‘All Tamils are not LTTE’ - Consul General in Toronto

By Ajit Jain in Toronto

The new Sri Lankan Consul General in Toronto, Bandula Jayasekara, is taking on a new beat for himself; all his life, he has been a professional journalist.

He was the managing Editor of the Colombo Post, editor-in-chief of Ceylon Daily News, a television and radio presenter and also guest writer for the South Asia Intelligence Review, More recently, Jayasekara was director, international and English media, to the Sri Lankan President.

Toronto is not an easy place for a first diplomatic posting. There are all kinds of warring Sri Lankan groups in the city. There have been in the past several tragic incidents, gang wars, killing of Sri Lankan Tamils.

And despite the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam having been outlawed by the Canadian government, some people do continue to raise funds for political activities back home.

Jayasekara acknowledged his posting is very significant because I have been given a mandate by the President to unify the people. Because we are all Sri Lankans - Tamils, Sinhalese, Muslims, Burghers. I am here to bring people together, irrespective of where they come from, as they are Sri Lankans first.

“I think,” he continued, “my being a former journalist also helps to reach out. I am very clear all Tamils are not LTTE. They are wonderful and moderates, and unfortunately we know only a few people create problems.”

He preferred to Indians who, “wherever in the world they go, they will always say ‘I am from India.’ Similarly, we have to go as Sri Lankans, which I have said I will always do.” Jayasekara lamented the assassination of Sri Lanka’s Minister of Highways and road Development Jeyaraj Fernadopulle April 6 “when he went to flag off a race in connection with the Sinhala Tamil new year.

He was a Tamil and a catholic, a minister who built bridges between all communities and he was a close friend of the Sri Lankan President [Mahinda Rajapaksa].” Canada has condemned the attack, in which former Olympic marathoner KA Karunaratne was also killed.

Jayasekara said the ceasefire with the LTTE - during which former Sri Lankan foreign minister Lakshman Kadiragamar was killed by the outfit - “was flawed from the beginning; [it] was just a peace of paper.” At a recent meeting as part of the ceasefire agreement, Jayasekara said, “the LTTE delegation went to Oslo and refused to come to the table.

Another time they did that in Geneva. The government delegation was always ready.

“When the ceasefire started,” he continued, “it was not accepted by everyone. Then President Chandrika Kumaratunga was not even given a copy by then Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe. There’s no ceasefire now. I have been part of the media delegation which went for recent peace talks and I saw what was happening. There have been 7,000 violations [of the ceasefire by the LTTE].”

The newly minted diplomat believes Sri Lanka “is no more a Tamil and Sinhalese problem.” Jayasekara did not hesitate to concede that there are “the extremists on both sides” as the Sinhalese too “We have to work together.”

He recently attended an event where, despite opposition from LTTE supporters, many Tamils attended, “where World cup winning cricket captain Arjuna Ranatunga was to be the chief guest; but he couldn’t make it.”

Jayasekara called Canada “a friend of Sri Lanka” and said the country “can play a very positive role. We have to thank Canada - this month it will be two years since Canada banned LTTE as a terrorist organization.”

When asked about Sri Lanka’s relations with India, Jayasekara responded: “India is a good friend of Sri Lanka. India has always stood by us.” “We are not fighting Tamils,” the consul general emphasized.

“We are fighting terrorism. There may always be some fringe groups. But the two countries get along very well. We work very closely.” Jayasekara claimed LTTE chief “Prabhakaran and the LTTE don’t have more than 5 percent following in the country: that too because people are scared of him.”

He recalled a story about former Jaffna mayor Sarojini Yogeswaran, who Jayasekara had interviewed. “It was a live television interview and she told me before the interview:” ‘Son, don’t ask me certain questions that I can’t answer.’ “Within one week [of that interview] she was assassinated,” Jayasekara added.

He referred to recent elections in east Sri Lanka “after several years” where the LTTE used to have total sway. “We will soon have provincial council elections [there],” he said.

He conceded that “some mistakes were undoubtedly made,” but underlined that “now it is a different situation.”

- defence.lk