CFA should be amended to bring peace - Devananda

by Shanika Sriyananda

The leader of the Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP) and Minister of Social Services and Social Welfare Kathriravelu Nithyananda Douglas Devananda, MP says that the Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) which gave undue advantages to the LTTE should be amended to bring back peace.

In an interview with the Sunday observer he said that the CFA, was signed to make the guns silent. Today it has become a nightmare to the majority of Tamils who believe in the preservation of human rights, political pluralism and democracy in the North- East.

"The sole aim of the LTTE is the setting up of a fascist State in the North-East of Sri Lanka. Here are the excerpts of the interview:

Q: Can you explain the real situation in the North and East ? Do the civilians have access to humanitarian services ?

A: The Government is trying its level best to provide the basic things such as food and other essential items to the people. But, unfortunately the LTTE has blocked all these services from reaching the people. Because of the LTTE threats, there are so many logistical problems faced by the Government. The LTTE has obstructed each and every step that the Government has taken to improve the living condition in the North and East.

Recently the LTTE has threatened the private traders not to sell goods.

Although the A9 route was closed for security reasons, the Government invited the private traders to transport goods by ship. But the LTTE threatened the traders from transporting goods by sea route to create an artificial shortage of food and essential items. By doing this the LTTE intends to convince the international community that the Government has allowed people to starve.

In Vanni, the LTTE has agreed to open the roads for three days from last Wednesday. They did not open because the LTTE feels if they open the roads freely more people will come to the Government-controlled areas in Vanni. So, this is the reason that they try to close the roads. The day-to-day activities have been obstructed due to the terrorist activities in the Eastern province. There are so many claymore mines in these areas and people living in fear with uncertainty in LTTE controlled areas. But with all these obstacles the Government is trying its best to feed and look after the welfare of the people in the North and East.

Q: As the Minister of Social Services what is your view about development process in the North and East?

A: If the LTTE continues with violence it is very difficult to develop the North and East. However, the Government is trying to bring everything back to normal. But the condition in these areas are still not good and even people are not in a sound mind to think about development. What they want immediately is peace. Deaths, disappearances and displacements have caused immense hardships to the Tamils in Sri Lanka. More than one third of Sri Lankan Tamils had sought refuge in foreign lands. These people have no physical and mental strength to face any more sufferings. The urgent need of the hour is to find permanent peace.

Q: Some claims that you consider only the North and East in implementing social welfare programs but not to the whole country. Is that true?

A: I am from a regional party. Because of my commitment, I still continue to represent the region. Tomorrow, if everything is solved I will quit and go to my private life. I do not want to continue with my political life when there is peace. Even at the very beginning I openly said that if Vellupillai Prabhakaran genuinely came for a peaceful settlement, I may give up and go. But the reality is Prabhakaran wants war and I also do not quit. So, as a politician from a regional party I want to solve this problem, not to do politics here. The second thing is my language capacity. So that's why I limit my work.

Q: But what about providing social services to other people outside the North and East. Are they neglected under your leadership ? A: No. The social services in those days are different from today. Now the President has cut the cake into pieces among several Ministries. There is no step-motherly treatment outside the North and East. As an example take a program for elders.

Under such a program whether the recipient is Punchi Banda or Kandasami all are elders to me. So we treat them equally without any difference.

More than in the North and East we are doing programs outside the region because we cannot freely move in the North and East. So we are doing more programs here.

Q: Once you have called the TNA as the 'Tiger Nominated Agents'. What is your opinion about TNA today ?

A: Still there is no change. As you mentioned my quotation, still they represent the LTTE. The LTTE's interests are very much different to the interest of the Tamil people. The TNA MPs represent the LTTE's interest and they want to cover up. Because they are scared as their leaders were killed by the LTTE.

So they are representatives of the LTTE in Parliament.

Q: The TNA says that the LTTE is the sole representative of the Tamil people. How do you see this statement?

A: Well, it means through violence, The TNA is correct. The LTTE is the sole representative of the Tamil to carry out violence. When there is violence there is no democracy. The LTTE has stolen the rights of the people and saying that they are the sole representatives of the Tamil. The sole representative theory is an anti-democratic theory. So on that concept they may be right and they are against the interest of the people.

Peace cannot be established with sinister motives. All stakeholders should take part in initiatives for a permanent solution to the conflict. There cannot be any sole representative to any community. The LTTE has been using the grievances of the Tamil community to establish its dictatorial rule in the North and East. The LTTE by its terror tactics has wiped out almost all the leaders of other political parties after the Indo-Lanka Accord and silenced the voices of the Tamils.

Q: Does the TNA really voice for the Tamil People of the North and East ?

A: No. It is very clear that they are voicing for the LTTE. As their name 'Tiger Represent Agents' they solely represent Tigers. So they voice for the Tigers is not for the ordinary Tamil people who wish to live peacefully.

Q: The Government is to change the CFA. So do you think that this will bring positive results to solve the problem ?

A: CFA signed with the LTTE on February 22 in 2002 is one sided and has not given space for political pluralism. Even from the very beginning itself we have told the media, international community and the Norwegian facilitators that the CFA was one sided. It is basically the agreement was wrong and we have to correct them. Under this the LTTE can come to the Government controlled areas but from there no one can go to the LTTE areas.

The CFA was aimed at enhancing the LTTE's military capacity while depriving even the basic protection the other alternate Tamil political parties had for their self defence. The CFA is not only facilitated the elimination of the alternate voices, but also added injury by branding them as "paramilitaries" in order to project them as 'irrelevant parties' in the Tamil struggle.

The sacrifices of the remaining alternate Tamil political parties and their consistent efforts to bring back normalcy and for a final solution to the Tamil problem have been completely ignored and they were humiliated by branding them as paramilitary. The Tamil community has been the victim of war and experimental CFA.

Other Political parties are unable to function freely in the North and East.

Political activities by these parties are hampered by means of intimidation, threats, physical attacks or abductions by the LTTE. Democracy and political pluralism in the North and East are being systematically destroyed by the LTTE.

Another draw back of the CFA is that under Articles 1.11 to 1.13 under the caption "freedom of movement", it gives explicit right for the LTTE cadres to move into State controled areas without any reciprocal arrangement.

Under the CFA the LTTE cadres are given full freedom of movement into the State controlled areas, members of the alternate Tamil political parties, their supporters and those who do not subscribe to the LTTE views had no access to the LTTE controlled areas nor can travel through the A9 road. Even the members of TNA, the proxy alliance of LTTE, are not permitted to move in freely in LTTE controlled areas. CFA did not take into consideration, the plight of those who do not fall in line with the LTTE politically.

So if there are amendments to these issues, the CFA will be more viable.

Q: Then on what conditions the Government should commence peace talks with the LTTE ?

A: There are two issues. One is Tamil speaking people, who have genuine political grievances. These should be addressed through political or democratical approach.

But, the problems of Prabhakaran is different from the grievances of the common Tamil people. On the other hand no one can solve this problem until he die because Prabhakaran's desire is not what the Tamil people want. He may come for peace talks with the intention of strengthening the organisation but not for a peaceful genuine settlement.

What the Tamil speaking people aspire for is not the destructive war, but peace, harmony and meaningful political solution. The armed struggle and the political violence have come to an end with the Indo-Lanka accord. The Indo-Lanka agreement has given hope to the Tamil Speaking people that there is a way out for them to co-exist peacefully within one Sri Lanka.

The agreement has not been implemented in full, due to the war mongering attitude of the LTTE and the anti-Indian sentiment expressed by a segment of the Sri Lankan society.

The EPDP have presented a three Stage Solution that, while meeting the legitimate aspirations of the Tamil speaking people, will also have the support of all the communities in Sri Lanka.

The first stage is to implement the 13th Amendment, which was the outcome of the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord, to the constitution in full in the North-East province. North East Provincial Council can be activated by giving political leadership to the existing administrative mechanism in the region.

The second stage is to reinforce the 13th Amendment by conferring additional powers on the North and East Provincial Council to make them centres of greater authority. This can be achieved by amalgamating the subjects in the concurrent list with the Provincial Council which can be achieved within the Constitutional arrangements.

The third stage would be, with the consensus reached among all the political parties in the APRC and with the LTTE, to arrive at a lasting final political solution. If we implement the above two stages, the whole country will move towards the final solution. At this stage, the LTTE too will be forced to accept a peaceful political solution.

Q: You have carried out anti LTTE propaganda in some countries. How successful are they and do you think that the LTTE still have international support To what extent, especially the EU ban on LTTE?.

A: I and Ananda Sangaree went to South Africa to lobby against the LTTE.

It was very successful and the LTTE activities were neutralised after our visit.

A large population of Tamils are living in South Africa and now they are coming to Sri Lanka to discuss matters. Later the LTTE had Ellendran to counter our propaganda but he could not succeed. There is no political solution and it was worrying them.

Our government has realised it and the President has appointed the All Party Representative Committee (APRC).

So very soon the APRC will bring solutions. But it is very difficult, to the LTTE to get the international support now.

Q: It is well known that the LTTE is carrying out its activities in Tamil Nadu. What is the stand of the Tamil Nadu government on the LTTE's activities there ?

A: The two main political parties in Tamil Nadu-the ADMK or DMK - are very much clear on the LTTE activities. But still small units like Kandasami and Ramadas help the LTTE. After the fishermen's issue the LTTE try to blame the government. If the LTTE throw a stone it always pluck two mangoes while trying to achieve their targets.. They use the fishermen in arms smuggling and then killed the fishermen and put the blame on our Navy. But it was exposed and they were forced to release the fishermen. After that the LTTE lost .

Q: Can the LTTE achieve Eelam through terrorism and killing innocent civilians?

A: What is Eelam ? Is it a separate state ? They call this as Tamil Eelam. The LTTE was not showing any interest in finding a lasting solution to the ethnic problem. Instead, it has put forward a demand for an Interim Self-Governing Authority (ISGA) for the North-East Province under its own grip.

The Tamil people are not demanding an ISGA. The vast majority of the Tamil people would be satisfied with an honourable political solution within a united Sri Lanka that would ensure autonomy for the North-East Province within a federal structure.

It is very clear that Prabhakaran has not changed at all from his goal of a separate Independent state of 'Tamil Eelam'.

He will not change even in the future. If he appears to be sending signals that he is prepared to negotiate a federal solution, he is only repeating what he had been doing over the past two decades. Sending signals is part of his strategy.

No, they cannot achieve their goal a separate land. Because people are not prepare for it now and the international community will not allow for a separate state. So there is no room for it.

Earlier people wanted a separate piece of land but now 90 percent of the Tamil speaking community want to live in an united Sri Lanka.

And the international community especially the India will not allow that to happen. So they can not make their dream a reality.

Q: How do you define the LTTE's military?

A: I feel if there is an honourable political solution within the next two years we can bring them down. Our military can bring them down easily. By the way the Sri Lankan armed forces are attacking the LTTE they will be defeated soon.

Q: Can Tamil People keep hope in Mahinda Rajapaksa government to get peace ?

A: Otherwise how can I be in this government. I represent the Tamil Community and I am one of the pioneers of this arms struggle. We have hopes that the war can be ended under Rajapaksa government.

We hope that the Government of India would also assist and facilitate the peace process initiated by the President Mahinda Rajapaksa who is very keen in solving this problem at the earliest and in building a new Sri Lanka.

Q: Do you have any faith in APRC and do you think that solutions can be brought through APRC ?

A: Yes. At this juncture, it is important to recognise that for the first time in the history of Sri Lanka, on the initiative of the President Rajapaksa all major political parties have come forward to find a political solution to the ethnic conflict.

He has appointed the APRC. It is left to the representatives of the Tamil-speaking people of Sri Lanka to clinch this opportunity. If not, they would be betraying their own people.

Q: The children of the LTTE leadership and other main members of the LTTE are having very comfortable lives and some are studying abroad while hundreds of underage children from poor Tamil families are used as fighters.

A: Yes. They have very comfortable lives and also studying abroad.

But children belong to poor Tamil families in LTTE controlled areas are deprived of all the facilities enjoyed by other children. They live in very bad conditions. They always have fearful lives.

Q: What is the state of children in the LTTE controlled areas ? Does the LTTE stop recruiting small children to their baby brigade ?

A: No. this is not true. The conscription of children to the LTTE's army goes on despite undertakings to the contrary given by the LTTE to the international community. Still the LTTE continue with its recruitment of underage children.

If the Vanni roads are freely open more than 80 percent of people will flee to cleared areas. There is no Advanced Level classes in their areas as the LTTE have stopped it. They are deprived of education too. The LTTE by force recruit children.

If the child is 10-years-old, the LTTE will snatch the child to use him in fighting with the Sri Lankan military.

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