’s theoretician apologised for the Rajiv Gandhi killing some months ago. He said it was an unfortunate incident; the worst mistake the Tigers had made, and that it should be forgotten by India,” Gajendran Ponnambalam said.

“India cannot have amnesia about Rajiv Gandhi just because Anton Balasingham wants us to” a senior officer in the Indian Foreign office had said. “Do you forget how our government rejected that so called apology out of hand?” he asked.

‘But why does not India think of the plight of the Tamil people today. You can’t live in the past. Is it not time to take a fresh look at the situation in Sri Lanka,” Mavai Senathirajah had asked a skeptical bureaucrat at South Block.

“We are concerned about the Tamil people of Sri Lanka, what makes you think we are not”, the bureaucrat said. “But, do you expect us to forget that both Prabhakaran and Pottu Amman, his intelligence chief, are fugitives from Indian justice. Why don’t you first hand them over for justice in India, for the assassination of Rajivji, and then seek an appointment with our Prime Minister? You may have better luck,” they were told.

Suresh Premachandran tried his own two paisa worth, with a new gambit. “Why don’t you look at the problem you have with the increasing Tamil refugees here. When things get worse in Sri Lanka there will be more refugees. Don’t you think it is in India’s own interest to intervene? Why can’t we meet your Prime Minister and explain this?” The response was prompt. “We know very well about the Tamil refugee problem. We also know who is responsible for it. The LTTE is also responsible, and since you are with them you are also responsible,” said a senior officer in National Security. “But let me ask you another question, what are you from the EPRLF doing with Prabhakaran, when your leader Perumal is here trying to avoid Prabhakaran’s killer squads? How can you explain that?” Suresh Premachandran is still telling his friends of how fast an exit he made.

It is interesting to see how these proxies were nicely set up by the Indian civil servants and politicians to believe they will somehow have an audience with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Having failed in their futile attempt they have told the media how they met with the Minister of State for External Affairs, E. Ahmed, the Foreign Secretary-Designate Shivshankar Menon and National Security Advisor M. K. Narayan. They can live in their own fool’s paradise, little realizing that all of these officials would have added to the resolve of Dr. Manmohan Singh not meet them.

Better luck next time is all that one can say about their hopes to meet the Indian leader in the future. There are two little tips one can give them.

Next time round try making an appointment in advance when you seek a meeting with the Prime Minister of an important country. Better still, promise to, and make sure you take Prabhakaran and Pottu Amman with you on the visit. Vanakkam.